TBC: Chapter Ten

Gyan failed to get another chance to talk to Aderes about his idea of rescuing Lesiana when he woke the next morning. By the time he got out of the shower, Aderes had already left.

He dressed hurriedly and went downstairs. "Did either of you see Aderes this morning?" He asked Brogan and Valora, who were seated at the dining table.

Brogan shook his head. "We haven't seen anyone except Tarak and Lorcan. They already left for the chinálei. We're waiting on Jarek now."

"Okay, thanks." Gyan grabbed some bread and fruit. "I'll see you guys there."

"Hang on, Gyan. I'll walk with you," Danika said from the foot of the stairs. "I'm leaving too."

He held the door open for her as she caught up to him.

"What's the matter?" she asked as she observed Gyan's face.

"Oh, just thinking about something Aderes said that I needed to talk to him about."

"You're probably thinking too much as usual. You didn't earn the nickname, Philosopher, for no reason."

Gyan smiled.

"In fact, Gyan you're always thinking about others," she continued cheerfully. "I mean, it isn't a bad thing of course, but it can be a burden you know…I can be like that myself. Caring so much about others is part of the strength in a warrior's heart." She hit Gyan lightly on his back. "It may be one of the greatest strengths we have, don't you think?"

"I guess—" Gyan stopped abruptly and peered at Danika closely.

"What?" She said as she slowed her pace. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Never mind what's the matter with me! What's the matter with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've never heard you talk this much in my whole life."

"Oh…well, I guess I'm a little excited about my sister's transformation into a warrior."

"My dán told me last night," replied Gyan. "How is she?"

"I haven't seen her since but will later today. She's probably sore and tired of course."

Gyan nodded as he recalled the memory of his own transformation and the soreness that remained for several weeks after. "Tell her I said, 'Welcome to the Order'."

"That will make her day." Danika giggled.

Gyan raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"That's not it."

"What's not it?"

"You're acting very strange for some other reason. You just…giggled," he finished with a confused look.

Danika flushed. "I didn't." She quickly looked away. "Well, it's only because I was thinking that's what my sister would do when I tell her the handsome Master Gyan welcomes her to the team."

Gyan, unconvinced, stared at Danika intensely. "No, that's not it either."

She shifted uncomfortably. "Come on, Gyan," she said with a wave of her hand. "I want to get to the field already."

"Okay, keep your secrets, but I know you aren't this hyper or talkative because of what you claim. I'll figure it out eventually."

Danika rolled her eyes and flushed deeper. "Whatever. Let's go."

She hurried ahead of Gyan, but not before he glimpsed the smile she was wearing moments before, returning to brighten her face.

The two reached the chinálei where Tarak, Lorcan, and Hoshi were waiting. There was still no sign of Aderes by the time Valora, Brogan, and Jarek joined the group. Jabari appeared before them soon after.

"Although I am eager to expand your knowledge by leading you into the next phase of training," Jabari stated, "we first must attend Council to hear Sir Malik's thoughts on the events of last night. So, please follow me."

"What's in the next phase of training?" Jarek whispered to Lorcan as the group followed Jabari into the side entrance of the temple.

"Hopefully nothing to do with dancing," Lorcan mumbled. "The Damsé is hard."

Lorcan was talking about the Damsé Esprimiente that the warriors had to learn under the guidance of Master Jabari as san warriors. The dance involved connecting with a partner through energy to read and understand the moves of your partner better.

Gyan paused in the temple foyer that joined two passageways and stared briefly at the abstract portrait of two lovers embracing amid a field of colorful light. He was reminded of the series of similar portraits that hung in Malik's old classroom depicting the Damsé.

"Un Uri," he said as his eyes moved to the inscription written at the bottom of the portrait. "One Light." He turned to Jabari. "Master Jabari, does this portrait represent a part of the Damsé like the ones in Malik's old classroom?"

"Indeed, it does. It depicts the philosophy behind the last stages of the Damsé, which you will learn about in a short time. Even though we are not diving into the next phase of the Damsé just yet, there is still more to learn about the dance itself." His light blue, red-haloed eyes twinkled as he gave Lorcan a pointed look.

Lorcan sighed as Gyan put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

The group continued to follow Jabari through the stone passageway on the right that led to the Thesarei of Kya. The new masters joined the other masters who had already gathered around the large table in the center of the room.

Aderes entered the Thesarei from a side room behind Zareb. The frustrated look on Aderes's face told Gyan that Aderes's conversation with Zareb must have been unsatisfactory.

Gyan chose a position in the room far from Jalena to avoid being distracted by her presence as much as he could. It was enough to manage his concentration when thoughts of her interrupted all his others throughout his day. He stood next to Valora and pointed to the symbols that surrounded the large Lumsigne engraved in the middle of the table. The same geometric symbols that appeared on the new masters' robes reflected around them. Valora looked from the table to her robe and gave Gyan a nod in understanding.

"Let's recite our philosophy," Syam stated.

The group spoke in unison.

"As above, so below…as within, so without…as the universe, so the soul."

As the warriors seated themselves, Malik entered the room, looking grave.

"As you were all present for the events of last night's ceremony, I will not get into the details of what transpired at the Tran Ceiabré," Syam said. "I will let Malik fill everyone in on the events that occurred after the pool was contaminated, but first we will receive an update on what Master Cahira and Elder Master Zenobia discovered on their trip to Tridaun."

"After meeting with King Garsaun, it seems we were correct in our assumptions that Mordán stole the design of the Tridaun ship used to attack the Celestine Temple," Master Cahira stated in her thick accent as a concerned look shadowed her pink, red-haloed eyes. "The engineer who was responsible for the design of the Vestian went missing for several days and was later found dead in his garden. His death was shocking to many of my people in the kingdom because Alpherians are generally honest and open with their work. The death of the engineer was unnecessary and most likely out of spite. The blueprints for other advanced weapons along with the Vestian have still not been located."

"So, Mordán has taken bold action to steal from King Garsaun," Syam stated. "What does this mean for Tridaun's interference in Mordán's affairs?"

"As Tridaun is in alliance with us, we have reassured King Garsaun that we would handle Mordán," Zenobia stated. "I feel it is too soon to draw assistance from outside our planet at this time."

"I agree," Zareb stated. "Mordán has not yet become so powerful that he is beyond what we can manage."

"I thought the interactions and affairs of Tridaun visitors were heavily monitored," Gyan stated. "How did Mordán even make it into Tridaun without being discovered?"

"Visitors are heavily monitored," replied Malik. "This much is true. Although Mordán is skilled in disguising himself, I think how he received the information ties into what I will share next about the events of last night." He frowned deeply. "I believe the death of the engineer and the theft of the blueprints were both done by our visitor at the falls last night, which I have confirmed to be a Mysteis. Her name is Akila, and she is my kin."

Some of the warriors gasped. A buzz broke out in the room.

"You know for sure that she is your relation?"

"How is it even possible for us to not have known about her in all this time?"

Malik held up his hand for silence. "Many of my people, the Mysteis, or star wizards as most of the younger generations have called us, are very skilled at hiding energy. Somehow, she must have become an expert in energy suppression. I was once very close to Akila, when she was a small child," Malik continued. "After the war broke out, we were separated. I could find no trace of her mother or her."

Nyhra leaned forward with a serious expression. "She carries within her the deep magic of your family line then, Malik?"

"I believe so," he said. "It is one reason she is skilled in hiding her presence and thus, has been so difficult to track up until this point."

Nyhra's face darkened. "This is why I could not see her."

Malik nodded. "No Seyn—not even one of your power, Elder Master Nyhra—has ever been able to detect the existence of our line when suppression magic is involved."

"Malik—" Nyhra started with a warning tone.

He sighed. "I know, Nyhra… I know."

Gyan had never seen Malik looking so worn down. Every century he had survived seemed to be etched into his face in that moment.

"I do not understand why this is sad news," Danika said. "I mean, if she is your family, Sir Malik, couldn't she help the Order? Couldn't you reach out to her?"

"I wish it were that simple, Master Danika," Faelán replied.

"The Mysteis are capable of gaining power, insight, and knowledge in ways that others cannot. Because of this ability, a star wizard or witch can become very dangerous if their energy is unstable. My kin, in particular, struggled with the desire to dominate others because we seemed to be born with skills that surpassed even that of our own people. Blinded by a lust for power, certain members of my family were responsible for beginning the Elsarian Wars. Those who refused to join the uprising were instantly killed. I escaped with a significant number of our people to Lumania and led a resistance against the wizards responsible for the war, but the entire race was destroyed before I could intervene as I had planned. The fact that Akila has not revealed herself to me, but knows of my existence, is a clear sign that she does not seek favor with the Order."

The warriors sat in thoughtful silence.

"I searched for several years for traces of my kind but found nothing. Fifty years or so later after the war, rumors began to spread of a dark magic in Gawl Forest. I returned often to the forest to investigate but did not find any satisfying answers. It was not until Master Gyan informed us that he saw Mordán shooting fire from his hands during the attack on Solara, that I began to entertain the notion that I may have been too quick to judge that no other star magic other than my own still existed."

"Do we even know what Akila wants? I mean, what was her objective in darkening the falls, sir?" Valora asked.

"To prevent me from gathering moonfire."

"But why would she care about moonfire?" Jarek asked.

"Because moonfire is the only way to kill a star witch or wizard and only with the correct density," Malik said. "Akila was attempting to prevent me from getting more. At this time, my stores are empty. What little I had was released and absorbed in the destruction of my classroom after Mordán attacked the temple."

"Do you think Akila has moonfire?" Jarek asked.

"That, I do not know. The Tran Ceiabré is the only location in Elsaria that I know of which contains the proper elements for producing moonfire during the Aléise. I have known no other Mysteis to create it from anywhere else, including Eltia—my home kingdom. If Akila has acquired it, I do not know how she has done so. The Aléise is a rare event, and each time I have been present at the falls."

"Are we certain that she is tied to Mordán?" Faelán asked.

"I have not confirmed their connection, but given the fire Mordán produced at the Celestine Temple, his recent actions, and Akila risking exposure of her identity, it is probably wise to assume that she is," Malik responded.

"Whether Akila is working for Mordán or not, she still must be detained somehow," Syam stated.

"The best I can do is learn of her agenda and thwart her efforts until another solution arises," said Malik.

"I will place a unit of our best spies immediately under your command," Zareb said.

Malik nodded.

"How do you know who she is for sure, Sir Malik? Did you see her when she was escaping the forest?" Jalena asked.

Malik cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "No. After she contaminated the falls, I tailed her as best as I could for a short time by following the traces of starlight that linger after a Mysteis moves from their prior location."

An image of the light that remained above the walkway after Malik disappeared from the Tran Ceiabré pool popped into Gyan's mind.

"During her escape, she injured herself on the branch of a tree I had enchanted. I took a sample of her blood and asked Zareb to read it. The results revealed that she was a star witch."

"I tracked her meridian flow with my charisma and saw her appearance as well as traces of her vibration at the Ice Mountains where her energy is concentrated," Zareb added.

Gyan raised his eyebrows and shared an impressed look with Valora, confirming her suspicion that Zareb's skill of reading energy extended beyond the natural ability of a warrior. He was clearly capable of more than just sensing and remembering one's energy after meeting a person.

"But as a Felsan, Elder Master Zareb, you are not able to know her name," Jalena stated. "How did you know it was Akila for sure, Sir Malik? From the Libran?"

Malik shook his head. He held up his arm to reveal the thick, violet-blue marks across his inner right wrist. "Many years ago, my ancestors created a spell so that none of my kind could lie about killing another in a dispute. When a star witch or wizard kills another, blood from the deceased is magically marked in the skin of the victor as a life reminder of the betrayal to our kind." Malik lowered his arm. "To narrow down the possibilities of who it may be, I had Elder Master Zareb compare the samples of the star witch's blood with one other to see if there were any similarities between them."

"They were almost exact," said Zareb.

"Whose sample of blood did you compare it to?" asked Jalena.

"Akila's father—Nemerus."

The new masters looked at the older Order members in surprise as the energy throughout the room suddenly shifted. Several voices of alarm rang out at once.

"This cannot be, Malik," said Zenobia.

"We cannot endure another war such as the one before," Cahira said in exasperation.

"You killed one of your own family, Sir Malik?" Brogan burst out in disbelief.

Everyone stopped talking.

"Yes. I have killed several, one of the most important being Nemerus—my son," Malik said as a dark look clouded his features. "And now, I will likely have to kill my granddaughter too."