Amaya wrinkled her nose. “I doubt that, Mother.”
“As do I, but we cannot take any chances.”
“As my Queen wishes.” Amaya bowed and departed.
Ayanyi picked up her goblet and drained it. So, this boy might know of a prophecy passed down from Queen to heir for eleven generations and he carried a Radiance that had been awakened before the Dance of Days, yet he did not need to sing. She wondered what the most learned of the Hall of Knowledge might find.
Finyaka stood outside the Hall of Knowledge, afraid to enter. The morning sun on his back felt nice, though he shivered anyway. He was sure he had been followed, though only a month ago this thought would have never occurred to him. He felt like something was crawling along his spine. Deep breath. Soon everything will be revealed.
The sacred courier had appeared in the morning with a written note, signed and sealed by Amaya herself. A request for Finyaka to meet her immediately to discuss matters of some urgency. Everything about the message was formal and vague. Master Sheekara was not pleased by the missive but conceded if the noble heir had summoned Finyaka, he should answer. Matasa insisted to be allowed to go as well, but Sheekara and Asho both pointed out that the noble heir had only asked for Finyaka.
He entered the Hall and shaded his eyes against the bright Radiance of the tablets of the Song of the Great Sun. He made his way to the Repository and touched the warm crystal of the display.
“Your piety is noted my apprentice-acolyte,” said a raspy voice from the shadows of the Hall.
Finyaka turned. The voice and yellow aura were the same as the learned who had led them into the Council Chamber. Finyaka bowed respectfully. “I am but a vessel of the Great Sun’s Radiance.”
“The Great Sun’s Light forever show you the way,” came the cracked and dry reply. “You are the adherent Finyaka Umu Salani?”
Finyaka fidgeted. “I am, most learned.”
The caretaker bowed deeply. “I am Feihsha. The most illustrious waits for you in her private study. She asked me to bring you to her when you arrived. If you would be so kind as to follow.”
Finyaka bowed and offered the big man his hand, who took it and led them up the nearby stairs. “Watch your step.”
The going was slow. “What is the most illustrious currently researching if I may ask?”
“Those who have been blessed by the Radiance.” The large man’s attention was directed toward Finyaka’s safe travel.
“I am interested in what the illustrious may have found.” Finyaka was shaking, something gnawed at the back of his mind. He felt like screaming. It is the height. I have not been this far from the ground since I gave my eyes to the Great Sun.
As they reached the fourth floor, the big man moved down the hall a few paces to what Finyaka presumed was a doorway.
Feihsha slid the door aside to reveal Amaya. “The most illustrious will see you.”
“Finyaka, my friend, do I have tidings for you.” Amaya embraced him warmly.
Finyaka blushed and pulled back trying to bow. “Most illus—”
She crossed her arms and frowned. “We discussed this. I am Amaya when we are together.”
Finyaka glanced at Feihsha.
“My scholar holds my confidence. He may have found your future, and most likely your past.” She waved an arm toward the small room. “Come, let me show you what we have discovered.”
Finyaka hesitantly walked forward until he thumped against something solid. There was the clack of clay tablets, the rustle of papyrus, the clink of pewter, and the slosh of water.
“Have you ever wondered how the Seven Peoples came to be?”
“I never really thought about it. Rearing goats in the wadi was more important than history I guess.”
Amaya laughed, a rich sound that filled the small room. “This would be true. Here in the city, we have more time to explore the history of the Seven Peoples. As well as the teachings of the First Singers, which is of benefit to you.”
You also have more time to give in to the taint. Finyaka gave Amaya a quizzical glance. “What have you discovered?”
“The learned Feihsha was looking at the earlier writings, from the time of the First Singers. He discovered a set of partial tablets that speak of the Three Bands. It speaks of the types of Radiance granted to each of the Three Bands.”
The yellow aura which was Feihsha made its way to the tablets and read aloud in his broken voice, “Thus the First Band was deemed gold, those Chosen of the Great Sun and blessed with the Radiance so that all could see. They led the Song to the Great Sun and became the mage-priests. The Second Band was deemed brass, those fervent within their hearts for the wellbeing of their fellows. They were blessed at birth by Anuu with a Radiance to help guide their kin and their strongest became Queen. The Third Band was deemed iron, those who lived by the five elements and toiled. They were the heart blood of the Seven Peoples, and their Radiance is their Faith in the Great Sun. From that Faith will come those who will defend the Three Bands from the Darkness.”
“So, what does all this mean?” Finyaka found a stool and readied to sit when Amaya put her hand on his arm. “You are born from the Faith to protect the Three Bands from the Darkness.”
“But how?” Finyaka pulled his arm away and sat down heavily. This was absurd. “How can this be possible? Why didn’t the mage-priests look into this possibility?”
“I doubt the arrogance of the Council would let them see past your peasant upbringing. We, scholars, see the world differently.” Feihsha sat opposite Finyaka and began arranging the tablets which Finyaka saw as shadows in the caretaker's hands.
Finyaka reached to where he heard the slosh of water, and fumbling found a cup and pitcher. He poured himself a cup. He wanted to laugh, or cry, he was unsure which. Defender? Him? He drained his cup and pondered the news, thinking of his childhood in the small oasis village. He was sure they were lying to him. Was this a trap? To lure him away from Matasa? Finyaka needed something to calm his nerves. He was seeing enemies at every corner. He took a deep breath and reached for the water pitcher again, only to find it empty. He shook the jug to confirm his findings and placed it back on its tray. There was a sloshing noise. Surprised, he placed a finger into the pitcher, Finyaka found it to be full of water. He almost upset it when he jumped back.
“What is it?” asked Amaya.
“I-I-I just filled the pitcher.” Finyaka pointed at where the clay jug sat on the table.
“How?” Amaya asked patiently.
“I was wanting something to relieve my thirst, to calm me, and the pitcher was empty. I placed it back upon the platter and heard a sloshing noise. The pitcher is now full. I tried to make water the entire way here from Onubaki, and all I could do was shatter pottery.”
Feihsha lifted the pitcher and filled a goblet. He took a tentative sip from it. “Warm, and it has a sweet taste I do not recognize.”
Finyaka stood and took the goblet from the big man. He sipped from it. The water tasted of the sweet grasses from his village. Their nectar usually leached into the water of the oasis where they grew.
He trembled and placed the goblet on the table. “What does this mean?”
Feihsha shook his head. “I have no idea. Are you able to fill our goblets?”
Finyaka concentrated.
Impossible, the boy couldn't even create a flame, how could he make water! Sheekara had been so shocked he stopped singing the Song of Clairaudience. Water was the hardest of the physical elements to control, and yet, here was this Light damned goatherd making water as if it was natural. The old mage-priest peeked out from behind the column he had been sitting beside. Feihsha stood in the open doorway of the study room, running a hand over his bald pate, a look of concern on his face. So, Feihsha was loyal to the Court. The learned caretaker had been a roadblock many times for Sheekara. He was an obstacle that could now be removed.
He looked past the big caretaker to see a pale and drained Finyaka. Sheekara furrowed his
brow and returned to hiding. So, the goatherd’s Radiance is supposed to be from the Faith of the common folk. Sheekara had to control himself from laughing.
Absurd. He leaned back against the pillar to think. The basics of the Radiance were simple; it revealed itself during the Dance of Days. Novice-aspirants were taught to channel that Radiance, with the Song of Flame to create fire. The adherent then learned the subtle ways to control the heat of that flame. The Elder mage-priests could tell almost immediately how far a young apprentice-acolyte would progress by watching them control the effects of the element. Those who mastered it easily would become mage-priests. Those who didn't make it further than conjurer-adepts. So how could this goatherd who didn't even need to sing to work his Radiance, and who couldn't create fire with a flint and steel, be able to produce a full pitcher of water? Sheekara took a deep breath and began the Song of Clairaudience again, slowly drifting the words of the conversation within the study upon the air toward him.
“…the pitcher was empty?” That was Feihsha’s. His discordant timber hard to discern with the small amount of Radiance being exerted, but to release more might mean detection.
“It was empty most learned, I swear.”
“Then how is it full now? You have tried, and you can’t even wet a cup?” The caretaker sounded irritated.
“I-I-I don’t know. My powers work when I am calm, and that is a state I have not felt since arriving in this tainted city.” The frustration in his adherent’s voice was intense.
“I want to believe you. All the signs point to you having filled the pitcher. Yet you have been unable to fill another vessel.” That was the heir, feigned sympathy in her voice. Her crone of a mother was teaching her well.
“I am trying!” Finyaka’s voice was full of anguish. “This is frustrating. I made the water! By the Light of the Great Sun if you want water…”
Sheekara peeked out from the pillar. Finyaka had his hands on his temples and was looking at the goblet. He was putting everything into what he was doing. There would either be a result or a scream of anguish. Sheekara realized he was holding his breath. Whatever happened next would answer so many questions, while asking so many more.
The first rays of the Great Sun touched the lower edge of the palace's crystal dome and sparkled in a blaze of oranges, reds, and pinks. She enjoyed this part of the day. Ayanyi refolded the note the sacred courier had handed her. “Tell the most illustrious we will see her immediately.”
The sacred courier bowed and left quickly. She wondered what her daughter had discovered. All the note said was, I must see you now in confidence. The situation has changed drastically.
The sacred courier returned with Feihsha and Amaya who performed the proper genuflections.
She beckoned them forward. “What have you discovered?” She could feel nothing from Amaya with her Radiance, though Feihsha’s excitement was easy to discern.
“The Aboki adherent, Finyaka Umu Salani. Something wondrous has transpired during our conversation with him.” Amaya made to stand at Ayanyi’s left.
She held up a hand. “Speak openly.”
Amaya shrugged. “Most illuminated, he can create water.” Given what else the boy could do, the mere thought of him creating water didn't seem so extraordinary. Why summon her for that? Ayanyi was about to reprimand the heir when Amaya raised a hand. “Not just in small amounts. When he released his Radiance, it came forth like a flash flood.”
“He created casks of it most illuminated,” rasped Feihsha.
This did change everything. The most powerful mage-priest could fill a large waterskin, if lucky. “When?”
“This morning. We were discussing his Radiance when it happened. He said he filled an empty pitcher that was on the table. I knew it had been emptied, and when I discovered it was full, I wanted more evidence. He had not exerted himself, spoken, or sang to fill it. It was just full. So, we prodded him. He became irritated as we continued to doubt him. With a cry of frustration, he released a torrent of water. Thank the Light several caretakers and a mage-priest of Erudition arrived to help with the cleanup. There was so much water.”
“You could identify the mage-priest for us?” Ayanyi needed to keep this quiet.
“They were all loyal to the most illuminated and swore secrecy. Though I have named her and the caretakers to our agents within the Hall. They will be monitored and reported upon.”
“Where is Finyaka now?” She needed the boy in her Court. Why wasn’t he with Amaya?
“It was unlike anything I have felt before most illuminated,” blurted Feihsha. “I have been with the mage-priests in the Hall for over twenty years. I felt a wave of anger well in me so swiftly that I challenged the boy before I knew what I had said.”
She narrowed her eyes and held Feihsha with her gaze. “What did you say to him?”
The scholar lowered his head and fidgeted. “Things that should not have been uttered. He fled before I recovered. The anger remained with me after he left.”
Her upper lip quivered, and she took a deep breath. “You may have just scared away a valuable asset.” The big man trembled. “If that asset became a weapon in the arsenal of our adversaries, we would take it as a personal affront.” It was taking quite an effort to maintain her anger.
“I will attempt to repair what I have done most illuminated.” He wrung his hands together.
“Do so, and quickly.”
The caretaker genuflected turned and hurried from the chamber.
Light damned idiot. She knew the boy was powerful. She had felt his Radiance. He needed to be placed somewhere she could observe him.
Ayanyi focused her gaze on Amaya. “Why did you not stop the boy from escaping?”
Her daughter looked at her defiantly. She had always hoped Amaya would be the most empathic of her children, her political knowledge was second only to her sister, the first heir.
“I was concentrating on protecting myself from his Radiance. Feihsha also stood between us. If I had made for him, I would have succumbed to the flow of his emotions.”
“The flow of his emotions?” She had missed something. “We thought you said he created water.”
“He did, but at the same time, he released all the frustration and anger that he had been keeping inside. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. If I had not employed my training to shield myself, I may have attacked him.” There was awe in the heir's voice.
“How many of our agents are currently in search of the boy? We must find where he is.”
“The learned has his people on it most illuminated. I have sent the Brass Guard and told them to bring Finyaka to you if he is found anywhere but his advocate’s.”
“Let us hope he is found. If he has gone to Sheekara, we may very well have lost him.”
Amaya bowed, stepped backward, formed the full genuflection, then retreated.
Ayanyi called the sacred courier to her confidence. “Gather to us the Elder Mage-Priest of the Pillars. Convey to him we need his consultation in a delicate matter of the utmost urgency. Be discreet. You will be watched.”
The faithful sacred courier bowed and hurried from the room. The game was well in motion now, time to see which pieces belonged to who.
Drained to the point of exhaustion, he stumbled into the city. Finyaka needed to find Asho and Matasa. Proprietors shouted their wares, dogs growled, and people bumped into him as he stumbled along the streets trying to find his way to Sheekara’s apartments. He heard gasps as people saw him. As he walked, those who had the taint seemed to fall in behind him. He contemplated his predicament as he staggered along, realizing he had no idea where he was.
He played over the events of the morning in his mind. He had created water! Not just a few drops, but a deluge that had sprung forth from the goblet and drenched the room. That jubilation dissipated, he had also released his negativity against Amaya and Feihsha. The urge to hurt had dominated his thoughts. Finyaka had given into those raw emotions, had made a conscious
effort to harm another human being. He had given the taint something to take hold of. Finyaka leaned against a sandstone wall, still cool from the night.
A small crowd had gathered around him, their twisted faces hungered for him, the Darkness writhed in their auras. He was trapped. He pressed his back against the wall as they rushed him. They clawed at his body, held him still so their Darkness could flow from them onto his body. It crawled along his skin trying to find a way in. He tried to scream, felt the Darkness close around his throat, gagging him. Desperate, he reached within himself and searched for the calm which he needed to fuel his Radiance. If he used his emotions now, he was lost, the Darkness would win. Fists slammed against his forehead trying to break his concentration, fueling the anger and frustration that was growing within him. Where was the calm?
Happy thoughts of Matasa turned into cruel depictions of his cousin laying crumpled and damaged in the street. He tried to scream again and choked. He grew dizzy, the blows of the possessed rained down upon him. Then he remembered his brothers punching him, beating him, trying to kill him. He closed his eyes and fell inside himself, separating himself from the pain and the suffering. The calm bathed him in its golden light and when he opened his eyes, he felt no pain, no anger, no frustration, only the calm he had always known.
Finyaka released a massive blast of golden flame which engulfed the Darkness before him, incinerating it. Startled screams and cries sounded from those who had been assaulting him.
He blinked. The Darkness was gone. All he could see was the white he was becoming accustomed to. The calm washed over him, replacing his doubts. He had created fire!
Magic Underground: The Complete Collection (Magic Underground Anthologies Book 4) Page 214