Book of One 04: A Child of Fire (19 page)

"I have never seen my teacher with such an expression," Kasha commented, glancing over at Aaron. "Who are these people?"

"The tall one is apparently my father," Aaron told her with a sigh. "The other man is a mage called Stavros, who is the brother to my uncle, and the girl is called Ehlena, but she has become some sort of goddess."

"They are your people," Kasha said, wondering at Aaron's lack of enthusiasm. "You do not seem pleased to see them."

"It is difficult to explain," he told her. "The reason I went to Ba'shan was to get away from them for a while."

"Then you do not want them here?"

"No," Aaron said. "It isn't that. I just wanted some time to think about things."

"I am surprised," Kasha said. "I did not think you would be one to run away from things."

"I wasn't running away," Aaron said, though he heard the irritation in his own voice and realized that it was exactly what he had done. "I just wanted some time, that's all."

"And have you answered whatever questions you had?"

"Not really," Aaron said.

"It is often better to answer questions by facing them," she said.

"You sound like my uncle," Aaron told her.

"He must have been very wise," Kasha said with a glint of a smile in her eyes.

Aaron was relieved to see that she had not entirely lost her sense of humor, though he could see by the serious expressions on the faces of the Ansari that there was little humor to go around. While Kasha's teacher smiled uncomfortably at Ehlena and the two mages, the Ansari leader and the other warriors also appeared to be on edge. Though Aaron could only see the side of her face as he approached, Ehlena appeared calm, as did Stavros, but he noticed that Zachary was looking around at the camp and the Ansari as though oblivious to the fact that he was completely surrounded by them. Zachary caught sight of Aaron as he and Kasha walked past the gathering crowd and he smiled widely at him.

"Aaron!" the mage exclaimed. "We finally found you!"

"Zachary," Aaron said with a nod and he smiled at the other two, who had turned when the mage had called out his name. "Did the three of you come all this way looking for me?"

"Aaron," Ehlena said, her eyes brightening for a moment, then her gaze shifted to Kasha, who walked next to Aaron, her muscular, tanned and nearly naked warrior body, dangerous as a living weapon. "I see you have acquainted yourself with the Ansari."

"I am Kasha," the Ansari woman said. "I would know your name from your own lips, sister."

"Sister?" Ehlena was surprised that the woman would suggest that they might be sisters, since everthing about her suggested that she was looking to fight. "I am Ehlena."

Kasha looked at her with a questioning expression on her face.

"You speak the truth of your name yet not all of it," she said. "That is strange to me, but I greet you, sister, Ehlena."

Ehlena smiled at the woman then she turned her head toward the Ansari leader who rose from his chair.

"Explain your presence in our domain," he said, his voice low and thunderous.

"I am here," Ehlena answered. "What is to be explained?"

"What is your purpose?" the Ansari asked.

"We came looking for him," Zachary said, gesturing his thumb toward Aaron. "Now, if you don't mind, we'll just collect him and be on our way."

"What is your purpose here?" the Ansari leader repeated.

"I just told you," Zachary replied. "I'm not in the habit of explaining myself."

"Zachary," Ehlena said. "Please, let me deal with this." She stepped forward and looked at the old man, Kasha's teacher, for a moment then up at the large man who sat upon the wooden throne. "If I may, I would like to speak with this man for a moment."

"You may," the Ansari leader told her.

"I feel as though I might know you," Ehlena said to the old man.

"You are not who I thought," he said. "What have you done with her?"

"I have done nothing," Ehlena told him. "You are Ashan, are you not?"

The old man's eyes widened and he seemed almost upset, with a look of anger and sadness that was in stark contrast to the expression of serenity he had only a short time ago.

"What have you done?" he asked again.

"I have done nothing," she repeated and she wished she could talk to the goddess who had become a part of her, the way she had before.

Ehlena knew that the old man was familiar to the Lady, but something about her memories of him made it difficult to recall. It was as though those memories remained hidden from her, which was strange since the goddess had given her all of her knowledge when she had become one with her essence. She could not imagine why the Lady would withhold something about an old man who lived in the middle of the desert, when she had shared everything else, even memories that she found disturbing and horrific, many of which Ehlena was still coming to terms with. When she tried to think of what she might know of the old man, Ehlena felt something like an echo within her, and a feeling that was a combination of sorrow and joy, and she began to wonder if there was any part of the goddess that remained within her that could answer such a question.

"
Can you hear me?
" she asked with her thoughts. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, though Ehlena knew that not even a moment had passed, she heard a faint echo from deep within her.

"
I am nearly gone,
" said the voice of the Lady, though she sounded confused, as though she was in a dream of some. The thoughts became clearer and Ehlena could hear her more distinctly now. "
Why have you called me back?
"

"
This man,
" Ehlena said. "
You knew him, didn't you?
"

She felt the emotions run through her again, stronger now, both joy and sorrow at seeing the old man, not just in memory but through Ehlena's eyes, but those thoughts were followed by a sense of melancholy.

"
He is Ashan,
" she said.

"
That much I know,
" Ehlena told her. "
He is upset by me. Why?
"

"
I loved him once, and he loved me, but our love was not meant to be,"
the Lady told her
.
"
I did not expect to see him again. It is strange that he still lives.
"

"
Perhaps you should speak to him.
"

"
It is difficult. I have given nearly everything to you and thought to let these few memories fade into the dream I am becoming.
"

"
Why?
" Ehlena asked. "
You have given me so much of your life that we are one and the same and I have accepted those things.
"

"
I thought to spare you my sorrows. We are one, but this is your time and I would not diminish that.
"

"
I am fine,
" Ehlena told her. "
If we are one, then let us be one. I will share your sorrows and you will share my joys.
"

"
There are things that you might not wish to know,"
the Lady told her. "
I have given you all that is useful, but I do not wish to change your view of the world, of life, of love.
"

"
Do not fear for me, I will choose my own life,
" Ehlena reassured her.

Ehlena thought she felt a tear in her eye and it was as though the goddess was crying and she felt profound sadness and joy flow through her in equal measure.

"
This will take the last of me,
" the goddess told her. "
After this, you will know all.
"

"
If that is what you wish,
" Ehlena said. "
I am grateful for your gift.
"

"
And I am grateful for yours.
"

The air around Ehlena shimmered and, even though the sun blazed brighly overhead, it was as though she began to glow. The old man's eyes softened as the light around Ehlena's face took shape and a different face appeared, one that he recognized, and the spirit of the goddess in her previous form, that of the Lady Ayra, emerged from Ehlena. Ashan, the oldest living Ansari, stepped toward her with tears in his eyes.

"I thought you gone forever," he said.

"I have returned," the Lady said, placing her hand on his wrinkled cheek.

"You are someone else," he said. "How can this be?"

"The form I had could not exist beyond this world. To return required another, one who would freely accept me, who was alike to me in spirit that we would become one," she told him, "It is as much her gift to me as it is my gift to her and I have given it freely."

"I am glad to know this," he said.

Ayra turned and looked at Ehlena and the rest of the people who were silently observing what she wished could have been a private moment and she smiled at them. She turned at looked at the Ansari leader, his strong and muscular form but a shell of the far more powerful energy she could see that flowed within him, and she was glad to see that the Ansari remained as strong and fierce as they had always been. She returned her gaze to the old man.

"The one you knew as Ayra is no more, yet I live within her. It is as though she is my daughter, though my essence endures within her."

"I understand," he said. "Please forgive me for making such an offense, I feared the worst."

"Such fear is not unwarranted," she told him. "The god of shadows has returned and he has done exactly that which you feared and he now threatens the peoples of many lands. As you know, we thought to keep him from this world, and succeeded for a time, but we failed."

"I have felt many troubling things, and have wondered," he said. "What must we do to stop him? I am an old man, and the light of my fire is but coals among the ashes."

"It is neither for you nor I," Ayra said. "We have done what we could and it now falls to the children of this new age to succeed where we failed, to do what we could not, but gives me hope to see the strenght of Ansari yet endures, for the will of your people will surely be needed in the days to come."

"It is a different time," he said.

"In some ways, yes," she told him. "In other ways, it is much the same."

The old man smiled and glanced at the young folk with whom he had been speaking earlier, realizing that he had forgotten the very wisdom that he had been trying to impart. He looked back to the face of the woman who he had loved so very long ago and saw that her light was beginning to fade.

"Will we speak again?"

"No, Ashan. But I will always be here," she said as her energy began to withdraw from him, floating back toward Ehlena. She smiled at him sadly as her hand left his face and the last vestiges of who she once was became one with the other person she had become.

Ehlena felt the goddess return to her and the last piece of her opened, filling the few places that had been empty. The thoughts and emotions, the memories of the life, were now complete and Ehlena was almost overwhelmed by them, for though the goddess had already given her all of her wisdom and much of her knowledge, she had kept the most intimate things, her secret things to herself. But now, Ehlena felt those secret truths, those private joys and the suffering of the goddess become part of her and she understood why she had hoped to spare her from such knowledge. Ehlena took a deep breath and steadied herself, glad at least that she could now understand how the old man felt, and she smiled at the memory of him as a much younger man, strong and proud and beatiful to behold, and out of respect for the goddess who now faded within her completely, she put aside the memories of the intimate moments she once had with the one called Ashan.

The silence was almost eerie under the open sky with not even a breeze in the air, but the moment was broken by Zachary, who took a deep breath, cleared his throat and let out a great sigh.

"That was interesting," he said, glancing over at Ehlena then smiling at the Ansari leader. "Can we all be friends now? I'm kind of thirsty and I'd like a word with my son."

"You are the mage, Zachary," said the Ansari leader.

"Yes," Zachary replied. "You have heard of me?"

"You are known to us. Your son is is this young warrior called Aaron?"

"Yes, he is my son," Zachary replied, though he was a little uncomfortable saying so.

"Then it is your failure to teach him that has caused a disturbance in our domain."

Zachary looked over at Aaron.

"I didn't raise him, you know," Zachary said, jokingly, then he realized that no one chose to share in his humor. "What did he do that caused a disturbance?"

"He used true fire within the circles," the Ansari said.

"And that is against your laws?" Zachary asked.