Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (46 page)

“Give her to me.”

“Are you mad? You're part of the problem!
Just try to put her out.”

Lucian looks down on her, lightly touches
her brow, and concentrates. He actually strains with the effort
before looking back at Casanova.

“It's no use. Give her to me, the Old One
can help, but she isn't likely to respond to you.”

Casanova is reluctant, but hands Shi'ahn
over into Lucian's strong but exceedingly gentle arms. He
transports to Cailliach's office; it is unoccupied.

“Cailliach!” He hears nothing and curses.
“Old One, answer me, we have a problem!”

Still nothing.

“Damn, where is she? Shi'ahn, look at me.
Open your eyes, Shi'ahn.” He shakes her gently. “Shi'ahn!”

***

Someone's calling my name. I fight back the
darkness enough to concentrate, I know that voice. The Beast!
Murderer! Evil incarnate holds me in his arms! I scream, wordless,
senseless. Terrified.

Sparkles of light leave us in a dark, deep
place; the only light comes from a strange glowing object. Cailli's
voice is upset, surprising me into silence.

“Can't I ever leave you children on your
own? Where do I have to go to be left alone to meditate?” Her
expression of exasperation changes to one of concern, “What's
happened to Shi'ahn?”

“All I know is that it was something
Llywelyn did. Casanova found her like this.” He looks meaningfully
into Cailli’s eyes before continuing, “The Spire has gone dark and
it's raining outside.”

Cailli stares at me so intensely it seems
like she's inspecting my soul; panic and pain slip away like
falling silk, leaving me exhausted, unable to think.

Cailli continues, “I suppose I should have
foreseen this possibility.” She pauses, then continues in a
surprised tone, “Llywelyn has removed the link between them – why
would he do such a foolish thing?”

“Ah, I see. Attempting to placate the
Emperor, I would guess. He hates the girl, though I cannot fathom
why.”

“The cowardly fool. Leave her with me, it
seems the climate down there is entirely wrong for her. We need her
to be strong and sure, not weakened by the senseless maneuvering of
the Emperor and his court.”

“What should I tell the Emperor?”

Cailli trains a piercing eye on him before
replying. “Tell him this: Throughout all our generations, only his
court would ill-treat their own Avatar. I am taking custody of
Shi'ahn. William may visit, but the rest of you are to stay out of
our sight. You may visit neither the tower nor the Staircase until
further notice.”

Lucian pauses a moment, contemplating
voicing something he doesn't really want to say, but decides he
should. “Casanova has done her no harm.”

Her voice softens, “I know, but she is not
for him, and the more time she spends with him, the more likely her
heart could be captured. And you have been used against her too
harshly for her to yet forgive.” She shakes her head, “What a mess
this is becoming.”

***

Lucian suddenly finds himself back in
Shi'ahn's rooms. Cas looks up in surprise.

“Is she alright?”

“She will be fine, but we will not see her
again for a while. The Old One is rather disgusted with us, only
William may visit Shi'ahn now.” Lucian leaves to update the
Emperor.

When he arrives in the Emperor's office, he
doesn't even get the chance to relate his message.

“It was her, wasn't it – that accursed girl!
I couldn't even bend Croi'Solas sufficiently to my will to undo her
attack.”

“It was not an attack.”

“Of course it was! I'll not allow such
behavior in my court! Bring her to me and I will deal with her.”
His words sound ominous, Lucian is almost certain the Emperor means
Shi'ahn harm.

“I cannot.” He relates Cailliach's message
and adds, “The old one is really quite upset with us.”

Llywelyn looks to his father questioningly,
while Vespasian seems outraged.

“Father, you can't allow her to treat you
this way! She's… harboring a criminal!

Lucian looks disgusted. “Shi'ahn's no
criminal, she was distraught! In her current condition she is more
closely linked to Lumina than any other being save the Cailliach
herself. The girl's world had turned to darkness and tears, and
Lumina reacted. Try thinking on that before you persecute her any
further.” He shoots a quick angry glare at Llywelyn, then turns and
stalks out of the room, shocking all within.

***

Somehow I'm standing in the strangely lit
place, my mind numb, but no longer filled with darkness.
“Cailli?”

“Yes, child, I'm here. It looks as though
you will be spending some time with me; but not in this place.” We
appear in the forest within. “Ah, that's better. Why don't you
wander around for a while, let the peace of the place sink into
your soul. I'll be back soon, and then we can continue your
training.”

I don't get to ask a single question, she
disappears too quickly. These are the same woods Lucian had brought
me to, but now I am alone to wander them freely. Cailli was right,
the peacefulness does sink into oneself, it's almost like walking
the forests of my home. The forests that likely aren't there
anymore… no, I will not think of that, not now. I spin around,
listening
to the beauty around me, willing it to sink into
my pores, to fill my soul.

I hear gentle laughter nearby. “It is indeed
nice to see our forest enjoyed with such abandon.”

“Fauna!”

“Greetings, Shi'ahn.”

“I'm sorry – is this forest also yours?”

“They are one and the same, linked
metaphysically, if you know how to look. But remember, you are
welcome here.”

“Thank you. I just love this place.”

“I am glad that part of you has not
changed.”

“Oh, this.” I hold out my arms. “No, not
even this can take from me my love of nature. Nothing can do
that.”

“Tell me, Shi'ahn, how did it happen?”

“Cailli did it to me – to repair the damage
I took from… curiosity.”

“What kind of damage?”

“I had been investigating the nature of the
edge of the universe, such a thing being a concept I wasn't
familiar with, and, I was attacked by something from the other
side.”

“You what?!! No one told us of this!”

“I was taken to the Emperor afterward. He
seemed more upset by my current condition than by the cause of my
injury.”

She makes an almost rude noise, “That sounds
like Augustus, alright. Can't see the forest for the trees. I'll
hazard he doesn't like you, does he?”

“No, I suspect he even hates me.”

She steps up and puts an arm around me,
“Well, consider yourself in good company. Come, walk with me – I
know a place you're sure to love!”

Taking my hand, she leads me quite a ways
along a path only she can see. It's both strange and wonderful to
have someone casually touch me as only William has in the past,
it's almost as though we have always been friends. She points out
wonders unlike I have ever seen before – this is truly the greatest
of all worldly forests. We eventually reach a veritable wall of
trees, so dense there is no way past them – or so I think. She
lifts up the hand holding mine and reaches toward a tree that,
while visually is no different from the others,
sings
a
slightly different
song
than the ones surrounding it.

'Touch it with me.' Her mental voice is like
trees sighing in the wind. Minds linked, we touch the tree
together; I
hear
something like a lock chime in my mind and
the tree shimmers away, opening up a hidden pathway. Her smile is
sunshine, “Come, this way.” Still holding my hand, she leads me
into a wondrous place. It is somehow enclosed from the rest of the
forest, almost as though it is a cave, but it isn't, is it?

“This is Caverna Cernunnos; my father
created it long ago, with Cailliach's help.”

“Your father created this?”

“It was his private getaway when the
stresses of the throne wore him down.”

“The throne?”

She sighs in resignation. “I suppose
Augustus has all but written him out of history, and I suppose I'm
not surprised. My father was the third Emperor of our realm. When
his time came to step down, he did not wish to join the Seraphim,
he asked to become a steward of the land. He chose the form of a
stag, knowing full well that he would never be able to return to
his original form.”

“The Great Stag is our third Emperor?” My
eyes widen in wonder and disbelief. “You said Seraphim – what are
they?”

This time she snorts in disgust, “I can't
believe Augustus has buried so much history! All right, let me
explain. When it was time for an Emperor to step down, he would be
given two options. He could become one of the Seraphim, those
beings that will one day serve the Bodhisattva, or he could choose
stasis, never to be awoken until the end of times when the strength
of all will be needed for Lumina to survive. Father wished neither;
he felt that the land he loved so dearly needed a guardian. Since
then only one other has chosen such a calling; Varuna guards the
sea.”

I don't know what to say. “One would think
that the Emperor would have mentioned such resources in the war
councils.”

“What war councils?” Her voice is steel.

“We are at war with Chaos. Nero, the Heir's
son, killed the Magni Dominar and they are attacking our realm with
greater coordination than they have ever shown before. Novanus
believes they are even trying to create 'Passages' into our realm,
or as close as possible.”

She stares at me, incredulous. “Why have we
not been informed?”

I can only shrug and shake my head. “I do
not know – it seems terribly inappropriate. If you would like, I
can try to keep you up to date on what is happening in the
Citadel.”

She looks deeply into my eyes, looking for,
and I think finding, something of meaning to her. “Yes, Shi'ahn, I
would greatly appreciate that.” Then she smiles, “There is one more
thing I would like to show you.” Again she takes my hand and I let
her touch, even guide my mind. She shows me what to her is the feel
of the place, though I would think of it as very near its
harmony
. There is one particular place, or to me note, that
can be shifted, changed. We do so together and the sky opens up,
the night sky showing the entire Universe. “This was Father's
private observatory. As you attune your mind to it, as I am certain
you will, you can inspect any world you wish.”

I'm astonished, “This seems more real,
perhaps more accurate than the night sky in the underground
gardens.”

“It is indeed. That one is a mere projection
of what is visible on the downside, while this shows what is really
out there, right now.”

“But light doesn't travel
instantaneously!”

“Light, as I understand it, has little to do
with how this representation works. The Cailliach created it for my
father.”

I
listen
to it, and she is right - it
is a Harmony projection! And yet, I hear a strong technological
basis as well. “Fauna, I hear that your are correct, and yet even
the amazing computers I've encountered here would not be able to
process this much data.”

She smiles kindly, “You have so much to
learn. The computers common in the Citadel are as nothing compared
to those created by the Cailliach. Hers utilize all nine
dimensions; although none of us truly understand how she manages
it, considering how unsuited many of them are for computing.”

“Ah, so with a single processor, she
computes in decimal.”

Her laughter surprises me, “No, no, no.
Remember, computers within the Spire are not subject to the
fluctuation of dimensions. Whatever the Cailliach says works here,
works. Always. Simply tracking how many dimensions are present at
any given time would be simplistic and wasteful for her. She also
uses three processors, giving her, well, as I do not know for
certain how she utilizes the dimensions, I cannot give you an exact
figure. Suffice it to say that she has at her disposal a very large
number of permutations.”

“What base does she use?”

“I have no idea. I'm sure it is a brutally
complicated one, though.”

It takes me a moment to wrap my mind around
the concept, “No one can think like that!”

“Agreed, almost. No one but the Cailliach,
and, when properly trained… certain Nebulaeans.”

“I could never…”

Again that playful smile, “Never say never.
Your line is, shall we say, different.”

“But, Alma said that all of Lumina depends
upon the decimal system.”

“For all of her line, it does. Their
intellect, and mine, for that matter, is limited. Yours is not. You
are Star Stuff – Universe Born.”

“Even if it is possible to think in such a
way – why? Who in their right mind would purposely make things so
difficult for themselves?”

“Remember, while the oldest of the Imperial
line measures his life in mere thousands of years, the Cailliach
measures hers in billions. She is devoted to seeking knowledge and
using it for the protection of our realm. Think of it, by using
such an outlandishly complicated system, she can be absolutely,
utterly certain that no one can compromise her computational
systems.”

… “
You have a
point.”

Her laughter sounds like someone shaking a
broad-leafed tree on a windy day, “I sense, Shi'ahn, that you have
a lot to contemplate, and that you are in need a refuge from the
court. Feel free to use this place as your own private sanctuary;
somehow it feels to me as though you belong here.” Her expression
turns serious. “Shi'ahn, may I see your transport crystal? I wish
to give you my image for communication, if I may.”

I pause a moment, wondering, should I give
her the one she can sense, or my hidden one? I decide on the good
one. I smile sheepishly and lift it from my bodice, her eyes
widen.