Lights of agramont trilo.., p.76
Lights of Agramont Trilogy, page 76
“I don’t believe you.” Serilom says.
Kriv pulls out a book that Serilom has seen many times before. He flips through it as he speaks. “This is the book I always write in. It was surprisingly still with me on my boat when I woke up after fighting alongside you against Argrin. It has ten years of my inner thoughts and emotions written on these pages. I’ve filled it from front to back, both sides of the pages, in the margins, and then I started writing over the older stuff. You can still read both if you look at just the different colored inks. The old stuff still shows through. I want you to read it all, especially this part.” He hands it Serilom.
Dear Imaginary Man in My Dream,
I know your name is Serilom Orrentius. I know that your brother is Argrin and he is a terrible person or demon or something. I know that I can’t stop thinking about you even though I have never met you. Serilom Orrentius, if you ever have the chance to read this, know that I … I love you. Not in the romantic way … yet, but as a friend. Though I have never met you, I need to express my admiration for you. You may be just a name spoken by a voice in my head, but in my imagination, you are so much more than that. I feel that one day, we will meet and be best friends. What greatness does your soul hold? Serilom … what a name. Where are you from? Who are your parents? I’m certain that you are destined for greatness. I had a dream about you last night. You are pale-skinned with shoulder-length black hair and the most gorgeous and entrancing green eyes I have ever seen. You smile a lot. You’re also a mage of Tilidus like me. At least, you were in my dream. We casted our magic together then we danced together by the ocean. The moonlight was bright and I felt something for you that scared me a bit. I was … attracted to you, in more than how brothers are. I needed to be near you and I was so happy to be there in your arms. When I woke up this morning, I was so happy and I haven’t been happy in months. Are we meant to be together? I’ve never been interested in men, but if it will make me that happy, I won’t completely rule it out. So, that is all I know or have pretended to know about you, Serilom. Do you ever have dreams about me too? I wrote a play about you, but it has long since been destroyed by some men whose hearts are filled with evil. It was beautiful and I think that you would have loved it, I’m sure. Well, I have to get back to my crew. They’re going in the completely wrong direction. I swear, if they didn’t have me to control the wind, they would get lost or just go in circles. It would be entertaining to watch them struggle and try to find their own way, but I have to get this cargo to Liora in a week so I’d better go give them a hand. Goodbye for now, Serilom. May these words reach you and may we meet someday. Until then, Four Blessings and keep smiling that bright smile of yours.
Serilom looks up at Kriv. “Is this real? Did you really dream about me?”
“I swear it is all true. Look at the ink. It’s old. The funny thing is, after I got that cargo to Liora, I set off by myself and went to Vernition. Then I heard rumors around town about a man named Orrentius. I had to see if it was you. So, I asked around and eventually met Ragne and we talked about you for a while. Forgive me, but I would watch you sometimes through your window. You would be staring at the ceiling like we always do together. You would cast your magic and form the water into different shapes. You also talked to yourself. One night, I couldn’t help myself and I knocked on your window to get your attention, but I hid so you couldn’t see me.”
“By The Creator, that was you? I remember that. I swore there was someone outside of my house, but I went outside and there was nothing. It scared me so much that I didn’t sleep for two days.”
“Then Ragne found me and he was all in a panic and begged me to help you. He told me you had been arrested and were going to be hanged. You should know that I lied about him paying me. I volunteered because I couldn’t see you die. I had to save you so I dug that tunnel from the harbor to the courtyard. My wind and water made it go fast enough so I could do it in one night. It was exhausting … but worth it. Then when that rope snapped and you fell down into the darkness, I held out my hand and you took it. In that instant, I knew you were the man from my dream. There was a sudden and unforgettable feeling that spread through me. I knew we were finally going to be together in some way and I was overjoyed. Then we crawled out into the sunlight and you took my breath away. That was the happiest day of my life at that point.” Kriv says with a smile.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Having you here with me is enough. Please know that I can’t even imagine hurting you, Serilom. I love you.”
Even with the doubt that still lingers in his mind, Serilom knows now that Kriv is doing all he can to fight against Argrin and he has been all along. Serilom stares at Kriv’s dark blue eyes and sees the same innocence and love that were there a year ago when they had their first kiss. It’s not a feeling that Serilom will ever forget and the look in Kriv’s eyes right now is one of the reasons Serilom fell in love with him in the first place. He can’t continue to harbor ill feelings about the love of his life. He knows that. It’s time to forgive, to forget, and to move on. Most of all, it’s time for Serilom to trust again. He takes Kriv’s hands and holds them tightly. “I love you too, Kriv.”
5
Hours pass and the two men stay side by side and talk and Kriv plays his tin whistle. It’s a nice change for Serilom who has been missing this side of his friend. It’s comforting to know that the Kriv he loves is still here. Serilom holds up Kriv’s soul and watches it for a few minutes. It glows and glistens against the shadows on the ceiling. The coals in the hearth have faded and died out long ago and now the haze from Kriv’s soul is the only light in the room.
Kriv rolls over and puts his arm around Serilom’s chest. “What are you doing?”
“Looking at your soul.”
“Has it changed at all?” Kriv asks.
“Nope. Argrin still has some control over you. I don’t know how to get rid of it, but I know that you won’t fall again.” Serilom says and pulls Kriv close to him under the blanket.
“I pray that I won’t. I don’t want to. You know that, don’t you? I never enjoyed that part of my life. It was dark and twisted and I am still terrified of myself, knowing that I was capable of doing those things to people. That wasn’t me. Argrin was manipulating my mind to make me feel like I needed to kill people. I didn’t want to. You have to believe me. Please believe me.”
“Kriv, stop.” Serilom lets go of the necklace and takes Kriv in his arms. “Of course I believe you. Why is this bothering you again?”
Kriv looks small and pathetic in this low flickering light surrounded by the blankets. “Because I can’t let you down.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to me. I love you.” Serilom says.
“I know, but is it enough? According to the vision at Agramont, it won’t be enough to keep me from killing you.”
“So that’s what this is about. What happened to us not talking about that? That’s part of what is harming your mind. You keep thinking about terrible things like this.”
Kriv laces his fingers with Serilom’s. “You’re right, but I can’t stop. I am so consumed by it that it keeps me awake at night.”
“This might be the worst advice ever, but you should drink more.”
“If I drink any more, I won’t ever wake up. I drank two bottles of rum last night.” Kriv says.
Two bottles? “Entire bottles?”
“Yes. I managed to sleep pretty well.”
Serilom touches his nose to Kriv’s and plays with the bard’s hair. “You’re going to kill yourself.”
Kriv shrugs. “Cailen does it and he’s fine.”
“He weighs twice as much as you.”
“True. What about you?” Kriv asks. “You’re only like a hundred pounds or so. You drink whiskey.”
“Not two bottles. You’ve always been more sensitive to alcohol anyway. Don’t make me keep it locked up.”
Kriv smiles. “Then don’t give me advice to drink more.”
“You have a point. I can’t argue that with you.” Serilom says as he looks up at the ceiling and attempts to not think about the fighting he knows is inevitable. “Are we leaving at dawn?”
“Yep. Are you ready for this? Got those tricks ready that you said you had up your sleeve?”
“Oh … something might have come up and crushed that. But I’ll be good.”
“What happened? I don’t speak Serilom language.”
Serilom sighs. He can’t tell Kriv the truth, especially if he can’t accept it himself. “I’m just dealing with some stuff right now.”
“Does this have to do with what happened the other night with Admiral Faren?”
“Yes.” Serilom says. This is all he’s going to say about it.
“Still not going to talk to me, are you?”
“Kriv … no. Sorry.”
Kriv crosses his arms and glares at him. “It’s not like you to be so secretive with me. Did I do something to make you not trust me?”
Yes. How about the entire Argrin thing? Serilom could say it and make Kriv sad, but he doesn’t. “In time, I’m sure you will find out. I’ve found out all of your secrets.”
Kriv rubs his neck and tries to hide his face under the blanket. “Sure, buddy. You know them all.”
“Who am I joking? You are one big secret, aren’t you?” Serilom asks.
“If I told you every lie that I have ever told anyone and everything I have ever covered up, we would grow old and die before I got done.”
“Then me having one secret shouldn’t destroy you.” Serilom says as he pulls the blanket back down and leans over Kriv.
“I might be a hypocrite.” Kriv says with a small grin.
“Might be?”
“Fine. Yet again, you win. Keep your little secret. Just don’t let it influence your ability to fight. We need you.”
“I’ll try. Just don’t expect me to use a lot of magic right now.” Serilom says.
“So cryptic. Are you sure we aren’t related?” Kriv asks.
“We’re not, thank The Creator. It is taxing for me to use my magic right now and I can’t count on being able to channel it if we are in a dire situation. I have the Lullaby Blade and I’ve been practicing with it. I’ll be all right.”
“You’re a mage. Not only that, you are an Honored. An Honored who can’t use his magic? This is a big problem. Have you talked to Ravier?”
No. What a strange question. “Why would I talk to him? I know he hasn’t looked at my soul. He doesn’t know anything about me and I aim to keep it that way. It’s an understood boundary that none of the Honored cross. We don’t look at each other’s souls.”
“He could have looked at it before you were an Honored.” Kriv says.
“He didn’t. He told me.”
“If you won’t tell me the truth about this, then will you at least answer another question for me?” Kriv asks. “How can you love me when you know that I am truly and completely insane? Don’t tell me that I’m not. Lens Aren and the other medics have observed my mind and behaviors and they told me that I have mental issues. I’m not scared to admit that. I know I need help. But how can you love and trust someone like me?”
“All I have ever known from you is craziness. I love you for who you are and for your soul. I can look past the eccentric and unexplainable things you do to see the true person you are inside. That will never change. You are a good person and even with your deteriorating mind, I will be here to help you through it all. The others may ostracize you and treat you differently, but I never will. Even if you had another severe breakdown like you did when you suffered your brain damage as a child and stopped talking for a year, I would still be right here with you. You need me, but I need you just as much. So don’t worry about that. We will always be Kriv and Serilom: blood brothers and crazy people, criminals and lovers. That’s who we are and nothing will come between us. I swear it.”
Kriv smiles and lays his head on Serilom’s shoulder. “Thank you, Serilom. It’s just really scary sometimes to feel my mind slipping away.”
“You can’t think about that. With Lens Aren’s treatment, you are going to get better. I have hope. You should have hope too.”
“I will as long as you do, Brother.”
“Are we going to get any sleep tonight?” Serilom asks.
“Shh … someone’s in here.” Kriv jumps out of bed and grabs his revolvers. He ducks just in time to avoid being hit by a spike of water that glinted just enough in the moonlight from through the window to be seen. “Serilom, he’s a mage. Watch out for his magic.”
Serilom picks up his sword and lunges towards the sound of the air that is now swirling around the room, tossing papers to the floor. There’s a bright flash and the crack of thunder and Serilom falls to the floor. He screams out as a knife slices across his face below his left eye. He kicks at the darkness and finds someone there. In one fluid motion, he throws the person backwards and pins them down.
Kriv hurries to light a lantern. Once the light floods the room, he drops his guns and stares at the attacker.
Serilom freezes just as he is about to let loose a flood of water at the person. His magic fades. “Lynn?”
Lynn looks at the blood on Serilom’s face and laughs a giddy and disturbing laugh.
Kriv stares at Lynn in shock. “Get off of her, Serilom. Let her up.”
Big mistake. Lynn lunges at Kriv and lashes out with the dagger, but Kriv grabs her wrists and pries the bloody dagger from her tiny hand. She tries to kick at him, but he picks her up and tosses her on the bed. “Serilom, help me hold her down.”
Serilom takes her legs and pushes her against the bed. Even though she is little, it takes all of both the men’s strength to hold Lynn down. As she is trying to bite Kriv and scratch his arms, Lens Aren runs into the room.
“What is going on in here?” Lens Aren asks.
“We need your help. Lynn is going crazy. She’s trying to kill us.” Serilom says.
Lens Aren pulls out a syringe and injects the liquid into Lynn’s arm. She stops fighting and is unconscious. Lens Aren gets to work examining her.
Kriv sighs and looks at Serilom. “Are you okay? She got you, didn’t she?”
Serilom wipes the blood from his face. “I’m fine. This has Argrin written all over it.”
“She has one of Argrin’s tiny boxes under the skin on her arm.” Lens Aren says.
“Can you get it out? Is she going to be all right? I can’t lose her to Argrin.” Kriv says as he grabs Lens Aren and shakes him.
“Kriv, calm down. She’s going to be fine. I will leave her in the hands of the best medics in Agareth.”
“No. You work on her now.”
“I can’t do anything now. We have to leave.” Lens Aren says.
“What?”
“It’s dawn, Kriv. You told us we would leave at dawn.”
They were awake all night? Serilom starts packing his bag. They accomplished nothing yesterday.
Kriv lights another lantern. “Well then … help me get everyone together and to the ships. I completely lost track of time. One thing, though. You have to have the agents keep me informed about Lynn. I want to know everything.”
“Will do. We will meet you at the docks in half an hour.” Lens Aren leaves and shuts the door behind him.
“See, Serilom? That’s what Argrin does to someone’s mind. Lynn didn’t really want to kill us. Argrin made her believe that she did.” Kriv says as he stuffs some clothes in a bag.
“I know, Kriv. That doesn’t mean that what you did is any less disturbing to me.”
“How do you think I feel? Come on, let’s get packed and get on with this. Pray for me, will you?” Kriv asks.
“I will.”
6
It is a completely boring two weeks of sailing to get to Cierson. Kriv may enjoy this, but Serilom could be a lot happier on land. Of course, it’s not because he hates the ocean. Serilom loves the ocean. It’s that he doesn’t like being cramped up on a ship day after day. Kriv has been busy going over the plan with everyone and Serilom has been trying his hardest not to go insane. Even though he has heard the plan probably a hundred times, he still doesn’t know what is going on. He will end up going along with whatever the others are doing. Serilom has never claimed to be a leader. Tell him to fight someone and he will fight them. Tell him to run away and he will run away. That’s the extent of Serilom’s battle strategy.
Following people is what Serilom has always done. Even now, he is following Kriv, Ravier, Nivalaya, and Captain Myar through the streets of this small town on the edge of the shore. Something doesn’t seem right about this place. Serilom keeps an eye out for anything. There are a few citizens meandering around some homes but no guards. They literally marched right in. From across the expanse of the village, he sees the lights from the fort in the distance where they are supposed to be going. Did they really have to pass right through the heart of this town and draw unnecessary attention to themselves? It might be the middle of the night but still … it shouldn’t be this easy.
Ravier holds out his arms and everyone stops. “Damn, a guard.”
There we go. Now it feels sufficiently dangerous to Serilom.
“A female guard.” Kriv says.
“What difference does it make?” Ravier asks.
Kriv smoothes his hair and wipes the dirt from his face. “The love hurricane is about to make landfall.” He unbuttons his coat and unlaces his tunic.
“Kriv, what are you doing?” Serilom whispers.
Kriv struts up to the guard. He flashes a smile as he taps her on the shoulder. “Hey pretty face. You are far too gorgeous to be out here all alone.”
She smiles at him. “Oh, hello there. Wait, aren’t you the man everyone’s looking for?”
Kriv twirls the ends of her hair in his fingers. “If you know who I am, then say my name, sweetheart.”
