Germination 17

August 29th, 2032.

I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart heaving in my chest. I stared up at the ceiling of the old room, unable to recall the contents of my dream.

A sob almost rose up from my throat, but I suppressed the urge to cry. Instead I focused on my breathing. Just breathe, and recount things around you…

Alarm clock, door, tiger blanket, bookshelf, and window. With each and every object accounted for, my hasty haggard breathing slowed, and the blood rushing in my ears went away.

I was home, I was safe… why is there a weight on my legs?

I lifted up my blanket, and blanched when I saw Arali curled up around my legs.

His jaw snapped with a hissing yawn, the little guy rubbing his plated face with his claws.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed at him, feeling terrified at the idea of mom finding out like this.

Arali patted my face with a glare. “Kept you from having too many nightmares, couldn’t get them all but they’re tasty.”

I blinked. “You can eat nightmares?”

Arali smirked. “I’m a creature of the Darkness, and a powerful one at that. And… I thought maybe being around me would help with what… She did to you.”

I shuddered, feeling phantom burns on my skin, like I had been baked by a nuclear blast. Arali prodded my hands, and there was a sense of relief as his darkness drained the light.

“Thank you. How have you been practicing your Voice?” I asked.

Arali wiggled proudly. “I shouted Fire into existence, focusing on the glyphs and concepts of Fire like you said.”

I giggled, rubbing his tufts. “So how did that go?”

“It was strong enough to destroy a big block of rock about… ten by ten by ten meters.” He was doing the math in his head clearly.

I choked.

That was a level of power well in line with what Ultima could pull off fairly casually as a grown witch. He was like a preteen, how powerful was he going to become as a grownup?

Then I thought about how I had seen some of the witches fighting the Thread Queen thrusting up thousands of tons worth of stone with relative ease. And I had the distinct feeling that Ultima could reshape towns with her own power.

I wondered where I sat on that tier. I had no ability to project my natural energies outside my body, but I could use glyphs to shape that energy and link it with the boundless energies of the world. The question was what the limit was, I didn’t face a stamina limit.

As long as there was magic in the world I had power.

“Strong, next time we have the chance we should work on our magic together. I want to see how far we can break reality together.”

Arali nodded. “Are you sure you’re okay after all that?”

My lips thinned. “I don’t know to be honest, I barely remember any of it. Outside feeling a lot of pain… and having all my trauma and insecurities poked at.” I rubbed at my arms, brushing along odd-feeling skin—

What?

I glanced down to my arms and was met with a shocking sight. My hands and upper arms, where my bracelets sat, were covered in branching scar lines, like fractals, splitting across and along skin in repeating patterns. I absently recognized them as lichtenberg figures.

They were interesting structures formed by branching electrical discharges that appear on the surface or the interior of insulating materials like human skin and flesh. Many experiments had been done in the olden days to study them as possible signs of electricity. A way to build a deeper understanding of electromagnetic forces. It was also the forerunner of plasma physics, with electric treeing being… illustrated on my own flesh and body—

I remember hands and claws biting into my arms, radiant power attempting to dive into me to discover the secrets of forgotten magics. I remember scorn and hatred and rage biting into my mind, ephemeral fingers digging into the folds of my brain, like a scalpel, a precise tool torturing the ephemera of my soul.

I remember my arms burning as bracelets reacted violently, exploding with chaotic power against power. I remember a screaming that would never, ever stop. A voice in the deep deep Below urging me to hang on, to live, to not die to a ghost, a phantom. I remember wanting to sleep, wanting to stay in the cradle of the Below, rather than the boiling hatred of Heaven.

A weight jumped onto my chest, curling around me, projecting warmth and heat, and affection. A low vibration crept down into my ribs, skin, and more. A quiet voice gently soothing my worries, a Dark presence which chased away the malevolent Light.

I had lost awareness of my surroundings, and was clutching Arali tightly, trying not to sob.

“I want my mom…” I blubbered stupidly, shuddering at the memory.

“I’ll get her.” He said with determination. My eyes widened and my hands reached out and caught nothing but stray fluff as he stepped through the open door.

Wait…

I could hear Arali’s voice echo along the hallway, calling out to my mother. Who responded back first with a charmed quality which shifted to concern. In a matter of seconds, she was here with hazel eyes rich with motherly worry.

I swallowed, feeling afraid. Was this the moment she took this away from me?

I didn’t register when my mother sat down next to my head, bed creaking with her additional weight. Not that she was heavy, my bed was just old.

“Hija…” She breathed, a slight tremble in her eyes when I flinched away. “Arali said you were having a little trouble.”

I almost swallowed my tongue. “You know now?”

Mother suddenly looked far more weary, a bone-deep exhaustion I knew well.

“I always knew.”

I broke out in a cold sweat, heart hammering in my chest. “You. You always knew?” My voice was caught in my throat.

“Ultima is not that good an actress,” she sounded quietly bemused. “The only reason she can hide so easily is her ward, and how it’s tied to human disbelief.

“Ward… oh that’s a good anchor.” I replied aloud, still drifting away. “What?” I almost shouted, gripping my chest. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Why did you let me worry about keeping this secret?

“I know more than you think about magic,” she elaborated. “We were drifting apart, and Ultima offered a solution, something to spark joy in your life again. I needed… time to get my head together.”

“Mama?” Why did she sound so sad?

She folded her hands together, as if uncertain where to place them. “I’ve lived a very odd life Celia, with higher highs and lower lows than most. I couldn’t lose you too… so I let you find your calling, no matter how afraid I was.”

“Why?”

She looked away. “I can’t tell you, not right now.” An angry part of me wanted to make her tell me. “But I’m not going to take this from you Celia, I already took away so much of your childhood with my failures.”

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I reached out for her hand, clasping our fingers together. “I… understand, I think.”

Her hazel eyes were stormy. “I hope so, I really do. Just be careful, please?”

“I’ll try.” I promised.

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Mama had let me go to visit Ultima, since I was safe from the danger of what had been murdering people. I still couldn’t believe my mother had known… that Ultima knew that she knew. Did I blame them, should I?

But the more important factor was I could get back to using my outfit… that dense layer of magical fabrics had done a lot of work in keeping me safe. But there were improvements I could make, given time, energy, knowledge and will. I had ideas when I came to the cloak, but I needed more material, and I needed a deeper understanding of how to weave magic into cloth and thread.

For now I had put on my clothes, and was adding my bracelets as I walked over to Ultima’s staff floating along a leyline. I slid one on, and a shiver went down my spine as subtle threads of energy crawled down my limbs. I slid the other on, and it felt like a circuit completing itself.

“So. You said there was another Koza?”

Ultima bobbed her head. “Apparently the clans were decidedly impressed with you defeating the Other responsible for killing thousands of our people using slaves and thralls.”

I was flustered. “I didn’t do that on my own, I’m not that powerful even with my access to the void.”

Ultima raised an eyebrow. “Kid, you literally dragged the Queen across realities with that trick of yours. You might not be able to replicate that feat without that connection, but it left an impression.”

“An impression?” I gently tugged at my bangs, wondering what exactly that meant when it came down to the clans.

Ultima stared at me like I was crazy. “Again, you dealt the death blow for a monster we’ve been unknowingly fighting for two hundred years. I’ve personally lost people to them, and you helped stop it for an entire kingdom.”

My throat bobbed as I realized the implications in that very moment

“Oh…”

She turned slightly, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be right there with you, not gonna let you get chewed up by clan politics. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Promise.”

I smiled warmly. “Thank you. I think I can handle this, I’m guessing it’s going to be some kind of reward. But the specifics are outside my knowledge, unless I can use void to peer into the future.”

“Best not to try that, since the old stories do say the void is linked to seeing time from outside instead of inside.” Ultima said that crazy thing without a blink.

“Don’t tempt me.” I rubbed the back of my neck, lazily firming up the grip of my thighs on the staff.

Which was only comfortable because I was essentially just floating on a cushion of magic. A tool to relieve one from the tyranny of gravity, very useful in that respect.

We were moving at a leisurely pace, it would take us around twelve minutes to arrive at Cruorpool. Which gave me a lot of time to prepare myself mentally and emotionally.

“I have a feeling this is going to be very annoying to deal with right?” Please say no please say no.

“Absolutely.” Ultima chirped.

…

Fuck.

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I was practically bouncing on my feet in nervousness, and I could hear Ultima’s chuckles. But I was perfectly in my right, there was definitely an award ceremony planned as the prime figure in defeating Cassiopeia. From calls with Althea and Hakim, both had gotten a sizable infusion of material reward, money, even access to magical materials from their own stores. Ajani never told me what he had gotten, but he was also a weirdo so meh.

Beforehand I had been given basic lessons on etiquette since this was a far more formal meeting. A public Koza had their own rules but this a smaller and more rules were mandated. My clothing was thankfully acceptable, and I was going to do my part in whatever this ceremony was far. It didn’t make the meeting any less anxiety inducing, once I realized who had shown.

I had been brought to the sacred garden, right before the image of Calafia Herself in her dark glory. Standing there was a quorum of clanheads and their heirs, plus other assorted members there as Witnesses. Which I somehow knew was capitalized but didn’t know how.

King Ladon was standing before me, holding up a dual-bladed staff, his dao blades merged into a strange spear. I took a breath, glancing back at a stoic Ultima keeping an eye out as my Witness.

I turned back, and placed my hands together, folding one thumb over the other. The dominant one as custom, I then bowed at a thirty degree angle, greeting the king and the clan leaders loyal to him.

I could literally see the ties between him and his people, the bonds of loyalty and kin binding them down to their very spirit.

He offered the same bow as did the clan leaders and my eyebrows almost lifted in shock. Not… that I didn’t enjoy watching Dinah bow and that’s enough out of you, brain. But that was a level of respect rarely mandated from literal nobles, and I had a sinking feeling.

“Be welcome, Celia Safar Esteban of Earth, Apprentice of the Wandering Abyss.” He greeted with a booming sound, lips curled into a shark-esque smirk.

“I accept your welcome, King Ladon of Caudalann. The Twisting Gyre.” I greeted him right back with a slight tug on my lips.

He gently coaxed the shrine to Calafia to life, a liquid dark flame fanning around the mural. “We are gathered here today to honor a kind and powerful soul, who has proven herself a worthy ally and friend to us all.” I hid a deep ugly blush. “This young woman has performed valiantly and heroically, as a traveler from the most distant of lands. She fought alongside us against an enemy of two hundred years, and revealed the mastermind behind it all. Braving death and worse to save our people, defending the innocent and avenging all those lost to centuries worth of death on both sides.”

There was a keen sense of horror in those words. I imagine a lot of the glory had soured when they learned they had been fighting thralls for two centuries.

Ladon continued with his speech. “She has earned the right for us to recognize her valor, has she not?” Every clan head and heir agreed firmly and loudly, and I felt very nervous. “You are not one of us, and yet you fought anyway. So I ask of you Celia of Earth, will you accept membership in the Sifains of Noam the Elder?”

I almost coughed but held back… oh fuck.

The Sifains of Noam the Elder was a local civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services. Noam was the Elder responsible for making Caudalann the most literate taifa in the kingdom. Open to both locals and foreigners, highly selective and confers personal nobility to anyone rewarded it. Perhaps a hundred had gotten that reward in a century and a half.

It was especially selective since most noble clans had to have an area of responsibility to exist. Nobles without a clan or an actual area of responsibilities were a gateway to breaking themselves. The Order basically held those responsibilities, largely just keep doing what you’re doing. Plus priority on forming a clan, though with foreigners only if you declare fealty. It was a weird sort of space between noble and not-noble. Though that mattered a lot less in Caudalann and its neighbors because of things like promotion by merit.

Ultima poked me with a touch of Dark.

I straightened my posture, folding my hands in front. “I accept this award for my service.”

“Step forward.” I did so with great trepidation. “To all those who are here as Witnesses. We shall all Remember that Doña Celia Esteban is admitted as a distinguished Sifain in the Sifains of Noam the Elder.” I could feel the weight and pressure behind those words. A promise written into the very fabric of the world. “Please bow your head, and receive your title as Sifain of Caudalann.”

I did so. “Ok…” I whispered quietly. What the fuck what the fuck…

He gently placed a gorgeous ribbon, delicately patterned with images of dragons and walking whales. He split his swords, and with careful and terrifying ease laid them down on my shoulders.

It was terrifying, having to have that kind of trust… on both ends. He could cut me apart, and I could reach for his swords and destroy a part of his soul.

There was a buzzing energy in the air, a dancing circular storm of all the colors of the light witnessing the ceremony. For a moment I swore I saw Calafia blink.

And it was done.

“Hold your head up high, Celia of Earth and fly.”

I almost snorted, strange people weren’t they?

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Deep beneath the earth, a Spider weaves their web, Thorsten mused as he stood before the king of the underworld.

“Can you do it, Spider?” He asked gruffly, not caring to stay within a hundred meters of a heathen.

The being hidden in the shadows smiled. “Of course I can, High Corpus has many strings I can pull. A safer alternative to the beast my ancestors unleashed two centuries ago. But a useful distraction nonetheless. What would the Pale King ask of us?”

Thorsten wanted to rip off the being’s skull with his bare hands. “The child of Grimshaw, her apprentice, must be taken off the board of the great game. She upsets the careful balance demanded by our King, our shield in the light and our sword in the dark.”

“A balance built on a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood.” The Spider whispered to the witch. “A very sane proposition, we accept your witch’s bargain. What do you ask of us truly?”

Thorsten loomed over the figure. “Kill her, and if you are able, slay those who are drawn in by her siren song. By her heresy. Use your tools, and you will be rewarded handsomely.”

The Spider laughed, a droning sound echoing along cavern walls. “So shall it be, Thundering One. We will hunt her, this should be fun.”

The witch turned away, as skittering danced around walls and floors and air.

Thorsten knew the child would suffer, and he knew it was for the greater good.