Living History

Auroya

Auroya teleports us somewhere foresty and immediately takes off. Rhenyan isn't far behind, but he does turn around to make sure I can keep up.

What's her deal? My frustration is only compounded by her attitude, it seems. Talking with Rhenyan was fine, but the moment she woke up I felt all tense again. She's gotta be an especially powerful bitch to have this affect on me.

"It's a good thing I am!" She yells from ahead. My face flushes with both anger and embarrassment.

"Great, now she can read my thoughts, too?"

"Ah, well no." Rhenyan's expression is almost embarrassed with his shoulders hunched and his lips pinched. "Only I can."

"So- what-" I sigh and step away from him as we walk. "So you just told her?"

"Not really, no. I told you I respect-"

"He's my trobah, child. Everything he sees, I see."

My anger at his pretend betrayal fades instantly. "Trobah? I've heard about those." I think back to the conversation I'd had with a Mind Mage back home. "They're linked, right? Like, more than just magically?" And suddenly, "That's how you guys were so fast at the lab! I didn't feel any energy between you, but the way you moved made it seem like you knew exactly what each other was thinking. The bond isn't through magic, is it? The trobah bond?"

Rhenyan's entire expression is laughing at me. "Yes, that's a good way of putting it. It's deeper than magic. I could have a toi on me, unbreakable, and we'd still be able to talk."

"A... toi? What's that?"

"A toi gani. It negates magic, up to a certain amount. It's similar to a charm - it's a simple tool, so the bulk of its power comes from the amount of energy used."

"Oh. So that would only stop magical powers, which the trobah bond isn't."

He nods. "Correct. Nothing that we've encountered can get in the way of the bond. The only time it's weaker is when one of us is unconscious, but even then, they can be woken up through the bond."

"Fascinating. And how did you open the bond? Did you have any of the dreams?"

He tilts his head as we walk. "You seem to know a lot about it. But no, we didn't have to break through, and we didn't have the dream. We're unsure why. But we were told that those were the legends."

"Maybe they're just legends," I say to myself.

"They're not." Auroya says from up front. I bite my tongue.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know someone who was there. Those legends are true."

I roll my eyes. "How in the world would you know someone from that long ago?"

"Uh..." Rhenyan starts, but stops almost immediately. He's looking straight ahead, at Auroya, and I get the feeling he's just been berated. He looks like he wants to glare at her but he doesn't.

"Not that you need to know," Auroya says, "but they were my trainer."

No. Way. "But you're not that old!" I blurt. Rhenyan snorts, and even Auroya cracks a smile.

"No, I'm not." She agrees. "The last Master's name was Aren. I found her dying under my bed when I was in middle school. She said she'd been able to leech magic off me to survive long enough to recover. Once I'd learned her story..."

Rhenyan's energy tenses, as does his body. I now recognize the small changes that give away their secret conversations: the tensing, the sighing, the looking at or away, the spikes in energy. It makes sense now. They're probably always in that bond.