Unraveling Stories - Chapter 30

<-Chapter 29

 

Part Three

"Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny."

- Anonymous

 

 

 

"We are only as strong as our hearts decide."

 

Tyrian woke in the morning to the smell of breakfast. For a moment, he was left completely disoriented as he tried to figure out why he was sleeping in the courtyard so close to the restaurant. Or was Evelyn just cooking up a storm and the smells drifting into the tower?

Cognizance returned when he tried to roll over in bed and instead fell out. The landing on the floor reminded him quite distinctly that he was not in his tower and assuredly not in his bed. A pair of rather sexy feet stepped in front of him and he looked up at Cassie with a sigh. "Your bed is too small."

"It was never intended to hold a six foot male," she pointed out dryly. She knelt down and tried not to smile. The instant she had heard the thud, she had known what had happened. "If we ever want to stay here, we'll need to have a bigger bed."

He rolled nimbly to his feet and tugged her into his arms. She was wearing a blue silk robe that he approved of wholeheartedly. "Bring this with you," he urged softly. He nuzzled at her neck and then tasted the curve of her jaw. "I like it."

"I noticed." She rubbed a hand over his jaw. It was slightly rough to the touch, as it had been from the beginning of the war. Ceasing to age had started to cause his ability to grow hair to slow down. "Get cleaned up. Breakfast will be ready soon. The others will be worried and want to see that we're okay."

He slowly and reluctantly released her. "If you insist."

"I do," she said firmly.

His lips curved. "Yes'm, Master Cassie."

As he sauntered into the bathing room, she found herself grinning. At least he appreciated that there was someone who didn't let him have his way all the time. And because it was better to remove temptation from sight, she quickly got dressed in her regular gear before going to finish making breakfast.

Tyrian had also gotten dressed when he joined her, and he was very happy to be fed. He felt positively ravenous, and that was a good sign to them both. A returning appetite meant that he could better handle his physical health. It humbled Cassie to think she alone was so critical to this man who was so critical to everyone else.

After breakfast, they headed toward the doctor's place. It was the mostly likely place to find the others since there wasn't exactly an inn located in town. Halfway toward their destination, a young teenager wearing an eye patch got in their way and planted her hands on her hips.

On one look, Tyrian knew she wasn't Human. Her bright red hair matched with a dark red eye, the second of which was an impossible color for Human blood without something else added in. Truthfully, Laia's purple eyes had been the first clue all along that she wasn't fully Human. This girl was also quite powerful, enough that he could sense it plainly. "Hello," he said.

"Hi." She studied him critically. "So that's what Ernie meant. That feeling he felt." She nodded firmly. "Okay, then I'm going with you too!" She belatedly remembered her manners and looked at Cassie sheepishly. "If that's alright with you, Master Cassie."

"You might try an introduction first," her teacher said dryly.

"Oh!" She winced. "Right. I'm sorry, Lord Tyrian. Everyone calls me Squint." She smiled as she said it. "For the obvious reasons." She tapped her eye patch. "Don't worry about this or my age. I'm fourteen, but I'm strong. And what I can't see, I can darned well smell a mile away!"

"You are . . .?"

"A Dragon."

Tyrian blinked. "Well, then." He knew that Dragons could take a smaller form to make walking in other cities easier, but he had never met one so young. Suddenly, he smiled. He had a Kraken as a Destined Star. Really, a Dragon wasn't all that unusual in the end. That little tug inside was a little stronger than it had been, and with it came an eerie sense of knowledge. Where he had subconsciously known things about his Stars before, it was now more consciously known. "I know you won't let me down," he said softly.

Squint hesitated and then hugged him fiercely before running off to her home to pack. Bemused, Tyrian said to Cassie, "I think Dragons maintain their strength even in a smaller form. That was like being hugged by Ewan."

"She's a special girl," she agreed. "She was in her natural form when she was found as a baby, but hasn't been back in that form since. Doctor Kelan suspects that with a severe enough need, she'll manage it."

"What was this about an 'Ernie'?" he asked curiously.

"Me." Ernest had come from out of nowhere and stood in the path in front of them. His cheeks were bright pink but he made himself meet Tyrian's eyes. "I'm Ernest. I'm one. I'm a Destined Star too. Ewan was right. And . . . I'm proud of it. I want to help you too. I'm sorry for being so rude to everyone. I know you'll hear about it."

Tyrian studied him for long moments before promising softly, "You can trust me with her heart, Ernest. I cherish it a great deal."

Ernest lowered his gaze, a bit embarrassed but a bit relieved that Tyrian would understand why he had been hostile. "Okay. Then, I'll see you at the base. I'm going to help Squint." He hurried off through the village past them.

Cassie frowned at Tyrian. "Just what were you talking about?"

He skimmed his thumb down her cheek. "He's in love with you." She stared at him in shock and he kissed her in front of everyone, uncaring that he made a scene in the last place where a scene would be welcome. To his delight, there came a distinct burst of applause from those observing. "Will I go to Hell for that?" he asked against her lips.

Her lips curved. "You are a terrible man, Tyrian Southerwind." Putting aside the issue of Ernest's feelings—and how had she missed that?—she continued to lead the way toward Kelan's building. If they were lucky, they would get there before sunset.

And yet, she wasn't wholly surprised when Tyrian stopped outside the accessory shop and studied it with a familiar look in his green eyes. She followed amiably as he went inside, and she smiled when she saw the familiar disaster. "Do you never clean, Yaegi?" she asked fondly.

The woman behind the counter sighed deeply. "I gave up. Every time I thought I had it under control, it was shortly a disaster again." She propped her elbows on the counter and smiled. "How do you feel, Master Cassie?"

"Remarkably normal, relatively speaking."

Tyrian studied Yaegi and noticed that she bore a very strong resemblance to Yagi in not just name but in appearance as well. "Are you any relation to Yagi?"

"He's my twin brother," she confirmed. She sighed. "Is he still always fighting with Sharmie?" At the wry nods, she dropped her head onto her arms. "Ugh! They've been friends as long as I remember, but they've always bickered. I tried to tell them that they fought because they're too much alike, but it fell on deaf ears."

"Would that we all had deaf ears," Tyrian murmured dryly.

She studied him and then smiled. "I could come out and play mediator. And sell accessories." She pointed to the bracer he wore. "I made that, so you've seen my work."

"Done," he said instantly. "I'll be glad to have your help. There's been a general jealousy among the fighting types that they don't have something as good as my bracer. Hopefully we'll get an Armorer and Tailor as well and have all the bases covered."

She gave a quick and graceful bow. "Alright then! I'll head out when Squint and Ernest do." She winked. "Monks are horrible at keeping secrets in town."

Tyrian was still smiling about that as they approached Kelan's place at last. Monks had a very powerful, and well-earned, reputation in the world. Clans were located in all five countries with the one in the Empire considered the main base. Monks, like the Dragonists and Gunners' Guild, had particularly special gifts, and they had the respect that such a thing deserved. But, truly, they were not much different from the ordinary person, if you discounted their lethality.

As if she was reading his mind, Cassie murmured, "You could pass one of us on the street and never know what we were unless we were in our gear. And that's the whole point of what we do. Part of why we're deadly is how we can hide in plain sight."

"And with this," he swung her relic hand to his lips, "you'll be even more dangerous. We'll have to pit you and Laia against each other and see if her ears can still find you." His eyes suddenly darkened as he remembered something Cassie had told him that morning while getting him caught up. "Do you think she will have recovered from poisoning before we get back?"

"Probably not. Lane said she was recovering, but it could take weeks. I want to ask him if we can help her somehow."

"Yes, you can," Lane said from the doorway to the office. "She's a Thaumoturge, but she doesn't wear a Pure Relic, so two Pure Relics will have more than enough punch to help restore her." He added in a mutter, "I wish Lady Tanelia would tell me what the hell she is. She has a magical capacity that surpasses mine."

Lane, being a Thaumoturge with a Pure Relic, was in possession of a larger capacity than average. It said something, indeed, about Laia's capabilities. "What did she say when you asked her?" Cassie asked.

He sighed and quoted, "'Lane, you know well that answers come with time. You need only be patient. In less than twenty-five years, it will make sense.'"

The fact that twenty-five years didn't feel all that long to Tyrian or Cassie was another sign that they already felt the effects of eternity. It didn't seem such a frightening concept anymore for either of them. Eternity was only a burden if you were alone.

"Well don't stand there," Kelan said in exasperation from behind Lane. "Do come in." He smiled as Tyrian and Cassie walked in, and he looked knowingly toward where their relic hands clasped together. "I see everything is settled properly." He bowed with a grace that underscored his monk class. "I am Doctor Kelan, Lord Tyrian. Many kids call me 'Doc' for short. I answer to it as well as to my name, so feel free to take your pick."

Ewan, Dylan, and Leonard were sitting at a table to the side, and they had looked over as soon as they heard Tyrian's name. Tension left all three pairs of shoulders as they saw how well Tyrian looked. In fact, he looked better than Ewan or Dylan had ever seen him, and they had been by his side from the start of the ordeal. "Welcome back to the living, Tyrian," Ewan said.

"How was near-death?" Dylan asked, amusement in his voice.

"Not entirely pleasant. I'd as soon not visit it again." Tyrian shook his head at Kelan. "I apologize for the heathens you've been entertaining. I'll take them away with me."

"That's not a nice thing to call Ewan," Leonard noted.

"He meant you, too," the taller male grumbled.

Kelan just smiled at Tyrian. "They were perfectly decent houseguests. And as we both know I am a Destined Star, we also know I can't fully escape them anyway. I will be packing my bags to come along to the base. I am sure my services will be needed. Magic can only do so much, but my skill is vast."

"I've been hoping to find a doctor to join the Liberation Army. I couldn't ask for better. I know you won't let me down, Doc." His mind ran swiftly over everyone at base, and he knew of several people that could be served immediately by Kelan's skills. Persephone's husband was one of them. Matthias was another. "There is a lot to be done," he said simply. "But I know you will take care of things."

It was a strangely empowering feeling to have Tyrian believe in him, Kelan discovered. Perhaps that was the true power of the Kaiten Star.

"How are we getting out of here?" Leonard asked Cassie. "How far are we relative to where we left the Army? They were going to leave a unit there to pick us up."

"If we take the shortcuts I know, we're only two days away. I will send a message before we leave so that they know we will have four more people to come back with us." Cassie sighed. "Where's Miranda when you need her? She could just transport all of us to the base."

"We'd land in the moat," Dylan muttered.

Lane suddenly looked up, and so did Tyrian and Cassie. A familiar swirl of clouds appeared in the middle of the room and Miranda came tumbling out. She was only a few feet over the ground, and she landed with a thump on her bottom. "Ouch! Oooh." She rubbed her sore posterior and blew her hair out of her eyes. "Darn you, Tedium!"

"Tedium?" Tyrian repeated, trying not to smile as he knelt and offered a hand to her. He tugged her to her feet and kept her balanced as she brushed out her robes. "What does Tedium have to do with this?"

She waved her free hand. "He said he could tune the Mechanoportal to my power and then if I tried to focus on your power then I could probably get transported to where you were so that I could bring everyone home but there was a lot of smoke coming out of the machine and if it broke it isn't my fault!" she finished in a rush.

"We have plenty of mages running around now, and Samantha brought a transporting mage with her," Ewan said soothingly. "So if it's broken, then we'll be fine anyway. At least you got here safely. You could have gotten stuck in a wall."

"Again," Lane noted with a smirk.

Miranda whirled and aimed her wand at his face. "You shush, Lane Aerian! I may have been stuck in a wall, but I still beat your butt in that Relic Duel! And you can bet if I ever meet Sienna, I'll tell him!"

Lane shut his mouth very quickly. "Sienna?" Tyrian asked.

Miranda beamed. "The High Priest of Melodina. He's the possessor of the Pure Relic of Land, and he and Lane are old rivals. I've never met him, but, ooh. I've heard the stories! Lady Tanelia said they were like little boys whenever they got near each other."

"Shut up, Miranda," Lane muttered.

"Then stopping sassing me." She stuck out her tongue and turned her back on him. "Well, I'm here, so I can definitely port everyone back to base! You all come talk to me when you're ready. I'm gonna go take a peek around. Is that okay?" she asked Cassie anxiously.

Miranda, for all her flightiness and absent-minded tendencies, was both personable and charming. Cassie predicted at least half the village being smitten with her before they left. "Go for it," she said. "They'll know you're here for Tyrian."

"Yay!" She hurried out the door quickly.

"Is there anything else we need to do?" Lane asked Cassie. "What about those units you said were promised to us? Do we get them now that you're in charge?"

"My messages were being delayed. The units were to deploy tomorrow anyway. Monk soldiers will be coming in from all five corners over the next few days. Two units' worth." She looked at Tyrian. "My father wishes to come along as well. He will make a fine unit leader even though he isn't a Star himself. And that leaves me free to remain at your side."

"I trust your judgment." He skimmed his thumb over her cheek with a smile. "You being so much older and wiser." He lightly kissed her smile because it was irresistible and then caught sight of movement in the doorway. He glanced up, studied the older man standing there, and said, "Greetings. I would have noticed you sooner, but I was kissing your daughter."

Kotan instantly liked him for the greeting alone. "A suitable distraction," he agreed. He bowed. "Greetings, Tyrian. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"The honor is mine," Tyrian said sincerely. "Thank you for sending Cassie to me, however unintentionally it was done. I would not have made it this far without her. She says you wish to join us in battle."

Kotan eyed Cassie. "I said I wished to come along to meet my granddaughter."

She rolled her eyes. "As if you would stay out of the combat!" She knew her father too well to think he would just sit idly by when he was still one of the strongest monk warriors on Oriku. Tenth Classes didn't come along every day.

It took only a few hours for everyone to be ready to go. They all gathered together in the middle of the village where Miranda waited by a fountain. "Okay," Miranda warned as she hefted her wand, "I haven't transported this many people before, so I don't know how it's going to work out. I'm going to try really hard to be accurate!"

"Pray for us," Dylan muttered under his breath to Ernest.

"Here we go!" She swung her wand in an arcing loop and her relic activated. One bright flash of light later and they all stood in the courtyard of the castle. Well . . . almost everyone stood in the courtyard of the castle. Lane landed in a tree, and Yaegi ended up in the Belowgrounds on top of a house.

"You know," Leonard said, "only missing two people out of a group that size isn't that bad. Maybe there were too many people for the power to reflect back and throw things off."

"Hee." Miranda felt quite pleased herself. Maybe she should start 'porting units. Then nobody would get lost. Well, maybe.

As people began to disperse to find rooms or quarters to claim, the sound of wings fluttering filled the air. Tyrian was quick. He caught Raven just as she zoomed into his arms and held on fiercely. "They said you were sick!" she said fretfully against his neck. She clung on tighter. "If Mommy didn't help you, you might die!"

The honesty despite Raven's age didn't surprise anyone. You couldn't sugarcoat things for the children involved, not when they, too, lived to support Tyrian. In many ways, the children had not remained children for long. "I'm fine now," Tyrian said softly as he buried his face in her soft hair. "I'm just fine, baby. Hey." He tugged her back until she looked at him. "See? I'm fine. Those flowers you gave me saved my life just as much as what Cassie did."

She stared at him, as if deciding for herself if he was really okay, and looked so much like him that those observing hid smiles. She suddenly nodded and wiped at her eyes. "Okay. I believe you." She promptly turned and grabbed onto Cassie. She hadn't missed the Pure Relic on her mother's hand. "You need to be okay too! I don't want to be an orphan again. You two have to stay around forever."

Cassie cuddled her close with a smile. "I'm fine too, Raven. I promise. I was a little tired from the first use of my relic, but I'm perfectly fit now. Lane has assured us that I should develop at a normal rate, so I won't deal with my next relic spell for at least a few years. Plenty of time to recover." She turned her daughter toward Kotan. "Meet your other grandfather."

Raven blinked as she stared at Kotan and then she looked up at her parents and said solemnly, "My grampas are scary."

"Wait until she meets General Southerwind," Gordon said dryly from where he had approached.

Raven held out her arms to Kotan and he scooped her up. When she hugged him, he fell in love. It was like seeing Cassie as a child again. Too smart and too quiet for her age, but he could see the intensity Raven had inherited from Tyrian. She would be a force to be reckoned with. "Do you want to be a monk too? Or are you going to follow in your dad's footsteps?"

She shook her head. "I want to use a battleaxe!" As he stared at her, she scowled. "You all do that! Why's it so bad?" Honestly, it was like they had never before seen a Faerie who wanted to swing an axe! It wasn't that unusual, was it?

"Lord Tyrian, welcome back," Matthias said as he approached. "You had all of us quite terrified. Most of our mages have recovered completely, though the Magicians are still 'foggy' as it's called."

"What about Laia?" Tyrian asked quietly. "How is she recovering?"

"Very slowly." Matthias slowly shook his head. "I've never seen the like. If there is anything you can do for her, this is the time to do it. We can't spare one of our best combatants when we're preparing to take on a checkpoint. Once you've seen to her, come meet me in the meeting room. We may have found a backdoor into Alphin."

Raven led Kotan on a tour, and Gordon followed Matthias. Tyrian and Cassie were left as the only two in the immediate area, and they began to head toward where Laia and Rourke's room resided located in the eighth wing of the castle grounds. Partway there, they ran into Liang and Serentia. Liang grabbed Tyrian in a fierce hug. "Are you okay?" he demanded.

"I'm fine." Tyrian was beginning to feel a bit like a parrot, but he didn't begrudge anyone the question, least of all Liang. "Cassie was able to cure me, and we're about to see if we can help Laia." He sighed as Liang released him and Serentia hugged him instead. Honestly, he hoped they would just make their relationship official so that he could say they were his adopted parents and be done with it. That and he could collect on the betting pool. It was almost as big as the one between Grace and Kell.

"We just needed to reassure ourselves," Serentia told him. She released him and studied him with a mother's eye. He looked much better than he had in a very long while. "Come see Tavi when you have a chance. She was very worried too."

"I will."

She looked at Liang. "You stay with him. I have gardening to tend to." She lightly touched his hand and then headed away down the hall.

Liang longingly watched her walk away, still breathing the scent of her skin and feeling the warmth of her hand. His feelings for her grew stronger every day. "I'm in love with her," he said softly.

"Am I blind?" Tyrian asked softly. Liang looked at him in surprise and he shook his head. "Marian and I knew from the get-go that it was more than just a bad case of attraction. We all knew. You can't hide it, Liang."

"Serentia doesn't know," he murmured.

"Yes, she does," Tyrian disagreed softly. "She told me that she had realized you were being more than kind. She saw you watching her the way I watch Cassie. She's working her way there, Liang. She told me that she feels for you in a way she never felt for her husband, and they were happy together. It's not her heart that's in question. It's her mind. Just give her a little more time. I know she's in love with you too."

Liang didn't question him. Hope stirred inside and made him feel as if the patience would be worth it. But, dear gods, it was so difficult! "I'm going to be insane before this is done," he muttered.

"Been there," Tyrian agreed dryly, "done that. And cold showers don't help."

Cassie coughed, more amused than embarrassed. Looking back on the events that had occurred, even she could find the humor in the entire situation.

Liang stayed with them as Tyrian lightly knocked on the door to the room. It was opened by Rourke; he looked relatively unscathed despite his wife being in such terrible condition. When he saw Cassie eyeing him, the brawler said wryly, "Let's just say that Laia has assuredly kept my life interesting. Her paladin nature makes her willing to put down her life to protect others, so she's had more near-death scares than I care to remember. This is minor compared to other things. Someday I'll tell you about the incident in the Moors. I should have gray hair."

There was no rebuttal from the vicinity of the bed, but when Tyrian walked over, he saw that Laia was asleep. Her skin looked frighteningly pale and nearly as translucent as her hair. Her veins showed dark under her skin and no longer looked deceptively blue. The marks of her three relics were faded and dull. "How has she been this last day?"

"Sleeping. She woke once and managed to eat some broth that Eve brought her, but she was asleep almost instantly after. Merlot looked up the Soul Fog poisoning in one of his books and he said this was relatively normal for someone as strong as she is. This is what would have happened to Lane if he hadn't managed to block, or to you if the Devourer hadn't been involved."

"She has a strong spirit." Tyrian picked up her left hand and pressed her relic against his as he called on his power. It felt nothing like when he and Cassie touched relics together. There was a feeling of being connected, certainly, but it wasn't as intimate. Curiously enough, by actually touching Laia's soul, he was able to see indeed that she was no normal Thaumoturge. And though she had half-Human blood, she did not feel Human at all. "What are you?" he murmured.

"Complicated," Rourke said dryly.

The color returned swiftly to Laia's face, and she had started breathing much more evenly. The marks of her relics regained some clarity as if to prove her body moved swiftly to eliminate the last of the threat. "We'll have Doctor Kelan come look at her as well," Tyrian said. "Just to be on the safe side. She'll be up and giving you more gray hair in no time."

"I'd have it no other way," Rourke murmured.

There was nothing more they could do at that time, so Rourke headed to find where Kelan was setting up his clinic, and Tyrian, Cassie, and Liang made their way to the meeting room. When they got there, two very relieved guards opened the doors for them. "Welcome back, Lord Tyrian!" one said happily.

Matthias, Cherry, Kyle, Ewan, and Gordon waited for them inside the meeting room. Because Kyle had been on the field as well, Tyrian looked at him and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly normal," Kyle answered. He could only shake his head. It was just like Tyrian to ask about his friends first.

As Tyrian took his seat, Matthias began, "We've been studying Alphin. The land approach, as we so painfully discovered, is lined with Soul Fog that triggers when an army unit approaches. We don't dare approach from that direction. However, Alphin sits on the ocean. We can approach from the water."

"We're not equipped for water battle, unless you count Infine," Tyrian noted. "And aren't the waters around Alphin too violent this time of year for most ships to pass through?"

"Indeed, but I believe that we may have found the perfect captain to sail us through. He's got quite a reputation as being the best on the sea."

Kyle's brows shot up. "You mean Theo?"

"Theo?" Tyrian asked.

"Theo. He and his brother, Mayo, are amazing sailors. I've never known better. They're technically surrogate members of the Rebellion since Ophelia had them on call in case things went onto the seas. They surely know by now that she's gone and you're in charge, but you might be able to play on that loyalty to get them to help us."

Tyrian drummed the fingers of his relic hand on the table. "But that would be just one ship. We can't fit even a whole unit on a single ship. Are we thinking to employ some subterfuge again?"

"We know going in," Cherry explained, "that General Renduex is one of us, and he's already made motions that prove he's on the side of the people. What Raven overheard is proof of it. We're not going to attack the checkpoint at all. We're going to sneak inside with Theo as our cover."

"The great Theo, out testing a new ship," Matthias said gravely. "He was trying it against the shores of Alphin since they're so dangerous. He has full access to all cities since he's not known as a part of the Rebellion. You, General Yureny, Kyle, Ewan, Liang, and Cassie will stow away on his ship and sneak into town to find General Renduex. If anything, this might culminate in a duel, but there is no doubt of your success, Lord Tyrian."

"Yeah, but there's a problem," Ewan said. "We have to convince Theo to help us under new management, and he's a pain in the bloody ass. Where's he holed up anyway?"

"A very small ocean city to the far south of Alphin. It's not dissimilar from Acre in many ways, including being so small as to not be considered an official city. Maybe a hundred people live there." Kyle nodded briefly. "I've been there. Miranda can send us. Once we convince Theo, he can sail us right up to Alphin."

"Why would he be so difficult to convince?" Cassie wondered.

"You should have seen what Ophelia went through to convince him," Ewan said in aggravation. "He's got this picky thing about respect. He needs to respect someone before he's willing to help them, rather than help and grow to respect them. It took her, what, a month? Tyrian's going to have to work fast to convince him in a short time."

A little smile touched Tyrian's lips. "I think I can handle it." He glanced at Matthias. "We'll leave this afternoon."

 

©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.

Chapter 31->

Unraveling Stories - Chapter 29

<-Chapter 28

 

"If it was for you I could fly the skies; I'd always be looking over you from above."

 

Cassie moved swiftly and surely toward the pagoda in the distance where her trial awaited her. Her stomach was already churning.

Standing on the steps of the pagoda was an older man with hair that had already gone white. He was as fit and strong as a man half his age, and though he and Cassie shared no blood, she had clearly grown up in his image. "The prodigal daughter," Kotan said with a touch of wryness.

She planted her hands on her hips and demanded, "Why the hell haven't you responded to any of my messages? We're fighting a damned war out there! We struggled to get up and running; those promised units would have been useful, Father!"

He held up his hands placatingly. "Your messages only arrived just a few days ago. I was preparing to have the units start toward your base on the morrow." He studied her with a parent's knowing eye. "We have, of course, been pulling in information and rumor as they spread. I must say, you seem like an entirely different person. A year ago, you'd have never had an outburst like that." She set her chin in a stubborn line and he smiled. "It's good for you." He sighed. "Not that I was entirely happy when I first heard the phrase 'Tyrian Southerwind's lover' in reference to you."

"Does it help to know he was courting me the entire time and has since proposed marriage? And that we've adopted a little Faerie girl as our daughter?"

"Indeed! Ah, well. I can't imagine there's any person less likely to break your heart. I will journey with you to the base so I may meet my granddaughter properly." He took a deep breath and then let it out. "So you come for the Shrieking Relic. And not to merely take over my position. You will fuse it."

"The instant Tyrian got the Devourer, I knew that this was my future." Her gaze lowered. "I just needed the courage for it. I was intending to come here even before he was affected by Soul Fog." She paused and then frowned. She would need to ask Lane if by chance either of them, or both, might as yet be able to help Laia. Losing one of their best unit leaders for weeks was not good for anyone.

Kotan stepped aside. "Come inside, then. We must hurry." He glanced up as he heard murmuring, and he saw people gathering as they realized what was occurring. At twenty, Cassie was the youngest ever to challenge for leadership. But then, she had been the youngest to become a First Class—at seven!—and youngest to be a Tenth Class at the age of fifteen. Without question, she was the finest monk that had ever been born. Kotan had already decided that an Eleventh Class needed to be invented just for her.

The pagoda was oddly welcoming to Cassie as she walked inside. It felt like forever since she had been there. The straw mat on the floors, and the wooden walls, were nostalgic. She had spent so much time there. And though she would claim it as her own, she knew she would never live there again.

She went to the center of the main room and waited. Kotan placed Seeing Relics at each of the four corners of the large straw mat she stood on. Even though he would not see what she did, he already knew what she would confront. A year ago, he would have doubted she was ready. Now he held no doubt that she would survive.

The Seeing Relics activated and the pagoda went away from around Cassie. Her entire body tensed as wispy images began to fill the air. The Seeing Relics were attuned specifically to access the memories of the one confronting the trial. The trial was simple enough when it was pared down to the most basic component: the challenger had to face the moments in their life that defined them.

Kotan had passed a fairly simple trial when he had taken it on. The hardest thing to face had been the death of his wife to a plague. But Cassie . . . too much tragedy had lined her young life.

The memories were average enough at first. Cassie saw herself starting monk training at the age of three; again, young for it, but showing promising skill. It was one of the most defining parts of her life, and it did not surprise her to see it.

But then the screaming started. It was as raw and fresh as the day it had occurred. She watched herself as a child, running away through the forests between Foresalia and Empire. She was clutching her mother's hand while stumbling over roots and branches. The screams tore apart the trees as the soldiers chased them. An accident. Her family had come upon a secret village of Faeries and Elves in the forest just as Foresalia had.

Blood began to seep up under her feet. A shudder ran through her body as she watched her father fall right in front of her. She wanted to run. She wanted to run and hide and not see this ever again. She even found herself backing up, but she forced herself to stop.

Her mother had fallen trying to protect her. The way the sword cut into her body was burned into her eyes. The sound of her body hitting the ground was engraved in her ears. This feeling, this helpless horror, had been part of her rage with Annareal's actions. Those children now carried some of the scars Cassie lived with.

She saw herself staring at a soldier whose sword dripped with the blood of her parents. It was war. There was no mercy based on age when the enemy was already ruthless enough to slaughter a town indiscriminately. The soldier had stabbed her a little in the shoulder, just to make her cry. She had just stared at him. Even now, she didn't know if it was shock or defiance.

He had upped the ante by lightly stabbing her in the side. Just little stabs, barely half an inch deep. Enough to hurt. Enough to bleed. When she had still stared at him, he had slowly and carefully sliced along her neck. Not deep enough to kill. Not yet.

She pressed her hand to her throat as she felt the pain as sharply as if it had just occurred. She couldn't breathe! She fell to her knees as she struggled to drag in a breath. It was just an illusion trying to trick her into thinking she was there again. She threw her will into fighting back, into letting go of the memories. She had survived. They hadn't won. Somehow she had escaped. She had lived, she had thrived. She was better than this!

The screaming abruptly stopped and she could breathe again. The pain became a dull throbbing. She gulped in air gratefully as her ears continued to ring and spots swam before her eyes. At a sound, her shoulders tensed for what was next, but when she looked up, she saw Tyrian. Shocked, there was nothing she could say. He was walking through the Imperial Palace with Liang and Marian pacing at his side. He walked into a room, and she saw . . . herself.

Everything seemed to align. Calm descended. That tragedy of her youth had led her to train harder and longer to never be weak again. That training had led her to reaching such a high rank before she was in her twenties. That rank had led her to be the delegate chosen to help Ophelia Goldwind . . . and led to her destined meeting with her Kaiten Star.

She slowly got to her feet and lifted her chin. The illusions splintered around her, leaving her alone in the middle of the floor. There was nothing more to be seen. "Everything happens for a reason," she said quietly. "We all obey the whims of Destiny."

Kotan started breathing again. He hadn't been breathing the entire time, and certainly his heart had stopped when she had fallen. Getting out of the trial once it started only happened one of two ways. You passed, or you were destroyed by your own memories. It could happen to even strong people. He had watched it happen to his elder brother when he had tried to take leadership from their mother. "I would think," he said softly, his voice gruff, "that the Kentei Star does not lack much less of an iron will than her Kaiten Star."

"Well, someone has to keep him line." She took a deep breath and turned around. "I'd be lying to say that I won't have nightmares. But . . . I'm okay. And I'm finally ready to ask you just what happened to me. How I was saved. I never could before."

"The Imperial Army had already been rushing to the scene," he said willingly. He had always hoped there would come a day when she would be strong enough to know it all. "The High General, though he was still just a Lower General then, reached the scene first. It was he who tended your wounds and carried you away."

In a way, it was not as shocking as it should have been. Threads tied all of them together in some way or another. "I wonder if he knows who I am," she mused mostly to herself. She would have to tell Tyrian. It might lift his spirits to think his father had saved her life. And thinking of Tyrian brought back the sharp reality of why she was there. "I claim by family right and right of trial the leadership over the Monk Clans."

"Come with me, daughter." He led the way past the mat to a door in the wall. Instead of opening it, he pushed on the wall panel beside it. The panel rotated open to reveal a short hall and a tiny room at the end. "Inside there is what you seek."

She ducked into the hall and moved swiftly to the end. In the center of the small room was a slim pedestal. On the top of that was a blue cushion. Settled into the center of the cushion was a glass sphere. It glowed with a soft sapphire color, and within the center of the relic hovered a symbol reminiscent of a broken musical note. There was no mistaking it for a Music Relic. Though the symbol was like a note, it was also entirely different. The symbol of silence. The mark of the Pure Shrieking Relic.

She held out her left hand without hesitation. Though most single relics were worn on the right hand, she felt the sharpest pull of her magical capacity flowing through her left hand. The few times she had worn a relic, she had always worn it on her left hand. As Tyrian wore his on his right, she couldn't help but wonder if her relic hand choice was also destiny.

The Shrieking Relic floated up into the air and then hovered over her left hand. She immediately became aware of the emptiness inside her soul. It was a shocking feeling to realize just how deep her own capacity went. She had been primed for that moment without ever knowing it.

With a flash of light, the relic fused to her hand. The pain was sharp and ambushing, welling up from her very soul as the relic forced itself inside and rooted deep. Her head went light and she fell to her knees as she sought for her stability. She felt positively stuffed, as if her soul had become tangible and could be physically experienced. Her magical capacity was not only great, but it was also now thoroughly utilized.

The pain faded to a dull throbbing and the dizziness ebbed. The swiftness of the recovery only confirmed her feelings that it had been the nature of the Devourer itself that had been detrimental to Tyrian. She felt exhausted, certainly, but not nearly as drained and weakened as he had been.

When she returned to Kotan's side, he hugged her tightly. "I'm very proud of you," he said roughly.

The display of affection was only a little surprising. She had always known he loved her, though he'd had trouble expressing it. "Thank you," she said softly. She hugged him back and then let go. "Don't think you can retire yet. You need to handle day-to-day things for me."

"I can do so." He released her. "Go now to his side," he urged. He watched her hurry out of the room and let out a long sigh before following at a slower pace. Retirement and a granddaughter. He was getting old after all.

It seemed as if everyone in the city had gathered outside the pagoda. Cassie brushed past all of them as she ran back toward the doctor's office. No one tried to stop her, though many swarmed around Kotan with eager questions and congratulations. Yet again, Master Cassie had proven why she was their greatest monk.

When Cassie burst into the doctor's office, the others glanced at her in surprise, even Ernest and Kelan. They had all thought it would take much more time for her to confront her trial; it had only been an hour. Lane glanced at her hand and saw the Shrieking Relic, and he felt some of the knots in his stomach unclench. The feeling of being terrified of losing Tyrian was not entirely pleasant. He had never experienced so much emotion for anyone other than Lady Tanelia, and she had always been like a mother to him.

"What do I do?" Cassie asked Lane. "And don't take an attitude with me. Just tell me what to do."

He forced himself to bite his tongue. Honestly, these fledgling sorcerers could be very vexing! "Take Tyrian's hand and place the mark of your relic directly against the mark of his relic. Try to call a spell to start the power flowing. You shouldn't have the first level unlocked yet, so you'll just get raw magic."

She sat beside Tyrian on the bed and gently lifted his relic hand. She pressed the back of their hands together and felt a sudden jolt all the way to her soul. The sensation was very, very intimate. She couldn't guess at whether it happened because of what was already between her and Tyrian, or if it was normal. She also didn't have the nerve to ask.

She reached for her power, not yet even knowing what to call it. Her relic glowed softly and the symbol of Shrieking appeared over her head. Though she did not initially intend to cast an actual spell, she felt it well up inside. "Silence," she said softly.

The entire room went dead silent as all magic nullified from everyone except for her and Tyrian. Lane opened his mouth and then closed it, at a true loss for words. If she was going to evolve at Tyrian's rate, then things could be deadly for them both. Tyrian needed Cassie to be his anchor. Lane swiftly ducked outside. This was over his head, but Tanelia would have the answers.

Power welled from inside Cassie and moved freely without being impeded by other forces in the air. It flowed directly into the Devourer and then moved beyond, purifying the lingering effects of the Soul Fog and returning strength to Tyrian's body. With the Shrieking Relic providing the strength to heal, Tyrian's will was enough to fight the Devourer. Balance was once more achieved and color returned to his face, though he did not wake.

The silence ended and sound returned. Softly, Ewan said, "So that's what you meant, Night. A natural silence versus an unnatural one. This wasn't that unnerving. It was a bit soothing."

"Particularly for you because you do not wear a relic. Natural silence is quite peaceful, though it is an effective weapon against an enemy." Without missing a beat, Night added, "You might want to catch her."

Ewan could be quick for his size. He moved forward just in time to catch Cassie as she fell over the side of the bed. "I should have realized that would happen," he said with a sigh. "So much for Lane thinking he knows everything." He stood and gently handed Cassie to Dylan. "You take her. I'll get Tyrian." He looked at Kelan. "Do they need to remain here?"

"No. Only rest can help them at this point. Ernest, show them to where Cassie's home is located." When the monk sulked, Kelan narrowed his eyes. "Do as I say, Second Class."

Ernest jumped. "Yes, Master Kelan!" He beat a hasty retreat out the door.

"Master Kelan?" Leonard lifted his brows.

Kelan smiled. "I'm a Fifth Class, the lowest you can be to become a Master. But I prefer to heal wounds rather than inflict them. That doesn't mean I can't. I just prefer otherwise."

Cassie's home sat not far from the pagoda. The door was unlocked, which made Ewan frown at Ernest. As he held the door, the monk said, "We never lock doors here. Outsiders don't come here, and stealing from each other would just be silly. We lock them if we're home and don't want visitors, though."

Ewan and Dylan put Tyrian and Cassie in her room and then followed Ernest toward the pub. Monks didn't get drunk, but that didn't mean they didn't like to drink. After the emotional upheaval, both Ewan and Dylan were glad for it. They needed booze.

 

Tyrian awoke feeling stronger than he had in quite a long while. The room was dark and quiet though some light spilled in through the window curtains. Cassie slept beside him, which was normal enough, but the bed they slept on was not as big as the one in their tower. The general feel of the room seemed soothing but not in the same way.

Shadows fell in an unusual pattern across the floor. He got to his feet and walked silently over to the window to look out. The darkened village was unfamiliar in shape and size, and snow softly fell. Snow only fell in the higher mountains, so he could take a fairly decent guess as to their current location.

A lamp lit behind him. "Tyrian?"

He turned immediately and went back over to the bed. "I'm right here." He sat down as Cassie sat up, and he cupped her cheek in his hand. "What did you do?" he asked softly. "I was so busy fighting the Devourer that it shocked me when I saw your power. I can still feel it to some extent."

She held up her left hand where the stark image of the Shrieking Relic was clearly visible. "I am now the leader of the Monk Clans," she said softly. "That is what this relic represents. Until I met you, I never thought I'd ever be strong enough to face the trial of leadership. This was why I wanted to come here. When you fell . . . Lane said that only a Pure Relic with a positive charge could save you. That's what this has."

There was a steadiness inside her, a sense of calm, that had become only more powerful now. It was a seductive lure to Tyrian, offering a promise of peace and quiet and sanctuary. Eternity. It was theirs to share. She would always be by his side. "I love you," he vowed intensely. "I would never have made it this far without you. And if millennia with you is my reward for this burden, then I'll do it again and again."

"Then understand why I don't regret what I faced to reach this point. I am the lucky one, Tyrian." She pressed her relic hand against his and sparks leapt and flew between their palms. In the way the positive and negative charges of the relics could fuse, so too were their owners meant to be one. "Are you truly better?" she asked softly, searching his face intently.

In answer, he drew her relic hand to his lips and teasingly skimmed a kiss across the mark. Her breath caught as the shock of pleasure streaked through her entire body. Even expecting it didn't prepare her for how strong it felt. "Should I apologize for teasing you that time?" she asked huskily.

His lips slowly curved. "How about I simply return the favor?" He tumbled her over onto the bed, his heated breath sensitizing her skin until she shivered from the inside out with hunger. As he trailed soft kisses down her arm, her hand curled around his neck. Her touch was hot and powerful, the magic inside tingling against his skin. "Do you think it's just us, or any relic?" he asked softly.

The little rasp to his voice made her breath catch. She loved when he sounded like that, when he had no will to resist her and it reflected in his voice. "We could ask Laia," she said teasingly. "She's the only one who could answer without embarrassing herself or us equally."

His laugh teased her ears and clenched her heart. "True, I can't see us asking Lane. He'd start getting arrogant and know-it-all." He worked on removing her gear as he spoke; his nimble fingers were now intimately familiar with every fastening and how to remove it in the fastest way possible. "Think he'll get his someday?"

"Oh, I think so. And we'll even get to see it." She tugged at his shirt and pulled it up over his head when he lifted his arms. Even with her body aching for his, there was no desire to rush. Already she could feel that time had stopped for them. There was a war waiting with the dawn, and there was no knowing what every day would bring. More Destined Stars, more battles, and even a confrontation with Donald Southerwind loomed ahead.

It didn't seem that frightening anymore for either of them. Tyrian knew that this was what Lane had meant when he had said there was something only Cassie could do to lift his burdens. The enemy couldn't defeat him. The Devourer couldn't consume him. Not so long as they were together.

It wasn't until they lay tangled together that he finally realized something he had subconsciously sensed all along. There had always been something deeper between them, some mysterious element that encompassed love and desire and yet was more than both together. This time, finally, he thought he knew what it was. It was eternity.

It had been there all along.

©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.

Chapter 30->