Reka lay, sopping wet, next to Mika. They both shivered hard. His stone continued to provide heat, and he hoped they would be dry soon. Continuing tonight was out of the question, he thought. He looked at Mika; she was on the verge of unconsciousness. He put his arm around her.

“This is my fault.” He said. “I am so sorry.”

The object of his quest still sat where it fell. There was no excitement in seeing it, though.

“Damn you, Gregory!”

His scream echoed over the empty landscape. A few birds flew into the air, aroused by his curse. He poured more power into his stone. Mika stirred feebly and looked at him.

“I saw mama,” She said.

He tightened his hold on her shoulder. “Shh, don’t talk now. You can tell me all about it when we get you home.”

Events seemed to catch up to Mika. She fell asleep. He sat there and allowed the warmth of the stone to seep into them. He did not have any idea what to do next. He had no way to call for help, and he could not leave Mika in this condition to go find some. He picked up Domhain. The stone felt too heavy for its size.

He waited as the night passed slowly into the morning. Sunlight crested the horizon, bringing him all the promise of a new day. Unfortunately, he thought, a reminder of the night before still huddled next to him.

“Mika,” he said, “it is time to wake up. We need to get moving.”

He made his tone soft and gentle. Whether to soothe the poor child or keep her from actually waking, he was not sure. He slapped his thigh. He was not giving Mika enough credit for her strength. She had endured her mother’s death and her father’s indifference, and she would survive this. He forced himself to harden his tone.

“Mika,” he said, “you need to get up.”

He shook her gently. His tone he could make harsher, but he could not maltreat the child. She lifted her head. Her eyes were dark around the edges and bloodshot.

“What happened?” She said.

He slid some loose strands of her from her face. “You do not remember?”

“I think I remember a little.” She said. “It’s like a dream.”

He placed Domhain in her hand. “You found your father’s pendant.”

Her eyes widened, and she pulled away from him. “It was mama! She gave it to me!”

“Your mother gave it to you?” He said.

“I saw her under the water. She held out her hand, and the pendant was in it. When I took it, the water pulled me away.”

“What did she look like?” He said.

Mika looked at the swamp. “Like she always did. She was so pretty. Then she just…disappeared.”

Her voice trailed off and felt even greater sympathy for her. It must be like losing her mother all over again, but this was a time for action, not compassion. He got to his feet and helped Mika to hers.

“We need to go,” he said.

They were halfway to the house when Aedon and Ulf met them. Aedon looked livid. Ulf looked bored. It was to Aedon he spoke.

“Come here and give me a hand. She is weak.”

“What have you done to my daughter?” Aedon said.

Reka held his temper. “Now is not the time for this. Please take her. Ulf, will you help?”

Ulf took Mika under the arm and supported her weight easily. He started to walk away. Aedon stayed where he was.

“I asked you a question!” He said.

“Aedon, please, I am tired, and your daughter is exhausted. I beg you, let this go for now.” Reka said.

“Ulf,” Aedon said, “take Mika to the house. The mage and I have something to talk about.”

Ulf shrugged and coaxed Mika down the road. Reka recognized the look in Aedon’s eyes. Warnings were no longer going to be enough.

“I will ask you one more time, please let it go.” He said.

Aedon swung a vicious punch at Reka. He tilted his head slightly, and Aedon’s fist sailed by.

“I have tried to appeal to your rational side,” he said. “I have tried to frighten you with magic. Now I will appeal to your barbaric side.”

He swung a punch of his own. Aedon never saw it coming. Thump! His fist landed against Aedon’s nose. Blood covered his hand instantly. Aedon stood, stunned, for a heartbeat.

“I am not helpless without magic,” Reka said. Those were the only words he had time to speak.

Aedon rushed him and planted a shoulder in his gut. Air left him in a rush, and the two men fell hard to the ground. Reka scrambled for his pouch. Playtime was over. Aedon pinned his hand before he could reach it.

No matter, he thought, it was actually better this way. He thrust his knee into Aedon’s crotch and heard a satisfying, short, high-pitched squeal.

Reka knelt beside Aedon, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “I know you love your daughter. You may not believe this, but I care for her as well. We should be working together, not against one another.”

“You’re trying to steal her from me,” Aedon said.

Reka remembered his fever dream; Mika standing over a dead Aedon declaring she preferred him.

“Aedon, I am not trying to steal your daughter. I have things I can teach her. So do you. You may not want to believe it, but events are moving that will put her in real danger.”

Aedon sat up. “What events?”

“Come to the house with me.” He said. “It is time you knew the whole truth.”

He helped Aedon to his feet, and the two of them walked to the house in silence.

When they arrived at the house, Ulf had Mika sitting by the fire with a hot cup of tea in her hands. Alexis was fussing over her. She shot Reka a nasty look as soon as he entered.

“Are you happy?” She said.

He sat in the chair next to Mika. “Not at all,” he said. “Ulf, there is a wooden chest in Mika’s room. Please take it into the kitchen. Alexis, please get some food ready. The rest of you go to the table as well. I need to speak to Mika for a moment, we will join you soon.”

For once, everyone did as instructed, even Aedon. He looked at Mika. She was sipping her tea with a far off look in her eyes.

“Mika,” he said. “I will not pretend to know what happened to you in that swamp. I am sure it was hard on you, and I am sorry. Right now, though, we need to talk about that pendant.”

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She held it out to him. “What about it?”

“That pendant is very important. As soon as your father sees it, he is likely to try and take it.” His voice sharpened. “You must not let him.”

“But, it’s his.” She said.

“No,” Reka said. “It is mine. He promised it to me in return for teaching you. I want you to have it. You will understand why soon enough. For now, do not let him take it.”

“Ok,” she said.

They went to the kitchen and, already, Alexis had food on the table. The woman could make a meal appear out of thin air, it seemed. The table was crowded with so many people gathered. Martin was the only person absent.

“Where is Martin?” Reka said.

“Out,” Ulf said.

Reka sighed. “Is he likely to return soon?”

“Probably not,” Alexis said. “He doesn’t seem to like Mika very much.”

“Good, he does not need to know what we are about to discuss,” Reka said. “Aedon, you will need to swear not to repeat what you hear to anyone.”

“All he has to do is swear?” Ulf said.

Alexis slapped the back of his head. “Shut up.”

“If you promise to answer all my questions, I promise not to say anything,” Aedon said.

“I will tell you everything. It is time for complete honesty.”

Alexis coughed. “Does that go for all of us? The last time I checked, complete honesty wasn’t your forte.”

“Yes, yes,” Reka said. “I will answer your questions too.”

The food looked and smelled divine. No one made any move to eat, though. Even Ulf, master of the meal as he was, sat silent. They all seemed to be waiting for him.

“Some of the information I am about to tell a few of you already know. I ask for your patience as I catch the others up to speed.”

He waited for some sign that they heard him. Still, no one made a move.

“I am a member of a group called Ordú an Cloch. Actually, I am their leader. The purpose of our order is to locate six magical artifacts and use them to reform Talamn Rí.”

“What is Talamn Rí?” Aedon said.

“Talamn Rí is the proper name of the First Kingdom.” Alexis supplied.

“Precisely,” Reka said. “The artifacts are hereditarily linked to six lines of mages; Bethos, Halloran, Petra, Teague, Taian, and Galios. With these artifacts, those six mages quelled a war that raged for centuries. When they were done, they established Talamn Rí.”

“I hate to keep interrupting you,” Aedon said, “but what are the artifacts?”

Ulf stood. He seemed happy to have something to contribute. “The five great stones and the crown.”

“Yes,” Reka said. “Whether the stones were given to, or created by, the five advisors to the king is unknown. What we know is that each of the stones has a hereditary master. We call these masters Amharani. That is why, Mika, I told you there were very few of us. In truth, there are only five.”

“So you’re telling us by calling yourself an Amharani, you are claiming to be one of these masters?” Aedon said.

Reka reached into a pouch and pulled the red stone from it. “Yes, I am the master of Tine.” He set it on the table.

Everyone leaned close to look at the stone. Alexis reached out to touch it, and Reka let her.

“It’s warm,” she said.

Reka picked it back up. “It is always warm. Tine is the stone of fire.”

Mika looked up. “You said I was an Amharani!”

“Yes,” Reka said. “That is why I sought out your family. Jarlath Halloran, one of the advisors, established our order hundreds of years ago. Ironically, his is the line that went missing during that time. Correspondingly, his stone was one of only two we could not account for.”

Aedon jumped to his feet. “That’s why you wanted it! You think my pendant is the fifth stone!”

Reka nodded. “Yes. When I first found you, I thought you were its master. It became clear immediately that you were not. Mika, show them.”

Mika placed Domhain on the table. Silver banding still wrapped it, though it was tarnished and dull. Aedon lunged for his lost treasure. Before he could reach it, Mika hauled it back.

“You give that to me this instant!” Aedon said.

“The girl is doing as I have instructed,” Reka said. “The stone does not belong to you any longer.”

Aedon slammed his fist on the table. “Why do you want it? You can’t even use it! You said, yourself, that the stones have masters!”

“You are mistaken,” Reka said. “The stones will always be most effective in the hands of their true masters, but any of the five advisors may use them.”

Alexis shot to her feet this time. “Surely not!”

Reka watched calmly as the room burst into chaos. Alexis and Aedon shouted over each other in an attempt to get his attention. Ulf held onto Alexis, it looked like, to prevent her from leaping over the table.

Reka only had eyes for Mika. “You, Mika, are the master of Domhain.”

His proclamation ended the shouting. He watched Mika open her hand to reveal Domhain once more.

Her voice was weak. “I am?”

Reka looked at the faces surrounding him. Aedon’s was full of disbelief, Alexis looked worried, and Ulf just looked like Ulf.

“How do we know my pendant is the real stone?” Aedon said.

Reka faced him. “There are a few ways to tell, and it is not your pendant. It belongs to Mika.”

Ulf cleared his throat. “Aint we forgetting about the crown in all this? That’s the key to your whole plan, right?”

“Thank you, Ulf,” Reka said.

Ulf looked perplexed. “For what?”

Reka smiled. “For being you. Yes, the crown is the key to our plan, but it comes to nothing without the stones.”

“I don’t understand,” Ulf said. “If any of you can use the stones, then any of you can use the crown. Find the crown, and you’ve got a king…right?”

Reka shook his head. “Not exactly. This is something not even Gregory knows. He believes that any of the six may use the stones, but Bethos’ line can only use the crown, and the crown can only be used by his line.”

“So where do the stones come in? Aedon asked.

Reka was pleased to see he had calmed. “The stones were set into the crown once the fighting was under control. The crown allowed Bethos to use them and use them simultaneously.”

“Then, we need to find Bethos’ heir and the crown?” Alexis said.

“Correct,” Reka said.

“Hang on,” Ulf said. “You said the crown lets the king use the stones simultaneously. What does that mean?”

“Without getting too entrenched in magical theory, Ulf,” Reka said, “an Amharani can use only one stone at a time. If I were to try to use two, the more powerful would drown out the lesser, and I would have wasted a perfectly good stone. Even if I possessed more than one great stone,” he looked pointedly at Aedon, “I could not use them at the same time. The crown eliminates that problem.”

“Now, I don’t understand,” Aedon said

The man was obstinate, Reka thought. “Think back to your harvest. You had several wagons to pull and only four horses to pull them. Imagine if you harnessed one horse to one wagon. You could control all of the wagons, for sure, but you could only control one at a time. You, being the astute fellow you are, connected the wagons, and harnessed the horses to the train. You managed to control them all at once. That is how the crown acts. It is the harness for the stones.”

“I have a question,” Mika said.

Reka turned to her, and everyone followed his lead.

“Do I have to keep the stone?”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want,” Alexis said.

“Leave your feelings out of this!” Reka snapped. He faced Mika again. “No, you do not have to keep the stone. I will take it if you wish. Keep in mind, though, others are looking for it.”

“So what?” Mika said. “If I don’t have it, they will leave us alone.”

“I wish that were true,” Reka said. “The people looking for the stone do not think like that. They will not believe you gave it away. You are safer keeping it and learning how to use your magic.”

“If they know where we are, it’s because you led them here!” Aedon said.

Reka’s shoulders slumped. “I am tired of your foul temper. I know you are a good person, Aedon. I know your anger comes from a good place, for the most part, but now you need to put that anger aside and let me help you. Just listen to me, please.”

“Don’t try to get on my good side!” Aedon said.

Alexis put a hand on Aedon’s wrist. “Listen to him.”

“Thank you, Alexis,” Reka said. “First, your father-in-law was not killed by chance. The Droia you told me about, Taian is one of the original advisors to the king. He holds Daonnachta, the stone of life. He figured out before any of us that the stone was likely your pendant. If it had not been given to Seline, Taian would have it now.”

“Now, you want me to believe that a man hundreds of years old killed Seline’s father just to get my pendant?” Aedon said.

“Yes,” Reka said. “And if that were the end of it, it would be terrifying enough. But, Taian had other plans. He tried to use Alec to get at the stone.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Aedon said.

“It’s true,” Alexis said. “Reka and I have talked. A man came into my inn and killed two people. His description matches the one he gave me of Alec.”

“And,” Reka said, “I am convinced he was on his way to see Taian in King’s Gorge.”

“You stopped him, and he ran away, simple as that,” Aedon said.

Reka slapped the table. “Don’t be naïve, Aedon! Taian is the definition of evil. On top of that, he has waited hundreds of years for this. He will not just give up because one servant failed.”

“I don’t wanna sound like an idiot,” Ulf said.

“Too late,” Alexis interjected.

“Even so,” Ulf tried again, “we seem to be doing a lot of arguing, and we don’t even know if this stone is the one we’re arguing about.”

“That’s right,” Aedon said. “Prove it.”

“When I went into the swamp,” Reka said, “I found a hill that was saturated in magic. I won’t go into detail, but I found this chest.” He pointed to the table. “There are no markings except for one inscription on it. The inscription is the prophecy Bethos spoke just before he died.”

“That proves my pendant is Domhain?” Aedon said.

“Not in itself,” Reka said. “I have discovered no means of opening it.”

“Why not set it on fire,” Aedon said. “You enjoy doing that.”

“One of these days, Aedon, you are going to shock us all by being reasonable. I have tried setting fire to it, however. As you can see, it bears no sign of damage.”

“You think Domhain can open it?” Ulf said.

“Yes,” Reka said. “Mika, will you touch the pendant to the chest? Imagine it opening as you do so.”

Mika placed the pendent on the box. The wood quivered and flowed along the sides like wax from a candle left to gutter. A twisted piece of metal fell out. The wood continued its transformation and, as it melted away, revealed a large stack of papers. The wood then unfolded, flattened out, and snapped around the paper. When it came to rest, at last, it was a large wood bound book.

Reka picked up the book. “That,” he said, pointing at the twisted metal, “is Coroin na Beatha.”

“You say that as though you expected it,” Aedon said.

Reka caressed the book. “I did.”

Alexis pointed to the book in his hands. “What is that?”

“This,” Reka said, “appears to be the journal of Jarlath Halloran.”