by Lexy Wolfe
Eptina considered the boy. "You know that my father has already committed treason against the people by having damaged the Andarian barrier. Master Ellis has still given me the chance to prove myself to the goddess. He works to try and preserve the Dyndrai, though I fear my father has done much to condemn them. Unless you are planning to follow the paths of others of your family, seeking out darklings as a shortcut to power—"
Aughas looked up, eyes wide in horror at the thought. "I would never want that! I want to prove that an Oberlain can be better than an Avarian without cheating!" He shuddered. "Besides, who would want something crawling around in their brain like an apple worm? Yech."
The woman smiled. "So, however the loss of the Edai Magus of Gallilae is explained, you are an apprentice in need of a master. And I happen to be a master in need of an apprentice." She made an airy gesture. "You have proven yourself not an idiot or anymore a fool than I have been in my life. If you have no objection, I will request you be reassigned to me."
The boy blinked. "You are… letting me choose?" She nodded without a word. "If-if the Se'edai Magus allows it… I-I would be honored, Edai Magus Eptina Dyndrai."
Nolyn looked down at his drink to hide his grin as Eptina dealt with the boy. "Good. Now, go on and get some sleep. There is a great deal of work to set things to right here before we depart for Ithesra."
The boy bobbed a bow. "Thank you, Master Eptina. I will work hard to make sure you never regret taking me as your apprentice."
Nolyn looked up to watch Aughas as he left. "You know, Marcus and he will forever be competing against one another."
"Proper competition will be good for them," Eptina replied, her voice reflecting a growing contentment with her position and their relationship. "It will make them push themselves without us having to find life threatening crises. We will have to ensure they do not slip from our goddess's ideals. There need never be a repeat of what happened between Avarian and Oberlain."
"Yes, I think they will balance each other well and make sure they do not slip from Her ideals. Just as we make sure we do not." Nolyn touched his cup to hers. "Marcus thinks his report to Ellis is going to be a bear? Gods, I will have to contract with someone for paper to supply my rewrites." She giggled as he rolled his eyes.
Chapter 92
Below the lower areas of the ancient tree dedicated to the denizens of the library, Valerian discovered an area under the great tree itself. Rock and dirt mingled with roots that reflected the branches above in girth, leaving a more spiraling series of caverns. He paused, closing his eyes as he shuttered the sunstone lantern he carried, letting the darkness sooth him as he let his other senses guide his journey.
The sound of running water drew his attention. Leaving the lantern shuttered, he moved forward into the darkness, slipping back into Vodani instinct of making his way by sound. He emerged into a massive chamber that echoed with the sound of his footsteps, his breathing, and the steady flow of water, the air balmy.
He crouched down to touch the water and sighed. "Oh, it is blissfully warm. I cannot imagine how far down I am for it to be this temperature, but I am not ungrateful for this blessing, Vodanya." Slipping out of his clothing, he sat on the rock, sticking his feet in. Finding the bottom was only a few feet down, he eased himself into the water and sighed gustily. He sank into the water until he found a good position to recline without worry of drowning. With a happy sigh, he closed his eyes and slipped into sleep, as the water's warmth soothed his age-related aches and buoyed his body from gravity's pull.
He roused, smiling at a gentle touch gliding along his body, then jerked, completely awake when he remembered where he was. "Who is there?" he demanded, backpedaling from the body alongside him. A soft blue light illuminated the chamber, familiar curls and images of sea creatures in the lichens growing in the ceiling, walls, and the library tree's taproot. However, he forgot about that peculiarity when he stared at the woman who had been next to him.
"I… did not realize anyone still lived within Andar," he said, swallowing. "We thought everyone was killed in the disaster."
"I do not live here, Valerian. Or did not before now. Our mistress bid me come to you." She raised a webbed hand to caress his cheek. "You have had to call on Her energy far too much of late. It has brought you great discomfort." She floated closer to him, nuzzling his cheek as she put an arm around him. "She wishes for me to bring you ease so you may continue your duties to Her here."
He backed away again, confused. He floated to a point that was deep enough to require him to tread water. "Wait, wait. That is not possible. The only place for Guardians to go to recover from the weight of time while wandering is to return to Fortress. This is the Knowing One's territory, not the Timeless One's."
Smiling, the woman did not pursue him, pulling herself out of the water and revealing herself to be a mermaid. "Forgive me, Valerian. Let me ease your distress." She leaned over to unshutter the sunstone lantern. Turning back to regard him, she ran her fingers through her brown and tan hair, the color echoed in the scales down her bosom and tail. "I am Osia, one of the servants of the Timeless One."
Valerian swam closer, at least until he was able to stand. "But this is the Knowing One's domain," he repeated slowly. Looking towards the tap root that stretched into the wide pool of water, he added, "This tree is a library! An altar to Her is directly above—"
Osia laughed merrily. "First, our lady is one of the ancient trinity and is above the other gods. But She would never intrude on the others' domains without invitation or reason." The mermaid's smile faded to a more serious expression. "This region of Forenta is… damaged. It is much like Her domain around Fortress, where the border between the physical realm and the river of time is thinner than it should be."
"Not because the Trisari was trapped here?" Valerian asked, dread in his voice. "Endarian would be so devastated if the temporal damage was his fault."
"No, not because of him. The thinning happens sometimes. You know the responsibilities of the Guardians of Time. Recording history, collecting memories as well as correcting the occasional disruptions in the great balance caused by those blind to the effects of their intense desires. Finding those entities that slip through the barrier between the physical world and the river of time is a significant reason Guardians are needed. Most of the time, the border between the physical world and temporal river heals itself. Here, however…" She shook her head with a sad look. "It has not abated as it should have. In fact, it has worsened."
"Does the Knowing One know? Should I tell the others I am here with?" the Vodani asked. He looked at the elegant designs and sighed gustily. "I am not sure how they will take the idea of another gods' temple being here. Especially right under one to their own goddess. They are slowly accepting others as guests or visitors, but I do not think they are ready to open their borders."
The mermaid shrugged. "It will not be necessary to tell them all. The Knowing One is vexed that the need is there at all, but She is not going to let Her pride endanger Her mortal children, either. Not after seeing the damage isolation has caused." She put her hands on her hips. "Now come over here, you stubborn man. You need your suffering eased. After all the other things weighing on you temporally, aging a phoenix three hundred years—"
Valerian blinked. "I knew it was many years, but… I had no idea…"
"Of course you didn't," Osia replied, her voice shifting from scolding to affectionate. "She knows, though, and She knows what you are suffering. No matter how much you are trying to ignore it or conceal it from the others." She slipped back into the water and held her arms out to him. "This place is now also a sanctuary to the Timeless One and Her mortal servants, my dear one. The Knowing One Herself invited our mistress into this place. You needed find it so the Timeless One could send me to you and make this Her home. With our mistress's presence here, it will stop the erosion, but the damage is already done."
"A sanctuary to Guardians? But doesn't that require a Guardian to be D
ulain?" He moved back to her side as she slipped back into the water. The mermaid moved to curl against him, stroking his hair as he put his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes, falling asleep as she hushed him.
"You need not worry about divine matters, my dear Valerian," she murmured. "The matter will be solved in due time."
Chapter 93
The sounds of industry fell silent when Valerian returned to the upper levels of the tree the morning of the second day of his seclusion. Star walked up to him, squinting up at him for a long moment, reaching up to take hold of his chin to turn his face side to side. "You look better. A lot better. Your hair has some color again."
The Vodani grinned and shrugged. "I just needed to catch some shuteye in a nice quiet place." When the woman crossed her arms, glaring at him, he chuckled. "I will explain after we get back to Ithesra, I promise." He looked around, arching an eyebrow. "You have been rather industrious. Forgive me for sleeping through everything." He looked up as the phoenix alighted on his shoulder and began to preen the man's hair. "Um. Hello there. You do realize you are messing my hair, yes, noble phoenix?"
"Best to just let him do what he wants," Nolyn stated in dry tones as he emerged from the dining hall. "I have discovered that a phoenix will let you know exactly what he thinks if you try to tell him he is not allowed to do something. Isn't that right, featherduster?" The bird turned to flip his tail at the mage. Nolyn returned a rude gesture in kind. The bird's chatter was definitely laughter-like as it returned to preening Valerian.
Valerian tsked. "Such behavior! You are setting a bad example for the youngsters, you know." The bird leaned over, lightly bit the Guardian's nose, then returned to preening him. "You tweaked my nose!" When the avian cocked his head to the side, Valerian grinned. "I like you." The bird's chatter laughter was infectious as others around them chuckled.
"We are ready to head back to Ithesra, Unsvet Valerian," Marcus stated. "I hope you do not mind that Aughas and I got your gear and horse ready. The Edai Magi are impatient to return."
"I appreciate the assistance, thank you," Valerian stated. He looked over to see Endarian with Tobias, carefully flexing his now-unsplinted wings. Tobias smiled and nodded in satisfaction then moved on to check on others. Valerian walked over to the Trisari, tilting his head.
"You do not want to leave," he observed astutely.
Endarian closed his eyes. "I do not belong anywhere else but here. Alone. I do not belong among caring people. This is the Avarian's ancestral home." He looked up towards the murals in the ceiling. "Now that I am not the evil scourge that threatened their existence, they will return and everything will return to the way it had once been."
Valerian's expression reflected his sympathy and he put a hand on the Trisari's arm. "Even if people choose to return, it will never be the way it had once been here. Everything and everyone is marked by change." He smiled when Endarian looked away with a pained expression. "And it is time for you to return to your goddess. She is waiting for you, even if She does not know that yet."
"How can I face her?" Endarian demanded in a hiss. "I cannot serve Her as I should. I can do nothing to undo the past. The actions that condemned me to this exile condemned Her to an eternity of solitude." His shoulders shook, fists clenched. "I cannot bear to face Her hatred."
"You are assuming, Trisari. Follow the example of Avarian himself. He risked death to reach out to the Desanti to discover the truth about them instead of accepting the assumptions that still prevail among his people." Patting Endarian's arm when the Trisari looked at him with an unscrutable expression, he said, "You can do no less than a mortal to honor your goddess's laws. Better to know for sure so you can move forward than stagnate in a perpetual personal hell of false belief."
Endarian's words were slow, thoughtful. "Yes, you are right. I can do no less than Avarian had done."
"Come on!" Nolyn called from the archway. "We are burning daylight. The library is in good hands with the sprites until the Se'edai can assign a cadre of librarians to attend to Her." He captured Star's hand to kiss her palm briefly.
The last to leave, the Trisari and Unsvet Guardian followed them. Endarian paused at the threshold, looking back into the library. He finally turned when Valerian put a hand on his shoulder. "It is time to move forward, Endarian."
"For a little while, I was able to live among my children through their journals," he murmured. "It was all I had left after their descendants rightly enclosed and abandoned Andar." He closed his eyes, turning away. "The Oolak had no interest in the journals and they… gave me the strength to endure. They allowed it to continue feeding on me longer, but… it allowed me to hold onto myself, too. Until a Totani saved me. Again." He laughed with keen bitterness. "The irony, that twice my salvation has been at the hands of my enemy."
"Perhaps they are not so much enemies as rivals. But right now you have the chance to live among the living once more." Valerian smiled, patting Endarian's shoulder with encouragement. "It will not be easy, but the best things worth having are worth the risk of losing them in the attempt to win them."
Endarian smiled, sadness darkening his azure eyes. "You are right, Unsvet Guardian. But it does not make moving forward any less daunting or leaving my past any less saddening." With one final look back, Endarian turned resolutely and walked out by Valerian's side. The rainbow cloud of sprites appeared, shutting the great doors into the library and lowering the inner bar.
Chapter 94
The ride along the abandoned trail to the road that connected Ithesra to Quoesia passed without event. Looking back to Endarian, Nolyn dropped back to ride beside the Trisari who rode with Valerian. "There has been one question plaguing me, Endarian," the mage stated, his tones brusque..
Endarian arched an eyebrow at Nolyn. "Given the clutter in your mind, I can only guess what you want to ask. You think too much." He looked forward as Valerian's eyes crinkled in amusement.
Nolyn snorted. "You're funny. Ha ha." Taking a deep breath, he schooled himself to calm again. "Why did the Oolak spare Marcus and me?"
"It did not," Endarian replied, terse. "The Oolak and I had developed a perverse symbiosis. My focus to remain in Andar prevented it from leaving to hunt. It was my corrupted anger that allowed me to justify my actions driven by it. When I killed, it was a form of mercy for my victims and irritation for my captor. When it would attach to a soul, I believed… I hoped… the soul would be strong enough to fight. But always," he added softly, "I felt anger. So many were weak. Why was no one strong enough to fight back?
"Those few who at least attempted to fight back, I would force Oolak to abandon them. To at least honor their willingness to sacrifice themselves for another. And then you came, offering to help me. You were strong. Strong enough for it to perceive you as a threat. Its panic was too strong for me to hold back its attack on you." Endarian looked towards the apprentices, a proud, gentle smile on his lips. "A disobedient apprentice picked up a stick to face a monster out of love for his master. Not while I still existed would I have allowed Oolak to touch him."
Nolyn followed his gaze, his smile echoing Endarian's. "He's a good heart. I just wish he would believe in his own potential."
"Maybe once his master realizes his own potential," Valerian interjected. He looked sideways at Nolyn's glare. "Oh, come now. It may not be obvious to the average person, but I've a lifetime of years in people watching on you. Others may be blind to your self-doubt, but I can see it quite clearly."
"It has nothing to do with 'self doubt' or anything else. Even if I had driven myself as hard as Ash Avarian, I would never have matched his ability or strength," Nolyn grumbled.
Endarian considered the man. "Mortal lives are too short to master all the facets of every discipline that exists or will exist in the future, Nolyn. Even for a divine servant, choices must be made." He frowned as he scanned the branches while he spoke. "The artisans of Sevmana who have turned their arts into their own form of magic. The healers who are so attuned to t
heir art, they can sometimes sense the pain of others at a distance to seek them out. Even the Vodani and Desanti have diverged in their disciplines and masteries." He turned a more understanding regard back to Nolyn. "The Forenten are no different, but you have yet to realize the value of the 'lesser' mages as equals to what you consider 'full' mages."
"You might be right," Nolyn conceded after several moments of silence.
Valerian snorted at Nolyn's comment, his voice droll. "So says the man who blurred reality to bring the Totani of Death into the living world." He waved to the elegant knife on his hip. "Talk to the Desanti. Not a one of them has ever heard of Citali giving a Naming Blade, because he dwells in the dreamscape and in the realm of death. Thandar gave Star her Naming Blade, and she of anyone should have gotten hers from Citali."
Nolyn frowned, glancing at Endarian again. Between the Trisari's growing odd behavior and the odd sensations he was feeling, he pulled his horse to a stop, calling out, "Hold!" The line of horses and drizzen came to a stop, all eyes turning towards the mage with mixtures of expressions that ranged from worried to puzzled. Before the mage could say anything, he grunted in pain as an arrow sprouted from his shoulder just over his heart.
Eptina reacted a split second after, casting a shield spell over the group as a shower of metal-tipped arrows bounced off the invisible barrier. Reining in her nervous horse, she looked up with shocked outrage. "Father! What are you doing?!"
Flanked by two others of the family, Kerburn stood on the top of the great tree's root in front of the group. The old man smirked. "Finishing the job that Oberlain twit Draustus couldn't. Now that the barrier spells are gone, we can collect the power of the Avarians still hidden in Andar. But before then, we must insure there are no impediments to our victory."
