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The orphans's shelter could be found on a low hill on the southern fringes of Tanazu, tucked behind a thicket. If not for the path leading to it, no one would have known that it was there. The building looked desolate, in a desolate village.
Under the eye of the white moon, Lyna made her way to the back of the building. Time around her bent and crawled as it revealed the presence of the bane core, a burning sensation not unlike the discomfort that came when sand went into the eyes, except that it plagued her entire skin, from head to toe. The closer she got to the core, the stronger the irritating sensation became.
Bending time was unnecessary. Lyna had already narrowed down the location of the boy to this building and she could easily make her way undetected without her ability.
But why not use it?
It was her addiction speaking, she knew. On the other hand, at this point, this close to the end, she found it hard to come up with a reason not to indulge.
The shelter's walls bent outward and the roof was poorly patched. Rain and cold had easy access to the inside. The building boasted two stories. Around it, the grounds were unkempt and a broken kart with one wheel was stuck within a round overgrown bush. In front of the entrance, the snow had been beaten into the ground by small feet, forming a wide half-circle and a path toward the village.
Lyna did not want to risk entering through a window. None had a frame that looked as if they could hold her weight without creaking or breaking. The entrance door was ajar, unhinged. Moving it would be just as risky, but she believed that she might be able to slip through the opening without touching anything.
She hid her bag and scyme blade into the bush, and flattened time further as she approached the front door. As suspected, the opening was wide enough and she slipped into the building without a sound.
The place stunk of detritus and urine. It had a single large room with two ladders leading to two elevated nooks. A table stood in a corner, with three chairs, one of which had a missing leg. On the floor, some rolled up in blankets, others uncovered, slept eleven children. Two sets of tiny feet protruded beyond the end of one of the nooks. Thirteen. No adult.
The warden lived off property, probably sleeping soundly in a feathered bed, in the house located up the road leading to Tanazu.
Shaking her head and stalling time further, Lyna moved through the main room, passing between the prone children. She noticed that a human girl of probably three or four years was awake, staring blankly at the ceiling, lines visible on her dirty cheeks where tears had passed.
Beside her, a teenage boy twice her height slept with his cheek against the stone floor, immune to its roughness and coldness.
The light of the moon was enough to reveal every corner of the room. Lyna could not see the boy, but the disturbing pull of the bane core told her that he was up in the second of the nooks. The first had feet hanging from it, while the second didn't show any sign of being occupied. Still, Lyna knew Danor was there, and that he was most likely alone.
Moving lightly and quickly, she traversed the room and climbed the wobbly ladder. She peeked over the ledge and was rewarded with the sight of Danor's form, deep in sleep. She slid on the platform and knelt beside the boy.
Poor thing. What kind of life was this?
Once again, Lyna wondered what had become of the father.
Danor did not have a blanket, but thankfully, the nook was warm. At least, the boy wasn't cold.
Lyna released her grip on time and changed her vision, willing it to see auras. A bright white emanation with wisps of vivid green surrounded the small body. Danor had a good heart, his intentions virtuous. Auras did not lie. Returning her sight to normal, Lyna carefully pulled the boy's hand and wrist from under his belly.
And here it was.
The bracelet.
Pulsating black wisps of corruption. Burning not to the touch, but to the spirit. A cursed object that should not be.
A bane core.
Deftly, Lyna slipped the bracelet off and replaced it with the newly crafted replica.
The boy's eyelids flickered and his eyes suddenly opened wide... Lyna immediately flattened time, forcing the boy into immobility. She had been careless by not using her ability.
She still held the boy's wrist between her fingers and his eyes, unmoving, were fixated on her face. She could not erase her sight from his memory, but it did not really need to be. For him, her image would be fleeting, like the flash of a shooting star in the dark sky.
Lyna tucked back his wrist and slid away, down the ladder and out of the shelter. She grabbed her things and faded away from the building. She kept her hold on time during her whole escape, and longer, stretching it further as she went, frustrated... conflicted.
She kept seeing the boy's eyes on her, and in it, impossibly, a plea for help. She did not mind that he had seen her. They had talked a few days ago and he would associate seeing her with that encounter, probably think he had dreamt her up.
What worried her was how much she had come to care for the boy.
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Argon almost did not see her. His attention was on the door, which seemed the only logical path she could take to exit the building. But he did not see her slip out.
Instead, he noticed her as she passed at arm's length in front of him, before grabbing a bag from the other side of the one-wheeled cart behind which he was hiding. The only reason she might not have seen him was that he had called upon the shadows and was shrouded in darkness. Also, she seemed in a hurry.
As Lyna made her way down the hill, Argon followed. The shadows stayed with him, forming a black mist that blended with the surroundings. For the magic to work, Argon had to stay where shadows could breath and multiply. It was not a difficult feat at this hour of day and in a place like Tanazu, which seemed to breed darkness..
High above, Luna appeared as a perfect white sphere. Thin clouds were moving across the pale moon, whipped ahead by high winds.
Suddenly, Lyna turned left and started to make her way toward the north. Argon tagged along, keeping to a safe distance.
It wasn't clear to him what Lyna was doing in Tanazu. Onthar would have preferred not to pry, but Argon had no such reservation. Both had agreed that she wasn't herself and that something was burdening her, maybe even having some control over her. They worried.
If he could discover what she was up to, Argon figured it might help decide if they had to step in and offer support.
She moved extremely fast and Argon was now certain that she was manipulating time, just like he was able to do. He had lost her momentarily when she entered the shelter and as he followed her, he lost sight of her now and then. When this happened, he quickened his pace, knowing that time was slower for him than it was for her and that she was covering much more ground than he was.
As she reached the crest of a hill, she stopped and Argon quickly made his way to a nearby tree, crouching behind it, shadows wrapping themselves around him and hiding him.
He looked in the same direction that she was and was shocked to see a gigantic arch rising between two hills. Even though the arch was far on the horizon, Argon knew that it lead to the Territories of Sij. Concentrating on not losing her, he had not realized that they had reached the eastern limits of the village. He had never seen the arch before. He would have to ask Theo about it.
There were not many places that Argon would not venture into, if he had to. After all, they were now making their way toward the dead Heart of Istagon. But for some reasons, he would hesitate greatly before entering Sij. He was not certain the Phoenix would be able to protect him in there.
He looked at Lyna and wondered what was going through her mind. She simply stood, staring in the direction of the arch. The scyme blade balanced on her lower back, her short cape dancing back and forth in the mild wind. She stood thus for long moments, unmoving, her back straight, her head high.
Due to the hood on her head, it was impossible for Argon to see her face or her eyes. Some of her black hair came out of the hood and matched the rhythm of her cape.
Argon wished that he could simply walk over and ask her why she had come to Tanazu, but he knew she would not talk to him. If she were to open up to someone, it would be Onthar. And she hadn't.
Putting a hand on the ground, Argon closed his eyes and concentrated on his surroundings. He focused on Lyna, and slowly, so very slowly, he started to feel her presence and her being. Shockingly, he had encountered emanations similar to hers a few days before, when Onthar and he had approached the Territories of Sij. It made no sense, and yet, it was undeniable.
He opened his eyes... and saw that Lyna was looking directly at him. He knew she could not see him, but she might have felt his probe. She was obviously searching for him.
Argon did not move. Then, he realized that she had probably slowed time again. This was confirmed when she suddenly disappeared.
There was no way to know which direction she had gone and so, without hesitation, Argon called upon the Phoenix and slowed time in turn.
As he did so, Lyna appeared, halfway down the slop of the hill, going back toward the village. He moved in the same direction, unsure if the shadows would be able to follow him now that the passing of time was altered.
As she reached the foot of the hill, Lyna looked over her shoulder, and vanished.
Completely.
Unbelieving, Argon quickened his steps until he reached the spot where he had last seen her. The pull of slowed time tugged at him, draining his energy, taking from him what was needed to alter reality.
Argon looked up, saw the moon behind a frozen sliver of cloud. He noticed that the wind had stopped. In fact, the world had stopped.
And yet, Lyna had not.
☼
Onthar stood and turned toward the door.
"He is coming," he announced.
The other person in the room, named Myr, the owner of the house, stood in turn. Onthar was tall, but this man was taller.
"I will leave you then," Myr said.
As the host left the room, Argon entered. Both men exchange a brief nod. Argon crossed the space and put his back against the furthest wall.
Lyna lengthened time to a stop and moved her foot slightly, readjusting it to a more comfortable position. Hidden behind the sole curtain in the space, she hoped Argon would not look her way. Then, she let time return to normal.
"You found her?" asked Onthar.
"I did."
"And?"
"And then, I lost her."
Onthar sat back down on his chair and put his elbows on his knees. "What do you mean, you lost her?"
"Exactly that. She disappeared."
"Not possible," Onthar said. "No one can fool you."
Argon took a moment before answering.
"It is like I said."
"But how?" asked Onthar. "Even with the training you conferred to her, she should not be able to lose you, should she?"
"No."
"Then?"
Argon shrugged. Even in such a restricted space, shadows clung to him, making it difficult for Lyna to make out his face.
"How did she look?"
"The same. Defeated. I am worried."
Lyna doubted this. She had trained under him for two years and was well aware how indifferent he was to her, how indifferent he was to a great many things. Immune was a better word. Events did not affect him like it did others. He certainly had never really cared if she succeeded or not.
"I have a theory," Argon said.
"Tell me," said Onthar.
"It's complicated," said Argon, "but let's just say something happened at Kolt."
Onthar stood suddenly and came to stand face to face with Argon. He was a head taller, and much larger.
"What did you do? I had entrusted her to you." Lyna was surprised by the intensity behind the bravador's words.
Argon did not reply.
Onthar took a deep breath and a step back. "Tell me what happened."
"Did you ever go back to the Mount of Ordeals?"
Onthar shook his head.
"I did."
It was Onthar's turn to wait patiently.
"The Phoenix has much more to offer us, if we're willing to take it. There is this one privilege... Reza and I debated it at length. I was not certain I wanted to call upon it, but in the end, we decided to use it."
"Tell me about it."
Lyna could hear the scepticism in Onthar's voice.
"A time sphere", said Argon. "A barrier around a selected area. For me, it was Mount Kolt, including the training grounds."
This was it. This was what had cursed her. Lyna wanted to burst out and confront Argon, but instead she stayed as still as a gargoyle statue.
"What are you talking about?" Onthar asked.
"I don't really understand it completely."
"You don't understand it, and you... used it anyway?"
Argon opened his hands in front of him, palms out, asking for understanding and patience.
"You know how hard it is to be away from your child. Shadi is one. I told you I wanted to rebuild the Order of the Shadow, which would require me to go out, to recruit, possibly for months at a time."
So, he had wanted more students. It confirmed what Lyna had believed for a long time, since she initially arrived at Mount Kolt; that Argon had never wanted her as a student, that she had never been part of his plans. He wanted to pick his own pupils. She had been imposed on him, by Onthar.
"And I suspected I would need to leave, sooner or later," continued Argon. "I was right, because shortly thereafter, you called me to Telstar. And here I am."
Lyna saw Onthar pondering the words. She wondered what had happened in Telstar, what had pushed Onthar to the point that he had requested Argon's presence. She knew how much respect he had for the other man.
"What does it do?" he asked finally.
"It isolates a region and opens doors to centuries," said Argon. "It bends time, slows it down for those under the sphere."
The similitude between the time sphere and what Lyna could do was undeniable. She did not understand how it had happened, but somehow, when Argon had created the magical dome, she had been caught in the middle.
"And you unleashed this on Mount Kolt?" Onthar asked.
"I did. It seemed worth a try."
"And?"
"It worked. I mean, it works. Reza is there, with our boy."
Onthar was pacing now, back and forth, back and forth, a few steps only, nervously. "I knew there was more, that the Phoenix was ready to give us more, but what you are telling me. This is beyond anything I could have fathomed. It is really possible?"
"It is, and you can do the same, if you want."
Onthar stopped and faced Argon. "I believe you. I do, but what does this have to do with Lyna?"
"I am unsure, but when I returned home after the incantation, Lyna wasn't there. We looked for her for hours. Finally, Reza found her, unconscious, along the limit of the new sphere. I believe she became entangled in the the power I unleashed. She left Kolt not long thereafter, saying her departure was unrelated to the accident. I think she told the truth, because it seemed to Reza and I that she had been planning to leave for a while. She often threatened me she would do so. I think the accident precipitated her departure, gave her an out."
It hadn't. Not really. It had just made her realize that she had stayed much longer than she had initially wanted. It had opened her eyes.
"And you let her go?"
Argon nodded.
"You shouldn't have."
Argon stayed silent at this and Lyna instantly thought that maybe Onthar himself should not have left her go to Kolt in the first place.
"I apologize," said Onthar. "I should not have said that."
Again, Argon nodded.
"I still don't understand," said Onthar. "How was she able to trick you?"
"I believe she can manipulate time."
To this, Onthar shook his head. "No, no," he said. "You can do that. You're the Invisible. But no one else can."
"Trust me, she can. And hers is a much more potent skill."
"What do you mean?"
"I can slow time, but I have no control over it. I call upon the Phoenix and then I'm transported in a state where, for me, time remains the same, but for others, it almost stops."
"Like you did at the tower, and on the bridge."
"Correct. I am still weak from those uses. I have to be careful or it will completely incapacitate me. But Lyna does not seem to have any such limitation. She uses it without preamble, almost wasting it. The first time I lost sight of her, I thought that it was me, a mistake I made, a lapse in concentration. But as it happened again and again, I knew there was more at play. It did not occur to me right away what it was, what it could be. Finally, tonight, she disappeared..."
"And you... slowed time. Again?" There was worry in Onthar's voice.
"I had to."
"Oh my friend, the risks you take."
"I had to," repeated Argon.
"I thank you for that," said Onthar. "What happened then?"
"I followed her for a while, probed, and then, she realized someone was after her. She was not able to see me, but she did not take any chance and disappeared."
Argon's account of the events was surprisingly close to what happened. Lyna had suspected that it might be him and had in fact hoped it was. She did not like the idea of something else that competent tracking her.
"Are you telling me that she disappeared while you were slowing time?" asked Onthar.
"Correct."
The bravador sighed and then put a fist to his mouth, regrets dancing on his face. "What can we do?"
"Nothing," said Argon. "Unless she returns of her own volition."
There was no chance of that. None.
They already knew too much about what she could or not do. If anyone could find a way to stop her, or capture her, it would be these two. And based on what she heard, they would try if she let them.
Lyna flattened time to an almost stop and slipped out from behind the curtain, walked between both men, looking at one, Argon, then the other, Onthar... and paused, just for a moment.
No, she didn't believe they would miss her...
Lyna put her head down and walked out, of the room, of the house, and of the life of both of these mentors.