by Andi Van
Jorget paused halfway through flipping a page and raised an eyebrow at her. “Did you?”
“Yes and no,” the girl said with a frown. “I found mention of a… brotherhood, for lack of a better term, but I don’t know if that was from guild origins or if it was talking about something else. I found mention of portals that sounded an awful lot like what you and Kelwin came through, though, and it sounds like at one time there were several located in the part of the world where Archai is now.”
“Yldost referred to them as doors,” Jorget noted. “But if we assume these doors or portals or whatever are all housed in guilds like the two we know of are, then….”
“Then we can assume there are other guilds,” Nabiha concluded with a nod. “I wonder if they’re all abandoned.”
Jorget flipped another page. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “But I’m hoping not, and that they like the king about as much as we do. We could use more allies.” He paused, squinting at the page he’d turned to before pushing the book toward Nabiha. “And we might be able to find them.”
Nabiha pulled the book toward her, and gasped at what Jorget had found. “A map of the portals.” She flipped a page back, then a page forward, and frowned. “But no word on how to use them. We’ll need to find some sort of instruction.”
“We have,” Jorget said, taking the book back. “And the one we’ll be receiving instruction from is currently downstairs in the kitchen, bathing in one of Firea’s apple pies.”
“Yldost is a very odd dragon,” the girl said. “Do you think they’re always like that, or do you think it’s a result of being stuck in that box for so long?”
“I guess we’ll find out, but hopefully they’re a little less unhinged by the time they’re strong enough to make themself larger. Otherwise I’ll have strange mental images of Firea having to bake enormous pies for them to wallow in.” He flipped a few more pages and sighed. “I wish things weren’t such a mess at the king’s castle. Denekk might be able to find something in the library the priests have access to, but I don’t dare contact him right now.”
He startled when a warm hand covered his, and he looked across the table to see Nabiha reaching out to him, a serious look on her face. “We’ll figure this out,” she promised. “With all of us working together, we can’t possibly lose.”
“Yeah,” Jorget said slowly, turning his hand over so he could squeeze Nabiha’s. “Yeah, you’re right.”
And as he went back to searching through the book in front of him, he was relieved to feel hope start to well up inside him again.
Chapter 19
“ARE YOU sure this is going to work?” Kelwin asked Jorget as they all sat gathered in the library later that night.
“It will work if the trees will listen,” Yldost chimed in. The dragon looked far better than they had earlier, and their plumage was starting to regain color, even if the bald patches remained. Kelwin supposed it would take time for the feathers to grow back.
Jorget nodded in agreement. “Yes, and the spell Nabiha found should take care of that,” he explained. “At first glance, we thought it was a spell to encourage plant growth because of the way it was worded. When we read through it a second time, it occurred to us it wasn’t talking about growth, it was talking about bonding. But we need Josephina to cast the spell on the pendant. If I do it, I’ll probably turn the stone into a shrub or something.”
“And if I do it, I’ll probably be out cold for a week,” Tasis concluded.
Josephina chuckled. “You’re getting better. You need to learn not to use all of your magic at once. It comes with experience.”
Tasis looked at the cat in his lap. “What do you think, Rin? Does it sound plausible?”
The logic behind it is sound, Rin confirmed. Even if it doesn’t work, I don’t think anyone will be hurt in the process.
“That’s good enough for me,” Josephina said, holding out a hand to Kelwin, who pulled off the pendant and set it in her palm. “Are you sure you’re okay with me trying this?” she asked Tasis. “I know your mother gave this to you.”
“Evina would have encouraged him to do it, all the while telling him to kick Archai’s ass,” Zaree said with a snort. She was sitting next to Tasis, wrapped securely in a blanket. Kelwin agreed it was a little chilly out, but he didn’t think it was so cold she needed to nest.
Tasis chuckled. “She would have. It’s okay.”
Josephina nodded and looked over the page Jorget had carefully copied the spell onto. After she’d studied it for several minutes, she set the paper down and whispered over the pendant. The stone glowed a brilliant green, then faded back to its normal shade of blue. “Here,” she said, handing the pendant back to Kelwin. “We’ll test it in the morning. For now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going to enjoy the fireplace for a few more minutes before going to bed. I’m old. I need my beauty sleep.”
“Oh please,” Tasis said, eyeing the woman. “You’re gorgeous. If you got any more beautiful, you’d blind people with your radiance.”
Josephina laughed merrily, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepening. “You’re good for this old woman’s ego, love.”
“You know,” Emlynn said, looking at Jorget and Nabiha. “It’s impressive you two were able to figure this out. You should be proud of yourselves. I’m certainly proud of the both of you.”
Jorget and Nabiha pinked at the giantess’s words, and Kelwin was left wondering what was going on with the trio. He certainly wasn’t one to interfere, but it seemed there was a situation unfolding that could be fun to watch develop. Tasis, oblivious to the clues Kelwin had seen, nodded. “I agree. I’m proud of you too. I don’t know if I would have ever put things together like that.”
“Definitely,” Kelwin said, patting Tasis on the knee. “Let’s go take a walk in the courtyard.”
Tasis smiled as Kelwin stood and held out a hand, helping Tasis to his feet. Once up and moving, they linked their fingers and headed for the glass doors near the fireplace.
“Don’t stay out there too long,” Zaree called after them. “It’s cold.”
It was kind of chilly, Kelwin agreed silently. But the thought of fresh air and beautiful night scenery to go along with what he was about to do had been too tempting to resist. So he led Tasis to the stone fountain in the courtyard, taking a seat on the wide edge of the basin.
Tasis looked up at the sky and smiled. “It’s beautiful out here,” he said. “Look at the stars.”
Kelwin did as bid, and was met with a thousand points of sparkling light. “It’s like they have no end. Like the ocean, when we’re in the middle of the sea.”
“An ocean of stars,” Tasis said softly. “I like it.”
They stared up in companionable silence for some time, until Kelwin finally gathered up his courage and cleared his throat. “Do you remember, before you headed back down the mountain, I said I had something important to ask you when I got back?”
“I remember now that you’ve mentioned it,” Tasis admitted, giving Kelwin a sheepish glance. “We’ve had so much going on that it slipped my mind.”
“Don’t let it worry you,” Kelwin said, giving Tasis’s hand a squeeze. “You’re right, there’s been one thing after another. It wasn’t the right time.”
Tasis finally tore his gaze away from the stars to look at Kelwin. “The right time for what?”
“I was wondering… I mean… I was going to ask….” He sighed and tried again. “Have you ever considered getting married?”
Tasis frowned, and Kelwin managed to hold back a groan. Clearly, Tasis had missed the point. “I hadn’t before,” Tasis admitted. “But I was raised in human society, and they would never have allowed me to marry a man. Why?”
“I was trying to say… I was wondering if you might consider marrying… well, me. When this is all over and we’re safe.” Kelwin let go of Tasis’s hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out the small drawstring bag he’d been carrying arou
nd. He opened it and tipped the ring it held out into his palm.
Tasis stared at the ring, blinking, before he met Kelwin’s eyes. “Are you proposing to me?”
“What gave it away?” Kelwin asked with a nervous grin. “I’m sorry, I know I’m screwing this up.” He reached out with his free hand and cupped his beloved’s cheek, smiling softly when Tasis leaned into the touch. “You know how I feel about you. I’ve made that plain. I wanted to make our bond official, if you had no objections. You’re the most remarkable person I’ve ever met, and all I can do is promise I’d do my best not to make you sorry you said yes.”
The smile that shone from Tasis’s face made the stars pale in comparison, and his eyes were full of love. “I have only one question, then.”
“Oh?” Kelwin asked, wondering what could possibly be on Tasis’s mind at a time like this. “And what would that be?”
“What in the Skaarn’s dark underworld took you so long?”
Kelwin laughed and grabbed Tasis’s hand, sliding the ring onto his finger. “You could have asked me first.”
Tasis grinned and leaned close, their lips a hair’s width apart. “What’s the fun in that?”
Kelwin barely had to move to press their lips together. No sooner had he done so than they were startled apart by a cheer from nearby. They looked up as one to see everyone, including Firea and Aldris, practically pressed against the glass, watching from the library doors. Certainly, he’d warned them what he planned to do that evening, but this was ridiculous.
“Congratulations,” Josephina called. “Now go to bed. To sleep. We have a busy morning ahead of us.”
“Bunch of nosy busybodies,” Kelwin said under his breath to Tasis, who chuckled in response. “She’s got the right of it, though. Let’s go to bed.”
“To sleep?” Tasis teased.
“Yes,” Kelwin said, taking Tasis’s hand. “Eventually.”
Tasis laughed as he let himself be led back inside.
KELWIN WAS dreaming. It was a strange dream, because there was nothing to see. He was in complete darkness, but he felt warmth around him, and a sense of relief so strong he could almost reach out and touch it. He curled up inside the warmth, like a child in its mother’s womb, and was comforted.
“You know what you need to do, don’t you?” came the question from a voice Kelwin was sure he’d never heard before, but was still somehow familiar.
“Yes,” Kelwin answered. “I know what I have to do, but I don’t know how. I don’t have the kind of magic within me that Tasis does.”
“You lock so much of your talent away with fear,” the voice said. “I can show you how to do what you must. Come, let us open the door together.”
Kelwin felt the warmth increase, but it didn’t burn. He held out one arm, and discovered he was lit with a green flame.
“It’s time.”
Kelwin felt himself falling then, an infinitely long drop. As he fell, the flame around him grew stronger and hotter, and he finally screamed. Whether the scream was from pain or fear, he didn’t know.
Then he felt himself hit the ground, and opened his eyes in surprise, kicking as he tried to untangle his legs from the blanket wrapped around them. He’d fallen out of bed.
Tasis peeked over the edge of the mattress, his face a study in half-awake concern. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” Kelwin admitted, still on his back. The chill from the stone floor was working its way through the rug covering most of their room, and he shivered. “I had the strangest dream.”
There was a knock at their door.
“Come in,” Tasis called.
The door cracked open, and Jorget stuck his head in. “Everything okay?”
“Nightmare,” Kelwin said. “Well, not exactly. Weird dream. It’s fine. Sorry if I woke you.”
“We’re all up already,” Jorget admitted. “I was about to join everyone else for breakfast.”
Kelwin turned his head and looked toward the window. Yes, the sun was indeed up. Somehow the darkness of the dream had convinced him it was still the middle of the night. “We’ll be there shortly,” he promised.
When Jorget had left, Tasis frowned down at Kelwin. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” Kelwin said as he sat up. “My head’s clearer now. We should go get some food.”
Breakfast was brief, as Kelwin learned for himself why Tasis had been so reluctant to eat before he cast the spell to rebuild the guild. The churning in his gut was more intense than he’d expected, and he’d managed all of two bites before he’d given up.
“I’d tell you that you should eat more, but then I’d be a hypocrite,” Tasis said as Kelwin pushed away his plate. “Will it help if I tell you that you’ll be fine?”
“Getting this over with would help,” Kelwin said, glaring when Tasis laughed. He supposed he deserved that, though, considering they’d pretty much once had this exact conversation in reverse.
When he’d gotten ahold of himself, Tasis nodded. “You’re right. That’s the only thing that’ll calm you now.” He looked at Jorget. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” Jorget agreed. He hadn’t eaten much more than Kelwin had, which made him feel a little better. “I think doing this out front would be our best bet. The trees are closer there.”
And so they filed out. Having a group of people watching, even if they were people he considered family, was uncomfortable, Kelwin decided. He was starting to feel bad for all the times that had happened to Tasis. When they’d finally reached a spot Jorget was happy with, they stopped.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Josephina, Em, Tasis, and I are going to start chanting the spell. When you’ve got the words firmly in mind, take hold of the pendant and join us. The trees should understand your request.”
“And what is my request, exactly?” Kelwin wondered aloud. How did one go about asking a tree for help?
Jorget gave him a knowing smile. “Loosely translated, the chant means ‘Protect us from danger. Protect our home. Drive away those who would hurt us.’ According to what Nabiha and I researched, anyway.” He took a deep breath and looked around. “Are we ready? Then let’s begin.”
The chant went up around Kelwin, and he let the words flow over him. They were a comfort, much like the warm darkness had been in his dream, and before long he found himself wanting to be part of it. Without giving it any real thought, Kelwin grasped the pendant and joined in. “Ara toma nay. Sera toma tun. Teli mar.”
He hadn’t expected pain. He should have, he supposed, but it caught him by surprise, and a scream echoed from his lips as his entire body suddenly felt like he’d been struck by lightning. Somehow, he kept hold of the pendant, continuing the chant through clenched teeth. And then, as quick as it had begun, the pain ebbed and disappeared. He was left with a feeling of energy flowing in and out of him, and he cautiously opened his eyes. The green flame from his dreams surrounded him and rose up from his body, pouring over the isle as a pale dome.
They’d done it.
Well, said a voice Kelwin would recognize anywhere. He’d dreamed that amused tone more than once on his journey here. He looked down to see Daro looking back at him, his tongue hanging out in a canine smile. Finally. I was beginning to think I’d die of old age waiting for you. Didn’t I tell you? You can’t find the light without first going through the dark places.
Before Kelwin could find the words to answer him, Tasis crumpled to the ground.
Epilogue
HE SAT on the edge of the bed, the shadows of his existence swirling around him as he stared down at the redheaded elf who’d tried to thwart his plans. “Yes, sleep well,” he crooned. “Sleep so well that you don’t wake.”
He hissed when a bright light flashed before him, and a face he knew well glared down at him. “There are rules,” she reminded him, the sunlight in her soul streaming out of her, touching everything nearby with her warmth. That light was what he longed for, to make his own.
“I will find a way to wake him,” she said with a sigh. “You know I will. Why do you persist?”
“Because you should have been mine. And until you abandon my brother and stand at my side, I will end everything he helps you begin.”
He let the shadows swirl around him, pulling him from that plane of existence to another, and she was left staring sadly at her child. One of many, yes, but this one was special. She reached out just as the dark one had, touching the place on the elf’s forehead. “Don’t worry,” she told him. “You’ll wake again. In the meantime, there are always dreams.”
And then the Maker pulled her hand away and wept.
More from Andi Van
The Mages’ Guild Trilogy: Book One
Past and present are about to collide, and the world will never be the same.
Magic has been missing from the world for a millennium, and it’s needed now more than ever. It falls to young Tasis Kadara to revive the fabled Mages’ Guild of the Dragon’s Claw. But in a culture where arcane power is forbidden and practitioners are executed, Tasis will have to keep his own aptitude for magic secret. With nothing to direct them besides bizarre dreams and a mysterious cat, Tasis and his sister Zaree undertake a quest to discover the hidden island that was once home to the guild.
Kelwin Tiovolk departs his village following his mentor’s suggestion. As an elf wandering into human civilization, he’s in danger simply for being who he is. A brawl at an inn leads him straight into the path of the young man he’s been dreaming about, and he’s compelled to help Tasis and his sister any way he can. Together, the trio might have a chance of accomplishing their mission—or the attempt might kill them.