There is no single place I can call home. I couldn’t go back to my owl family, because they wouldn’t understand what I’ve become. I can’t go back to my world, because I have no idea how I might get there. Even the palace at Rish, where I nominally live, I can’t consider my home. Dahr and Prince Eric are all I have, and now that they are beyond my reach, I am homeless.

The Book of Lost Wisdom, Kalutu

Eighteenth of Learning 1142

Queen Rhea and Jerish made their way through the temple district. Queen Rhea had six household guards with her, but she paid them no mind. She was used to being followed by at least a pair of guards. Her attention was on Jerish, who had been acting quite odd. She wasn’t sure she liked it. Of course, she wasn’t sure she didn’t like it either.

She had not always been faithful to Leonid, but she had been discreet in her affairs, unlike her husband, who had not been. She had long ago learned to deal with the humiliation.

While it was true she had been occasionally unfaithful, she had never felt anything for her partners. She knew nothing would ever come of another relationship and in each case had made that clear at the outset. Also, she was almost always the one who initiated such contact, usually in frustration after finding out about one of her husband’s affairs. And she always ended it at the first sign of it becoming more than it was supposed to be.

She knew it was petty and even that it didn’t make her feel any better. But it was the only way she could get back at him, so she did it. The situation with Jerish didn’t feel anything like that. He had been coming on to her for a long time now, she realized. Flirting. Playful. And she had to admit to being attracted to him. But she also knew it would be foolish to engage, so she never considered it. Jerish wasn’t a noble that could protect himself from her husband’s wrath, after all. He had no standing. He had no rights to speak of. If her husband decided to go after him, there was nothing he could offer to make amends.

But now Leonid had gone back to Melar, by way of Andara no less, and she was here with Jerish, who was meant to look after her. What was that about anyway? It wasn’t like there was a shortage of servants around. What did Leonid think Jerish could offer that any of her own servants couldn’t?

They approached the temple of Mitra, at the moment made mostly of marble with columns lining the front and a domed roof above made of what looked like glass. It was an impressive structure, if not an ostentatious one. It wouldn’t stay that way.

Mitra often changed the way her temple looked based on new ideas in architecture, some of which were from other worlds. As with everything else, Mitra wanted people to think rather than take things for granted. Those who worshiped Mitra might be inspired by the way the temple looked at any given time, or they might find it made them uncomfortable or even confronting. Most importantly it challenged a worshiper’s ideas about design, though in its current incarnation it looked quite mundane in Rhea’s opinion. She wondered why the goddess had chosen it.

“I’ll be a while if you want to take a look around,” she said. “I assure you, nothing will harm me in the temple of Mitra.”

Jerish favored her with a half bow. “I’m a servant, milady, not a fool.”

“Of course.”

“I might take a walk around. I won’t be long though.”

“Take your time.”

She watched Jerish stroll off and entered the temple. A bit of distance from him was good anyway. She had been thinking about him but needed a break to refocus her attention. She was ambassador to the high king. She had more important matters to contend with.

She was greeted almost immediately by the high priest.

“Ambassador Rhea, welcome.”

“Thank you, High Priest Karr.”

She was surprised he had addressed her as ambassador instead of queen. Surely an ambassador didn’t outrank a queen.

“Your Highness, with all do respect, Mitra wishes me to inform you that in this particular matter, ambassador does outrank queen. You are queen of Melar only. You are ambassador to High King Terrence, and therefore, a world figure now. Your ties to Melar remain, of course, but for the duration of the war, you have been raised higher.”

She hadn’t thought about it, but it made sense. If she were speaking for High King Terrence, who had been raised above the other kings, then being a queen was lower than being his ambassador. Interesting times.

“I have come here for information.”

“An appropriate location. Let us move this conversation to somewhere more private.”

He led her only a short distance away to a room that turned out to be his office. There were books everywhere, neatly arranged on shelves. Two books sat opened on his dark wood desk, which had definitely seen better years. His chair was comfortable, but not new. Scholars often spent a long time sitting and reading. A comfortable chair was a necessity.

The chair across from his desk was larger than his, more comfortable, and far more impressive. She found that odd. Then she realized.

“You knew I was coming.”

“I did. Mitra informed me that you would stop here the moment you left the meeting.”

“No one is supposed to know about that meeting.”

“Mitra knew, and who she tells is not our concern.”

“Of course.”

She was off to a bad start at being an ambassador. She’d just chided the high priest of the goddess of lore for knowing something. She had to do better moving forward.

“I have some questions about the chirkir.”

He pushed the two books that were opened on his desk forward. “Mitra had anticipated your desire to know more about them.”

“Of course she did.”

“Please sit and read. I’ll have refreshments brought.”

“Thank you, High Priest Karr.”

“You are most welcome, ambassador.”

*

Jerish strolled through the temple district. Anyone watching would have seen a young man, possibly from far away, staring in awe at the large structures surrounding him. Nothing about him stood out, and most people either ignored him completely or dismissed him after taking his measure.

He made his way past a number of temples, toward a tall black temple that most people seemed to avoid. He stared at it as if the aura surrounding it repelled him and fascinated him at the same time. He resisted the urge to look around and instead walked up to the doorway, a nervous and tentative young man refusing to be driven from something that scared him. He proceeded cautiously to the front door, pausing occasionally and looking around nervously. Only after he’d entered did he relax.

The temple of Sarith was different from most temples. The aura pervading the place did a good job of keeping people away, and the interior didn’t have a group area to worship. Worship in the temple of Sarith was done in private rooms. Priests waited for people to come in and often paired off with them to hear their confessions, or the information they carried.

The entrance hall was nothing more than a wide black corridor filled with identical wooden doors, painted to match the walls so closely it was almost impossible to see them. Everything was black, including the door handles. Even the torches on the walls shed black flame. A priest came toward him, and Jerish made a gesture. The priest nodded, showing he understood, then motioned to a nearby door. Jerish walked to the room and entered, followed by the priest. The door closed behind them, and they were alone.

The dark stone walls that so many found oppressive felt like home to Jerish. As a sarithan assassin, there was no place he felt more at home than the temple of his mistress. The priest sat on a chair at a small table, and Jerish took the chair opposite him. The seats were made of wood, and no effort had been made to make them comfortable. They were meant to remind you that the world was not a comfortable place, and you could never relax or let your guard down.

The priest was a dour man, bald, narrow eyes set into a face as round and pale as a full moon. The frown he wore seemed to come with the face. Jerish felt it unlikely that a smile option was even on offer. When they were seated, the priest spoke.

“You’ve gone off mission, assassin.”

“I have.”

“You have a reason, I presume.”

“While I have been assigned to King Leonid, it is unlikely that he is in great danger. Any assassin can provide the service I provide. I know this because I am not the first.

“King Leonid had asked me to protect his wife, and under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have honored his request. But Queen Rhea has been promoted to the rank of high king’s ambassador.

“I have the opportunity to be Sarith’s eyes and ears in that place. I judged it more important to Sarith to have a foothold in the high king’s inner circle than to keep tabs on a man who is going to where the gods had ordered him to go.”

“This has nothing to do with your attraction to the queen?”

“I do not deny I am attracted to her, but her attraction to me is a benefit in this instance. It keeps her onside. It encourages her to confide in me. It gains me access to information I might never have had. I have carefully cultivated the emotions she now feels, in case I had an opportunity at some point to glean useful information. That time has now come.”

“The goddess agrees with you, but you should remember. Your feelings for the queen are irrelevant to your mission, which is about to change. Stay with the queen. Cultivate your relationship, and learn whatever you can. Another will be assigned to King Leonid. Queen Rhea is your new assignment.”

“Thank you, priest. I shall return to her then. May you find comfort in the darkness.”

“Find comfort in the darkness, brother.”

Jerish stood and left the temple. Outside, the sun shone down on him, blinding him after the shadowed interior. He hurried away, a man who had faced his fear and lived to tell the tale. No one seemed to take notice of him, but he kept up the charade anyway. One never knew who was watching.

*

Queen Rhea was still reading about chirkir when Jerish returned to the temple. She’d known some of this information before, but not everything. As she often did, she reduced what she’d read into a series of important facts in her mind, creating a summary that might help her during the coming interaction.

1. For a long time, levels of ambient magic have been decreasing throughout the world.

2. The chirkir, creatures that consumed magic, suffered more than most.

3. Larger chirkir, who needed greater quantities of magic to survive, died of starvation and there was a fear that the entire species would soon perish.

4. Scholars and mages were immensely concerned, unsure of how the loss of the chirkir would affect Thysandrika.

5. While those that ruled feigned sadness, no one did much to help, until someone discovered that chirkir could be used to teleport long distances, as they were all connected. With teleportation being as dangerous as it was, this was the solution the rich and powerful had been waiting for.

6. Gold was spent freely to save the chirkir, and finally, a spell was created so that a mage could use his own personal power reserve to feed them. Iorana created a new specialization for mages and chirkir trainers started to appear.

7. Many abused the chirkir, using their impending doom as a way of compelling their service.

8. Some say that there was a way to lock chirkir into place but it was either lost to time or never existed. Rumors of chirkir being tortured, starved and forced to serve have been widely reported but were never confirmed.

9. Temples dedicated to the worship of Iorana and Mitra made business deals with chirkir, paying them with magic for their services. Soon after the Adventurer Guild got into the action.

10. In the old days, royalty regularly used chirkir to travel from place to place, until the assassination of King Duran of Lethe. While it was never proven, it was widely suspected that the chirkir had leaked the time and date of the travels, so that a sarithan assassin could take the king unaware. Other theories included betrayal from the king’s inner circle. That kind of betrayal was quite common in Lethe.

11. Chirkir share a single mind. It’s as if they’re all one being and each individual chirkir is merely a part of a larger whole.

12. Some believe chirkir can travel not just through space but time as well, though it has never been proven.

The information gave her a clear idea of what she was dealing with. She regretted there wasn’t time for more research. She bid High Priest Karr farewell and found Jerish waiting in the temple proper. The servant was talking with a priest, but the conversation stopped as she approached.

“Sorry to interrupt,” said Rhea.

“It is of no consequence,” said the priest. “Jerish was just telling me how impressed he was with all the temples here.”

“They are indeed impressive,” she said. “Unfortunately, we must leave. We have pressing business elsewhere.”

“Then I bid you good day, ambassador. May Mitra be with you.”

“And you as well.”

She left the temple with Jerish following behind.

The short trip to the Adventurer’s Guild was made in silence. Rhea reviewed everything she had read about the chirkir, including details of the abuse they had suffered. Sometimes, it was hard being human. The desire to make up for the shortcomings of the race as a whole sometimes overwhelmed her.

In the guild building, as soon as she identified herself at the reception desk, she was ushered upstairs to Andeon Walsh’s office. A short time later, they found themselves in the portal room. It was Rhea’s first time seeing a live chirkir. That a creature like this could exist amazed her. She thanked Mitra for the opportunity to not only see one, but to communicate with it.

The chirkir was, as far as she could tell, a relatively large one, filling a good portion of the room. The runes and sigils engraved into its stone surface made it look like a raised ritual circle, but she knew that wasn’t the case. This was a living being. A being that could teleport. They ate, mated, produced offspring, or at least had been able to in the distant past. She wondered how such a creature could have come to exist.

She held her breath for just a moment, before speaking.

“Greetings.”

Ambassador Rhea, a great honor.

“It is I who should feel honored.”

You are incorrect, but I understand why you would say so. I have waited for this moment for thousands of years.

“What moment?”

Your arrival at this place at this time. It has always happened. Will always happen. Your name will live forever in history.

“How can you know that?”

Because it is what must be. Not all things come to pass, but your ascension to ambassador was destined.

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

Which doesn’t stop it from being the truth.

“I was told you would tell me where I need to go first.”

It is time for you to return home.

“To Zoloa?”

Just so.

“Why there?”

I don’t know. It is simply where you have to go. Where you have always gone.

“Is speaking to a chirkir always this frustrating.”

Yes.

Rhea laughed. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

There is. Unfortunately, telling you what that is would change the future, and that cannot be allowed.

“I see. Then I suppose there is nothing for it but to travel. Is now a good time?”

There was never a bad time. Farewell, Ambassador. May you find what you’re looking for.

Queen Rhea gestured to Jerish, and he took her trunk and moved to stand on the platform. Her personal guard detail followed. Rhea, pausing for just a second, followed him onto the surface of the chirkir. The guards, looking uncomfortable, joined them as well.

Off to the side, Andeon Walsh watched.

“Thank you, Guild Master Walsh. I appreciate your help.”

Andeon Walsh bowed. “Queen Rhea. An honor. I hope to see you again soon.”

“Ambassador Rhea, if you please.”

Andeon raised an eyebrow but favored her with a half-bow before replying. “As you wish, Ambassador Rhea. Good luck on your mission.”

She watched him until the light coming off the chirkir made it impossible to see. Then she felt a shift and was elsewhere.

*

Panic ensued the moment the chirkir appeared in the banquet hall in Ja’quir. Guards sprung into action, brandishing spears, surrounding the chirkir and the people standing on it. King Lynx started forward before a familiar voice stopped him.

“Is this any way to treat your daughter?”

“Rhea?”

“Father. It has been too long. Sorry about this. I didn’t expect to appear in the middle of your throne room.”

The guards regarded each other uncertainly, but none of them lowered their spears until the king ordered them to do so. He walked toward the chirkir, then around it.

“Remarkable is it not?” asked Rhea.

“Why are you traveling by chirkir?” asked her father. “I don’t have to warn you of the dangers.”

He looked older than she remembered, but that wasn’t surprising since it had been more than ten years since she’d last seen him—how much longer exactly she couldn’t say. His short, curly blond hair was completely gray now, and his round, flat face had wrinkles that hadn’t been there the last time, or perhaps they had been, and she just hadn’t noticed them. His blue eyes seemed smaller, the lines and shadows crowding in around them, detracting from what used to be his best feature. At least his nose hadn’t changed—prominent like a mountain peak jutting up from a flat plain. His body had changed too. He had put on a lot of weight, but it was all concentrated in his belly, as if he’d swallowed a boulder. For some reason, she had expected him to look like he was still in his thirties, which was ridiculous. Instead, he looked as he should—like a man in his late sixties. At least he hadn’t kept his beard and mustache, they’d only have made him look older.

Rhea took a moment to glance around, feeling nostalgic. She stood in the equivalent of the throne room in Rish, but here it was called the banquet hall.

There were no tapestries here. No giant stained glass windows. No thick marble columns. Wealth in Zoloa was measured in wisdom and knowledge. After all the years surrounded by the opulence of the Palace in Melar, this felt like home.

Each night, the people ate together—the king’s advisers, his personal guard and staff, even the servants. The gulf between nobles and peasants that existed in most of the world wasn’t as wide in Zoloa. There was a space in front of the throne for people to stand when summoned, but behind that were a dozen long wooden tables and their matching benches, where people sat side by side at meal time.

The advisers and her father’s personal guard had their own table, but the others were mixed. Servants regularly sat with nobles, talking and laughing together. It wasn’t like that in Melar, or even Rish. She took one last look around, then glanced down at the chirkir before finally answering the king’s question.

“I think,” said Rhea, “there may be no safer way for me to travel. I have a lot to tell you.”

King Lynx studied her. “You’ve changed, my daughter.”

“You have no idea,” laughed Rhea, stepping off the platform. She wanted to hug him in spite of all that had passed between them, but King Lynx had never been much of a hugger. Instead she stepped off the chirkir and walked up to him, bowing politely. Did he look surprised? Disappointed? Did he really expect a hug after all he had put her through.

Whatever he might have felt, he recovered quickly.

“Come. We can surprise your mother. I know she’ll be thrilled to see you.”

Rhea raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Of course she will. Where is she?”

“In the gardens.”

“She still does that?”

“It calms her nerves.”

“About that, perhaps we should talk before we go to her. I have much to tell you.”

“You mean about the High King and the declaration of war on Xarinos?”

Rhea froze and stared at her father wide-eyed. “How did you know?”

“Spies, of course. I’d be willing to wager that King Terrence has more spies in his palace than any other head of state.”

“But this soon?”

Her father placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. “Most news comes in the form of a written report that takes days if not weeks to reach us. But when a conflux of gods appears in a rival’s throne room, of course that news will make its way here. In this case by message spell.”

“You think everyone already knows what happened in the throne room?”

“Of course everyone knows,” her father chuckled. “You always were naive. Do you not employ spies in Melar?”

Rhea dropped her head. “Of course we do. But you never mentioned spies when I was growing up.”

“Of course not. We were marrying you off to another kingdom. Why would we send you off with that information?”

Rhea raised her head and met her father’s eyes. “So you married me off to someone you didn’t trust.”

“Of course we did. Because not marrying you off didn’t profit us. It’s the game, Rhea, you know that. Why did you marry Chari off to a prince of Twyl…that was well done by the way.”

Rhea started to reply but sighed instead. “You’re right, as always.”

“The trick is not being right. The trick is to bluff well enough to make everyone think so.”

“Mother used to say that.”

“She still does. And it still works for her. Shall we go.”

Rhea nodded but made no move to leave the banquet hall.

“Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” asked King Lynx.

Rhea blushed. “So sorry. This is Jerish—my bodyguard.”

King Lynx looked him over. “He has no weapon.”

“What makes you think he needs one.”

Rhea winked at Jerish then changed the subject before her father could ask more.

“How is mom?”

“The same. I’d avoid mentioning anything stressful. She does well when she’s on her own, in the garden, but be gentle. Don’t say anything that might upset her.”

“All right. Does she know I’m ambassador to the high king?”

“Everyone knows, Rhea. It’s the worst kept secret in the history of secrets. By now, they probably know in Anu.”

Rhea laughed. “Did you know I’ve been there?”

“Really? Why would anyone want to go there? Aside from the cold and the ice, there’s nothing resembling civilized society.”

“I guess that would depend on your definition of civilized.”

“Perhaps. I know better than to argue the point with a servant of Mitra.”

Rhea could feel the old tension building. It had been years since she had seen or spoken with her mother, with good reason. But she could hardly visit Ja’quir without at least poking her head in.

“You know, perhaps I could freshen up first—before seeing her.”

Her father nodded, but she could see the disapproval in his eyes. “Of course.”

A glance at Jerish told her that the complexity of the situation wasn’t lost on him.

“I’ll have adjoining rooms prepared for you and your…friend,” said King Lynx, walking a few steps away to talk to one of the ever-present servants.

Adjoining rooms? She smirked. Her father thought Jerish was her lover, not that she cared. Her entire focus at the moment was calming herself enough so that she could get through a meeting with her mother.

The king filled her in on recent happenings that he knew she had no interest in. Perhaps he was giving her time to process her feelings, for which she was grateful. There were rather a lot of them.

After a while, a servant arrived to let them know their rooms were ready. She bowed to her father, and let the servant lead Jerish and her to their adjoining rooms. It wasn’t far from the banquet hall, which surprised her a bit, but then, she hadn’t been here in a long time. Rhea entered.

The room was filled with color. Rainbow shades everywhere. The bed was small, single and not appropriate for a visiting princess, never mind the high king’s ambassador. There was a single wooden chair, a chest of drawers and that was it. A child’s room. The king’s way of letting her know what he thought of her reaction to the queen. She couldn’t deny the possibility that he was correct, but it still irked her. She kicked backwards, shutting the door behind her with a bang.

“Good thing I stepped all the way in,” said Jerish.

She whirled. “Is there any particular reason you’re in my room?”

“You’re clearly upset about something. Maybe I can help.”

The concern in his voice touched her. Perhaps he even meant it. She had received very little concern for her wellbeing from Leonid over the years and not a lot from her father before that. She craved it, but Jerish was not the person she should accept it from. She liked him a bit too much, and she didn’t need that kind of relationship with a servant. Particularly not a male servant to whom she was attracted. Nevertheless, she answered his question.

“My mother and I have a complex history. I haven’t spoken to her in a very long time, by my choice. I don’t really want to speak to her now, but I don’t see how I can avoid it.”

“It’s just a conversation, though, right? Tell me, what power does your mother have over you now? You’re the high king’s ambassador.”

It was a valid question. What power did she have? “Even being in the same space with her makes me uncomfortable.”

“Why? What did she do to you?”

Rhea frowned. She pointed to the chair. “Sit. I have a story to tell you. A story very few people know.”

Jerish obeyed. He didn’t speak. Perhaps he could sense that this wasn’t the time for wit and banter, the kind of conversation he seemed best at. Perhaps he didn’t know what to say.

“Needless to say, this conversation doesn’t leave this room. But talking about it might help me resolve some of my feelings on the matter.”

Jerish nodded. “I understand.”

But where to start? It seemed like a very long time ago…