Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (47 page)

“Oh my! A gift from Cailliach, I
presume?”

“Yes, she said the other one wasn't good
enough, but that I should not flaunt this one. What do you need to
do?”

She reaches out and touches it, I sense her
concentrate and there is a flash in my mind that emanates from
within the jewel. “There, it is done. Thank you, Shi'ahn. If for
some reason I need to speak to you, my image will come into your
mind. If you can, concentrate on it and we will be able to speak.
You likewise should be able to contact me. Now I must report to my
father.” She vanishes, leaving me alone in this most wondrous
place.

I return my mind to the feel/
harmony
she altered to reveal the night sky, trying to undo what she had
done, it takes a moment, but I get it. Then I return the night sky
and revel in the beauty, dancing beneath it, letting it fill me
with wonder and joy.

~~~

“Well, this is certainly an
improvement!”

“Cailli! Isn't it beautiful?”

“Indeed it is. Tell me, how did you find
this place?”

“Fauna brought me here. She even said I
could use it as my private sanctuary!”

“Did she? I wonder what led her to be so
generous with a stranger?”

“We've met before, in the Great Forest
outdoors.”

“How did she seem?”

I smile, “Wonderfully friendly, she makes me
feel comfortable. She even filled me in on some family history that
isn't in my library. She was rather upset, though, to learn of the
war with Chaos – would you believe no one had told them?”

“Augustus did not send any warning?”

“No, none at all. I offered to keep them up
to date with whatever I learn, she seemed pleased with that.”

Cailli crosses her arms, leans against a
tree and smiles.

“What?”

“You seem to fit in well here, better than
in the citadel.”

I pause, “Yes. Why is that?”

Her smile drops away. “It is time to
continue your education. I think, considering Cernunnos had not
been informed of our current situation, Varuna most likely remains
oblivious as well. Come, take a swim with me.”

We're engulfed in shimmering light, and then
we are deep underwater! I begin to cast a breathing spell, but
Cailli shakes her head.

“Don't be silly, child, I've taken care of
that. Just take a nice, deep breath – without opening your mouth or
drawing through your nose.”

What? She turns her head and shows me her
gills. But… how do I use gills? Cailli reaches out and pinches my
nostrils shut while also covering my mouth.

“Don't worry, you'll figure it out
soon.”

I wish I shared her confidence. I feel like
I'm about to turn blue, I become weak. Just as I expect my lungs to
explode I feel the oddest thing, my throat gets wider, feels cool,
and strength rushes back into me!

“See, nothing to it. Even though the mind
balks, the body will do what it must to survive. And you can speak,
child; I've taken care of that as well.”

“It tickles!”

Cailli laughs, “I've heard far worse in
similar circumstances. Come, follow me.”

We swim impossibly deep, I find myself
worrying about water pressure. She must be listening to my
thoughts.

“Think, child. Mere water pressure won't
harm you in your state, and it can't hurt me either. You and I are
far more real than the water surrounding us.”

There she goes, bringing reality into it
again. But, that's what she's all about.

“Cailli, is there anything I should know
about this Varuna we seek?”

She smiles, “He was an excellent Emperor,
our ninth. He was known as “The Just.” He was well-loved, almost
worshiped – lesser beings referred to him as the Sun God. His reign
was long, but eventually it became time for him to step down. He
had begun to weary of the unending stresses of the throne, and his
eldest son was at the height of his training – more than ready to
take up the responsibilities. I was anxious for him to join the
Seraphim, but he was never one to sit and bide his time; he loved
action, and he loved the sea. I tried to dissuade him, but in truth
a guardian of the sea had great potential benefits. I eventually
relented.” As she speaks she leads me down to the very bottom of
the ocean, to a hole in the floor of it. We swim through a tunnel
that opens out into a vast chamber, like an underwater throne room.
It teems with life of more kinds than I can even contemplate, and
at the very center is… a God. A god of gold and light, sitting
sideways yet perfectly erect upon an underwater dragon. We approach
and the great being turns its full attention our way. A voice rings
out in… the water, my mind… my soul? It addresses us.

“What have we here – what have you brought
into my presence, Ancient One?”

We stop approaching, but the dragon brings
the being right up to us. To me. He reaches out and takes my chin
in his hand.

“What have you brought me?”

“This, Varuna, is Shi'ahn.” When she says my
name she makes it sound almost exactly as what my name represents,
a hand drawn quickly through water, followed by the sigh of the
sprayed droplets returning to the lake.

“A name of the sea!” He looks deeply into my
eyes, inspecting me much like Cailli does. “This one is entirely
without sin, not a single act of cruelty has she committed. She is
also innocent of many things that are not sinful; she is
inexperienced, incomplete. Unfinished, and yet an Avatar of Order.
I accept your gift, Ancient One.”

My mind had locked with his touch. He looks
directly into my soul and it feels so… intimate. I almost hear him
whisper to me, calling me to be his, to join with him. He fills my
mind and body with golden light; with glory of a kind I am not
familiar. All this could be ours; he will complete me.

Cailli's distressed voice breaks through to
my consciousness, “She is not a gift, Varuna! I – we all need her
as she is.”

His eyes narrow, but he cocks his head
curiously and releases my mind, “What are you up to,
Cailliach?”

“I merely wished you to meet her, my
student, you could say. She is concerned that there is information
that should have been shared with you, but may not have been.”

He turns his full attention back to me.
“What knowledge do you wish to share with me?”

I take a deep breath, trying to clear the
last of that strange warmth from my mind, “We are at war. The
current heir's son, Nero, killed the Magni Dominar, and those of
Chaos have launched the most concerted, cooperative effort to
destroy us that has ever been mustered. Novanus believes they are
even working on creating a Passage into or near Lumina. So far, we
have not been able to stop them.”

His gaze is so intense! “How long ago did
this begin?”

I'm not sure how to answer him. Cailli comes
to my rescue.

“Just over a week ago. Shi'ahn has spent
much of that time detained. Indeed I now hold her in my custody
because the political environment in the court is inadequate for
her development.”

Varuna holds her gaze for a moment, then
turns his all seeing eyes upon me. “Tell me, child, how is it that
you now find yourself in your highly unusual state?”

“I…” How many times am I going to have to
admit to my foolishness? “I'm new here, and the idea of the edge of
the universe was such a foreign concept to me – I just had to
investigate it. And when I did I was attacked, by something from
the other side.” The look in Varuna's eyes as he quickly glances at
Cailli gives me pause.

His voice, while not threatening, is
commanding. “Continue, child.”

“It was terrible! It screamed of
disharmony
, of wrongness, and it tried to tear out my soul!
I don't remember much after that, just unbearable pain, tears in
the darkness.”

“Abominations? I remember that word echoing
throughout the oceans a short while back.”

“Yes, that was me. Cailli took me to the
Staircase of Enlightenment after that, to the forest beyond the end
of everything… and, this is what I became.” I hold out my arms in
explanation.

Varuna isn't looking at me anymore, he
shares an intense gaze with Cailli. “I see. Thank you, Ancient One,
for sharing this revelation.” He turns back to me, reaches out for
my hand and raises it to his lips. My mind is once again filled
with light, which echoes in the jewel hidden against my breast. I
also hear lingering strains of music, Cailli's music. When my
eyesight returns the golden god smiles down at me. “Please contact
me if you learn of something you think I should know, and I shall
do the same.” The dragon upon which he sits moves away, taking the
amazing one with it. Cailli and I are engulfed in sparkling light,
and find ourselves once again in the beautiful forest within
Caverna Cernunnos. We are perfectly dry and my lungs work properly.
I would ask how she does it, but it would be pointless.

“
That went quite well, I
think. I suspect you could use some rest, Shi'ahn, and so I ask
you, would you like me to assign you a room within my tower, or
would you prefer to stay here?”

I have no need to pause and think, “Here –
I'll stay here!”

“I suspected as much. Shi'ahn, I want you to
know I am proud of you. You have done much today to improve
relations with the older generations. Get some rest, now.”

“But Cailli, you know I no longer sleep
well.”

“Ah yes. Here, try this.” She holds out an
odd object, it's roundish and comprised of a single chord that
wraps in and around itself unfathomably.

“What is it?”

“Some call it a SeshHaudian loop. Try to
encompass its form in your mind, its complete shape… give your mind
over to the task, but be sure to set some form of alarm first.”

~~~

She shimmers away, but I'm not yet ready for
rest, I want to dance under the stars, and do so, until they
disappear! I focus on the nearby ground and see Fauna and the great
stag, Cernunnos.

“Please excuse us, Shi'ahn, but my father
has questions for you.”

I look to Cernunnos, but it is Fauna who
speaks.

“You said that you had been attacked by
something from outside our universe – please explain further.”

I provide roughly the same explanation I
gave Varuna.

“Shi'ahn, please tell us, as best you can,
what it sounded like.”

That question did not come from Fauna, I'm
certain of it. I turn to Cernunnos and reply, including the
harmony
of the beast, even though I am certain he cannot
hear it. “It was the most disharmonious, the most terrible thing I
have ever
heard
. It was jagged, and about it was something
like… shattering. It does not belong here, its very incursion into
our realm is blasphemy. They are…”

Fauna, turning back from her father, adds,
“Abominations. That was you we heard.”

“Yes, as I understand it, many heard that.
That's when Cailli came and took me away.”

“Where exactly did she take you,
Shi'ahn?”

“At first to the Staircase of Enlightenment,
but then we traveled far beyond the singularity. We came to an
ethereal forest – a place greater even than your own. There was a
special tree there, a silvery oak that sang to me. It reached down
and touched my brow… that is the last I remember.”

Fauna reverently whispers, “The sacred Tree
of Life.” She glances at her father, then addresses me once again.
“Thank you, Shi'ahn, for your willingness to share this with us.
You have our gratitude and our trust. I think, though, that it is
time for you to rest. Oh, and one more thing.” She turns away, then
turns back holding a large covered platter. “You also need
nourishment, it could be dangerous to rely entirely upon your
imbuement for sustenance.” As they back away I lift the lid and
find an astoundingly wonderful collection of forest foods; I look
up to call out my thanks, but they are already gone.

I wonder, while enjoying my unexpected meal,
why does everyone seem so interested in my nourishment? Not that I
mind, but it seems odd. And now people want me to rest as well?
Can't they see it is almost impossible for me? I suppose it's
pointless to be concerned with such things, I settle down to
contemplate the strange object Cailli gave me.

~~~

My attention is diverted by a familiar voice
speaking words never before addressed to me, “Good morning,
sleepyhead!”

“William!”

“Hi Sis. What's that you're holding?”

“Oh, this – it's something Cailli gave me to
meditate upon, since I don't sleep properly anymore. She called it
a SeshHaudian loop.”

“It's strange, it changes when you aren't
looking at it.”

“Yes, it has an odd, shifty
harmony
;
it reminds me of Chaos.”

“That's a weird thing to give an Avatar of
Order.”

“Well, it did the trick, I've obviously been
out for hours. So, tell me what's going on in the Citadel?”

“For one thing, the Emperor is furious that
you are out of his reach. I hear Lucian practically disobeyed a
direct order to bring you back! I suppose it doesn't really count,
though, since he is incapable of taking you from Cailliach.
According to Lucian, everyone but me is banished from either your
or Cailliach's sight. From both the tower and the Staircase! He
said she's really pissed.”

“You've been talking to that beast?!”

William shakes his head, “Do you think the
Emperor was going to tell me I could come visit you? From what I
have heard, I believe he intended to execute you. Lucian, however,
went out of his way to speak with me.”

“Perhaps he means to use you to spy on us.”
My anger, I realize, serves no purpose now, I sigh, letting it go.
“I'm sorry, go on, what else is happening?”

“We had another war council this morning –
it's getting really bad. The Chaosians have attacked nearly all the
outlying worlds – it's as though they intend to lay siege to
Lumina. Their resources seem limitless. Novanus remains convinced
that they are creating Passages, which is probably how they are
getting so many forces nearby. It's really annoying. I have
gathered hundreds of battle dragons, but now I have no where to
keep them – we are getting shut off from almost everywhere.”