by Davis Ashura
“But when the mahavans do come,” Daniel continued. “We’ll beat the brakes off them.”
Lien shook her head. “You’ve been spending too much time around Jake. He’s always saying stupid things like that.”
“Rukh said it the other day,” Daniel said, sounding defensive.
Lien rolled her eyes. “Then if Rukh said it, it must be the gospel truth.”
“First of all, that doesn’t make any sense,” Daniel said. “And second, don’t make fun of me because I admire Rukh.”
“More like worship him,” Lien muttered.
“Like you’re any better when it comes to Jessira,” Daniel countered.
Jason slapped the countertop. Most times, he found Daniel and Lien’s squabbling amusing, but not today. He was too wound up and worried. Everyone’s attention fell on him, and Lien, in the process of speaking, snapped her mouth shut. “Can we talk about something else?” Jason asked. “I don’t feel like joking around or arguing tonight.”
“Agreed,” Mr. Karllson said. “Perhaps we should have a quiet meal and pray that the Creator provides Afa the skill needed to heal William.”
“I don’t have anything prepared,” Mrs. Karllson said. “All we have are bread and some leftover chicken.
“That is plenty,” Mr. Karllson said. “We can have sandwiches. I’ll make them.”
Mrs. Karllson smiled. “Make enough to feed seven since Daniel and Jason eat as much as two people each.”
“I wonder how Serena’s handling things,” Daniel mused.
Jason had spoken to her earlier in the day, right after Rukh had sent William home early from training. He’d discussed William’s upcoming healing with her and found himself surprised by her reaction. Serena could lie like no one Jason had ever met and hide her emotions better than a statue. But this afternoon, fear had lurked behind her eyes, easily missed but present. Which meant she was terrified.
Jason had never seen her afraid of anything, not even when they battled Kohl Obsidian.
“She is with Fiona and Selene?” Mrs. Karllson asked.
“As far as I know,” Jason answered. “At least that’s what Fiona said. I ran into her after training.”
Mr. Karllson nodded. “She shouldn’t be alone during this. She likely cares about William more than any of us.”
“Too bad she’s too afraid to do anything about it,” Lien said.
“Isn’t William just as much to blame for that as she is?” Daniel asked.
“William’s an idiot,” Lien said, a sentiment Jason privately shared. “Serena’s wise. She knows what she wants. She should go get it.”
“But isn’t it the guy who’s supposed to chase the girl?” Daniel asked. “Not the other way around. That way, the guy gets to be in charge.”
Jason gaped at Daniel’s stupidity. Even Mrs. Karllson chuckled.
Lien, though, kissed Daniel on the cheek. “That’s a silly thing to say.”
Several minutes after Jason left, the front door opened. In walked Mr. Zeus, Fiona, Ms. Sioned, and Afa. They took whatever seating was available.
William’s heart thudded harder. Further anxiety birthed a sheen of perspiration on his forehead.
“Are you ready?” Mr. Zeus asked. He sat in the other Queen Anne chair.
“Yes, sir,” William replied.
“Good.” Mr. Zeus gave a nod. “Let’s get started. Afa will be the one to do the actual weaving.”
Afa cleared his throat. “I insisted,” he said from his place next to Jake on the couch. “I may be old but I can still weave more tightly than the others. It should help.”
William tilted his head in thought. “If we need tight weaves, shouldn’t Rukh or Jessira do it? They can weave more tightly than any of us.”
Ms. Sioned shook her head. “Not for this.” She sat on the other side of the couch from Afa with Jake in between them. “We consulted them. While Jessira’s Healing is impressive, it won’t help you. They can’t do what you need.”
“If Afa’s doing the weaving, why are the rest of us here?” Jake asked. “I thought you needed us to help you somehow.”
“We’re here to watch and learn,” Fiona answered from her chair in front of the picture window. “We’ll observe Afa, his weave, and its effect on William. We should all pay close attention in case something like this is ever required again.”
William clapped his hands once, getting everyone’s attention. “I want to get this over with.”
Afa gestured. “Come closer, then. It’s best if we’re close enough to touch.”
William stood and dragged the coffee table the short distance to the couch. He sat on it so he could face Afa.
The old raha’asra briefly took William’s hands in his palsied ones. “We begin.” He let go of William’s hands and sourced his lorethasra. The scent of wet leaves momentarily filled the room.
William focused on Afa’s weave. It mostly consisted of a thick thread of Spirit that glowed silver and contained flecks of amber. It swirled about the old raha’asra’s forehead and then flowed into his hands. Afa used it as a scaffold, and onto it he attached short strands of Earth, Water, and Air. He kept at it, and the pattern gained more and more complexity. William lost track of the weave, at the number of threads Afa wove into it.
Through it all, the other three raha’asras and Mr. Zeus offered occasional suggestions.
“That thread of Air is a mite thin,” Ms. Sioned commented.
Afa nodded and thickened the thread she’d pointed out.
“That one is too short. It doesn’t reach far enough,” Fiona said.
Again, Afa merely nodded and made the correction. Moments later, he inserted a long coil of Fire into his work. “Done,” he declared. A flashing, pulsing weave rotated in mid-air before him.
The others sat in silence for a moment and studied Afa’s creation. William shared an awestruck expression with Jake. The dexterity and complexity took his breath away.
Mr. Zeus leaned forward with a puzzled frown. “I’m still not convinced about the need for that last thread of Fire. As thick as it is, what if it burns out William’s passion?”
Afa shook his head in negation. “It won’t. I thought about this last night.” He pointed. “See? I placed a strand of Air directly below it.”
William saw the thread in question and realized what Afa intended. “The Air will cause the Fire to burn hotter but it’ll also burn out faster.”
Afa nodded. “It’ll also allow the weave to do its job more quickly. Less chance of damage to you this way.”
Mr. Zeus sat back with a grunt and rubbed his chin in thought. “That makes sense.” He surveyed the room. “Anyone else have any suggestions?”
Ms. Sioned and Fiona shook their heads.
William exhaled heavily. His heart hammered ever harder in his chest.
“Then we’ll start,” Afa said, addressing William. “Are you ready?”
William could only manage a nod. His mouth had gone dry. Here it goes.
Afa reached for his creation and held it carefully. “It’ll burn at first,” he warned before passing over the weave.
William took it and allowed it to melt into his hands. From there the weave traveled up his arms, past his shoulders, and into his neck. It moved into his head and burned like Afa had warned.
William stiffened. The pain. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. I’ve been through worse. He breathed slowly and deeply and willed himself to ignore the discomfort, waiting on it to fade. Once it did, he exhaled in relief.
A whooshing noise, like his heartbeat in his ears, became audible. It grew louder and then ebbed. He tilted his head in confusion. Again came the sound, louder and then softer, but this sound didn’t follow the rhythmic cycle of his heart. It had an odd, four-beat pattern.
A trickle of worry began when wetness leaked from the corners of his eyes. It wasn’t tears, though. William touched it. It had a gritty texture. Next came air hissing from his ears. His eardrums popped. Worr
y turned to fear. Is this supposed to happen?
“What’s happening?” Jake asked.
William’s anxiety spiked, and his gaze darted about. He opened his mouth, but his throat clenched and no sound came out. He couldn’t breathe. Panic threatened.
Fiona moved to sit beside him on the coffee table. She took his hand. “All is well,” she said, her voice soothing. “The weave is doing what it was intended to.”
William took in her words, and his fear eased. His throat loosened, and he took a stuttering breath.
Afa peered closer. “The weave is working exactly as I hoped. How do you feel?”
“Terrified,” William said. “And slow. Like my thoughts are in quicksand.”
He caught the worried glances shared by Mr. Zeus and the three older raha’asras.
“What is it?” Forming the words took effort. William’s tongue wanted to trip on itself. It felt like when the dentist had done a root canal, and his mouth had been too numb to work right.
Fiona met his eyes. “It’s nothing. It’s likely a temporary side effect.”
“We expected it,” Afa added. “It won’t be permanent.”
Their words didn’t slow William’s gnawing fear. His mind remained dull, and he found it ever harder to give thought to his worries. Will I be like this forever? Not angry anymore, but permanently slow and stupid? It took an eternity to find the words.
The four-beat pattern he’d heard earlier continued, but after a few more minutes, it quieted. The gritty water no longer leaked so readily from his eyes, and the air no longer puffed so easily from his ears. More minutes passed and the sounds, wetness, and air faded away.
In their place lay silence. The brooding anger, the beast William hadn’t been able to control, was no longer quite as menacing. He smiled. Despite his fears about whatever else the weave might have done to his mind, he realized he was himself again.
A faint growl echoed in his thoughts.
Mostly.
PROGRESS AND PERIL
May 1990
* * *
Serena led Selene and Fiona through the still-crowded streets and bridges of Clifftop. With sunset approaching, the clouds had taken on an abundance of vivid colors: pomegranate-red, luscious violet, and burnished indigo—the latter hue reminded Serena of the Norwegian Sea around Sinskrill. Night always fell quickly on Arylyn, and shadows crept across Lilith’s alleys and streets. Nevertheless, groups of people still strolled about, caught up in conversation and laughter, and some took the time to stop and call greetings to the three of them.
Serena replied with smiles and salutations of her own, but most of her attention lay elsewhere. She and William had agreed to meet at Maxine’s Ice Creamery tonight and she didn’t want to be late. It wasn’t only about seeing William again—it had been a week since his healing, and she hadn’t talked to him once in that entire time—but almost as important, tardiness irritated her.
She caught sight of Lien and Daniel and gave them a warm grin and a wave, a sentiment she wasn’t certain she entirely felt. While she was happy enough for the young couple, did their obvious love for one another ultimately mean anything to her? Serena didn’t know if it should. How could it? She wasn’t the one in love with Daniel, and she wasn’t the one intent on marrying him. However, a proper manifestation of joy for the couple was generally required, and she supplied it. It came easily and naturally.
Fiona tsked. “You worry too much about what behavior others expect of you,” she said. “Simply let them flow.”
Serena frowned at her grandmother. “How could you tell what I was doing?”
“Only another mahavan would.”
Serena paused as a woman with a miniature lioness on a leash walked past, miniature being a relative term since the animal stood larger than a bullmastiff. The cat craned its neck to sniff at them, but a tug on her leash had the lioness resuming her place at the woman’s side.
“Neither of us are mahavans any longer,” Serena said.
“But we still have our training.”
“Of course,” Serena replied, “and there are times when that training helps me fit in.”
Selene put a finger to her lips and shushed them. “Just don’t tell anyone what Serena’s doing,” she said, her tone mocking. “It’s her big secret. No one else is supposed to know.”
Fiona laughed while Serena rolled her eyes. She wondered when Selene had become such a smart-aleck. She was about to point it out when the lampposts along Clifftop’s streets flicked on and surprised her. Darkness crept in from the east, but the bright, yellow lights from the lamps shoved back the shadows.
“Do you wish to fit in because this is your home?” Fiona asked.
Serena paused to consider her answer. “Among other things,” she replied. “These people are also my friends. I enjoy their good opinion.”
“Though they don’t enjoy yours?”
Serena flashed her a frown of true annoyance. While the crowds had thinned, a few stragglers still wandered about, and some of them might have caught Fiona’s last comment. Upon hearing it, they wouldn’t have thought kindly about Serena. Besides, old habits died hard. Walkers hear all. “Of course not. I simply can’t be happy all the time like everyone else can.”
Fiona nodded her head in understanding. “Too much darkness from Sinskrill persists within you.”
Serena continued to scowl, not bothering to hide her emotions and not wanting to discuss whatever Fiona apparently had in mind. Since her arrival on Arylyn, her grandmother seemed to have made it her purpose in life to challenge Serena upon every aspect of her bearing that might reflect a lingering influence from Sinskrill. It could be wearying. “What of you?” Serena demanded. “Are you truly friends with Ms. Sioned?”
They turned down an alley containing strings of lights that crisscrossed the passage like sutures. These connections, though, were warm and inviting rather than cold and clinical. They exited the alley, took a right turn, and came upon their destination: a tall, brick building with a simple, illuminated sign that read ‘Maxine’s Ice Creamery’. A bank of windows opened onto the street and through them they could see one of Maxine’s helpers working a large lump of vanilla ice cream on a slab of cold marble. He moved it about like flour, mixing in cocoa, slivers of almonds, and marshmallows. The delicious scents of chocolate, baked sugar, and vanilla wafted from the confectionary, drifting at least a block in all directions.
A crowd of people milled near the creamery and Serena made a moue of annoyance.
“And for your information, I am friends with Sioned,” Fiona said, replying to Serena’s question.
“And for both your information, I’m hungry,” Selene announced.
“You’re always hungry,” Serena said. Irritation at Fiona lingered, and her words came out sharper than she intended.
Fiona laughed at Selene. “Overindulge in food, child, and you won’t enjoy the unnecessary weight.”
Selene ran her hands across her bony frame. “I think I can risk it.” She pointed. “There’s William.”
“Hey, everyone,” William said, having seen them as well.
Serena smiled in welcome and immediately gave him a surveying gaze. She studied his features, his posture, searching for changes. Was the anger truly gone? She searched for it, continuing her assessment.
After a few seconds, she breathed out relief. The anger was gone. Her friend had returned. She smiled more broadly. “It’s good seeing you,” she said, only then noticing the two waffle cones in his hands.
He smiled in return at her. “It’s good seeing you, too,” he replied before addressing Selene. “How was school, Tiny?”
Selene gave an imperious sniff. “I sagged off today.”
Serena’s eyes widened in outrage. She didn’t know what the phrase meant, but it sounded vulgar. “Language, young lady!”
Selene viewed her with a shout of triumph and broke into laughter.
Serena’s eyes narrowed. She sensed she’d just made herse
lf the butt of a joke.
“‘Sagging off’ means skipping school,” Fiona said in a dry tone. “The child has been planning this jape for some time.”
Serena made sure not to smile at the joke—she couldn’t encourage Selene—but she did think it clever.
“Grandmother Fiona and I will leave the two of you alone now,” Selene said in a queenly tone. “We know how much you value your time together.” She offered a grin that was barely short of a leer. “Besides, Grandmother Fiona also says that a well-dressed man is a woman’s best accessory, but given William’s lack in that department, maybe that means Serena will have to undress—”
Selene squawked when Fiona gripped her arm and gave her a sharp tug. “Have a good time,” she said as she dragged Selene away.
Serena momentarily viewed the two of them with a fond smile as they departed. She pointed to the two waffle cones in William’s hands. Both held mounds of chocolate ice cream. “One of those for me?” she asked.
William passed her an ice cream cone. “Want to eat these by the Village Green?”
“Sure,” Serena agreed. For some reason, she slipped her hand into the crook of William’s elbow. She’d never done it before, and she decided after a few paces that she liked it. It felt natural.
They strolled through a relatively empty part of Clifftop. Stars lit the firmament, and a fitful breeze blew through the quiet lanes. A few other couples were out for a nighttime stroll, and it struck Serena anew that she and William could be considered one of them. It wasn’t true, but maybe—
She cut off the line of her thoughts. When did I become such a romantic sap?
She eyed William askance as they continued toward the Village Green. “I haven’t seen you since when . . .”
He faced her and smiled. “It’s all right. I know you’re curious. When they removed my anger.”
Serena scowled. “Mr. Zeus wouldn’t let me see you. Every time I stopped by, he said you were resting.”