Lights of agramont trilo.., p.12
Lights of Agramont Trilogy, page 12
Kriv stares at the bowl of soup without making a sound.
“It’s not your fault, Kriv. Thank you for what you did. I owe you for that.”
“What if I hadn’t come back when I did?” Kriv pulls on a loose thread in the blanket. “The medic said you almost died. I almost didn’t come straight here. You would have been gone and it would have been my fault for leaving you.” The bard’s voice cracks as he stands and walks into the other room.
“Tide-Storm?” Serilom calls out to him.
“Eat your damned soup.”
*
For the past two days, Serilom has been up and around eating and trying to gain back some of the muscle he lost. He sits at the table and is able to relax when Tefelend’s voice enters his mind.
“Son? If you are still alive, please answer me. This will be my last time talking to you if you don’t.”
Serilom finishes his cup of tea. “Hey there.”
“Oh, thank the Honored. I was so worried. Where have you been? It’s been weeks.”
Serilom stares at the bandages around his arms. “I umm, I had an incident.”
“What happened?”
“I found out how good of a friend I have in Tide-Storm. Don’t worry, I’m doing much better now and my wrists are healing fine.”
“Healing from what? Serilom, you didn’t.” Tefelend’s voice shakes.
“Listen, it’s not something I’m proud of and I’d rather not relive it. Let’s just move on, please.”
“Are you sure you are okay? You can tell me.” Tefelend begs.
Serilom shakes his head and rests his arms gently on the table. “You aren’t going to stop asking about me, are you? Fine. I’ll tell you so you will shut up about it. When you stopped talking last time, I cut open my arms and wrists to the bone. I thought I wanted to die. There was a lot of blood and I fell from my chair. As I bled out, Kriv found me and brought a medic. That is all I remember.”
“By the Honored, why?”
“I told you already. There was this overwhelming need that rose up inside me and I couldn’t suppress it. I tried, but then I began reasoning with myself. I thought that dying would solve everyone’s problems. I was wrong. Don’t worry. Kriv is taking care of me and he won’t even let me cook because he’s afraid I’ll hurt myself.”
“Well, tell him I am grateful.” Tefelend says.
Serilom waves at Kriv as he comes in with bags piled in his arms. “Tide-Storm, my father thanks you for what you did.”
“You would do the same for me.” Kriv says as he unpacks the bags filled with goods from the market.
“Did you hear him, father?”
“I did. Make sure you keep him around.”
“I intend to.” Serilom says with a smile. “So, how are you doing?”
“As good as someone can in a stone cage at the top of a freezing mountain surrounded by high security and eating what they call porridge every day. But that doesn’t matter.”
“It’s winter where you are?”
“Boy, it’s always winter here … at least it feels that way.” Tefelend says. “I have been trapped here for twenty-four years trying to reach you and just recently we found a way. It’s worth it, though. I want you to be able to live a full life away from this evil. I sent you some things. I don’t know if you got them yet.”
“How would I get them?” Serilom asks.
“Have you not found the portal yet?”
Serilom picks at the frosting on a cinnamon bun. “I guess not.”
“You only have two months before it’s gone for good and you are trapped there.”
“Is that really such a bad thing?” Serilom asks. “I mean, everything I know is here and I’m fine with it. Is it worth all of this mess to get me out of here?”
“If Argrin takes your soul and the magic in that amulet, then he could transport everyone out here in the real world to a dream world. What do you think happens then?” Tefelend asks.
“You come here and we can talk in person?”
“Everyone dies. Everyone.”
Serilom frowns. “Oh. Well, then that’s bad.”
“The real world stops existing, your little world stops existing, and every other possible reality stops existing. This is what communing with the Damned Ones does for you.”
Serilom raises an eyebrow. “Damned Ones?”
“In the real world, they are the opposite of the Honored. Think of them as the ultimate evil versions of the Honored. Same powers, same magic … but evil.”
“That sounds bad.”
“Is your mind still clouded by medicine?” Tefelend asks. “It’s worse than bad. Usually they are kept under close watch and bound by the Honored. However, there was a really stupid mage who may have let one of their demons out.”
“You.”
“Well, yes. I hope you got your brains from your mother’s side.”
Serilom closes his eyes and sinks down in the chair. “Tell me about my mother.”
“Oh.” Tefelend starts breathing nervously. “Well son, you are a bastard.”
Serilom sits up. “Hey. I didn’t call you anything.”
“No, like an actual bastard. I had an affair with a woman named Nathisa and she gave birth to you.”
“Hey Tide-Storm, I owe you fifty Den. You were right. My dad called me a bastard.” Serilom calls out across the room.
Kriv doubles over in a fit of laughter. “I knew it.”
“Sorry father. You were saying?”
“Your mother was an intensely beautiful woman. She had raven black hair and emerald green eyes.”
“So I take after her.” Serilom says.
“Really? You don’t know how happy that makes me.”
Serilom rests his head on the back of the chair and thinks. “Wait. A month or two ago we found something strange and I hadn’t thought about it until now. It was a large sphere of energy, maybe magic. It felt cold to the touch. It was in a cave. Tide-Storm wanted to kill it, but nothing could alter it. Could that be the portal?”
“It’s possible. Get back there and we can test it by sending you some things from this side. I’ve already sent some things through for you.” Tefelend says.
“We will head back over there soon. I promise. Hey Kriv, remember that swirly ball you wanted to kill? We need to pay it another visit.”
“Oh, by the Honored, I hate that thing.” Kriv says as he places another tea kettle on the hot rocks. He turns to Serilom. “Do we get to kill it this time?”
Serilom grins and shakes his head. “Not yet. However, if it is what we are looking for, we might get to after all.”
20
“What are you going to do if Serilom is unreachable and unable to cross from the new reality into this one?” Ravier asks as he stares at the fires blazing in the brazier.
Tilidus flips through the stack of books spread out on the table. “Then I will have to find another mage capable of taking my place. As of this moment, I have my heart still set on Serilom. I have no others that even come close to comparing with him. And who knows? There may be a way for him to work from that reality.”
“Tell me, what do you see in him that the others don’t have? You are going to ruin what we’ve been striving to attain for centuries. He’s unstable, he’s too swayed by his emotions, he’s not capable of rational thought like many of your mages, he’s immature-”
“Stop right there, Ravier.” Tilidus looks up and grabs another book. “Never have I berated you about your mages so do not insult those I deem worthy of my blessing. Maybe I decided that a man who is capable of giving a damn about the feelings of others would be a good change around here. He will be able to offer a fresh and renewed perspective on things. I chose Serilom at the moment he was conceived. Don’t give me that look. He is nothing like his father and you know that. Admit we made a mistake with Tefelend and move on.”
Tefelend waves his hand from beside Tilidus. “I’m right here. I can hear you.”
“Well you need to know it.” Ravier snaps. “Be grateful that your son is salvageable.”
Tilidus’s eyes narrow. “He’s more than salvageable.”
“Face the truth, Tilidus. Your little protégé is worthless at best. You would have been better off choosing a crazy man like that bard Tide-Storm.”
Tilidus raises his eyebrows. “What do you possibly think you know about Kriv Tide-Storm?”
“He’s a moronic idiot.”
More footsteps join them in the room. “Hold your tongue, Ravier.” Ievas, in his long white and grey robes, moves to Tilidus’s side. “You are completely out of line. One more word about him and you will be explaining yourself to The Creator.”
“I can’t for the life of me understand why that lunatic is even a mage. Face it, Tide-Storm is a mistake and a waste of a life.” Ravier says.
Tilidus glances at Ievas whose eyes spark to life with a ferocity and energy to rival a thunderstorm. “Who we choose to bless with magic is none of your concern. Tide-Storm has his own purpose and if you had the patience to observe him and understand what he has been struggling with, then you would regret saying things like that. Empathy is an admirable quality that you have neglected. Both Tilidus and I believe in him and so should you.”
“Forget it. I’m finished with this conversation. Go back to keeping your pathetic children from killing themselves.” Ravier storms off in a flurry of red and gold.
Tilidus shakes his head. “You’ll have to excuse our impassioned colleague. Ravier means well. He just has a unique way of showing it. Ievas, calm down. He doesn’t understand. Just like most people, he can’t understand our little bard, but he is anything but a waste.”
“I know that, you know that, and The Creator knows that. I hate it when a gentle soul is persecuted for being himself and being different.” Ievas sits next to Tilidus and holds his head in his hands.
“That’s the world we live in.” Tilidus says.
“I thought Ravier would care enough to set aside his petty prejudice.”
Tefelend’s curiosity has been piqued. “Mind if I ask about this Tide-Storm fellow? Serilom has been spending a good amount of time with him and they seem to be growing close.”
Ievas smiles as he speaks. “He is a quite colorful bard who holds a special place in our hearts. He is misunderstood, but has incredible potential both as a mage and as a human being. I do know that him and Serilom have been bound by Tilidus’s magic. Those two were forged from the same steel. There’s something about them that thrives on one another. It’s entertaining to watch when Argrin’s magic is weak enough to let us. Your son is in good company.”
*
Serilom pushes open the door to his house and stares in shock at the emptiness. Everything has been taken out. Even the table and the bed have vanished. More surprisingly, someone cleaned the entire thing and the dust that had been building up for ten years is finally gone. He almost doesn’t recognize it.
Kriv waves at him from the bedroom. “Hey there.”
“Um, where is all of my stuff, Tide-Storm?”
He laughs and picks up his bag. “In our new house.”
“We have a new house?” Serilom asks. “Wait, no. We don’t have a new house. There’s no we anything. I need a house. You have a boat. You can’t just live with me.”
“Why not? I get so lonely.”
“Get a wife, Tide-Storm. Besides, where is this other house?”
“I found it in the middle of nowhere. You’ll like it.”
*
It takes an hour of riding to make it to the small and ancient looking hut with a small stable to the side. Serilom glares at Kriv. This is the house? “Tide-Storm, was this abandoned when you found it? If so, there was probably a reason.”
“Just give it a chance.” Kriv says as he brushes down his horse. “You didn’t even say anything about Eclis.”
Serilom turns back around. “Eclis? Oh. Well, hello there.” There’s another horse in the stables. He’s identical to Kriv’s except for a small white marking on his face. He pats the horse’s neck. “Kriv, thank you. He’s beautiful.”
“No problem. I figured you would need it if we are living this far out from town. Now, go inside!” Kriv runs up to the door and pushes it open.
Serilom steps inside and stops. The entire house has been furnished and all of his stuff is in place.“By The Creator, how did you do all of this?”
“It’s a secret.”
“This is amazing. It looks so much better inside.”
“So … can I stay? Please, please?” Kriv pouts and grabs onto Serilom’s arm.
Serilom rolls his eyes and pushes him away. “You did this so I couldn’t say no because if I say no then I have to move all of my stuff back into Vernition by myself.”
“Awe, do you really think I’d do something like that?” Kriv asks.
“Yes.”
“Yah, you’re right. That was totally the plan. So what do you say?” He jumps up and down with excitement.
“Ugh, fine. But you sleep in your own room.”
“Of course. I already picked it out. This one.”
“Why do you get the big bedroom?” Serilom asks.
Kriv jumps on the bed. “Because I was here first. Besides, you’re tiny. How much room do you need?”
“You’re not funny. You realize this, don’t you?”
“But you know you can’t stand being away from me.” Kriv says with a grin.
Serilom eyes him curiously. “I don’t know. Let me kill you and find out how much I miss you.”
“You are a mean man, Orrentius.”
“I never claimed to be nice.” Serilom says. “You know that people are going to see us together all the time and get the wrong impression.”
“What do you mean?” Kriv asks as he stops bouncing.
He knows exactly what Serilom means. “In no universe and in no reality will you and I ever be in a relationship. Do you hear me? I swear that if you try to be all romantic with me, I will burn down this house with you in it.”
“Ouch. What has gotten into you? I never said anything about that.”
“Just making sure.”
“I’m not like that, Orrentius.” Kriv says. “Unless you’re secretly a woman, you don’t have to worry. Believe me, you disgust me and even if we were the last two people in the universe, I would die a lonely man.”
“I disgust you?” Serilom asks.
“Well, you could shave and smell a bit better.”
“Gee, thanks.”
21
“Once Serilom is able to overpower Argrin and kill him with the Lullaby Blade, it will absorb Argrin’s essence. He is to leave that behind. If he tries to take it through the portal, untold destruction could ensue out here and where he is going. After opening the portal with Argrin’s power and he passes through, he will awaken in his reality. Forgive us for not having more information.” The Grand Mage says as he sits across from Tefelend. “Each soul in the dream will be either placed in Serilom’s new reality or our reality once they die in the dream world … if they have a strong enough connection with Serilom. If not, they will simply cease to exist and the souls will go to eternity then to hell or heaven. If we are lucky, Serilom has grown close to someone in his dream world so their soul can be saved and sent to the reality where Serilom goes. There is no way to tell if he has created that kind of bond with anyone. Those who awaken in the new realities will suffer from momentary amnesia, but the transition shouldn’t create too much of a disturbance and we expect them to grow accustomed to their new surroundings easily. Once we determine which reality Serilom goes to, the other realities will be destroyed as we find them with The Creator’s help.”
Tefelend thinks to his meeting with Nathisa. “I wasn’t able to talk Nathisa into giving her life for the Lullaby Blade. Is there anything else we can do?”
“Oh, that’s right. I’m glad you asked. We just acquired the second soul so you need not acquire Nathisa’s.”
*
Kriv shakes his head as he watches Serilom. “Serilom, listen to me and calm down for a second. You are going to hurt yourself if you keep this up.”
Serilom swings the sword again, burying the blade two inches deep in the side of the oak tree. He wipes his face on his tunic. “I’m going to hurt you if you stand in my way. I have to get stronger and prepare myself to kill every single one of them.”
“Every single one of whom?”
Serilom forces the sword from the tree and swings again as he speaks. “Those damned guards, the military, the priests, and the king himself. I’m going to slaughter them all and listen to their dying cries for mercy as they bleed.”
Kriv walks up to the tree and watches Serilom tire himself out. “Orrentius, you can’t be serious. You can’t possibly take them all by yourself.”
“That’s why I have you.”
“Wait, I never agreed to any of this.”
Serilom thrusts the sword into the ground. “Yes you did. Don’t try to weasel your way out of this. You promised me that we would get that amulet and get my magic back.”
“Not by killing everyone.”
“What, were you going to sneak in and hope that they would just hand it over to you?”
Kriv grins. “Uh, yah. Pretty much.”
“What about those other men you said would help us?”
“Oh, I might have made that up.” Kriv says.
“You disappoint me. We are getting that amulet back and failure isn’t an option so I suggest that you get better acquainted with that staff of yours because you will be fighting for your life.” Serilom is drenched with sweat and his skin is pink with exertion and he turns to the house. “Tell me you got some food, Tide-Storm.”
Kriv rubs his neck and giggles nervously. “Well, not really. I wanted to take you with me.”
“You know I can’t go back into the city. What is wrong with you?”
“Surely no one will notice if we are there for an hour or so. It won’t harm anything. We can stop by a tavern where everyone is drunk and can’t see straight anyway.”
Serilom ignores the bard and slams the door behind him as he steps inside, leaving Kriv alone and rejected.
“It’s not your fault, Kriv. Thank you for what you did. I owe you for that.”
“What if I hadn’t come back when I did?” Kriv pulls on a loose thread in the blanket. “The medic said you almost died. I almost didn’t come straight here. You would have been gone and it would have been my fault for leaving you.” The bard’s voice cracks as he stands and walks into the other room.
“Tide-Storm?” Serilom calls out to him.
“Eat your damned soup.”
*
For the past two days, Serilom has been up and around eating and trying to gain back some of the muscle he lost. He sits at the table and is able to relax when Tefelend’s voice enters his mind.
“Son? If you are still alive, please answer me. This will be my last time talking to you if you don’t.”
Serilom finishes his cup of tea. “Hey there.”
“Oh, thank the Honored. I was so worried. Where have you been? It’s been weeks.”
Serilom stares at the bandages around his arms. “I umm, I had an incident.”
“What happened?”
“I found out how good of a friend I have in Tide-Storm. Don’t worry, I’m doing much better now and my wrists are healing fine.”
“Healing from what? Serilom, you didn’t.” Tefelend’s voice shakes.
“Listen, it’s not something I’m proud of and I’d rather not relive it. Let’s just move on, please.”
“Are you sure you are okay? You can tell me.” Tefelend begs.
Serilom shakes his head and rests his arms gently on the table. “You aren’t going to stop asking about me, are you? Fine. I’ll tell you so you will shut up about it. When you stopped talking last time, I cut open my arms and wrists to the bone. I thought I wanted to die. There was a lot of blood and I fell from my chair. As I bled out, Kriv found me and brought a medic. That is all I remember.”
“By the Honored, why?”
“I told you already. There was this overwhelming need that rose up inside me and I couldn’t suppress it. I tried, but then I began reasoning with myself. I thought that dying would solve everyone’s problems. I was wrong. Don’t worry. Kriv is taking care of me and he won’t even let me cook because he’s afraid I’ll hurt myself.”
“Well, tell him I am grateful.” Tefelend says.
Serilom waves at Kriv as he comes in with bags piled in his arms. “Tide-Storm, my father thanks you for what you did.”
“You would do the same for me.” Kriv says as he unpacks the bags filled with goods from the market.
“Did you hear him, father?”
“I did. Make sure you keep him around.”
“I intend to.” Serilom says with a smile. “So, how are you doing?”
“As good as someone can in a stone cage at the top of a freezing mountain surrounded by high security and eating what they call porridge every day. But that doesn’t matter.”
“It’s winter where you are?”
“Boy, it’s always winter here … at least it feels that way.” Tefelend says. “I have been trapped here for twenty-four years trying to reach you and just recently we found a way. It’s worth it, though. I want you to be able to live a full life away from this evil. I sent you some things. I don’t know if you got them yet.”
“How would I get them?” Serilom asks.
“Have you not found the portal yet?”
Serilom picks at the frosting on a cinnamon bun. “I guess not.”
“You only have two months before it’s gone for good and you are trapped there.”
“Is that really such a bad thing?” Serilom asks. “I mean, everything I know is here and I’m fine with it. Is it worth all of this mess to get me out of here?”
“If Argrin takes your soul and the magic in that amulet, then he could transport everyone out here in the real world to a dream world. What do you think happens then?” Tefelend asks.
“You come here and we can talk in person?”
“Everyone dies. Everyone.”
Serilom frowns. “Oh. Well, then that’s bad.”
“The real world stops existing, your little world stops existing, and every other possible reality stops existing. This is what communing with the Damned Ones does for you.”
Serilom raises an eyebrow. “Damned Ones?”
“In the real world, they are the opposite of the Honored. Think of them as the ultimate evil versions of the Honored. Same powers, same magic … but evil.”
“That sounds bad.”
“Is your mind still clouded by medicine?” Tefelend asks. “It’s worse than bad. Usually they are kept under close watch and bound by the Honored. However, there was a really stupid mage who may have let one of their demons out.”
“You.”
“Well, yes. I hope you got your brains from your mother’s side.”
Serilom closes his eyes and sinks down in the chair. “Tell me about my mother.”
“Oh.” Tefelend starts breathing nervously. “Well son, you are a bastard.”
Serilom sits up. “Hey. I didn’t call you anything.”
“No, like an actual bastard. I had an affair with a woman named Nathisa and she gave birth to you.”
“Hey Tide-Storm, I owe you fifty Den. You were right. My dad called me a bastard.” Serilom calls out across the room.
Kriv doubles over in a fit of laughter. “I knew it.”
“Sorry father. You were saying?”
“Your mother was an intensely beautiful woman. She had raven black hair and emerald green eyes.”
“So I take after her.” Serilom says.
“Really? You don’t know how happy that makes me.”
Serilom rests his head on the back of the chair and thinks. “Wait. A month or two ago we found something strange and I hadn’t thought about it until now. It was a large sphere of energy, maybe magic. It felt cold to the touch. It was in a cave. Tide-Storm wanted to kill it, but nothing could alter it. Could that be the portal?”
“It’s possible. Get back there and we can test it by sending you some things from this side. I’ve already sent some things through for you.” Tefelend says.
“We will head back over there soon. I promise. Hey Kriv, remember that swirly ball you wanted to kill? We need to pay it another visit.”
“Oh, by the Honored, I hate that thing.” Kriv says as he places another tea kettle on the hot rocks. He turns to Serilom. “Do we get to kill it this time?”
Serilom grins and shakes his head. “Not yet. However, if it is what we are looking for, we might get to after all.”
20
“What are you going to do if Serilom is unreachable and unable to cross from the new reality into this one?” Ravier asks as he stares at the fires blazing in the brazier.
Tilidus flips through the stack of books spread out on the table. “Then I will have to find another mage capable of taking my place. As of this moment, I have my heart still set on Serilom. I have no others that even come close to comparing with him. And who knows? There may be a way for him to work from that reality.”
“Tell me, what do you see in him that the others don’t have? You are going to ruin what we’ve been striving to attain for centuries. He’s unstable, he’s too swayed by his emotions, he’s not capable of rational thought like many of your mages, he’s immature-”
“Stop right there, Ravier.” Tilidus looks up and grabs another book. “Never have I berated you about your mages so do not insult those I deem worthy of my blessing. Maybe I decided that a man who is capable of giving a damn about the feelings of others would be a good change around here. He will be able to offer a fresh and renewed perspective on things. I chose Serilom at the moment he was conceived. Don’t give me that look. He is nothing like his father and you know that. Admit we made a mistake with Tefelend and move on.”
Tefelend waves his hand from beside Tilidus. “I’m right here. I can hear you.”
“Well you need to know it.” Ravier snaps. “Be grateful that your son is salvageable.”
Tilidus’s eyes narrow. “He’s more than salvageable.”
“Face the truth, Tilidus. Your little protégé is worthless at best. You would have been better off choosing a crazy man like that bard Tide-Storm.”
Tilidus raises his eyebrows. “What do you possibly think you know about Kriv Tide-Storm?”
“He’s a moronic idiot.”
More footsteps join them in the room. “Hold your tongue, Ravier.” Ievas, in his long white and grey robes, moves to Tilidus’s side. “You are completely out of line. One more word about him and you will be explaining yourself to The Creator.”
“I can’t for the life of me understand why that lunatic is even a mage. Face it, Tide-Storm is a mistake and a waste of a life.” Ravier says.
Tilidus glances at Ievas whose eyes spark to life with a ferocity and energy to rival a thunderstorm. “Who we choose to bless with magic is none of your concern. Tide-Storm has his own purpose and if you had the patience to observe him and understand what he has been struggling with, then you would regret saying things like that. Empathy is an admirable quality that you have neglected. Both Tilidus and I believe in him and so should you.”
“Forget it. I’m finished with this conversation. Go back to keeping your pathetic children from killing themselves.” Ravier storms off in a flurry of red and gold.
Tilidus shakes his head. “You’ll have to excuse our impassioned colleague. Ravier means well. He just has a unique way of showing it. Ievas, calm down. He doesn’t understand. Just like most people, he can’t understand our little bard, but he is anything but a waste.”
“I know that, you know that, and The Creator knows that. I hate it when a gentle soul is persecuted for being himself and being different.” Ievas sits next to Tilidus and holds his head in his hands.
“That’s the world we live in.” Tilidus says.
“I thought Ravier would care enough to set aside his petty prejudice.”
Tefelend’s curiosity has been piqued. “Mind if I ask about this Tide-Storm fellow? Serilom has been spending a good amount of time with him and they seem to be growing close.”
Ievas smiles as he speaks. “He is a quite colorful bard who holds a special place in our hearts. He is misunderstood, but has incredible potential both as a mage and as a human being. I do know that him and Serilom have been bound by Tilidus’s magic. Those two were forged from the same steel. There’s something about them that thrives on one another. It’s entertaining to watch when Argrin’s magic is weak enough to let us. Your son is in good company.”
*
Serilom pushes open the door to his house and stares in shock at the emptiness. Everything has been taken out. Even the table and the bed have vanished. More surprisingly, someone cleaned the entire thing and the dust that had been building up for ten years is finally gone. He almost doesn’t recognize it.
Kriv waves at him from the bedroom. “Hey there.”
“Um, where is all of my stuff, Tide-Storm?”
He laughs and picks up his bag. “In our new house.”
“We have a new house?” Serilom asks. “Wait, no. We don’t have a new house. There’s no we anything. I need a house. You have a boat. You can’t just live with me.”
“Why not? I get so lonely.”
“Get a wife, Tide-Storm. Besides, where is this other house?”
“I found it in the middle of nowhere. You’ll like it.”
*
It takes an hour of riding to make it to the small and ancient looking hut with a small stable to the side. Serilom glares at Kriv. This is the house? “Tide-Storm, was this abandoned when you found it? If so, there was probably a reason.”
“Just give it a chance.” Kriv says as he brushes down his horse. “You didn’t even say anything about Eclis.”
Serilom turns back around. “Eclis? Oh. Well, hello there.” There’s another horse in the stables. He’s identical to Kriv’s except for a small white marking on his face. He pats the horse’s neck. “Kriv, thank you. He’s beautiful.”
“No problem. I figured you would need it if we are living this far out from town. Now, go inside!” Kriv runs up to the door and pushes it open.
Serilom steps inside and stops. The entire house has been furnished and all of his stuff is in place.“By The Creator, how did you do all of this?”
“It’s a secret.”
“This is amazing. It looks so much better inside.”
“So … can I stay? Please, please?” Kriv pouts and grabs onto Serilom’s arm.
Serilom rolls his eyes and pushes him away. “You did this so I couldn’t say no because if I say no then I have to move all of my stuff back into Vernition by myself.”
“Awe, do you really think I’d do something like that?” Kriv asks.
“Yes.”
“Yah, you’re right. That was totally the plan. So what do you say?” He jumps up and down with excitement.
“Ugh, fine. But you sleep in your own room.”
“Of course. I already picked it out. This one.”
“Why do you get the big bedroom?” Serilom asks.
Kriv jumps on the bed. “Because I was here first. Besides, you’re tiny. How much room do you need?”
“You’re not funny. You realize this, don’t you?”
“But you know you can’t stand being away from me.” Kriv says with a grin.
Serilom eyes him curiously. “I don’t know. Let me kill you and find out how much I miss you.”
“You are a mean man, Orrentius.”
“I never claimed to be nice.” Serilom says. “You know that people are going to see us together all the time and get the wrong impression.”
“What do you mean?” Kriv asks as he stops bouncing.
He knows exactly what Serilom means. “In no universe and in no reality will you and I ever be in a relationship. Do you hear me? I swear that if you try to be all romantic with me, I will burn down this house with you in it.”
“Ouch. What has gotten into you? I never said anything about that.”
“Just making sure.”
“I’m not like that, Orrentius.” Kriv says. “Unless you’re secretly a woman, you don’t have to worry. Believe me, you disgust me and even if we were the last two people in the universe, I would die a lonely man.”
“I disgust you?” Serilom asks.
“Well, you could shave and smell a bit better.”
“Gee, thanks.”
21
“Once Serilom is able to overpower Argrin and kill him with the Lullaby Blade, it will absorb Argrin’s essence. He is to leave that behind. If he tries to take it through the portal, untold destruction could ensue out here and where he is going. After opening the portal with Argrin’s power and he passes through, he will awaken in his reality. Forgive us for not having more information.” The Grand Mage says as he sits across from Tefelend. “Each soul in the dream will be either placed in Serilom’s new reality or our reality once they die in the dream world … if they have a strong enough connection with Serilom. If not, they will simply cease to exist and the souls will go to eternity then to hell or heaven. If we are lucky, Serilom has grown close to someone in his dream world so their soul can be saved and sent to the reality where Serilom goes. There is no way to tell if he has created that kind of bond with anyone. Those who awaken in the new realities will suffer from momentary amnesia, but the transition shouldn’t create too much of a disturbance and we expect them to grow accustomed to their new surroundings easily. Once we determine which reality Serilom goes to, the other realities will be destroyed as we find them with The Creator’s help.”
Tefelend thinks to his meeting with Nathisa. “I wasn’t able to talk Nathisa into giving her life for the Lullaby Blade. Is there anything else we can do?”
“Oh, that’s right. I’m glad you asked. We just acquired the second soul so you need not acquire Nathisa’s.”
*
Kriv shakes his head as he watches Serilom. “Serilom, listen to me and calm down for a second. You are going to hurt yourself if you keep this up.”
Serilom swings the sword again, burying the blade two inches deep in the side of the oak tree. He wipes his face on his tunic. “I’m going to hurt you if you stand in my way. I have to get stronger and prepare myself to kill every single one of them.”
“Every single one of whom?”
Serilom forces the sword from the tree and swings again as he speaks. “Those damned guards, the military, the priests, and the king himself. I’m going to slaughter them all and listen to their dying cries for mercy as they bleed.”
Kriv walks up to the tree and watches Serilom tire himself out. “Orrentius, you can’t be serious. You can’t possibly take them all by yourself.”
“That’s why I have you.”
“Wait, I never agreed to any of this.”
Serilom thrusts the sword into the ground. “Yes you did. Don’t try to weasel your way out of this. You promised me that we would get that amulet and get my magic back.”
“Not by killing everyone.”
“What, were you going to sneak in and hope that they would just hand it over to you?”
Kriv grins. “Uh, yah. Pretty much.”
“What about those other men you said would help us?”
“Oh, I might have made that up.” Kriv says.
“You disappoint me. We are getting that amulet back and failure isn’t an option so I suggest that you get better acquainted with that staff of yours because you will be fighting for your life.” Serilom is drenched with sweat and his skin is pink with exertion and he turns to the house. “Tell me you got some food, Tide-Storm.”
Kriv rubs his neck and giggles nervously. “Well, not really. I wanted to take you with me.”
“You know I can’t go back into the city. What is wrong with you?”
“Surely no one will notice if we are there for an hour or so. It won’t harm anything. We can stop by a tavern where everyone is drunk and can’t see straight anyway.”
Serilom ignores the bard and slams the door behind him as he steps inside, leaving Kriv alone and rejected.
