Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (40 page)

I try to remove it, but it does not come
off. He continues to hold out his hand, so I reach out and accept
his vice like grip. It’s strange; he looks both nearly enraptured
at my touch and yet, at the same time, revolted. “Yes, this is the
ring I thought it was. What have you been doing with it?”

“It can be used to connect to power sources,
but I mostly use it to investigate, by mentally riding the power
seeking tendrils. That’s how I was injured. I was investigating the
boundaries of our universe when I was attacked by… something from…
outside.”

His gaze becomes intense, “What do you mean,
from outside?”

“Just that – something from outside our
universe. I know it sounds impossible, but it was a creature not of
this universe that injured me. It tried to consume me!”

He looks unimpressed, “You mean, it bit
you?”

“No! I mean it… tried to tear out my
soul!”

Calling his expression one of disbelief
would be a vast understatement; Lucian steps forward, “If I may,
Father; I intercepted Shi'ahn and the old one before this apparent
‘healing’ took place, and I can attest to the fact that Shi'ahn was
indeed torn apart, on the metaphysical level. Her belief that
something tried to consume her is not at all out of the realm of
possibility.”

The Emperor still looks displeased. “So you
are saying that the Old Hag made her an Avatar to repair the damage
she took from this creature from ‘outside?”

“That does appear to be what happened.”

The Emperor returns his displeased and now
also disturbed gaze to me. “Did she give you any indication as to
how long this effect would last?”

“She said that would depend on me – that it
would last until I had done all that I need to do with it.” My
answer does not appear to please him.

~~~

Approaching footsteps distract me - William!
All else ceases to exist as I run toward my brother.

“William!” He takes me in his arms and hugs
me fiercely.

“Shi'ahn, I was so worried about you, but
never mind that, what's happened to you? You're…” He is at a loss
for words.

“I know – pretty strange, isn't it? This is
what Cailli did to heal me of the damage I had sustained from…
well; I'll explain it later. On the bright side, I've ascended The
Path. You could have at least told me about the forest!”

He looks very confused, and responds to my
mind. 'Forest? The Path is a staircase, Shi'ahn.'

'I know that, but beyond – the metaphysical
part!'

'I only ascended a third of the staircase,
and even that seemed to surprise Cailliach.'

'Oh, ah, let's discuss this later.' He nods
in agreement and changes the subject.

“Lucian said you had not returned to Lumina.
What happened?”

“He lied. Imagine that. I don’t know how it
happened – one moment we were holding hands, the next I stood alone
in the throne room. I was so scared for you! I would have tried to
come for you, but… I was detained.” Finally I pay attention to the
nasty smell nagging the back of my mind. “Oh yes, you have also
been detained – and in not particularly nice accommodations. Here.”
I cast a cleaning spell on him, intending to remove the dirt and
smell, but… all he is left with is his dragon scale underwear.

He looks down in surprise, “Gee, thanks sis.
I feel lots better now.”

“I'm sorry! That shouldn't have happened.”
He does look good in iridescent gold, though.

~~~

The irritated voice of Emperor Augustus
booms into my awareness, “This is all very touching, but would you
mind?” The words are not discourteous, but his tone is of
steel.

Oh no, I just ran off and ignored the
Emperor. Will I ever stop messing up? I almost begin to apologize,
but the look in his eyes tells me he doesn't want to hear it. Head
bowed, I return to my place before him, William at my side. The
others are there already, and what a variety of expressions they
turn toward us! Cas, even though filthy, looks almost radiant as
his eyes drink in my condition. Alma looks suspicious, Gwenllian
angry, and Celeste seems intrigued as she smiles. Nero is not
present.

The Emperor sighs resignedly, and from
people's reactions, uncharacteristically. “Someone get this boy
some clothes.” A servant rushes up with a loose robe, then the
Emperor's voice returns to its normal, cold tone.

“I'm not going to ask you for any
explanations, I already know you don't have any. I know that none
of you wielded the blade, and similarly none of you were in
collusion with the guilty party. However - every single one of you
failed to detect the plot and the fact that one among you was not
whom he appeared, and so all of you are at least partially
responsible for what is now happening. So what is the result of
your incompetence? Magni Dominar Ra Ab Val al Draconae is dead and
we are at war. This is not a strategic war intended to punish the
guilty party, it is a war intended to take over or possibly even
destroy our realm. The conflict is still in its early stages, but
never before have we seen those of Chaos unite in a single purpose
– the situation is serious. At this point, if there are planets
that are particularly important to you, I suggest you do what you
can to improve their security – or simply move those things you
care most about to safer locations. I recommend you devote only one
Lumina day to this endeavor, less if possible. Your next priority
will be to raise armies to fight on our behalf - while it is true
that we are superior to our enemies, they are exceedingly numerous.
Return as swiftly as you can, with as many troops as possible.”

He turns his icy gaze to me, “And you,
Shi'ahn, are not to publicly cast any more spells until you have
yourself under proper control. I will not hold naked courts.”

Chapter
23

Exiled

William and I start heading to my rooms, but
Celeste catches my arm, joining us. “What happened to you, Shi'ahn?
Were you injured?”

How insightful… “Yes, I was attacked by
something terrible, something from beyond the confines of our
universe.”

She doesn't look disbelieving at all. “What
was it like?”

“Dark, terrible, jagged. It was… all the
pain and anguish that has ever been, condensed into a single,
astoundingly hungry creature.”

She looks concerned. “So Cailliach did this
to you, to heal you?”

“Yes, she did.”

“Very interesting indeed. I suspect that we
will soon be living in very… interesting times. Well, I'll leave
you and your brother to your reunion, I'm sure you have a lot to
discuss.” She smiles warmly into my eyes and pats my hand. I hear
her thought, 'I knew there was something special about you,
Shi'ahn. I believe you will do our line proud.' She leaves us
without another word.

William and I remain silent until my door
closes behind us.

“Well, that was interesting – I wonder why
she is so much more accepting of this than anyone else?”

William doesn't seem surprised. “Remember,
she is also Nebulaean – and she is far older than our cousins. She
looked to me like she knows something. I have noticed that not
everything about Lumina's history shows up in books here –
Cernunnos, for one, is a curious omission.”

“Yes, that does seem odd. I can't help but
wonder how many things are being kept from us – from everyone.”

“Well, I'm not going to worry about it now,
we finally have permission to leave – to return home!”

“You're right, we do! And while there I'll
have plenty of time to figure out how to compensate for my…
condition. Shall we be going?”

“Not just yet – I'd like to bring along some
things to help. Just little things, you know, shield generators, a
lab… it should only take a few hours.”

“Oh, OK. I'll just spend some time
re-grounding myself. I've been away from my own things for too
long.” As I speak I lovingly caress my mother’s instrument display
shelf.

“Well that's turnaround for you – you go
ahead and play around while I get some serious preparations taken
care of.” He smiles as he leaves, laughing under his breath.

He may think it is funny, but I really need
this. I lovingly take Mathair's flute from the concealing drawer
and play. Calmness embraces me as the notes circle round, bringing
peace to my body and soul. I haven't felt this good for quite a
while – until I'm startled by knocking on my door. William
enters.

“I'm ready, are you?”

Rats, first I missed breakfast and now
lunch. In fact, I haven't eaten a thing since breakfast with Lucian
yesterday. “Oh, sure. We should have plenty of provisions still in
the cottage. I'm sure we've been gone for a long time, but the
government was ready for that. Oh wait!” I call out through my
ring, 'Computer.'

Nothing, there is no reply whatsoever.

'Computer?' “My computer is not
responding.”

“Perhaps you have changed too much for it to
recognize you?”

“That's a possibility.” I listen to it, to
see if the processors are running properly. They are not! They're…
fried, for lack of a better descriptive. “Damn that Lucian, I'll
bet he nearly succeeded in breaching my security. The processors
are nearly destroyed. Fixing this will take hours in the least; it
will have to wait until we get back. Maybe Gaea can give me an idea
of what happened, they have been 'talking' to each other ever since
before we went to Chaos.”

“They have? You didn't mention that
before.”

“As you keep pointing out, a lot goes on
around here.”

He smiles the same smile he usually wears
when I make reference to his perfumed evening. “Yea. So, are you
ready to go now?”

“Yes, though perhaps we should use your
crystal?”

William laughs, “Yes, maybe that would be
wise. I don't want to end up nearly naked again, or entombed in the
center of the Shir.” He concentrates on his crystal, and we shimmer
into Shiral.

Almost immediately I hear a tremendous
scream. “NO!!!!! You must not be there in your condition!” I
shimmer again and appear… somewhere else.

~~~

Where am I? It looks like a tropical island?
Except the variety of trees is too great, palms growing next to
cedars? That's not right. I concentrate on my transport crystal,
but it remains dark, not a single image comes to mind. “Cailli?
What have you done?”

She shimmers to my side, “Ah child, I had
assumed you would understand.”

“Understand what?”

“The importance and limitations of your
condition. You must not travel to places that should remain unseen
– you are like a beacon to any who seek us.”

“But that means…”

“Yes, Shiral may now be discovered. But it's
OK, you are in a safe place now.”

“Then I must - no, I can't go back. Please
help me; protect my world!”

“No, I'm afraid Shiral now has a different
destiny.”

“What about William, is he on Shiral?”

“Yes, he is - it will be up to him to defend
her.”

“Help him! If I can't be there for him, you
can.”

“No, I cannot - I have other duties. William
and Gaea must now do what they can for themselves. The best thing
you can do, for both Lumina and Shiral, is to learn how to
compensate for your current condition.”

“You did this to me - teach me how to
compensate!”

“I'm afraid that isn't how it works. Harmony
is a highly individualized power – it works for the wielder in the
manner in which they envision the universe. I see the universe
through mathematics, whilst you
hear
it through music, which
in a way is a more pure interpretation - you must teach yourself;
compose your own song.”

“But what about William, is he in
danger?”

“Very much so, but he is far from helpless,
this may actually be good for him, in the long run.” She shimmers
out of sight, but I'm not finished asking questions.

“Cailli? How long must I stay here? Where
should I go? I'm Hungry, Cailli. Cailli? Grandmother?”

Her face appears huge in the sky. “Child,
you talk too much. Acquaint yourself with the area, I'm sure you
will find all you need.”

“How long must I stay here?”

“Until you have learned all that you must
learn here, and done all that you must do, of course.” With that
her face seems to pull away, becoming undetectable in the distance;
the sky dims almost imperceptively. How can she leave me here when
my brother and my world are in danger? It lies so close to Chaos,
if they detected me… Oh Gaea, I'm so sorry!

Gaea! I try to contact her through my ring,
but the connection is no longer there. None of my Shiral
connections remain – neither do any to Lumina; it maintains only
the link to the black sun. Cailli again, no doubt. I wonder if the
connections alone could have endangered Shiral? I hadn't checked
the link since before I contracted my glowing condition. Were the
connections severed yesterday and I just didn't notice? Was my
transport crystal also shut down? Were the clues that I shouldn't
travel always there but I failed to notice them? How many will die
because of my carelessness? Will William survive? I couldn't live
with myself if he died because of me.

~~~

The utter desolation of my music shocks me
back into reality, I sound as though I have given up all hope. That
won't do – if I can't be there for William and Gaea now, I must do
all I can to prepare myself to help them when I can. So - first
thing first. If I'm to get any food, I'll have to find it myself;
it's time to explore my most recent prison.

Past the tree line the plant life is very
dense, then suddenly, it ends. Immediately I realize something
isn't right… I find myself in a clearing filled with berries, all
appear perfectly ripe. First I walk up to low-lying blueberry
bushes – right or not, I love blueberries, and these taste amazing.
The raspberries, strawberries and black currants are all perfect; I
can’t even feel the instant of separation as I pick them. I eat
what a few weeks ago would have been my fill, but now only whets my
appetite. At the far edge of the clearing are fruit trees; avocado,
orange, apple, cherry, tangerine, olive… all my favorites plus many
I do not recognize, and again everything is in the height of
ripeness. It doesn’t make sense, the variety and perfection of the
fruits I see… this place is like a fantasy orchard stocked with all
I could think to ask for and more.