“Gemynd.”
“What does he think?” Soman asked, his attention now fully on Numa.
“He suggested you may have been the one who reported him,” Numa said and winced. She knew it was a terrible accusation and would most certainly hurt Soman to hear it. But she felt that they all deserved to know the truth. If Soman had reported Gemynd, she wanted to know. And if he hadn’t, then they needed to find out who did so they could put Gemynd’s fears to rest when he returns.
Soman froze with a piece of bread in his hand halfway to his mouth. His eyes widened and then his shoulders sagged. “He couldn’t have possibly meant it,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I would never, ever betray him that way. He couldn’t have thought it through before he said such a thing.”
Numa put her hand on his leg in a comforting gesture. “No, he didn’t mean it,” she said, now feeling sure that Soman had not been the one who reported Gemynd. “He was confused.”
Soman looked at her, puzzled. “But only the three of us knew,” he said. “Gemynd would not have been confused about that.”
“Someone else must have known,” she said. “It’s the only explanation.”
Soman nodded slowly. “I hope so,” he said then gave her what was obviously a forced smile. “This is just the sort of thing we’d have asked Gemynd to figure out for us.”
“There are things only he can do,” Numa said and sighed. “Until he returns, we will have to figure everything out on our own.”
“I am grateful we have each other now,” Soman said, his eyes filling with tears. “At least we are still together.”
“And we always shall be,” Numa said and pushed a curl back from his forehead, noticing that, despite Soman’s physical strength, his heart was as fragile as a dried flower.
“Let us rest now,” Soman said with a yawn and pulled Numa into his arms as he laid back on the bedsack. Being in Soman’s arms was very different from being in Gemynd’s. With Soman, Numa felt safe and warm and comfortable. But there was no undercurrent of desire vibrating between them.
When Numa awoke, she was alone in the sleeping house. Nighttime had come and though she knew she should try to go back to sleep, she felt strangely compelled to take a walk. She wanted to feel fresh air fill her lungs and let the moon and star light wash over her. She lit a lamp and stepped outside.
Numa held the oil lamp out in front of her as she made her way through the village to the Baldaquin tree. The night was hot and still and Numa’s kirtle clung to her body as she walked. With every step she took toward the tree, she felt more and more connected to Gemynd, as though he was somehow still with her. She remembered how he had spoken to her mind just before he had left. That was the feeling she had now; it was as though he was inside her mind. Not saying anything, just being there. She wondered if it was possible for him to do this from so far away or if it was only her imagination.
As she entered the shelter of the Baldaquin tree, a sense of peace washed over her. Somewhere in her mind, she knew it was only temporary, but as her mother had taught her earlier, she chose to feel the peace in this moment. She walked along the grass and stopped at the lakeshore, listening to the waterfall and the way the small waves lapped at the shore.
Numa set the lamp down on the ground and knelt beside it. She peered into the water that looked like black ink in the dark night and marveled at the way her reflection warped and distorted with the movement of the water and the flicker of the lamp flame. In some moments, when her face was mostly in shadow, she saw a resemblance to Gracewyn. And in other moments, when the play of light made her features turn silver, she saw Felyse. She knew, in the broad light of day, that she looked like neither of them. But here, in this special place, she felt she was more a part of them than she had ever felt before.
Numa drew designs on the surface of the water and hummed the songs her mothers had sang as they prepared her for the wedding. What should have been a day filled with some of Numa’s most cherished memories, became a day filled with her greatest pain.
Numa shook her head to clear the thoughts. She had resolved to think only of this moment. Not of the past and not of the future. But it was proving to be a difficult thing to do.
As she continued her humming, she began to notice strange ripples forming on the water’s surface. It was almost as if the water danced to her humming. With curiosity, Numa began to sing.
And the water rose and fell to the melody. The more she sang, the more it moved until finally a spout grew up out of the lake and appeared to be staring Numa in the face. Was her singing making this happen? she wondered.
Then she felt a strange sensation like a flower blossoming in her mind and she knew, just knew, that she could control the water. With her mind, she told the spout to move to the left and it did. She told it to move to the right and it did. It grew smaller and larger and even became a whirlpool all at Numa’s beckoning.
Numa felt giddy and fell on her back, laughing. She looked up and saw the great Baldaquin above her. Suddenly a strange vibration began to spiral within her heart that felt like a ball of twine unwinding. As it continued to unwind, Numa slowly began to recognize the vibration as music.
It was a melody she had never heard before and she realized it was the song of the Baldaquin tree. Numa felt the melody begin to rise within her, like a million tiny bubbles leaping from a glass of sparkling wine. It rose and rose, bubbling and vibrating its way up her throat until she opened her mouth and the mournful song of the Baldaquin came flowing out. As she sang, she beckoned the tree to bend toward her and it did. The branches and leaves danced with her singing at her request.
A sensation of awe flooded her and Numa dropped to her knees, kissing the roots of the great tree. Suddenly Numa felt connected to everything around her: the grass, the earth, the water and even the very air she breathed. It was all part of her and she of it.
“This is Oneness,” she breathed. And then the Truth sparked inside her mind. “I’m a glinter!”
At first, she just stood frozen in place. The enormity of what had just happened seemed too surreal to accept. Slowly, her mind began to process it all. If she’s a glinter, then she could be with Gemynd once again. She could join him in training!
Numa started running back to her mothers’ sleeping house, propelled by the thought of reuniting with Gemynd. The sooner she told someone of her new abilities, the sooner she would be with him. After several steps, Numa realized she no longer needed the light from the oil lamp so she set it on the ground. Although she didn’t fully understand how, she was able to sense everything around her so much so that she didn’t need to see it to know exactly where she was and where she should place her next footfall. “I’m on my way, Gemynd,” she said quietly, knowing in her heart that he could hear her.
But then she stopped short. If she left now, there was a chance she may never be allowed to return to Aerie. What if the unrest in Todor continued for years or decades or even the rest of Numa’s life? Could she face a life without Aerie? It was the only home she’d ever known and she loved it with her whole heart. Would her leaving mean never again seeing her mothers? Or Soman?
“Soman,” she whispered to the night air. He already had to endure the heartbreak of Gemynd’s leaving. Would he survive Numa leaving too?
Numa rubbed her eyes and felt like crumpling under the weight of the decision before her. She was starkly aware of the fact that her future was now entirely up to her. If she chose to tell of her glinting abilities, she would be rejoined with Gemynd but risked losing all else that she loved. If she kept it a secret, she would be choosing to remain separated from Gemynd.
Numa dropped to her knees and closed her eyes. “Deis, I ask you to please hear me now. I must make a choice and I need guidance to make the right one. I do not wish to make a choice that will result in suffering. My heart longs for Gemynd, but I fear leaving Aerie and all I have ever known. Please guide me to the right choice.”
After several moments
of silence, Numa sighed and opened her eyes. She had not received an answer as she had hoped and her choice still had to be made. She looked at the ground in front of her and noticed a cluster of heidelsnaps. With her new abilities, she could see the Lifeforce of the tiny flowers as it swirled and vibrated within them. She knew in an instant that they were full of Joy. All eight of them seemed to smile at her.
“Eight,” Numa said aloud, realizing she had inadvertently counted the flowers. Was this her answer from the Deis? The number eight?
“The eighth Truth: To exert power over another or take power from another or to willingly give up your own power is to make a choice that disrupts the Oneness of Life,” she said to herself and her eyes widened with realization. “To willingly give up your own power. That’s what I’d be doing if I stay. My decision is made then. I will join Gemynd in training.”
With mixed emotions, Numa got to her feet. She could feel the sun coming up over the rock wall, its strong energy giving her courage. She would tell her mothers first, then Soman and, finally, report herself to the Keepers.
As Numa made her way to her mothers’ sleeping house, she saw two figures emerge in the dim light. They were her mothers.
“There you are, Numa,” Felyse said and pulled her into an embrace. “We thought we’d come find you before going to the library in case you’d like to join us. Unless you would prefer more time to yourself.”
“The library?” Numa asked.
“We like to choose new books to study while the Keepers sleep,” Gracewyn said and shrugged. “If they’re awake, they tend to offer too much advice.”
Numa thought perhaps this was another message from the Deis. If she went to the library, she could awaken both Soman and Keeper Stout and tell them all at the same time.
“Joyous morning,” a man’s voice called nearby. It was Soman.
“You’re awake already,” Numa said, surprised.
“I’m still awake, you mean. I’ve been on bellman watch all night,” Soman replied.
Numa had forgotten about Soman’s new duties.
“Are you feeling any better?” Soman asked with concern.
Numa nodded and took a deep, fortifying breath. “I do feel better. There is something I must tell all of you. And I wish to tell Keeper Stout as well. Please, come with me,” she said and marched toward the Wishing Hut before she could change her mind.
“Numa, dear, are you certain you wish to tell us all at the same time?” Felyse asked as she hurried to keep up.
Numa simply nodded her response. She continued her March through the doorskin of the Wishing Hut and was again surprised to see that Keeper Stout was also already awake, reading a book by the light of an oil lamp.
“Numa, child,” he said as she entered. He walked over to her and rubbed her arm. “Are you well? I know Gemynd’s departure has been difficult for you.”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about,” Numa replied and looked at the four pairs of expectant eyes. “I have discovered only moments ago that I, too, am a glinter.”
Now that the words were out, Numa’s heart began to pound. She looked at the others’ faces to gauge their reactions. Gracewyn and Felyse looked at each other and smiled. Keeper Stout looked horrified. And Soman looked as though he’d just been slapped.
“What makes you think so?” Keeper Stout asked. “That is to say, what abilities do you have?”
“I made the water dance and I heard the Baldaquin’s song,” Numa explained, deciding she may as well be honest about it all. “And I can see the Lifeforce in the plants and rocks and air, and even in you.”
“I see,” Keeper Stout said and looked at Numa’s mothers. “She must depart for training immediately. Do you wish to accompany her?”
“We do,” Numa’s mothers said in unison.
“ You will be granted a one-time pass to escort Numa to her training. Are you fully aware of what that means?” Keeper Stout asked them.
They both nodded. “If we do not return to Aerie within one week from receiving the pass, we will not be allowed to return to Aerie until the time of isolation has ended,” Gracewyn answered.
“You can come with me?” Numa asked tentatively, afraid to hope this might be possible.
“Yes and we will explain everything on the way,” Felyse said.
Numa smiled. “The Deis do provide,” she said happily. She would get to be with Gemynd and not have to lose her mothers after all.
But then she thought of Soman who stood silently across the room. He looked confused and betrayed; hurt and lost. Numa went to him and wrapped her arms around him, but he did not reciprocate. “Soman, I do not wish to cause you more pain,” Numa said, but he still made no reply. “Perhaps you can find Joy in knowing that Gemynd and I will now be together. I will join him in training and when we are done, we will find our way back to you.”
Soman gently pushed Numa away from him, then stormed out of the Wishing Hut. Numa started to go after him, but was stopped by Gracewyn.
“Numa,” she said and sighed. “Sweet Numa. I wish you could have known this before, but I’m certain it would have altered the choice you made.”
Numa’s heart pounded harder. All the signs were there: this was going to be very bad news.
“There are different types of glinters,” Gracewyn explained and Keeper Stout nodded behind her.
“Each type has their own separate training,” Felyse added.
Numa felt an icy hand grip her heart. “Gemynd and I are different types of glinters,” she finished. The three others simply nodded in response. “I will not be joining him.”
“You will not be joining him right now,” Keeper Stout said quickly. “But yours is a love that will not be denied. I believe you will be together again one day. I will do what I can here to support you in returning. I will meet with Keeper Clary daily until we find a way to allow Aerites to return home if they wish, while always keeping Aerie safe.”
“Thank you, Keeper,” Numa said reflexively. Her thoughts had gone back in time. If only she’d decided to keep her abilities a secret. But she felt certain the Deis had guided her to her decision.
“You have very little time left here,” Keeper Stout said. “Perhaps you should spend it with Soman.”
Numa found Soman leaning against the massive top stone of the oil press. “Soman, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she said as she ran up to him. “I don’t know if I can live one moment out there knowing that you’re angry with me.”
Soman opened his arms to her and she fell into them, utterly engulfed. “I’m not angry,” he said. “I was disappointed that you didn’t come to me first so we could decide together what to do next, but I know now that you did the only thing you could. If you’re a glinter, it would be useless to try to keep that a secret. If the truth about Gemynd was discovered, then it would be the same for you. I don’t know how I’ll bear the emptiness of being without the both of you, but you were right, knowing that you and Gemynd will be together, does give me Joy. I will find solace in that until the three of us are together again.”
“There were more secrets, Soman. More information that we did not know,” Numa said bitterly, for the first time in her life feeling betrayed by the Keepers. “There are different types of glinters and we don’t all go to the same place for training.”
“Different types?” Soman asked, his deep voice vibrating in his chest against Numa’s ear. “What does that mean?”
Numa shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t even really care,” she said, knowing she sounded pathetic. “But had I known about this, I never would have told about my glinting. I would have stayed here with you. And now, because of my loose tongue, the three of us shall be in separate corners of the world.”
Soman stood up straight, gently pushing Numa away from him. He had a frantic look in his eyes and he began tapping his fingers on his forehead. “There must be a way around this,” he said. “If only Gemynd were here, he could figure it out for us.”
&nbs
p; Numa reached for Soman’s hand to steady it, but he pulled away. “Soman, he wasn’t able to prevent his own leaving. I don’t think anything can be done now but to say goodbye.”
“I won’t say goodbye to you,” he snapped and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. He was growing more agitated by the second. “I will stop them my way if I have to.”
“No!” Numa said. “You will get yourself banished forever. Promise me you won’t do that. Keeper Stout assured me he and Keeper Clary would work to figure out a way to allow us to return after our training. I need you to be here when that happens.”
Soman’s eyes softened a little, but his body continued to fidget. “I will work with them then,” he said. “And I need you to promise me something. Promise me that you will return to Aerie and to me. No matter what you find out there. Even if it’s a place more wonderful than Aerie. Promise me that you’ll come back.”
“Oh, Soman,” Numa said and placed her hand on his cheek. “I give you my vow. I will come back to Aerie and to you. The three of us will be together again.”
Soman closed his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line. Then he opened them and Numa saw that the enormous strength they usually held was beginning to crumble.
“Hold me once more before I go,” Numa pleaded.
Soman wrapped his arms around her as she asked, but the normal calming energy was gone from them. His muscles were swollen with unreleased energy and Numa feared he may erupt like the fiery mountains she’d heard about in stories.
“It is time to go,” came Keeper Stout’s quiet voice from behind them. “Your mothers have packed some clothing and provisions for the trip. Everything is ready.”
Numa closed her eyes and listened for the steady rhythm of Soman’s heartbeat as she pressed her ear to his chest. But what she heard there was fierce and pounding. She pulled back to look at his face and was startled by what she saw. All traces of Joy were gone and had been replaced by raw fury.
“Everything is not ready!” he roared and Keeper Stout stumbled backwards. “I will never be ready! You can’t just take them away from me!”
Revelation: The Todor Trilogy, Book One Page 13