Bloody, bloody Bastian,
Killed the captain
The first mate said,
‘What do we do?’
Then bloody, bloody Bastian
Ran him through.
--child’s rhyme, circa 205 New Dawn Era
Changing Course
Celestine walked empty halls that were full of echoes. Dust motes danced in the air, choking her, stinging her eyes. An echo rumbled toward her, like an avalanche. Her own voice.
“The god doesn’t demand perfection.”
“No, it demands more than that.” Archer’s voice, louder, deafening. “Connor and Selena Koren are living proof.”
As the last words faded like a thunderstorm that moves on, a shadow fell over her. A horned head, a wing, a strong arm. Selena’s Vai’Ensai, Celestine thought, and turned.
But Kyre loomed there, not Ilior. He raised a scaled, tree-trunk arm and pointed. Celestine swiveled to look and Connor stood on the quarterdeck of a ship, hands planted on his hips, a sword gleaming in the sunlight as bright as his smile.
Then Ilior’s voice spoke Kyre’s words, and they echoed from the deep caverns of time, where the dragons lived.
“I’m here for him.”
Celestine woke with a start, and sat up quickly in her small bed. In the weeks since Archer had sent a ship to Isle Devala after his son, the nagging itch in the back of her mind had become unsettling in its urgency. Until now. Now it was gone, and the truth came to her, like a flash of lightning illuminating a black sky. She gasped and threw off her coverlet.
“Sera!” she cried. Her sleeping gown flew off in a flutter of white linen.
The door opened. “Your Reverence?”
“Ready the sloop for the Citadel,” Celestine said, drawing on her leggings. “Now.”
At the Citadel, Celestine hurried past captains and sailors and higher ranking officers, all of whom stopped to nod in deference to her station. More than one failed to conceal a knowing glint in their eye that the High Reverent was here again to visit the Admiral. Never mind that Archer had barely spoken to her in the weeks since Connor’s disappearance. Celestine ignored them all, intent on reaching her friend before the words behind her lips burst out of their own accord. At last, she reached his office and breathed thanks to the Shining Face that Archer was there, poring over a chart.
“Connor hasn’t gone to the Devala Isles. He’s going to Isle Uago.”
Archer didn’t glance up. “Uago?” he muttered. “What for?”
“Our last bird came from Uago. From Selena Koren. She hired a ship to Saliz from there. Connor will go to Uago to follow her trail.”
He shook his head, his gaze still on his chart. Lines demarking various routes and currents curved from Isle Lillomet, all pointing to the same destination. “That’s nonsense. She could be anywhere. Connor went to Devala,” he tapped the island chain in the center of a whorl of black ink, “so he can call storms and talk to animals to his heart’s content.”
Celestine leaned over the desk to face Archer, demanding his attention. “What does Connor want more than anything? What has he striven for his whole life?”
“To be a Paladin for the Shining Face of the god,” Archer began. “But he—”
“Exactly. To be a Paladin. And the Paladin he knows best, the one who has been living in the Temple for nearly his entire life is Selena Koren.”
“Koren is a Paladin for a god that doesn’t Hear him…”
“No, but this Wor’ri does. This is his chance to become a warrior for his own god, one that has blessed him with his own…unique talents.”
“All the more reason he’d seek out the druids on Devala,” Archer said.
Celestine bit her lip. Archer’s logic made sense and yet…He’s entirely wrong.
“He’s going after Selena Koren,” Celestine said. “I know it. I know him. Your son is a skilled swordsman, partly by inborn talent, but also because of his unrelenting drive. He wants to be distinguished, and not for his illness. To be distinguished in spite of his illness.”
Archer shook his head. “It doesn’t—”
“It’s the dragonmen,” Celestine persisted. “Kyre and Ilior. Connor knows that Kyre’s presence makes him different. Special. Only one other person—Selena Koren—has a similar companion. And Selena is not only a Paladin, but a Summoner. Once in a thousand years do the Aluren find a Summoner in our ranks. Connor knows this. He’s put it all together. He’s gone to find the one person who is as special as he is. I stake my Reverency on it.”
Archer held her gaze for a moment and she thought his legendary stubbornness was going to hold, but he crumbled almost imperceptibly. He picked up a parchment from among the countless strewn over his desk and handed it to her. “This came yesterday. From the Harbor Master. He was finally able to glean from the Tallstaff Company which vessel Connor took passage on. An eastern bound packet.”
“East,” Celestine said, scanning the paper.
“Aye,” Archer said. “The Tallstaff merchant said the packet’s final destination was the Lords in the Eastern Edge.” He rubbed his hands over his eyes. “Until this moment, I thought it meant Connor grabbed the first available berth on the first available vessel, figuring he could reroute on a different island. But now…”
“A vessel sailing to the Lords would have to pass by Isle Uago.” Celestine set the paper down and her heart ached to see the fear clouding her friend’s eyes. “The danger is great, but he is an expert swordsman. And he has Kyre. And he has his magic.”
“Magic he doesn’t know to use. And he has episodes. On Uago that kind of weakness…”
“You may yet find him on Devala,” she said, “but send a ship to Uago too.” She laid her hand on his across the desk. “For peace of mind, if nothing else.”
“Whose? Yours or mine?” Archer asked tiredly.
“Both. I love him too.”
The admiral met her eye and without looking away called for his page to bring in his officers. To Celestine he said, “Thank you, High Reverent, that will be all.”
The formality of his tone stung until she saw his half-grin and the light that warmed his brown eyes. She smiled back and took her leave.
In the hallway, Celestine felt a weight in her heart lift as she listened to Archer relay to his men a new set of orders that would send a flotilla to Isle Uago. She had no doubt that was where Connor had gone, and now that unease was settled, another took its place. Uago was far more dangerous and Connor far less world savvy than she had described.
Please, let it not be too late.
As she walked through the utilitarian Citadel, all brick and stone, inside and out, she distracted herself from worry with a different mystery. Why did the Cloud Isles send a Vai’Ensai to Connor? And did they send one to Selena ten years ago? She strove to remember what Kyre had told them upon his arrival; he’d been so reticent, answering few questions.
The stone and the fire sent me.
The words—describing some ritual—had meant nothing to Celestine and still didn’t, but she realized they weren’t important anyway.
“Why did they send you, Kyre?” she muttered aloud. “Why?”