They veered off about three streets in toward Pilal. There was no real goal in mind: just mindless wondering. It was a hot day as always in Mironi, so they decided a mug of chilled ale was desirable—or rather, Shalini just didn’t feel like walking anymore. The two of them settled in at a bar and Shalini found herself just entranced while looking at him. He’d left her to go gamble at a card table with some locals. They apparently loved him just as much as she did. He had a way with people. He was inherently good in a way that even she found hard to be sometimes. And he wasn’t afraid that she could destroy him. That was always a good sign.
It was a while before she managed to drag him out of the pub, more than just a little intoxicated, and only slightly steady on his feet. She was thinking that it was a good thing they only went three roads in as she dragged him back toward Magicians Way and toward the school. She walked to one of the school gardens on the north side of the property past the chemistry and alchemy labs, and found a nice private spot by a tree. She placed him beside the tree and together they looked up at the stars. Lynton passed out for about an hour, which was just fine by Shalini. She just wanted to be alone with the sounds of nature for a while.
“You like him, don’t you?” Tokam asked. Tokam was Shalini’s Betave. He was a racoon.
“I believe I do. He is young. Very young but his heart—”
“Yes. And he’s good with children. He let your class almost destroy him.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” Tokam decided that a glare was the necessary response to that. “But they loved him.”
“Anyone who can turn you into a taken woman should be admired.”
Shalini threw the nearest object she could find, a stone, at him. It received a laugh, which wasn’t quite what she was going for but she laughed along with him.
“I spoke to the Seer.”
“That is why you have not been here?”
“Yes. I have been having strange visions.”
“Yes.”
“About you, Lynton and—”
“My three favourite students.”
“Yes. She doesn’t know why because certain events haven’t unfolded yet. It may be that you’ll need them for something other than she sees.”
“I don’t like dual visions. It usually means that the act of a single person will dictate the direction the future takes. Usually, things end up much worse if they choose to ignore the right path.”
“Yes. This is usually the case. But she would not reveal anything that is uncertain. Lela is probably more than what her great aunt was in her time. She has managed to rejoin the alliances among the spirits of the realm with some humans: Kentai, Dragon and Leos—the bond broken by humans.”
“She inspires me. And also another who will be visiting us shortly. As soon as tomorrow, I think.”
“And who will this be?”
“You shall see. Rika. That is your name, isn’t it?”
Lynton’s Betave had arrived. She was a golden Lemur.
“Yes. Is he drunk?”
“That he is.”
“Good. He never drinks around that insufferable brother of his. He should’ve let you kill him.”
“Clearly you have no love for the boy.”
“I do not. I understand why he is the way he is, but he is a man. He must act like one sooner rather than later. But Lynton—he amazes me.”
“How so?”
“He loves everything to a fault. He’s so inherently good that he struggles with himself when he has no other choice but to hate or dislike something. So he will see nothing but the good in his brother and hope through each day that he will come around.”
“And you do not believe this.”
“No. I do not.”
“You are bitter.”
“I am. I do not trust that suddenly Cortell has an interest in the Archives. We were raised in Keldon and never once has he shown interest in climbing the tall mountain. Why now? I don’t like it. Lynton refuses to let me spy on them even though he knows I will anyway. They are still a few days from the mountain top.”
Shalini thought about it and came to the conclusion that something big definitely was going on. She had to watch over three children and Lynton; his brother was off most certainly to hunt the Archives but clearly not for good. And someone she hadn’t seen in years was right on the doorstep of her country. What were the odds and what did the Gods have in store for them?
“I see you are awake.”
“Really? That would explain the pounding headache. Rika? Done spying on my brother?”
“No sense following to prove what I know is true. And don’t respond; I don’t want to argue about your brother’s level of moral fiber. Nice to see you’ve been having a good time again.” Shalini could see that Lynton clearly got the hidden message in the statement. Lynton shrugged in reply. She assessed it was true what Rika had said about him. He was having trouble admitting that his brother sometimes inhibited his ability to relax.
“You can argue. Don’t let me stop a domestic dispute.”
“I don’t like to argue. My father insists a healthy argument is good for me. He only says that after pulling me into one.”
“Your father? Who is your father?”
“Larz.”
Now, Shalini knew a few by that name. But she instantly thought of the elf. She was trained in the elven cities for a time in her earliest adulthood: something that elves had stopped doing centuries before her. She had to be clear.
“I didn’t catch that. What did you say again?”
“Landon. He owns some land in the mountain of Targ in Keldon. That is where I and my brother were raised.”
“That is not who you said first.”
“I didn’t?” She could see that Lynton was genuinely shocked. He didn’t realise he had said a different name and now looked worried and even scared of what he might have done. Then he panicked.
“Oh no. I’ve done something bad. Very bad. I could be in danger. You could be in danger. Oh no—what have I done?” Lynton tried to go, but she pulled him back down onto the grass. She was much stronger than he was, and he was still recovering from his drinks, so it was easy.
“It is okay. There are many by that name. You should learn not to panic. You gave away the identity.”
“Oh,” Lynton muttered. He looked very put off by that comment. He must’ve felt stupid for not just making up a title or some lie for the name instead of having an attack. This was how Shalini viewed it.
“You can tell me when you’re ready, but I do know Larz. He was one of my teachers for a time when I was training in the elven realm.”
“I did not know you spent time there.”
“Yes. It was there that my love for all things Salinor grew. I wasn’t naturally built to love all humans like you are. And I still am not. But I try my best to be as fair as I can. Lela was my mentor. She is the Seer. She is as good as the best elven seers and is keeping the peace with all things magical and human by bringing the spirits to resume their duties to the land. I watched her do these things as a child and decided I wanted to join her. Then you get another generation of people fighting for humanity and equality of all creatures in the realm. Cherann is by far one of the most diligent in doing what I and the seer are doing.”
“I didn’t realise that you were actually working together.”
“The War of the Beginning was about us working together. It took an Atorathian and a magician together to take down and change the empire. Cherann words it quite well once she gets going. So there is a large network of us doing what the Alliance doesn’t do anymore: keeping the peace. And of those people, we three just happen to be on the forefront because we are the most vocal.”
“How do I get involved?”
“There are people in your own country that you could talk to. I can inform them. It is hard work because some of the things we want to do—bring back the giants elves and dwarfs, for example—are a work in progress. They don’t need humans.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, I could tell you, but someone with more passion for the realm than even I will be here tomorrow. Let this person explain it.”
***
It was the next day, many hours still till sunrise, when there was a knock at Shalini’s door. She eased out of bed and went to answer it. To her surprise, there was a Betave. She recognized the bear immediately as Drak’s. She walked out into one of the courtyards and put up a barrier. She’d lived long enough to trust her instincts, and she knew this wasn’t going to be good.
“Mistress Vardon, I’m sorry to wake you in the middle of the night. I’m not even sure if what I’m doing is right but—”
Shalini let the Betave decide whether it was okay to tell her. He was eleven years old, only as old as Drak. Betaves age with their magicians, so it was always a learning process when it came to disobeying an order even though with free will they were perfectly within their rights to do so.
“I’m not sure if I would be breaking his trust, but I feel compelled to do so.”
“I am not sure that I know your name.”
“I am Kelon.”
“You are a shade of brown purer than chocolate.”
“Thank you. Most bears are brown, though. I should’ve changed my coat in its entirety, but the orange tint does give it a uniqueness. I’m shorter than I was when I came to him. I was still a cub at the time and not a full-grown bear.”
“Interesting. So what do you think of his two friends?”
Mentally, Betaves tended to mature much faster, which was what made them good companions during adolescence. Shalini was well aware of this and was feeling him out to calm him down.
“I like them very well. And their Betaves, as well. Drak never feels like he fits in, but as you said during class, he is the only one of his siblings to be accepted into your class. He’s afraid he won’t live up to his expectations. He isn’t obviously good at anything like his brothers and sisters are. But with those two—”
“Yes.”
“He is starting to take taunts better, though very slowly, and they are real friends. They are the first he’s ever had that aren’t just interested in his title. And they are both skilled enough to help him. Are magicians usually so good so young?”
“It is rare. Very rare. I would say out of all the students in the school at present, they are the only two so gifted. So what is it that you wanted to tell me?”
“I know he will be king. And this time it is more than just the feeling.”
“How do you know?”
“He’s been having nightmares—nightmares so strong that the girl Tilal and Janon both whisper over him some nights to keep him calm. Very advanced sleep magic.”
“Continue.”
“I didn’t know what they were. But as things go, I’ve been sharing the dream with him lately, and what I’ve seen—well, I’m afraid that I may not be able to keep calm, and I don’t think the two of them are strong enough to stop us both from screaming.”
“So how do you know he will be king?”
“I know he will be next to be king if he lives.”
“Naturally, he would have to live to be king.”
“But this vision: it is imperative that he live. Something is going to happen to the family. Something is going to happen to the king and queen. And this something cannot be stopped, I fear. I want to believe that it can, but I know it cannot.”
“So why are you telling me?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t know where else to go. And the vision is strange. I’m quite sure there’s something there that I can’t see, and I’m also very sure it’s important.”
“I’m going to send you to the Seer. She will sort out as much as she can, but my instincts tell me it will not be enough. You may need the talents of a dream-reader.”
“Isn’t that the rarest gift of all the magical talents?”
“It is, Kelon. Don’t worry. Drak will survive without you, much as if he had sent you on a task himself.”
“Where is the Seer?”
“She is taking time for herself. You are right; something big is going to happen, and she is in the place she finds the most calm: with the dragons.”
“The spirit dragons or just the regular large dragons?”
“The spirits of the earth.”
“Aren’t they guarded by the elves? How will I find the elven city?”
“You won’t. Take this jewel.” Shalini removed a bracelet with a purple jewel from her arm and wrapped it twice around the arm of the Kentai. “You’ll have to brave the Forest Dun.”
“The Wood? But that Forest is alive. And it stretches the whole realm, even through the desert lands.”
“Yes. I’m going to place a map in your mind. When you reach the final destination, there will be a dragon guard. The jewel will be your key. The only way to find a guard is through someone else who knows. Even they are hidden.”
“After I’m taken to the city, will I remember?”
“It’s possible. Not likely though. Remember to tell them I sent you and that it is a matter of saving the realm. I’m sure the Seer has given specific instructions not to have her solitude interrupted.”
“But she will be interrupted by you?”
“Yes. She is my sister.”
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