Epilogue
Cerenae gasped as she opened her eyes to a breathtaking landscape of the late autumn mountains. Patches of red and yellow color dotted the green that carpeted their feet and the valley's between them. Bright white clouds danced across the mountaintops against a clear blue sky. It was beautiful. At the edge of a cliff just below her Cienn stood staring out at the impressive vista pensively.
"Cienn!" she shouted, overjoyed at his presence. She half tumbled, half ran down the short slope to where her brother stood and embraced him wholeheartedly. He'd turned at her shout and, face braking out in a radiant smile he hugged her warmly back. After what felt like a blissful eternity they parted enough to look each other over. That was when Cerenae noticed they were both in their nightwear.
"This is a dream?" she asked. Cienn laughed and hugged her again.
"How else did you think you'd get to a place like this little miss prissy? Stagecoach?" Cerenae had to laugh at that too. Cienn sat down on the ledge, pulling his sister down to sit beside him. She looked at him confusedly.
"Ok so you're sure this isn't a nightmare then? You won't turn around again and have a knife sticking from your neck. Or be Lohann with a pitchfork calling me a monster?" Cienn only looked at her in similar confusion. She explained the horrible nightmares she'd had since their first strange, fleeting dream connections. Cienn nodded in understanding before she was finished.
"No it's not anything like that. I just finally figured out how to share dreams with you. I guess it's another of my strange 'unique' powers. We can stay here as long as we like." He leaned back against the warm mountain rock, hands cushioning his head from its hardness. Cerenae poked him in the belly.
"I doubt you would have spent this much energy just to spend some quality time with your older sister. Especially now." Cienn sighed and sat back up. He gave her a brief explanation of what had happened to him since he'd left home, playing down as many of the life threatening parts as he could to save time. Cerenae wasn't as surprised that he could teleport as he expected her to be, but then again she wasn't exactly receiving a class A training just yet. She did have one question however.
"Why don't you just come home then? I'm sure our townhouse is big enough to hide one little sorcerer." Cienn was already shaking his head before she finished. She crossed her arms in frustration and pouted. Cienn couldn't keep back the chuckle from her expression. He'd forgotten how much he'd missed talking to her.
"I don't know enough about it yet. I've only done it two times and each time left me exhausted. I'm scared if I go to far with it I might expend myself." He shrugged. He needed to learn more about his newest ability but now was certainly not the time. Cerenae seemed to accept his explanation and in turn told him about the goings on at home, her own fledgling powers, Aunt Tessaria's arrival and involvement in her mastery of them, and the most recent assassination attempt. Cienn bristled at that.
"I'll get that squirming mink. How dare he blatantly attack our mother? And I thought they were old school time buddies or something." Cerenae put a calming hand on her brother's shoulder.
"It wasn't a blatant attack on our mother. It was a quiet assassination attempt. And we stopped it so that's what matters." Cienn wasn't convinced. However he did have more important things to talk about. He told Cerenae then what he'd discovered in the Chambers of Time, his discussions with the Gods and what she was supposed to be.
"I always knew the Gods existed," Cerenae said after he was finished. "Everyone knows that. But the fact that they really spoke to you is just so surprising to me. Incredible, but very surprising." She leaned back on her hand and waved the other one in a dismissive nature. "Anyway I doubt they really want me as queen. I doubt I could do a good job of it." Cienn opened his mouth to protest but Cerenae moved on before he could speak. "If you came home maybe you could talk to Lohann and see what he has to say about the war on magic. He's much more open-minded than his father you know. Maybe if you acted as a sort of liaison to the rebels you could," Cienn had to stop her then.
"The king doesn't want to talk about these problems Cer, he just wants me and every other sorcerer in Sundast dead. You know that includes you as well now right?" Cerenae just shook her head.
"He's different Cienn. I know he is. If we appealed to Lohann we might be able to stop the war. Maybe together we could honestly build a brighter future for both sides." Cienn blew his bangs out of his face at his sister's stubbornness. Clearly they weren't going to get anywhere else tonight so he decided to change the subject. He'd have plenty of time to convince her of her sovereignty when he was protecting her back home. Instead he pulled out from his belt the batter copy of Matters of the Mind. He showed it to her in its entirety and told her about the vision he'd have of their father buying the book.
"Did he know we would have magic?" Cerenae asked him. Cienn only shrugged and looked at the book sadly.
"Dunno," he said. "Maybe he just wanted an old family heirloom back. Either way this book was his once." Cerenae reached a hand out gingerly to touch its leather cover and the faded gold text.
"I miss him," she said, voicing the thought they were both having. Cienn reached out and covered Cerenae's hand in his own. He was surprised at how different they looked now. A few short weeks ago his hand would have been almost indistinguishable from hers; pale, long and graceful with only slightly larger knuckles. Now they were tanned and callused from weeks on the road and the hardships of battle. They were a medium's hands, not a noble's. It was strange.
"I do too," he said silently. They sat there in reverent silence a moment before Cienn realized the time.
"I have to go soon," he said softly, wishing he didn't have to say it. Cerenae frowned and leaned her head on her shoulder. They sat like that staring quietly out at the landscape until Cienn felt his consciousness fade away. He expected to wake back up but instead he landed in the newly discovered Prophecy chamber in the Chambers of Time. There, lounging against walls and ancient, valuable carvings, were Majran and Movek.
"Good work," Movek said happily, tossing an apple into the air repeatedly. Majran grabbed it from him mid-air. It vanished from Her hand like smoke.
"Yes, you did excellently Cienn. Your sister will take some more work obviously, but I know you can win her over in the end." Cienn didn't know if he should be happy for their praise or frustrated. He was pretty sure it was frustrated though.
"And why can't you guys just show up and convince her like you did me?" he asked Majran chuckled.
"You know the rules Cienn. We can only speak through one vessel at a time. And that's you my little duck." She reached out in an attempt to tweak his nose. Cienn batted Her large black hand away. She frowned and stood up. Movek joined her.
"You have proven yourself more than worthy of your powers Cienn lun'Orater. We have complete faith that with your help we can finally be restored to our rightful home in Sundast once more. We look forward to your continued assistance." She even had the audacity to wink at him once more. Cienn was fast learning to dislike the Gods meddling in his life so much.
"Don't worry," Movek said as they faded out of Cienn's consciousness. "We more than make up for our meddling."
Cienn groaned as the first rays of morning broke through the gap in the tent and onto his face. He squinted angrily at the sun and rolled over to lean into the warm body that lay next to him. Kain murmured happily in his sleep and put a protective arm around the young medium. He blinked and opened his eyes as well, looking down at Cienn with such adoration in his eyes that Cienn couldn't stop the blush.
"Good morning," he still said anyways, looking down into the dimness between their bodies. Cienn wasn't sure if he was used to this yet. Kain chuckled at his shyness and pulled his chin back up with a smile. Without any warning Kain leaned in to kiss Cienn gently but passionately. When their lips parted Cienn made a face at his nasty morning breath.
"Good morning yourself," the mage said smugly, tightening his hold briefly around Cienn. "Sleep well?" he asked as they lay there.
"Mostly," Cienn said rather drolly, the memories of the nightly events returning to the forefront of his mind. "Today starts the evacuation right?" he asked, trying to forget about the slightly sour ending to his magically laced dreams.
"Yes it does," Kain said with a stretch, sitting up in the bed. Cienn put a hand to his bare chest and stopped him from standing.
"Do you think they need us right away?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. Kain lay back down against the pillows with a smirk.
"No, I'm sure they can handle things without us for a few more hours." He replied coyly then leaned in for another passionate kiss. As their lips touched Cienn couldn't escape the thought of Movek's parting words to him about the Gods.
Don't worry, we more than make up for our meddling. As Kain's mouth found a particularly sensitive part of Cienn's neck he had to surmise that They did.