by Lexy Wolfe
When she reached the dais the Oracle Stone sat upon, Zoe stumbled and sagged to her knees as the stone returned to the dull, barely perceptible glow of somnolence. Ellis helped her to sit on the box's lid, watching her with concern. Rubbing her eyes, Zoe looked up at Ellis. "Master Ellis? Did I do good?" She yawned hugely. "I am a little tired." She squinted. "You look strange. Like Master Ash. Except old."
Ellis smiled and patted the girl's shoulder. "You did very well, Zoe, yes. And you can sleep for as long as you need." Waving to the two attendants who brought the Oracle Stone, Ellis told Zoe, "Janos will show you where your new home will be and make sure your belongings are brought to you, dear. Get some rest."
Standing, Ellis looked at the Illaini and Githalin for a long moment, frowning in concern. Oblivious to the many eyes upon them, the tension between the two was obvious. Ellis hastened to end the ceremony to send the gawkers on their way. "The Voice of the Oracle has spoken! Go now and meditate on Her words and heed Her wisdom."
Ignorant of the tongue after having destroyed the pendant that let her understand Forentan, Storm recognized the closing of the ceremony and abruptly turned away, hiding her shaking with motion. "I want to leave this place." Her heavy accent reflected her agitation. "Now!"
"Of course," Ash replied calmly. He glanced at Ellis, then looked back at Storm. "We can return later."
The Desanti woman dropped a hand to the hilt of her knife, baring her teeth as she turned on Ash with a snarl. "I will never return to this place. Ever!" She turned and stalked out.
"Go," Ellis urged the Illaini Magus. "There is time enough to speak. She needs you more than I right now." With a grateful nod, Ash hurried to catch up to Storm and guide her back out. The last thing that was needed was an agitated Swordanzen lost and roaming the halls of a place filled with arrogant mages.
Chapter 24
The moment Ellis had started speaking to close the ceremony, Terrence had turned to push his way through the crowded halls on the second level, hurrying to the main level. Petal hugged his shoulder to hide as she asked worriedly, "You are afraid. Why afraid? What is wrong? All is good now!"
"Get in my hood," he hissed when he got out of earshot of the others still milling around the balcony areas of the upper halls. Pausing on the vacant landing to take a deep breath to calm himself, he murmured, "I know what the Voice of the Oracle said to Storm. When Storm is upset, she tends to lash out physically and only Ash would understand that. If anyone saw..." He shuddered and started back down the stairs. "I don't even want to think about it."
Terrence nearly fell as he reached the main level, skidding to a stop as he caught sight of his master and the Swordanzen further down the hall. The young mage paused, unsure if he should follow the two. Storm's posture and sharp, jerking gestures hinted at an extremely volatile temper, even Ash only staying near enough to keep others from getting too close to her, barely out of weapon's reach himself.
"Senior Journeyman Terrence," a voice greeted from behind.
Terrence jumped, turning to bow quickly. "Edai...! I mean, Se'edai Magus Ellis! Forgive me, I did not see you."
Ellis smiled faintly as he appraised the young man. "Ash did instill a healthy dose of respect in you, didn't he?" He put a fatherly hand on Terrence's shoulder. "I am not sure what the Voice said to Storm, but I imagine it might be best to let those two handle the matters between them." He looked down the hall, a trace of worry crossing his face.
Twitching inwardly when Ellis mentioned not knowing what was said to Storm, Terrence nodded with a sigh. "Yes, Se'edai Magus." He flicked a look down the hall though the mage and warrior had long since vanished. "I cannot help but worry. Storm is... unpleasant when she is upset."
"Relax, Journeyman. There is little we can do but wait for the matter to blow over. There are other matters to attend to." Terrence looked at Ellis in puzzled curiosity. "The Voice of the Oracle has requested your presence," Ellis stated formally. He chuckled reassuringly at Terrence's wide-eyed shock laced with no small amount of fear. "Stop worrying, Journeyman. The Oracle Stone sleeps. But I think Zoe needs a friend at the moment. It is a harsh change to be chosen to help one's god."
"Well, I imagine so," Terrence said. "But Master Ash is the one the Knowing One chose. Not me."
"No, not you," Ellis agreed. He led Terrence down a secluded corridor that led to a hall that Terrence had never seen. "But Ash is rather busy. And she asked for you specifically. I can only guess it is because you are closer to her age and of your proximity to Ash. You are quite perceptive and learn well from other's."
The memory of Dzee came to the young man's mind immediately, remembering how the others looked oddly at him until Ash restored her to her own body. Remembering how alone he felt. Terrence looked up to meet Ellis's eyes, and nodded. "Of course, Master Ellis. I would be happy to meet with Zoe."
"Thank you, Terrence,"
Looking around, Terrence said, "I do not think I have ever been down this hall before." He reached out to brush his fingers along a crystalline structure that resembled an explosion of roses on the wall.
"Unsurprising. This is the private hall for the most senior members of the Magus Academy. He smiled faintly. "Ash actually has quarters here, but he rarely uses them. The Se'edai Magus quarters are here and those of the Voice of the Oracle. The other Edai have their hall elsewhere. It is the first time in many, many years they will all have occupants." As they walked, Ellis could not help but notice Terrence staring at him as they walked. "You must have innumerable questions crowding your mind. All things considered, it is perfectly understandable." He smiled faintly. "You may speak your mind, Journeyman."
Terrence looked forward quickly, face warm with embarrassment. "Forgive me, Master Ellis. I did not mean to stare. It is just..." Looking back at the man, he confessed, "It is just strange to see so much of Master Ash in you."
The Se'edai Magus chuckled. "I think it is more accurate to say you never saw me in him." Silent a moment, Ellis said quietly, "It will require quite a bit of getting used to for me, too. The last time I saw this face in a mirror, I had just graduated to senior master. It almost makes me dizzy contemplating the passage of time."
Terrence paused a moment. "Did you hope this would happen? Regaining your youth, I mean."
Ellis chuckled. "I would be lying if I told you I never wished to find my youth again. But I always considered those wishes as the inevitable daydreams of an old man who had a lot of unfinished business he would never be able to get to attend to." His smile faded. "The gods never do anything without purpose. That the Timeless One felt the Great Mother's request warranted returning my youth to me speaks of the severity of the unbalance that Forenta suffers from. And the utter lack of people She sees fit to work to set things to rights. There are too many who put serving themselves before serving Forenta, and too few who do that were repressed into near silence."
"I never did fit in very well when my family sent me here as a child. I wanted to learn. They worried about fashion, gossip, and making everyone knew where they belonged on the social ladder." Terrence pressed his lips together. "There are a lot of people who think Master Ash and Mistress Storm are..." He made a vague gesture. "Though it is strange how many are actually disappointed when I tell them they are not intimate."
Ellis nodded simply. "Yes, I am well aware of the rumors floating around. While the less charitable comments bother me, I am grateful that a significant number of the population do not possess the venomous bigotry towards foreigners our people had been known for. Not that those outside Forenta trust that it is not hidden behind a veil of niceties." He nodded to several servants they passed in the long hallway. "The petty, closed-minded attitudes had grown increasingly troublesome since my days as a boy, as has the division between those strong in magic ability and those not."
The younger man looked at the older man sharply. "You had seen the unbalance the goddess spoke of before now? How our society was being poisoned?" When Ellis nodded silently, the jou
rneyman asked accusingly, "How could you stand by and watch it happen?! Why didn't you try to do something to stop it before it got so bad?"
Ellis stopped, turning to regard Ash's student in silence, his expression as unreadable as the Illaini Magus's own. Neither the journeyman apologized for his boldness, nor did the Se'edai take him to task for it. Finally, Ellis replied quietly, "Such things do not happen overnight, Journeyman. Our society had been touched long before the Great War. The Forentan people are not unlike the Desanti in many ways. We are our gods' children. Our gods want us to learn, to explore... To understand. But They know if They tried to guide our every step, we will never mature as a people, to learn to stand on our own."
"But if we and the Desanti are so much alike, Master Ellis, then why did the Great War happen? Everything about it goes against what both our peoples believed in." Terrence closed his eyes, clenching his fists in frustration. "Did we hate them so much we tried to kill them? We stripped the magic... the very life from them and their land and left..." He shook his head sharply. "I have no words that can describe the horror of what I witnessed in Desantiva."
"Goddess, no," Ellis said emphatically, putting a hand on Terrence's shoulder. "Terrence, what drove us to that most shameful act was not hatred. Hatred is a mask for what lies underneath."
Opening his eyes, Terrence asked helplessly, "Then what, Master? I have tried to understand, but I just cannot! What would have driven our ancestors to go against the most basic of laws and nearly upset the great balance?"
"The greatest sins combined, Terrence. Ignorance and pride. Most likely that of both the mages and the warriors." Ellis watched Terrence's expression change from anger to confusion. "You have seen the Swordanzen. They are proud of who and what they are. And they have every right to be," Ellis stated. "The focus and dedication required to hone their skills is unquestionable."
"It is like the focus and dedication that a mage must have." Terrence studied an ornate design of an endless, winding knot of colors on the floor. "The true great mages were more like Master Ash. Always seeking more knowledge. Putting strength and ability before all other things in importance."
Ellis nodded, watching Terrence's expression, pleased with the young journeyman's growing comprehension. "With knowledge there can be understanding. The Desanti's understanding of the world is no less than ours, simply different. But we and they became too proud. We did not seek to understand the warriors, and the warriors did not seek to understand us mages. We both looked down on the other's views and gifts as beneath our own."
"And where there is no understanding, there is no trust. Where there is no trust, there is fear," Terrence said softly. "It was not hatred. It was fear."
Ellis nodded, turning to resume walking, Terrence falling in by his side. "Our ancestors feared the warrior people. With good reason, if their people were half as skilled as the two Githalin when I watched them training while Ash recovered from the morelmi." Sighing, the Se'edai Magus murmured, "The Desanti are brusque where Forenten are subtle, and they trusted us as little as we trusted them.
"So our ancestors did what they believed would keep Forenta safe." He added, "I have no doubt the warrior people feared the mages, though they would never have admitted to fear any sooner than we would. Before the Second Sundering, the Desanti's answer was to claim the southern regions as their own, and our ancestors claimed the northern territories."
A surge of Dzee's ancient memory flashed in the journeyman's mind's eye, of viewing the land from far above, when the sea between the northern continent and Desantiva was little more than a wide river. He put a hand to his temple, grimacing at the accompanying surge of pain that was always present whenever the Totani's memories invaded his mind. "Instead of war, the Desanti and Forenten tried to separate each other to keep the peace. Terrence looked at Ellis, troubled. "But why wasn't it enough?"
Ellis sighed."I have searched the academy's archives, but I have yet to find an answer to that question. I do not know if anyone will ever truly know what made our ancestors choose to invade the southern territories. I can only guess our ancestors believed the warriors were merely preparing for an attack where no eyes could see them. They only realized their error too late." Terrence started to mention that the Knowing One agreed and helped in the attack, but Petal tugged his hair frantically and the journeyman sighed, nodding in agreement.
Ellis assumed Terrence was simply agreeing with his words. He sighed. "Since then, we have tried to cover our shame with stories of the evils of the warrior folk that were based on half-truths and exaggerations. Another flaw of our people is failing to own up to our mistakes because we have instilled the perception that being mistaken is a sign of weakness, and allowed it to spread beyond our borders."
"But why didn't we try to undo the damage we had done then? Could we not have undone it? Restored the land?" Terrence closed his eyes. "The Desanti could not have been so horrible as to deserve what we left them."
The Se'edai Magus shook his head. "The Desanti were not the only ones who suffered unimaginable losses during the Great War. You know the morelmi nearly cost Ash his life when he used it on Amelana to strip the magic from her. The forbidden magic counterpart demanded just as heavy a toll. Nearly all the mages died in the attack. I cannot imagine they realized they would be sacrificing themselves in the process of the attack. But. Power always demands price."
Terrence blinked several times. "Forenta was nearly destroyed, too?" he whispered. "I did not realize—"
"Yes," Ellis replied simply. "All those who participated in the spell died. Only a handful of those learned in magic remained, and even fewer strong in the gifts. It has taken us this long for our numbers to recover. To recuperate the talent, those who were born gifted were matched with gifted, so their children would have as much if not more talent. The Avarian family had always wished, when the time had come, to return our wisdom to the world and make amends. But then..." He sighed, closing his eyes momentarily.
"When Bennu and I had come into our own, we saw that the best and strongest of our people were dying. Illnesses strange or common, accidents or attacks. The means did not appear to be connected but that it seemed to be happening more among the stronger became obvious. The numbers were greater than mere coincidence could ever allow, but there did not seem to be any single group or entity that was the cause."
"Our people do prefer subtlety," Terrence mused aloud to himself.
Ellis regarded Terrence solemnly. "I am sure the Swordanzen would agree, you can't go into a fight not knowing who your opponent is. All we could do was try to preserve and protect what we could." Ellis looked grim. "But things have changed." Pausing at a large door, Ellis turned to Terrence. "I have a request to ask of you, Journeyman."
Terrence blinked. "Of course, Master Ellis. Anything for you and the Academy."
"I doubt even the goddess herself would be able to convince Swordanzen Storm to step foot near the Academy again anytime soon. But I understand you are friends with the other Swordanzen with her." Ellis hesitated a moment before continuing. "Ask him if he would be willing to come to the Academy to teach our people about Desantiva. It is time that we return to our roots of learning, and I think it is time we learned the truth of our warrior cousins."
Not mentioning the edict that the Raging One had put on Storm to do just that, Terrence smiled a little and nodded. "Of course, Master Ellis. I think Swordanzen Skyfire would be honored to help bring understanding back to the people." Pleased, Ellis nodded once. He opened the door, letting Terrence precede him.
The young girl sat on the deep windowsill, looking wistfully out over the forests. Zoe turned as the door opened and smiled brightly. "Terrence!" The girl ran over and hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you! You and Master Ash were gone forever!"
Terrence made a show of staggering back from the near tackling embrace. "Goddess, Zoe! Look how tall you are! You keep this up and you'll be taller than the trees!"
The girl giggled, tugging
Terrence towards the deep windowsill of her room that looked out on Ithesra. "You are being silly, Terrence. People don't get that tall!"
"I don't know..." the young man said, laughing when the girl tickled his ribs. "Mercy! Mercy!"
Ellis smiled as he stood at the door. "Now that the ceremony is over, I must arrange for my own things to be brought to the Se'edai Magus quarters." With a bow, he pulled the door shut. The moment the Se'edai was gone, Zoe's smile faded as she sighed heavily, her eyes on the door.
Terrence frowned a little, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "What's the matter, Zoe?" He startled when the girl threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely. "Hey now. What's wrong?"
"I don't know if I can do this, Terrence," Zoe whispered. "There are so many memories in my head and everyone expects so much and I'm just... I'm not that important or strong or—"
"Shhh." Terrence hugged her tighter. "Easy, Zoe. You can do it. The Knowing One would not have chosen you to be Her Voice if She did not believe you were strong enough." He stroked her hair comfortingly. "But it is scary, having so many strange memories stuck in your head all at once."
Zoe sniffled, sitting back to look up at him. "She said... She said you would understand." The girl looked at him with a slight frown, rubbing the tears away with the back of her hand. "But how could anyone understand? There is only one Voice at a time ever."
A small smile curled Terrence's lips. "I know because I have someone else's thoughts in my head, too." He tapped his temple. "A lost Desanti Totani needed my help and I let her spirit in me so she could stay on this plane until Master Ash could fix her. She shared her memories with me because she trusted me." Zoe's eyes went very wide. "They are still there, too. I haven't forgotten what she showed me."