Aeternitas by M Mixson (free ereaders txt) 📖

decision. It is said that she wandered the city the night she was to put her plan into action. There she told her Priestess to go and take a message to the rest of the world. While wondering the city she bumps into a “considerate” young man. She takes pity on him and sends him away from the city, far away where he would not be destroyed. She then rises above the city and curses them, curses them and sinks them into the water. And so it is said Venicia disappears beneath the surface of the water.

“That is the story of Venicia, Eian. It is that these city-states are fighting for.”

“So why exactly do they want Venicia so badly?”

Zese was frowning and his eyes began to open up wildly and he felt the horror just slide through him as he realized exactly what was going to happen.

“It’s the magic…they think if they get control of the sunken city that they’ll have favour and strength and power. They’ll have tools that we’ve never even thought about. Not only that they’ll have magic! Venicia has magic that even you Eian, cannot even comprehend. It was so much more powerful than the magic that was extinguished here all those years ago.”

Eian swallowed. “They want that magic to conquer the world, don’t they?”

“Yes. Not only will they be defending themselves against the foreign countries they’ll also be able to defend themselves against the other city-states within the country too.”

Eian’s eyes closed, and he felt fear run through his body.

“That’s why they want me…”

“I’d suspect so,” Zese agreed.

“They want me to find it…there’s always been stories that those gifted with magic can find things hidden with magic, but was Venicia hidden or simply destroyed?”

“The story isn’t that clear,” Ohiel said. “It’s vague actually, there’s no real way to know unless…” he turned to Zese. “Maybe you can ask the Princess what the truth is.”

Zese frowned. “I don’t want to bother her. She may like me but she hates being disturbed more than anything in the world. I only dare ask her if we’re positive this is really important.”

“It’s really important.”

Eian nodded. “I’ll go outside and make the altar.”

“I’ll get the necessary ingredients.” Ohiel said.

Zese followed Eian out to the back of the inn where there was a small courtyard.

Eian sank to his knees and planted his palms firmly on the ground while sinking his fingers into the earth. He breathed in and out for a few minutes before he activated his magic. It was true bliss, he thought to himself. Isia had been right, magic was so much easier now that he’d become adept at it. He smiled as the magic sang through his body. When it finally ended his body tingled all over.

Better than sex, he thought to himself. So much better.

Zese who was watching had caught the look. The look that said Eian had been in pure, wonderful bliss. He tried not to feel too jealous of the magic. He kneeled at Eian’s side and asked him,

“Would you like to feel what it’s like when I contact the Princess? You should be able to since you have magic yourself.”

He loved the look on Eian’s face. It completely lit up all over and he felt proud that he’d been able to ask something of Eian who probably had never even thought of doing something like this before.

He took Eian’s hands in his and placed them on the altar. He searched the air looking for the Princess’s unique signature and called out to her, “Princess? Lysaes?” he called. “Are you there?”

There was no response. He called again. He still did not receive a response even as he called.

Eyes closed he prayed to her again and again. Next to him he felt Eian’s mind reach out into the air, and call out. “Princess?”

There was a bit of a stir in the air. Zese perked up with interest. Was the Princess responding to Eian for some reason?

“Zese?” he heard her voice. “Why are you calling me?”

He answered her, “Yes!”

“Zese?” she asked again. “I can’t hear you – you sound very far away!”

Zese instantly realized what was going on. He was conducting through Eian. “You have to answer for me,” he said.

Eian nodded and said, “Yes. I am here. My name is Eian, Zese called you through me.”

He felt her surprise as she drifted closer. “I have no real interest in talking to you. Why do you call? And why do you bring this boy with you?”

“It’s very important,” Zese told Eian what to say and Eian repeated it to the Princess. “Very important and we must have an answer sooner rather than later.”

“So you call on me for so trivial a matter? I do not think so, Zese.”

Suddenly there was a flash of light and Isia appeared. “Do not be so quick to leave Princess. It is more important than you think it is.”

“You dare to tell me what to do Isia from the Source? You do not command me, I command you!”

Isia firmed her lips. “Not in this petulant state you don’t.”

The Princess hissed and struck out at Isia but Isia dodged with a quickness that was unparalleled.

“Be careful, Princess. You don’t want to harm me a Source, for if you do you could very well harm, Eian here, a human. And you did take a vow not to harm any human life after that incident.”

“Please give us an answer,” Zese pleaded. “I would not call on you idly.”

The Princess settled down. “I suppose you wouldn’t.” She sighed. “Ask me then. What do you want to know?”

“We want to know about the city of Venicia. The truth about it.”

The Princess stared long and hard. “What specifically about it are you so keen on knowing?”

“We want to know whether you simply destroyed it or hid it with magic.”

“Destroyed or hidden? Why does that matter? It is gone now.”

“I’m sure you’ve seen all of us humans squabbling over the little resources we have left…I’m sure you can figure out what’s going on.”

“Truthfully I have not cared. Recently I have found my interests lie elsewhere, away from humankind.”

Eian sighed and spoke up now that the Princess seemed to be able to hear Zese quickly. “Just answer the question.”

“I destroyed it. Sank it to the bottom of the ocean.”

“So you didn’t hide it with magic?”

“No. Why?”

“Because people think Eian can find it with his magic.”

“Oh. Well. Good luck then.” She disappeared as quickly as she had come and both Eian and Zese found themselves kneeling at the altar.

“Well then.”

The looked at each other. “I guess we’re on our own.”

 

Chapter 21: Divergent Paths (Part I)

Ohiel watched as Zese lingered over Eian. It was the morning they were to leave – and hopefully they would all meet up sooner rather than later. Ohiel knew allegiances changed as quickly as they were made. He pushed Zese aside and moved up to Eian’s right side.

“Well, Zese. I suppose we’ll see each other soon.”

Zese nodded and stuck out his hand. “We’ll meet again soon.”

The younger man struck off down the road in the opposite direction and Eian felt a pang of sadness. He too though turned and headed down his road. He could hear Ohiel tromping behind him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the mountains rising high into the sky in the distance. They seemed to be draped in the elegant white cloth of snow, one that shimmered in the changing light.

“Did you know,” Ohiel’s voice floated out from behind him, “that you can use mountains to guide your journey? If you always head towards them you can find your way back to where you started.”

“Is that really true?”

“If you know what you’re looking for it is.”

“Tell me then,” Eian demanded.

“Do you see how there is more vegetation on one side than the other? The same side that the snow is thinner on?”

“I see it.”

“That means that side faces south. And the darker side, the one with more snow and less vegetation is the one that faces north. You can always tell what way you’re going by looking at that.” Ohiel stooped and picked up a rock with moss. “You can tell by looking at the moss on the rock.”

Eian plucked the rock from Ohiel’s hand and gazed at it with interest. “Are you sure?”

Ohiel smiled. “I’m sure.”

“Is that how you got off that island? By using things like this?”

Ohiel’s eyes darkened. “That’s not something I really like to talk about. It was a trying time.”

Eian bowed his head. “I’m sorry, I thought, since, you knew my grandmother and all...”

Ohiel looked at Eian sharply. “I knew her. I loved her. I’m mostly looking out for you in respect to her. She did me great favours when we were stranded together. Because she died I cannot repay her. Do not think I don’t care about you on your own – I do. I simply care more now because you are her grandson.”

Eian let his lip curl. “You’re old enough to be my father.”

“Yes, perhaps one day I will think of you as my son. But most likely not.”

Eian trudged through the sticky dust in his dark clothing and as he followed Ohiel flashed back to the day of his mother’s funeral. Today was so similar it was almost uncanny. His eyes trailed across the horizon searching for some sign, any sign, that what he was doing was on the right path. But there were no signs and all he was left with was the heat, his own thoughts and an uncertain young man whose future was also uncertain.

At least he’d be able to keep an eye on Blose’s grandson. He eyed the young man who was still tossing the moss covered rock up into the air and catching it again. He wasn’t smiling but he did seem more relaxed than he had before. Ohiel wondered what had changed in the few minutes of blessed quiet. He was hesitant to ask because he feared anything would set of the young man. Ohiel knew that even if Eian was in his early twenties he was still tender, still young. At the same time he was far more hardened than many other boys his age considering he had lost his parents at a young age and that he hadn’t had that much family guidance. He turned out fairly well, Ohiel thought to himself. But that was probably all Blose’s doing. She could turn a mean son of a bitch into a sweet, mewling little child. She had definitely done something right with Eian. Maybe even a bit too much because Eian was much softer than other men his age. He hesitated to kill, he was hesitant in everything he did. Again he thought, that might be due to Isia as well. Magic could change a person.

Then he realized. Isia must have talked to him. He closed his eyes and hoped that Isia hadn’t been able to read his mind. He feared that she had told Eian the story of the shipwreck. He knew that Sources could at times see into a person’s heart. Eian turned towards him and raised a questioning brow. He realized that he’d stopped walking as he had thought about Isia.

“What’s the holdup old man?” Eian shouted