Chapter 51 – A Point of View

Clearly, no expense had been spared when the Starwing Grove of Ziecherhein was built. Proud buildings, adorned with wood-carvings and statues that shone in the sun, had been aligned with perfect symmetry. To honour Aves and the wonderful world of rational order he’d envisioned, every angle, brick and tower had been set with mathematical precision; an effort to approach His holy perfection.

Oliver and Emily walked up front as they entered the Wing. Its beautiful lush courtyard had been built to resemble the mythical valley where Aves had once taught His first students. The rustling of parchment rose from clerks who hastily prepared for a meeting. With soft plops, frogs and large fish curiously poked their heads up from the central pond. Rich aromas of perfume rose from priests who applied balm on their hands before prayer. Sunlight shone down on the trees and obsidian statues of the holy gestures that lined the balconies of each storey. It was clear that Caine had spent a lot more time here than in the Menhir League as a lot more details could be seen.

Adam, Emily, and Oliver jogged up the stairs and bridges that were spanning the wide-open space. A row of indignant owls on the armrests hooted and stared gravely at their empty feeding dish.

Soon, Adam stepped through the grand doors to the quarters which, under normal circumstances, he never even would’ve gotten close to: the High Lodge. The rooms and offices reserved for those ‘blessed by Aves.’ Or, in other words, those who’d managed to climb the steep ladder of hierarchy high enough.

It was a lounge unlike any Adam had seen before. The sweet scent of the jewelled hookahs mingled with exclusive perfumes and the herby vapours of the giant censers. Colourful, exotic carpets from lands long swallowed by the Mist had even been Instilled to cool the feet. Even though Adam already had an inkling of how the Starwing Order used their deep purses, including taxpayer’s money, the luxury was more extreme than he’d ever expected. He gaped up at the silvered ceiling with a grand depiction of Aves defeating Volun, the Radiant Emperor. Silently, Adam wondered how many poor families could be fed with the worth of the room’s contents.

The mirage of Caine was standing at the centre of the room, with his hands politely folded behind his back. A posture of respect and humility within the Starwing Order. He stared at a woman who looked out of a window towards the central square of the Grove. A woman, ‘chosen by Aves,’ who had found a way to do the impossible and defeated the Prophet. A woman they had once amicably fought side by side with before she came to practically rule the country as the Archpriest: Zachalynn.

However, this was a version of her from years before she would also be known as the Prophetslayer. The bald, six-feet-tall lady was dressed in an ornate widow’s dress of mourning. Feathers of crows were interwoven with the silk fabric. A lace collar with fine feathers adorned her neck. Adam frowned. That means this memory must’ve taken place after Mechtild the Brazen turned to the Pure...

Several people were sitting at the sides of the room. People who would, right after the War of the Prophet, join the new Holy Council: the seats of power right under the Archpriest. Osterhild sat stiffly in an armchair and looked sternly at Caine. The shape of her elegant afro matched the curved lines of her old-fashioned facial tattoo, picturing Aves’ talons. She appeared to be stirring a cup of tea, just like when Adam had seen her in the House of Scents in Gotterburg. The old monk Rüdeger was leaning on his staff and bent forward at a strange angle due to his crooked back. The skin on his face was so wrinkled and saggy it was hard to tell whether his blind eyes were open. Although it mattered not; it was well known he had obtained the exceedingly rare skill to observe his surroundings in minute detail through Novaseering.

As expected, a green sprite flew circles around the similarly coloured mirages and soared invitingly towards the three friends. Voices with a grave undertone softly emanated from it.

Emily walked tensely. She squeezed her hands into fists before she looked at the mirage of her father. The balding man with his moustache sat slumped down in a comfortable armchair. He was smoking a hookah as he stared at his son. Emily’s eyes were filled with an old, simmering anger when she looked at Louis.

Oliver observed the room, a finger pressed to his lips. “What if they see us, just like the soldiers in Eulenschloss? Or the young versions of you people during that stupid joke in the stables? Us barging into this cosy setting might be difficult to explain.”

Adam warily eyed those present in the room. If a fight would ensue, there simply was no chance they’d win. Despite the prowess of the three friends, the combined might of some of the most powerful Novaseers in the country would simply outclass them.

Emily’s eyes swivelled to her father and back. “Hmm… back with Caine and Adam, we were in plain sight and they didn’t have a clue.”

Adam closed his eyes, recalling what had happened as best he could. “When we were in Eulenschloss, the siege just happened around us at first. However, something changed as soon as we walked through the crowd of soldiers and squires behind the wall.”

Oliver’s eyes widened. “There was that weird ripple that emanated through the air, just like during that joke! And people only started interacting with us after that happened.”

Adam rubbed his beard, deep in thought. “And at both times, that ripple started when I bumped into someone. At the stables it was my younger self, but back in Eulenschloss it was that young squire. My guess would be the following: when we landed in Eulenschloss and lay unconscious, we accidentally ‘activated’ Caine’s memory of what happened there. One of those sprites might have landed on us. Anyway, at first, we were merely spectators of the memory of Caine’s memory of Eulenschloss. Quite comparable to what happened in my old office, after I touched that sprite that flew around the mirages. However, as soon as I touched the squire, I sort of ‘changed’ what happened by interacting with the people within the memory. Afterwards, they were able to see and interact with us, as we became part of the memory.”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Emily nodded. “Sounds plausible. If you activate a memory from the green apparitions by touching a sprite, you see the events as Caine remembers them. But, if you interact with them afterwards, you can change his memory. The ‘what happened back then’ changes into ‘what would’ve happened if this idiot barged in there.’ ” She reached out her hand and the sprite immediately, almost longingly, flew closer. “So, as long as we stay put, keep quiet and don’t change anything, we should be okay.”

As soon as Emily touched the sprite, it disappeared along with the shape of Caine. Adam, Emily, and Oliver quietly walked towards a corner to leave enough space for the memory to manifest.

The other shimmering mirages in the room had been replaced by people of flesh and blood. A piercing cold washed over Adam, which made sense, considering the insane prowess of the Novaseers collected in the same space.

Zachalynn stood in front of the wide windows, through which hundreds of people could be seen on the square of the Starwing Grove. It was the annual Firstnight celebration, which honoured Aves’ ascension to form the nightly sky, albeit a more sober version than usual due to the war. A parade moved between the joyful crowd, carrying banners and musical instruments. Puppeteers used long poles and ropes to make great likenesses of Aves ‘fly.’ Using the poles to steer and move the artful puppets made of black cloth and wood, the puppeteers received many oohs and ahs from the audience.

Sophia II, the Starwing Order’s Archpriest at the time, stood on a stage at one end of the square. The old lady with grey curls smiled and waved at the audience. She was undoubtedly between speeches about cooperation during the dark days of the war. Agatha the Red, with her radiating beauty, stood beside her as representative of Oberia. She laid a hand on Sophia’s shoulder and whispered something in her ear, the ladies laughed heartily together.

On both sides of them stood many representatives and leaders of foreign nations. Each of them clothed in uniforms or other garments from their own culture, they formed a wildly contrasting mix of peoples who had allied themselves against the Pure. An alliance called the Free-Willed, in their resistance against the Prophet’s tyranny.

Branlieux’s curly moustache was almost as luxurious as his gilded armour adorned with medals. Even though his land saw Novaseering as just another field of science, he had apparently been persuaded to join a religious festival. Chohako, matriarch of the Naqlaq tribes, easily towered over him. As her culture practised bodily modifications applied through Instinct, presumably through an advanced application of Corpiogenesis, a bony crest crowned her bald head. Her legs had been reformed to allow for digitigrade movement and strengthened to make her as fast as a horse. Between all the stately leaders with all their spectacular robes, Obo looked as if his country had chosen a random guy from a village to represent them. A typical Dobre, people known to be cheerful yet clumsy, the large man had unevenly divided bodily proportions. Looking around with a hazy smile, as if he was just a traveller who found himself up a stage with world leaders, he seemed primarily interested in the butterfly that landed in his big palm. Although Dobre were falsely perceived to be dim-witted, they apparently had a unique philosophy which allowed them to be content and live in happiness. Unfortunately, they were so bad at explaining it that no outsider had been able to make sense of it yet.

Soon, Caine walked into the lounge, wearing his uniform of the Warriors of Aves. He nodded towards his father, who returned the gesture before continuing to suck on the mouthpiece of his hookah. Caine glanced a bit surprisedly at Osterhild and Rüdeger, even showing a hint of nervousness in the shiver of his hand, but recovered quickly. “Aves sees you,” he said, his voice humble yet clear, as he stood in the centre of the room.

“May he gaze upon us with pride,” the others replied. Although their smiles were welcoming, their eyes seemed to weigh the young man in their midst. Not unlike judges deciding one’s fate.

Zachalynn turned towards Caine with a dignified elegance in her movements. As always, an unshakable calm and effortless confidence radiated from her posture. “Caine Roosenburg, welcome home. I heard about your accomplishments on the western front.” As she spoke, she bent her left arm and folded it before her chest with the back of her hand facing Caine: a traditional greeting of a Novaseering master towards a pupil. In this way, the master ‘honoured the pupil’ by granting them permission to speak and acknowledge the master’s authority. A popular method to assert dominance, performed for long years after the education itself had taken place. Furthermore, in the way that Zachalynn bent her wrist, Adam suspected subtler, deeper meanings, understandable only to those high enough within the Order.

Caine bowed smoothly with an open palm before his chest; the pupil’s expected response, showing humility and respect. “Thank you, master. I’ve never neglected the daily training routines you’ve taught me.”

Zachalynn nodded. The corners of her mouth even hinted towards a rare smile. “I am pleased to hear that. So, Caine, you wished to discuss your secret mission in the name of the Order?”

Adam could almost feel how everyone gazed at Caine. Except for Rüdeger, who had been sitting still as a statue since Caine had come in. Caine’s eyes darted towards him and Osterhild.

“All here may know of it,” Zachalynn said calmly.

Caine raised his chin. “I’m tasked to win the trust of Agatha the Red in order to retrieve strategic information of Oberia for the Starwing Order.”

Adam gritted his teeth. So, you’ve been double-crossing people for a while now, haven’t you?

“However,” Caine said clearly. “You’ve all heard the speeches of the Archpriest. How she calls for acceptance between Novaseers of all cultures as well as Insticas. How she says this is a time for people of all religions, traditions, and nationalities to unify against the Pure. How we should admire the differences between peoples instead of excluding each other. Agatha and the Oberians have shown their dedication in cooperating with us in the fight against the Prophet. Therefore, I humbly request my mission to spy on her to be… re-evaluated.”

Caine’s words fell dead like withered leaves in a tomb.