SONG OF POWER

Chapter VI: The Bath Cellar

“If this k-k-keeps up, w-w-we’ll never make b-b-babies!” she laughed, splashing in her tub.  Cipher and Tyroce chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on rushing into anything,” Cipher said, slowly relaxing in the warm water.  “We have some great quest ahead of us, it seems, that will make child-rearing problematic.”

“Truly, a pregnancy now would be a slight burden,” agreed Tyroce.

“D-d-darn,” Rowena swore, half-teasing, and laughed.  Her infectious laughter spread among the group.

“Right?  Here I was hoping we could all hop into bed and consummate our marriage right after our bath!” everyone stared at Ninthalsaya, stunned.  “I am very much joking,” she said, the humor gone from her voice and her usual hint of a threat returning.

“You do realize that today is still our wedding night, do you not?” asked Tyroce, suddenly serious.

"How is that possible?  We traveled for three days in your wagon, and when we woke up it was not yet dusk! We were married at sundown!” Ninthalsaya fumed.

“I have much to explain,” Tyroce began, crossing her arms and leaning on the edge of her tub.  Cipher admired her form, her pure white skin dotted with points of ruby-red…he suddenly realized he wasn’t paying any attention to the conversation.

“—sorceress.  My wagon is a powerful artifact that is enchanted to help its occupants escape danger, even going so far as to help them escape the time of danger.  Using its magic we journeyed most of the way to Ruto.  Additionally, it moved us several hours prior to grant me time rest,” Tyroce explained.

“You swam upstream?” Ninthalsaya asked, so shocked she didn’t realize quite how upright she was sitting in her tub.  The others all got a good look at the half-elf’s cleavage as she continued to speak in a stunned voice.  “You swam upstream?  That’s impossible.  That’s…black magic!”

“I don’t understand this magic,” Cipher said plainly, now leaning against the side of his tub.

“What my lovely witch is referring to is elemental time.  Chronomancers, or time-wizards, manipulate elemental time for various effects.  Chronomancy makes it possible to travel through time, as well.  Travelling into a plausible future is quite possible, as is passing laterally through time.  But hush, it is forbidden magic that allows one to travel to a time in which he already exists,” seeing their confused faces, Tyroce uttered a trochaic phrase of magic.  Some of the water in her tub rose up and formed a miniature river in the air before her.

“Consider time a river.  Using powerful magic, chronomancers can travel through time.  It is simple to move side-to-side in the river, and easier still to move downstream.  Going upstream is both difficult and dangerous, and can have dire consequences.  Usually a time-mage going back in time can only exit the timestream before he was born, for it is impossible to be in two places at once—even if those places are in the same room.  However, black magic affords the rogue chronomancer the opportunity to instead revisit a time in which he already lived.  This is commonly known among such magicians as ‘swimming upstream.’  This must be done with extreme caution! Elemental time has a habit of remaining constant, no matter the cost to the chronmancers that manipulate it.

“Although it was not my desire, the magic of my enchanted wagon forced us to swim upstream today,” Tyroce explained.

“I think I understand.  So, if right now we are actually in Cyen…” Cipher began, an idea forming in his head.

“No.  Swimming up the timestream is dangerous enough; if we were to go to Cyen right now and warn ourselves about the goblin attack, it would be catastrophic.  Elemental time would resist in ways that…that I cannot explain.  Regardless, in a few minutes we will cease to exist in Cyen.  The problem will be solved as we will no longer be ‘upstream.’  The less we meddle with time, the better,” Tyroce said, and Ninthalsaya nodded her approval.