The Echoes of the Past

“God the Benevolent! What happened to you two?!” – mother Mina exclaimed when she saw Sonia and Katria cross the gate, carried on a wagon.

The paralysis had worn off after a few hours, but Sonia still had some trouble talking.

“A lot to talk about, mother, but we’re fine.”

“To the infirmary with them, now! Where’s Liesë?”

“I’m here, mother.”

“Go with them.”

“At once.”

With the help of some caresisters, she carried Sonia and Katria on the stretchers up the main stairs and through the corridors to the infirmary. Laid in a bed, Sonia could finally catch some rest after the bumpy ride home.

She felt much better than the day before. Only her limbs were still a little numb. The wound on her arm was slowly healing. Katria still coughed profusely and was too weak to stand straight, but at the very least she wasn’t seriously burnt.

When Liesë finished changing their dressings, mother Mina entered the room and dismissed the caresisters. Now the four of them were alone in the infirmary.

“Liesë, stand guard at the door” – mother Mina ordered. – “Let no one in.”

Liesë nodded and took her station. Mina looked at Sonia and Katria and said:

“Now tell me what in God’s name happened.”

***

The dreams were back, stronger than ever. He knew not why that was, but it could have something to do with his overwhelming sense of failure after he lost control over the blizzard.

It was as I had feared – he thought. – I’m even weaker. Worthless! Worthless!

He anguished over his weakness after he had lost Zaria and missed the magical prowess he had used to enjoy. Now he felt more helpless, more crippled than ever before. He loathed his very existence.

The dream, however daunting, seemed a soothing respite from the torture of his consciousness.

Falling… falling down ever longer. The lightless abyss seemed to have no end.

Finally, his fall came to an end. He didn’t crash into rocks, didn’t latch onto anything, he simply ceased moving. When he opened his eyes, he saw a dim light far into the distance. An unknown force made him float closer, and he finally felt ground under his feet.

He found himself in a narrow corridor, cut deep in the bedrock. When he ignited a magical light, he saw strange symbols carved onto the stone. He recognized the ancient runes of his kin. He knew he was getting closer.

At last he found the door. It was narrow and tall, with the same script carved all over it in straight columns. It was covered with luminescent mold, which drenched the entrance in a teal glow.

No human had been there in ten thousand years, if the clantales were to be believed. Behind the door was his destination, the result of years of research: the tomb of Valamira, one of the daughters of the Great Ancestor, the only wizard who had not relinquished the Dark Lord after his defeat and the only one known to have been buried beyond the Isles. It was a piece of ancient history come to life before his very eyes.

The veil of his amnesia lifted even further and he remembered his goal: to retrieve the three khorii crystals with which Valamira had been buried alive here as a punishment for her wicked loyalty. If he merged them with his own, he would become the mightiest of all wizards. That was his ultimate ambition, and the violation of the greatest taboo of his kin.

Thou shall not claim khorii crystals of another wizard, for they are the vessels of their knowledge, their skill and their very soul – he recalled one of the tenets. – This is exactly why claim them I shall.

He pulled out the seal, which he had searched for since his initiation, and only found a year prior, and pressed it into the matching niche in the wall. Something inside the door clicked. Katnir reached out with his hand, and the door obeyed. It moved up with a heavy sound of grinding stone.

Beyond the entrance there was only darkness and silence. Katnir strode forth with confidence, the magic light illuminating his way.

He entered the burial chamber. It was so enormous, his light could not reach the ceiling or the opposite wall no matter how bright he made it. The layer of dust was so thick that he was leaving visible footprints.

Finally, he found a stone pedestal sitting atop a tall set of stairs. He climbed the stairs and reached the pedestal. On top of it there was a skeleton, already half ground down to dust by the quern of time. But among the blackened bones he did not find what he was looking for. There were no crystals among Valamira’s remains.

“Gone?!” – he cried in desperation. – “It can’t be. It can’t!”

He was about to sift through the dust searching for the crystals, when he saw a black shade emerging from the dark, looming and threatening, as if intending to punish him for his transgression. It seemed human, but he sensed that it wasn’t. The towering presence terrified him so much that he desperately wanted to run… no, teleport away.

He made the gesture to form the matrix and focused on his destination: his home, far away on the Isles. The world around him warped into a tangled mass as he entered the portal. It seemed as if he had made it.

Suddenly, he felt that the matrix was out of balance, as Zaria in his right hand began to burn his flesh. He had no time to correct his mistake. The last thing he remembered was the tearing pain as the first crack appeared on the overloaded crystal.

***

“What’s all this ruckus about?” – Kragavald stopped one of the brothers running through the corridor.

“The sorcerers attacked the village of Coine, venerable father. His Excellency is sending the expeditionary force there.”

“Is he? Now that’s interesting.”

He let the brother go and made his way to his chamber. He rolled out the map and found the village of Coine. It laid north of the fork of Moza and Myrna rivers, just a few miles south of the border between Rataï and Inelin provinces. When he looked further south, he spotted an interesting place: the abbey of the Sisters of Benevolence in the village of Gath.

“An occurrence of this magnitude right by your doorstep, old friend? I hope you don’t mind if I pay you a visit to reminisce about the old days.”

He called for a servant and ordered his belongings ready to move out.

***

Satine was already feeling well enough to answer mother Mina’s summons without any delay. Sister Noor, who delivered the message, seemed astir, as if an extraordinarily serious matter was to be discussed.

Having dressed in a more acceptable attire, she made her way to the infirmary. While Sonia and Katria were also feeling better, they were still confined to their beds under mother Mina’s orders.

The recent developments gave rise to a multitude of rumors among the caresisters, most of them utterly ridiculous. Some claimed that one of Einhart’s guerillas defected and fought against him in Coine. As per other rumors, Sonia single-handedly laid waste to an entire regiment of sorcerers just with her bow. Another said that a terrible winged demon was seen over the village as the fires raged on. Satine was very cautious about those apocalyptic claims. She had not yet had a chance to speak with Sonia or Katria on the matter, as the prioress had ordered a strict veil of secrecy.

When she entered the infirmary, mother Mina and the other four battlesisters were already there.

“Close the door, Satine” – the prioress asked.

Satine locked the door and sat on the edge of Sonia’s bed.

At mother Mina’s consent, Sonia recalled the events of the previous day. Satine was shocked to hear that Katnir had fought on their side against Einhart.

“What happened to the sorcerer?” – she asked.

“I don’t know. The last I saw him he was facing Einhart and two of his henchmen.”

“You don’t suppose he laid his life for you, do you?”

“I… I don’t know. But he could have left me for dead there, that’s for sure.”

“And what about that winged demon you and Katria saw?”

“Not sure. It carried me away from the village and after a while I woke up beside Katria. Whatever it was, it seemed to be friends with Katnir.”

“My guess would be that it was the other sorcerer that was accompanying Katnir. Probably an advanced animage or a transmutationist” – Liesë said.

“What does it all mean for us, mother?” – Satine asked. – “We’re under orders to chase and detain any spellcaster in the realm, yet here we have two aiding us in a time of need.”

The prioress rubbed her chin, thinking for a second.

“Your conclusion may be too far-fetched. We’re still unsure as to their motivations.”

“Actually, mother…”

“Yes, Liesë?”

“I have taken a liberty to search through our library looking for information about any magical items known to have been present in Inelin province at any point in history, and I have found a possible candidate. Something which I believe could be the goal of both Katnir and Einhart.”

“Which is?”

Liesë pulled out a worn-out scroll and rolled it out on the table.

“A powerful wizard by the name of Halandir is said to have been buried somewhere in the vicinity of the fork of Moza and Myrna rivers. This scroll covers the early history of magic in Rainhoven. It claims that the source of Halandir’s power were three magical crystals embedded in his body.“

Liesë pointed at a crude and faded drawing of a wizard, with three shining crystals: a purple one in his right hand, a green one in his left, and a blue crystal in the middle of the forehead.

“The green one symbolizes the connection to the Material Plane, the blue one to the Magic Plane and the purple one to the Spirit Plane. It’s highly probable that he was buried with them and therefore the crystals are still in Inelin. While I acknowledge that the absence of evidence is not an evidence of absence, I have not been able to find a trace of any other magical artifacts in the entire south-eastern Rainhoven. My conclusion is that Halandir’s crystals are what Einhart and Katnir are looking for.”

“You and Sonia met Katnir and his companion on their way west towards the town of Inelin” – mother Mina pointed out. – “If they were travelling to the burial site you mentioned, they would have turned north before you encountered them, or you would have stumbled on them in the forest, as you were investigating roughly the same area that day.”

“It could be that the precise location is unknown to them. After all, I’m relying on sources which are… obscure, to say the least, even more so after the destruction in the wake of Einhart’s revolt. The chances of them having access to this information are slim.”

“The sources could also be wrong. If they know that Halandir’s tomb is in Rainhoven, perhaps they have a better idea than you as to where exactly it is.”

Liesë was about to say something, visibly aggravated, but Satine cut her off:

“Mother, if I may…”

“Go on, Satine.”

“I believe instead of debating Katnir’s motives, we should focus on what would benefit our order. With the destruction of Coine, Einhart has left a substantial magical trace, which we should be able to follow and ultimately track him down. As a side benefit, we may also learn about Katnir’s fate and possibly about the motivations of both parties.”

Mother Mina looked at her with pride. She was clearly impressed with her rationale. It made Satine blush.

“I agree with that assessment” – Taevine spoke unexpectedly. – “We should take the fight to them.”

“Three out of five of you are still recovering, it’s too early to send you out to the field again.”

“If we don’t move out now, the Brotherhood will be there first” – Taevine pressed on.

“I’ll be fine” – Sonia said, jumping out of her bed and doing a cartwheel. – “You good, Katria?”

Katria nodded.

“I agree with Taevine, mother” – Satine said. – “Do we have your approval?”

The prioress was clearly reluctant.

“While I’m still deeply concerned about your health, I acknowledge that this may be a pivotal moment for the Sisterhood. If you are unanimous in your decision, you may depart tomorrow morning.”

Sonia gave her a warm hug.