Godilai stared into Dimitri’s eyes. “I am more interested in knowing why we will be sailing out of Sindai.”
“I plan to find the Feykin.” Dimitri rolled his eyes amidst protests from his team. He raised a hand for silence. “There are two reasons why I must find them.”
Godilai crossed her arms. “Insanity is one of them.”
Dimitri frowned. “I am not insane.” He pulled his father’s diary from a hidden pocket on his coat. “There are runes so old on these pages that not even Luna can translate them. I am hoping that a Feykin can.”
“That’s one reason. What is the other? More magic?”
“You just reminded me of a third reason. Thank you, Vincent.” Dimitri smiled. “Amorez has allies amongst the Feykin. It is possible she ran to them in hopes of rallying them against us. We cannot afford to let that happen.”
“And how do you intend to convince the Feykin otherwise if she has already beaten you there?” Godilai asked.
Dimitri hauled himself out of the chair; realizing that fire spell had worn him out more than he liked to admit. Slowly walked over to a table and lifted the lid on a small box. He paused to admire the treasure within: a simple necklace of three teardrop shaped stones embossed with scrolling glyphs. They were fastened together with black twine that was woven into a steel chain. He removed the amulet from the box and showed it to them.
“This was in the desk drawer. I recognized it from a sketch in my father’s diary. Luna, please read the description my father left.” Dimitri tossed Luna the diary.
She caught it and turned the pages until she found the sketch. “This is the pendant I stole from her. It is infused with an ancient power and allows one to control whoever wears it. There is a ring with… I can’t make out the runes.” Luna looked up from the page.
“What does that mean?” Vincent asked.
“The amulet allows mind control,” Godilai answered. “But from the sound of it, a ring must also be used.”
“My father gave my mother the ring, which she passed on to me. Now that I have the amulet, I can complete the spell.”
Luna closed the book with a slap. “And you are going to waste it on a Sorcerer?”
Godilai sighed. “Terrible idea. Why not use it on Amorez herself?”
Dimitri nodded as he returned the amulet to the box. “I thought of that, too. Chances are slim that the spell will work on her, as she may have developed some kind of ward against mind control over the last four centuries. I intend to use the amulet on a Feykin so we can utilize the powers of a Sorcerer.”
Godilai frowned. “What if Amorez already reached the Feykin? What good is one Sorcerer against many?”
“Hence why—if presented with an opportunity to do so—I intend to use it on Amorez. However, if she is not on the Sorcerers’ Isle, a Feykin would make a wonderful substitute.”
Vincent shifted his weight from foot to foot. “So…we’re still wasting our time searching two towns for that girl with the diary?”
“Yes, because we still need Amorez’s diary to unlock the Shadow Dragons,” Dimitri explained with a sigh as he returned to the desk.
“Well, then what are we waiting around here for? Let’s get going!”
Godilai smirked. “The ferry does not arrive for a few more hours, Vincent. Until then, how about we play with these Temple rats?”
“Do as you will to them,” Dimitri said, sitting in the chair.
He listened as the three members of his team left the room. He sighed and closed his eyes for a much needed nap.
The very moment mankind set foot on Ithnez, it was declared the first day of the new year, which, coincidently, turned out to be the planet’s spring equinox.
– FROM “THE CHRONICLES OF ITHNEZ, VOL I" BY ADJIRSÉ DÉDOS
A heartbeat.
Another.
Blue trickled in, just a tiny bit. Then nothing.
Another heartbeat. It sounded so faint, yet it echoed over and over. I forced my eyes to open. A great expanse of blackness surrounded me. I floated in it like a wraith lost between worlds.
“Am I dead?” My whisper echoed back. I shivered, suddenly as cold as ice.
Xyleena.
I reeled about, searching for the one who had whispered my name. No one was there, just an endless expanse of black. I must have imagined it.
Xyleena.
I jumped back when a light suddenly flickered to life before me. It mesmerized me as I watched it materialize into the familiar shape of my best friend. Ríhan stared at me with sad, hazel eyes. I reached out to him, grateful for his presence in this void, but he pulled away as if I had burned him.
You let me die. Why did you let me die?
“Never! I would never let you die, Ríhan.” I felt tears sting my eyes.
Still, he continued to face me with an unreadable stare. I thought you loved me, Xy.
“Oh, Ríhan! I do! I do love you. I will always love you.”
He slowly shook his head and backed farther away.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
It is all your fault. You killed me!
“No!”
“Calm down! It’s okay, girl. I’m not going to hurt you.”
My eyes slammed open with a scream, and I struggled against the hold on me.
“Calm down!”
I stopped struggling long enough to face the one keeping me in bondage. A strange woman leaned over me, her features full of worry. She released her hold on me and backed away far enough for me to look her over.
She had light-grey hair spiked up almost mohawk-like and protruding from a violet bandana. She looked young, despite her grey hair. Her onyx eyes stared at me as I studied her. She wore a sleeveless tunic the same color as her bandana and loose, black trousers. Bizarre symbols were tattooed on her muscular biceps.
“Who are you? And what is this place?”
“My name is Teka Loneborne. You are in a clinic in Sindai. I brought you here for medical attention. Do you remember what happened to you?”
I frowned as the memories flooded back. “You should have just let me die.”
“Why would I do something like that?” She crossed her arms and watched me as I slowly got out of bed.
“I would have been in a better place.”
“Well, I could kill you now if you wish. Would that make you happier, girl?”
“My name is Xyleena. And if you are going to kill me, do it quickly. I have stuff to do.”
She scoffed. “You won’t be doing much when you’re dead.”
“I’d be with him again. That’s all that matters.”
“Ah, so you lost the one you loved?”
“Ríhan– ” I choked on a sob. “I killed him.”
“You killed him? Yet you want to join him in Havel? That doesn’t soun—”
“We were attacked. He…he gave his life to save me.” I cried and did not bother wiping the tears away.
Teka sighed. “You didn’t kill him. The ones who attacked you—”
“Dákun Daju…I could have defeated them.”
“A lone Hume girl against multiple Dákun Daju? You’ve got guts! But why would they have attacked you to begin with?”
“Their boss is after the book I have.”
“Hired Dákun Daju? Their boss must be rich. And why would they be after a book?” I heard her move around.
“I don’t know.” I sighed and finally wiped my tears away.
I looked at Teka to see her flipping through pages of an old book. I instantly recognized it and leaped at her to swipe it back, but she was far faster than I was.
“Hey! That’s mine!”
She closed the book and met me with an unreadable stare. “I know it’s yours. I found it on you when I dragged you out of the Anakor. The question is, why is it so important to you, and to the guy who hired the Dákun Daju?”
“Give it back to me, and I will tell you what it is.”
Teka quirked an eyebrow at me before gently handin
g the book over. I sighed and held it close to me before checking it for damage. There did not appear to be any.
“So what is it?”
“This is the Dragon Diary, a handwritten account of Amorez’s dragon quest.”
Teka blinked in surprise. “You have Amorez’s diary? How did you get it?”
“I don’t remember.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her. She simply stared at the book in awe.
“Your hair and eye colors… You can’t be Hume.”
Teka shook her head. “Not fully.”
“I hope you’re not Dákun Daju. I don’t think I can stand to be so close to one after—”
“Feykin.”
I blinked. “What?”
“I’m half Feykin.”
“You…you’re a…a– ”
“You’ve never met a Feykin before, have you?”
I shook my head. “Not that I know of. You’re nothing like what the books I have read described.”
Teka quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? And how did they describe us?”
“One said Feykin were deadly intelligent and more aggressive than Dákun Daju. Another also said they have wings, but you don’t.”
“At least they got something right. Most Feykin are very aggressive due to their forced seclusion from the rest of the world. And I cannot grow wings, because I am only half Feykin. Though I am stronger and faster than Humes, I’m extremely weak compared to a pureblooded child Feykin.”
“How come you’re not with the rest of the Feykin?”
“Because I’m not really accepted amongst either Feykin or Hume. I survive by trading to Demons and Dákun Daju.”
“So even the Feykin are racist. Gods! Why is everyone so against peace amongst the races?” I punched a pillow.
“It has been that way since the time of the Earthic Landings. And I can assure you, several people wish for peace amongst the races.”
“Sure, everyone wishes for it, but no one does anything about it.”
“What would you do?”
I thought about her question for a bit. “I don’t know.”
Our conversation lapsed into silence.
Finally, she sighed. “So what are your plans?”
I shook my head. “No idea.”
Truth was I was too scared to return to the Temple in case the fake Valaskjalf was still there waiting to kill me. And the haunting memories of Ríhan’s murder would probably drive me to insanity. I had nowhere else to go and no one to turn to.
“I don’t suppose you know any Kinös Elda?” Teka asked.
“Not really. Why?”
“I was just thinking, maybe you should find out what that book of yours says. That way you will know why you were almost killed for it.”
“Can you read it?”
“I can read the modernized runes but not the old ones that your book is written in.”
“So where do I go to find a translator?”
“Only place I know would be the Sorcerers’ Isle.”
I gawked at Teka. “Say what?”
She smiled. “The Sorcerers’ Isle.”
“It’s real?”
She laughed. “I was born there.”
I thought about her proposition. I could go to the Sorcerers’ Isle and get the diary translated while at the same time possibly learn more magic. Maybe if I studied under a Sorcerer for a little while I could come back and defeat those two Dákun Daju and avenge Ríhan.
“Okay. Let’s go to the Sorcerers’ Isle.”
Teka smiled at me.
“How do we get there?”
“We’ll sail there on my ship, Shadow Dance.”
“How soon can we leave?”
“Soon. But first I’ll have to get you some new clothes.”
I looked down at myself to discover I was dressed in only a white smock.
“Your old ones were rather chewed up, so they were discarded.”
“But I…”
Teka looked at me quizzically.
“I don’t have any money.”
“Don’t worry about money.” Teka tossed me a robe.
I sighed and donned it before collecting what was left of my effects. Teka lead the way out of the clinic.
Sindai was a quaint little town built on the banks of the powerful Anakor River. Most of the buildings were crafted from bricks of hardened river mud, but a scant few were entirely wooden. They were arranged in spirals around the heart of Sindai, a red marble obelisk from the ancient times.
“Verd is this way,” Teka said, pointing down an alleyway.
She took the lead, and we meandered our way to a grassy hill just outside town. A miniature, wooden fence guarded a portion of the hill and surrounding area. A well-tended garden of flowers and strange vegetables grew inside the fence and a gravel walkway lead to a tiny wooden door.
“This is a shop?”
Teka only smiled. She walked up to the door and knocked thrice.
“Verdelite, you home?”
I heard a commotion from within; then the door creaked open. I could not see the being in the doorway, but a gnarled, pale hand reached out to beckon Teka inside. I followed slowly.
The interior of the hill was lit blue by strange stones along the walls. It was surprisingly warm, despite the lack of a fire. Furniture and knickknacks were strewn everywhere in the room, each only half the normal size. I could not help but wonder just what sort of creature lived here.
“Sit. Sit. Sit. You too tall for Verdelite.” The creature’s voice was barely above a whisper, but I could not pinpoint the source.
Teka sat cross-legged on the floor by a table and motioned for me to join her.
As I sunk to the floor, the creature entered the room with an armload of snacks, which were deposited on the table. The little thing stopped and stared at me with huge, dark eyes as I stared back, taking in all the details.
I figured this creature must be a she, for she wore something similar to a dress. Her skin was an extremely pale blue and covered in what looked like fur. Her face was small and broad with a wide nose. I could barely see her tiny ears through her thick mane of dark hair. And she was tiny, standing only about a third of my height at most.
“Verdelite, this is Xyleena.” Teka’s voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke. “Xyleena, this is Verdelite. She is a member of an ancient race known as the Wakari.”
“I have never heard of the Wakari.” I kept my voice low, figuring loud noises would probably hurt her ears.
“Wakari no like bright balls in big blue. Stay underground. Safe.” Verdelite poured some sort of the hot drink into small cups as she explained.
“So you don’t like sunlight.” That explained her ashen complexion. “Then why are you on the surface, Verdelite?”
She handed me a cup. “Verdelite no know how Verdelite come. Teka save Verdelite. Verdelite live Sindai.”
“You must have a history of saving people, Teka.” I smiled at her as I took a sip of the drink. It tasted like a medley of berry juices and honey– delicious!
Teka shrugged. “What can I say? I have a soft spot. Say, Verd, Xyleena here is in need of some new clothes for a journey we will be leaving for soon. Do you have anything?”
“Teka come for garm? Verdelite have much garm. Yes. Yes.”
She darted away from the table, moving faster than I expected with her short legs. A moment later, she returned to the table with an armful of clothes.
“Xyleena like Verdelite garm. Garm of all color. What Xyleena like?”
“I-I’m not sure.”
Verdelite snorted at my answer and began drooping clothes over my shoulder. I could barely feel the cloth, even as I ran my fingers over it.
“What do you make these with? They’re amazing.”
“Verdelite sing stone. Stone weave to garm.”
“You make clothes from stone and they’re lighter than air? How is that possible?”
Verdelite just smiled at me as she rummaged throu
gh the pile. “Wakari secret.”
“The Wakari believe they are living stones that their god, Arx-Omani, adored,” Teka explained. “They have amazing talents for stone crafting. I believe their songs are actually some sort of slow-working spell.”
“Xyleena take garm. Match eye color.” Verdelite held a tunic to me.
I could not make out the color at all due to the blue lighting from the crystals along the walls, but I nodded in agreement anyway. Verdelite returned to digging through the pile again. She squeaked when she found something and pulled it out. Another tunic was draped over me before she went back to rummaging. Two more articles of clothing were laid in my arms.
“Garm for queen. Look better on Xyleena.”
“Thank you for your generosity, Verdelite,” Teka said with a chuckle. “How much do you want for these?”
The Wakari waved her hand. “Xyleena take gift. Good make new friend.”
“That is so sweet of you. Thank you very much, Verdelite.” I wanted to hug her for her kindness but was rather wary of alienating her. Instead, I hugged the clothes she had given me.
“I’ll be gone for a while, Verd. If you need anything, just ask Jakk. He’ll help you.” Teka got to her feet and stretched.
“Verdelite ask Arx-Omani watch Teka. Keep safe. Verdelite light stones for Xyleena. New friend to Wakari.”
“Thank you again, Verdelite. It was a pleasure meeting you.” I bowed to her as I stood.
She grinned and moved to inspect my hip sack.
“Xyleena need new. Verdelite sing. Make new. Make of diamond. Never break.”
“Wow. I look forward to seeing it.”
“Is there anything you need while I’m abroad, Val?”
“Verdelite like more tea. Where Teka get?”
Teka chuckled. “That, dear friend, is a Feykin secret.”
We were lead to the door and wished many a fond farewell. Finally, I could see the clothing Verdelite had given me– amethyst, diamond, ruby, emerald, obsidian, gold, and silver. I felt like the richest person in the world! How am I ever going to repay her?
“Now then, we’ll head out. It should take us about eight days to reach the Sorcerers’ Isle. Then we can get your book translated and decide on a path from there.”
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