Forty Six: A Black Night

The candles flickered across the table, casting a warm glow across the yellowed pages of the witches' books. Teyber had brought in a large tray of food from the kitchens and the rest of us had pulled out the bundle of books I had brought from the valley. When I entered my room to get everything, a beautiful book sat on my bed. The cover was light blue linen, the same color as Schula's eyes. The corners were embellished in silver and white threads that formed a vine of little flowers that wound around the edges of the book. I knew right away what it was, and I clutched it close to me as we got everything ready.

And then, the search for information began.

Teyber sat, bewildered, flipping through the pages of a tome and making the slowest progress, since he was the least sure of what he was searching for. Nassir, who had made amazing progress with his awareness of his surroundings, still wouldn't be able to read. Instead, he meditated on his chair and occasionally talked out some things we found with what he knew from centuries past. Schula was very helpful, taking notes and whizzing through books. Marking down what parts of which books held details that she found.

And then there was me, hunched over Lark's book and soaking in every word. I did hope to find how she bound Teyber's words, yes. But I also wanted to know more. Know, everything. The early pages were filled with the same kinds of spells I had in mine. Notes of things she did wrong and things she found worked better for her. It was the later pages that held the most telling things.

She had spells I had never seen before. She had learned the sort of conjurings that I didn't learn with Gilly and Purda. It was mesmerizing to read. Illustrations of hand movements, plants, seashells, bird feathers, and a number of other important bits of information to her spells told me that Lark wasn't the best artist. My lips turned up into a smile every time I saw a scratched out drawing next to another attempt. The written notes were more useful than the illustrations.

"Wren," Schula pulled my focus from Lark's spells to one of the books. "I found a passage here with a few fae names they met up with on their initial meeting in the Wyldes."

"Really?" I put Lark's book down. "Let me see."

"I don't know any of these names," she said. "There is a chance none of them are still around."

"Hm, what names?" Nassir asked. "I may remember them."

Schula read a short list of fae and where they met the witches at the southern borders. Nassir nodded slowly.

"All Summer fae, as far as I can remember. If you want to hear if they are still around, you'll have to travel to the Summer city," Nassir said.

Schula sighed and began writing down the names on her notes. "I still don't know if they will be of help, performing a witch's spell. But it's worth looking into."

My shoulders sagged a little. But just because this wasn't the lead we were looking for, doesn't mean there wasn't another on the next page. So back to the books we went.

The candles wore down as we turned the pages. As Teyber's grunts of frustration became more frequent, it wasn't such a surprise when he stood from the table.

"I don't think I can keep going. Besides, I should check on the late night patrols, it's been a while since I surprised them." A sly smile spread across his otherwise tired face. "It's good for them. Keeps them on their toes."

"Do you think the council meeting is almost over?" I asked as a yawn began to overtake me.

But Teyber shook his head. "Doubtful. The first rule of elves, Wren, is to not rush them. Expect it to go well into tomorrow. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be the first to know once Kalor returns.

"Have a good night then, Captain," Nassir said. "Hopefully tomorrow ends with us in an alliance, and not with you escorting us from the city."

Teyber shrugged, his mouth a grim line. "Time will tell, but unless the whole council has turned to fools, they will want to keep you here in an exchange of information."

"Good night, Teyber," Schula said, waving.

"Don't stay up too late," he said, and made his way through the doorway.

I didn't bother lying and saying we would go to bed soon. We all knew that probably wasn't going to happen, and I turned back down to my book.

More time passed after Teyber left us. One of us would yawn, and the others would follow suit. A few of the candles went out completely, and none of us bothered to re-light them. More yawns. At one point, my eyes were so sore that I set Lark's book down for a moment so I could rest my eyes.

They were so heavy, after all.

It felt so good to shut them. Just for a moment.

Just... for... a...

~

The darkness was warm and inviting. I was inside a heartbeat. A steady breath. A warm embrace. Comfort, that's what I took from this. Somewhere in my head I knew it was the same energy that stirred me before. The thing that wanted me to find it, only I didn't know what it was or where to look. But it was becoming familiar. Comfortable. And it was easy for me to be lulled by it, just letting myself drift in the nothingness with it.

Eventually, I could tell I wasn't alone. Something white, and cool, and comfortable was nearby as well. What was that? I knew it, I knew what it was but I couldn't quite remember.

Experimentally, I reached out to it. I somewhat noticed that I was a purple light. Somewhat shapeless but a piece of me still reached out to the white thing. It stirred. I think I startled it, but when it took a better look at me, it reached out too. And when the white thing touched me...

Schula. This was Schula, my beloved friend. A piece of me. My triquetram.

The realization hit her too, because suddenly we pressed close, clinging to each other.

We floated there in silence, just sitting in the vastness of the black presence. It felt like hours of just floating, existing with it. It didn't seem to interact with us, it just stayed as it was. A soft breath. A pulse. Something alive, and calm.

"Schula," I said eventually. "What is this?"

She took her time answering. "I don't know."

More silence between us. Not an uncomfortable one, but it felt like it took some time to think here. Eventually, we came up with more to say, or rather think, since that's what it felt like we were doing to communicate.

"Excuse me," Schula prodded at the blackness. "What... are you?"

Then, the stirring happened. There was no real up or down or sideways, but somehow it felt like everything moved all at once anyway. I felt tumbled around, spun off balance. The thing was moving.

A feeling brushed by us. Warm and hard, like a thousand smooth stones, and all we could do while rolling down the stones was try to hold onto each other so we didn't get separated. This went on for a moment, and then something surprising lit up the blackness.

Fire. Blazing fire, orange and white. The hottest fire I had ever felt, and it was a shapeless ball of flames before us that towered over the little lights that were me and Schula. It was enormous.

And then, it spoke.

"You are real," it said.

The voice, though it was in my head, still managed to boom and echo. It was low, the rumble of an avalanche. Or the crashing of hard waves against the rocks.

My heart, wherever it was in relation to this blackness and my little purple light, was beating ferociously.

"Find me," it said.

Then, the feeling began to retreat. Slowly, the warm and comfortable blackness was pulling away, drawing back. My first urge was to reach out for it, beg it to come back.

"Wait!" Schula cried out. "What are you? How do we find you?"

The blackness didn't stop it's retreat. "Find me," it repeated.

And a moment later, it was gone, and the feeling of being yanked away hit me hard.

~

"Ah!" I snapped my head up from the table, my eyes searching in the almost non-existent light for Schula. Her eyes met mine, wide and startled.

We both looked to Nassir, who was fast asleep in his chair. I looked down at my hands, they were shaking.

"What was that?" I whispered, barely audible.

"Let's go somewhere else to talk," she said.

I nodded, and we both got up softly from our seats. Not knowing where to go, but knowing that nowhere in the keep was safe from prying ears. I bit my lower lip, silently making a decision to leave the keep with Schula. We were still Kalor's guests until told otherwise, right?

I slipped my new cloak over her and pulled my old one around my shoulders. My secret was out now, or at least the council knew about it, so I felt less pressured to hide myself now. We were given no trouble as I walked confidently out the front doors and around the side of the keep where I could find the trail to the garden.

Schula quietly observed as I walked on. The ground was still soft from the hard rain we had gotten earlier in the day, and I regretted not choosing to wear my boots, instead wearing the matching slippers to the dress I had been given. I paused, yanking them off and sticking them in my belt to try to keep them from complete ruin.

Barefoot and comfortable, we left the keep's sight and I found the way to the garden. This is about where Schula felt safe enough to speak.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"A garden, Kalor took me to it today. No one else goes there, we should be able to speak freely."

She nodded and we continued our steps silently until I saw the garden. The lovely tree in the middle, rising higher than the rest of the plants around it. I opened the gate for her, and a familiar black mass of feathers glided down to land on her shoulder.

"Caw!"

Schula smiled. "I'm glad to see you've settled in nicely. I almost missed you this last day."

Puko made a croaking sound, and stuck his beak in the air indignantly. Snubbing Schula and flying to instead land on me.

"I think you offended him," I giggled.

She shrugged and walked over to the bench beneath the tree. Taking a seat, she looked out over the rest of the garden without really looking at any of it. I understood the feeling, I couldn't shake the embrace of the black presence.

"So, do we go looking for it or not?" I asked.

Schula sighed, pulling her long white braid around her shoulder and playing with the end of it. "I don't know. On the one hand I feel so much power from it. It's strong, whatever it is. But on the other hand..."

"It's safe," I finished her thought. "It won't hurt us. I... I don't know how I know that."

"I know what you mean though," she murmured, and then snapped her eyes to me. "Wren, should we be telling Nassir about this? But I don't even know how to explain it."

"And we don't know where to find this thing, or even begin looking." I sighed and sat next to her, crossing my arms over my chest. "It felt so much closer this time. We can't be far."

"I agree, we..." Schula sat up straight, her back stiffening. "What was that?"

I tilted my head, trying to catch a sound on the wind. I didn't come up with anything that didn't belong in the garden. "I don't hear anything."

Schula stood slowly, frowning. Then she walked slowly toward the gate. She was quiet enough that I didn't hear her, even though I could see she was walking. Then, she yanked the gate open quickly, and the edge of a green cloak flittered to the left and out of sight.

"Hey!" Schula called, and took off after it.

"Wait!" I chased after her as well, startling Puko into flight as my feet flew to the gate.

No sooner did I round the corner than I found Schula with a figure pinned to a large tree. Schula yanked the figure's hood back, and I immediately recognized her.

"Liana," I said. "What were you doing following us?"

"What were you doing in Kalor's garden?" She spat back.

Schula grunted and dropped her from the tree. Liana landed and sprung backwards, a spear in her hands that kept a barred line between us and her.

"Kalor took me here himself this morning," I snapped. "I have permission to be here, do you?"

"And what about her?" Liana asked. "Surely Lord Kalor wouldn't want one of her kind here."

The air around us instantly dropped. The cool sensation was familiar and soothing for me, but I expect Liana from her humid and warm climate wouldn't be ready for it. Her multi-colored eyes popped open wide, and she took another step back.

"Where Wren goes, I go," Schula said, an icy edge to her voice.

"Stop," I held up my hands. "Both of you, stop. Liana, if you really want to know who I am, go stalk your Captain. The Council knows as of tonight, and surely Teyber would tell you. I promise you, we have permission to be out here, and it's of some importance that we get to talk... alone."

Liana's eyes narrowed, but her spear didn't budge. "You're looking for some sort of monster, aren't you?"

"What?" Schula asked sharply.

"I heard you, something of enormous power is around here. Is that why you're here? To collect another monster for your armies?" Liana took another step back.

"No," I snapped at her. "We're not here for a monster, I'm here to find something out and to meet my father. And you, ranger, are stepping dangerously out of line."

"The only ones out of line here are the ones who would bring danger to Eidelhein. If I find out you're bringing us trouble, I'll follow you to the ends of the world if I have to." Liana put her spear down. "Don't underestimate the love I have for my people, witch."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "You figured it out."

"I would have to walk around with my eyes and ears closed to not figure it out," Liana said. "All the more reason to watch you all. Two fae and a witch. An elven witch. I thought you were going to be on our side, and now I'm not so sure."

I sighed, frustrated. "Look, I can't make you believe me, but Teyber can. This is the last warning. Take up your grievances about us with Teyber, and leave us alone."

Liana's eyes roamed over Schula, then me. Then, she took a few small steps away from us and away from the garden. "I'll leave, for now. But I still don't trust you. Trust is earned around here, not handed to you on a platter because of who your father is."

That stung a little. I didn't ask to be placed in a nice room in the keep. I didn't ask for the hospitality. I just wanted to warn the elves and find Kalor.

"Go on, elf child," Schula said. "We'll let Teyber know you want to speak to him.

Liana's eyes narrowed at Schula. "We're the green children, and you would do well to understand what that means."

Quickly and silently, Liana retreated. If I wasn't watching her go I would never have known, she was so silent. But as the last of the trees concealed her, we heard her parting words.

"If you want to find a monster, find Fandor."

If it weren't for our hearing we would have missed it.

I looked at Schula, and she looked at me.

"What do you think that means?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. This night is going to drive me mad."

"Let's go to bed," I said, rubbing my eyes. "I can't untangle this right now."

"Alright." Schula took my arm in hers and began walking us back. "Tonight we sleep. Tomorrow, we figure it out."

I nodded, and we made the walk back through the soft dirt and the rustling forest.

Maybe tomorrow would hold our answers.