Jenhiro blinked away the memory. Relm’s memory. He stared into her eyes. They were no longer pools of quicksilver, but still. “That was…”
Relm looked away. “I have never shared that memory with anyone.” She stood up and paced the room. “I just wanted you to know where my heart was, and why. Why I am helping you now.”
Jenhiro sat dumbfounded for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts before speaking again. “So that was why Julietta was never executed.”
Relm nodded. “I denied the council their dui Nuchada, though they never stopped claiming her to be such. Still there was no proof. I would never confirm it, nor could the other Voïre. Shedalia and Whísper, they wanted to kill her instantly. If not for Branch Commander Elumin, they would have. He showed considerable mercy in sparing Julietta, though I’m sure he had motives of his own.”
Jenhiro watched as his Voïre dui Ceremeia looked over to the still form of Avrimae. “The druid did what he could to heal her wounds, but I’m afraid the damage I did was quite extensive. He had to hollow out her eye sockets to save her from infection.” Her voice trembled as her lip quivered, “I blinded her, to save her. And still they accused her of being a dui Nuchada, but because they had no proof, they kept her as a skewer to repay a debt for a crime she never committed. I didn’t think they’d do that. I thought…” She shook her head. “I don’t know what I thought, that they would take her to the humans I guess. I was just a silly little girl.”
Tears leaked out of the sides of her beautiful eyes, and Jenhiro quickly moved to her. He took her in his arms and she fell into him sobbing. He whispered to her reassuringly, “You did the right thing.” He was surprised by his own words, and how right they felt. Now he understood the Earthshorn’s words when he said Relm watched Julietta working the fields.
Jenhiro saw through Relm’s eyes. He made the journey into the depths of Julietta, and what he saw was nothing evil, but beautiful and innocent. She might be a dui Nuchada, but she was no monster.
Relm stayed there in his arms for a long time, crying. And he knew why. She held that entire burden to herself since she was only a small child. She grew up secluded and alone with no one to lean on, no one to trust. The pain festered inside of her. The doubt and indecision. Everything he was going through for the last few months, she had endured for winters.
“You know my pain as well, don’t you?” he asked.
She nodded against his chest. “When we first made eye contact in front of the druid’s cove, I saw it. A Voïre’s gift and curse, to see everything in a person. That one moment though, it was truly a gift. It was the first time I saw someone like me, another Ferhym who questioned. I knew I wasn’t alone anymore. I had someone I could finally confide in.”
He looked down at her, and she looked into his eyes. “I knew in that moment, I could trust you, Jenhiro.”
He turned away, “Yet I have condemned Ashyn. I have let him be imprisoned and tortured after he saved my very life, because he is a dui Nuchada, a skewer. How can I be trusted after such a betrayal?”
Relm reached up and gently touched his jaw, guiding him to look into her depthless eyes once more. “You were doing your duty. The fact that you questioned such is truly a testament to your character.”
Jenhiro’s jaw muscles clenched. “And yet, his pain…”
Relm leaned in. “This was always his destination. He has always known the risks.”
Jenhiro blinked in surprised. His face was so close to hers that he suddenly had the urge to kiss those lips that were there, so close, so full. He felt himself drawn to her. A kindred spirit. It was so long since he had companionship.
His hand reached up and touched her cheek. His strong coarse fingertips pushed back the platinum hair on the side of her cheek, so he could take in her whole face. Suddenly the sight of the brilliant silver hair sent his mind to the braid on Ashyn’s wrist. He pulled back. “You’ve marked another. Why Ashyn?”
Relm’s eyes widened for only a moment, and she too pulled away. Perhaps she realized how close they were to each other as well. How intimate their last few moments had become. Sharing each other’s memories would do that, Jenhiro supposed.
“It is so very complicated,” she told him over her shoulder, not daring to look at him anymore. “It was just, the right thing to do.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We learned shortly after the druid sent Julietta to Feydras’ Anula to be healed, that a wizard was traveling through the woods with another survivor from the human town. A small boy with olive skin and red hair.”
Jenhiro stood with his mouth agape. “Just like Julietta.”
Relm nodded. “Since they were unable to determine the truth of Julietta being a dui Nuchada or not, the druid was informed to tell the branch commander and the other hunters that she died in transport due to impact. It was meant to gauge the reaction of the wizard and child when we encountered them. But I saw into his eyes, and I knew the truth. They already wanted Ashyn; they wanted to see his reaction. If it were family, then they would know for sure that Julietta was a dui Nuchada. They wanted to capture Ashyn for that purpose. Ashyn would condemn Julietta and himself in one quick motion.
“They set the trap, but were too leery of me after Julietta. No one questioned if I stabbed her eyes out or the orcs, but they didn’t want to take chances. Elumin placed me in a very open pool of water where I wouldn’t miss him, and no Ferhym could miss me.
“I confess I was excited this time to meet the dui Nuchada. As you saw in my memory with Julietta, there is nothing evil about her, just magical. This time the councilor in charge of the operation clearly informed Elumin we were to use no violence. We had a treaty with wizards. Our mission was to talk to the wizard and this potential dui Nuchada, nothing more. If it was a dui Nuchada, we were to negotiate for him. I believed them, what’s more, I wanted to be the one to let the dui Nuchada know his family was alive, if it were the case.”
Jenhiro looked at her. “What happened?”
Relm chuckled slightly. “He didn’t speak our language. I was so excited, I tried to tell him he was a dui Nuchada and that I encountered a girl that looked just like him in the woods, and he didn’t understand me!”
Jenhiro shook his head and laughed as well. “Terrible irony.”
“I know!” Relm agreed passionately. “Since we couldn’t communicate that way, I tried looking him in the eyes, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze, not long enough to let me convey the message in a way he would understand. It was like a game, he kept weaving and dodging and avoiding my eyes!” She folded her arms over her chest. “It was infuriating.”
“Then what happened?”
Relm shrugged, “Elumin had enough. He revealed himself and questioned the wizard directly. He fed the wizard exactly the same information that was conveyed by the druid, and every time I tried to speak, he would only cut me off. The wizard refused to relinquish his charge. He was adamant in fact.
“Finally, Elumin demanded the wizard hand Ashyn over. It ended poorly. The wizard threatened to destroy the Shalis-Fey and make it uninhabitable for generations.”
Now it was Jenhiro’s turn to be surprised. “Just like the Maze.”
“Exactly,” Relm replied. “It was still a fresh wound against us being only a few winters old. Brodea said a wizard was responsible for that very thing, and now another was threatening to do it again. Knowing he could make good on his threat, they let him go. That was when I got one good look into Ashyn’s eyes. It was only a glimpse, but it was enough.”
Jenhiro perked up at this.
Once more Relm bit her lip as she thought about how to proceed. “Have you ever looked at someone and just knew this person is destined for something? It’s as if all the stars align just for them, and that one day they will do something momentous.”
Jenhiro shook his head, “No.”
Relm sighed. “I know. I told you, it was complicated. Here was this boy, and I just saved, but wounded his potential family, we couldn’t communicate at all, and yet I had this feeling as if he was meant for something. Something beyond our comprehension. It seems silly, I know.”
“So you marked him because you think Ashyn is some type of chosen one?” Jenhiro remarked almost snidely.
“No!” Relm snapped quickly, her eyes livid. “He’s not some chosen one, and I don’t profess to be some type of prophet claiming to know why he’s on this road, but I do know that I sense something in him. A warrior. Something that we need. Not just his people, but our people too. I think Ashyn is destined for something big. Something that may bridge a gap between our races that has gone on for too long. That was why I marked him. Because I knew he was special, and I knew that somehow, someday he would need me.”
Jenhiro shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Trust me, neither do I. I’ve wondered for over a decade now why I made the decision I did. But I tell you now, if you ask me would I do it again, I have to answer the same. Yes, I would. We need Ashyn Rune. I need Ashyn Rune. I just don’t know the how or the why. Not yet.”
“Then your heart is not bonded to him?” Jenhiro queried.
Relm looked to the floor. “I honestly don’t know. I do feel something for him, but it may just be the magic of the mark that binds us.”
“I see.”
Relm waved her hand dismissively. “It matters little anyway. Ever since then I haven’t been allowed to see him. Once Elumin tried to attack the wizard, and the wizard retaliated by killing the branch commander and several others, I was quickly sent back to Feydras’ Anula and any queries to the status of Ashyn were quickly ignored.”
Jenhiro was nonplussed, “But he said you know how to get a hold of him.”
Relm smirked. “I do.”
“And you’re not going to tell me?” he asked slightly defensively.
Sadness filled Relm’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Jenhiro. I trust you, I do. It is why I shared my memories with you, to let you know that you are not alone. We both question what’s happening in our beloved society. It’s safer if you don’t know the details.”
Though he was angry, Jenhiro reluctantly nodded. He did understand. Branch commanders often did not tell all facets of a complex plan to every member of their branch. He didn’t begrudge Relm for doing the same. “So what do we do now?”
At this, Relm revealed a large, pristine, white smile that felt eerily familiar to Jenhiro. “It’s time that Ashyn Rune and Avrimae be on their way home. Julietta too, she’s long overdue.” The smile disappeared, and she looked at him with all seriousness. “Can I count on you?”
Jenhiro folded his arms over his chest. Something about her smile bothered him. Some lingering thought in the back of his mind about its familiarity, but he dismissed it. She was the Voïre dui Ceremeia, and she was his only ally right now. “I believe you can.” He answered.
“Good. First I will explain my plan, hopefully you can fill in the holes to the areas I’m weakest. Then I’ll let Ashyn know, and see what he has planned. He’s had more than enough time, and he’s disturbingly clever, that one.”
Jenhiro snickered. “Tell me about it.”
“Finally we’ll get Avrimae stabilized. Though I’m very concerned about her, we need to get things underway, and quickly. We don’t have much time left.”
Jenhiro nodded.
It was time to save Avrimae.
It was time to save Julietta.
It was time to set the Blood Wizard free.
Spirits help him; he hoped he was making the right choice.
~ ~ ~
Ashyn smiled as he felt himself floating on a cloud. It was warm and inviting, and he hadn’t felt this way in weeks now. As usual, he couldn’t open his eyes. “I see Jenhiro delivered my message.”
The ethereal sing-song voice answered him, “He has.”
“And was he successful? Is Avrimae safe?”
“She is.”
Ashyn let out a sigh of relief. It was better news than he hoped for, considering the circumstances.
“You asked for me?”
Ashyn nodded, and wondered for a moment if she could see him. “I need your help.”
“How?”
“I need you to find the magic within me, and reconnect it.”
He heard her sigh. “It doesn’t work like that Ashyn. I can’t just connect you to magic. It is not some extraneous item like a sword or a bow. It is not a possession. It is life.”
“I know,” he answered quickly. He couldn’t afford to lose her on this. “But an Exemplar saw it in me. She said it’s there, but I can’t reach it. I don’t understand what that means. You know what I am; you know about magic. I need you to help me reach it.”
Ashyn sat in silence for a long time, wondering if this dream state was going to keep him like this indefinitely. Finally, she spoke again, “Ashyn, to do what you are asking we will need to be together, and it isn’t something that we can do between a barrier. If I come to you, it will give away our connection. The risks are too great for everyone. If they learned of what we can do, they’d kill you, instantly. Brodea couldn’t risk the Voïre, not in front of the Council, not even for the Tome she desperately wants translated.”
Ashyn was stunned. He hadn’t thought it common knowledge that Brodea was trying to have a wizard’s artifact translated. He suddenly had reservations on whether or not he could trust this Exemplar.
Still, he was running out of options, and he was drastically low on time. People were going to starve soon, and Brodea was going to have Macky killed in a horrible way. After witnessing what she was willing to do to others to just get him to talk, Ashyn knew that if he wanted to save his friends, he needed to take the risk.
“What if I convinced Brodea to let us work together?”
The Exemplar laughed. The full-bodied sound was unexpected and somehow familiar. He discounted it. He needed to drive it home. “I don’t know how much time I have before she starts torturing me again, but I know it won’t be me she hurts. With Avrimae now gone, she’ll target Macky next, countless others until she gets what she wants. The people of the Water Pens have stopped being fed.”
“I know,” Relm answered.
“Then I have to try something…”
“You have less than a week, Ashyn. Brodea is so confident that you will talk in four days’ time that she is going to put you on display before the Council of Elm to start to decipher the tome to them.”
Bewildered, he whispered, “How do you know this?”
“Because I was there when she told Councilor Vooken this evening. It isn’t Macky Jenhiro and I think she’ll torture to get you to talk Ashyn.”
Ashyn felt weak, at the thought of who else the Exemplar was going to name.
“It’s Julietta, Ashyn. Brodea’s finally been assured to get her before the next council gathering.”