by Davis Ashura
The punishment is thankfully interrupted by Travail who has claimed William and Jake as his students. As such, he states that only he has the right to mete out justice to them. Nevertheless, Jake is gravely wounded by the lashing.
Meanwhile, on Arylyn, Mr. Zeus and Jason search for how to save William and Jake. They understand that Serena and her so-called father were agents of Sinskrill and that she helped kidnap the young men. However, no magi has ever discovered the location of the mahavan home island, just as no mahavan has ever discovered Arylyn. Mr. Zeus has a plan, though. He long ago gave William a nomasra, an object imbued with lorasra. This particular nomasra is basically a magical beacon, and Mr. Zeus might be able to track William down with it. In addition, there are two new members of the Arylyn community: Rukh and Jessira. They are bizarre to Jason since they both seem to have taken to swords and fighting like an eagle takes to the skies.
On Sinskrill, Travail begins instructing William and Jake, after the latter has healed from his injuries. He is a gentle and wise instructor, and they quickly learn to trust him.
Serena visits them now and then. She does so under the orders of the Servitor and reports back on William and Jake’s progress. In addition, she also harbors a dream to escape Sinskrill. The island was never the home of her heart, but she now sees a way out. She can sail away on her dhow, Blue Sky Dreams, and carry with her Selene, Jake, and William. However, they can’t simply sail into the say with no place of safety awaiting them. As asrasins none of them can long live in the Far Beyond. They need to get to Arylyn. Serena reasons that William can likely contact Mr. Zeus through a dream, a means of communications amongst asrasins who are either family or very close. Blue Sky Dreams can get them free of Sinskrill, and Mr. Zeus can bring them the rest of the way o Arylyn.
William and Jake know nothing of her plan and tolerate her presence. However, they make no effort to hide their hatred for her whenever she visits them at Travail’s field. William’s feelings for her begin to change, though, when Serena asks him to help her restore Blue Sky Dreams, which has fallen into disrepair. He does so and ends up meeting Selene, Serena’s little sister. Selene is a young girl of around ten and innocent, and William now understands why Serena did as she did. While he can’t bring himself to forgive her, he at least understands her motivations. He also picks up on Serena’s hints of escaping from Sinskrill. Later on, Jake meets Selene, too, and is also made aware of Serena’s plans. His raw hatred toward Serena softens as well.
Other secrets are revealed to William and Jake. They learn that Fiona’s grim, unforgiving persona had all been a ruse. Fiona hates Sinskrill. She’d been kidnapped to the island decades earlier and also trained by Travail. She has witnessed her children die, some of them horrifically, and the only light in her life is Serena and Selene, her true grand-daughters, although they are initially unaware of their familial ties with her. She and Travail had conceived a plan to have William and Jake placed in his care. It’s where they will be safest. She is a much more caring individual now, and the change in her behavior is remarkable.
William and Jake come to care for Fiona. However, while she wishes she could come with them and flee Sinskrill, she cannot. She wears a nomasra necklace that only the Servitor can remove. It will sever her head if she ever leaves Sinskrill. Travail can’t leave either. He has a deep terror of the ocean and would likely tear Blue Sky Dreams apart if he were in it on the sea.
On Arylyn, Mr. Zeus gains a sense of Sinskrill’s location and convinces the Village Council to let him lead a rescue attempt. They’ll travel by anchor line to the Faroe Islands, and from there, journey to Sinskrill by ship. With him will go Jason, Daniel, a magus named Julius, and Rukh and Jessira. The latter, despite their youth—they’re still nominally freshmen—are revealed to be husband and wife and have matured rapidly. They now have the appearance of folk in their mid-twenties and proven themselves superlative warriors.
Mr. Zeus and William have also been able to share dreams. Both are aware of the others plans and work to co-ordinate their actions.
On Sinskrill, Serena is led by Selene to grasp hold of Shet’s Spear. When she does so, her Spirit is transported to the mythical world of Seminal. There, she is confronted by Lord Shet, the god of all mahavans. He is tied to a mountain with chains thick as an oak and black as his heart. From him billows a river of lorasra that somehow crosses the vastness between worlds. He is the true reason for Sinskrill’s depth of lorasra. In addition, Shet promises to break the chains that bind him, enslave Seminal, and then come for Earth. He pronounces five years as the time for when he will arrive on Earth, his home.
Serena escapes back to Sinskrill, shaken and horrified. In addition, she is later attacked by an unformed bear, but William manages to save her. He burns the creature with a bright weave of Fire. Serena later learns that her father is also an unformed, and so is Adam Paradiso, her once-Isha.
It is enough to spark terror in Serena’s heart. She and the others have to go. They flee, but their plan is found out. Isha confronts Serena before she can escape the Servitor’s Palace, but Fiona knocks him unconscious. Serena then races away with Selene to where Blue Sky Dreams is moored. They escape Sinskrill, fighting their way to freedom.
By now, Mr. Zeus, Jason, and the others have arrived by yacht on Sinskrill. They originally land on the island but are discovered by unformed, who apparently serve the Servitor. Rukh and Jessira prove their worth by protecting the small band of would-be rescuers. After their detection by the unformed, Mr. Zeus’ group re-embarks upon their ship and plan their next more.
It is then that Mr. Zeus realizes the nomasra he gave William is moving rapidly. He realizes that William is upon a boat, and they set themselves to intercept.
But they aren’t the only ones. The Servitor in his flagship, Demolition, also gives chase. William and Jake use raha’asra weaves that can empty lorasra from parts of a saha’asra. The braids slow Demolition, allowing William and his friends to join with Mr. Zeus on his ship.
The Servitor doesn’t give up, though, and a battle ensues. Once again, Rukh and Jessira prove their worth, arrowing a number of mahavans and putting them out of the fray. They also display unusual talents, ones no one has ever seen. They form shields and hurl balls of fire. However, it is William who overcomes the Servitor’s final attack. The mahavans are forced to retreat, and William and the others celebrate their freedom.
They return to Arylyn, and there, weeks after their escape, William tells Serena of his plans for the future. His feelings toward her remain cool, but he also recognizes that Serena needs a purpose. William asks her to join him in his: he intends on returning to Sinskrill and rescuing Travail and Fiona.
William Wilde and the Unusual Suspects
* * *
While William is determined to return to Sinskrill and save Travail and Fiona, he and Jake continue to struggle with the horror of their lives on Sinskrill. It is understandable and while Mr. Zeus has helped alleviate some of their terrible memories, nightmares still haunt them.
One thing that helps is that the two of them maintain the running ritual that Travail had instilled in them. Joining them are Jason and Daniel, both of who are stunned by the changes in William’s strength and stamina.
In addition, they are also expected to attend classes and learn about Arylyn’s history and culture. Joining them is Serena, and Jason occasionally acts as their instructor. During one lesson, they learn about Lord Shet’s great enemies: Shokan, the Lord of the Sword, and his wife, Sira, the Lady of Fire. Legend states that they killed Shet and were instrumental in the founding of Arylyn. Serena doesn’t believe the story because she’s met Shet. She knows that mahavan god lives and that he’s coming back in five years. Her statement is met with disbelief and derision by Jason, but William and Jake think otherwise. They believe Serena.
However, belief doesn’t equal trust. William and Jake have learned to accept Serena’s actions, but they remain cool and distant with her. Cruel even, but Serena
handles their barbs with mahavan-coolness. She lets nothing touch her heart, telling herself it’s a stone. It’s a lie, and she knows it.
Seeking to find a place of belonging, although she would never put it that way, Serena seeks out Lien and learns to play enrune, Arylyn’s national sport. While Lien isn’t exactly friendly, she does offer Serena a small olive branch. It’s the first time she’s found acceptance on Arylyn.
However, before she can take part in any games, another task is set before her, William, and Jake. They must travel the island and meet with the Memories of the two races that once shared Arylyn with the asrasins: the elves and dwarves. It’s the magi pilgrimage, and William and Serena travel together under the guidance of Daniel’s mother, Trase.
William meets the Elven Memory and discovers something of the history of that fallen woven race. No elves remain on Earth. Next, he meets the Dwarven Memory, which exists within the dead dwarven village of Meldencreche, in the heart of Mount Madhava, the tallest mountain on Arylyn. The dwarves possess a peace that extends to any who linger near them. They also honor humans exuberantly. William finds himself melancholy upon leaving Meldencreche.
Meeting him to bring him home is Serena. Trase Karllson was called away to another task. William and Serena argue, but in the end, she apologizes for what she did. She never had before, and it thaws some of William’s feelings toward her. It's an important step for them, and them both seem to understand it.
Once they return to Lilith, the only village on Arylyn, they have a few weeks before they must resume their work since Jake is yet to finish his pilgrimage. During this restful time, they learn to surf, Serena under the tutelage of Jean-Paul Gascon, a flamboyant Frenchman, and William under Jason’s instruction. In addition, Serena learns to play enrune, which she loves.
William and Jake’s training resumes, and they take instruction from Arylyn’s two raha’asras, both of who are elderly: Sioned O’Sullivan and Afa Simon. They take a liking to both of them, and Jake quickly learns to use his abilities, forming braids easily. William, though, struggles. He cannot master the simplest of weaves.
During all this, Selene, the young girl William and Jake have come to think as a little sister, struggles to fit in to Arylyn. She is unable to make friends, but eventually she finds her way. One afternoon, William picks her up from school and drops her off with Serena. It’s another small moment of peace between the two of them.
While William continues to struggle with his mastery of asra, he hasn’t forgotten about Travail and Fiona. He also grows increasingly sure that Seminal is real, that Shet is real, and that he’s coming. He devises a means to test some ideas that might put flesh on his notions. It will require visiting a saha’asra linked to Sinskrill, and Mr. Zeus eventually agrees to let him do so. However, he’ll take to come up with a competent group to accompany him.
First on William’s list is Rukh and Jessira. Serena accompanies him when he asks them. They readily agree, and a large group, including William, Rukh, Jessira, Daniel, Jason, and Mr. Zeus make the journey. They travel to a saha’asra in Australia where William’s theory is proven correct. It isn’t definitive proof of Seminal, but it is a strong hint. However, shortly after arrive, mahavans attack. Rukh and Jessira single handedly defeat them. The Servitor arrives, and they flee before him, barely escaping with their lives.
They return to Arylyn, and life progresses. William, who was useless in the fight since he can’t form any braids on command, is eventually sent to learn from Ward Silver. He makes immediate progress and is overjoyed. Serena takes up farming with Sile Troy. She learned gardening from her deceased birth mother, and something about the soil, growth, and life calls to her soul. She loves it. Jake wants to master a weave that will allow him to go home and see his family.
They each manage to achieve these small victories. In addition, William spends more time with Serena when she teaches him to sail his newly built dhow, Blue Sky Dreamer. He finally forgives her, and they develop a fragile friendship that slowly deepens.
All of them continue to learn to fight and prepare for the assault on Sinskrill. Their desires gain a new urgency when Serena receives a dream from Adam Paradiso, her Isha. In it, he tells her Seminal and Shet. Both are real, and the mahavan god will return to Earth as he’d promised Serena, four years hence.
They manage to convince the Village Council of the rightness of their actions and their plan and earn their blessing.
It will be a difficult undertaking. Traveling to Sinskrill will be William, Serena, Rukh, Jessira, Mr. Zeus, and Julius O’Brien, the same magus who helped in the rescue of William and Jake. And journeying to Australia are Jake, Jason, Daniel, Lien, and Daniel’s parents.
A near disaster occurs when Mr. Zeus and Fiona are captured on the cusp of freedom. However, Rukh and Jessira free them. During all this, William and Serena link up with Travail, and the seven of them attempt to flee through Sinskrill’s anchor line. The Servitor, the only one who can open it, does so when Jake’s group enters the saha’asra in Australia that’s linked to Sinskrill.
The battle is fierce, and in the end Fiona and Travail manage to escape from Sinskrill. It almost costs Jake his life. He takes a thrust through the heart, courtesy of Adam Paradiso, who is now the Secondus, likely the next Servitor upon his brother’s death.
Jake barely survives, only doing so thanks to the actions of Jessira and Rukh. Again, the two possess skills no one else does. They have a weave, a Healing, that manages to keep Jake alive.
The Healing also allows Jake to see part of their lives. Later, after he recovers somewhat, he asks Rukh and Jessira about the visions he saw. In them, he saw Rukh and Jessira held in adulation and standing on the hills of different world.
Rukh finally agrees to tell William, Jake, and Serena about his and Jessira’s past, about their previous lives on a world called Arisa.
However, all is not well because the Servitor is determined to have his revenge upon Arylyn. Twice the magi have stolen what he considers his property, and they must pay. And they will because the Servitor has discovered Arylyn’s location.
RECOVERED CHOICES
September 1989
* * *
Serena Paradiso paused to take a breather from tilling Sile’s garden. She glared balefully all about her. The blazing hot, humid day and backbreaking labor had her heart drumming rapidly, and she gulped in deep lungfuls of air. Perspiration beaded uncomfortably on her forehead, dripping down her face, shoulders, and chest. The sweat soaked her shirt, and she fanned herself, trying to cool off. She hated this kind of weather. It always left her sapped of energy.
She cast her view west again, checking the time. The sun hung a few fingers’ width above the horizon. Twilight approached, and with it relief from this heat.
Thank God.
A stray breeze stirred Serena’s hair then, curling it about her face and obscuring her vision. She cleared it off but an instant later it happened again. This time Serena leaned her hoe against her hip, pulled out an elastic band from her pants pocket, and tied her hair off into a ponytail. She also gave her back a muscle-easing arch before resuming tilling the soil.
She had agreed to tend Sile’s garden while he did the harder work of planting the fields, and Ms. Sioned had decided to help her out. Serena was grateful for the old raha’asra’s assistance. Sile’s garden was huge. It was an acre of rectangular dirt framed by several rows of bricks, which usually contained tomatoes and other vegetables that Sile shared with anyone who asked and took hours of hard labor to ready for the next round of plantings.
As Serena tilled, she glanced at Ms. Sioned, who worked in silence with her head bent and a thoughtful frown on her face. The other woman acted as if something troubled her, and Serena wondered why. It wasn’t like Ms. Sioned to carry such a burden of worry. More commonly the small, white-haired woman had features that held a gentle, generous smile.
But not today.
Serena studied Ms. Sioned a moment longer. She remembered
how kind the sweet, old lady had been to her after her arrival to Arylyn. She’d had faith in Serena, trusting her words to be true when few others did. Ms. Sioned never lifted her eyes from her work. She hadn’t done so the entire afternoon. In fact, thus far, she and Serena hadn’t shared more than a few words.
What’s bothering her?
Serena shook off her thoughts and returned to tilling. Minutes later her attention wandered again when the singing of Jennifer Troy, Sile’s wife, carried on a stray breeze. Jennifer sang a lively song about summer, sunshine, and waves, and Serena smiled. Sile’s wife had a lovely voice.
She was also an excellent baker, and the scent of fresh-made bread wafted from the white, clapboard farmhouse standing on a nearby rise. The aroma was carried on the same stray breeze as Jennifer’s singing. Serena’s stomach growled. She not only needed a break from the heat, she also needed food. But her hunger would have to wait. Only a little bit longer and they’d have the garden finished.
Serena never broke off her hoeing and actually found herself working in time to Jennifer’s singing, cutting through the detritus, digging into the dirt, and levelling it out.
Eventually, her mind moved away from thoughts of fatigue and hunger and drifted to other, more important matters, such as going sailing tonight with William.
“You seem pleased,” Ms. Sioned said in her Irish lilt.
Serena’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You were humming,” the other woman explained. “You only do so when you’re happy.”
Serena smiled, a true expression of her feelings rather than the feigned emotions she’d often used in the past to accomplish her purposes. Part of her mahavan training. Nowadays Serena was glad of the more natural reaction.
“I am happy,” Serena replied, explaining the plan about sailing with William.