by Ivan Kal
They were escorted through the winding hallways and up the stairs that led them to the large ballroom, where the gathering was taking place. Tables lined one side of the room, while the middle was cleared of furniture and filled with people. On the other end of the room was a group of people surrounded by several guards. The King stood and talked softly with one of the nobles, his closest advisors standing close. Close to the King was an elevated platform filled with musicians that played a soft and slow melody.
As Kyarra entered, the people close enough to see her entrance quieted down and watched as the servant standing close to the doors announced her arrival.
The servant raised his staff and slammed its butt into the floor three times before speaking to the room. “Arriving! Kyarra Con Aroch, Eternal Soul, Wielder of the Staff of Storms, Protector of Tourran!”
Immediately Kyarra stepped forward into the now quiet room. As she walked, people moved aside and opened a way between her and the King. She walked and ignored the whispers and looks she got from the people around her. When she reached the guards, they moved aside and allowed her closer. Once in front of the King, she adjusted her grip on her staff and got down on one of her knees, bowing her head.
“Your Majesty,” she said.
The quiet stretched for a moment, and then the voice of the King rang out. “Stand, Lady Con Aroch.”
Kyarra stood and looked upon the face of King Nathaniel Torren. He had changed since the last time she had seen him, barely a year ago. It seemed like he had aged years in the span of months—the hair that just a few years ago had only a few silver strands now was completely gray. And she could see that gained age in his eyes; he was tired, and it showed in his face.
The King stepped closer to her, and embraced her like his own daughter, and some of Kyarra’s tension left her. She had always liked the King; he had always been kind to her. “I had hoped that you would accept this invitation. Stay after the party, as I wish to speak with you privately,” he whispered in her ear.
Kyarra frowned as he stepped back, but nodded firmly. The King smiled and allowed her into the throng of people to mingle. The nobles of Tourran stepped closer to pay their respects to her as the King turned back to his conversation. Kyarra suffered silently through it, walking slowly and greeting the nobles, most of whom never failed to mention some opportunity or ask for some favor. Kyarra was starting to get annoyed by the endless throng of nobles when an older woman and two equally old men stepped in front of her. Kyarra’s face immediately softened, and she smiled at the white-haired woman.
“Lady Havergrove,” Kyarra said, greeting her with a bow that was deeper than was required.
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me by name?” Lady Dainah Havergrove asked.
“It would not be proper, my lady,” Kyarra said seriously, but her eyes gave away her mirth.
Lady Havergrove murmured something and Kyarra turned to the two older gentlemen standing on either side of her.
“My lords,” Kyarra said, greeting Lady Havergrove’s husbands.
“Lady Con Aroch, it is a pleasure as always,” Lord Kersik Havergrove said.
“Yes, it has been a long time since we last saw you at one of these gatherings,” Lord Jeral Havergrove said.
“My duties do keep me busy, my lords,” Kyarra said.
“Bah,” Lady Havergrove said, “don’t lie, little girl. I have been your best friend for a lifetime. I know when you lie! Come now, help an old hag out to the balcony. I need some fresh air.”
“Of course,” Kyarra said, taking her arm and escorting her through the room.
She couldn’t help but notice how fragile the old woman looked—and likely felt. But then, she was very old. Kyarra still remembered when she had first met her. She had went to Lady Havergrove’s home to give her a painting.
When Kyarra had been fifteen years old, she had found a crate of paintings painted by Ruidan, and among them was one of a young woman laying on a bed, nude. It was obvious that whoever it had been had meant a lot to Ruidan, and that the woman and he had been close. Kyarra had shown the painting to Ovar, who recognized the woman in question, and Kyarra had decided to go and find her. At that time she knew very little about her past lives, as she had been told that she should focus on learning magic and leave the personal journals for later. Her priority was to continue learning magic from the guide books and the memory gems devised over many lifetimes for the sole purpose of teaching her all that she needed to know about magic, not reading about personal matters at this stage.
Kyarra still remembered how afraid she had felt when she first met Lady Dainah Havergrove. That was the first time that she had been in the presence of someone who was so close to her previous life; her guardian had never really talked in depth about Ruidan’s personal life. And still Kyarra remembered the teary eyes of Lady Dainah when she saw her, and how she fell apart in sobs when she saw the painting, and how tightly she clung to Kyarra.
Later, when she had calmed down, she told Kyarra of how she had loved Ruidan, and how they had been lovers for a time. Eventually the fact that he was forbidden to marry and have children came between them, but the love they held for each other was sustained, and they remained best friends. His death had hit her hard, especially since Kyarra had been kept relatively sheltered and protected during her child years and Lady Havergrove had not been allowed to contact her. Kyarra had always felt a strange kind of closeness to the old woman; she had no memories of her, but there was something that drew her to her past life’s friend. Lady Dainah was one of the few nobles in Tourran that Kyarra liked and respected.
The two of them—followed by Lady Dainah’s husbands—stepped out of the people-filled room and onto the balcony, which was empty. They leaned on the stone railing and looked out over the city, with her husbands stepping away a bit away to give them privacy. Blue magelight lanterns illuminated the streets and cast the entire city in a soft light, making the shadows dance on the buildings. Tourran might not have had a good relationship with the Academy of the Mages Guild, but it was wealthy enough to be able to purchase mage-crafted items and hire mages from across the ocean for any services needed.
“Ruidan had problems with this too, you know…” Lady Dainah said.
“Problem with what?” Kyarra asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Mingling with the nobles, being paraded around.”
Kyarra looked at her in surprise. “My understanding was that he loved parties and being in the center of the attention.”
“Those who told you that didn’t know the real Ruidan, then,” she said quietly. “You haven’t yet read his journal, have you?”
“No,” Kyarra admitted. “I’ve been too focused on learning more about magic.”
“Like those before him, he too struggled with the fact that he was stuck inside the walls of this city for life. It took him a while to come to terms with it, but he never really enjoyed all the things that he had to do to keep the reputation of the Eternal Soul whole. He lived with the facade, and only a few got to see the real Ruidan.”
Kyarra sighed. “I know that I need to pretend, to make sure that all see me as a symbol. But I don’t know if I can do it for the rest of my life.”
Lady Dainah patted Kyarra’s hand and smiled at her. “You are stronger than Ruidan was, you know. It took him quite a few years more to realize that the perceptions of others mattered a great deal—even though all his former lives warned him about it.”
“Is that all that I am supposed to be? The Eternal Soul, deterrent against the Lashian Empire and the Kingdom of Amaranthine?”
“You are a great part of what protects Tourran from its more powerful neighbors, true. But do you really think that if you were the only thing keeping us safe, we would’ve remained so until now?”
“No, of course not. There are times when the threat of the Eternal Soul is virtually nonexistent, when my reincarnations are vulnerable. I know that there are reasons other than me that keep them f
rom invading—I just don’t know what they are. My guardian insists that it is best for me to focus on learning magic. And I can understand that to a point. Most of what I know of the world outside of Tourran is through my magical studies. Places of great magic—empires and kingdoms, or at least the type of magic that they practice—it all allows me only small insights into the politics and the state of the world I live in, as the most recent texts are at least twenty years old.”
“The greatest reason why we are safe is because of you,” Lady Dainah said. “But yes, there are others. Tourran is surrounded by mountains and has only two passes that lead through them, one to the Empire and the other to Amaranthine. We have a small but strong navy, and we are wealthy enough that we can employ mercenary fleets and armies. But the main reason why they are not invading is their fear of each other. If one conquered Tourran, the other would need to retaliate. Tourran is too favorably positioned between the two that it would give a large advantage to the one that got to it first.
“And they are afraid of going to war with each other. Both possess their own fragments of power, and they do not want to risk their bearers clashing. Although, with the current Emperor in power, that is changing—rumors about the Empire preparing for war abound, which only serves to fuel people’s fear. The last time that two people wielding fragments of power clashed in battle, we got the Shattered Isles…an entire continent ripped asunder by that power.” Lady Dainah shuddered. “It is why people fear you.”
Kyarra nodded in understanding. “That only serves to illustrate how pointless my life truly is. I live, I die, and I live again—an endless cycle. Each life is spent learning things that those before me have learned, and after a lifetime of study the best I can hope for is to add a small portion of the things I learned on my own for the life that comes next. And all because Vardun didn’t want to die,” Kyarra said harshly. “He couldn’t make himself immortal, so he settled for the next best thing with no consideration of what he was doing to us—to himself.”
Lady Dainah remained silent for a while, then turned to look at Kyarra. “That is what you really believe? That your life is pointless?”
“I am supposed to serve Tourran with no regard for my own wishes. To me, it is.”
“So, you believe that Vardun only wanted to extend his own life?”
Kyarra frowned at her tone. “What do you mean?”
“You really should read through some of those journals, should read personal accounts of your past lives. I would recommend you start with the journal of Jakkon Con Aroch—he was what you collectively refer to as your second life. It should provide an interesting insight into Vardun’s reasoning for what he did.”
Kyarra narrowed her eyes at the older woman. “You read the journals?” she asked, taken aback. Her library had been spelled so that only she could enter it, and had been so since Vardun. It was also a closely guarded secret that only Ovar knew about. It was hidden in her mansion, and not even Ovar had access to it. Only Kyarra could enter.
Lady Dainah glanced around them, seeing that they were still alone and that her husbands were standing out of earshot. “Ruidan and I had been very close,” she said with a sad smile. “He allowed me inside a few times over the years.”
Kyarra looked at her in astonishment—it had never even occurred to her that she even could allow another inside, Ovar had never mentioned it, which meant that either he didn’t know or that he had hidden that fact from her. “You are saying that Vardun had some other reason as to why he did it?”
“What do I know? I am just a senile old hag,” Lady Dainah said. She patted Kyarra’s hand one more time, then gestured behind them at the doors leading back inside, where Ovar was standing. “You should go back inside. I’m sure that there are still more nobles that haven’t greeted you. I shouldn’t be seen taking over all of your time.” She turned and walked over to her husbands, leaving Kyarra staring at her retreating back.
Ovar walked over to her once they were gone. “Is everything all right, my lady?” he asked formally. She turned to look at him, surprised, but then saw the couple step onto the balcony behind him.
“Yes, Ovar, everything is fine. Let us go back inside,” she told him.
Once inside, almost before she even took a single step further, she was accosted by yet another noble. After a few exchanged words, Kyarra quickly ended the conversation and moved further into the room, bent on getting through the night as quickly as possible. Then a man—balding, and thin to the point of being gangly—stepped in front of her, bending down at the waist.
“Lady Con Aroch,” the King’s seneschal greeted her. She gave him a nod and turned to look at his companions. Both were obviously from the Lashian Empire.
“Allow me to introduce Ambassador Harivar Tou Perav, and Grand Marshal Darvo Tou Benerof, of the Lashian Empire.”
Kyarra stared at them in surprise. She had met the Lashian Ambassador before and it had not been this man—which could only mean that the man she knew had been replaced.
“Ambassador.” She nodded at him. “I had not been made aware that a new ambassador had arrived.” As she said the last few words, she turned her eyes at the seneschal, who squirmed under her gaze.
“It is a recent development, Lady Eternal Soul,” the ambassador said.
“Apologies, Lady Con Aroch,” the seneschal said quickly. “But you have shown…little interest in the political situation of Tourran. I’ll make sure that you are advised of any developments in the future.”
Kyarra’s eye twitched. He was right; she had shown little interest in the matters of the kingdom. She turned to the red-haired man, who was dressed in the traditional Lashian black. “I have heard many things about you, Grand Marshal,” she said.
“Likewise. I have heard many things about the Eternal Soul,” the Grand Marshal said as his green eyes studied her calmly.
Kyarra was impressed—few could keep her gaze for long. Kyarra might not know much, but she did know about the Grand Marshal. It was impossible for her not to overhear conversations about him and his rise to power alongside his cousin, the Emperor. As far as Tourran’s nobles were concerned, the only reason why Emperor Erius Tou Denorof had won the Black Sun Throne was because of his cousin’s military genius. Grand Marshal Darvo Tou Benerof was not a man to be taken lightly.
“I am surprised to see you here. I would assume that you had much more important things to deal with than attend parties in Tourran,” Kyarra said lightly.
“I am here on behalf of the Emperor, to deliver a message to your King. And, as I was in the city for this gathering, I could not refuse the chance to meet the famed Eternal Soul.”
Kyarra raised an eyebrow at his words. “And what do you think?”
Grand Marshal looked her over unabashedly, and then nodded. “I think that the things they say about you in the Empire are true.”
“And what are they saying about me?”
“They say that you carry yourself like a queen, and that you are a great beauty.”
Kyarra stared at him in shock. From all the things she had expected to hear, the latter hadn’t been among them. The silence stretched out until finally the seneschal coughed uncomfortably, bringing Kyarra’s attention to back to reality.
“Apologies, my lady, but there are a few more people that I want to introduce to the Grand Marshal,” he said and bowed.
The Grand Marshal bowed as well. “Until we meet again, Lady Eternal Soul.”
She stood almost as if frozen, and watched the three walk away. She was still dwelling on the Grand Marshal’s words when Ovar stepped close and spoke, startling her. “That is not a good sign.”
“What is not a good sign?” she asked a moment later.
“Him being here. The Emperor does not use his greatest general as a courier,” Ovar said darkly. “Whatever his message for His Majesty is, you can be sure that it is not anything good for us.”
“You think that they are preparing for something?”
�
�I don’t know, but you don’t send a man like that anywhere when you don’t want to make a point.”
Kyarra glanced at the Grand Marshal, who was now speaking with a small group of Tourran’s nobles. Ovar was right—that man was dangerous. The King had asked her to stay behind after the gathering; perhaps she would learn more then.
Ovar brought her attention back. “Come, let us see who else is here.”
* * *
Later, Kyarra found herself standing with a group of daughters and young wives of nobility and prominent merchant houses, alongside Princess Jarna. Kyarra had been tempted to just exchange pleasantries and turn around, but Ovar had prevented that. She knew, of course, that she couldn’t be seen avoiding the royal family; such actions would only serve to feed the rumors that already circulated about how the relationship between the royal family and the Eternal Soul was declining. And that had been her fault.
Thankfully, however, Jarna was far too occupied hanging on the every word of the Guild mage that stood by her side, and Jarna spoke to the mage about things that she would be learning at the Academy while completely ignoring Kyarra. She was herself actually very interested in what Master Galera had to say, especially since Kyarra’s education was so much different. She had genuinely been surprised at some of the things that the mage had said—and she was finding that a lot of it came as a surprise to her.
“You will spend your first year at the Academy learning the language of magic, the glyphs and words of power, as well as how to focus. One needs a good base in order to reach further. After you have passed those classes, you will be taught spell chants and glyphs that are needed in order to cast spells,” Master Galera said.
Kyarra did a double take at her words, and before she realized what she was doing, she spoke, “That isn’t actually true.”
The entire group turned to look at her, with the mage looking at Kyarra as if she were something to be scraped from the sole of her boot. Princess Jarna grimaced in anger, but before she could speak another girl spoke.