Marin's Codex

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Damiya? You’ve met her yourself, Rissia!” Emonael looked at her in amusement. “She taught you when you began training to become one of my librarians!”

  “What?” Rissia’s eyes went wide, and she swallowed, stammering out. “Are . . . is Damiya the Grandmistress of the Spheres?”

  “Of course she is,” Emonael replied languidly, grinning broadly. “Someone has to teach all those errant students of mine, don’t they?”

  “I . . .” Rissia stared at Emonael, almost unable to come to grips with the description of Damiya when she compared her to the most powerful mage in all her goddess’s domain, save for Emonael herself.

  “I think that’s enough questions,” Emonael murmured, smiling. “Keep up the good work, Rissia.”

  With that, she swept off into the distance, leaving Rissia wordless and trying to recover.

  Emonael slipped into her bedchamber and returned to her natural form, something she only did in true privacy. The day had left her contemplative, so she moved to a cabinet on one wall, murmuring the password to disable the protections on it and to bring the right shelves to the fore. Opening the cabinet, she ignored the priceless treasures on many of the shelves, her eyes only on the velvet cushion at the center of the glass-lined display, and the crystal orb atop it.

  Within the orb were images, captured in time and playing slowly. Marin sitting back in her chair, sipping tea and smiling at Emonael. Her teacher dancing on the snow, the illusion of her youth upon her . . . then transforming into an angel, as Emonael spied on her teacher in her afterlife, laughing as she performed the same dance. The figure changed again, to the dark-eyed succubus that Kathyria had reforged Marin into. The sight caused Emonael’s hands to clench, then she slowly forced herself to relax. It had taken far too much effort to convince herself not to steal Avendrial away, and even that was only because she’d known how badly it would affect the future.

  Finally, the image turned to that of the growing world tree in a cavern, the figure of a blond, white-skinned dryad smiling indulgently as a pink-haired elf wove a crown of flowers and set them on her head. With the smile, the images began to repeat again, and Emonael reached out to gently stroke the orb, her voice soft in the silence of the bedroom.

  “I’m patient, Marin. I can wait. I’ve repaid you for the lessons . . . but that’s all. Even if it takes to the end of time itself, I’ll convince you to join me. I’m just as stubborn as you, and if Fate thought that the game I was playing was this short-lived, he’s an old fool,” Emonael murmured, and she smiled again. “I’m waiting.”

  And with that, she closed the cabinet.

  Author’s Note

  Writing Marin’s Codex was difficult for me in many ways, not the least of which was because I knew how it had to end from the beginning. I didn’t want it to happen, but it was required. Otherwise I’d be re-writing the history of the Ancient Dreams trilogy.

  That doesn’t make it easy. Perhaps other people won’t feel the same impact, but for me, I shed many tears over this story, and I didn’t just consider the inclusion of Into the Eternal Wood as a bonus, but something that was necessary to do. After the events and sorrow, which I tried to mitigate as much as I could, I needed something brighter and less solemn to finish out the book.

  In the end, this story is far more than I ever anticipated when I began to write it. I was expecting to write a relatively lighthearted novella of 30,000 to 40,000 words… and then Emonael and Marin refused to play along. They had a story to tell, and I wasn’t going to stand in their way, no matter how much it disconcerted me during the writing process.

  Now that Marin’s Codex is complete, I intend to start plotting out and writing the second book of the Lilith’s Shadow series, and hope to have it done by early summer of 2018. This isn’t the last we’ve seen of the world of Ancient Dreams, I’m certain, but I have many stories to tell, and doubtlessly other characters will force me to tell their stories as well. Time will tell.

  Also, if you would spare the time to review this book, I’d deeply appreciate it. Reviews greatly help independent authors to gain visibility.

  Review Link

  Into the Eternal Wood begins immediately after this, so I hope you read and enjoy it.

  Find me:

  https://benjaminmedrano.com/

  BenjaminPMedrano@gmail.com

  Part II

  Into the Eternal Wood

  Chapter 1

  “Sistina! Sistina, where are you?” Alain’s voice carried through the garden clearly, catching Sistina’s attention.

  Letting go of her ruby pendant, Sistina leaned forward from her perch in the tree, calling out. “I’m up here!”

  It took a minute for the guard to follow her voice. When he did, Alain looked up at her incredulously, with a hand on his hip as the blond-haired elf demanded. “My Lady, what are you doing up a tree?”

  “Hmm? I was just reading a gazetteer on the Eternal Wood. Why?” Sistina asked, glancing up from her book and smiling. She reached up to stroke her pendant again as she added. “It’s also relaxing up here.”

  “I’m asking because your father has been looking for you. He wanted you to get to work on preparing for the trip,” Alain spoke pointedly, tapping his foot. “You weren’t hiding from him, were you?”

  “Of course not!” Sistina replied, giving him a somewhat startled look. Putting her bookmark into place, she closed the book and lithely jumped down from the tree.

  “My Lady!” Alain exclaimed, taking an abortive step forward to try to catch her.

  “Alain, it was only an eight-foot drop. I’m not going to break my neck jumping down from that height,” Sistina chided, grinning as she added. “Besides, you’d go insane if I was like my stuffy little brother.”

  “Perhaps so, My Lady, but it still gives me a fright when you do things like that with no warning,” her guard replied, glowering slightly. But a moment later his disapproval eased and he sighed. “But your brother is taking on some of the less admirable traits of his friends, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, he is. But that’s Quen’s problem, not mine.” Sistina’s smile faded slightly as she sighed. “The capital seems to do this to people, though. Either they get jaded, or they become arrogant, stuck-up jerks.”

  “Is that so? You seem to have turned out fairly well, My Lady,” Alain teased, smiling a little. “Which are you supposed to be?”

  “Neither. I, unlike many of my fellow nobles, have wisdom beyond my years,” Sistina replied airily, giving a dismissive sniff. She ruined the effect by sticking her tongue out at Alain, then asked. “Now, why don’t you take me to father? I’m certain that he’s delighted at being kept waiting.”

  Alain chuckled and smiled, but simply nodded and began leading the way. As he did so, Sistina reflected that she wasn’t being entirely honest about why she’d managed to avoid some of the worst side effects of living in Everium City.

  Sistina had never been able to fully grasp why it was her pendant in particular that helped her think things through. The pendant, with the beautiful ruby at its center, had been the first item she’d managed to purchase with money she’d earned on one of her trade missions to Armon. It had quickly become her touchstone, calming her when she was angry, comforting her when she was upset, and lending a note of caution when Sistina was dealing with those who were less trustworthy. It wasn’t magical, she’d had it checked years before, but nonetheless it had ended up her constant companion. Retha, the family mage, had eagerly offered to buy a gem so perfect for enchanting, but she’d politely refused each time.

  They circled the gardens back toward the family’s small manor, and Sistina smiled as she came into sight of it, glancing toward the center of the city to their east. Quen frequently complained that the family’s home in the capital was too far from the other nobles and all of the court functions, but she disagreed with her brother. Certainly, the glowing lights and white buildings of Everium City were beautiful and all, but she far preferred the beauty of the
Eternal Wood that bordered their small estate. The towering trees of the ancient forest occasionally produced dangers, but she thought its beauty was well worth the rare danger.

  Reaching the manor, Sistina heard her father’s deep voice coming from his office, and she raised an eyebrow, smiling to Alain before she knocked and stepped inside.

  “Father, Alain said you were looking for me?” Sistina asked, her tone more formal than it had been before. Her father was a tall, broad-shouldered man, with long black hair and bright blue eyes eerily like her own.

  “Oh, there you are! Whatever were you doing?” Nekir asked, blinking up at her, then smiling at their butler and nodding to the man. “That’ll be all for now. Please get the supplies together as soon as you can.”

  “Of course, My Lord,” the butler bowed, then left the room, leaving Alain, Nekir, and Sistina alone.

  “I was reading up on the Eternal Wood and, in particular, about the Eternal Court,” Sistina explained, raising an eyebrow as she asked. “You didn’t want me going into it blind, did you?”

  “Ah. No, I didn’t mean that. The problem is that I expected you to be arranging for your trip yourself, not to have you foist it off on me. It’s your pilgrimage, Sistina. Even if you are dragging along a couple of others with you,” her father replied, eyes dancing in amusement. “You aren’t trying to shirk your responsibilities, are you?”

  “Of course not! And if you’d told me that I needed to take care of it, I would have,” the young woman replied, her eyes narrowing. “And who else is coming with me? I hadn’t heard about this before.”

  “Ryvan Skybrook, Uvara Silmer, and Bevall Winter,” Nekir explained, prompting a sudden frown from Sistina.

  “Those three? All of their families are of higher rank than our own. Why are they joining me on the pilgrimage, rather than taking advantage of their own familial resources?” Sistina asked, frowning more. The sons and daughter of dukes, each of the three were far more important than she was. She couldn’t see why they were interested in coming along with her.

  “In all honesty, I suspect it’s less that they want to go with you, and more that their parents want them to get acquainted with you,” her father told Sistina, shrugging slightly as he added, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re hoping that something more comes of it, or that your own relative maturity rubs off on them.”

  “Maturity?” Sistina’s eyebrows rose at the word, and she shook her head. “I’m the one who just got tracked down after climbing a tree to read a book. Why would they consider me mature?”

  “I believe it’s more that you’re actually willing to do the research, and aren’t as difficult as most of your generation. I must say that I’ve appreciated it, especially with Quen’s antics,” Nekir looked amused as he smiled at her. “Don’t tell me that you hadn’t noticed.”

  “I suppose I can understand that. Still, it isn’t something I’m particularly interested in as of yet.” Sistina frowned slightly. “You aren’t expecting me to go out of my way to court them, are you?”

  “Of course not! I expect you to be a polite host, but that’s all,” the older elf said firmly, shaking his head. “While I’d like you to keep your mind open to the possibility, no one would object if you take forty or fifty years deciding what you want in a courtship.”

  “No one? I think some of the other nobles wouldn’t be nearly as happy with that, Father,” Sistina replied skeptically.

  “Your mother and I don’t mind, and neither would His Majesty. And if we don’t mind, does the opinion of the other nobles even matter?” Nekir countered.

  “Perhaps not,” Sistina conceded, and sighed. “I do understand why you wanted me to work on getting ready, though. I suppose I’d best get to it. By your leave?”

  “You don’t need to be so formal with me, Sistina. With them, perhaps, but not me,” Nekir replied with a smile, nodding. “Go do what you need to. I trust that you’ll do admirably.”

  “I can but try,” Sistina replied with a smile. “And I know, Father. I’m just teasing. I’ll see you at dinner.”

  “Good. Your mother will be pleased,” he replied with a soft laugh, and with her grin broadening, Sistina took her leave.

  “Be safe, ‘tina. I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt,” Sistina’s mother told her fiercely as she hugged her tight. Mara Constella was a pretty woman, with light brown hair that contrasted sharply with Sistina’s own hair. She wasn’t fond of exercise, though, and was growing to be slightly on the portly side for an elven woman. Sistina sincerely doubted her mother would let herself get too much further out of shape, though, as even her mother’s dislike of exercise had its limits. “You hear me, ‘tina?”

  “Of course, Mother. It isn’t that dangerous of a trip,” Sistina replied in amusement. “Sure, it’s right around a month round trip, but the moon paths are relatively safe.”

  “Relatively safe isn’t completely safe. You let Alain take care of you!” Mara spoke firmly, now almost glaring at Sistina.

  “I will, Mother. Calm down and let go of me, so we can actually get on the road,” Sistina told her, the young woman’s smile broadening slightly. “The sooner we leave, the sooner I’m back.”

  “Just a moment more, then you can go,” her mother replied, giving another tight squeeze as if to assure herself that Sistina was still there. Finally, Mara let go, if only reluctantly, speaking a last time. “I just worry about you. You’re my only daughter.”

  “Well, I certainly hope so! If I wasn’t, I’d wonder why you exchanged her for Quen,” Sistina teased, her spirits brightening as she grinned.

  “You and your father are too much alike. Always joking when I’m trying to be serious,” Mara laughed, her eyes glittering with unshed tears.

  “Love, let her go. Delaying her isn’t going to change anything. Don’t worry, I’m certain that she’ll be fine,” Nekir spoke up, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around Mara’s shoulders as he smiled at Sistina. “Why don’t you get a move on, Sistina? We’ll be waiting for you.”

  “Yes, Father. I love you both,” Sistina replied quickly, smiling as she turned to climb into the carriage.

  Once she was settled into her seat, Alain got the carriage moving. They only had a handful of guards, so she checked her spell blade just to be safe. The dagger was in perfect condition, and the amethyst on its hilt was glowing with imbued mana. Nodding in satisfaction, she sat back in her seat and waited, looking out the window as carefully manicured grounds passed by. They still had to pick up the other nobles, and then they would be off into the Eternal Wood. Despite her protests, it wasn’t quite as safe as she’d made out, but it was still almost a holy ground for every noble of Everium, and at its heart grew the world tree in all its glory.

  She looked forward to seeing the tree with her own eyes.

  Chapter 2

  Over the first few days of the trip, Sistina grew to understand the personalities of her companions. It felt like an exercise in herding cats to a large degree, which had led to some difficulties between the young nobles, and Sistina became far more aware of the differences between her and the other youth of her generation.

  Bevall Winter was the youngest son of General Winter, the Duke who defended their southern border from the dragon-kin of the Rekan Kingdom. As such, he was quite well-trained for battle, but he also tended toward arrogance with the others, looking down on Sistina much of the time. So far Sistina had managed to suppress the urge to give the young warrior a tongue-lashing. He was of higher rank than her, after all. Like most of his family, the pale-skinned elf had white hair and his eyes were such a light shade of blue they almost looked white.

  Ryvan Skybrook hailed from Everium’s most peaceful, inner duchies, and a softer young man Sistina couldn’t imagine. The blond-haired, green-eyed young man didn’t look like he’d done a day’s work in his life. Ryvan had been almost petulant when his attempt to bring a half dozen servants with him had been firmly refused, not just by Sistina, but by his own
butler. He’d conceded only with ill grace when it was pointed out that this pilgrimage was, by tradition, to be done with no servants to show Everium’s respect toward the Eternal Court. Along the trip, Ryvan had tried several times to avoid helping with preparing camp each day, until Sistina finally informed him that if he didn’t help, he wouldn’t get to eat. Only then had he grudgingly assisted the others.

  In sharp contrast with the other two was Uvara Silmer. Of the three, she was the only one who wasn’t the heir of her family, as she was the third child of Duke Silmer. The tall, athletic woman had auburn hair that she kept in a short bob, and Sistina had been startled that the quiet woman had brought only clothing more suited to a forester or hunter, rather than the more formal outfits of the others. Uvara would often disappear into the ancient woods each night and return with game of some sort to add to their dinner. Uvara was a woman of few words, and her dark eyes often watched the wood as if in concern.

  The trip so far had been strange and fascinating; between dealing with the arrogance, petulance, and indifference of her guests, Sistina longed to look at the forest in more detail. The road they followed seemed to be a simple dirt road that wound between hills slowly, but the plants stopped at the edge of the road with eerie precision and it betrayed none of the deep ruts or other problems that Sistina was familiar with. All around them were trees more ancient than any she’d seen, growing larger and older the farther they traveled into the forest. At the end of each day’s journey, they had found a simple clearing with a fire pit, stacked wood, a privy, and plenty of space for their tents, carriage, and horses. As was traditional, Sistina had insisted that the campsites be left as pristine as they’d been found.