Snap Back to Reality

Light burned my eyes as the world came into focus. My mouth snapped open and I sucked air into my lungs in gasps. Pain radiated from my right arm, though I couldn’t see it. Most of my body was hidden under a blanket that had been pulled up to my chin. I was on my back, looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. The air smelled of medicinal herbs and incense. Apart from the bed, the room was nearly barren with only one small table and one chair. The ceiling was made of dark wood and the tatami-eque mats similar to those found in my room covered the floor.

My memories clicked together like puzzle pieces: the arrow, sprinting to the palace, losing consciousness, the nightmare. I shuddered. Meeting Tsu Den Ro proved that the gods were real, tangible things capable of eavesdropping on me wherever I was. Even now, she and the other gods had the power to see me. I only hoped they didn’t do it all the time, that some moments of my existence could pass by unwitnessed.

I wiggled my feet, bent my knees, and otherwise did my best to check that all my parts were still there. Nothing was missing, the only damage was to my right arm. I reached up and pushed the blanket down with my left hand.

Footsteps thumped closer and a door slid open. “Ah, you’re awake.”

I turned my head to see Vris had come into the room. She’d brought a tray of food which she set down on the table.

“Where am I?” I sounded like I’d been gargling rusty nails.

Vris took the lid off a soup bowl. “You’re in a recovery room in the palace. Lord Daisuke was able to treat you in time to stop the poison.” She shot me a beatific smile. “You’re going to be all right.”

I rubbed the grit from the corners of my eyes. “Ah, good. That’s good.” I winced at my awkward response, but I couldn’t think of any other words. The encounter with Tsu Den Ro was running through my mind. Her message had been two things: a punishment and a vessel.

“I need to speak to Seeker Len,” I said, sitting up.

“Ah, please don’t get up. You’re in a fragile state,” Vris said, wringing her hands in distress.

“I’m not getting up, I just wanted to sit up. I really do need to speak to Seeker Len.” I paused, then added, “If he seems reluctant, tell him I bear a message from Tsu Den Ro.”

Vris’s eyes widened. “Oh, oh my. I will be sure to tell him right away. Are you feeling up to feeding yourself?”

I nodded and she brought the tray over, setting it gently on my lap, before disappearing out the door. I ate slowly, savoring the salty broth and tender noodles. Despite it all, I couldn’t help but feel a sliver of pride. I had managed to get the gods to react, to come to me and prove themselves. Nothing in Wosurei was offered freely, I had to fight and take what I could to try and make sense of it all. The gibbering girl I’d been in my dream had vanished along with Tsu Den Ro. I wouldn’t openly challenge the gods again, I’d learned my lesson there, yet I’d also been taught that the gods weren’t eager to be rid of me. There was a good chance I had them worried. You don’t threaten someone you believe is your perfect pawn.

Vris reappeared with Seeker Len as I slurped the last bit of broth. The man looked haggard, like he’d been working three jobs and slept two hours a night.

“Greetings, Seer Rin. I trust you are feeling better?” he asked. His voice was cordial, almost as if he hadn’t spent weeks hiding from me.

“I am, thank you,” I cleared my throat. It hurt a little to talk, but it was manageable.

Seeker Len glanced at Vris. “Leave us, please.”

Vris curtsied and left without a word. Seeker Len grabbed the chair and set it beside my bed. The silence took on a new feeling as we each sized the other up. He broke first.

“So,” he said. “Vris indicated that you have a. . . message for me?”

“Yes. Tsu Den Ro wants you to know you made a mistake.” It felt good to say it, to see his face fall in shock and horror.

“Regarding what?” he said, face pale as milk.

I struggled to remember the exact words, so I paraphrased. “We don’t have a year to prevent the End of Days. It’s going to happen on the first day of the new year.”

If he wasn’t already seated, I was sure he would have collapsed. “W-what? How could you possibly know that?”

“When I lost consciousness, I dreamed that I was with her. Surely this isn’t the first time a god has used a dream to talk to someone?” If I were a god, I wouldn’t bother appearing in person.

“Tell me every detail,” he said, leaning forward.

And so I told him everything, all that I could remember. Unlike my usual dreams, I could recall it all clearly. After I finished, he slumped in his chair.

“No, I was so sure. I’d run all the calculations.” His tone didn’t sound confident, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Don’t you have an apprentice hidden away somewhere? Shouldn’t they have double checked your work?” I asked.

Something flashed in his eyes, the briefest flicker. “I have no apprentice.”

For a man this old, that seemed unwise. Still, not my problem. “In any case, we’ve lost a lot of time. If I leave right after getting better, can I make it to the mountain peak in time?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Getting to the mountain peak is a problem, but not the biggest problem. Once the gods provide you with the solution, you must get that solution to us and it must be enacted. Simply getting up there takes around three moons and the new year is barely four moons away.”

“I won’t have time to get down the mountain,” I pointed out.

“The gods will provide you passage down. It will be much swifter.” Seeker Len spoke as if this were obvious.

The urge to complain rose inside me. Why couldn’t the gods just teleport me to the peak of this damned mountain? If time was so short, surely that could do that much? My arrow wound throbbed and I instead chose to remain silent.

“Well,” I said. “I suppose I better hurry up and get better.”

Seeker Len rose from the chair. “Certainly. I must now reassess the charts.”

“Wait,” I said. “Before you go, I’d like to ask you something. What was the name of the previous Seer?”

He blinked at me. “May I ask why you’d like to know?”

“Just curious,” I said, feigning nonchalance.

Seeker Len frowned. He must not have found anything objectionable enough in my face, so he said, “Duncan. His name was Duncan.”