by Jay Swanson
He smiled as he put his other hand on hers. “I promise.”
THEY SPENT THE following week in relative silence. Ardin found it refreshing. Tertian busied himself with papers and drawings of mysterious buildings and objects. They were written almost entirely in a rune script that Ardin didn't recognize let alone understand. He would spend a few hours a day testing and training the two, though Ardin often felt Tertian was exploring what he saw in him more than anything. Almost as if to verify that what he had sensed were actually true.
Perhaps he wasn't being fair in his assessment of the Mage though, he reflected at times. He had been nothing but kind to them, and in reality Ardin was learning in leaps and bounds on his own with the little direction Tertian gave.
Alisia began to learn and grow in her abilities as well, though Ardin found the process much easier. He picked things up quickly, the abilities coming back like misplaced memories. It was a strange sensation, but Ardin began to learn to trust his ability to surface skills as he needed them. All that was left was to discover what was already there, a process that required a little imagination and was well aided by Tertian's suggestions.
The halls and rooms that were carved out of the mountain formed a maze, spanning for what felt like miles. There were an endless number of things to explore and discover. Ardin spent a lot of his time digging through the tomes in Tertian's library, reading history and books of philosophy and theology that he had never heard of. In honest moments when no one was around, he spent more time pouring over the maps and illustrations than anything else.
Alisia spent a lot of time wandering the halls, looking for things that might remind her of her mother. Some nights she would go for long walks along the well carved paths that wound along the peaks and the ridges that connected them. She spent more and more time with Ardin, just sitting and watching him read or helping him figure out some new trick to play with the Atmosphere. He was beginning to set up reactionary enchantments, a sort of tripwire effect that would initiate a reaction of some sort.
They weren't exactly reliable, and he nearly burned his eyebrows off a number of times, but he was learning rapidly. Her mother's incredibly vast wealth of knowledge and ability was surfaced more and more easily as he called upon it. He was getting close to surpassing Alisia and she wondered if he wouldn't truly step into the power that the older Magi claimed to have seen in him.
Tertian, for his part, warmed up substantially as well. He seemed to have lowered his guard, shedding defenses put in place long ago to keep prying minds out. They even got him to laugh on occasion, which made Ardin in particular feel rather accomplished. Sort of like getting a grumpy old cat with indigestion to purr in a rainstorm. At least that's how it felt at times.
The rainstorms that did roll through the mountains were magnificent, lasting for hours and assaulting them with a cacophony of rain and thunder. Ardin slept soundly on those nights, in spite of the ear-splitting proximity of the lightning.
Alisia would come spinning and twirling into breakfast on the mornings after those storms. She loved them as much as anyone, and being in the halls felt like being closer to her mother every day. She laughed a lot, and took to singing songs Ardin had never heard before. It warmed his heart to see her like this.
One morning he found a small painting in a room that had been overfilled with books and maps in old boxes. Dusting it off he discovered it was of two Magi, one of which was Charsi. His heart jumped at the sight of her, half from fear he realized. She was as beautiful as he had remembered, but vastly different in countenance. She was smiling, holding the arm of a Mage he could only assume was Cervoix, Alisia's father.
Ardin walked back through the halls looking for Alisia, but she was gone on another one of her walks so he simply left it on her bed and went back to exploring. She found him later that night and ran to him, throwing her arms around him with tears in her eyes.
“Woah!” he said. “Nice to see you too!”
“Thank you, Ardin. Thank you so much.”
“For what?”
“That's the first time I've seen my parents in a long, long time.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I dunno,” she said as she backed away and looked at the painting in her hand. “This place just helps me feel so close to my mother. At least I feel like I know her better now because of it all. Seeing my father only helps make her more real to me.”
Ardin couldn't help but relax in the mountains. Alisia seemed full of hope, of promise. And so did their future. Having Tertian around inspired confidence as well. His ability to push them in their growth and give direction was comforting. Ardin still wished Caspian was around from time to time.
“Ardin,” Tertian came to him one evening when he was reading a particularly thick history on the Titans. “I'd like to talk with you.”
“Did you know that the Titans took on different shapes depending on what they primarily gave care to?”
“Yes, that's true.”
“Some wound up looking like trees, while others looked like whales or eagles! They must have been amazing!”
“Some still exist.” Tertian sat down next to Ardin. “When the world was flooded and reformed, most of them died. It was a way of starting over. But some lived, mostly those living in the deep waters of the ocean. Some that lived deep within the mountains survived as well, stowed away in pockets of air that, if they were lucky, lasted them until the waters receded.”
“Why did they start over?”
“Well, they didn't; the Creator did. The Titans had fallen into war with themselves, and wrought mass destruction on the face of the planet.”
“So why were they wiped out? I mean why them and not us? It seems like a lot worse things have happened since.”
“I don't know, Ardin. Part of it is that we're spiritual beings, while the Titans were not. And who knows what the Creator's plans are in the long run.”
“I guess I just wish I could see one. I wish they were still around.”
“Well if they were still around, you would have seen plenty, and then the mystery and romance would be gone from it all.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Ardin still wished he could see one.
“How are you doing, Ardin? We haven't really talked a lot since you've come here.”
“Yeah, I noticed. I figured you didn't want to for whatever reason.”
“No, it's just that your condition is so strange to me. I wanted to investigate more, and I tend to get lost in things once I set my mind to them.”
“I understand, I can be the same way.”
“Are you adjusting well? I don't fully understand what you must have gone through or where you're at right now. It must have been terrifying to you.”
“Yeah,” he said. “It was, but to be honest Alisia changed all of that.”
“How so?”
“I dunno... I guess having her to look after kept me from thinking about it. It was a kind of comfort.”
“She's a beautiful young woman.”
“Yeah...” She really was.
Ardin closed the book and rested it in his lap. What was he doing? Why hadn't he said anything sooner? He cared about her, he realized. He really cared about her.
“Where will you go next, Ardin? Will you stay here with us or will you find your own way?”
“I don't know where else I would go...”
“Ardin? What are you thinking?”
“I just... it's that I can't imagine leaving, Tertian. I couldn't leave her.”
“Well I would love to continue teaching you. But if you're concerned for her safety, I can assure you that she's quite safe with me.”
“No, it's not that at all. It's... it's that I think I love her.”
“Of cours–”
“No I mean it, I really love her.” He almost wanted to jump off the couch as he said it.
“Well I'm sure th–”
“Sorry Tertian, I've gotta go.” He put the book aside and made for the door.
“To tell her!”
He ran outside and along the path as the dusk began to deepen. There weren't many paths up here but there were enough to make it a guess as to which way she went. He took off to the northwest; her favorite path was as good a guess as any. All he knew was he had to find her, to tell her how he felt. He was stupid for not having made the effort sooner.
He hadn't run for more than a few minutes when he spotted her farther on around a bend and across a gorge from where he was at. He almost yelled her name, then he saw him. It was unmistakable. In the distance stood the general he had seen back in the Cave; the man responsible for murdering his family. The one he had sought vengeance on what seemed like a lifetime ago. His shout caught in his throat.
The general was moving slowly among the rocks, safely out of view of Alisia but almost in plain sight to Ardin. Oh God, he thought, don't let this be happening. He took off sprinting, hoping that he could catch up. The path took a curve to the right along the ridge and down into a broad draw. He kept running as the night began to set in, picking up the path again just before darkness enshrouded it.
His heart raced, pounding in his ears, deafening him to the thunder that started to roll through the mountains. He came to the top of the ridge where the path straightened out. Where was she? He couldn't see much, but he knew she wasn't there. He took off running again, panic rising as he felt time slipping away.
It started to rain as he came to a fork that presented him with two options. One stayed the course on the higher trails, the other began a descent into the valleys below. He hesitated, uncertain of which way to go before finally deciding to stick to the higher trail. He ran through the dark as fast as he dared, forced to slow even more by the torrential rain that began to blind him to the best of its ability.
He swore as he began to cry, hot tears mingling with cold drops of rain as he choked back the wails that he felt building inside him. Where was she? He needed her so badly. He needed her. The thought made the knot in his throat twist and grow.
Suddenly the path came to an end. There was little warning, and had a bolt of lightning not struck somewhere farther on he would have careened off of a cliff and to his death. Sliding to a halt, he felt his chest constrict. He had chosen the wrong path. He had gone the wrong way.
And then he heard it, faint but distinct. His name was cried out and carried on the wind.
Another flash of lightning revealed the source. Alisia was there! Below him near the water, running, tripping, tumbling and sliding to a halt. She picked herself up slowly, he could barely make her out in the darkness before another flash of lightning struck nearby. And he was there. The cloak, the sword, the silver hair. He was right behind her.
Ardin called her name with all the force he could muster, but it was caught by the wind and torn to shreds by the rain.
He turned and sprinted for the fork. Rounding it heedlessly, he flew down the trail. The storm grew in intensity, lighting striking the rocks above and sending them tumbling down around him. He formed a shield from the Atmosphere thoughtlessly, acting entirely on instinct as the adrenaline began to block out reason.
Terrible thoughts, dark and wretched, filled his mind. What if he didn't make it in time? What if she was already dead? 'What if' after 'what if' filled his thoughts to the point that he felt his head might physically burst. He shoved them aside, nearly tripping and falling a number of times as he lost focus. He heard his name on the wind again, more desperate, more shrill. He was coming! He wanted her to know he was coming!
What if she died never knowing he had come for her? Never knowing that he would have died for her? The idea almost made him wretch, the knot in his throat threatening to choke him as he stumbled into the water. The path had led him down a long, long ways. He suddenly found himself with nowhere to go but into the salty water. It was guided up to the path by a steep ravine that seemed to jump from the earth like twin blades. He thrashed into the shocking cold, not knowing where else to go.
He kept on, flailing as much in his heart as he was in pushing his way through the knee deep water. It was freezing, but he paid no heed. The magic welled up inside of him, keeping his body warm. He pushed on until the water reached his waist. Then he rounded a corner and saw them. They were a stone's throw away on a huge rock slab. It rose from the water like a platform in the midst of dozens of huge, jagged pillars.
He screamed, the sound of his voice lost in the waves and the rain. She was lying on the stone, covering her face as if she had been struck; absolutely motionless. The general knelt next to her, touching her gently as he talked to himself.
Ardin threw himself forward, screaming and screaming and screaming. Anything he could do to gain the man's attention. Anything he could do to save Alisia from what was coming. He thought of what had happened to Charsi and screamed some more. His mind went blank with rage and fear. The magic pulled him in a million directions, threatening to leave his control as his loss of focus warred with his adrenaline.
The water got deeper, so deep he could barely move as his clothes sought to drag him under. The rocks got more slippery and jagged, impeding his movement and making swimming that much more dangerous as the tide tossed him about.
He didn't care. He swam hard, kicking rocks and opening gashes on his shins under the water. And then the general lowered himself to both knees, long cloak spread out behind him. He raised his arms wide and looked to heaven, a slender black object in his hand. The object glowed, red runes appearing bright on the handle and blade. Blade! It was a knife!
And just as suddenly as the runes had come to life, so the Shadow King brought his hands together and plunged the blade into the chest of the girl on the rock. Ardin's heart stopped. He couldn't swim as his eyes grew wide and his world shattered.
Alisia screamed such a strange, other-worldly scream. The sound threatened to tear his heart from its place through his throat. Suddenly the white mist, glowing and bright flared out of her body only to be captured by the knife and funneled into its wielder.
The general breathed it in, and was struck rigid by its intrusion. It poured into him, filling him and surrounding him all at once. Her back arched as the last of the mist flowed free, and then she lay still again in the renewed darkness.
Ardin began swimming again, frantic, dying inside with every stroke. It was all he could do to stop from choking on the salty water as he wailed involuntarily. He felt like his chest would split from the combined effort and heartache.
He reached the rock and began pulling himself up out of the water, breathing heavily from the strain, cold muscles slow to respond. The climb wasn't long, the stone not standing much higher from the water than he was tall, but it felt like he was trying to scale a mountain. Finally he pulled himself up and over, sopping wet, weeping uncontrollably. The general was gone.
Alisia lay on the ground, blood pooled under her. The wound in her chest gaped in dark contrast to her lightly colored blouse. He moved quickly, uncertain of what to do, and leaned over her to protect her from the rain.
Her eyes opened slowly as he put her head in his lap, cradling her as he tried to control his weeping.
“Ardin,” she said weakly.
Oh God, he prayed silently. Don't let her die, not now.
“I'm here,” he said as he brushed the wet hair from her face. “I'm here.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Don't be,” he said as he held her face. “Please, don't be.”
“I just... I wanted to tell you how I felt.”
“I did too.”
“I... I couldn't...” she could barely breathe, each word taking a full sentence's effort. “I wanted to, but I didn't know how.”
He choked back his tears as he realized she was crying too.
“God, how I love you Alisia,” he said quietly to her. “I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I don't blame you for this.”
She
shuddered in his arms, broken body frail and light. He brushed her face again, desperate to keep her with him but unable to stave off death's advance. He simply held her; hoping, wishing the magic would make its appearance yet knowing it could do nothing to save her now.
“Please don't go,” he begged.
“I don't want to,” she whimpered. “Ardin, I don't want to go. Please. Don't let me go.” She burst into weak tears, inconsolable as he cradled her closer. “Don't let me go...”
A gentle golden light drew his attention to her legs. Her feet were beginning to disintegrate and float away in bright silver and blue sparks.
“Oh God,” he said as he looked back into her face. “Don't go.”
“Ardin,” she said, the last of her strength waning, her legs slowly vanishing.
“I know,” he said. “I know.”
Hot tears streamed down his face, fighting the bitter cold of the rain as it soaked his hair. He leaned down slowly, unwilling to close his eyes as if doing so would make it real. She lifted her chin weakly, her lips pursing slowly in an effort to kiss him. He fought back a sob as his throat twisted again, and leaned in to kiss her back.
But he never got the chance. Her body disintegrated in his hands, disappearing and leaving him holding nothing but wet air as the glistening bits of ether drifted steadily into the misted darkness above. He watched her go and sat there for a long time crying, staring into the falling sky and wishing she would come back to him.
THIRTY-ONE
ARDIN FOUND IT hard to move. He tried to get up once but the effort caused him to fall to pieces. Months of anguish found their release as he broke down in the rain and pounded the stone with his fists. It hurt worse than anything had ever hurt before. He felt like his ribs might crack and shoot out of his chest from the strain of his sorrow.
He put his head on the cold ground and yelled with closed eyes between the sobs. He had failed her and now she was gone. Gone forever.
