Indres did not look happy but decided not to object.
Avelin reached forward with her hand and with a slender index finger lifted the boy's chin higher, towards her face.
"Child, look at me and answer honestly. I'll know if you're lying, you hear me?" her voice had a supernatural tone that was usually only present when a blessing was invoked.
Tao didn't know if the woman was actually using an ability or if she was just trying to intimidate him. Well, it worked, the boy was scared.
"Yes..." he responded weakly.
The noble selesti index finger was now like the barrel of a gun to him.
"Did you repeated the words I said earlier in that voice?"
Yes and no question.
Truth or lie.
Which would be better?
Which would be get him more in trouble?
Avelin's eyes again resembled the gaze of a bird of prey. Even without supernatural abilities, she seemed to be able to sense the lies in the boy's face and voice.
"Yes." Tao confessed.
The dice had been thrown. The boy felt his father's body tense again, this time from surprise.
"Why did you do that?" seleste continued to ask.
"To protect my family."
"You understand what a blessing is? What does it do?"
"A power… from heaven that protects from… bad things."
Tao tried to avoid difficult words, but he was aware that he was speaking more coherently than he had done in his father's presence before.
"And why do you want protect your family?" Avelin asked the next question.
"Dad told mom that the evil one... is hiding. The others do nothing. I don't want it to come... again."
"Did you hear what I said to mother in the evenings?" Indres intruded.
He turned his son sideways, leaning sideways himself so he could see Tao's face. This allowed boy to free himself from Avelin's paralyzing gaze.
"Yes... I'm sorry." Tao confessed with fear.
"No, thats..." the man looked like he didn't know where to begin.
"You heard those words of blessing the first time?" Avelin spoke up again.
Fortunately, now that the woman's finger wasn't at his throat and her eyes weren't boring into his soul, he felt a little safer.
"Yes."
"And you were able to repeat them immediately."
"Yes."
"What a clever boy you are... " Avelin seemed impressed, or was skillfully hiding her disbelief.
"Tao has always been smart for his age." Indres spoke softly, recovering from his surprise.
"Even if that's true, saying the words isn't enough to invoke a blessing. If there wasn't spirit power in his voice, I don't think the spirits would feel it." selesti fixed her gaze on the man.
"If he has a lot of spirit power, maybe it's possible?"
"So much that it affects the voice even without concentration?" There was clear doubt in the woman's voice.
"That's more likely than... anything else, anyway."
"And I would love to believe that... if not for the reaction of the spirits to what your son did. I could clearly feel the surprise, the confusion... and finally the fear. Something frightened the spirits of light in your son, ranger."
"Can't... can't you ask them what they didn't like?"
Indre's voice expressed confusion, but he continued to defend his son.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. selesti contact with spirits is very... specific."
The man turned once more to face his son.
"Tao... when you tried to invoke the blessing... did you do or say anything else? " He asked gently.
"No... I didn't mean to scare anyone." The boy replied, turning his eyes towards Avelin.
"Tao, look at me." Indres' voice took on a firmer tone.
It made the boy shiver. He noticed how serious his father's face was, especially his eyes. Despite the fact that the man had not hesitated to defend his son, he looked worried, afraid even. Something was different than usual. For some reason, Tao remembered the first time his father had examined him almost three years ago.
After a moment, Indres' face brightened, he patted his son's head and turned to the woman.
"My son did something he shouldn't have, I understand that. But he's the same child my wife gave birth to three winters ago. I have no doubt about that." The man spoke with conviction.
Well, technically that's correct... Tao commented to himself.
For some reason, he felt quite happy about what his father had said. And much calmer than the moment before.
It seemed that the noble selesti didn't want to question it either. She sighed and shook her head.
"First I hear of a monster or spirit that can command spawns. And now there's also a child capable of stirring the spirits of light with a few words. Sounds like you're living in a real fairy tale out here on the outskirts."
Avelin's voice expressed a kind of weariness.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"A dark fairy tale, noble selesti."
"Endrea... noble Baern has taken the matter upon himself, so I don't mean to interfere. Regardless, I would suggest you seek the Trueseeker's help regarding your son. Even if the child is not affected by the Darkness, he may have a special gift... whether it is a blessing or a curse, I cannot say."
"I'll think about it," Indres replied diplomatically.
Tao could clearly sense that his father did not like this offer. The woman seemed to understand as well, for she smiled dryly for a moment.
"I know what reputation the Trueseekers have. But this Order is more than just witch hunters. With my recommendation, I guarantee that nothing will happen to an innocent boy."
"Thank you, noble selesti." Indres replied in a slightly warmer voice and bowed his head.
"So, I guess this topic is exhausted then... only one thing left. That's why I needed to meet you in the first place."
Avelina waved her hand to her apprentice, who had been standing silently at the door throughout the conversation. The young woman walked over to the travel chest in the corner of the room and took out a small box, which she handed to the noble woman with a respectful bow. Opening the box, Avelin put her hands forward to show the guest its contents.
Tao saw two small discs on silver chains. They were very similar to the one the boy wore around his neck, with the same eight-pointed star symbol, only much finer, with a purer metallic luster and several colored stones set into the metal.
"Amulets to protect the mind from evil spirits. Unlike the charms noble Baern made for you, these are more powerful, and their blessing won't wear off so soon." Avelin explained.
"I am sincerely grateful, honored selesti." Indres bowed his head again, this time lower.
"Well, the Lights guard we know promised to compensate my work, so your gratitude goes to him. Note, however, that even these amulets do not guarantee immunity if the opponent is indeed a Dreamweaver." The woman said seriously, placing the box on the table in front of Indres.
"Then... what good are they?" he sounded disappointed.
"Does the armor guarantee immunity from sword or arrow? But why do soldiers wear them? These amulets are worth more than your weapons tenfold, ranger! They offer powerful protection, weakening the enemy's ability to influence your mind. But the Realm of Dreams is partly outside our own, so it has its own rules. Still, even a powerful Dreamweaver won't be able to force you to do anything against your will." The woman's voice grew colder.
"I understand. I apologize for rushing to judgment."
Indres took the box in his hand and bowed head again.
"Good. I understand these are for you and your son?" The woman nodded as well and got to her feet, indicating for Indres to do the same.
"Yes." He responded.
As the adults stood up, Tao's distance from Avelin's face grew, which was fine by the boy - further from the woman's probing gaze.
"Your village has now received strong protection against the spirits, as has your family personally. Alas! Don't let your guard down! The threat from The Hidden is not obvious, a strong will and faith in the Light is better protection than a few consecrated amulets... though they certainly won't hurt." She spoke as she escorted the guests to the door.
"I'll take that into consideration, noble selesti."
"As for you, child...." Avelin's eyes turned to Tao, causing him to flinch again.
"We'll keep you in mind. So, behave yourself."
The boy nodded silently.
Indres said the last parting phrases and at last they were free to go home. The cool air of the night was pleasantly refreshing after this meeting, which was really an interrogation.
Laughter and music were still coming from the village center, but Tao felt too exhausted to think about celebrating. Not only had his original intention of contacting the spirit of light failed, he had almost exposed himself, certainly made himself more suspicious in front of his father, the noble woman and possibly the whole Temple.
One more mistake like that and I could really fall into their hands to these Trueseekers. The name alone is intimidating... Tao felt a shiver run down his spine.
At first the boy thought father was taking him straight home as they moved further away from the square. In reality, Indres just wanted to find a quieter corner, away from the eyes of others. After looking around and seeing no other people nearby, he knelt on the road in front of Tao and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. The moonlight was not bright, nor did the light from the square, yet they somewhat dimly illuminate his father's face. Indres's eyes expressed anxiety.
"Tao, did you used to repeat the words when mum or I called for fire or light?" Father's voice was quiet but serious.
It turns out that the interrogation was not over, just the personnel had been changed.
Tao knew that after his earlier confession, it would be foolish to try to deny it. No doubt Indres had been suspicious for a long time.
"Yes... a little." He confessed.
"May the Eternal be merciful..." the man's fingers curled tighter around the boy's shoulders.
"Please, don't do that again. It's dangerous. It's bad. Understand?" Indres spoke again a moment later, this time in a firmer tone.
"Yes." Tao nodded.
It wasn't a complete lie. He wasn't planning to pay much attention to the spellwords in the near future. There were more serious problems.
"Also, if you hear the selesti... a blesser like grandpa Neter or this aunty say something in a weird voice, don't repeat it, all right? I know what I said to Mom is scary, but... I'll take care of it. I'm not gonna let you experience that danger again. I promise!"
Something in Tao's heart stabbed painfully.
Boy saw Indres' concern for his family and son. His courage and determination... not knowing that the Tao was the cause of the current misfortune. No, Indres guessed that the enemy wanted something from Tao. But he expressed his readiness to defend anyway.
"Yes, I won't." Tao made another promise.
That was not a lie either. It was clear that trying to contact the spirits of light was likely to cause problems with the Temple. Unfortunately, this method was not the solution to his problems, at least for the time being.
"Good, good... " Indres nodded, but remained crouched and studied his son's face.
Tao decided to wait patiently to see what would happen next.
"How better to put it... Tao, do you remember having a... strange dream? An unusual dream that feels... like reality?"
The boy had already realized that the enemy had not been trying to influence him alone. The amulets were clear proof of that; his father's words now only confirmed it. That didn't mean it was easy to answer.
"Strange... how strange?" He decided to pretend he didn't really understand.
"Did someone... some person show up and ask you to do something? Something bad? Like... to run away from home?"
"No, I didn't have that dream." Tao answered with confidence.
Technically, these words were not lies either. In his dream the intruder was trying to extract information from him and seduce him, if the enemy also had the intention to ask for something, he didn't get there.
"It's good... I hope you don't have a dream like that, especially with the new amulet, but still... if you see something like that, don't do what the person in the dream says, son. Tell me everything in the morning, or to the mom! Even if in the dream... you do something bad, don't be afraid to tell, we won't be angry. I promise."
Although Indres's voice was still quiet, it was more strongly expressive of concern, even a kind of despair. Tao didn't really understand it, but wanted to make the man feel better.
"All right." He made a third promise.
Tao hoped he would not have to break it. This Dreamweaver had tried to access the boy's mind only once and had not dared to do it again since.
Indres seemed to relax a little. The man watched his son's face in silence for a moment before he spoke again.
"Perhaps I should have seen this before... But I sense that your Path will not be to struggle as a hunter or a potion maker in remote village." A sort of sad smile appeared on Indres’s lips.
Tao didn't know what to say, but it didn't look like his father was waiting for an answer.
"Well, we'll see when the time comes. Now let's go find your mother and sisters." Indres caressed the boy's hair and got to his feet.
Taking his son by the hand, he started walking towards the village square.
When the time comes... Tao repeated his father's words to himself.
The boy had not thought much about his future in this world, especially given the current threat. But if he could someday safely show what he was really capable of, become someone noteworthy and make his family proud, that would be... good.
Tao was aware that, for now, he was on a knife's edge. Not only did he have to watch out for the Dreamweaver, but also for the Temple's suspicions. Fortunately, this time his father believed him, so everything ended well. But if Indres notices something really unusual... Or worse, if someone else does?
He will have to be even more careful with his training. If Temple could be relied upon to deal with this evil force, Tao might even stop training altogether for a while. Unfortunately, the boy had no confidence that this would happen, at least not until it was too late. Tao suspected that this, too, was the enemy's design.
If only they could convince Eleya... the previous plan came to mind.
Eh, a problem for another day, Tao felt he didn't want to think about that now.
His father's large hand was not only warm, but helped to instill confidence that all would be well. Maybe it was silly, but... sometimes a small hope was worth more than endless worry.
***