Heir to a Lost Sun

Semira

"What do you think it means?"

Liana shook her head. Like most visiondreams, its meaning was ambiguous.

An armored hand slapped Semira on the shoulder, causing her to cower against the cave's wall. Had someone learned of her plan?

"Wrynric, you scared her," Liana said.

The old, bearded warrior laughed and pulled Semira to him, embracing her. She went rigid for a moment, before the familiar, safe feeling of his embrace soothed her. "I missed you," she murmured into his chest, so soft only he could hear.

Wrynric was like a second father to her, and had been the one she'd once turned to for comfort-until the voice in her head had taken on that role. These days, they rarely spoke; he was always either away on patrols or scouring the Nether with her father for strange artifacts. Like many who lived in Sunholm, Wrynric wasn't a scion, but lived with them as part of the Covenant of the Lost Sun. Of all those she planned to kill, he'd be the hardest.

They must all die, or they will destroy us all. The scar on her lower back burned with the voice's rage. It had been there since she'd gotten sick and the voice had first some to her. Somehow, the voice was linked to the old wound, almost like-

"I brought you something special," Wrynric said, rummaging through a pocket. "I found it in the Dead City where we found the artifact."

The young Librarian, Erinie, came and stood next to him, nodding in greeting. Semira forced herself to be civil and nodded back. Neither of them liked the other, but Semira figured the least they could do was pretend they didn't want to strangle one another.

Wrynric put an egg-shaped object with faded markings on it in Semira's hand. "Screw it open."

Semira rotated the top half of the object until it popped off, revealing an identically shaped object inside. It was a little smaller than the one around it, but had the same markings.

"The next one opens too, and the next. They get smaller and smaller," Liana said.

Semira turned it over. "What is it?"

Erinie grinned. "I think it's a child's toy."

Semira had to stop herself from throwing it into Erinie's face. Closing the item, she put it in her pocket. It would be something to remember the old warrior by when he was dead.

"Come on, we need to get to the library," Wrynric said.

Semira backed against the cave's wall so they could get by. "I have something I must do first. I'll see you all at sixteenth hour."

They said goodbye and headed toward Sunholm. Liana lingered to hug Semira again, then raced after them. Semira watched until they disappeared through the torch-lit metal gates. When she was certain they were not coming back, she spun on her heel and stormed away.

She strode through two limestone chambers filled with sharp stalagmites and passed half a dozen side tunnels before finding the one she sought. The tunnel was devoid of torchlight and slick with moisture, but she was more sure footed than the first time she'd come there, following the directions of the voice in her head. Since then, she'd walked the tunnel dozens of times; today, she didn't miss a single step.

When Semira reached her destination, she waited. Minutes later, the scuff of a boot alerted her that the man in the darkness had arrived.

His voice spoke softly in her ear, "Have they found it?"

"Yes."

"Where are they taking it?"

"To the library."