Mo had moved to their side by now, face betraying annoyance at a Våpen being on sacred ground. “How are you able to use the gloves?” He asked Gerard, making no effort to hide his accusing tone. Gerard started to describe the process of how the gloves work only to be interrupted by the old monk.
“Let me rephrase that. How are you able to use the gloves more than once in quick succession?”
“How did you-”
“I can see them.” Gerard thought back to his time with The Twins, recalling how they said the glove’s magiks can be seen if you look hard enough. Traces of their comings and goings readable to all those who chose to see the truth.
“The Twins taught me a thing or two when I studied with them.”
Mo softened immediately at hearing the name. “Those two showed you the secrets of the Porträlen?” He was laughing at the thought of them, making a mental note to visit them soon. “Fickle couple that pair.”
“You’re telling me.” Gerard admitted, and they shared a knowing look. One that demonstrated an understanding of what the very old wyzards were like. Mo and Gerard both decided in that moment that they liked the other man and hoped they could talk about their shared experiences with the brothers at some point, although they both knew it would have to wait.
“And I take it, he, told you where our monastery was?” Mo deliberately emphasised the word, ‘he’, more than Tor would have liked and he partly cowered under the cleric’s gaze. In an effort to deflect attention, a little ashamed at feeling embarrassed by his old mentor, Tor looked over at Khar, K'Chool and Xiang.
“Who are you?” Khar went to open his mouth but Mo cut him off as a parent would a child.
“Do not think you have gotten away with bringing one of The Protectorate’s weapons to our doorstep, Weyaal.” The last word wasn’t said with any warmth, intended to remind Tor of his place. Exasperated though, Mo softened and looked over the small company of old and new friends. “Let us take tea.” He didn’t wait for any of them to follow, he just turned his back and made his way towards one of the archways that led out of the training square.
Tor and Eve followed immediately, holding hands and enjoying the touch of each other’s skin whilst trying to keep pace with Mo. Khar, K’Chool and Xiang formed up close behind, Khar and K’Chool mimicking the Dyad in front of them and Xiang walking with them in silence and awe at everything going on around him. Finally, the Venatoré joined the group and wondered through The Balance’s Monastery, a place they’d been ordered to find at one time or another but never managing too. The entire group took in the incredibly old buildings, either revelling in their familiarity or amazement at seeing them for the first time. Some structures were built straight into the mountain, some looked Tibetan, others had a more Eastern look to them, but none were over or under-represented in any way. The alleyways, brick-work and vibe that flowed through the place was peaceful and balanced, welcoming and encouraging. To demonstrate how accommodating the sprawling, mass of buildings were, Eris could have sworn that she saw the space around them move to allow Tae to land near the group, purple lights brimming with joy against the blackness of her hull.
“Taeonia of the Silent Flight.” Mo said as he walked up to the sleek ship and placed a hand on her side. Eve thought she heard Tae giggle and see her blush at being recognised by the old cleric but dismissed it as something else. Mo smiled broadly and meeting the ship and they shared a short conversation between them that no one else could hear. Mo’s smile broadened further, and he chuckled at something Tae said before allowing the rest of the group to meet the ship.
She bristled warmly at seeing Gerard, who reflected the same feelings back as best he could, glad to see a friend. Her lights shone even brighter after being introduced to Tor and after Tchook unceremoniously slammed into the side of her, flattening out around her middle to give his best approximation of a hug. Everyone in the group had a chance to talk with the old-young ship, and each one of them warmed to her instantly, hoping they’d get a chance to fly in a fabled Wind Dancer.
* * *
When they’d all finally settled in the tea house, Tor felt it appropriate to tease Eve about K'Chool’s ‘head’ Sojela prowess and how it must be hard to have lost her place at the top. He knew that gently commenting on how she was perceived by the other senior clerics would frustrate Eve, but he was just looking for opportunities to make her smile that smile and turn the dig around into a compliment. He instantly liked Khar from the short conversation they had whilst following Mo and he found himself oddly drawn to Xiang as well. Stoic. Kind. Strong. He sensed something else, but he wasn’t sure what and felt the quiet man may not have the answers anyway. After he described the strange effect he had on magik, it seemed that Xiang was unaware of his abilities until recently.
Mo wanted to use the time they had to discuss as much as they could about how they’d all arrived on his doorstep. In an effort to appease his mentor, Tor went first, describing what he’d been through this last year, Gerard filling in where necessary and explaining the time dilation of the rooms as well as Djoonga’s powers. He held back on his own investigations however, waiting to see where the conversation weaved in order to determine if he should play his hand or not. He contributed enough to feel present and make others think he was, relying on patience once again as his ally. Although he’d chosen to leave The Protectorate in open defiance, releasing one of their prime targets in the process, he still felt as if he was in enemy territory. In his mind, there was a thinly veiled, peaceful alliance of the two opposing thoughts on how the two worlds should operate and he wasn’t ready to fully let go of what he’d believed as right, for so long, without more consideration.
Khar and K'Chool went next, the former enthusiastically going over the events with exaggerated drama, the latter providing a more balanced opinion on what’d happened. Xiang introduced himself and told the story he had on the plane but mostly kept himself still throughout the conversation, observing and listening. K'Chool helped Khar through the harder moments, talking about visions and their perils, Khar praising K'Chool every moment he could. Tor and Eve glanced at each other, thinking the same thing after having been through it themselves when they were in the Monastery. The early days of a blossoming love. Their gaze was broken by K’Chool’s summary of what they thought The Betrayer was up to though, that particular name seeming to physically hurt Tor. The trio had freely talked about the Necromancy magik, their findings and conclusions about Sahld’veba without a trace of doubt. They’d explained what’d happened with Fenn and they were very open when it came to how they felt about The Thousand Curses. Almost without exception, the rest of the group aligned with their assessments, confirming their agreement in their own ways. Mo patiently watched the groups reactions however, not wanting to take a side or provide his thoughts just yet, as did Gerard who also noticed how Tor seemed to be struggling with what was being said.
Eve placed a hand on Tor’s leg to comfort him and then told her story. Covering her; reclaiming of memories, what she’d found out about Rosalind’s intent with The Merchant and recovering the amulet that they’d use to trap her again, losing the book, trying to find Tor, the stone she’d made and Isabella’s account of the attack on New York. The entire group was left stunned but in agreement on her wanting to resurrect The Barren Sun, especially with Khar and K’Chool’s findings, and they all resolved to stop her. The conversation continued, mostly with Khar asking questions and driving people a little mad with his persistence. Eve contributed her thoughts, K'Chool added her notes, Gerard nodded along and murmured sounds of agreement all whilst Mo sat completely still, his eyes fixed on Tor. The Nahgwal had retreated into himself, the earlier jovial and smiling version of him hidden away somewhere. Not one for tact, favouring the blunt and direct approach more often than not, K'Chool broke the flow of the conversation all of a sudden.
“What happened when you stopped her before?” All of them waited then, just like Mo had, but the old cleric knew when
to defend, as well as when to attack. Still looking at Tor, who’d just about managed to raise his gaze when he spoke, the gentle tones Mo was known for favouring calmly addressed the group.
“It will be Tor’s choosing to tell that story when he is ready. Some pains need to remain buried a little longer before they are shown the light. For now, we know what Rosalind is doing and that she should be stopped. We also have the means to do it.” Frustrated, K'Chool cut back before Mo could finish the meeting and send them on their mission.
“If we are to stop her, we should have no secrets!” She almost shouted. “I do not care how painful it is, why can they not tell us what happened now?”
“Please K'Chool, we have-” Tor stopped Eve from talking with a squeeze of her hand. Khar was looking at K'Chool, begging her to calm down.
“Rosalind is… My sister.” Jaws dropped, minds stopped. Un-asked questions came and went, each member of the group thinking about their own siblings and families. Could they have done what Tor and Eve did? Could they have betrayed a family member? They all saw what the trauma of reliving the past did to Tor and they didn’t want to press any further. K'Chool nodded her respect and apologies to Tor who reciprocated in kind.
“Why doesn’t anyone know any of this-” K'Chool’s turn to stop her partner talking with a squeeze of the hand. Khar’s voice almost sounded comical after the silence of the revelation, but Mo’s paternal tones returned to explain.
“If these particular histories were common knowledge then we would face threats from all Lucids. Forbidden magiks like Necromancy and trapping the soul need to remain secret. They are dark magiks, who attract dark beings to them and there is already not enough light to go around. Myths do not encourage investigation. Partial truths however, wish to be uncovered and we cannot have that.”
“You mean The Master decided that?” Khar was angry, still questioning the head of their orders agenda.
“The decision to keep things quiet in case the information got into the wrong hands was the correct one and backed by the rest of the council.” Khar looked sheepish but Mo continued to teach a lesson. “What if dark intent knew about Eve and Rosalind? Or the amulet? Or Tor? Or the forbidden magiks?” He looked hard at Khar, the softness of earlier gone from his voice and his face. “Anonymity was our last defence. We needed to protect Eve.” Khar felt suitably chastised, frustrated he hadn’t seen the bigger picture. Trying to hide from his telling-off, he asked Mo in his best, most pleading voice.
“So, now we know all this… Can we help, instead of going to the cells to wait for The Master to punish us?” Considering the options, Mo gave the slightest of nods, silently bidding they all leave to stop her.
“One more thing.” Eve said as people rustled and got up to leave the tea house. She looked at Gerard before carrying on, seeing through him and his patience.
“We need to consider, however unlikely, that Rosalind and The Protectorate are working together. They’re both using Necromancy magik and I think that’s what attacked me by the pools.” Gerard stared, unflinching at the accusation. “I tried to find Tor, who was at your base, and I was met by the magik. Tor described the same symbol in the rooms he was in, at your base. Only Rosalind knows of this magik and now it’s being used by you.” Fortune elbowed Enyo gently, not breaking his line of sight towards Eve. She, in turn placed a hand on Gerard’s shoulder and squeezed. It said that she trusted them, and that Gerard should too. His companions could sometimes be better judges of character than him and he trusted them unconditionally.
“I do not know if they are working together, but something is broken in The Protectorate.” With a serious edge he went on to describe his findings about record editing, sector forty-seven, mass graves, erratic use of teleporting approved by The Fall, Bonedust and cover-ups, and the creeping, invading magik the sisters felt. The only thing he didn’t talk about was him spying for The Hammer. His new colleagues would need to earn that secret. He finished his descriptions as the sun was setting in one of the tea house windows, offering his, and his attendees services in stopping The Thousand Curses.
“I suggest you all rest tonight and start your journey in the morning.” Mo said with finality.
“You’re not coming with us?” Tor asked, concerned at not having the powerful cleric’s assistance.
“If what you are saying is true I must take this to the council and begin preparations for; keeping the worlds sane if Rosalind succeeds and for tackling the rot in The Protectorate.” He paused before carrying on darkly. “As well as the decay from within our ranks.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO - THE TEN
They all headed for separate sleeping quarters within the same secluded outbuilding near the back corner of the Monastery. Mo advised that keeping a low profile for now would serve them well. In return, Eve asked that Mo share the teachings of the chakra magik just in case the Sojela needed to mount a defence. Both agreed it may come in handy, dependent on how their encounter with The Last Word went and after they finished their exchange, Mo departed for The Master’s chambers. The final discussions had by the rest of the group before they parted for sleep, were of needing an early start. Preparing for the worst and trying to wrap their heads around the creatures in Rosalind's employ, would not be an easy task, let alone what she, herself was capable of and the battle ahead that faced them. A strange air descended on them as they thought about their foe and how long they had before they’d have to act. They felt as if they had time, but also had none of it, the strange feeling walking with them all the way to their individual chambers.
No one rested well when their heads finally lay to rest. Although they all knew rest would be welcome, and necessary, a creeping, frantic insomnia gripped them as the day’s events and the coming trials played loudly and manically, in all their minds. Thoughts bullied others out of the way before being bullied themselves. Some shouted and monopolised the brain whilst others whispered in the dark, creating a differing type of madness. Anyone who did manage to rest, found themselves woken by peculiar and erratic dreams who’s after-image followed them into the waking world.
Khar suffered the worst in the night, plagued with nightmares and skittish sleeping, often partially waking and drifting back to non-sleep to K’Chool’s annoyance. Multiple times, she’d made no effort to hide her dissatisfaction until Khar finally woke with panic in his eyes. Guilt swept over her at her prioritising her discomfort when the person she was closest to in the world was obviously being tormented. She’d initially found his visions hard to accept, thinking they were just childish fantasies, but after finding out they showed the present, and maybe the future, she looked on them as a gift. Khar would’ve disagreed after waking from his most recent premonition, when wide-eyed with grief and pain, he grabbed her by the elbow and in a scared voice stated, “We are too late.” Scared and the panic still present, he tugged at her arm to suggest they should get moving as he leaped to his feet and started pulling on his travelling clothes. Following suit, K'Chool did the same, confused by the timings of what was going on, yet appalled that they may already be too late.
“What do you mean we are too late? Eve and Tor said the spell would take quite a long time to complete.”
Khar’s eyes widened further and took on a very serious edge. He pleaded with K'Chool to hurry as he explained. “She’s already begun sacrificing Naïves.”
In that instant, K'Chool understood the need to move and went to wake Xiang who was in the bunk across the room. To her surprise he was already awake and dressed to go. She smiled as she though how quiet he’d been, as quiet as a whisper on the wind. Before long, the whole group had gathered and decided to make their way to Mo before leaving. He must know the recent development and prepare accordingly. As they snuck along the corridors towards Mo’s quarters Tor and Eve found a way to enjoy themselves. It reminded them of when they used to sneak around to see each other in the before times, and this place had been home to them for so long it felt familiar and welcoming. Khar and K'Ch
ool enjoyed the same emotions, even if short-lived, whilst watching Xiang look around in awe. It was the first time they’d seen him truly surprised or off guard, and it was good to see him take in their surroundings. A few times they found Tchook stood next to him, taking in the decorations, jewels and ornate wood with as much interest as the Naïve-void. Whilst talking earlier, no one could understand why Tchook was immune to Xiang’s magik-nulling capabilities, but they didn’t care too much at the time. They all had warmed to the odd being, taking comfort in the black creature’s presence and smiling when they saw it trying to mimic who it was nearest at the time. Even Gerard enjoyed Tchook’s playfulness and was comforted by the safety of the walls. He’d spent so long trying to find this place and now he was here, he was sad that he ever chose to become a Våpen. Maybe it reminded him of Isabella, where his heart belonged, or maybe the reason the place felt so right, was because he was always meant to find it. Maybe it was both.
Moving quickly, they came to Mo’s quarters expecting a small chastising for disturbing his sleep, but they were met with no such response. They were in fact, met with no response whatsoever, just silence. Gently intruding on the private space of the senior cleric, they found that the bed hadn’t been slept in at all. Angry words were whispered to each other, questioning his motives and believing they’d been tricked. Hastily they jumped to the conclusion that the real reason he didn’t want to accompany them was that he was in league with The Protectorate or The Thousand Curses and he was on his way to warn them. Realising that standing there and arguing over the man's intentions would get them nowhere, they decided to move forward as quickly as possible. If he was on his way to Rosalind, then they’d catch up with him and find a way to deal with him at the same time. If he was on his way to The Protectorate, then they may have a little more time to handle The Last Word before regrouping and attacking that problem instead. Either way, their plan didn’t change so Gerard tore open a door sized window with The Porträlen and they all stepped onto the edge of a forest. Eve said a silent goodbye to Tae, apologising that they left her behind and found herself warmed by thoughts that came back. They told her it was okay and that she’d find them later, followed by wishes of luck and love. Eve liked that they’d been able to stay connected, feeling that the bond they’d formed would see them all the way to the endless sleep and maybe beyond. Orange, brown and yellow leaves rustled underfoot as they all made their way to the oily edge of the void that would lead them to Sahld’veba and the place where The Barren died. The place where she would be reborn.
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