Gabral doubled the watch. While everyone retired to their blankets near the fire, Harafin pulled Kevlin aside.

“Come, it is time to continue your training. You have done well in the past couple of days. It is remarkable you are still alive.”

“Thanks,” Kevlin said dryly.

“I meant it as a compliment. But instinct and luck will not be enough if you wish to survive the confrontation we are racing toward.”

“I’m not a sentinel,” Kevlin pointed out. Sure, he didn’t want to give up Tia Khoa, but only until he could return it to Antigonus.

“No,” Harafin agreed. “You are something unique. For that reason we need to prepare you for whatever may come.”

“I know what’s coming. We kill Tanathos. Antigonus gets the rock back. We go home.”

“Perhaps, but humor an old man. Tia Khoa has taken an unusual interest in you, and has even granted you the tools necessary to succeed in a role never before played by a steward.”

“What do you mean?”

“The amulet. . .and the ring.”

“What about the ring?”

“That ring has always been worn by the bearer of Tia Khoa, just as the bearers of the Six each wear a ring. They are not merely symbolic emblems of their office. Those are important conduits of power that enhance the bearers’ ability to convey their commands to their weapons, and for the weapons to protect and influence them.”

“I never knew that.” Kevlin gazed at the heavy ring and its flaming sword emblem. With so much focus on the rock and amulet, he hadn’t given the ring much consideration.

“And the amulet,” continued Harafin. “When Tia Khoa touched the amulet with its power, it changed into a powerful tool that allows you, non-actinopathic though you are, to wield magic.”

“We’ve covered that already.”

“That is only the beginning,” Harafin insisted as he tugged at his beard. “Events are moving too fast. We have yet to discuss the significance of the flaming sword, the symbol Tia Khoa has chosen for you. The symbol it has chosen for itself.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“Every time a new bearer is chosen, the symbol on their ring changes, but usually only a little. In rare instances, such changes are dramatic.”

“Hold on. I’m only the steward.”

“Yet Tia Khoa chose a new symbol, the symbol of the Catalyst.”

“Who’s the catalyst?”

“We will discuss that another time. For today, understand that symbol is significant. We’ve been waiting for Tia Khoa to choose that symbol for over two hundred years, and dreading the day it would.”

That doesn’t sound good.

“Now that day has come, but manifested through the steward. This is not supposed to happen.” The intensity of the old man’s gaze scared Kevlin.

“All right,” Kevlin said slowly. “Then let’s get it back to Antigonus and forget about it.”

Harafin barked a laugh. “Understand something else, Kevlin. We have only three more days. I took a terrible gamble today.”

“Why did you do it then?”

Harafin regarded him for a moment. “Because I am starting to see that my own assumptions have been incorrect. The events of the past few days have led me to a new conclusion, despite its seeming impossibility. I am trusting in what has been revealed.” He scratched at his beard and added, “If I chose wrong, all is lost.”

“You chose the right course.” It terrified Kevlin to see Harafin unsure. Of everyone in the party, Harafin was supposed to know what was going on. It didn’t have to be so complicated.

Kill Tanathos. Just focus on that.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“We’ll get him back.”

“When we catch Tanathos, leave him to me,” Harafin said. “He is not your concern, because you have the most important duty. Even if we all fall in battle, you must not fail.”

The old man fixed him with a powerful gaze. “You must reach Antigonus and place the stone in his hand. Nothing else matters. Whatever the cost.”

Kevlin swallowed a lump of fear. “I won’t fail.”

“Tell Antigonus to use Tia Khoa’s power.”

“Wouldn’t he do that anyway?”

“No. He is trained to release Tia Khoa’s power only under very specific circumstances. It is a dangerous power, capable of wreaking terrible destruction if misused."

"In this case, tell him I order him to use it. It is worth the risk, because with that power, he should be able to overcome Tanathos’ hold and restore his strength.”

“I will see it done.”

“See that you do. We are moving into a time prophesied centuries ago, and events are spiraling beyond our worst fears. We can afford no hesitation, and no mistakes.”

The fervor in the old man’s tone drove home the magnitude of what they were engaged in. Kevlin took a deep breath and faced the task ahead, pledging his honor to it. The moment he had snuck into Antigonus’ cell and accepted the old man’s charge, he’d cast his lot with him. Hopefully he had chosen well, because there was no way out.

Whatever the cost.

“All right then, what do I have to do?”

“Continue what you have started and allow nothing to get in your way.” With a wave of his hand, Harafin conjured the small amber sphere of magic.

“What now?” Kevlin asked.

“You will need Tia Khoa tonight.”

Kevlin took out the rock. “Why?”

“We are going to try something a little different. I want you to focus on the stone. Let your mind drift into it, and see if you can connect with it.”

“That’s kind of vague.”

“Trust me.”

Kevlin bit back a retort and instead focused on the rock, amazed as always by its unusual warmth. Peace flooded through him, washing away weariness from the long day, replacing it with clarity of mind and a feeling of tremendous strength.

He focused on the crystal emblem. A flash of light caught his eye, drawing it into the blue depths where tantalizing hints of light danced beneath the surface. His vision dimmed until he saw only the dark blue light of the crystal, his attention fixed on those mysterious glimpses of light. His mind slipped deeper into Tia Khoa and all thought, all concern flowed from him, leaving his soul empty of everything but the rock’s magic.

Eventually he became aware that the dark blue world he had entered pulsated to a slow, regular rhythm. Unlike the pounding cadence of the song of Savas, this slow pulse brought only strength and peace, with no sense of fear.

He couldn’t guess how long he remained in that state. His mind floated formlessly within Tia Khoa, struggling vainly to see more clearly the lights or to understand the rhythm. Eventually Harafin’s voice echoed in his mind, like a lifeline calling him back. Reluctantly, he followed it and returned to awareness.

As Kevlin slid Tia Khoa back into the rune-covered bag he asked, “How long was I gone?”

“About two hours. Tell me what you experienced.”

Kevlin related what he felt, tried to convey the blue expanse that consumed his vision. Harafin seemed to understand, or at least he nodded as if he did.

“So I guess it was all a waste of time,” Kevlin said.

“Not necessarily. We will continue exploring your connection with Tia Khoa. This is uncharted ground, so we cannot be entirely sure what will happen.”

“Have other stewards done this?”

“No steward has ever felt even a glimmer of the stone’s power. Now, back to your training. Have you considered what we discussed last time?"

"I've tried to, but something has me a little confused. You said light is magic and the lifeblood of the world, or something like that."

"That is a fair summary."

"When people speak of the Light, they usually refer to some higher power tied to the creator. Some even claim the Light is a god."

"We will have to invite Leander to these discussions. He loves discussing such topics, but be warned, he might keep us up all night with his explanations. For tonight, suffice it to say that light is indeed intimately related to spiritual matters, although it is not in and of itself a sentient being or god."

"At its very core, spirit is really nothing more than light, light that is more refined than our senses can register, but light nonetheless."

"Hold on a minute," Kevlin said. He’d started to think he was grasping at least a little of what Harafin had said, but he found himself lost again. "I thought you said light is magic."

"Yes, it is."

"But now you're saying light is spirit."

"Yes."

"So are you saying that spirit is really magic?"

"In a sense, it is. That is how the shadeleeches are able to steal another person’s life force and use its power. That life force is the essence of a person's spirit. But since shadeleeches have the ability to feed on magic and life, they can also feed on spirit."

"That's horrible." Kevlin thought back to what Harafin had said about the spirits of those destroyed by the shadeleeches.

"Agreed. Light, magic, and spirit are closely related. As one's understanding of that relationship deepens, so does one's ability to control and wield those forces. We will revisit the topic later and delve more deeply into it."

"So how do stalwarts fit in? Like Leander's Pallians, or Blade Stalwarts like Dhanjal?”

Harafin chuckled. "Leander could discuss such things for days if you let him. We lack the time tonight.” He raised a hand glowing with magic. “Let’s test your shields again.”

Half an hour later, Harafin released him from the glowing sphere. Kevlin staggered to his feet, dripping with sweat. After the battle with Wayra’s troop, he’d felt pretty confident in his shields, but Harafin had pushed him to the limits and taught him new concepts, expanding his skill exponentially.

Kevlin dropped gratefully onto his blankets, but passed an uneasy night. He kept reliving the encounter with Tanathos. Over and over he felt the sickening sensation of the makrasha shrinking under his touch. After each nightmare, his mind returned to that sensation of floating unconcerned within Tia Khoa’s magic and he was able to sleep for a time.