—Lower Town—
She wasn't supposed to be there. All was quiet. Tal'Dovah was gone, and the Sorceress remained locked away in her tower. It was their moment to rest, likely their only moment, to be sure, and she should be taking this time to breathe and prepare for what was to come next.
But, before she could take the opportunity to settle, before she could bring herself to contemplate the monumental task that would greet them next, she had to, for her own peace of mind, look at what was written on those sacred pages only one person was ever allowed to read.
Ori stilled in front of The Broken Song, her fingers hovering over the corner of the ornate leather binding. The answers she wanted would not be inside. She knew The Broken Song by heart, each verse dancing through her mind as she warred with herself over whether or not to open the book. No one else was allowed to behold the sacred text within. Only The Voice was allowed such a privilege, and though she questioned her faith from time to time, she always found herself drawn back to The Broken Song.
Why, was what she wanted to know? Why was she pulled by the power of The Broken Song? Why was she considered to be the Savior when she wasn't even certain The Path offered the correct teachings? Why had the Creator remained silent while she suffered from the sludge?
Why? Why? Why? Why?
The words echoed in her mind, doubt whipping up a fury of questions that kept her body still, her fingers unable to lift the cover of white leather with golden etchings.
"Worried that it's blank?" a voice spoke from the shadows.
Ori couldn't help but smile sheepishly as she turned around. Uncle Corlis stepped from behind one of the marble pillars, his blue eyes filled with warm amusement. The battle with Tal'Dovah had given him one or two fresh new wounds that would have scarred easily, but Ori's purification of the sludge had done more than she intended. It had been a moment of healing, not just for the plague, but for every ailment within the city. It had garnered her much praise and gratitude, but, for Ori, it had filled her with fear. She hadn't intended for such a thing to happen. So, how did she have the strength to heal everyone?
"Why would it be blank?" she asked as her uncle joined her near the elaborate podium.
"Lulu. Every time she visits, she ends up asking if the book is actually blank. She says The Voice just makes it up as he goes."
"But, you can sing The Broken Song. It's not like no one knows the verses."
Uncle Corlis shrugged. "You know Lulu doesn't care about the evidence if she believes the contrary. She made her mind up and that's all there is to say about that."
"It doesn't help that The Voice doesn't allow anyone to read from the text."
"So, why don't you open it?"
Ori shook her head. "The answers I want aren't in there."
"What answers?"
"Why I could purify something as powerful as the sludge. Why I healed everyone when that wasn't my intention at all. Why..."
"Why you were chosen?"
Ori nodded slowly. "That's stupid, isn't it?"
Uncle Corlis smiled softly. He crossed his arms over his chest, a thoughtful look crossing his features as a faraway glint shone in his eyes. "No. I remember your mother used to wonder the same thing."
"She did?" Ori found herself rocking forward on her toes, feeling five-years-old again, listening to her father tell her stories of exotic lands.
"All the time. That's what kept her grounded, and why even if you ask her today she'll say that she just got lucky enough to win a war she never wanted."
Ori laughed quietly, picturing her mother saying those exact words. "Anyone who knows mom knows that's not true. Even now, I know she could walk in here and figure out how to beat the Sorceress in a few moments. I try to be like her, but...I don't know if anyone can stack up to her."
"I think if anyone has the ability to outmatch the legacy of Teryn Ralia, it's you, Ori. You carry so much of your mother and father. I see them every time I look at you. You'll find a way to beat this Sorceress. You've been battling things like this your whole life. Even when you were barely three-years-old, I remember being at the edge of the Mestigaard Forest. We were having a small picnic and that kakallu came limping out of the trees, bleeding, about to die from its wounds as that wolf came bounding toward it. You never hesitated. You ran between the wolf and the kakallu and you erected an impenetrable barrier of light. You didn't want to hurt the wolf. You just wanted to protect the kakallu. I'll never forget the look on your mother's face or what she said to me, then."
Her heart leapt into her throat at the memory, picturing the proud look her mother had given her when she brought the shaking, bleeding kakallu to her in her arms. Her mother had healed the frightened animal, its pink and white fur mending together to banish any trace of wounds.
"What did she say?" she asked quietly.
"'How could I help to make something so good and perfect? She's beyond anything I could ever deserve.'"
Ori closed her eyes, feeling the faint memory of her mother's arms surrounding her, the smell of rose oil clinging to her hair as she kissed the top of her head. Years had passed and nothing had quelled the ache in her heart. She missed her family more than anything. How she wished they were here with her now.
"Your mother believes you to be a savior beyond the Path, Ori," Uncle Corlis' voice brought her back to the present. "She told me once, a few years after you left, that she believed you would be the one to heal the fracture she created. She helped to divide the worlds, but you, Ori, you would be the one to bring them back together. If a woman like Teryn Ralia sees, in you, a savior beyond just the Path, beyond any religion, how could anyone else deny it? Savior or no, you cannot tell me you are not the best suited to figuring out how to banish this Sorceress for good."
Swallowing thickly, Ori took a deep breath. "But, if I can't..."
"You're not alone, Ori," Her uncle reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "You won't face her alone. You have an entire city united now behind you. After what you did, they would throw open the doors to the castle for you. The storm is almost over, but only you have the power to quell the rage."
******
It was the most relaxed she could remember being. Her head was lolled back, resting on Thandy's thigh as his hands brushed gently through her hair in languorous motions that were nearly putting her to sleep. Between her own legs sat Idelle, her hair loose from her braids, falling in soft, enticing waves that Lulu couldn't help but touch. They felt like silk as the strands slipped between her fingers.
They were huddled together by the fire dancing gently in the middle of the main square of Lower Town. The gates were open between the districts now, allowing everyone to freely move as they pleased. Tal'Dovah's magic had dissolved with her death. But, the gates offering freedom, the ways out of the city, were still sealed tightly shut. If they wanted to leave Kiverryn, they would have to defeat the Sorceress.
But, first, they needed to rest. And, so, a great fire had been built in the middle of the square, a place of refuge for everyone to gather as they planned their next steps. She knew there was much to consider, but her mind was pleasantly numb as Lulu sat there, enjoying this peaceful moment with the two people she adored most in this world.
Lulu felt her eyes drifting shut. How they had managed to reach her in that wretched chaos, she didn't know. Her thoughts had been all-consuming, dragging her beneath a wave she had never hoped to rise above. But, there they had been, reaching out to her when she thought she was lost.
She would never find the words to tell them what they meant to her. So, she chose to say nothing at all. She had a feeling they both knew anyway. Thandy, sitting on the makeshift chair behind her, his left hand running through her hair, his right resting on Idelle's shoulder, and Idelle, her left hand tracing small patterns on Lulu's thigh, her right raised to cover Thandy's with Lulu situated in the middle, safe and content.
Beyond love or words, she would remember this moment until her dying day.
******
Slowly, one-by-one, everyone began to gather near Lulu, Thancred, and Idelle. First, Duncan and Isaac settled in beside the trio, Isaac resting in head on his lover's shoulder as they shared their small bowl of food scraps they had managed to find. Their voices began to drift over the fire.
Lord Brandon and Teressa were next, Teressa's small form wrapped in an oversized woolen blanket that made her look all the more vulnerable. She settled in near Lord Brandon, careful not to look in Lulu's direction. With the lord and Lady Teressa were the pair he recognized as Lulu's and Idelle's friends, Shira and Tandabu. They handed their small child off to Isaac, who bounced the baby in his arms, smiling with unbridled happiness.
Next came Sahn, though the others paid him little mind. The lack of attention seemed not to bother the serene looking gentleman. He simply sat next to Thancred on one of the chairs fashioned out of a couple wooden crates they had salvaged and watched the fire crackling. And, at last, Alistair came, sitting next to Duncan and Isaac, though his eyes were scanning the somewhat crowded streets, looking for someone. Between them, the skeletal raven fluttered about, the tiny pink-haired sylph riding happily on his back.
D'rundri kept his distance, though, as the group tried to find a semblance of normal after what had occurred. His eyes were only for Idelle. Shira'ven, she must be. Her strength and courage in the battle with Tal'Dovah had only confirmed his suspicions. Which was why it was no surprise at all that she was not meant for him. She looked the picture of contentment in Lulu's arms, her cheeks glowing warmly, eyes sparkling as Lulu told a story that became ever-more animated. That love and unabashed joy twinkling in her eyes was a special thing, he knew. It was rarely there, that look that shouted to the world what was in her heart. It was a look reserved only for Lulu, one he would never receive from shira'ven.
Yet, that knowledge did not bring him as much pain as he had thought it would. To see her sitting there, the picture of happiness, safe and in good company, D'rundri found he was content in the knowledge that Idelle didn't return his affections. She had saved his life and offered him the chance to keep the memories of his clan alive. He owed her more than he could ever repay. But, he would start his attempt by surrendering his affections for her. Lulu was thick-headed, but she was hardly stupid. One day, he gathered, she would figure out Idelle's heart, and he knew when that day came there would be little that could sunder such a bond.
******
Where was she? He scanned the crowd for the hundredth time, but still she was nowhere to be found. The Voice was socializing with the new converts to the Path, won over only by Ori's powerful display that saved them all. He thought The Voice would want to parade her around as he had before, but there was no sight of Ori. His brow furrowed. She had won them this victory. She should be here with them.
Alistair was startled by something landing on his right knee. George cawed at him softly, the sylph still clinging to his back with a tiny grin on its face. When he had his attention, George took to the air and fluttered past Alistair's head. The prince followed the raven's path, his eyes quickly coming to land on a familiar figure walking in the distance. Ori made her way silently through the darkened streets, unseen by any who would have demanded her attention as she made her way north. Alistair knew where she was headed.
So, he followed.
She came to a stop at the barrier blocking access to Higher Town. He watched her standing there for several long moments, her thoughts unknown to him until she gently raised her hand and dispelled the shimmering barricade.
"Not much reason for it, I guess," he spoke softly so as not to frighten her in her moment of solitude.
"No," she offered a small smile as he joined her. "Seems rather silly to keep it in place if the Sorceress can walk through it anyway."
"How did she learn how to break through? Do you know?"
She gave a short, derisive laugh. "She didn't learn anything, Al. After everything...She wanted me to take the staff. I think she knew about Tal'Dovah this entire time, and, for whatever reason, she used me to fight her. This barrier never kept us safe. She just wanted us to take care of Tal'Dovah so she let us be."
"But, in the end, the Sorceress was the one who killed Tal'Dovah. What did she need us for?"
Ori shook her head. "Not 'us.' Just me. She just wanted me. She knew I could use the staff to purify the sludge. She knew I could fight Tal'Dovah, weaken her and her distract her long enough for the Sorceress to strike. This entire time, she's just been watching and waiting. Now that Tal'Dovah's gone...there's nothing to hold her back."
"Then, why not just kill us outright?" Alistair watched her profile, his heart aching at the sorrowful look on her face. "We were all there. She could have ended it in one fell swoop, right?"
"This was never about killing for her." Ori closed her eyes and bowed her head. Alistair wanted to reach out to her, to offer some measure of comfort, but, unsure of how his affections would be received, he kept his hands at his sides.
"What do you mean? Kiverryn is..."
"It's not about killing. When we were in the Well...When we found those jars..." She took a deep breath that expelled in a shaking tremble. "What's happening here...I don't have the strength to say it."
"But, whatever it is, whatever the Sorceress is doing...Ori, she can't be allowed to remain. You've seen the harm she's done to Kiverryn."
Ori turned to him, her eyes fixed to his with such heartbreaking sadness he felt rooted in place. She shook her head. "I don't know that I want to kill her, Alistair. Maybe it's the staff, or maybe it's knowing what she's done...Either way, I don't know that killing her is the answer."
"The Voice disagrees," he said gently. "He's telling everyone how you are going to defeat the Sorceress and free Kiverryn from her hold."
"Is that what you think I should do?" Her gaze held genuine inquiry. It was the first time that he could say he had ever seen her genuinely lost. Even in her moments of doubt, she had seemed to know what step was the next to take, but, now, she was searching for an answer that he didn't know if he had to give her.
"I think..." He paused, trying to gather his jumbled thoughts. "I think you are a Savior, greater than any who have claimed so in the past. You've done nothing but try to heal and save those around you. Everything you do is for the greater good. Others have tried to say the same. Take Teryn Ralia and Baloren Tor'Varyan. Look how much havoc they wreaked in the name of 'freedom.' But, their actions only caused suffering that still infects the land. Even here suffers from it. You can...ow!"
George sailed past his head, his sharp beak digging into his cheek before he disappeared into the darkness. A few drops of blood dripped down his face, but Ori made no move to heal him. It was just a shallow scratch. Still, he had thought she would at least offer a short apology on her raven's behalf. Her eyes, however, were narrowed on him, her mouth set in a hard line.
"Not everyone believes they're villains, you know," her voice was curt and sharp.
He bowed his head. "Right. I had forgotten we disagreed on that. Forget I said anything..."
She made a low, annoyed hum as she allowed a small wave of magic to rush over the tender skin. Alistair shuffled on his feet awkwardly, searching for something to say. He had only meant to express his deep and unfailing respect for her. Instead, he had stuck his foot in his mouth, as he was often wont to do. How else to express his feelings?
"I only meant," he said after a short while. "That I think you incapable of making the wrong decision."
"No one's above mistakes, Al."
"I know that. But, you have the best interests of everyone in mind when you do something. Whatever you decide, I will have your back even if The Voice doesn't support you."
"But, you never answered my question," she sighed softly as her eyes returned to the castle looming in the distance. "Would you kill her? Would you hold her accountable even knowing that the cost to do so might be a burden too heavy to bear?"
He searched her profile, but found no source of an answer on her face. "What did you realize down in the Well, my lady? What could make you question your decision to kill the woman terrorizing this city?"
Ori was struggling, he could see. Her jaw trembled a bit, as though she wanted to speak, but she wouldn't allow herself. At last, she shook her head, her voiced question dropped between them as she turned away. He couldn't let her wallow in her sea of uncertainty. She would need a clear head when they faced the Sorceress, to whatever end that may be.
He reached out, his hand clasping around her own to turn her back to him. He meant to find some encouraging words, the beginnings to a rousing speech like his father would have done to raise the spirits of their troops. He meant to be helpful and offer her a measure of comfort. Instead, he found he wasn't the inspirational leader like his father or mother. He was only the bumbling, simple prince he had always been, and instead of giving the Savior what she needed in her moment of doubt, he resorted only to his selfish desire he had tried to suppress from the moment he met her. He kissed her.
And, she didn't push him away.
******
"I hafta say," Duncan shook his head, a mug of ale as large as his head clutched in his right hand. "You ladies are fuckin' terrifyin'."
Idelle snorted with laughter as she maneuvered herself away from Lulu so as to better stretch her legs. Beside her, Lulu raised her own mug of ale in return.
"Cheers to that, Duncy! We've had a lotta practice!" Lulu glanced at her as she took a long drink from her mug. Idelle could only smile. They certainly had their fair share of adventures already even though they were both still considered quite young.
"Seriously, what the fuck are you three?" he pointed to Idelle, Lulu, and Ori, who was just arriving with Alistair at her side.
Idelle could see the faintest hint of swelling around her cousin's lips, indicating a long, passionate kiss shared with the only likely suspect. Idelle kept her suspicions to herself. Lulu was thankfully already too tipsy to notice. She would allow her cousin to keep this secret to herself.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Lulu narrowed her gaze in offense Idelle knew she didn't feel. "We're women. We're awesome. Get used to it."
"Psh," Duncan rolled his eyes. "Women, my ass. You're fucking gods, or...I don't know what you are, but it ain't regular women."
Ori laughed quietly as she shared an amused look with Lulu. "Regular ladies, I assure you," she said. "We've just seen more than most."
"No, no!" Lulu sat up straighter, one finger pointed at Ori. "Let the man have his own opinion. If he wants to call us goddesses who are we to stop him? It suits me at any rate. I don't know about you two, but..."
"Whoa!" Idelle looked, outraged, at her friend. "How many times have Ori and I done the heavy lifting only for you to swoop in at the last second and...?"
"Swooping is bad, you know," Alistair nodded gravely as he reached past them to grab drinks for himself and Ori. Lulu dissolved into a fit of drunken laughter, rolling onto her side. Thancred caught her before she could spill her drink, turning her upright with the fondest of smiles.
"Why is that so fuckin' funny?" Lulu hiccupped.
Idelle rolled her eyes, catching sight of D'rundri finally joining them. He kept his distance from her though, preferring to sit next to Ori. He offered a small nod in her direction, but said nothing else.
"Because you are quite inebriated, Mistress Lulu," Sahn answered calmly from across the fire.
"Oh, yes, I know you incredibly dull fuck-twat! Why are you even here? No one likes you. You're only slightly less enjoyable than Brandy-Bran-Face!"
"I enjoy his company," Ori reminded her, but Lulu responded only by sticking out her tongue. Ori smiled affectionately, though, and took a drink from her own mug as the gathered group began shouting at one another.
"Next time you require assistance, I shall be reminded to keep my Bran-Face to myself then," Lord Brandon said, his dry voice just loud enough for Lulu, Idelle, and Ori to hear. Though he meant it to be a humorless comment, the alcohol seemed to be getting the better of him, a warm, rosy tinge to his cheeks, and his mouth quirked up in the faintest smile.
"No-fucking-way!" Lulu screeched as she scrambled up, knocking every mug of ale in her way over in her haste to get to Lord Brandon. "That's a fucking smile, isn't it?! You fucking liar! I knew you loved me, you stern-faced, bushy browed, taciturn tit, you!" She tackled him, the two tumbling behind the crates he sat on.
Idelle couldn't help the loud, boisterous laugh that escaped her as she watched the display.
"What's your favorite?" a quiet voice broke through the laughter and well-meaning insults thrown around the fire. Everyone turned to where Lady Teressa sat, huddled inside the warm wool blanket draped around her shoulders. When everyone quieted and all eyes were on her, she shifted uncomfortably, but asked her question again. "What was your favorite place that you've been?"
"Valdornne," the three women answered without hesitation, their voices layered as one. They glanced at each other and smiled.
"Why?" Alistair asked, his brow furrowed with interest. "Aren't they still imperial-minded there?"
"Ugh," Lulu rolled her eyes as she returned to her spot beside Idelle and Thancred. "Go out into the world a little bit, Al. It'd do you some good. Valdornne was just as affected as everyone else when the empire broke apart."
"More so," Ori shook her head. "The people there are still recovering. Other worlds have mostly found stability, but the imperial war is still raging in Valdornne itself. Even now, people are fighting just for freedom."
"It's that bad there?" Duncan leaned forward, his ale forgotten at news of his home.
Idelle nodded. "Every time we've visited, the war still rages. They're no closer to ending this war than the day the bridges shattered. Go to Valdornne and you will find mostly chaos."
"Then, why do you like it?" Teressa asked, head tilted curiously. "It sounds terrible."
"The people," Lulu answered. Idelle smiled as she looked at her friend. "You would think the war would have made them jaded, would have stripped them of all that's good and decent."
"But they're not," Ori smiled. "They're strong and fierce. They know they have to weather this storm, that they have to stand between those who would see them suffer and the future they see for Valdornne. They fight even when you'd think they'd have lost all means to do so, and they carry on with the one thing you'd think would be easiest to lose knowing only war."
"Their humanity," Idelle nodded, her thoughts, and Ori's and Lulu's undoubtedly as well, straying to the family and friends that remained in the old bastion of the empire.
A warm quiet settled between the group of gathered friends and comrades. Such a powerful similarity between Valdornne and the people of Kiverryn, it made them all think of what only the next day would bring. But, rather than leave the quiet to burden them with thoughts of melancholy things, Idelle began to sing a song of Valdornne. It was one she, Lulu, and Ori knew by heart, one they had heard countless rebels sing as they marched to a war that could not be ignored.
Valdornne had once conquered the stars, had brought every world they could find under their banner. Those who hated the empire and spoke of the War for Valdornne had no comprehension how close that war was to spilling onto their own doorstep. Only those rebels, who fought for their own lives, their own freedom, kept the imperials from gaining the strength to once again spread out amongst the stars.
So, Idelle began to sing the rebels' song, The Rising Dawn. Lulu and Ori joined in, their stomping and claps providing a gravity to the song her own voice could not bestow. Her cousin and friend joined her, their minds all far from these lands of Kiverryn, returning home to their family and memories of a war-torn land they could not save. But, perhaps, they could save this one.
And, slowly, as the song began to reach its crescendo, the people of Kiverryn began to join in the song, their own determined stomps providing a thunderous ring that echoed over the city.
From the shadows, the Sorceress watched, and she smiled.