I rush after my elders before I lose track of them. With everything made of glass, it’s not really something that will happen, but I don’t want to take any chances.
Never would I have ever hoped that any from my tribe actually survived. Now that I know two of my elders have, I’m not about to take my eyes off them again. I feel a little bad for leaving Yalun like I did. Though, how she acts going forward will tell me just how much I can trust her. Even if my elders were unharmed by being tossed out the side of the mountain, the way she handled them as if unruly pests did not sit well with me.
If Yalun goes forward and tells the rest of the grand elders about me, then it would’ve been only a matter of time until it came out. Should she keep it quiet, I think I’ll have no issue becoming the student she wants.
“Elder Cyrus! Elder Enya!” I shout as I turn the last glass pillar behind them.
Cyrus seems to have walked off his limp from the fall already. “Solvei? I thought you needed to stay with Yalun to hide?”
Looks like his brief view into my flames was enough to get a pretty good picture. Sizzling wisps still rise from Enya’s eyes as she flies back to my side. She lands on my shoulder, and while she’s a bit big to fit comfortably, she does her best to nestle into my neck.
I don’t remember Elder Enya ever being this affectionate. She, along with the other elders of our tribe, stood as stalwart pillars to be relied upon. Rarely did they show any form of weakness. But now, she stands as nothing of what I remember.
It was wrong to think of my elders as unchanged. They may appear identical to before, but like myself, the loss of everyone we loved left a deep scar on who they once were.
“I probably should have, but I couldn’t just watch you leave after such a short reunion,” I say to Cyrus while comforting Enya. “I want to stay with you, at least for a little while.”
“Well, you’ve definitely grown up.” Somehow, I don’t think he’s talking about my size.
We walk into what must be one of our gatherings near the edge of the Agglomerate. After the warmth in Yalun’s chambers, the chilly breeze this far out is hard to handle. Though it is probably still far hotter than out in the desert.
The gathering would underwhelm if not for everything being made of glass. Several clear, crystalline ger sit along the pillars, half carved into the wall, and half built outward. Some traditional ger stand alone at the edge of a clearing. I wonder why they bothered to set them up when there’s plenty of the glass ones free to reside?
Through the glass of the buildings, it is impossible to miss Leal and Grímr. They appear to be enjoying themselves, being fed roasted meat while plenty of áed gather around to hear whatever they have to say.
It is relieving to see that there isn’t any major rejection to Leal for being a water mage. One of my biggest fears coming here was that they might mistake her for the Henosis, who caused immense losses amongst the tribes along the southern coast. Whether that’s because they don’t know, or the Grand Elder Odqan hovering over them, I don’t know.
“Have you met my friends?” I ask. It’s about the only way I can think of that Enya and Cyrus would know I’m here. Unless they saw me, but they would have made themselves known earlier in that case.
Before Cyrus can answer, another eagle lands on my other shoulder across from Enya. Her wing sweeps over my head, and she pulls me down to look into her eyes.
“What do you think you’re doing, kid?” Yalun asks. “Are you trying to be found out as soon as you arrive? I will tell them, you know. I’m not bluffing.”
With two considerably sized birds sitting on the small space of my shoulders, I feel cramped. Squashed between them. Both lean into me, one for comfort and the other simply to get in my face.
“If you do, then fine. I won’t be happy locked up in your chambers, especially now that I know I still have family here.” Despite the weights on my shoulders, I continue walking beside my elder.
Yalun groans in frustration and throws herself forward. Her twin relic daggers clatter along the glass as she retakes her standard form. “You’re so going to get us caught.”
“Us?”
She lets out a loud sigh before shaking her head as it forms. “Of course, I’m not about to let my new student run off that easily.” She flashes a grin that quickly becomes wry. “Though you could make it easy for me. Now, how about we go back up and hide you before Odqan gets a good look at you?”
“And why do you not want me to look, I wonder?” behind Yalun, Odqan and my friends have closed the distance.
Yalun’s body goes stiff before she turns and places me behind her back. As if that will hide me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not hiding anything.”
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Did she seriously not feel him coming? His heat flares to my senses clearer than any other.
Odqan’s gaze trails to Enya and Cyrus. “I’m surprised you two aren’t hanging from pillars right now. Has Yalun finally learnt to be forgiving?”
“Of course not,” the grand elder says as if the accusation offended her. “If I go easy on any of them, I’ll get young eagles intruding every morning.”
Odqan raises an eyebrow and turns to Cyrus.
My Elder half shrugs with a wry smile. “We are to eat slag.”
“My condolences.” The grand elder across from us bows his head ever so slightly.
“Can’t you not make them do that?” I ask, stepping to Yalun’s side. “They just wanted to see me again.”
“No,” she responds immediately. “I can’t afford any sort of distractions and if I make exceptions, then it might cause a disaster.”
“Please?” I ask, again.
Yalun looks like she’s about to refuse again before she hesitates and smirks. “Sure. But only when you reach the threshold.”
“So, again, why are you hiding this one from me?” the other grand elder brings us back round to the start.
“She’s mine. You can’t have her.” She holds her arms wide, as if that will stop Odqan from seeing me.
A subtle, almost impossible to detect presence flows off her. It is weak. Not at all like the type I’m familiar with. It is slight, but present all the same. And I’m not the only one to notice.
Odqan quirks an eye as he stares at her. He watches her a moment in confusion before he turns on me. It is clear the exact moment he figures out what is going on. Yalun’s attempts would probably be fine for a momentary glance, but with how long we’ve been talking now, it’s clear he understands something.
Both he and Yalun glare at each other, exchanging silent words. Instead of any great shock or outburst, Odqan simply sighs. “Yalun, you know I’ll have to report this to the others, right?”
“Just… give me some time to work with her.”
Odqan shakes his head. “You have until all the grand elders gather for our conference. Yalun, trying to hide things like this from the other elders, will not do you any favours. Especially after last time.”
Well, that was pretty quick. Only half a dozen minutes from leaving Yalun’s chambers and I’ve already been found out. I should be rather worried right now, considering how big of a deal this is to the grand elders, but with Cyrus and Enya back from the dead, the threat of consequences simply can’t bring down my mood.
“Fine,” Yalun drawls, clearly discontent.
And just like that, it’s all apparently settled. Odqan doesn’t approach me, nor does his rather uninterested attitude change. He acts like he doesn’t care one way or the other. But there’s one thing that stands out; isn’t the meeting between grand elders supposed to be a year or so off? That’s what Elder Tanwyn said.
“When is this conference?” I ask.
“Whenever we have a majority of grand elders within the Agglomerate,” Odqan says.
“At the current rate of arrivals, within six months.”
Isn’t it strange to wait such a long time to decide what they want to do with me? I don’t plan to force Grímr and Leal to stay long. They agreed to come with me, but I can’t keep them away from their homes forever. They are fine to stay for a month or so, but I don’t want to push it much more than that.
I’d originally planned to stay for only a week; long enough to experience the Agglomerate and meet with my people before I returned to my team in the pact nations. Now, I have reasons to stay.
The two central pillars of my tribe are still alive. I want to learn everything about how they survived, why we weren’t able to meet each other after the collapse of the cliff, and what they’ve been doing since. Just knowing they are alive makes me want to stay by their side.
Grand Elder Yalun’s proposal to teach me to improve my binding is incredibly attractive as well. If I can learn how the eagles do it, then I might replicate that method when I return to the pact nations.
Now that I think about it, my binding was only a bit stronger than Enya’s after I escaped the Void Fog for the second time. It has grown almost by itself ever since. Has my energy boosted my binding as well, or is there something more fundamental the Fog changed within me that lets me improve it with an ease unimaginable to any other áed?
Considering I’m now essentially a criminal awaiting trial — even if these two grand elders aren’t treating me as such — will I even be allowed to leave? I might have to say goodbye to my friends without joining them on their return to the eastern lands. Especially now that I know I’m not supposed to travel outside the wasteland.
For now, everything is fine. Grímr and Leal are welcomed better than I hoped, I get to meet my elders again, and my taboo is not yet a cause for concern with the grand elders. Things might change when the rest of the grand elders arrive, or when I try to leave, but until then, I want to enjoy the time I’m here.
Maybe I’ll even see the origin of that glow that lights up the Agglomerate.
“Oh, right.” I dash to Grímr’s side. Enya falls off at my sudden movement, but lands easily with a flap of her wings.
Elder Angarika’s halberd is still strapped to Grímr’s back. I extract it and show it to both my elders and the grand elders before me.
“What should I do with this?”
“You went back?” Enya asks. “That couldn’t have been easy.”
Cyrus approaches with steady, measured motions. His eyes solely on the weapon of his old friend. “I should have returned for this as soon as I could. Thank you Solvei.” His hands slowly wrap around the shaft and he lifts the weapon from mine. “His relic shall be returned to the forge.”
For the first time, I notice the sabre on his hip isn’t the same as what he used to wield. It is a simple blade; not a relic.
“I didn’t see your sabre down beneath the cliffs.”
“That’s because I still had it with me. I no longer carry the relic, because I lost the right to wield it.”
My mum’s spear is still at my side. I don’t have to return this one too, right?
“Don’t worry, there is no need to surrender the relic if you have the strength to wield it,” Grand Elder Odqan says before glancing to Cyrus. “Only for the most despicable acts is it appropriate punishment to strip a warrior of their weapon, but some stubborn fools will impose it upon themselves.”
Cyrus does not acknowledge the grand elder’s words. He simply takes Angarika’s halberd and walks back toward the central mountain.
Enya gazes after him as he leaves, but instead of following him, she returns to my shoulder. Cyrus can’t take his eyes away from the weapon as he leaves. The sight of the weapon obviously brings pain. Maybe I should have taken the halberd to the forge myself and not shown him such a direct reminder of who he lost.
I have been able to move on since my family’s passing, but it still affects both of my elders deeply. Hopefully, I’ll be able to help them recover. One day, I’m sure they’ll become the pillars of a tribe once again.