“Oh, thank you! I do try to make this place a little more homey, which is a tall order for a town in a swamp.” Merria smiled and joined the others at the long table. “Forgive me if this is too forward, but your wings are stunning.”
Ralis blushed at the compliment and Merria continued.
“It is surprisingly rare for those with Human blood to gain usable wings. Our small community only has about fifty residences and until you came only one of them could fly.”
“I think we met him yesterday.” Ralis smiled.
“Oh, you did? Tarmis is such a treasure, he’s taken on the responsibility of security for our little community. His wings certainly give him an advantage over most.”
“I have so many questions.” Ralis bubbled over with excitement. “How did this place come to be?”
“Well Alumeen was created by our founders, Mistress Avia, Jesp Twines, and Colbert Lenwick. They came together with their resources and talents and sought to make a safe place for our kind. It has been a lot of work, but we have come a long way.”
“And no one bothers you out here?” Miri asked, a little jealous.
“We get the occasional soldier, but Jesp takes care of them. Most of the time we’re left alone.”
“What is this blood feud you mentioned last night?” Ralis asked, his face serious.
“It is not my story to tell, but…”
A knock on the door interrupted Merria and she stood to answer it. The boy from last night, Tylo, bounced excitedly into the room and beamed at Ralis and Miri.
“My Mistress is ready to see you now.”
“Ah, what unsurprisingly perfect timing. Mistress Avia is the best person to answer your questions. You shouldn’t keep her waiting now, she’s a busy woman.” Merria began to clear Ralis’s empty plate as she spoke and gave Miri a frown at her untouched food. “Not hungry dear?”
Miri shook her head.
“I’ll save this for later, if you change your mind. And of course, you’re both welcome back here for lunch.” Merria smiled warmly.
“Who is this Mistress? How does she know so much?” Miri asked as she crossed her arms.
“My Mistress has a wondrous gift.” Tylo nodded proudly. “It’s better if she explains.”
“You don’t need to worry, Mistress Avia is a kind soul.” Merria smiled warmly as she noted Miri’s concern.
Ralis took Miri’s hand as he moved to follow Tylo. “I have a good feeling about this Miri.”
Still feeling apprehensive, she followed them outside. The stink of the swamp returned to her nose and she wondered how anyone could live around that smell of rot and stale water. The small town was already busy with activity that morning and Miri spotted more half Na’tyr than she expected.
Tylo brought them across the town to a small round building whose chimney was working hard despite the moist summer heat. The door was painted with arcane symbols that Miri recognized as ancient Elven ruins, although their meaning was lost to her. Tylo knocked on the door and after a second opened it, gesturing for the pair to enter first.
The inside was warm but not stifling and the air was thick with the smell of herbs and incense. Aged tapestries of forgotten origin lined the walls, along with shelves heavily burdened with books, curios and arcane implements. At the center of the room was a single round table with three chairs evenly spaced around it. On top was a deck of black cards with strange patterns on the back. Seated at the table was a woman with thick red hair decorated with beads and ribbons. The thick red locks were tucked neatly behind pointed Elven ears. A pair of white horns erupted from her brow and curled up towards the ceiling. She wore only a thin tube of fabric that wrapped around her breasts and behind Miri could see a white tail flick excitedly, even as the woman’s face remained neutral. One of her tan fingers delicately tapped the top card of the deck and her white eyes watched intently as Miri and Ralis entered the building.
Tylo bowed to the seated woman and closed the door behind him as he exited the building. Miri looked back anxiously. The space was dark with only a few candles to chase away the shadows. The only other door was the one behind the seated woman.
“The shadows won’t find you here cousin.” The woman’s lip twitched into a faint smile. “Please take a seat.”
Her voice was smokey and calming, yet Miri felt oddly shaken at being called cousin by her. She followed Ralis to the two waiting chairs with an anxious knot on her brow. The woman’s smile grew as the pair took a seat and she drew two cards from the deck, placing one in front of Ralis and one in front of Miri. Miri frowned as she looked at the card that rested before her. In elegantly curved text she managed to spell out the words The Guide. The image was in an ancient art style and showed a male Na’tyr holding a lantern. Miri looked over to Ralis’s card and blushed at the image of a nude female Na’tyr in a come-hither pose. She kept her eyes on the image long enough to read the words The Lover, before looking away with a blush.
“What is this?” Miri pulled her arms protectively around her chest and looked between her card and the woman.
“Confirmation.” She answered breathily. “I am Mistress Avia. It is an honor to finally meet you Bearer of the Wind and I have been overly eager to meet you as well cousin.”
“Bearer of the Wind?” Ralis blinked at the unearned title.
“It is as I have seen it.” Mistress Avia closed her eyes and retrieved the two cards to the deck, then began shuffling.
“Why are you calling me cousin? You can’t be...” Miri frowned at the implication, and yet she could not deny the red hair or the pointed ears.
“I am a descendant of Arris Cavadash as you are cousin. And I too have been gifted with the Sight.” The deck thoroughly shuffled, Mistress Avia once again set it down at the center of the table.
“But… I was told... that I was the last.” Miri whispered in disbelief.
“Our bloodline has been nearly severed, yes.” Mistress Avia bowed her head mournfully. “But we are not alone yet, cousin. Another still lives, although she is shrouded in shadow and beyond my Sight.”
“There is another?” Miri gasped.
“I know little of that one… my Sight is… limited.” Mistress Avia rested her hands atop her cards. “It is a challenge we share; the blood has grown too thin. but I have learned a way around it.”
“Can you teach me?” Miri asked in sudden desperation. If this woman spoke the truth, then she had finally met someone who she could learn from. Someone who would understand her struggle.
Mistress Avia pulled her hands away from the cards and gave Miri a soft sympathetic expression. “I have learned to control the chaos of our blood with an ancient and forgotten art of magic. Ta’kra Cards. It was once believed that to wield the cards would forfeit your soul, but it was a risk I was willing to take. This deck is an artifact from the days when the Gods walked the earth and magic was still wild. I am very lucky to have it in my possession. While I cannot teach you my methods, I can advise on ways that you may develop your own. You will need to harness your gifts if you are to succeed.”
A silence fell over the small room and Miri slumped her shoulders. Ralis’s tail flicked as he broke it with a question.
“Those cards help with your visions?”
“Yes. I have used them to bring together those whose blood is a blend of the Na’tyr. To keep them safe from the blood feud. In doing this, I saw you Bearer of the Wind and I was made aware of your quest.” Mistress Avia rested her palms on the table and closed her eyes as she continued. “I have seen the cost of your failure and have taken it upon myself to aid the Guide. By no fault of your own cousin, you would not have found the Shrine of Wind in time, and so I have found it for you. We should depart as soon as you feel ready to face the challenges ahead, time is not on our side.”
“Depart?” Miri shook her head.
“Not without the others, my visions made it clear that we need each other.” She then turned to Ralis. “We should return to Frellan, find them and bring them here.”
Ralis opened his mouth to answer but paused as Mistress Avia drew a dagger from a scabbard on her hip. Miri tensed at the weapon, then gasped as Mistress Avia cut open the palm of her hand. She did not even wince as the blood dripped from the open wound and onto the deck of cards. The blood soaked into the deck and disappeared into the black ink that decorated the backs. Miri shuddered at the archaic blood magic.
Mistress Avia then drew the top card from her deck and placed it before her. The image was of two identical Na’tyr, back to back. Miri puzzled for a moment over the text, then realized that it read The Twins. The next card depicted a creature of shadow and sent a shiver down Miri’s spine, even though it was just a picture. It read The Dark. The next card had the word Judgement with an image of weighted scales, then the last card was drawn upside down with an image of an hourglass and the word Time.
“This event… it comes up repeatedly.” Mistress Avia shook her head and looked to Miri. “You have also seen it. You will need to find the Bearer of Flame before this happens and…” She drew another card and laid it atop the others. It illustrated wind blowing through a field of grass. “You will need the power locked within the Shrine of Wind first. You haven’t much time left before the Twin of Darkness arrives.”
“Ezra’s brother?” Ralis said quietly under his breath.
“The Twin card always comes paired with The Flame or The Dark and in my mind, I see them. Two figures separated physically but bound magically, one being split into two. However, I do not understand the significance of this yet.”
“Have you seen all of us?” Miri asked as she looked over the cards with a shiver.
“When the cards first drew my attention to the Bearer of Wind I was confused as to what I was being shown. It took many weeks of studying the cards to understand their meaning. The Guide, The Rogue, The Protector, The Twins and The Lover, all of them paired with an element card, The Light, The Water, The Earth, The Flame, and The Wind. Each time I called upon these cards this would appear.” Mistress Avia picked up the deck of cards and shuffled them through the air in an impressive display. Then she placed the deck back on the table and drew a single card, it read Chaos. “Combined with my Sight I learned about the ancient Shrines of the Elves, and about the five chosen to seek them out. I saw your arrival in Frellan and saw that you would become divided. You would lose so much time and then it would be too late. I needed to intervene, so I sent Tylo to watch for you. While I am pleased that he also brought you cousin, all I needed was the Bearer of Wind.”
Mistress Avia then reached across the table and took Ralis’s hands in her own. “It is against your nature, but you must take the power of Wind by force. Do not let your kindness or desire to do no harm, prevent this from happening. The ancient hero of Wind must die at your hand. He is no longer himself and will not surrender his power. If he is allowed to escape, then you will fail and the land will be tormented by his madness.”
“I have to… kill someone?” The colour drained from Ralis’s face and Mistress Avia nodded.
“You must.” She nodded and squeezed his hands gently, she then looked to Miri. “The guardians at the Shrine of Wind cannot be defeated, but I will aid you however I can.”
“You’re coming with us?” Miri asked in surprise.
“Yes. I will show you the way to the Shrine, although I may not enter.” Mistress Avia released Ralis’s hands and stood. She opened a cupboard and pulled a beautiful handmade bow and quiver full of arrows from it and handed it to Miri. “A gift cousin. Hopefully this shall prove useful in the coming days.”
Miri ran her hands over the bow, it was intricately carved in ancient Elven runes that she did not understand. The quality was also equal to the ones made by the master craftsman of her clan. “Thank you. I cannot read these runes, what do they mean?”
Mistress Avia took a seat again and smiled knowingly. “When I was young, I was curious about my Elven heritage and with my Sight, I delved deep into our history. I did not learn as much as I had hoped, but I did see flashes of culture. These are runes of accuracy, strength and courage. I believe that they were traditionally carved on weapons such as these. Such rituals had been forgotten as our people learned to tame wild magic. The runes are nothing more than symbols, they wield no power, but I enjoy the visual aesthetic of our ancient ancestors.”
Her smile widened and for a moment the woman seated before Miri seemed a little less mysterious and more like the long-lost cousin she was. Miri slung the quiver and bow onto her back with a smile of her own. The markings reminded her of the carvings that decorated the landscape of the Dawn Well and she wondered if she would ever see such interesting things with her visions.
“If there are no further questions, I wish to speak with the Bearer of the Wind alone.” Mistress Avia locked eyes with Ralis, her expression neutral once again. “I have personal matters to discuss with him.”
Miri looked between the two and nodded after a reassuring smile from Ralis. She could not help but feel anxious and left out as she closed the door behind her. Miri sighed and looked up to the blue sky above, the warmth of the summer sun was a comfort on her skin. Her head was still spinning from everything that she had learned only moments ago. She wasn’t alone, and Mistress Avia was going to help them. It felt strange to be related to someone with Na’tyr blood, only a few weeks ago she had considered all Na’tyr her enemies. Loyal to the Queen and set on the extermination of her people. It was a marvel how much had changed in so little time.
Tylo had been patiently waiting outside and beamed when he saw Miri. “Do you like your present?” He asked excitedly.
Miri looked over her shoulder to the bow and quiver on her back. “I love it.”
Chapter Twenty Nine
Ralis
Mistress Avia closed her eyes as she waited for Miri to leave and remained silent for a moment after the door was closed. Then, when Ralis opened his mouth to ask why she wanted to speak alone, her eyes flashed open.
“How much did your father tell you of your Na’tyr heritage Ralis?”
He froze at the question, thoroughly unprepared for something so personal. “My father was killed when I was a baby… I never… I never really got to meet him.” He responded with a waver to his voice. “He was killed by the villagers of Wrenwood.”
Mistress Avia closed her eyes again and answered darkly. “A lie told to protect you.”
“What?” Ralis gasped, then shook his head in disbelief. “My mother told me…”
“She believed it to be true.” Mistress Avia replied calmly, then opened her eyes. “Your father is very much alive.”
“He… he is?” Ralis felt as if his breath had been stolen at the news. “But if he is alive… Why wasn’t he…?”
“He left so that you and your mother could live. Do not mistake my words Ralis, your father loves you more than life itself.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The blood feud.” Her voice remained cold and flat as she continued with narrowed eyes. “King-Regent Razmir wishes for you, and all those whose blood is mixed, to be executed.”
Ralis leaned back in his chair and fought the tears that threatened to escape down his face. His father was alive. “Where is he?” Ralis asked with a hopeful tone.
“I do not know. But perhaps…” She took the deck of Ta’kra Cards and shuffled them thoroughly, then presented them to Ralis. “Focus on your question, then cut the deck.”
Ralis did as instructed. He thought about the father, who had only ever been described to him through his mother. According to his mother, Ralis strongly resembled him. He imagined meeting him and talking to him about everything that had happened since he left. The good and the bad. But mo
re so he thought of the thousands of questions he wanted to ask him and realized that he wouldn’t even know where to begin.
He tried to focus on where his father was, as much as he wanted answers now, he would rather wait to ask his father himself. Uncertain if he had focused enough, Ralis reached for the deck of cards and grabbed the top half. Mistress Avia took it from him and combined the cards again. She set the freshly cut deck down on the table and drew the top three cards. The Lover, upside down Judgement and The Rogue were laid on the table before Ralis. Mistress Avia puzzled over the cards for a moment, her mind’s eye seeing beyond. She then spoke quietly.
“He is with one that he loves… awaiting punishment… betrayal.” She shook her head. “Forgive me, not all visions are… easy to interpret.”
Ralis focused on the cards and attempted to will them to reveal their deeper meaning, until Mistress Avia collected them again. She shuffled the cards in silence for a moment and allowed Ralis time to reflect on what had been revealed to him. As she finished her shuffle, she placed the cards down on the table.
“Is he alright?” Ralis finally asked. “You said he’s awaiting punishment, what does that mean?”
“I am uncertain. And as for his well being, I know little more than that he is alive.” She answered.
Ralis still couldn’t believe what he was hearing and frowned. “If he is in trouble, I need to help him. What does he look like now? How will I know when I’ve found him?”
“From what I have seen, you will know it is him. He looks much like yourself.” She then gave Ralis a serious look as she reworded her previous question. “How much do you know about your Na’tyr heritage?”
“Almost nothing.” Ralis shrugged half-heartedly. “When people see me for the first time, they become… charmed. It’s as if they instantly fall in love with me and want to do anything that I say. Ezra says I should be able to stop it but nothing I’ve tried works. It doesn’t work on Na’tyr or half Na’tyr though. Then there’s my music… I can heal people’s wounds with my singing. I am stronger and faster than most Humans and I can see in darkness. But… that’s all I really know.”
Sunken Wind Page 29
