by D N Meinster
"Better than what you did," Doren indicated. The velizard Aros had blinded had knocked itself out. "Now hop on!"
Aros put his swords on his back and climbed onto the velizard, but before he could properly position himself, Doren instructed the creature to rush onward.
As Aros began to slide off, he stretched a hand out for Doren's back. His fingers clutched the edges of Doren's shield, and he pulled himself toward his friend.
Aros was still trying to get himself in the proper spot when the velizard abruptly quit its stride. His face smacked into Doren's shield, and it took a moment for him realize what was going on.
The bright lights before his eyes dimmed, and the world came back into focus, so Aros could see that they were surrounded.
Lady Yveen, on top of her velizard, was right in front of them, her one good eye studying her prey. "Just two of you?" she said.
Wherever Aros looked, all he saw was a person atop a velizard. They were in the middle of her gang and there was nowhere to go.
"Where's the mage?" Yveen asked.
Doren looked back at Aros. He was more despondent than Aros had ever seen him. The only time that even came close was after their defeat by Uterak. Here, it seemed, they had been defeated yet again.
"You have nothing to say to me?" Yveen said. "Fine."
They could not just surrender. Aros reached for his clawblades but was stopped by an arrow embedding itself into his shoulder. Aros rolled off the velizard, landing in the soft grass.
He reached for the blade with his good arm, and when he got back up, he was prepared to strike.
But Doren remained atop the velizard, refusing to withdraw his shield.
"The Prince has brains," Yveen stated. "This boy does not." She took the mace off her belt, and within a moment, it smacked Aros in the face and sent him back to the ground.
"Get him off of there," Yveen instructed.
Doren didn't struggle as her men pulled him off the velizard and tied him up. He kept his eyes on Aros the entire time, amazed that his friend was willing to take on the entire gang. But the longer he stared, the more blood he saw leaking from his wound and staining his blue sleeve.
"I was expecting a fierce battle," Yveen lamented. "I am disappointed." She hopped off her velizard and stole the clawblades off Aros' back. She seemed pleased with the quality as she examined them. "My reward."
"What do you want with me?" Doren asked before he was heaved on top of a different velizard.
Lady Yveen quit ogling the blades and grinned at him. "You're my reward, too."
Chapter Seventeen
The Unexpected Mage
1 D.R.
Faunli.
It was more immaculate than Kytheras, and certainly more green. The air smelled of the plentiful fruit that grew across the plains. The winds carried the pleasant scent through endless fields and numerable communities so that soldiers and peasants alike could share in the simple magnificence of their land. With a single breath, Rikki knew she was back.
A cursory look of her immediate environment revealed no sign of the thing that she had encountered in the darkness. Whatever it was, it hadn't followed her. There was only vegetation around her, from the grass to the berries that not only fell from nearby trees, but also popped up from the ground. Red berries, green berries, purple berries; the glut of color was a welcome sight. Rikki plucked one off the ground and held it up to her nose. Sweet without a hint of poison. She nibbled on it before ingesting the whole thing. It felt like she hadn't eaten in ages. How long had she been trapped in the darkness? A few hours? A few days? Time wasn't exactly measurable in such a place.
Rikki picked up a few more berries before she started down the field. Where exactly was she? There was no sign of Aros or Doren, nor the village where she had left them. There wasn't a sign of anyone, really. A few buzzing insects flew past her ears, and she heard some creature shuffling amongst the trees, but there was no indication that anyone else was around.
Great. She was completely lost. If only Mirabelle were here. She could really use a pegasus about now.
Well, there was really only one option: choose a direction and keep walking. She was bound to run into someone eventually. And if not, she'd hit Oblivion. That'd give her some idea of where she was.
After a few minutes strolling through the field, Rikki was startled by a vociferous squawk that reverberated from above. Her eyes moved upward, and she beheld the largest bird she had ever seen. It was almost the size of a horse, and there was even someone riding it. On its side, an ample satchel hung down and fluctuated with every flap of its wings.
Rikki immediately knew what it was, but didn't understand how it was here. There was no mention of post birds in Faunli, and they certainly hadn't seen them since they'd arrived. They were extinct in Kytheras, but there was the possibility they had survived in other kingdoms. But wouldn't she have spotted one before now if they still dominated the skies?
After a cool breeze struck her, Rikki took better notice of the plants around her. Any flowers were fully bloomed, and some leaves had already started to change color. That meant it had to be late summer, but when she'd left Faunli, it was only a few decks into Spring.
Rikki's heart sped up as what she'd done became more apparent. No, she couldn't have. It was impossible. It made more sense that she'd spent seasons in the abyss than what she was considering.
She took off, running as fast as she could toward what she hoped would be Faunli's borders. She'd know for certain as soon as she got a look. Her staff swung with every stride, and her feet kicked up grass as she hurried to find an answer.
This couldn't be. There was no way.
She sped up a nearby hill and froze right when she got to the top. There was no hint of Oblivion in the distance. Instead, there were mountain ranges, the first Rikki had ever seen in her entire life. Though partly behind a haze, and their peaks hidden in clouds, she could make out the incomparable bulk that had long ago served as a natural border for Ghumai. The Enduring Mountains had gone to Terrastream after the Parting, leaving only Oblivion in Faunli and desert in Kytheras. They should not have been visible to her.
Rikki couldn't appreciate the majesty of the natural wonder. The worn stone and endless cliffs should not have been there. Her heart was slamming into her ribs as the magnitude of her predicament became obvious.
She had shifted to Faunli, but it was the wrong Faunli. It was the empire before the Parting. It was one ruled over by the Phodos dynasty, and subsequently Neanthal.
Neanthal.
Sweat began to drip from the sides of her forehead, and her heart sank. What if she had come right in the middle of the Dark Reign. He could still be free, capable of finding an intruder who did not belong.
She had to get out of here. "Magenine," she cried out with some urgency. "Point me true." Rikki shut her eyes and focused on the friends she had left behind. She had to get back to Doren and Aros. She saw their faces clearly in her mind and focused on getting back to them.
She peeked through her eyes, hoping to see the mountains and the rest of the land fade away. But they remained palpable, as her body refused to vacate the area.
"Come on," she whimpered. This was no time to fail at shifting. She'd done it twice now. She knew she could leave here. It was possible.
What wasn't possible was being here in the first place. It was one of the ancient codes of magic. Time was sacrosanct. A mage could no more change the course of history than they could expel the moons from the sky. It wasn't simply forbidden; it was unachievable. No mage had been given such a power. The Goddess would never allow the set flow of events to be altered. So it was said, and so it had always been.
It had to be a dream or an illusion. Perhaps she was still stuck in the abyss and was merely conjuring up images of her escape. This couldn't actually be the past.
But her senses told her otherwise, with every breeze and every breath. Each time she opened her eyes and saw that she had failed to shift, sh
e became more convinced that this aberration was real.
Rikki sat down atop the hill, gathering the thoughts that prevented her from truly focusing. If she was in the past, it would be best to find out when, exactly, she was. If she was before Neanthal than there was much less to worry about. She could take her time getting back to her friends. However, if Neanthal was already here, then the peril was insurmountable. She needed to leave at once; to make it like she was never here at all.
"You didn't send me here to die," Rikki spoke to the Goddess. She held her staff up toward the sun, watching the light bounce off the channeling crystal. "I can leave here."
Before Rikki could try shifting again, she spotted a figure in the distance. Someone was heading right toward her.
She had to hide. If she was seen, there was no knowing what reverberations that might cause. Fortunately, she had experience becoming invisible. Of course, she had usually done it in front of a mirror, but she could surely handle it without one.
Rikki touched her staff to her ankles and watched as the invisibility flowed from the crystal and bound itself around her legs. Her limbs completely disappeared, followed by her chest. She checked her reflection in the silver of her staff to ensure her head was imperceptible as well. Satisfied that she could not be seen, she shook her staff until it was as transparent as she was, and then crept over to a nearby tree.
While her body hugged the tree, she did her best to slow her breathing. If she could be heard, being invisible would be irrelevant.
The figure she had seen made its way to the hill she had vacated. Whoever it was, they were wrapped entirely in teal cloth, hiding their identity and their gender. Only the eyes were discernible amongst the mass of blue-green, but they were too far to guess if it was a man or woman. It paused right where Rikki had been standing. Did it know she had been there? It did appear to be looking for her, but it gave up after a couple minutes and continued onward. But that only meant it was getting closer.
Rikki held her breath as the figure made its way near her tree. It paused right as it became adjacent to her. Could it actually detect her?
She couldn't harm it because it wasn't supposed to be harmed. Rikki was not supposed to be there, thus she was not supposed to hurt it. But she also couldn't shift away. She just had to stay unnoticed. The figure would leave. It had to leave.
Arms flew out from beneath the cloth, and the figure held out a staff, pointing it right at the tree where Rikki was hiding. "Reveal yourself!" it shouted.
It was a female mage. And that made the whole situation even worse.
Rikki remained still, hoping she would move along when nothing happened. Yet the mage remained there, waiting for Rikki to come out.
"I know you're there," she taunted. "I can make you show yourself, if that's what you wish."
Reveal herself or run; those were her only options. But running would lead to a chase, and, almost certainly, a fight. She would have to interact with this one.
Rikki stepped out from behind the tree and rescinded her invisibility. Her staff appeared to suck up the phantom liquid that made her transparent, until she was completely visible for the mage.
"Who are you?" the mage asked.
"I am no one," Rikki replied. "Please, go about your business and leave me be."
"A no one with a staff?" she answered back. The mage looked at Rikki's staff and tensed up. "I know that staff."
"Shit," Rikki whispered. It was Amelia's staff, and there was a decent chance Amelia was still alive at this point in time.
"Why do you have that staff?" the mage's voice rose. This woman had a blue and white staff, with flower-like petals as the pedestal for her channeling crystal. She closed in on Rikki with her staff ready to strike.
"Stay where you are!" Rikki demanded, and she pointed her staff right back at the mage.
The woman's eyes studied Rikki's staff. "That is Amelia's staff! Why do you have it?"
Rikki's hand automatically shot to her collar. She was wearing Amelia's necklace as well. These were the exact objects she wouldn't want to be caught in the past with.
"It's..." Rikki started, hoping her mind could fill in the rest. "A replica. I loved her staff so much I had to have one just like it."
"Oh," the mage lowered her staff. "You're one of those." But after a second thought, she targeted her with the staff once more. "Yet you have magic. If you're a mage, I don't recognize you."
"I don't know who you are either," Rikki replied earnestly. "Who are you?"
"I'm Grace. You haven't heard of me?"
Rikki shook her head.
"That figures." She returned her staff to a vertical position. "Still, I should know you, if you are a mage. Why don't I?"
Rikki couldn't tell her the truth. That would be incredibly irresponsible. But she wasn't exactly sure how to lie about it either. She could tell with every second she tried to come up with an answer, the delay gave Grace reason not to trust what she said. "I...umm.." she stuttered. How many mages were there back then? Was it possible they all knew each other? Did they all attend the same class?
Grace's staff slowly fell back into its prior position. "What's your name?"
"Rikki," she said, hoping this one truth might throw her off.
"I've never heard of a Rikki," Grace replied. "Yet there is something very familiar about you. I can't quite place it." She tucked some stray brown hairs on her forehead back beneath the teal cloth.
"You've probably seen me around," Rikki said. "It's the hair that's throwing you off. I've changed the color recently."
"Maybe," Grace replied, eyeing her suspiciously. "What exactly are you doing out here, anyway?"
"Bout of amnesia," Rikki responded almost instantaneously. "I think one of my enchantments backfired."
Grace seemed to accept this without much reluctance. "Now that I can believe. You should head back to Castle Tornis. Faunli is even less safe than usual."
"Why?" Rikki asked.
"Because of the new emperor," Grace informed her with a dose of exasperation. "Do you remember how to get back home?"
"I wish," Rikki sighed. "Why are you out here if it's so dangerous?"
"I'm on a mission," Grace said. "And no, you can't come along. I'll point you in the right direction and you can head back."
That sounded like a bad idea. If she went back to Kytheras, she would encounter more people, with even more questions. She could even run into her great-grandmother. That could not happen. "I want to help," Rikki stated.
"Listen, don't get offended, but I don't trust you. So head on back, and let me get on with my business."
Rikki sat on the ground and crossed her arms.
Grace's eyes moved directly to Amelia's necklace. "So you had a replica made of that, too?"
"Yes," Rikki concisely replied.
"If I didn't know better, I would say you stole those from Amelia," Grace said. "But that'd be impossible, wouldn't it?"
"They are replicas," Rikki affirmed.
"May I see them?" Grace asked, holding out her free hand.
"If I can see yours," Rikki replied.
"You know," Grace said with a sneer. "You've held me up long enough. I have to get on before it's too late. Castle Tornis is that way." She pointed back toward where she had come. "Farewell, Rikki."
Grace started heading away, and the further she got, the more a sinking feeling deep within Rikki grew. She was meant to follow this mage. Rikki didn't understand why, but she knew what she had to do.
Rikki popped off the ground and chased after Grace.
Grace spun around as soon as she heard something coming up on her back. "You again?"
"Take me with you," Rikki begged. "I'll get lost on the way back home."
Grace fiddled with her staff, which was back in concealment beneath the layers of teal. "This is not a trip for some amateur."
"If Neanthal's out there, I'm not safe," Rikki griped.
"So you remember who that is?" Grace asked. Their eyes
met as she looked into Rikki's face. "I trust your eyes. But if you come with me, you owe me the truth, understand?"
"If you can handle it," Rikki said with a telling grin, and she started moving on without Grace.
Grace caught up within moments. "You don't even know where we're going."
"So tell me," Rikki replied.
"Radite," Grace informed her.
Rikki stopped. "But isn't that where – "
"Yes," Grace answered before she got the whole question out. "Not for amateurs," she reiterated.
Rikki reconsidered what she was doing. Maybe it was better to head in the opposite direction. Going toward Neanthal was a terrible idea. She hadn't a clue what the extent of his abilities was. If he knew she was from the future, he could take advantage of that information. It could change history! But there was that nagging feeling deep down to keep going. That had to be the Goddess signaling her what to do. And she didn't have a better option than to listen to Her.
Rikki resumed her jaunt. "So why are we going there?"
Grace reached beneath her shawls and pulled out a glass bottle. She held it upside down and dumped its contents out into her hands. It was a thin piece of parchment. She unfurled it and held it out for Rikki.
Rikki snatched it and read.
Don't come for me.
"Who doesn't want you to come for them?" Rikki asked as she handed the note back to Grace.
"Uterak."
Again, Rikki stopped. She was not expecting to hear that name again. Uterak was dead. In fact, he had died twice. But now she was in a time where he hadn't even expired once. And they were heading towards him and Neanthal. Was Magenine truly compelling her along this path?
Uterak was a Thalian. Grace may not have been aware, but there was ample reason to stay away. True, she knew very little else about him, but that one fact was enough. Even if he was someone of importance now, in the future he was only a servant of the Corruption. Rikki remembered how badly he defeated them at first. But he wouldn't remember that now because it hadn't happened yet. However, if she met him now, wouldn't he have mentioned it later on?
Rikki winced as a dull ache spread out from her temples. This was why altering time was impossible, or was supposed to be.