Night descended upon Te’Roek, bringing yet another day of sorrow to a bitter close. Tiderius sat on the edge of the courtyard pool, watching as the storm thickened over his head and trying to ease his mind. The weather had been like this for a few days now and had only lowered his spirits further. He still had the dreams – he still relived Angora’s last moments over and over. It had been two months, too long now to hope that she had somehow survived and was making her way back to them. It was like a curse – to continue to think of her, to hope that she would somehow return. No, it was a curse to finally realize that he, like Rasmus, had come to love her. He had loved her for months, perhaps years, without knowing it. Now it was too late.
It seemed an eternity since Aiyla had informed an astonished Queen Sorcha that Angora was preparing to marry the king of the Ayons. When he had heard the words, Tiderius had felt a surge of fury. But he had not realized it was jealousy until he had seen Angora kiss her husband, binding them together forever. He had never experienced true affection for a woman before; it felt terrible. But what did it matter now? He could not be jealous of the king of the Ayons for being a widower. However, Tiderius still felt that it should have been him in the king’s place, him kissing Angora, him slipping the ring onto her finger and promising that he would love her to the end of his days. He did not know how long he sat there in the courtyard but, when Aiyla disturbed his solace sometime later, the storm had passed without any rain and the stars were twinkling above them.
“I have had a disturbing dream,” Aiyla said quietly, sitting beside him on the stone wall.
“As have I,” Tiderius murmured, not looking at her.
“It was about Angora,” the seer continued, as though not hearing him. “Every night since that dreadful day, I’ve asked the Spirits to show me how she died, but they sent no response until tonight.”
Tiderius turned to her, his brow furrowed. “What are you saying, Aiyla?”
“The Spirits send visions to a seer in response to a question, but they can only send an answer if the question is right,” she explained. “You said you saw Angora die, but that is impossible, unless the spell itself killed her. I dreamed that she fell from the cliff and into the ravine, but before she hit the water, a summoning caught her!”
“Aiyla, I also dreamed that Angora was alive, that does not make it so. Perhaps your question was fueled by your own personal wish to see something that did not happen,” Tiderius said solemnly. “Accept it. She’s gone.”
“No, listen to me. Why would the Spirits send me a vision after all this time unless I had asked a different question? And I did! I asked them to show me what happened at the wedding, not how she died! The question was different! What is important, Tiderius, is that I saw the event as it transpired. I heard her shouting at you and I saw her turn against you. I saw Emil’s spell tearing the earth apart and I saw her fall, but I did not see her die. I am telling you, there is a chance, and I’m going to tell the others.”
Tiderius regarded her for a moment before sighing and rising. “Emil should still be awake. Come on.”
They crossed the courtyard together in silence, ascended the staircase two floors and then walked the length of the open corridor to the shaman’s quarters. Though there was no thin line of candlelight beneath the door, Emil answered Tiderius’s knock with a book in his hand, a finger marking his place.
“What is it? Something wrong?”
“I’ve had a vision,” Aiyla said, glancing at Tiderius, “and I need your opinion.”
Emil stood aside and opened the door wider for them to enter. Once seated, Aiyla began to explain her vision in greater detail. Tiderius watched Emil closely, noting his slight changes of expression as he listened to the tale. When it ended, he sat back against the wall and nodded thoughtfully.
“Let us assume for a moment that what Aiyla has seen is fact,” Emil said quietly, “that Angora did not die and is, at this moment, alive and well somewhere. Aiyla, broaden your search. Try to track down any traces of her power. If anyone has seen her and is thinking her name, you may be able to delve into their recollections. I realize we have not spent much time on this aspect of your gift, but if ever there was a time to test it, that time is now.”