by Jay Boyce
Noticing her slight anxiety, he responded, “Wesley Jennings.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at him in gratitude before turning and hurrying towards the central area, taking one of the last seats in the back. A quiet was descending as the orator stood, walking towards the podium, the heavenly chorus coming to a gentle hum before petering out.
He was a younger man, probably in his early thirties, his clothes well pressed and taken care of. His face was mostly covered by a dark brown beard that was neatly trimmed, though clear blue eyes assessed the audience in front of him. His deep bass voice boomed across the congregation as he began his story, “At the dawn of time, innumerable worlds were given life by the great creators. Andara was a chosen land, and here humans were made in the image of Father Earth and Heavenly Mother, where they ruled over us peacefully.”
The meaning was the same, but she now had the impression that each orator told the story slightly differently, even if it was still the same story. “For many years, peace abounded as the children of the gods spread, covering all corners of the land. However, the seed of greed grew in the hearts of those who sought dominion over their brothers and sisters. In their pride, they shed precious blood as they demanded rulership through war.” His voice became sorrowful as he went on, “Father Earth sought to separate these men from their more peaceful brethren, cursing them that the beasts within them would become their outer appearance. This, sadly, did not stop them. The world fell to darkness as the beasts sought revenge on those who maintained the blessings of our parents. Slaughtering the faithful, the remaining humans had no choice but to band together in small communities that grew fewer and fewer.”
He paused for effect, then went on, “Heavenly Mother mourned the fall of her children, and sought to bring balance and light back to the world. She blessed us with the understanding of our strengths and weaknesses, and with the power to fight back against the tides of darkness. This heralded a new age, an Age of Magic. Fighting for their freedom, the faithful turned the tides and began to establish peace throughout the lands once more, and these havens became the kingdoms.” His voice became triumphant, before falling slowly as he went on.
“The strongest blessed in each area led the way forward, founding kingdoms based on what they valued most. In Caoi, we valued the strength and security, the foundation of the earth. Our people were industrious, but the world would not remain at peace for long. The cursed coveted our prosperity and our magic. Kidnapping the best and brightest, they found ways to subvert them to the darkness, gaining magic of their own. Attacking the light with renewed vigor, the faithful feared anew and prayed for guidance.”
Pointing at the mural behind him, his movement caused her to notice what she hadn’t before: the painting there included Caldwell the Diligent, whom she now recognized from a picture in the book she’d read about the travelers. “Seeing the fear of the faithful, our benevolent parents called upon their other creations for help, bringing the first travelers to our world. These brave warriors united the people, leading the armies of men to new heights and knowledge! The kingdoms flourished with their help, regaining the peace as they pushed back the cursed.”
The pause this time was even more dramatic as he went on, “They have continued to bless us, and we have seen the results. Our own traveler, Lady Jade, has traveled to the depths of Basaigh Woods to bring back the taken!” There were a few cheers at this, but when he waved his hands they went silent again, waiting. “The Lady Jade is a warrior, lighting the night sky as she burned the nests of the cursed, braving their wrath to bring the taken back. However, before she proved herself as a warrior, she proved herself a healer, a bringer of light and knowledge!”
It was rather uncomfortable for her to listen to them idolize her like this. She shifted in her seat, wondering if it had been a good idea to come here after all, thanking her lucky stars that she’d done so in disguise. If she’d come in her real form, she had a feeling she’d have been mobbed.
“She has learned to cleanse the mesmer taint from our brethren, to regrow a lost limb, but perhaps most importantly...she shed light on the truth. For years, we’ve fought against the mesmer, yet they have always seemed to learn of our plans, to learn our secrets. In return, we have now learned that, as of old, the taken have been twisted against their will. The taint takes over their brains, their bodies, and turns them into monsters...it turns them into mesmer. The sad truth is that our brethren have become our enemies. The Lady Jade and the healers of the city captured a mesmer and attempted to revert them to their human form, but found that once the curse has taken a true hold, it cannot be undone, save in death.”
There were angry and scared murmurs spreading throughout the crowd, but the man raised his voice to be heard above them, “Fear not! Though we have learned we cannot recover those we have lost, we can now move forward! We can give our family, our friends, the rest they deserve. We can end their curse and stop it from happening to more in the future. We have been given The Lightbringer, and she will lead us to a new era of prosperity and peace!”
The murmurs stopped and he ended with a final shout, “Our parents have not forgotten us, for they have given us a traveler to light the way! They have provided the path forward! Praise be to Father Earth and Heavenly Mother! Praise be to Lady Jade, The Lightbringer!”
Upon the familiar ending lines, the crowds surged to their feet, Jade following a heartbeat behind. “Praise be to Father Earth and Heavenly Mother! Praise be to Lady Jade!” They echoed his last words, and their zealotry still unnerved her, even if she was expecting it. The crowd broke apart as they had before, heading in all directions, some for the orator, some for the alcoves, some for the door.
They’d managed to pull it off. Though she still heard some frightened whispers, people were discussing the new information that the king managed to disseminate to the public through the orator. She had no doubt the new information would race its way through the city by the end of the morning.
Her thoughts were cut short when she felt a comforting pat on her shoulder as an older woman said kindly, “Don’t worry, dear, we’ll be safe now. I know it’s rather shocking, but The Lightbringer will fix things. She’ll make sure we’re safe.”
Smiling tremulously at the older woman, she asked softly, “What if she can’t? She’s just a girl.”
The woman scoffed lightly, “Nonsense, she’s a traveler! She can fly, heal lost limbs, and I hear she even created a trap at the wall that caught several mesmer. If anyone can do it, she can. She knows much more than we ever will, but don’t you mind that. It’s the duty of the royals and guards to make sure we’re safe. You’ve nothing to fear.”
Sighing, she merely shook her head at the older woman as she spoke quietly, “I really hope you’re right.” The woman seemed satisfied, and Jade gave her a small bow before backing away to go examine one of the alcoves that caught her eye. Her babies fluttered in excitement as they realized that in the contractual magic alcove, small illuminated glass fellacai had been placed on the center pedestal. Someone had obviously been studying her, because they were pretty much exact replicas of her babies that had been lit up masterfully with light magic by whoever it was.
“Mommy, is that me?” The tiny voice in her mind made her giggle softly as she looked at them.
Her smile came through, even in her mental voice, “Someone tried to make it look like you, yes. You’re so beautiful that everyone wants to mimic you.”
“I like it!” Lavender’s cheerful voice echoed through their connection as she asked plaintively, “Can I go look closer?”
Jade glanced around, noting that although other people had been admiring the new glass figures with her, she was alone for now. “Go ahead.” She mumbled softly, throwing up a different illusion in the doorway to the alcove that everything was as it was. Her babies happily flew forward, launching themselves off her hair with excitement as they chattered amongst themselves about whose replica was the best.
She li
stened to their conversation, amazed that she could do so. She hadn’t given much thought to how they communicated amongst themselves, but it was as if she was now attuned to their wavelength of mental speech. Curiously, she asked them, “Did you always communicate mentally?”
It was Cosmo who broke away from the group, coming to land on her outstretched hand as he squeaked softly, the noises registering even as his mental voice entered her mind, “No, but it’s easier now. You don’t understand squeaks.”
Laughing softly, she leaned down, kissing her little man on the head as she whispered, “No, I don’t understand squeaks. Thank you for including me.” She noticed a few other people starting to wander closer again and mentally corralled them, “Time to go now.”
A little unwillingly, they all came back, settling in her hair beneath her illusion once more so she could drop the illusion on the alcove. Still, Willow didn’t forget to remind her, “Love you, Mommy.”
“I love you too.” She had a bright smile on her face as she turned, walking towards the doors of the church, noting that the chorus started its heavenly tune from above once more. It was amazing; whenever she was doubting herself, thinking about the Zealots and the blind faith they were putting in her, the simple love from her family managed to bring her back down from the edge of panic and stress.
She made her way across the square towards the library, noting that she got a couple strange glances as she did so. After all, she didn’t look like someone who belonged there, at the moment at least. Opening the large doors, she slipped inside, letting the darkness wash over her as the door closed.
The first thing she did inside was drop the illusion, then light up her hand and her babies so they could fly around freely. In the library, everyone knew who she was, more or less. No one would bother her babies if she gave them free reign, especially as lit up as they were right now.
Lucas, who was at the desk, looked up in surprise at the advancing light. His face broke out into a grin as he realized it was her, standing up quickly as he called out, “Jade, welcome back!”
Oh yeah, he hadn’t seen her since before she left for the forest. Smiling brightly at him, she nodded. “I’m back.”
Lightbringer or not, she was glad to have a place to call home and friends who looked out for her and worried about her. That was something worth its weight in gold and stress.
Chapter Nineteen – Arrangements
“It’s good to see you’re back safe. I heard from Eric that you were, but still.” Lucas sounded relieved to confirm her safety for himself. After all, rumors were tricky things that tended to get twisted the longer they were passed around.
Smiling, she nodded. “Yeah, I had a bit of touch-and-go for a bit there, but I’m good now.” She didn’t feel the need to conceal the truth from him. If she could be open with anyone, it would be her closer friends.
He was studying her intently as if he was trying to decipher the deeper meaning in her words. Finally, he shrugged and said, “At least you all made it back safely. That’s what matters.”
She started to nod again in agreeance before freezing, her eyes wide as she stared at him in alarm. Quickly, she mentally pulled up the inventory screen she’d connected to her ring. Scanning through everything that was in there, her gaze grew dark. Lucas looked like he was about to ask a question, but she held her hand up to forestall him, a mirror appearing in her hand as she activated the magic.
Fogging over while it waited to connect, it took maybe thirty seconds, which felt like a lifetime, before a familiar face swam into view. “Jade? Is something wrong?” Ammon’s voice was immediately filled with concern as he saw the dark, stormy expression Jade was sporting.
Her voice was quiet as she responded, “Ammon, I need you to get me some information. I just realized that I still…” She paused, glancing at the ceiling for a second as if asking for divine help before she took a deep breath and went on, “I still have Christopher’s body in my ring. Logan mentioned his wife, and I need to figure out how to get ahold of her and where to take his body to bury it.”
Lucas, who’d been looking curious and worried as he watched her, seemed to deflate at her words. He obviously hadn’t heard that someone actually died on the expedition, and he definitely hadn’t expected that she would be carrying the body around. Ammon’s lips pursed as he looked thoughtful, nodding. “Siothuil Cemetery is at the west edge of the city. You can’t really miss it. Walk west until you hit the trees. However, let me send someone to find his family, and I’ll get back to you after I’ve spoken to them.”
Jade nodded, adding in one thing before she hung up, “I’ve got something this afternoon, but I could go this morning or evening.”
Ammon acknowledged that, then sighed. “Of course. I’ll let you know soon.” They nodded and cut the connection as Jade heard him calling out for his aides to enter the office. She felt a little bad putting more work on the man who already had so much to deal with. The mirror disappeared back into her ring as she looked back at Lucas, offering a dim smile.
“Jade…I...” His voice trailed off, as he didn’t know what to say. Her babies were fluttering around her anxiously, having felt the sudden swing in her emotions. She took a moment to center herself, calming her emotions and releasing a light aura of soothing. Lucas had a shocked look on his face as her babies settled on her hair and shoulders. He was still concerned, but appeared less agitated, at least.
“It’s okay, Lucas. I’m going to get some reading done while I can.” He nodded mutely, still frowning, but at a loss for words. She offered quietly, “I may have brought back all the taken, but the guards who were sent to pick us up were attacked by a pair of tialon before they found us. Christopher saved everyone else in the group by warning them, but that made him their first target.” She paused, reaching up to stroke gently along the wings of Lilith. “He was a good man just doing his best. He was also there because he had appointed himself my personal guardian, so in a way, it’s my fault he died. In any case, the least I can do is make sure he has a proper burial.”
Since Lucas still had a dumbfounded look on his face, she smiled softly and saluted a little ironically. “I’ll see you later, Lucas.” What she didn’t add, but considered, was, You have reports to make. She was under no illusions that he’d be reporting to Eric, who probably reported in to Stephen, who reported to the king, who… Well, maybe the king didn’t report to anyone. Maybe. She was also probably missing a few steps between Stephen and the king.
Since she didn’t need a light and Lucas didn’t seem to have any intention of asking to see her card, possibly because her fellacai and magic were their own identification in and of themselves, she nodded to him and walked further into the dark depths of the library. Having calmed down, her fellacai decided they wanted to explore.
Feeling safe enough that they could explore without anyone hurting them because they were fairly well known as hers at this point, she gave them free rein. Over the bookshelves and into the darkness they flew, only Lavender stubbornly sticking close by and refusing to leave her alone. She smiled fondly at her little queen, knowing this was something they’d worked out amongst themselves so that one of them was always with her now. They never wanted to be left behind again, a sentiment which she could completely understand.
“Mommy, I found a man!” Carl’s voice was excited as he sent her the mental image of a man bent over a table, reading. However, she noticed quite clearly that his eyes were directed straight at the little one. Quickly following the mental tug to Carl, she stepped into view with Lavender and the man’s eyes flicked over to her. He looked to be in his late twenties, his hair slightly unkempt as if he simply didn’t care to put it in any sort of order. There were several light globes on the table illuminating his work and giving him a back-glow that made it almost impossible to figure out what color his eyes were.
“Sorry if Carl startled you.” She smiled winningly at the man, wanting to make sure he was okay and hadn’t been scared by her
baby coming out of the blue.
He stared at her for a moment, then yawned. He nodded to her. “Oh. You’re Jade.” She was about to reply when he turned back around in his seat and just...went back to reading, propping his head up on his fist. Her mouth opened and closed a few more times before she shook her head ruefully and walked quietly away, her babies following her. Carl stuck by her as Lavender took off into the dark, and she smiled down at her little man.
That was strange. She couldn’t help but ponder what just happened. It was one of the first times someone had seen her, as her, and been utterly nonplussed. The only other time someone had shown such complete disinterest in her was in her water magic class when Marie pretty much ignored her from the start in favor of...reading. Maybe there was some connection with bookworms and not caring about fame?
Her thoughts were so focused on that short exchange that she arrived at her private room without really remembering how she got there. She stared at the door blankly for a moment before shaking her head and pulling the key from her ring to open the lock. Stepping into the bright room with her babies close behind, she felt a little tension leave that she hadn’t realized had been building in her shoulders from the darkness. She closed the door, happily breathing in the scent of sunshine and books for a moment.
It’d been quite a while since she’d been to her room at the library. She smiled, walking over to the walls that held her glass sculptures and running a hand over some of the first things she’d owned in this world. The beautiful phoenix, the flower mound, and the tiny puppy. They were a reminder to her that no matter how bleak things seemed sometimes, there was still so much good in the world. They were a symbol of her friendships and what she could do--the many blessings she experienced daily by being able to do simple things like walk, not to mention the magic!
This whole room was a reminder that she had friends who cared for her and were willing to support her. Yes, some of it probably came from the fact that she was the traveler, but she liked to think they liked her for her too. That they were on Team Jade because they were friends; no more, no less.