“The news on the Sophotri Stones shows how bad it’s getting,” Armonie sighed.
Close up to the Sophotri Stone, Penny saw that below the crystal’s surface there seemed to be spindly paragraphs of foreign text floating beneath the surface. Each of the articles stayed visible for several minutes before shifting to another news story. Armonie stood there contemplating the news, and Penny started to pick up what some of the people in the square were saying.
“The Mines of Olphinem have gone bare now, too? This is an outrage. Baron Quent should be forming a plan of action, not sitting up in his office and hoarding all the magic while the rest of us suffer,” one man complained to his glowering friends. Penny watched him for a moment, but her attention was taken by a shrill woman’s voice near her ear.
“Shouldn’t the king be the one doing something about all this?”
Penny and Armonie left the Sophotri Stone and walked side by side in silence over the cobbled road, the urban area growing less dense. Armonie led Penny out the opposite end of the city and sighed as they overlooked the valley below them. There were groupings of cozy cottages nestled in the tender green hills bordering the town. A brook meandered through the village and far in the distance Penny could see a group of children playing around the front of a school. Beyond the village were expanses of fields, stretching like a heavy quilt over the untamed land.
Armonie led her down the steep dirt road, and in twenty minutes they had reached the cottages. The tiny structures were shaded by terraces draped with clusters of damask blossoms, and bordered by gardens with a variety of strange vegetables and fruits, wells and water pumps. Massive trees whined and whispered in the afternoon breeze. Cream colored, foxlike creatures slept in the sunny spots of windows and idle villagers grouped around fence posts. The air was heavy with the scent of dinners cooking.
“I really wish my mom could see this,” Penny said, fighting back tears again at the thought of how Paulina’s dreams seemed to be brought to reality before her eyes.
“You’ll have to bring her here someday, then,” Armonie replied. She took a left turn on the snaking road and went down a wooded path. They passed a bakery, a store that sold herbs and teas with magical properties, a toy shop with a window bursting with motion and color, and a gardening supply store. Each shop was cluttered with wares, both mundane and magical. Penny longed to inspect them all, but Armonie hustled her along.
At length they arrived at a light-blue house off the side of the main road. Armonie lifted the latch on the wooden gate bordering the cottage and it swung open, creaking. Armonie knocked on the front door and smoothed the front of her robes as she waited.
A woman poked her head out. Her face was plain and showed some of the signs of her age, but her eyes shone with a sweetness that exemplified her features.
“Hello, Cassandra! Madam Priestess has some things for you and asked me to see that you were doing well,” Armonie recited.
The woman laughed and opened the door wider. “How wonderful. Come in, then. We’ll see if I can’t find something for you to eat since you’ve gone through the trouble of coming all the way out here. How does some cellanoa tea and jam-puffs sound?”
Exchanging greetings, introductions, and small-talk, Cassandra led them into her kitchen and poured a glass of crimson-colored tea for each of the girls. She set a plate of buttery round pastries filled with fruit jelly on the table. Armonie and Penny thanked her and ate heartily.
Penny could hear the shouts and gleeful screams of children in the house. Armonie drained her cup and unpacked the contents of the basket, setting some items out on the table. Penny saw that she’d brought Cassandra food, vegetable seeds, a few lengths of ribbon, and some cloth and needles. The last item Armonie uncovered was a small hunk of what Penny recognized as raw magic. Cassandra gasped.
“Oh, no, Armonie. The sanctuary can’t spare this,” Cassandra protested, but Armonie shook her head.
“No, please accept it. It’s a gift from us in your family’s time of need. We know that today marks the second year since…we just want you to know that our whole town is grateful for the brave work your husband did. It’s only right that you have this.” Armonie placed it into Cassandra’s palm. Cassandra looked very touched and closed her thin white fingers around the stone.
“Bless you, little Armonie,” she breathed, her face alive with emotion.
Armonie was silent for a moment as if she were considering something. “Of course. Has―has there been any news?” she braved.
Cassandra’s face fell at once and she shook her head, her gaze distant. Armonie patted her on the shoulder and changed the subject. They talked for a short time longer, and then Armonie declared they had to be off to collect medicinal plants. Cassandra thanked her again, bidding Penny and Armonie a fond farewell.
Penny and Armonie made their way to the wide fields outside of town, wading about in the knee-high sea of grass as Armonie showed Penny which flowers and herbs she needed. In the distance, purple-gray mountains towered, the golden afternoon light highlighting the cracks and crevices of the aged stone. They hunted about the field until the sky turned amber, signaling evening was falling.
Penny studied the horizon with the wandering winds sweeping by her until Armonie roused her from her quietude. “You seem troubled. Whatever is the matter?” she inquired.
“I don’t know,” Penny said at length, her voice lost in the sighing gusts of the wind. “Things just got so out of control so quickly…” she hesitated, knowing that Armonie wouldn’t understand her. The priestess looked over at her, somehow looking past her vague words and into the emotion behind them, which Penny had tried so hard to cover.
“I will pray for you, Penny, my sister,” Armonie promised. Though her words did touch Penny, she couldn’t help but scoff. Armonie looked ruffled at her reaction and Penny scrambled to explain herself.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I’m just not one to believe in that sort of thing.” Penny shrugged, looking off in the distance to avoid Armonie’s stare.
“Whatever do you mean?” Armonie sounded more confused than affronted.
“Let’s just say I don’t have much faith in any sort of God, no offense to Nestor or whatever his name is,” Penny admitted, feeling as if she were entering a delicate conversation that she wanted to avoid.
“But…Lord Nestor is not a God, he’s an Angel. Nor is his existence based on faith of any sort―he’s real. I have met him myself―I’ve had an audience with him!” Penny looked at Armonie, disbelief apparent on her face. The priestess took the opportunity to explain further, “I made a pilgrimage to his palace on the Trinity Islands when I became inducted as a Junior High Priestess. He personally confirmed my loyalty to his Order.”
“Wait, wait, wait. You mean to say that this Nestor is a real person―er, Angel?”
“But of course! Surely even on your faraway hometown, you must have heard of him. We people of Elydria owe our very existence to him. He was there at the beginning of this Cosmic Age. He shaped and named the world and made the laws of the land and sea―his work created us all! Humans, faeries, goblins, dragons, therios―even the anteloos and pofflins! He is both the sculptor and guardian of our world,” Armonie declared, her voice full of deep devotion. Penny took a moment to digest this.
“So, you’re saying that Nestor created Elydria and still lives to this day? He’s immortal?” Penny questioned, wondering whether Armonie had been fooled by a charlatan claiming divinity, or if it could be something more.
“No, no. The matter that makes up this world was here long before any living soul can remember, including Lord Nestor. This universe is as old as the Dawn Mirror, which is as old as time itself. He only shaped Elydria into what it is today. Lord Nestor was born from the Mana Tree, and will one day die. When Lord Nestor was born, the world was a wild mess of chaos, left in tatters by the Angel of the last Cosmic Age. He brought order out of the ashes of the old world, and reassembled the lands so that
life could once again come into existence. I am merely a servant of a great and powerful master. I am eternally grateful for my life and all the wonderful things in it. It is all thanks to Lord Nestor,” Armonie proclaimed, her eyes shining in the dying sunlight. It was difficult for Penny to fully accept what Armonie was telling her, but her claims were intriguing. She was intent on finding out more when Armonie spoke again. “It is a source of infinite pain and despair that he has disappeared.”
“What are you talking about?” Penny questioned.
“Really, big sister, you must try a bit harder to get in touch with current events. These things are rather important. Lord Nestor has been missing for years―one day he was simply gone from his palace, from Trinity Islands―from the world. Even Cardinal Rhea has no inkling of his whereabouts, and she speaks to all of Elydria on his behalf. There have been rumors that he is moving from continent to continent. Occasionally someone will spot him in some corner of the world, but he is most definitely hiding. It is very strange, for up until his disappearance he was so concerned with the well-being of his children. He would grant boons to those in need, quiet political disputes, keep the world safe from disaster and maintain worldwide prosperity. That he would choose to desert us in this time of crisis is…” Armonie did not have the heart to complete her statement. “This is not the time to give up.”
As they left the field to return to the sanctuary and dark descended upon Lindenvale, Penny pondered Armonie’s claims about Nestor. She couldn’t wait to get Hector’s opinion on this matter. The night was growing quite cold when they stepped down the tree-lined lane outside the sanctuary.
Just as Penny expected, Hector was still sitting in the exact same chair she’d left him in. What she did not expect was to find Madam Elise sitting in the room talking with Hector. Opening the door and seeing the two of them sitting alone and speaking in serious tones to one another, an odd and unexpected emotion erupted in Penny’s chest, and she was at once aware of an unrecognizable illness stirring within. Penny greeted Madame Elise, irritated that her own voice sounded so high.
The High Priestess rose from the chair beside Hector to greet her. “Why, hello, little Penny. I must thank you for the information, Mr. Arlington.” Penny’s brow furrowed. “Little Penny, can you tell me where Armonie has gone, please? I must speak to her at once.”
Penny offered directions and apprehensively sat down on the bed near Hector’s desk as Madam Elise exited. She noticed with a chuckle that the stack of books on the desk had grown into a small tower.
“Enjoying yourself, I see?” she remarked with a wry smile.
Hector shrugged. “I suppose. I’ve discovered a plethora of valuable information that should no doubt be of use once we arrive at the capital,” he mused.
“What have you found exactly? And can we please keep the pretentious technical jargon to a minimum, if you don’t mind?” Penny requested and Hector narrowed his gaze, but none the less cleared his throat and launched into an explanation.
“Well, most of what I’ve learned today has to do with the way magic works in this world. Magic enters the world from the Dawn Mirror and is expressed in physical form. Basically this means it can grow into plants, rocks, wood, or can even be found in its raw state―but it’s always found in tangible form,” Hector explained, gesturing as he spoke.
“Of course there are a staggering variety of ways magic can manifest, and certain types of life-forms in Elydria are born with magic growing inside their bodies. According to the text, there are several different types of these people, but the most common are known as crafters. They have the ability to shape and carve magic into any device or form that they desire. Basically, all that means is that they are the people who can turn the raw magic into working magical tools, which can be used by the common folk,” Hector finished, his arms crossed. “Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I think I get it.” Penny shrugged. “I don’t see why it’s so important to know, though.”
“It’s of astronomical importance! These theories suggest that, like matter and energy, magic perpetu―”
“So what did the priestess say?” Penny interrupted, hoping to bypass what was promising to become a long and complicated explanation she was not in the mood for. Hector frowned at Penny as if she were a lost cause.
“She just wanted to hear the details about what happened last night.” Hector shrugged, but then made a small noise to show he’d just remembered something. “Oh yes, I told her we needed to get to Crescia and she told me about an airship that travels from Iverton to Hulver about twice a week.”
The door slammed open with a sweep of exuberant motion. Penny jumped back as a giddy Simon tumbled into the room, his hat sitting crooked on a head of disheveled hair.
“Evening!” he sang before flopping down on the bed with a contented sigh.
“What are you so happy about?” Penny demanded.
Simon laughed. “This whole building is filled with beautiful young girls, if you hadn’t noticed. I’ve been getting to know them all…I’d forgotten how innocent ladies of the religious persuasion can be. Little lambs, all of them…”
Hector looked scandalized and shook his head.
“Oh come now, Hector. What’s life without the simple pleasures? But don’t you worry your little head, I was completely harmless. Besides, I didn’t get any complaints―they didn’t seem to mind at all.” He grinned, overcome by another wave of devilish laughter.
Hector lifted his finger at Simon, but the arrival of Armonie carrying three plates full of dinner for each of them interrupted his reprimand. As the young priestess was handing everyone their own plate, she delivered surprising news.
“Madam Elise has asked me to relay a message. She wanted to tell you that she can no longer ignore the frequency in which the wraiths are appearing in the area and has decided that she and I are to go to the capital to request assistance from the Grand Cathedral,” Armonie announced, as if reciting something Madam Elise had just dictated to her. She smiled at the three of them, adding, “…and we are extending a formal invitation to you to join us.”
Penny leapt from the carriage as it came to a halt in the middle of a wide meadow. The long journey to Iverton was halfway over, and she was desperate to stretch her legs after being cooped up inside the tiny space, crushed between Hector and Simon. Elise and Armonie drifted out behind her, blinking in the sunlight. Penny wandered over to where a tired Humphrey drank from a nearby stream. She stroked his fur as Simon approached.
“You’re really attached to this smelly beast, aren’t you?” he asked, grimacing as he looked over Humphrey with apprehension.
“I guess. I can relate well to animals―or at least I like to think I do. Animals are honest in a way people aren’t, you know?” she reasoned, running her fingers over Humphrey’s back.
Simon stepped closer and flashed Penny a seductive smile. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right person,” he purred, extending his arm to touch Penny’s face. She batted away his wrist, their hands connecting as a flash of light burst behind Penny’s eyes and the world melted away, replaced by a strange, dreamlike image flooding into her mind faster than she could process what was happening…
A sixteen-year-old Simon stood on a stage. The theater was empty except for two men sitting in the front row, watching him with vague interest. Darkness clouded the windows outside of the dingy theater as Simon flipped cards into the air with flicks of his palm, a look of intense concentration on his face. The cards spun in midair for a few seconds before being drawn back to his hand.
The lanky man with mahogany skin in the front row gave a great laugh and Simon dropped his cards.
“What are you laughing at?” Simon glowered as the man tried to suppress his warm smile.
“I’ll tell you what I’m laughing at―the string you’re using to fly those cards around is a little obvious. What do you think, Olly?” he addressed the man sitting beside him. Olly grinned underneath his bushy mustache and
rubbed his bald head.
“Let’s see what else you’ve got, kid,” Olly grumbled in a deep voice. Simon’s heart flooded with shame and determination as he gripped his deck of cards. His mind raced to think of a good trick and he….
The scene was ripped from Penny’s mind as she blasted back into reality, her eyes still swimming with stars and cards. Simon choked as she stumbled back, trying to regain her balance.
The magician sputtered for a moment. “Wh-what was that? What did you just do?” he demanded, his voice pinched and frantic.
Penny looked at Simon with wide eyes. “I-I don’t know! Could you see that, too?” she gasped.
“Of course I saw it! It was my memory...It was like I just re-lived it or something,” Simon said, shaking. He staggered back to where Penny was leaning against the carriage, glancing over his shoulder at the others. Armonie, Hector and Madam Elise all seemed to be immersed in their various activities and weren’t paying any attention to the two of them. Penny took a moment to calm down before speaking again.
“That was too weird...It happened when I touched your hand just then―it was like I was dreaming. I mean, it had that sort of dream logic. You know, where you know exactly what’s going on for whatever reason, you know? I felt what you were feeling,” Penny tried to explain.
Simon looked anxious as he smoothed his hair. “Has that―ever happened before?” he inquired, still shaken.
“No. Not ever.”
“Try touching my hand again. I’ll think of a memory,” he said, offering his hand and closing his eyes.
Penny took a deep breath and steadied herself, then pressed her fingers to Simon’s wrist, bracing for what was to come. The two of them stood still as statues for several long moments, but nothing happened. Penny let her hand drop and shrugged. Simon looked as baffled as Penny felt.
The Angel of Elydria (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 1) Page 12
