by R S Penney
He faded away, growing more and more transparent until he was gone. The forest went with him, leaving a clear, unobstructed path across the grasslands of the Halitha. She hadn’t expected such a drastic change.
Kalia let out a breath that she had been holding for some time, blinking several times in confusion. “So, what does that mean?”
“I think it means we won,” Tommy mumbled. “Right?”
“Don’t jinx it,” Desa said.
Rain pattered against the window as Daresina Nin Drialla stepped into her office. She was about to reach for the light switch, but the door slammed shut behind her, and she nearly leaped out of her skin.
“Don’t scream,” someone said.
Daresina stumbled into the middle of the dark room, one hand over her heart as she tried to catch her breath. “Who are you?” she demanded, scanning her surroundings for shifting shadows. Her eyes weren’t what they used to be, but the huge window looked out on a street lined with electric lamps. Maybe she would catch something.
A sudden light appeared in the corner, a glowing ring in the palm of a young man with a thick, golden beard. Daresina thought she recognized him. Yes…Wasn’t he one of Desa’s companions? A mainlander boy who had come to the city last year.
Just as she was starting to put a name to that face, another light appeared, this one emanating in from a coin. Its bearer was a short woman with tilted eyes and long, brown hair. Two of them? How could they have gotten past the guards?
A third light revealed the face of a matronly woman with dark skin and curly hair. That one was unfamiliar to Daresina, though she bore a striking resemblance to the statues of Mercy outside the Hall of the Synod.
The final light came from a woman who sat upon Daresina’s desk, a tiny woman in tan pants and a leather coat. Her olive-skinned face was framed by a bob of short, brown hair. And her eyes! Daresina could not endure the condemnation she saw in those eyes.
Any question she had about how these people had managed to slip into her office vanished. She should have expected nothing less! After all this time, Desa Nin Leean had come back to Aladar.
The four Light-Sources provided ample illumination, allowing Miri Nin Valia to walk out of the shadows. The young librarian was with her – Daresina could not recall his name – and someone else as well. Another foreign boy.
“Hello, Prelate,” Desa said softly.
Taking control of herself, Daresina claimed the chair in front of her desk. If these people wanted to kill her, they would have done so already. She crossed one leg over the other, placed her hands on the armrests and faced Desa with as much dignity as she could summon. “So, you’ve finally come back.”
“Just a short visit,” Desa promised. “I have a message for you, and I wanted to deliver it myself.”
Daresina sniffed. “What message?”
Desa stood up, playfully tossing a coin that glowed like a firefly. “Just this,” she said. “We know that you’ve been planning an assault on the mainland, that you wanted the Spear of Vengeance for that purpose.”
So, they had figured it out. Well, that was to be expected. Daresina had concluded that something must have gone wrong when Marcus failed to report back to her. She had thought – had hoped – that all of them might have died in Ithanar. That certainly would have made things easier.
Desa planted herself in front of the chair, leaning forward until she was nose to nose with Daresina. “We strongly urge you to reconsider.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Well, then you’ll find yourself in a most unenviable position,” Desa replied. “You see, our cousins are coming north from Ithanar. They’ve negotiated a treaty with the Eradian Parliament. In exchange for a lasting peace, they will share the secrets of Field Binding and other technologies they have developed.”
Daresina went pale, sweat breaking out on her forehead. Her mouth worked silently for a moment before she found the words. “You can’t!” she panted. “The mainlanders will use the knowledge that you share with them to make weapons.”
“You mean they’ll do what you were planning to do?”
“Desa, please!” Daresina whimpered. “The mainlanders are savage and vicious. If you teach them the secrets of the Great Art, they will abuse that knowledge.”
Turning on her heel, Desa marched back to the desk. She stood there with her hands clasped behind her back, staring out the window. “I’m sure they will,” she said at last. “Which is why we’ve founded the Order of Mercy, a group of Field Binders from all nations, dedicated to preserving the knowledge and ensuring that it is not abused If any government decides it wants to use its new-found power for warfare, we’ll be there to stop them.”
She turned, looking over her shoulder with a sly smile. “The Al a Nari will be sending an envoy to visit you, Prelate,” she said. “I suggest you welcome them. Our people could learn a lot from them.”
With nothing more than a simple nod, she had her six companions walking to the door. “Oh, and one more thing,” Desa said on her way out of the room. “Tell your people that anyone who wants to learn can come to Bekala. We’ll teach them more than just Field Binding.”
Epilogue
A golden sun peeked over the horizon, smiling on a world that rose to face a new day. A single ray of light rushed over green fields under the clear, summer sky. Past the trees of Ander’s Woods, where a small party of deer hunters shared breakfast over the remnants of their campfire.
Onward, the light went, swooping over the grasslands, past trees that sprouted here and there. It passed over a small village where farmers shuffled out of their small homes to inspect their fields. A group of washwomen was already carrying wicker baskets to a nearby stream. They turned their eyes westward, watching the light as it passed.
They had heard the legends about a new city in what had once been a sun-scorched desert. They had even met some of the strangers who came through town several times each year, trading their magical devices in exchange for a little extra food. Men and women who called themselves Field Binders. They promised to teach the secrets of their art to anyone who wanted to learn. “Come to Bekala,” they said. “And we will show you.”
One of those washwomen – a girl named Daisy who wore her brown hair in a bonnet – lingered a few moments longer, dreaming of what might be. Would she ever make the journey? Would she see Bekala with her own eyes?
The light flew by, streaking over vast fields where the tall grass swayed, over the gentle curve of a newly-formed river that flowed southward, passing through Pikeman’s Gorge on its way to the Emerald Sea.
It continued past a series of windmills with blades turning lazily in the wind, each transmitting its power through a new device called a Double-Binding. Small flowers grew around them, white petals bursting from a yellow centre. If young Daisy could see them, she might consider it a good sign. It might even be the nudge she needed to take a chance and set out westward.
The light came to a city with buildings of wood and stone forming concentric rings around a pyramid. Small vehicles rumbled along the circular roads, powered by Electric-Sources that were replenished by the glittering crystal atop the new Academy.
It wasn’t as large as its predecessor – not yet, anyway – but many Field Binders had laboured on it over the years. In time, it would be able to renew Infusions throughout the city. On the south side of town, construction workers used a vehicle with a large scoop to dig up dirt. With any luck, they will have expanded the network of pipes by summer’s end. The urban planners had proposed a new block of homes that they hoped to finish next spring.
Finally, the light passed through a small window and landed on the cheek of Desa Kincaid. She was seven years older, a few strands of gray showing in her short, brown hair, a few wrinkles having formed around her eyes.
She turned around as Kalia came into their living room, carrying Brendan in her arms and gently bouncing him to soothe his whimpers. The baby’s face was red, his thin, black hair a
mess. “He’s fussy this morning,” Kalia said.
“Well, he wants his mama,” Desa said, offering to take the child. Sure enough, he settled down the instant she picked him up, closing his eyes and resting his head on her shoulder.
“Oh, but his mum isn’t good enough?” Kalia protested.
“Of course, you are.”
Sighing, Kalia turned around and shuffled into the kitchen. “Suppose it’s for the best,” she said with a shrug. “I’m supposed to meet with Tommy this morning.”
“Oh, they’re back?”
Five months ago, Tommy, Jim, Miri and Dalen had left to visit the new Eradian capital in the hopes of opening up a dialogue, developing goodwill that may lead to an eventual treaty. It was the latest of their many adventures. Those four went everywhere together. “They just got in last night,” Kalia said from the other room. “I got the message over the Double-Sonic. You were asleep.”
Desa stepped into the kitchen to find her love standing over the stove and using a Heat-Source plate to boil a kettle of water. “The two of you are brilliant, you know that?”
Kalia looked over her shoulder, a shy smile blossoming on her face. “Come on,” she said. “Everyone knows you’re the Field Binding genius.”
“The Double-Bindings weren’t my invention.”
Tommy and Kalia had discovered the secret in those first few months when they were still trying to make the city self-sufficient. Sinks and Sources of the same type could be paired, one transferring energy to the other. Since they were always in balance, they never had to be renewed.
The windmills fed their energy to Electric-Sinks that transferred it to Sources in the city’s power grid. The electricity flowed perfectly without the need for underground cables. Distance was no issue. Conjoined Infusions could be taken to opposites sides of the planet, and they would transfer energy without any attenuation.
Field Binders used Double-Sonics to communicate over long distances. When Tommy spoke into his Sink, his voice came through the Source that sat on Desa’s shelf. It was a remarkable discovery!
Little Brendan was snoring softly.
Desa kissed his forehead. “You going to sleep?” she asked, rocking him. “Hmm? Mama needs to teach a class this morning.”
“Zaela should be here in half an hour,” Kalia said, cracking an egg that she dropped into a frying pan. She grabbed a wooden spoon from the counter and began scrambling it. “She’ll watch him until you get back.”
“Or I could just call the school,” Desa muttered. “And tell them that the baby needs me.”
Kalia spun around, pointing the spoon at her. “No!” she barked, shaking her head. “You’ve already canceled class three times this month. You can’t keep doing this, my love. The kids will start to complain.”
Tilting her head back, Desa winced at the thought of what her students might do when she permitted them to activate their Infusions. “But it’s precision flight!” she protested. “They’re going to crash into the walls!”
“Well, it’s your job to make sure they don’t.”
“Why is it that every time we start a new term, I’m the one who gets assigned to teach Advanced Gravity Manipulation?”
Leaning against the counter with her arms folded, Kalia grinned and chuckled. “Because you’re so good at it.”
“Oh, very well!”
Zaela was more than punctual, arriving fifteen minutes early. That gave Desa some extra time; so, she decided to walk with Kalia on her way to meet with Tommy. It was roughly the direction she had to go anyway.
The streets were busy this morning. She saw shopkeepers opening for business and electric cars rolling down the road with a slight humming sound. Many of the city’s residents had adopted Al a Nari fashions, particularly their fondness for bright colours. Most of the women wore orange or yellow – light dresses with short sleeves or tan pants with loose-fitting shirts. The men were a little more subdued, opting for blues or forest green.
They followed the circular street for about ten minutes before they found Tommy waiting on a corner. He had changed so much from the young man that Desa had rescued all those years ago. He was still tall but not quite as lanky, his body and face having filled out. And he had shaved off most of the beard, opting instead for a neatly-trimmed goatee.
The instant he saw her, his face lit up with a grin. “Hello!” he shouted, running over to join Desa and Kalia on the opposite corner. “I didn’t think I would see you until later today!”
Desa hugged him so hard he squeaked.
She pulled back with her hands on his arms, smiling up at him. “Look at you!” she exclaimed. “You grew up!”
A flush painted his face red. Just like that, he was the Tommy that she remembered. “I’d have thought you might have noticed before now.”
“How can I when you’re never here?”
Kalia gestured to a neighbouring road that led to the city’s interior, and together, they made their way toward the pyramid. The crystal was glittering in the early-morning sunlight. After six years of Field Binders labouring on it for days on end, it was bigger than a house. She could feel its faint pulses in the back of her mind. Those extended almost to the edge of the city.
“So, how are the negotiations going?” Kalia asked.
Tommy slapped a hand over his face, groaning into his palm. “Don’t ask.” He pulled that hand down, blinking. “The new Eradian Parliament has agreed to send an envoy, but they’re still scared of our magic.”
Pursing her lips, Desa stared straight ahead, different scenarios running through her head. If the Eradians decided to attack, it could be disastrous. Bekala would be forced to defend itself, and that would only serve to convince the Eradians that Field Binders were a danger they couldn’t tolerate. “We should have expected as much.”
“I don’t want to talk about that,” Tommy said. “I just heard last night that two of my dearest friends have a brand-new baby boy.”
“His mother came to us a year ago,” Kalia explained. “Fleeing an abusive husband. We gave her a home in the city, but she was not well. She…She took her own life a few months ago. Brendan had nowhere to go.”
“So, we took him in,” Desa added.
Tommy shrugged as he walked along the sidewalk, grinning down at his own feet. “Well,” he said. “He couldn’t ask for better parents.”
“Thank you,” Desa said, patting his arm.
When she arrived at the Academy, she found a group of young students out front, all sitting crosslegged in the grass. Nari stood over them with a glowing coin in her hand. She was teaching them the basic Infusions for Light-Sources.
She met Desa’a eyes and then smiled, offering a curt nod of respect. “Glad you made it,” she said. “Your students are eager for their next lesson.”
Crossing her arms, Desa shut her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “They’re going to crash into the wall again, aren’t they?” She sighed. “I’ll make sure that I have a few spare crystals on hand.”
The pyramid had changed so much from the tomb it had been when Desa first came here eight years ago. The city had constructed a dozen smaller buildings in the field surrounding the main structure. Within them, the students took lessons on mathematics, science, literature and any number of useful subjects.
Climbing the steps at a brisk pace, Desa paused when she noticed a young man kneeling outside the pyramid’s main entrance. He was trying to meditate, but she could tell by his stiff posture that he wasn’t having much success.
“No luck, Victor?”
He opened his eyes and answered her with a smile. “Not yet,” he lamented. “Still haven’t found the Ether.”
“You’ll get there,” Desa assured him. “Just give it some time.”
Victor fished a slip of paper out of his pocket, offering it to her. When she unfolded it, she found a beautiful pencil sketch of Zoe. The young woman had such a sweet smile. It was easy to see why Victor had fancied her. “Dalen made it for me,” he explained
. “Did you know he could draw?”
“Actually, I did.”
She returned the paper to Victor and left him to resume his studies. Just as she was entering the tunnel that led down to the pyramid’s central chamber, he called out to her. “Um, Desa?”
She paused with one hand on the wall, glancing back over her shoulder. “What is it, Victor?”
He blushed, closing his eyes as he tried to work up the courage to say something difficult. “I wanted to thank you for vouching for me,” he began. “For convincing the Academy to take me in.”
“We all deserve a second chance,” Desa murmured. “I know that better than anyone.”
She left him and began her trek through the tunnel. If her recent experience was any guide, she would find several of her students waiting for her beneath the crystal, afraid to trigger their Gravity-Sinks without her direct supervision. Glowing bricks in the wall provided ample light. The place was almost cheery. Not at all like what she had experienced on her first visit.
“He seems to be coming along,” Sebastian said, suddenly appearing at her side. He bit his lip, thinking it over, and then nodded his approval. “You’ll make a Field Binder out of him yet.”
“Of that, I have no doubt,” Desa replied. “How are you?”
Pausing halfway through the tunnel, Sebastian turned to face her, and his smile warmed her heart. “Wonderful,” he said. “I’m wonderful. I can’t tell you what to expect when you get here – there are rules – but let’s just say I’m looking forward to being reunited with all of you.”
He cut off at the sound of a grumbling Miri who stomped through the narrow corridor with a piece of paper in her hand. She looked up and grimaced when she saw Desa. “Basic self-defense,” she said. “They want me to teach basic self-defense. I’m not back in the city for twelve hours, and they’re already trying to put me to work.”
Desa leaned against the wall, tossing her head back to smile up at the ceiling. “They have me teaching gravity manipulation,” she said. “So, what can I say? I guess they know talent when they see it.”