Women sorcerers and foreigners, one thought with disgust. That’s where our Academy is heading. Next we’ll have mixed-race babies being raised in the school. Three of the students turned to glare at the man and he belatedly realised that they had read his thought. Though having his prejudices read so easily made him flush with embarrassment, it did not occur to him to feel guilty about them. He believed that Tyen’s decision to allow foreigners and women to join the Academy and learn magic would only confirm his belief that both were inferior, and he pitied these people who were about to discover they were unequal to the new Director’s expectations.
Tyen resisted a sigh and turned his attention elsewhere as the man glanced his way. At least this doubter was here, willing to be introduced to the newcomers. Many of the professors were determined to have as little to do with Tyen’s students as they could manage.
They would change their minds eventually, Tyen told himself. He began introductions. After he had spoken the last name, a gasp drew his attention. Two of the students were gazing towards a side entrance, mouths open. Following their gaze, he saw that Rielle had entered the room, dressed in an even simpler gown than that which she had worn during the Restoration Ceremony.
As she neared, more of the students noticed her and fell silent. Then, as she reached them, Regur dropped to his knees, as was the customary gesture of respect of his people.
“Rielle Lazuli, the Maker and saver of worlds,” he said with a tremble in his voice. “It is an honour to meet you.”
“Stand, Regur of Mahee,” she said in his language. “I am no greater than you.”
He did so, but then could not speak, only watch as each of the other students honoured her with their customary gestures of respect. Though she accepted all with serenity, a small twitch in her cheek told Tyen that the attention discomforted her. He did not stop them, however. Instead he sought the minds of the locals, watching with satisfaction how they weighed the students’ reaction to her. They understood the awe: they had seen for themselves the miraculous gift she had. But why did all these students feel such intense gratitude towards her? Had she restored all of their worlds? How many worlds out there needed restoring? A few sought the students’ minds in the hope of learning more, but could not see past the newcomers’ mind-reading blocks.
Many of the local sorcerers were still getting used to the complexities of their new ability. Tyen had explained the basics: that they should learn to block mind-reads, but the skill would only be effective against weaker sorcerers. A few had already requested lessons, but Tyen had found no time yet to oblige them. Some had instinctively learned to block their minds and were assisting others to do the same.
As the last student finished stammering out his admiration, Rielle looked around the group.
“Welcome to the Academy of Leratia,” she said. “Accommodation has been arranged for you, and these guides…” She turned to beckon and three Leratian students nervously emerged from the same opening she’d entered through. “… will take you there and then show you the rest of the school, including the dining hall. Though I advise you to eat lightly, because we have a welcoming feast arranged for tonight.”
The newcomers lifted their packs and moved to join the guides. Tyen thanked the observers and professors for coming to welcome his students. As they departed, he turned to Rielle and gestured to the chests.
“Let’s take these to my new office.”
She nodded. As he lifted one of the chests with magic, the other rose as well. He took the lead, moving the chest before him. The new Director’s office was a short, direct journey from the Grand Hall. To Rielle’s disappointment, the interior was much like the old one and it was only four times the size. Though it was lined with bookshelves, they contained as many objects as books, all on the theme of mechanical magic. Tyen’s desk was in the centre. A large table and chairs for meetings stood at one side of the room, and a workbench and tool cabinet occupied the other.
“If I couldn’t read their minds I’d suspect you’d set your students up to do that,” Rielle murmured as they entered.
“Their respect for you is genuine.”
She moved to the chair sitting opposite his desk. “As is their respect for you, but they didn’t bow and kneel in your direction.”
“No, I’m afraid the source of my fame is somewhat less glamorous than yours,” he reminded her as he moved around the desk to take his seat. “More something to overcome. I have had to earn the respect and trust of each and every one of them.”
She paused, then nodded. “Yes. It doesn’t seem fair, though.”
“Of course it’s fair. Your actions were always open and made with integrity. I dealt with secrets and lies.” He shrugged. “Our goals may have been similar, but we took a different path towards them.”
“It’s strange, but those differences seemed a lot greater then than they do now.” She shook her head. “And now we do not share a goal at all.”
“No,” he agreed. “This is my goal, not yours. You are merely helping me.” He regarded her thoughtfully. Her gaze was fixed far beyond the room, and her expression was melancholy. Her task here is done, he thought, not for the first time since the Restoration ceremony. Soon she will leave…
“So… what is your goal?” he asked.
Her shoulders rose and fell as her focus returned to him. “I have none, now that Qall is free of my world.”
“And you’ve done all I asked of you here.”
She nodded. “It is time I left.”
Tyen’s stomach sank. Though he had known she eventually would go, hearing her state it was harder than he’d expected.
“Will you return to the Restorers?”
She hesitated, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. He wondered if she was tempted to stay. Did the idea of teaching magic appeal? But that is not her skill, as she pointed out during the ceremony. She is the Maker, and there would always be worlds needing her help.
Her frown deepened. “Probably. I did make a promise to Baluka that I would.”
“But…?”
She pursed her lips, then sighed. “Before I freed Qall, during a restoration, I met a young sorcerer who is seeking a lost library containing information about Maker’s Curse. He is not a powerful sorcerer, so it will take him some time to travel through the worlds. If I join him, he can travel faster, and we might learn what is so dangerous about a Maker becoming ageless.” She looked at Tyen. “Clearly it’s possible, otherwise there’d be no warning against it.”
Tyen straightened, hiding his disappointment that she wasn’t tempted to stay here with him. “That makes sense. Finding answers may be important to the worlds – perhaps more important than restoring worlds. After all, if you can be ageless and a Maker at the same time, you can help far more worlds – and it won’t be so dangerous for you to enter them.”
Rielle nodded. “That’s true.” Then she smiled. “Though I am tempted to stay and watch you build your school, too. I’m always leaving worlds after I help them. I rarely find out what happens next.”
His heart skipped. “You’re welcome to stay. The Emperor said so.”
She chuckled. “Yes, but I won’t be attending to my responsibilities or learning more about Maker’s Curse if I do. I’m afraid I can’t indulge my curiosity this time.”
He nodded and looked away. He would miss her company, and more. She understood the pleasures and dilemmas of being both powerful and famous. They had lived through great moments in the history of the worlds. Since she had joined him here, he’d got to know her in ways he’d never had the chance to before. I think I’d rather we never became lovers again, if it meant spoiling our friendship.
“I’ll look forward to your next visit, then.”
“Thank you. But can I visit? I’d risk leading your enemies here.”
His heart sank. “Hmm. I’m afraid it would better if you did not take that risk. But this world won’t be isolated for ever. Probably no more than a few years. When we are
strong enough to defend ourselves, I will send word to you via Baluka.”
She sighed and pushed up out of the chair. “Well… you’ve got lots of paperwork to do and I should stop distracting you.”
“Actually, I was going to visit the Librarian. I haven’t seen him since I got back.” His heart skipped a beat. Could he delay her just a little longer? “Would you like to come?”
Her eyes brightened. “I’d love to. From what I’ve seen in minds, he’s quite a character.”
Tyen stood up. “Come on then. I’m sure he’d like to meet you.”
She rose to follow him out of the room and through the Academy. “I barely knew such things as libraries existed until I left my world,” she told him. “There wasn’t one in my home city, but one was mentioned in a tale in the Book of the Angels.”
Tyen glanced at her. “There wasn’t even a private library?”
“If there was, I was never told about it. My family was rich, but not through inheritance, and the luxuries my parents purchased were bought for status.”
“Still, you were taught to read?”
“Yes. By the temple.” She paused. “I am perhaps as amazed that you have no large temple in Belton as you are that we had no library.”
He smiled. “We have lots of modest ones. The Emperor’s great-grandfather came into conflict with the Lorekeepers and stripped them of their assets last century. He declared worship should be private, local and modest, and it has been ever since. Not without the occasional effort to revive the old glory days, though.”
“Do you believe in these gods?”
“No. Nor does my father. For the last hundred years reason has been valued over superstition in Leratia. Unfortunately, that led to the dismissal of the idea that creativity generated magic. I’m amazed how quickly that is being accepted now. I hope it doesn’t swing public ideas in the other direction, so that more people start believing in gods and all sorts of nonsense.” He looked at her and saw she was frowning and realised his mistake. “I hope I haven’t offended you. Do you believe in the gods of your world?”
“Not really. It wasn’t Valhan pretending to be an Angel that convinced me they probably didn’t exist. I have seen some strange things in the worlds, but the more I learned and was able to sense, the more I saw they could be explained by natural forces rather than supernatural beings. I’ve read the minds of those who believe they’ve seen proof of their god’s existence, but their reasoning is as common across the worlds as naïve beliefs regarding fertility and longevity and countless other matters people have to guess about.” She shrugged. “I’d rather live with integrity and wait until I die to find out the truth, than risk harming others by blindly following what dogma says it is.”
They were nearing the Academy library door now. Tyen slowed. “I can’t help thinking any god who expected otherwise of a person is no god worth worshipping.”
“Isn’t it odd that we two, who both abhor killing and conquest and enslavement, are non-believers? Aren’t people like us supposed to be without morals or kindness, as so many religions claim?” She nodded at a pair of open doors ahead. “Is this it?”
“Yes.” He led her through the door and into the Library. They moved around the reading tables in the centre of the ground floor, currently occupied by several students who had paused in their study to stare. Above the tables, a wide space in the ceiling revealed four more levels, all lined with bookcases.
“Tyen Ironsmelter.” The voice came from the direction of the tiny office the Librarian occupied. “Or rather, Director Ironsmelter.”
A silver-haired man strode into sight. He looked different to the man Tyen remembered, though he could not say why. But of course he does. He’s fifteen years older. Even as he thought it, he realised the changes in the old man were not those of age. The slight hunch to the man’s shoulders was gone, and he walked with energy. For a second, Tyen wondered how this could be the same person, and if the man had somehow aged backwards.
“Librarian…” Tyen replied. “I apologise. Nobody ever told me your name.”
“Kep,” the man replied. “Rytan Kep.”
“This is Rielle Lazuli,” Tyen said. “Rielle, meet Librarian Kep.”
Rielle looked from the Librarian to Tyen and back again, her eyebrows raised and a small smile curving her mouth. “So, Librarian Kep, how long have you been in this world?”
Tyen blinked, then sought out the man’s mind. At once, the answer to the man’s vigour was plain to see.
Rytan Kep was ageless.
“A little over three hundred years,” the Librarian replied. “I had assumed for not much longer, but then you arrived and restored this world, so I offer my thanks, Rielle Lazuli, for saving my life.”
“But… you are Leratian,” Tyen spluttered.
“Yes, though the Belton I grew up in was considerably different to the one of today. I left this world when there was magic enough left to do so, then returned when I was tired of exploring the worlds. I have been here ever since.”
“But… how did… does anybody…?”
The man laughed. “A few people have worked it out over the years. Most don’t pay enough attention. I kept my appearance of age ambiguous, so if anyone ever thought about it they’d conclude I was as old or young as they expected.”
“So you’ve been trapped here all this time?” Rielle said.
“Is a willing prisoner truly a prisoner?” the Librarian asked her. He shrugged. “It has been a peaceful existence. Though I expect it won’t be for much longer.” He raised one eyebrow and regarded Tyen. “You don’t expect to keep this world a secret, do you?”
“No, but I will be keeping it hidden for as long as possible.”
“Do you have enemies?”
Tyen hesitated, then nodded. “Who doesn’t?”
“I hope they are not many, or powerful, or the favour you did this world will be outweighed by the disservice.”
Tyen met the man’s eyes. “I’m afraid I did all the worlds a far greater disservice when I released knowledge of mechanical magic. One of my aims here is for the Academy to help solve that problem.”
The Librarian’s eyebrows rose. “Ah.”
“There is always harm as well as benefit in progress,” Tyen told him. “Or so a wise friend once told me.”
The man nodded. “Yes, unfortunately that is true.”
“Do you wish I had not brought magic back to our world?” Tyen asked.
The Librarian paused, then shook his head. “Not yet, at least. This society is used to rapid change. Look what it has achieved in a few hundred years. It will adapt and grow stronger.”
Tyen nodded. “I hope so. In fact, I am depending on it. Once this world is strong enough, I want young sorcerers to come here seeking the best magical training in the worlds. When my enemies find me, they will find a strong Academy ready to defend itself and this world.”
For the first time, the Librarian smiled. “Now that’s something worth sticking around to see.”
Tyen smiled. “Will you help me?”
The man nodded. “If it means I can continue on here, as Librarian.”
“If that’s what you want, then I would be a fool to remove you.” Tyen smiled. “But is there much here that will be of use?”
“Oh, plenty.” The man smirked. “Whenever ideas about magic changed and it looked like the professors might start a cull, I removed the offending books to protect them. Is there anything in particular you would like to see?”
“Not specifically, but…” Tyen looked at Rielle. “My friend may wish to do some research.”
The Librarian turned to Rielle. “What do you seek?”
She looked around the room. “Have you read all these books?”
The man laughed. “Not even half of them. I’d need far more than three hundred years to get through everything here.”
“Have you heard of something called ‘Maker’s Curse’?”
His silvery grey brows lowered. “I
t is not a familiar term. What is it in relation to?”
“The versions that I’ve encountered say that a Maker cannot be ageless, or something terrible will happen to the worlds. They don’t specify how or why.”
He shook his head. “I’ve never encountered anything like that, but I can look for it. Do you know how old this idea is?”
“Many thousands of cycles,” she replied.
His mouth pressed into a grim line. “Probably older than any book would survive. Still, old books are often referred to in younger ones. I will have a look.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Rytan Kep.”
He smiled, suddenly looking far younger than his aged appearance suggested. “It is the least I can do for the woman who restored this world and my life.”
As the Librarian moved away, Rielle turn to Tyen. “I guess I could stay a little longer, but only for a few days.”
He glanced around the library. “A search like this could take a lot longer than that.”
Her smile became sad. “Then I’ll have to rely on you to get a message to me if Kep finds anything.”
“I understand,” he replied. “The worlds need you more than I do right now. Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, and visit us from time to time.”
She reached out to squeeze his hand. “I will.”
PART THREE
RIELLE
CHAPTER 11
The whiteness around Rielle changed subtly as she pushed out of Tyen’s world. The cloud above Spirecastle was almost featureless, but the pale mist had enough faint colour that she noticed the change as she moved into the place between worlds.
Finding the beginning of the path out of Tyen’s world had not been easy. With the area above the broken tower swathed in cloud, it had been hard to get her bearings. She had blindly skimmed back and forth for quite some time before she found it, then had to return to the world to catch her breath before leaving it again.
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