“They aren’t the only ones with dormant magic,” the mystery voice explained calmly, “there are many in this land and I believe it is once again being awakened.”
“What?” they heard a clatter of wood on stone as Sara rose quickly from her chair.
“There are many whose magical gifts have been suppressed and are now beginning to emerge.” They heard Sara gasp and found they themselves had mimicked her. A thick silence followed and neither dared move until suddenly the door swung open and they were faced with the same tall, grey haired man who had been in Sara’s house. He stared at them with piercing amber eyes over the top of his glasses. He rubbed his short grey beard thoughtfully.
“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag,” he said chuckling, “you two had better come inside.” Not daring to argue they hurried past him, heads down and stood in front of a large desk where Sara stood, arms folded.
“Brean are you sure this is wise? We hadn’t really decided anything.”
“We have now; we have no choice but to tell them everything, since they were eavesdropping.” He looked at them with a stern kindness and Kiræ was sure he winked at them.
“Are you two ready to learn the truth about your past?” they nodded slowly and he smiled. “Good, now take a seat,” he said as two chairs appeared as if from nowhere. They sat silently, waiting. Brean removed his glasses, cleaned them on his shirt and returned them to the edge of his nose, he then sat down himself. Sara, arms still folded started to pace.
“You already know that Vala is not your birth mother.”
“We were abandoned,” Tom said, “Vala and Sara took us in.”
“Yes that’s right, but that’s only part of the story,” Brean replied slowly.
“Brean please,” Sara interrupted, “is this really necessary?” She was stood behind the twins now, one hand on each shoulder, protectively.
“They’ve already heard things they perhaps shouldn’t have, and if I am ever going to train them, now is the time.” Sara sighed in exasperation. “I should first explain that I knew your mother when she was younger and that you know of her.” The twins looked confused but remained silent. “This will be a lot to take in, but your birth mother is Bælana.”
“What!?” the twins rose noisily from their seats.
“Please, I will explain everything, I promise,” Tom picked up their chairs and they sat back down.
“About twenty-five years ago your mother used to train here; she was a skilled warrior and an intelligent woman. She was especially interested in our ancient history and would come and see me on her free days. We would spend hours discussing the past, and her future. She wanted to travel the land, to help people and make the land a better place. Foolishly I believed her, I thought she would be the perfect candidate.” He shook his head.
“One evening, I sat her down and explained to her that she had magic; you might already know that magic was once very common throughout these lands.”
“But people with magic were wiped out hundreds of years ago weren’t they?” Tom asked.
“Indeed they were, there was a sickness, sent down by the Gods, it was their way of purifying the land of darkness. But as the land has healed over the years, so have the people, and magical abilities that have remained dormant for generations are starting to find a way to wake.”
“But if magic was wiped out, how can it still be here?” Kiræ asked.
“Even those who did not have the physical presence of magic had the ability inside them, and this ability was passed down through generations.” Brean explained and Kiræ nodded.
“How does it wake?” Tom asked.
“Usually it will reveal itself during a time of great need,” Brean replied. “I explained this to Bælana and of course she didn’t believe me, there are few who would. Once I showed her what I could do, she began to understand and accept what I told her.”
“You’ve got magic?” Tom asked and when Brean nodded he turned to his sister, “I told you he knew something.” Both Brean and Sara looked at them with confused expressions.
“When Vala was reported missing, neither of you seemed worried,” Kiræ explained, “Tom figured you must have known she was alive.”
Brean nodded slowly, “Yes, I must admit I had already seen Vala’s participation in the battle at Denward.”
“What do you mean you’d seen it?” Tom asked.
“One of my gifts is to see flashes of the future.”
“One of your gifts? You’ve got more than one? How can that be?” Kiræ asked.
“Please, I’ll explain everything, I promise. But back to Bælana, I trained her in the use of her magic, thinking all the time of the good she would do. When her training was complete she told me excitedly that she was leaving to help others. I was proud of her, I was foolish,” he said shaking his head, then looked up as if he had forgotten he had company.
“A year later she turned up on my doorstep, frantic, worried and ultimately different. You must realise that Bælana was not always the way she is now. When she had trained here she was happy and kind, she helped others, she was selfless. Something happened to her while she was away that changed her.”
“Brean this isn’t your fault,” Sara protested as if reading his thoughts, “how could you know what would happen to her, that she would be swayed, you can’t see everything.”
“Perhaps,” he smiled weakly at her then turned back to the twins. “But I digress, in the year she had been gone Bælana had become pregnant, but…she didn’t want to keep the child, I’m sorry.” He paused to look at the twins, as if expecting them to be upset by this revelation but they just smiled at him.
“It’s okay,” Tom said, “we made peace with the situation a long time ago.”
“Bælana was so angry about the pregnancy that she nearly destroyed this place, though looking back I think she might have had some help.” His amber eyes twinkled as he gazed at the twins over his glasses, “I told her I would help if she stayed, in the hopes that once she saw her baby she would change her mind, but her anger grew worse, and she left. I think you were about one when I found you in a basket on my doorstep.”
“Why?” Kiræ asked suddenly quiet and looking at the ground.
“What do you mean Kiræ?” Sara asked crouching down to look at the young woman.
“Why didn’t she just kill us?” Tom said reading Kiræ’s thoughts. Sara looked shocked but Brean nodded in understanding.
“Because I think a part of her cared,” he said softly, “part of her was a mother and she cared, but the larger part of her wanted power and that’s the part that won. The part of her that loved you brought you here, knowing that I would care for you.”
“And you asked Vala and Sara to raise us,” Tom said bringing the conversation back to its original point.
“Actually they volunteered,” he said smiling fondly at Sara. “I couldn’t raise you, I was too old, I am too old,” he chuckled to himself. “Sara was already working with me by then and she knew the mistakes I had made with Bælana, she spoke to Vala and they agreed to take you in.
“We agreed that one day you should know the truth, it just came sooner than either of us thought. But Bælana is becoming too powerful, and from what Vala has told us, the mingual’s weapons are somehow able to pierce metal armour. She needs to be stopped.” The twins nodded, remaining uncharacteristically quiet, digesting the information they had received. Bælana was their birth mother, she had magic and Brean had trained her.
Tom looked at Brean, suddenly confused, “Wait, if you have magic, why can’t you stop her?”
Brean sighed, “What I did all those years ago was technically forbidden and now my powers have been somewhat restricted as punishment,” he explained looking guilty.
Sara looked irritated, “You would think given the situation that they would lift that restriction.”
“Ah but I must be held responsible for my actions.”
“Your actions maybe, but you shouldn’t b
e held responsible for the actions of others just because you broke a little rule. You cannot control what happens inside others.”
Brean smiled at her, “I honestly think you are the only one who can stop me wallowing my dear.”
Tom leant forwards to get their attention, “What do you mean your powers have been restricted? By who?”
“And how was what you did breaking the rules?” Kiræ added.
Sara looked at Brean and shrugged, “You might as well tell them everything, they’ll find out eventually.”
“Yes you’re right, they’re a rather inquisitive pair. You will both know about the Realm of the Gods, yes?”
The twins nodded and Tom replied, “Shanta is the Mother Goddess, creator of life, her and Mori, the Guardian of the Dead gave life to Vulcan, the God of War.”
Brean closed his eyes and nodded, “Yes that’s right, but what many no longer remember is that there are others. Malum, who was originally meant to be the God of Peace abandoned the Higher Realm and I am unsure where he is at the moment. And I am the God of Magic.” The twins gasped; Brean opened his eyes again and smiled somewhat painfully.
“After the sickness, magic vanished, and with it I vanished too from the thoughts and prayers of mortals as they believed I had caused the sickness and abandoned them. Shanta and Mori believed the mortals should no longer be taught to channel their magic so I was forbidden to try. They believed when the time was right magic would resurface and the mortals would only learn the basics. They hoped to prevent further darkness from entering this land. But magic needs to be controlled and channelled, so I disobeyed them and now I must suffer for my actions.”
“You can’t return to the Higher Realm,” Kiræ said quietly.
“No.”
“Why exactly do we need to know all this?” Tom asked.
“Well you see Tom, Bælana’s magic is awake and active and as you’re her children I knew there was a chance you might have magic too. It is never certain unless both parents are magical but having at least one magic wielding parent increases the chances.”
The truth finally dawned on them, “We have magic?” Kiræ asked in awe, “could we use it to defeat the mingual?” Brean shook his head gravely,
“Alas no, the mingual as I understand it have been created using an incredibly powerful dark magic and as they are made from magic they cannot be destroyed by it. But your magic can be used to deter them and to assist you in fighting them.
“I know this is a lot for you to take in but I believe it is your fate to stop Bælana and I will do what I can to teach you how to use and control your gift.”
“Brean,” Kiræ began tentatively, “do you know who our father is?”
“I’m sorry no, I tried to find out from Bælana but she refused to tell me and when I pressed her for an answer she lashed out.” Kiræ sat back slightly deflated.
Tom leant forward, looking at Brean with sudden distrust, “Where exactly did Bælana learn dark magic?”
“Tom!” Sara spoke sharply and he sat back, arms folded.
“You said it yourself, you’re the only one who has magic, you’re the one who taught her, so how else could she learn it?” Sara tried to protest but Brean held up a hand to silence her.
“It’s okay Sara. Yes it’s true that I taught her much of what she knows, but there are texts and scrolls that relate to both light and dark magic. The majority of the old texts were burned soon after the sickness, but some scholars saw their importance and retained them. Bælana likely learnt what she did from them.” Tom nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer and Sara scowled at him. “Now that’s settled,” Brean said smiling again, “I would like you to come here tomorrow at sunrise.”
“But we have training,” Kiræ explained, “We can’t be late for it or Sir Nyme will have our heads.”
Brean chuckled, “Don’t you worry about old Arthur he’s harmless really, but you won’t be late, just make sure you are here on time and don’t tell anyone about this!” Sara shooed them out of the room and as the door closed they heard Brean talking about cataloguing parchments. The twins began weaving their way back through the towering labyrinth of books and scrolls, talking to one another in excited whispers and eventually stumbled out into the late afternoon sunlight.
Chapter 10
Vala was stood atop the stone temple but this time she was alone. The basin stood before her and she walked slowly towards it to gaze into the clear liquid. Mist clouded the surface and shapes began to move and contort. People were dying. Cities and towns were burning. The mingual were smiling. Harsh laughter broke the heavy silence and became unbearable, deafening. It tore through the silence. Everything burned, everything dripped with blood. The mingual were all that remained, the victors, lording over the bloody corpse of the land. Silence fell and the images vanished. The silence became louder. It was difficult to breathe. The silence was deafening…
Vala’s eyes opened wide, sweat coated her face and she realised with shock she had been holding her breath. She exhaled slowly, wiped her face on her sleeve and looked outside at the rising sun. She washed, dressed and walked outside into the cool air. The sun was creeping slowly over the horizon as she walked through the quiet, sleepy streets.
It had been over a season since the mingual had invaded Denward; there had been reports of skirmishes but no other towns or cities had yet suffered the same fate. The countries that inhabited Burgun were becoming uneasy, restless, and they wondered what Bælana was planning. Ever since Denward Vala had had nightmares about the mingual and Bælana, and although she couldn’t explain how, she felt sure there was some truth to them.
The first morning bell tolled as Vala entered the stables and a few moments later she saw Kiræ and Tom running towards the training ground. Vala watched them in surprise as it was unusual for them to be awake before dawn. She shrugged, picked up her saddle and placed it on Safaya whom she had been relieved to find had returned to Caan safely. A deep voice from behind startled her and she spun round suddenly panicked; she relaxed instantly when she saw it was Alten, then tensed. She smiled politely and mounted Safaya.
“Mind if I join you Vala?” he asked, his voice calm.
“Of course not sire,” she replied hesitantly.
A wounded look crossed his face as he tacked up his own horse. “Since when have you ever addressed me as sire?” he said, throwing the reins over Harley’s head so they landed on the saddle.
“I’m trying to address you correctly,” she said as his dark brown hair fell across his green eyes, while he tightened the girth on his stallion.
“Well don’t.”
“Ready?” Vala asked tentatively.
“Sure,” he replied setting himself in the saddle, his face grim. They walked through the quiet city, past the main gates and into the surrounding fields; an awkward silence hung in the air. It was a clear, cool day; a slow breeze was blowing from the sea and the sun was shining bright and warm around them.
Vala began to relax. She forgot her nightmares, and the awkwardness between herself and Alten blew away on the breeze. She smiled mischievously, kicked Safaya into a canter and thundered ahead of him through the long grass. He followed her, yelling playfully and she was taken back to when they had first started riding together.
Everything had been simpler back then, when she had been just another warrior. But then Alten’s parents, the king and queen, had promoted her and she hadn’t known how to separate her personal and professional lives. They had become so chaotically intermingled that she’d had to let one of them go, she still wasn’t sure if she had made the right decision.
Alten caught up and her thoughts were lost, he smiled as he dismounted and allowed his horse to rest. Vala settled herself in the shade of a large oak while the horses frolicked. Alten came to sit by her and her stomach churned; it had been a long time since they had been completely alone.
“I’ve been having nightmares recently,” she said in an attempt to steer the conversation
away from where she felt it was heading.
“About what?”
“I’m not entirely sure, I think they’re linked to Bælana and the mingual, but they don’t make sense.” She explained one of the dreams briefly, and watched as Alten frowned.
“How long have you been having them?”
“Since Denward.”
“What do you think they mean?”
“I don’t know,” she stood and walked a few paces in frustration, “but I have this sense that they’re important.
“Are you fully healed?” he asked, looking at her with concern, she nodded and he moved closer towards her. “I was worried when they found Safaya without you, I –”
“It’s okay, I’m okay,” she forced a smile while wishing the conversation would change direction.
“My feelings haven’t changed,” he said moving even closer, her stomach squirmed and she turned away.
“It doesn’t matter what your feelings are,” Alten dropped his head in disappointment as she walked to Safaya and grabbed her reins, “or mine,” Alten looked up, “it can never be.” She handed Alten his palomino stallions reins and made to mount Safaya. Alten grabbed her wrist and she turned to face him. He pulled her quickly towards him and kissed her softly; her heart fluttered and she returned the kiss. After a moment he pulled away and released her arm but continued to look at her; she felt the awkwardness return.
“Our worlds are the same, you just need to open your eyes and see them.”
“I need to get back,” Vala said desperately trying to avoid his gaze, “I’m leaving in a few days, I should prepare.” He nodded, somewhat disappointed and watched as she cantered back towards the city.
Kiræ had left her curtains open so she would wake earlier than normal, she washed and dressed quickly, and hurried along to her brother’s room. She knocked and on hearing silence went in closing the door quietly behind her. It was still dark in his room, the curtains were closed and she could hear his gentle snores coming from beneath the covers. Kiræ walked over to his bed and shook him sharply.
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