by RJ Crayton
Akilah shook her head. “You surely don’t believe Zygam would attack Hakari Ahet?” she said, the thought of it ridiculous to her.
“Even in stealth, an attack on his temple would be just that, an attack. I cannot say I want to leave our home unprotected, taking all of our best with us. I want you here. I want you to protect this place.” He smiled and looked at her, his brown eyes strong and piercing. “It seems like it wasn’t so long ago that I found you, but when I did, I foresaw that you were important, that you would play a role in protecting Hakari Ahet. Please play it.”
Akilah nodded, though she still felt the sting of being told she couldn’t go. Hakari Ahet was the only place she’d ever known as a real home. If he were taking a contingent to the Moon Temple, then she could see why he needed to leave a contingent behind.
Only, a big part of her didn’t want to be left behind. Her parents had been corrupted by the Talisman of Elpida, and she wanted more than anything to see it destroyed, so others wouldn’t have to be harmed by it. She forced a smile. “I will protect Hakari Ahet.”
Pylum breathed out in relief. “Thank you,” he said. “And please use your charm on Kady.”
She laughed. “You’re really desperate if you’re calling me charming.”
He smiled back. “Not desperate. Just willing to admit that I need help. And you are charming, when you wish to be.”
Chapter 18 - Seeking Answers
I was determined to go and find my aunt. Zygam had said if I came, no harm would come to me. I knew it was a trick, but there was something so tempting about it.
But just because someone thought they were tricking you didn’t mean they were. If I gave it some thought, there had to be a way to get Zygam to think I’d completely given in, and still escape. I needed more information, though. I needed to know more about Zygam.
Jasper. He had memories of me. Perhaps he had memories of Zygam.
I sent him a message using my mind, hoping he’d respond. We were supposed to be friends again, so I hoped it was alright. He’d not been bothered by it before, but given my unintentional mind invasion, I was a bit wary of communication that involved the mind.
I had gone to the library and was second-guessing my decision, thinking I should have just waited until I saw him at dinner, when he finally responded.
Sorry, I was in a lesson with Master Yaritza. What did you need?
I wondered for a moment what lessons he had with Master Yaritza, who was in charge of healing magic. But it wasn’t my business. I need your help with something. Can you come to the library?
There was hesitation. It was strange. I could feel it, even though he wasn’t saying anything. Finally, he said, Sure, I’ll be there in 10 minutes.
I looked up at the wall clock. Ten minutes only gave us about an hour. I looked at the surroundings — the low tables, the books, the cushions, the few students studying.
A few minutes later, Jasper showed up. He didn’t smile when he saw me. I waved for him to follow me and led him toward a quiet spot in the corner, away from others. We sat down on cushions, and he faced me. He took in a breath and said, “What did you need?”
He seemed distant. “I’m sorry,” I said.
He looked puzzled.
“About what I did the other day, about invading your mind.”
He shook his head, offered a weak smile. “I said we’re fine. I know you didn’t mean to.”
“I know, but you seem distant, like you still don’t trust me,” I admitted. “I told you, I won’t do it again.”
“I believe you,” he said, his voice earnest. And this time I thought he meant it. He didn’t think I would do it again, yet, he still seemed on guard. “Is that all you wanted to talk about?” He looked toward the door as if he wanted to leave.
“No,” I said. “That wasn’t what I wanted to talk about at all. I wanted to know what you know about Zygam and his temple.”
He leaned back, his entire demeanor changing, a mixture of irritation and curiosity. “Why would you want to know about him?”
Wasn’t that obvious? “Because he has my aunt. And Pylum keeps telling me she’ll be alright because Zygam is rational and he wants my aunt safe so I’ll come, but I don’t buy it. He chased me for ten years. That’s not rational. He should’ve looked for someone else to help him tame the stone he wants me to control. I’m worried about my aunt, and when Pylum is ready, I want to know everything I can about where we’re going.”
Jasper shook his head. “Pylum would never take you to Zygam’s temple. It would be dangerous.”
My eyes widened, slightly. “He said he would take me if I were ready.”
Jasper grimaced and looked for a moment as if he intended to argue. Instead, he blew out and said, “Fine, he’ll take you. But Zygam is dangerous.”
“Yes, I’ve grasped that,” I said. He had a pull to him, something alluring. “That’s why I need to know everything about him.”
“So why are you asking me? Why not Pylum?”
“He doesn’t want to talk about things that matter to me. He keeps insisting my mind should focus on unleashing my magic, rather than these things that are on the periphery. But they’re not the periphery. I think understanding Zygam is the key to helping me fully gain control of my magic so I can help retrieve my aunt. You said Zygam brought your parents here. You must know something of him. Or maybe your mother has memories with him.”
He regarded me for a minute and finally said. “I don’t know a lot about Zygam, and he’s not in any of the memory crystals my mother left behind. As for specifics about him, he’s originally from the Northlands, like my parents. He recruited them before I was born, and at the time he was a rising star here. I believe my father said at one point he was being considered for leader of the temple, rather than Pylum. But Zygam backed out of the running so that he could spend more time studying.”
“Studying what?”
Jasper shrugged. “I’m not sure. Every master has an area of study. Ketesh magic, healing magic, cleansing magic, prophecies—”
“The Prophecy of Light?” I interrupted.
“People study various prophecies, including that one, though that one would fall in the category of dangerous.”
He said the same things everyone else did. I needed to know the full thing, but short of reading someone’s mind, I didn’t think I was going to find it. “That helps,” I said. I looked around the library. “Do you know if they have books about the mages who’ve been here in the past?”
Jasper looked at me like I was crazy. “Only if they did something of note.”
“He became a dark mage. That has to be noteworthy, right?”
Jasper laughed. “Noteworthy, yes, but not something I think they want the students reading about.”
True. I glanced around the room once more, trying to wrack my brain to think about how I might get more information. Then it hit me. “Are there books about the Northland here? I mean, wouldn’t he be mentioned in those books.”
“It’s possible,” he said. “Let’s talk to the librarian.”
* * *
The librarian had given us a half a dozen books to look at, presuming they were mainly for Jasper wanting to know more about his heritage. Instead of reading them in the library, we took them down to a light room. It was a different one from the one that we usually went to, as that one was occupied. The one we chose instead seemed bigger and the walls didn’t glow a bright
“This one could use a scourge,” Jasper said immediately. “I’ll have to let El—, I mean, Master Safiya, know.”
I nodded to him, amused by his dutifulness in all things. It was a nice quality to have. I had it, a little bit. At least, dutifulness when it came to Auntie.
Jasper had insisted on carrying the books down to the room, and I didn’t fuss about it because it felt like I’d just gotten back into his good graces and didn’t wish to rock the boat. But now that we were in, I grabbed one of the three books from him and sat down.
/>
“So, just skim it and look for anything on Zygam,” I told him as I opened the book. He didn’t respond, so I peeked up and he was looking at me doubtfully.
He sat, too, and then said, “I thought you suggested coming here so we could look for Zygam without the librarian knowing.”
“I did,” I said.
“I meant with a search glyph.”
“They have those?”
He nodded, and thankfully his expression was pretty neutral so I didn’t feel as stupid as I could have.
“It’s something you learn in the research class,” he said. “But you just got here, so you wouldn't have taken it. Plus, they discourage students from using it because they want us to learn holistically, not just cherry-pick certain information and miss major points or take things out of context.”
I supposed that was a decent enough reason, but I didn’t really care. “Show me how to do it.”
“It’s easiest with a ketesh,” he said and reached into his pocket to pull out the small stick. A moment later it elongated to full length. “You could probably do it without one, as it’s not difficult magic.”
“Still, I need to make my own ketesh,” I said to him. “Pylum had said earlier I wasn’t ready, but I think I am.”
“Ask Master Shanzu. As the glyphs expert, if he thinks you’re ready, he’ll take you to the saharba tree and you can ask it for a branch.”
“Ask it for a branch?” I repeated, not sure I’d heard him correctly.
“Yes, you need a branch to carve the ketesh.”
“That I understood. I just thought you had to go and chop one down.”
Jasper shook his head. “Umm, no. That’s asking for trouble. The saharba tree would probably smite you if you tried to take an axe to it.”
“It’s alive?”
“All trees are alive,” he said with a grin. “But this one is sentient and expresses it. If you want to make a ketesh, you must ask the saharba tree for a branch. And if it gives you one, you are ready. Master Shanzu is pretty good at telling who the tree will give a branch to, so if he thinks you’re ready, you likely are.”
I know we were supposed to be looking for information about Zygam, but I was intrigued by the saharba tree now. “How many saharba trees are here?”
“Just the one. Each temple usually grows one. The saharba is a solitary tree. We believe that is why it is magic. It seeks to connect with people through the branches given. They say every time you do magic with your ketesh, it refuels the saharba so it can continue to produce wood that can amplify magic.”
I’m not sure where I’d gotten the wrong impression that you had to chop a branch from the tree. Chopping sounded simple and rudimentary. But what Jasper described was anything but. “Would Zygam’s temple have a saharba tree?”
“Yes, all temples require one.”
“What happens if it dies?”
“It leaves a sapling that grows magically within a month.”
I nodded. A month wasn’t too long.
Jasper cleared his throat. “So the glyph to search books is Baa-haaathi, followed by the term you’re searching for. You can also add context, too. Like you could search for the birthplace of Zygam, or the last known residence, or why he turned evil.”
I shook my head. “Let’s just stay broad. ‘Zygam,’ and that’s enough.”
He nodded, closed his eyes, and breathed out, probably centering his mind so the glyph would work. When he opened his eyes, he looked at the books and said, “Baa-haathi Zygam.” A symbol like a large eye of gold glittered for a moment before disintegrating into little bits that sprinkled over our books. The books rattled in their spots, stirring a thin layer of dust on the floor of the room. Then two tomes leapt from their place on the floor, levitated in the air, the pages in them flipping wildly until one page stood straight up for a few seconds. Then, the pages lay flat, leaving the books open to a specific page. Each book floated to the ground, and an arrow stood in the air above each book, pointing to a spot on the page. I picked up one book, and Jasper the other.
“That was pretty amazing,” I said to Jasper as I kept my finger on the spot the arrow pointed me to.
He smiled sheepishly and said, “Yeah, it’s a sight to behold.”
I looked down at the book, and saw the name “Zygam.” I was both excited and frightened. Even though I wanted to know more about him, part of me hesitated. I wasn’t sure I was ready for answers, especially if they weren’t ones I expected.
Jasper seemed to sense my conflict. “I can read mine first, if you want.” I nodded, and he looked down at the book. “The Northlands and the Midlands have long held suspicions of each other, going back thousands of years and many generations. For a time, mages of the Northland were sometimes hunted in border regions. This was especially true during the period when portal travel between the Northlands and Midlands was restricted. However, in recent years, there has been a push for understanding between the lands, for more understanding and shared experiences. The mage Zygam, whose parents had relocated from the Northlands to the Midlands when he was a small child, proposed more exchange. He instituted an official program between Hakari Ahet and Lys Slot in the Northlands. Several mage families made the switch, and the program was generally considered successful, but it disbanded shortly after Zygam left Hakari Ahet.”
Jasper looked up at me. That’s all it says. He gently set the book back on the ground and looked at it. Then he looked at me. “What’s yours say?”
I looked down and as I took a closer look, I felt the disappointment well. “It’s just a committee listing.” I bit my lip as I looked over the text. “A committee was designated to study varying artifacts in the Hakari Ahet restricted room. Included on the committee are Zygam of Miltinsla, Marco of Pospenthel, Omar of Goalthy, Mazie of Teltenland, and Fatima of Bailsi.”
“That’s your mother, right?” Jasper asked.
I stared. I wasn’t sure. I didn’t even really know where she was from. My aunt had told me little of her family. She told stories about my mother, but I’d envisioned them as nomads, like we were, always traveling. I didn’t know if my mother was from Bailsi or anywhere else.
I nodded. That seemed the best thing to do. I shoved the book shut in my lap, and was prepared to tell Jasper we should go. Only, the book opened again, leapt in the air, and did the whole page-turning thing again. My heart quickened at the surprise of it.
“I’m sorry,” Jasper said. “I forgot to tell you, it will find the next reference when you finish with the first one.”
I couldn’t help a little glare. That definitely would have been helpful to know. I suppose that is why he set his book down so gingerly after reading his passage. I looked up, and the book had found its new page and was now floating down toward the floor. Once it landed, I picked it up and pulled it near. An arrow pointed to a spot midway down the page. This was what I wanted. “Mages Corrupted,” I read the bold heading aloud.
“That sounds good.”
I shushed him and returned to the book. “Mages of light are generally thought of as good purveyors of magic, those who help make our world better. Mages of the moon and darkness can work for the good, but more often than not, they have followed a destructive path. Rarely do mages, once trained, switch paths, but there have been a few. Of those known mages whose allegiances have turned, who have gone from seeking light to seeking darkness, a handful are from the Northland. They include Oyvind of Gluk, Wyland of Toslo …” I skimmed the list until I got to the very last name. “And Zygam of Miltinsla.
“This tome is not designed to discuss dark mages, but know that all these mages have one thing in common. Their lust for power overwhelmed their desire to do good. They let darkness in their hearts, and it consumed them. Mages of light must always remember to let the light in. Do not try yourself to force darkness out. Letting light in will acquit the darkness all on its own. For more on corrupted mages, see Master Ivar of Gluk’s The Dark Road: Mages Gone Astray.”
&
nbsp; I looked up at Jasper. “We need that book.”
He nodded. “Let’s go back to the library.”
Chapter 19 - Surprises
We struck out at the library, with Master Fahd saying the book we needed was in Master Pylum’s office and was restricted to students who had their Mukaat designation. To say I was frustrated wasn’t even the half of it.
As it was late, I left Jasper and returned to my room. I needed to think about how to get out of here and to rescue Auntie. Only, I didn’t know exactly how to get there. If I could only master portals, I’d be in much better shape.
Well, the truth was, I wasn’t sure if I’d mastered portal magic. I conjured up what looked like a portal with Akilah’s help, but I sensed something about it was off. I didn’t want to go through it. I’d tried a couple times more, and each time I got that dread feeling that I shouldn’t enter it. It was like something was warning me to turn back. Though, I didn’t know why. I did it just like I was told.
I opened my room door and found Akilah meditating on the floor. Her pensive, quiet face gave me an idea. I quietly entered and sat on my mattress. I peeked toward the window, where moonlight was creeping in. The air was always temperate here, and a warm breeze fluttered in. I liked the nighttime here at the temple. It was peaceful.
I watched Akilah, trying to figure out how I’d broach the subject with her. She was a mukaat designee, so all I had to do was get her to ask Pylum for the book. Then I could find out about Zygam. I knew my success was tied to learning more about him. Just like I knew I shouldn’t enter the portals I’d created, I also knew that I was missing some crucial piece of information about Zygam that would help me save Auntie.
Akilah opened her eyes and then raised an eyebrow as she realized I’d been staring at her. “Like to watch me meditate, little one? I suppose I am amazing to look at, even in peaceful meditation,” she teased.