

Sanctification  
Book Negative One of the Caillte Cycle

by

Shauna Scheets

This work is fictitious. Any resemblance to persons, characters or situations, real or imagined, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cover Art and Map by Shauna Scheets.

© Copyright 2015 Shauna Scheets

All Rights Reserved.

Smashwords Edition

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without express written permission from the author, Shauna Scheets. Reviewers may quote brief passages, with citation.

Visit the author at http://shaunascheets.website, for more fun works by Shauna Scheets, and more on the world of The Caillte Cycle.

Dedication

To do right by the people of Caillte Saíocht, and to tell their story.

## Map

## Part I  
A Tower in Boran

## Chapter 1 | Starry Sky

The dark-haired beauty who went by the name of Ascha looked up. Even though style had changed, and women now routinely wore their hair down, Ascha still felt more comfortable containing her long raven locks atop her head in a bun. She claimed it was just more convenient, and that it kept her hair out of her eyes. Right now that gave her the added aspect of being able to appreciate the clear night sky above her.

They had been traveling from the singular ruin that was the Steeple in the middle of the forest to the tower in Boran for several days now. The night wrapped around them like a blanket. With all that had happened since the Kirike, the ruling body for all magick in the land, had disbanded their group, and the group's decision to continue their work in secret, the fall of night felt oddly soothing. Somehow it just felt right. Ascha looked again at the stars winking at her. The moon was waning, but strangely at was still very bright regardless of its phase. Ascha wished that not even the lunar face of goddess Nohtin was staring down at them, and that they were truly alone. She wished their movements had no witness, if only this once. It always felt as though someone was watching her, whether it was a group, an institution or, in this case, a goddess.

***

It had only taken a few days, but they had finished their voyage and began the process of settling into their new home. It was all so confusing, Ascha mused as she prepared for another morning in the tower in Boran. The Kirike hated her, and the other members of the Saith--well, now the 'Sanctum'--were suspicious of her. She felt as though she had no friends. Even meeting with Kian, Celea, Fial, Narim, Vyk and Felisya, the other Sanctum members, was something that had to be done in secret.

When they had arrived at the tower in Boran that Fial had found for them, everyone else in their group was unimpressed. The tower was in fact less than unimpressive; it was downright depressing. Ascha remembered when she first laid eyes upon the run-down structure. It hardly qualified as a tower. It certainly wasn't likely to have any undiscovered and interesting secrets, like finding the Tome of Reckoning in the Steeple. Hopefully that meant that it was equally forgotten and unknown. It was still surprising that Fial, in all his silent nature, came up with the plan to move their operations to this place. Ascha wondered if Narim had had something to do with it. The two of them certainly did spend an awful lot of time together.

At least the "tower" was well-situated in the heart of Boran. Aside from being able to hear the chanting as the priests and priestesses of the nearby temple of the Kirike paid tribute to Nohtin, they were close to everything they needed. And as a bonus, the city was busy enough that no one would notice, let alone ask questions regarding, the dilapidated building the Sanctum was using as their base of operations.

Even so, no one felt safe working so close to one of the Kirike's temples. The temples operated by the Kirike also went by the name of kirike. Ascha wondered if it was just laziness, or vanity on the part of the Kirike. But the members of the Sanctum were running out of options. Besides, it could prove useful. It's not as though the Kirike would think to look so close.

"Food." The voice broke across Ascha's thoughts, tethering her back to reality. Ascha identified the deep bass as the voice belonging to Kian. She glanced over to see his medium build and sandy hair. These last few months of activity must have been good for him. It was getting harder and harder to see the extra weight he had been carrying when they had first met. His gentle stature was easier to be around sometimes than the incredible height and manicured look of Fial, or Vyk's more mischievous demeanor. Whenever Vyk smiled up to those pretty gray eyes of his, Ascha always knew he was up to something.

"What?" she asked, focusing on the figure that was chopping some vegetable. "Oh, yes, food. Did you need some help?"

"Just make sure that pot doesn't boil over. I'm used to working in less-than-ideal conditions, but this place..." He motioned with his head as his hands were full of the vegetables that he had just cut. Kian's frustration was starting to come through in his tone. It was something that hardly ever happened, but Ascha could understand as she looked around at the decrepit surroundings of the tower. The dust was so thick it was hanging from the cobwebs and making cobwebs of its own. She wasn't sure how they could do that without a spider.

"Ow!" It was almost on cue. The tower seemed to know how to be annoying, and tripping Kian when he was getting lunch ready for everyone was only one of its small quirks.

"You can't get all frantic on me, now. You were always the calm one." Ascha sounded more authoritative than she intended.

"I didn't know you thought of me that way. All right then, I guess I'm the calm one. Everything is perfect. There? Is that better?" Kian shook the pain from his leg and pasted a smile onto his face, shoving the vegetables unceremoniously into another boiling pot. Ascha sighed.

"So, what do we have here?" she asked, deciding that a change of topic to something she didn't really care about, but something Kian cared an awful lot about, was due.

"Ah, that pot there is a wild mushroom soup, and this one here," Kian gestured to the pot he had dumped the vegetables into, "is a potato-vegetable stew of my own invention. There's rabbit in there, too, as well as some incredible herbs, if I do say so myself, which I will not be divulging to anyone because they are my own personal, secret blend." He smiled proudly. Narim skipped down the stairs, followed by Fial.

"Something smells divine. Kian, are you up to your culinary sorcery again?" Narim brushed a wave of her long blond hair back behind her shoulder as she asked.

"Sorcery? I would never do such a thing, Narim. Would you care for some? Soup one or soup two?"

"Some of both, if I may," came the reply from her thin, yet delicate, lips. Narim's fawn eyes almost sparkled as she anticipated the fare. If Ascha didn't know that Narim's eyebrows were naturally arched, she would have assumed that it was a further expression of excitement.

"But of course! I'm glad to see that my cooking is adequately appreciated around here. Ascha, could you pass me the ladle," Kian replied.

## Chapter 2 | Caife Conversations

One of the convenient things about being in Boran was that they could frequent the local taverns when they wanted to break up the routine of eating Kian's cooking. His fare may have been excellent, but a person still needed to variation sometimes. This was one of those times, and the Sanctum found themselves in a tavern called Caife. They hoped the food proved as palatable as the pub's close and convenient location to the tower. It was only a few minutes' walk away, once they had found the hole-in-the-wall establishment.

The majority of them sat down, while the dashing, and far-too-handsome-for-his-own-good, Vyk went up to the barkeep and ordered a round of something to wash their food down with. It was likely going to be something that probably wasn't good for them, even though it would taste delicious. It seemed that the place didn't have many options for food on the menu, and served whatever it was they decided to serve that day based on what they had available. Today seemed as though it would be a vegetable stew along with a hard garlic and oat bread for dipping. The sign at the front said the lunch would only run a couple of coppers each, which was a price with which none of them could argue.

The topic between everyone was food, as it was meant to be so by the setting.

"Mm, all this talk makes me think about my favorite," Celea chattered, brushing a clump of her brownish-blond, shoulder-length hair behind an ear. Her light eyes focused on far away memories as she recalled her childhood.

"What's that?" Kian inquired.

"My family makes the best ostrum. That would definitely have to be my favorite," Celea answered. Ostrum was a somewhere between a stuffed bread and a stuffed pastry. They usually had a blend of cheeses, vegetables, meats and spices unique to the recipe, often a closely-guarded family secret.

Ascha became oddly silent.

"Are you okay, Ascha?" Celea asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing."

"I don't think it's nothing. You know you can talk with us," Fel reassured her. Felisya, or Fel for short, was the closest thing Ascha had to a friend. Her curly, copper-brown hair was somehow unassuming, and her cherubic face was comforting. The light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks pleasantly complimented Fel's hazel eyes.

"Okay, it's just, well, I've never had a family ostrum. I know, it sounds like a very silly thing to get down about," Ascha confided.

The faces around her didn't seem to agree that it was a silly thing to be upset about. Kian was the first to break the silence, and it didn't take him very long to do it, either.

"You've never had a family ostrum?"

"Well, I guess that makes sense. If you never really had a family you knew, then I guess you wouldn't have an ostrum either," Narim said kindly.

"You know, speaking of ostrum, we should create our own Sanctum variety," Fel proposed.

Kian got excited at the prospect.

"Yes! I could start working on the best spice blends right away, as soon as we get back," he said, although it was clear he was already thinking about what would make the best blends.

Vyk arrived, holding four flagons that were brimming with some sort of brew.

"The fall special, an oak-berry brew," he said, placing them down before them and only sloshing a little. "Kian, can you go up and get the rest?" Vyk nodded with his head towards the bar, where the rest of the flagons were waiting for them.

Kian bobbed his head in response to Vyk, rising from the bench and heading towards the bar. Although he started quickly, he slowed his motions as he heard the discussion of folks at the bar.

"Yes. They're going to be going from house-to-house, building-to-building, from what I hear," an older man said to his companion, obviously in response to a previous comment in their conversation. Kian wished he could close his nose to the odor coming off of the man, as it appeared to be an unknown interval of time since he had last bathed.

"They are? That doesn't sound good," came his companion's worried response.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but over-hear. Who is going door-to-door?" A third person chimed in from farther down the bar.

"Oh, the Kirike." The bartender responded to the person's query.

"Really? That's odd. Do you know what they're looking for?" the new person asked.

"I don't know for sure, but from the sounds of it, it's misuse of magick? Whatever that is. If I could use it at all, I wouldn't be doing my own dishes," the barkeep remarked, wiping a greasy rag over a mug, supposedly getting it cleaner.

Kian grabbed the remaining mugs and turned back to rejoin his group amid grunts of discontent coming from the bar.

"I think we might have a problem," he stated, setting down the drinks.

"As in?" Narim prompted, as they all looked at him expectantly.

Kian told them what he had overheard at the bar.

"Well, I guess that adds a load of things to do to the list," Fel said.

"Maybe it would be a good idea for some of us to take a vacation for a while," Celea piped in. She answered Vyk's inquiring expression, "I mean, none of us are supposed to still be working together, and if the Kirike stops by, I don't see this ending well."

Everyone nodded in quiet agreement.

"I haven't seen my family for a while. I could always stop home for a little and say hello," Fel commented.

"That's probably a good idea," Narim spoke.

"Celea can come with me. I know some people down south I think she would like to meet," Kian said.

"Fial, do you think you can stay with those people you were mentioning to me earlier?"

He grunted a non-verbal affirmative.

"And Vyk, I know you have no shortage of friends to stay with." He raised his mug of brew in a less-than-cheery response.

She glanced at Ascha. They both knew she had nowhere to go.

"And my family probably misses me rather a lot, too. I should stop back home as well. Ascha, do you think you could stay here and hold down the tower?" Fel caught Narim's grim visage. Fel knew very well that Narim didn't have the best relationship with her family.

"Well, it sounds like everyone else has plans, and someone needs to do it. Sure."

## Chapter 3 | Hidden Inspections

Back at the tower, everyone was completing the final details for their trips away. Ascha caressed the cover of a large leather-bound and hinged book.

"What about this?" she asked.

"The Tome of Reckoning? Well, we can't let them find it, but it wouldn't be really safe for any of us to take traveling alone." Narim seemed open to suggestions upon offering her observation.

"We're not traveling alone, but Kian and I might run into some Kirike folk. I'd rather not raise any questions by taking it with us," Celea remarked.

"It seems as though we should find a safe place for it here, then," Ascha surmised.

Vyk had been listening to their conversation, and chimed in with her opinion.

"Well, I wasn't going to share it with everyone, as I was going to keep it for a private stash, but I guess I might just have the place," he offered. Narim narrowed her eyes and squinted at Vyk, as though to say 'typical'. Vyk shook his head.

"Follow me," he said. "It's over by my bunk."

They went into the men's chamber by the entrance to the stairs. There, under his bunk, he pried at some floor-boards. While it had no visible notch for one's finger, the sides of the wood were spaced slightly farther apart than the rest of the floor around it. It wasn't a noticeable difference, until one looked for it. Vyk put the tips of his fingers along the sides of the board and removed it. He looked reluctant in the effort, hesitant to show his hiding place to anyone else.

The removal of the board exposed a small cove, approximately the size of a man's elbow to his fingertip in its height and its width. It was just the perfect size to fit the Tome of Reckoning, with a few finger's-breadth to spare on all sides. Ascha placed the tome in the space, taking the board and putting it in place over the cavity. All-in-all, it looked to prove a good hiding place, even if someone decided to move Vyk's bunk as part of their inspection.

"Well, that looks good to me. Thank you, Vyk," Ascha said.

He smiled grimly in return.

"Is there anything else we need to worry about before we leave? I want to finish packing for my trip, and there are a few things I still have left to get," Narim commented.

Ascha thought for a moment.

"No, I can't come up with anything. Except, maybe, leave a few coins so I can pick up supplies if I need some currency?" Ascha added.

"Sure thing. That's probably a good idea. I've talked with everyone, and we should be gone for at least seven days or so before we head back, which may take a day or two depending on where we are going. Hopefully that will be enough time for the Kirike to finish whatever they are doing in our part of Boran." Narim slung her pack over her shoulder and made her way towards the door.

"I'm leaving, too." Fel took Ascha's hands in her own. "I'm sorry I can't stay with you and help. We'll be back sooner than you think. Good luck." With her final words, Fel dropped Ascha's hands, gathered her things, and followed Narim out the door. All of the other members of the Sanctum were still there for the moment as well. Kian and Celea turned and waved to Ascha as they exited.

## Chapter 4 | Fetching

The first several days went by with no events. At first, being alone was quite nice for Ascha. She liked not having to come up with anything to say, and being able to think. After the first day, though, she found herself starting to make a comment to Kian or Fel over her shoulder, then stopping when she remembered that they had all left. She even found the absence of Fial's silent mass to be unnerving. Perhaps she had been around people for too long, seeing that she had grown so accustomed to their company.

At about the third day, she found that her supplies could use a freshening, and decided to leave and find some things at one of the general stores close to the tower.

***

A bell chimed as Ascha opened the door to the shop. She froze. The red and black and gold of the sash tied around the man's waist was unmistakable. Then there was the gold earring, too.

He was an older man, now, about Ascha's age, in his mid-forties. Even though he was no longer the strapping young man of her youth, the silver dusting throughout his dark hair only served to make him look distinguished. But Ascha wouldn't allow herself to be side-tracked. There was no avoiding it now, in any case. Irzo turned around. He had already seen her, and recognized her, regardless of all of the years that had passed since they had once been lovers. Who could have seen that such an innocent tryst would have terminated so disastrously?

"Hi." Ascha felt uncomfortable. She had known a meeting like this was likely to happen, but she had forgotten what she was going to say. All of the words had been right there, in the front of her mind. She had rehearsed the scene over and over in her head. She looked at Irzo. Now that he was standing in front of her, it was as though her mind had gone blank. And then there was the kid. Ascha looked down at the small child clinging to her father's pant leg.

A little girl, probably less than five years of age, had certainly not made it into the confrontation scenarios in Ascha's mind. She was cute, too. The little girl had Irzo's dark, soulful eyes. Ascha felt a profound stabbing sensation in her chest.

"Ascha," was all he said for a moment, then seemed to remember himself and continued, "this is Mira, my daughter. Say 'hello,' Mira. This is an old friend of mine. Her name is Ascha."

Mira hid more fiercely behind her father's leg. Irzo chuckled.

"Don't worry, Mira. She won't bite."

Ascha forced herself to smile.

The small child managed a brief, and awkwardly pronounced, 'hello' before hiding behind Irzo again. He laughed quietly again.

"Sorry, she's a little shy," he explained to Ascha. He then turned to Mira and said in a softer and higher tone of voice, "I think we found everything. Do you want to go home and say hi to mommy?"

Mira looked up at Irzo, and nodded silently, holding her arms out for him to pick her up. He lifted her and she laid her head comfortably on his shoulder. Ascha didn't know how to respond to his display of fatherhood as he automatically cradled his daughter.

All Ascha could do was smile wanly as Irzo and his daughter left the store.

"Miss?"

It took her a moment before Ascha realized that the sound came from the man behind the counter, trying to get her attention.

"Miss?" he asked again.

"Yes?" Ascha replied.

"Is there something I can help you find?" he asked gently.

Ascha looked away from the door, trying to remember why she had come here.

"No, um, yes. Where do you keep the eggs?" Ascha asked.

The man shuffled from behind the counter.

"Right over here," he said, pointing as he walked. She followed him and muttered some form of thanks when they were standing in front of the eggs. He strode off to another part of the store while Ascha finished finding the items she had left in order to procure.

***

Once she had completed her errand and returned to the tower, she couldn't help but muse.

_So odd_ , she thought, as she put away the newly purchased items, _So odd, it was. Irzo had left her. He had left her alone._ She tried to understand it. Ascha's thoughts were all a-jumble.

How could Irzo just go on with his life like that?

She didn't understand it, no matter how many times she mulled it over in her mind.

Brother Raeyan had taken the fall for him, going to that awful prison in Irzo's place, and letting everyone think that Ascha was having an illicit affair with one of the heads of her school. Brother Raeyan had literally died for Irzo, and it wasn't a very quick death, either. Ascha gathered now that Brother Raeyan had been Irzo's uncle, but still? She didn't see how you could make a choice like that. Granted, he was family, and that was something she didn't know much about. But wasn't that kind of distant family, at that? And wouldn't that mean that Irzo felt Brother Raeyan's loss even more keenly? Wouldn't he be less likely to continue on with his life?

She wanted to scream, and yell. Though as much as she knew she should express herself, none of it came out. She would just have to fume internally about it. Ascha wouldn't allow herself to have an emotional explosion, even a personal one that only she knew happened.

She wasn't sure if it was a blessing that she was alone, and had no one to witness any reaction to the recent encounter, or if she needed to talk about it with someone so that she could stop thinking about it so much.

Someone knocked at the door. It was louder actually, more like someone was banging insistently. The barren walls of the tower around her coughed dust in response to the intrusion.

"Hello? Is someone in there? You have to open up. It's the Kirike," a muffled growl sounded through the door.

Ascha opened the door. It looked as though she had done so just in time, as it seemed as though they were preparing to break down the door.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion ma'am, but we are under orders to inspect every building in the city." The gruff man didn't seem to sorry at all as he spoke. He was accompanied by several fellows. Ascha didn't recognize any of the faces, though they reminded her vaguely of some she had seen before. It was five people, in total. She hoped to get this over with as quickly and peacefully as possible.

***

Ascha closed the door behind the Kirike inspectors. As she heard its latch click into its place, she barely took the time to slam the locking bolt shut before she ran over to Vyk's bed. It had been close, a little too close for comfort. The inspectors had wanted to see all of the rooms in the tower, and that included the men's bedroom. They had been standing right by Vyk's bed when the line of questioning had seemed to go the wrong way.

Ascha knew they hadn't found the Tome of Reckoning, but she still needed to see it and feel the old leather and iron hinges of its binding to be sure that it was truly safe.

It would be days yet before anyone returned, Ascha found herself thinking. What would she do with all of that time? She strummed her fingers over the Tome. The inspection had come and gone. There would be no more interruptions until everyone came back home. She pursed her lips, convincing herself that no one would mind if she looked through the Tome a little as she waited for everyone's arrival.

## Chapter 5 | Into the Tome

She looked out the window from her new favorite reading spot. It was high in the tower, almost at the top level. She had pointed the armchair so she could look out the window whenever she reached a good point to pause and reflect. She had even made the place a bit more comfortable with the addition of a blanket and a well-placed end table beside her so that she could place down her mug of katcha.

Greens and pinks lit the sky, framed by the clouds made of white on the edges and gray in the middle. A storm was rolling in. Ascha went back to the Tome.

_Now, where was I?_ she thought to herself, skimming one of its immense pages with her finger. This part of the Tome was written entirely in verse, which made it somewhat awkward and difficult to understand. _Ah yes, stanza 23 of_ _And She Now Knows_ _._

To an elixir for everlasting-self make

These parts must one gather,

And each morning take,

Or grow with each second madder.

But such a vial to be consumed

Would wondrous ways unlock,

And power of one's self bloomed.

Such the world would fain not mock.

These parts be of names three:

Each and every one,

One of selian, under full Nohtin seek,

Two of krouak under peak of Sun

And another of deriak in tea.

Into a pot with heat of wood and art,

For three breaths let company keep,

Then another day apart,

To combine and product reap,

Will your potion start.

Ascha wondered at what she had just read. She sighed, glad the section was over because it had grown rather boring.

She turned the page to the next section. The section had no title. Nothing was on the page save three quatrains and a couplet, of a type that stood out from everything that had preceded it.

Warning to those that elixir drink:

Though little time before change,

But much of that to think,

Fall can still itself arrange.

Kirike will with such stuff decline,

And a new way will itself find.

But in birth shall be the death.

The rise of a young girl,

But of one parent born,

Of a name known to the world.

To preserve all that is wrought,

From the draught's deep,

The new life must be lost,

Or for so long she must sleep.

Ascha closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. It felt as though what she had just read was rather important, but the desire to retire early to her chamber and sleep overwhelmed her. Then there was the part about the Kirike. She doubted the Kirike had existed in any form when this was written, especially since she was older than the Kirike and the Tome was definitely older than Ascha.

She closed the Tome and made to stow it away. Ascha decided to think on all of it more later.

## Chapter 6 | Soggy Oats

There was a sound at the door.

Ascha perked up and sat as straight as possible, listening closely. She hoped it wasn't the Kirike again. It shouldn't be them, but one never knew. She had been about to sit down and eat her simple breakfast of gruel. She just wished that this all would end and that the Sanctum would be together again. Ascha had grown weary of so much time to herself. Granted, she didn't relish the idea of going into every little detail of what had happened in their absence, but she was tired of jumping at small noises. For some reason, that seemed to happen less when others were there.

There was laughing on the other side of the door. Ascha relaxed a little. The Kirike was not prone to laughter. She heard what she determined to be Vyk's voice, along with Fial's more resonant bass. Ascha would have to tell them about how the last several days had gone, but at least she wouldn't be alone anymore. She stood, and went closer to the door. The more she thought on it, the more raw her nerves felt from the inspection and her encounter with Irzo.

The door flung open. Vyk's canteen swung in its customary spot from the belt on his waist. Ascha grabbed it.

"Well, if you wanted to get a bit closer you could have just asked," he said, yelping as he was dragged to Ascha's side before the tether untied and released the pouch in her grasp.

"So it went that well while we were away, I see?" Fel said, scanning Ascha and her strange choice of action. She had been close behind the other two.

"Ach!" Ascha made a face after taking a quick swig and replacing its cork. "What's in that?" She asked, shoving the canteen into Vyk's chest.

"Oh, just some herbs, suspended in some liquid," Vyk answered, smiling. Then he continued, "What? Is it a little too strong for you?"

"No... it's just," she searched for a moment for the best way to describe the acrid film that still coated the inside of her mouth despite her small sip, "very bitter," she concluded.

"Ascha, are you okay? You look a little out of sorts," Fel wondered.

"Fine, I'm just fine," Ascha managed to say, "I just saw someone from a long time ago, and, well, apparently, he's continued with his life, and family and all that. Never mind that bit though, I need to tell you how the inspection from the Kirike went." She continued after taking a breath. "It's just, it has been quite a span of days while you lot have been away."

"Say no more. We're all, those of us that are back, going to the Soggy Oat tavern later. It sounds like you could use a pint. We can catch up on the Kirike when Narim, Kian and Celea get back. Meanwhile, I want you to tell me about this deal from your past." The Soggy Oat was less of a morning establishment than the Caife, seeing as it didn't open until the afternoon. Its more various food and beverage choices made up for the slightly longer distance that the Soggy Oat was from the tower. It had quickly become a favorite among many of the members of the Sanctum, especially Vyk.

"No, really. I don't feel like going out."

"Did I say that you had a choice?"

Ascha narrowed her eyes at Fel. Already, she was regretting having brought anything up at all.

***

When they entered the Soggy Oat, it was already dusk outside. The natural light was beginning to wane, and the tavern's oil lamps had already been lit.

It was only the four of them, Vyk, Fial, Fel and Ascha.

Vyk and Fial went up to order food, which allowed Ascha to give Fel the details. Fel waited expectantly. Ascha smiled nervously and took a swig from her mug, as the brews had been quick for the bartender to serve them.

"So, Irzo - You remember him? I told you a little bit about him right when we first met," Ascha started.

Fel nodded, encouraging Ascha to continue.

"Well, as it turns out, I needed to run for supplies part-way through and when I went to the store, well, there he was."

Fel raised her eyebrows.

"And?"

"And, nothing much happened. There was a lot of silence," Ascha continued, "I'm sorry Fel, I've never been any good at telling stories."

"But, come on, there has to be more to the story than 'he was there' and 'I was there' and 'it was awkward'," Fel pressed.

"Alright, perhaps there was a bit more. There was also his kid."

Fel spurted the drink she was sipping.

Just then, Vyk and Fial returned, bearing some rather delicious-looking sandwiches. Fel thumped her chest, trying to encourage her beverage to finish being swallowed so that she didn't have to keep coughing.

"You made it through so much, Fel, you're not allowed to die on us now." Vyk turned to Ascha, "So, do share with the rest of us what this delectable story is that you have that is causing our poor friend here to lose the capacity of her lungs."

"Oh, it was nothing special," Fel said, once she caught her breath. "Ascha was just telling me how she ran into this really evil guy from her past that did all sorts of bad things, and now he's turned into a father."

"That isn't quite what I said." Ascha's eyes narrowed as she spoke.

"I guess you'll have to clear it up for everyone then," Fel offered.

Ascha gave Fel a look that implied physical damage before opening her mouth to clear up Fel's deliberate misdirection.

"As I was saying, nothing much happened. He was courteous. I didn't say much. His little girl was clutching to his pant-legs, being completely adorable in her social awkwardness, which, honestly, I was thankful for, because it probably made my social awkwardness a little less noticeable," Ascha explained rapidly in one breath.

"Okay, so then what's the big deal? Why did that cause our geyser over here to erupt?" Vyk asked. "I think there might be some prior knowledge that she has that the rest of us need in order for this story to be worth a listen."

Ascha got really quiet and mumbled the next part so quickly that it was almost inaudible.

"He was my first love."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Vyk asked, more to make Ascha say it again than because he couldn't make out the words.

"He was my first love," Ascha repeated, enunciating loudly and clearly.

"Huh - first, only, in this case, the same thing," Vyk mused.

"Thanks," Ascha said as she punched Vyk in the arm, too involved in putting sufficient sarcasm into her voice to remember that she was embarrassed.

"So, the bartender up there was asking if Kian was available for hire as a cook, again," Fial abruptly changed topic.

"Tell him 'no'," Fel said quickly, "he's not available for hire. Speaking of which, none of us in the Sanctum really are."

"We aren't? But what if I got a good offer to be a dancing girl?" Vyk wondered aloud, looking severely hurt. Fel gave him a stern look before continuing as though he hadn't interrupted.

"Now that we are all here, we should really get more organized. I was thinking, maybe we should choose a leader."

"I say Narim would be best in that capacity," Ascha said.

"That's actually not what I was thinking," Fel regarded Ascha pointedly. "In any case, it is something we can discuss more when we are all here. Let's wait until everyone has returned."

"That would likely be fairer," Fial opined.

They all finished their food and drink while discussing more frivolous topics such as the weather.

## Chapter 7 | To Name a Leader

The next morning Narim, Celea and Kian returned to the tower. Even Ascha had to admit to herself that this place was starting to feel less like a dilapidated hide-out, and more like a home. She had awoken that morning to the aroma of something sweet caramelizing in a pan. Kian must have been in the kitchen; only he could make such ordinary things smell so tantalizing. That was her first clue that the rest of the Sanctum had arrived.

The second had been Narim's voice. Ascha's head still jarred slightly from the sound of Narim reminding them loudly that they all needed to have a meeting, and decide what to do from here, now that everyone was back from their relative journeys. Narim had also added that she was anxious to hear Ascha's update on what had passed at the tower in their absence, and how the visit from the Kirike had gone.

"I think we could all use some breakfast first, Narim," Kian offered.

"Of course. I'll help set the spread. These bowls on the table, then, Kian?" Narim asked.

"Yes – and don't forget the spoons," Kian fished a handful of spoons out from one of the drawers in the cooking station he had turned into a kitchen.

"Do you need some help with that?" Fel asked Narim, walking over to where her friend was fumbling with more full bowls than she probably should have attempted carrying at once.

"Ah, thanks Fel," Narim mentioned as Felisya lightened the load.

Ascha closed the door to the main room, secluding herself into what had turned into the female bedroom so that she could finish getting dressed. The men had a similar large room that they used on the opposite side of the main area, near the entrance to the stairs.

There was a knock at the door, and Fel entered, closing it behind her.

"Breakfast is about ready," she said.

"I guess that takes the chance of going to the washroom first thing this morning out of the realm of possibility." Ascha cinched her skirt over her light under-gown, and slipped her shirt over her head.

Ascha noticed Fel raising her eyebrows. Ascha followed Fel's gaze to the window at the far end of the room and noted the amount of light streaming in it. Even with the curtains drawn, it was still glowing around the edges.

"I know, I slept rather later than I planned," Ascha relented. "Hand me that, would you?" she asked her friend.

Ascha was pointing at her pouched belt, as she liked to call it. It was really just a belt with several, generously-sized pouches, all made of supple leather. She had become used to wearing it on a regular basis. It was something that she had picked up from Celea, who had in turn picked it up from her days with the Kirike It was customary for both the women and men to wear such a garment to facilitate in their daily activities. Healers used them to carry remedies, gatherers used them to carry their herbs, monks used them to carry their small prayer books, and so on and so forth.

In any event, Ascha had found it rather convenient, and had picked one up when she had seen it for sale some time ago. She had thought it might be something she only liked for a short time, but had found that the longer she had it, the more she liked it. She even found herself trying to talk Felisya into wearing one. Ascha finished dressing and they went to breakfast.

"Alright, I'm ready," Ascha commented, opening the door to the main chamber. Fel followed behind her.

Vyk, Fial, Kian, Celea and Narim were already seated at the table.

"Oh, it is good to be home," Narim stated, starting in on the bowl before her. It looked to be some delicious scramble, a collaboration of eggs, potatoes, cheese, onions, beans and herbs that promised to be delicious by its tempting aroma.

"I'm glad to see nothing burned down in our absence," Celea agreed.

"Yes, I do have to thank you, Ascha, for making sure that there was a decently stocked pantry when we came back. There's not much worse in the world than coming back to hungry bellies and an empty kitchen with no way to feed them," Kian said.

"I'm fairly sure that it is you we should be thanking, Kian. This smells delicious!" Ascha countered.

"The best thanks is if you eat it," Kian came back with his standard answer.

"So, I haven't had a chance to ask you Ascha, how did everything go while we were gone?" Narim wasn't giving her long to get used to everyone being back, thought Ascha.

"Well. Everything went pretty well," Ascha lied.

"Did they find anything?"

"Alright, it got rather concerning at one moment. Luckily, the questioning didn't run too deeply. Aside from that, it was rather uneventful. It was more worrisome before the actual investigation, really."

"And the Tome of Reckoning?" Narim couldn't wait any longer to ask about their most precious asset.

"It's safe. They didn't find it." Ascha's response seemed to elicit an exhale of relief from the entire Sanctum. Ascha didn't think it would be best to tell them that she had used the time alone with the Tome to study it, or what she had found. She still wasn't very sure what it was that she had found.

"You said it was 'concerning' – what did you mean?" Narim wondered, though she seemed in a lot better mood with her inquiry now.

"Oh, the Kirike sent their people. I let them in, and they asked some questions. They wanted to know if there was anyone else here with me, I lied and told them it was just me and that my uncle had left this tower to me when he died. I told them that it was all I had in the world. They were rather suspicious until I told them that," Ascha explained. Everyone seemed satisfied with her account, and they seemed to turn their attention from Ascha.

"This is very good fare, Kian. I missed this," Narim said, looking around at everyone sitting at the simple wood table.

"You know, Narim, I was thinking," Fel started.

"Well that's not a good sign," Vyk muttered under his breath, getting a swift elbow in the ribs from Celea, who had been sitting closest. Fel squinted at Vyk before opening her mouth.

"If you are going to go in for a good quip, I'd expect something a little less obvious, I guess one could say 'better', from you." Fel turned back to Narim, "As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, I think that we need to make some things a little more standardized around here. I mean, the Sanctum has been together and practicing, under one name or another, for about a year now. Maybe it's time for us to choose a leader for this operation?"

"After all, every mess needs a fool in charge," Vyk chimed.

"Thank you for your invaluable insight, Vyk," Celea said, rolling her eyes in the tone of her words. "But actually, I think there is some merit to what Fel is proposing. I'd like to nominate our acting-leader to-date. I think Narim has been doing a fine job of things so far."

"I think I can second that notion," Kian added.

Narim looked down at her bowl, continually spooning the contents and turning the spoon to let them fall back into the bowl.

"Is that the case then? Does everyone think that?" Narim asked. She looked up to see faces nodding towards her.

"Well, I guess you lot had better get used to disappointment, because I am taking myself out of the running." She got up and left for the women's chamber, closing the door behind her. Celea walked over almost instantly, knocking on the door and asking what was wrong through it. The sound of a bolt slamming into place to lock the door was Narim's answer.

There were several other cries of dismay and surprise from members of the group. Vyk started to crack a joke, but Fel's stare silenced him. Fial strode over to Celea and took her hand down from the door. He knocked a certain rhythm, and Ascha could hear the sound of Narim unbolting the door. Fial disappeared inside, closing the door behind himself. No one else tried to enter.

"Well, I guess that leaves us in a little bit of a conundrum," Kian stated.

"Yes, I suppose it does. I really don't know which of us should do the job now," Celea said, having come back to her seat at the table.

"I guess we could always vote," Fel offered the words more as a question rather than the statement of a suggestion.

"Right then, a vote. How do we do that, exactly?" Vyk asked.

"Well, the way we used to do it at T'Sala Un Sung was we would all be given blank scraps of paper, to make it anonymous and everything. Then we would write down on the paper the thing or person that we were voting for. Someone would look at them all at the end, once they had all been gathered, and tally up the total number that each person or thing received. It really is a rather fair way to do things," Ascha explained. Vyk started to laugh.

"Fair? What's to stop everyone from putting down their own name on the paper?" he asked. Fel turned on him.

"You aren't supposed to vote for the fame of it. You are supposed to vote for whoever you think will do the best job. Vyk, do you really think you would be the best leader?" Felisya clarified. Vyk almost looked sheepish, if that were possible.

"Probably not," he admitted.

"Alright, it's settled, then. We'll vote. Though I think it would be fairer if we waited for Fial to be done talking with Narim before we get started," Kian added calmly.

"And I don't think that we can include Narim's name as an option for voting," Celea said.

***

When Fial came out, it was followed by a very quiet Narim. When Kian asked her what everything had been about, she only shook her head and indicated that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Right, then, we are going to vote to see who we will choose as leader of the Sanctum then," Celea began timidly. She handed Fial and Narim each a scrap of parchment on which to scribble their choice.

"We write on our piece who we choose to have lead the Sanctum. Then I will tally up the results," Fel stated. Each of the others already had a scrap of parchment on the table in front of them. Felisya continued, "We decided that it would be best to leave Narim's name out of the running altogether," she looked at Narim, "unless you have objections?" Narim simply shook her head at Fel's question. Her face had been cleaned up, but it was obvious that she had been crying only shortly before.

"Right. Well, then, after we have written our choice down, then we fold the scrap in half and put it in this box here." Felisya gestured towards the wooden box on the table beside her. It had a slot conveniently cut into its lid, though it was probably originally for coin rather than their current purpose.

"Well, if everyone is ready, I say we should let the voting commence," Fel said.

Several moments of silence passed as everyone wrote down their vote.

***

She was quite surprised by the outcome. When she had asked everyone why they had chosen the way they had, they said that she was the best option. Ascha wasn't sure that she agreed with that judgment. She thought Fel, or Kian, or Celea, or pretty much everyone else, except Narim, would have been a better choice. She certainly hadn't voted for herself, but apparently that hadn't mattered. Fel had even counted twice, but there was no doubt. Ascha had won, and by several votes at that.

When she asked Fel if she had chosen herself, she had said that she had no interest in ruling. Fel said that Ascha had probably been chosen because, with Narim no longer in the running, they had to choose someone that had been capable of leading. Her actions the previous year at the magick school, T'Sala Un Sung, and here at the tower in Boran while everyone else was away had proven that she was capable.

She had tried to ask Narim directly about everything, but Narim had only deferred to Fial. When Ascha asked Fial what he had talked about with Narim, he said that it was Narim's opinion that leadership wasn't just people following you when you were right. It was also people following you when you were wrong. This was something that Ascha N'Dreyid understood, and that it would make her a better leader. That was the kind of leader that Narim could follow, and she knew it was not one that she could be herself. This unnerved Ascha a little bit, since she knew then that Narim had definitely voted for her. Even worse, she was afraid that Narim might be right. She was afraid that this was the kind of leader she would be.

Ascha was glad no one had asked anything of her the rest of the day. She found her favorite spot in the reading chair upstairs, cuddled in, and did nothing but think. When someone came by to ask if she was alright or see if she needed something, she politely turned them away.

Maybe there was something to what Narim had told Fial. Maybe Ascha had grown tired of allowing society to dictate her life. She would lead her own life. And if that meant leading others too, then so be it. She couldn't hide from the idea of the rest of her life anymore. Now she had people counting on her. She didn't have a choice but to make decisions.

## Chapter 8 | Invitations

Ascha entered the Soggy Oat. She hadn't been particularly hungry. It was more that she wanted company other than the company of the other members of the Sanctum, and the Soggy Oat seemed to be as good of a place for that as any. Sometimes being alone among people that didn't know you was the best thing. It helped her think. And she felt as though she desperately needed to think.

"Ascha! Is that you? Come and sit over here, with me!"

Ascha didn't have to turn around to recognize Sister Morana's voice. So much for being anonymous, she thought to herself.

Ascha motioned to the bartender her order for a pint of whatever brew they were serving, and turned to face Sister Morana, smiling as she did so.

"Certainly, I'd love to," Ascha said, taking a seat at the table across from Sister Morana.

"Is it any good today?" Ascha asked, gesturing to Sister Morana's flagon. The brew was already more than half gone.

"Yeah, it's some noshberi brew, if I remember correctly. It has some light traces of selian flower, as well," Sister Morana responded.

"It sounds good. I could go for something sweet and woody right about now."

The waiter must have known, for as they spoke, he placed Ascha's mug before her. Though not steaming, she could feel the warmth radiating from the ceramic. She hoped that it tasted as good as its aroma.

Her first swig did not disappoint. The heavier woody and almost bitter taste of the noshberi played with the more delicate, sweet, and slightly spicy, tones of the selian. Whoever their brewmaster was, they didn't make the mistake so many made with selian. He had made sure that the herb was slight in its addition so that it added flavor and hadn't turned the whole batch acrid.

Sister Morana sighed, tapping the side of her flagon.

"If only," she said wistfully.

"If only?" Ascha inquired.

"Oh, I was just thinking, if only everything else were as good and simple as this brew."

"Is something wrong?" Ascha had a notion that she might regret asking, as it might lead to more of a story than she wanted to hear at the moment.

Sister Morana frowned, then looked up from her mug and pasted a more neutral expression on her face.

"I fear that I have grown too old for certain games. Politics seems to play too large of a feature in my life." Sister Morana pulled the sleeves of her fine sweater down over her fingers, as though warming them from a chill.

"I don't know how much age has to do with it. Or perhaps I am growing old, too, for I have little patience for the games of society any more, either," Ascha agreed. Sister Morana nodded. Ascha noted how much gray was through the older woman's bun now. In fact, it was mostly gray. Perhaps it was even all gray, and Ascha's memory was simply filling in the color. Maybe more time had passed than she had realized. Ascha wondered how she looked to those who had known her since she was a girl. She must have changed so much. Other women Ascha's age already had several children. Some had even had all of the children they would have. Ascha refused to consider whether she ever would have any children herself. The prospect seemed so far away.

"Life may still hold many years for you yet, but experience can make up a lot for age," Sister Morana chuckled.

"Dare I ask, what is it that has caused the venerable Sister Morana to be out of sorts?"

"Oh, it's just more of the usual politics, I guess. Truly, I would like to see more of a practical but balanced approach to the instruction and regulation of magick," Sister Morana started.

"I suppose that I can see where it has gotten rather strict in places," Ascha agreed.

"I mean, when they started, the Kirike seemed like they had the answer. But now, I'm not so sure. It seems that everyone is under some sort of surveillance these days." An oppressive aire surrounded Sister Morana, as though she were afraid to say what was really bothering her, and just hinted at it instead.

"You probably see more of it since you are at T'Sala." Ascha tried to be encouraging.

A small puff sound came from Sister Morana before she responded.

"That's not the half of it." Sister Morana stared at her mug, rubbing its surface rather fiercely with her thumb. "There is something I need to tell you Ascha."

After a few moments passed, Ascha felt that Sister Morana needed some encouragement to continue.

"Yes? What is it?" she urged, as politely as she could.

"Brother Tiam hasn't shown to teach any of his classes. It's been several moons now. I don't think he's coming back. Whenever I ask High Priestess Michaeyala about it, she just gets shifty and changes the topic."

"I always liked Tiam," was all that Ascha could think to say.

"I know. You've known each other since you were such small children at the school. Anyways, that is why I wanted to tell you. I knew you would want to know. I just—I don't know that I want to be a part of it anymore! But I don't know what else to do, or where else to go." She looked at Ascha with despair. Ascha wasn't used to seeing such a forlorn expression on the Sister. "I don't see an alternative."

Ascha played with the idea of telling Sister Morana about the Sanctum. She would know it as the Saith, and had no knowledge that it continued to exist since the Kirike had banned the members' activities. _Maybe it wouldn't be so bad._ Ascha told herself, _Maybe this is exactly what we need. Sister Morana comes with a lot more than just friendship. And maybe our land really does need a change in how we view and handle magick._

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lay all of this on you," Sister Morana apologized, gathering herself to present a more proper appearance.

"Oh, no, it's fine. I was just thinking," Ascha replied.

"Oh?" Sister Morana asked.

"I think that perhaps you are right," Ascha answered, "Maybe it is time for Caillte to see magick differently, and I think that it might be best if you were a part of its transformation. What I'm about to say, you see, it must remain strictly confidential—just a bit of gossip between two old friends."

Ascha had apparently piqued Sister Morana's interest, for she sat straighter.

"Of course. You have my word." Sister Morana's word was something that Ascha believed she could trust.

"We still exist. The Saith, my friends and I, we kept going, kept studying and researching. We don't do anything dangerous, mind you," Ascha added quickly, trying to allay any fears, "We're very careful about that."

"That—I, I'm not sure what to say, or how to react." Then the only reason Ascha would divulge such activities and blatant disregard of authority to Sister Morana occurred to her. Her eyes widened, as she asked earnestly, "Are you saying that you want me to join the Saith?"

"We aren't the Saith anymore. The Saith doesn't exist, just as the Kirike decreed." Ascha looked down into her brew. It was harder than she thought, telling Sister Morana about the Sanctum. She felt as though she were confessing a dirty secret to her teacher, as though she had failed to do her homework or she was late. Ascha looked up from her brew. She refused to be that little child, even if she was in front of one of the instructors from her youth. Ascha looked the Sister in the eyes. "We have a different name now."

Sister Morana broke the gaze and looked out the window.

"Perhaps you are right. Perhaps we need to sever completely from the old way of doing things." She looked Ascha again. "Can I meet them? You and your friends? I think it could be of mutual gain for me to do so."

"I might be able to arrange it. It would be untoward of me to make such a decision by myself, though. Give me a moon. I will send word to T'Sala," Ascha proposed.

"Ascha, considering that all incoming letters are read before they are delivered, you may wish to deliver it personally," Sister Morana advised.

"To T'Sala? That doesn't seem very normal. It sounds as though things really have gotten quite bad around there. Consider it done. When Nohtin holds the same visage she holds this night, I shall be at T'Sala and you shall have your response." Ascha didn't know what the outcome would be, but she could offer at least that much.

"I shall see you when the moon is of tonight's phase, Ascha." Sister Morana tipped her head in a form of departing.

## Chapter 9 | Question of a Goddess

The events of the previous day had left Ascha feeling drained, but also oddly excited. She didn't know why she felt excited. All of her observation of society had told her that the Sanctum had very little chance for long-term survival as an entity. But then, the Kirike wasn't any better. The more interactions she had with them, and the more she heard about others' interactions with them, the less that Ascha had respect for the Kirike. She didn't know how, yet, but she knew that the Kirike had to change. Michaeyala had allowed it to become far too oppressive, in Ascha's opinion. It seemed that this might be an opinion that Sister Morana, indeed the very public itself, shared as well.

"Morning, Vyk," Ascha said. He was already seated at the table, finishing whatever grub Kian had concocted that morning. She was making her way towards the pot to fill her bowl for the morning. It was slightly off-putting that even his porridge turned out better than hers. She had chosen to be happy with this rather than to feel some sense of competition. Her cooking would never be as good, and she just counted herself lucky that she had the privilege to enjoy his fare. But, every once in a while, a little jealousy would peek through, and she would have to shove down an errant thought.

"So, how does it feel, knowing that you have become the chosen leader?" Vyk wondered aloud.

"I don't know if I'm quite in the mood for your snarky attitude this morning, Vyk." Ascha grabbed some food. Everyone else had already eaten, and gone about their business. Ascha had decided that the last few spans of time had more than eventful enough for everyone, and that they all could use a rest. As such, it had come as a welcome relief when she declared that everyone was taking the next couple of days after the vote off to do as they liked, before any real business began. She still had to decide what that real business was.

"Liking the new gig then, I take it?" Vyk asked.

Ascha flashed Vyk a quick smile before returning her face to its more-standard mid-morning scowl. The katcha smelled heavenly this morning, and she made sure to fill her mug to the brim. Vyk chuckled.

"Yes, it is exactly not the role I would have picked for myself, thank you very much." Ascha sipped from the mug of katcha as she set down her bowl, taking a seat across from Vyk.

"Well, I can't say that I was entirely displeased that it happened," Vyk jibed.

"On a more serious note, if you have one, I'm not sure what to do with this whole mess. Everything is getting a little too formal, for my tastes. It's almost like I'm back at school."

"I can't say that I was ever one that enjoyed school too much, even as a youngster. Granted, it wasn't the fun school that you got to be in, but it was a school and I wouldn't fancy going back."

"Why does that not surprise me," Ascha said.

"Honestly, though, there are definitely aspects of leadership that I do not envy. But if you need some help, I am here for it," he allowed.

"Should I believe that offer?" she asked. Vyk smiled.

"Yes, you can believe it, though I'm not sure how much help I will be," he admitted.

"Sometimes, Vyk, I can't tell if you are just a joker or if you know more than you let on." Ascha looked at him as if she were trying to figure it out.

"Maybe it's a little bit of both. I don't see why we can't enjoy life. Not everything has to be serious, even when a person does know a bit about how things are," he surmised.

"Well, if you really mean it, there is something that happened yesterday that I wouldn't mind talking about with someone. See, I went to the Soggy Oat, and I ran into someone there. It was Sister Morana. I didn't know what to think of it at first, but we got to talking. I think she doesn't like what has happened with the Kirike. I think she's ready for something else, to assist change in a different direction."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, I was going to wait for tomorrow so that I could talk with everyone about this, but I think that it might be the right time to tell her," Ascha continued.

"Tell her what, exactly?" Vyk pried further.

"To tell her about us, about the Sanctum," she answered.

Vyk took a long sip of his katcha before responding.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is something we all need to discuss together before we take any action," he concluded.

"Of course. I wouldn't do anything this big without talking with everyone. We have a moon to make a decision. I told her that I would get her some information by then, so we certainly don't need to go making any final choices now. The whole thing with Sister Morana just got me to wondering, what are we doing? I mean, what is the purpose of the Sanctum? Are we just a group that dabbles some, or should we have a larger purpose?" Ascha probed.

"Well, those questions are a little big for me to answer. Have you thought about talking to Sister Morana? I mean, if she joins, maybe she could give you some better insight into this whole thing. I'm also sure that the rest of the Sanctum might have some opinions. I guess tomorrow is going to be the beginning of a lot of discussion," he decided.

She stopped consuming her breakfast for a moment. She hadn't expected Vyk to come up with any real suggestions, but it did seem that it might actually be worth mulling over his words. Perhaps Sister Morana would have some insight. And it did seem that she might be joining their little group. Well, the group had been little. It seemed as though the Sanctum was getting bigger every day now, if not in number then certainly in concept.

After everything that had happened, Michaeyala could not be trusted to be a leader and high priestess of the Kirike, Ascha decided. She had an idea then. Maybe it was time for her to take one of her nature walks, again. She needed to think, and sometimes having nothing but the land around her was one of the best solutions.

"You are right, though. It is probably best for me to wait until I can address everyone with these issues. I think I'll be going for a hike for the rest of the day," Ascha concluded.

"Are you looking for some company?" Vyk asked.

Ascha didn't expect the question, and was perplexed by it at first. She bore a frown as she answered.

"No, I prefer to take my hikes alone," she said, automatically.

"Suit yourself," Vyk replied, though he looked hurt by the brisk answer.

***

Ascha had grabbed a couple rolls of bread and some cheese. She figured that she might not be back until later that night, and she wanted to bring something with her in case she got hungry or she wanted to make an offering. It was something she hadn't done in a long while, and it felt very good to be out on the road. She still had most of the day ahead of her. She decided she would head towards the northeast, towards the Shari forest. She figured she should be able to make it there and back, and even spend a couple hours in the forest, before night completely fell.

She didn't get out of Boran until the sun almost reached its peak for midday. It wasn't until she had left the paved road for a rocky dirt trail that she started to notice things falling away from her. She had been in the city too long, there had been too many people of late, Ascha decided. She took a deep breath. The air around her felt cleaner, or maybe it was just the lessening of the city's noises. Everything around her was mostly low brush and lots of grasses, but she was still surrounded by birdsong. She noted at least five different trills from her aerial friends. The pungent, almost heady, aroma of some cabila filled her nostrils as she brushed a plant.

Ascha could see the tree line of the Shari forest ahead of her now. She was on a trail that led by the woods. As she approached them, the trail would skirt the woods, and she would have to venture onto another path in order to enter the Shari forest itself. Ascha figured that she could make it into the near-side of the forest by just after midday. She would head back before the sun started to fall too much, and the light started to dim. Even she would get lost in so large of a forest after the fall of twilight, especially one with which she was not intimately familiar.

Ascha didn't have any specific aim when she came out on her walk. By the time she found herself in the forest, though, she found herself yearning for meditation. It did not take her very long to find a suitable clearing, a small meadow surrounded by a ring of gnarled and knobby trees.

Ascha knelt near the center of the modest meadow, grasses tickling her bare wrists. She closed her eyes, regulating her breathing as she did so. She errantly remembered a time when she scoffed at the idea of doing nothing but praying, at the thought of it being boring and absent of adventure. Now, she felt she understood why such a life would be appealing.

_This world, this world was either a mistake or curse_ , she remembered Meb's words. The wild witch's words from Ascha's youth haunted her. Ascha had seen a lot in life, maybe she had seen too much. But she wasn't ready to give up just yet. Even if this world was a mistake and did have its problems, there was something here that was still worth fixing, Ascha decided. But she would need help to fix this world. It was such a big task.

All of the fear and misguided aggression needed to be eliminated. These were the things in society that had created her wrongful conviction, something that had sent a teenaged child off to prison. Ascha almost laughed. Mistake wasn't even the half of it. And this fear and aggression seemed to be being institutionalized through the Kirike. The Kirike needed to change, and that meant that its head needed to change. Michaeyala wasn't the right leader, Ascha determined. And if fixing the problems of the world also happened to eliminate the very person that had reported on Ascha in such a way that put her in that awful prison, then so be it. It was only a small joy that Ascha got from this thought, and, she justified to herself, it was far outweighed by the good she was trying to do for all of the land of Caillte.

Now she had a better idea of what she was going to do: take down Michaeyala and cleanse the misguided ideas in the Kirike. Ascha just had to figure out how to do it.

The environment around her had almost ceased to exist, Ascha was so deep in thought. She didn't see that the sun was going to be setting soon, and that the surrounding light was getting just the slightest bit darker with each passing moment. She didn't see the faint fullness of the moon as its outline had approached its regular completion. If she had looked at any charts before she had left, she would have known that this was the time that the moon reached its fullest power, and when it was easiest to commune with the goddess Nohtin.

Her chest rose as she inhaled another breath, taking it deeply into her chest and belly simultaneously. The soft scents of the meadow grasses entered her gently. Ascha reached out with her mind. She didn't even know that she was doing it at first. Then the magickal action became more conscious. She felt the energy of the plants around her, of her own body.

_Why do you seek me?_ Ascha felt the words rather than heard them. The energy that accompanied them was immense. This was not some smaller elemental like Ascha had dealt with before. This was something more, but Ascha didn't quite know how to explain it. She just knew that it was more.

_What do you mean? Who are you?_ She asked the voice.

You do not know who I am? How odd. Most who find me have been seeking me rather intensely for some time. You would know me by my pale orbicular aspect.

It took Ascha a moment to realize that she had somehow found the goddess in her meditation. She wasn't ready for how to talk to Nohtin, but maybe this was fortuitous, Ascha decided, seeing as she needed help to complete what it was that she had determined needed to be completed.

_Nohtin, oh Profound One, I need your help,_ Ascha began.

_You humans really need to come up with some new material. You always need help. And I am hardly 'profound'. Alright, what is it that you need help with this time?_ The voice sounded annoyed.

_I need your help to fix the land of Caillte Saíocht._ The energy that accompanied the voice changed. While it was still vast and all-permeating, it seemed to change in frequency.

_Well, at least that is an altruistic goal,_ Nohtin said.

_Yes_ , Ascha continued, _The current High Priestess, Michaeyala, needs to be removed from the throne that she holds in the Kirike, so that the magick in this land can be cured._

I will credit that you are an interesting creature, and not the kind that I usually come across. I will think about your request.

Thank you, Goddess.

With that, the overwhelming energetic presence was gone, or had moved somewhere else. In any case, Ascha could no longer commune with it. She inhaled and exhaled with regularity, bringing herself slowly and gently from the trance state and back to reality. She eventually opened her eyes to the twilight around her. She had been here far longer than she had intended.

***

By the time she had gotten back to Boran, night had finished falling. Luckily, the pale light of a nearly full moon made everything brighter than it normally would have been, so Ascha was able to easily complete the trek home.

She opened the door to the tower to find Vyk sitting at the table waiting for her. It didn't look as though his eyes had left the door in some time, as they had grown slightly red along the rim.

"They have all retired. We all drew straws and I got the short one. Everyone else went to bed since it was decided that I would stay up to make sure that you got back safely," Vyk explained.

"Sorry. A discussion with Nohtin took up my time."

Vyk eyebrows raised.

"Well, I suppose that I can't complain about the company you've been keeping," he replied.

"I was just going to head straight to sleep. It looks like you could use some yourself." Ascha was looking forward to some rest after the day's activities, though she wasn't sure that sleep would find her. Regardless, she felt absolutely drained.

Vyk nodded at her suggestion, trudging off in the direction of the men's room. Ascha went the other way.

She thought everyone was asleep, but when she crawled into her bed and laid her head down, Fel rolled over in the bunk next to her.

"Is everything alright?" she mumbled more coherently than someone who had just awoken.

"Yes, everything is fine. You haven't been waiting for me to get back this whole time, have you? You needn't worry about anything, I simply had some things to figure out. I will tell you all about it in the morning. Go to sleep, Fel."

Fel seemed content with Ascha's answer, as not long after Ascha heard Fel breathing softly and regularly with sleep. Ascha wished that slumber would come as easily for her, but she found that her mind was too full to put her thoughts away. Even still, her thoughts eventually became the beginnings of dreams and sleep did claim her.

## Chapter 10 | The Dream that Came

There was a pounding. The very world itself vibrated with it. She had to keep jumping. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew.

Ascha was jumping on the heartbeat of the world.

And she had to keep jumping.

There was no light. There was no sight. She just felt everything around her. Somehow, she knew how everything was. Sight would have meant less. Everything around her was warm. It was comfortable and comforting. She didn't need sight, because nothing would hurt her here. She just needed to keep jumping.

Then there was a voice. Ascha couldn't see the woman, but she knew she was beautiful. The voice was like black raven feathers that glinted blue in the right light. It was like feeling real silk when all your skin had touched was coarse fabric for a long time. It was young and it was old.

"You found me," the voice said.

"Are you there, Mother?" Ascha asked. She didn't know why she had called the voice Mother, but it felt right to do so. So she did.

"Yes, I am here. I am always here. I am always everywhere."

"I am so alone, so lost. Can you help me?"

The Mother-voice laughed. It was a beautiful sound. If anyone else had laughed then, Ascha may have felt that she was being mocked. Not by the Mother-voice, though. There was no meanness in the sound of it.

"Help you with what? What is it that you are trying to do?" the Mother-voice asked.

Ascha thought. She asked herself what it was she was trying to do, why she needed help. It seemed so clear, so urgent, yet she found it impossible to put into words.

"I'm, I'm not sure." Ascha's voice sounded small.

"I have tried to help you, and you cannot see it."

"But so much is wrong! It needs to be different. It was all supposed to be so different!" Ascha felt like she was shouting. But somehow, all of her passion sounded like a whine.

"Child, I cannot help you anymore than I already have. Not in the task you seek. Besides, you have much anger still. You must resolve this first. I have been watching, and I will be watching. When you are ready, you will know it." With those words, the Mother-voice was gone.

Ascha awoke from her dream. It had felt so real, and so final. Now that she was awake, she knew the Mother-voice had been the goddess Nohtin, somehow. She didn't even realize it, but any thoughts of turning to Nohtin had been cut off in that moment. Ascha no longer held any hope for finding a solution through 'higher' means. Ascha was alone. She would have to find an answer by herself. She couldn't plan on 'maybes' and unknowns.

It was time for the Kirike to give way to the Sanctum. Details were the only parts left to fill out the future of Caillte Saíocht.

## Part II  
Sanctum Rises

## Chapter 11 | Unlikely Propositions

"Hello, everyone," Ascha addressed the Sanctum as they sat around the table, eating their breakfast. "It seems that we have rather a lot to go over, so let me begin. I know this may not be a popular idea, but I think it is something we should discuss. Sister Morana is not happy with the current direction in which the Kirike is progressing. I think she would be an asset if she joined our ranks here at the Sanctum."

Celea spewed katcha on Kian as she had just taken a sip, and he was sitting beside her. People really need to be more careful when drinking, Ascha thought.

"I'm sorry, what now? You want to invite the Kirike into the front door?" Kian asked, wiping the droplets from his face while Celea still regained her breath. He seemed unperturbed by the fact that the rest of her vomitus display had found the front of his shift, which was now caramel-colored and soaked.

"I didn't think that the idea would be very popular. Well, yes, to answer your question Kian, sort of. I think that Sister Morana brings a lot of experience in magick instruction with her. She also sees the issues with the current Kirike institution, and would like to see it go in a different direction before it becomes too oppressive, if it hasn't already. She really has a close look at what is happening by being at T'Sala Un Sung. But this isn't something that we have to decide on today. I told her that I would give her an answer when Nohtin wears the same face again."

"So, let me get this right, we have one month to decide on whether or not we want a viper in our nest? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm pretty sure that I can give you a decision right now." Celea didn't sound as though she would be changing her mind any time soon. Ascha wondered if one moon's time would be long enough.

"Right, well, I think that it could be very good for us. But I do think that it is something we should all think about and discuss with others. I think it goes without saying that secrecy is important, and that we should only discuss it with other members of the Sanctum. On a different note, I would also like to discuss the matter of the Tome of Reckoning. Its current place of resting under Vyk's bunk did well for the Kirike inspection, and I think will do well temporarily. However, I don't think that it provides a permanent resting place. We need to formalize it. I was thinking of creating something along the lines of maybe some enchantment that would make the door to the room where we keep it appear solid. This would allow it to be guarded by the casting, but also provide the protection of misdirection. Sometimes one's own mind can prove the most effective defense." The members all nodded. They needed a concrete task on which they could all agree. Ascha was glad that the Tome was something that she could set as a priority for everyone.

"I guess that makes us some sort of 'castguards'," Fel joked.

"I suppose it does," Ascha continued, grateful for the insertion of some levity, "Kian, you, Vyk, Fial and Celea, can you start on the design and construction of the wall?" They all nodded, glad that the speeches were done, for the moment. "Wonderful, that leaves research and casting of the enchantment for Narim, Fel and myself. Right, let's all take a short break and then meet back here to start on our tasks."

"I don't know about the rest of you, but with all of that food for thought, I'm going to take a walk." Most of the group took Fel up on her invitation. Ascha wasn't sure that she would be the most welcome companion at the moment, so she stayed behind. Vyk relaxed deeper into his seat.

"It sounds as though there will be a lot of physical labor in my near-future, so I don't really fancy a walk at the moment," he answered Ascha's unspoken question.

Only Vyk and Ascha were left at the table. Ascha shook her head, massaging her forehead with her fingers.

"That good, huh?" Vyk asked.

She laughed dryly.

"I guess it could have been worse," Ascha admitted.

"Yeah, at least no one threw anything. Did you see Celea's face when you mentioned bringing Morana into the Sanctum, though? It turned down-right pink." Vyk laughed at the scene as it replayed in his mind.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing, then, that I didn't propose everything at once," she told Vyk.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I think Sister Morana should join us, yes. But I don't think that she should leave T'Sala or the Kirike."

Vyk let out a low whistle.

"Yeah, Celea is going to love that one," he agreed, once he had finished his whistle.

"Things need to change, though. People shouldn't be so afraid about the misuse of magick through improper training, nor should they be afraid of the institution that enforces magick's use. I know that it's a difficult challenge to strike that balance, but I think that it's something that the Sanctum can help do. I mean, with the help of the incredible knowledge in that tome. If we're careful, maybe we can just do this." Vyk stared at Ascha.

"You say that sometimes I surprise you, but I can certainly say that the feeling is mutual. This leadership thing might just suit you."

Ascha smiled, looking away from Vyk.

"Do you think it might work, Vyk?"

"Well, I'm certain that the road ahead will be hard, but I will follow you. Even if it leads to a rocky bit, I think the road on the other side would be worth it. Enough of this serious talk now. We should be taking a break."

"You're right." Ascha tipped her mug upside-down as a response, indicating that she needed to make a refill.

## Chapter 12 | Engagements

"To the upcoming festivities," Fel toasted. They were all at the Soggy Oat again, and they found themselves with much to celebrate. Fial and Narim had come out about their relationship, and this news was only eclipsed by Celea and Kian's announcement about their wedding.

"Thank you, Fel. Everyone better be there," Kian said once they had all set their mugs back on the table after the toast. Vyk drank longer than everyone else's, and there was a noticeable _thud_ as he set his mug down while Kian was talking.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Ascha agreed.

"That raises a question, when do you think you will have the ceremony?" Narim asked them.

"Oh, Kian and I haven't had too much of an opportunity to plan, but it looks like we might be waiting to do something next spring. We don't want to do anything too large: just something simple and with few guests," Celea explained.

"Well, you can count on any of us," Fel offered.

Fel and Celea wandered into animated conversation, presumably about wedding plans.

"So, Kian," Vyk clapped his friend on the shoulder, "I have to say congratulations on getting that one. Celea really is a good catch. But I also have to warn you, marriage has ruined more than one passably good man. Are you ready for the challenge?"

Kian couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I don't think I could back out now even if I wanted." Kian joked, taking another gulp off of his flagon. He looked down into his mug as he swallowed. "I really have to ask how they make this brew." It was either the joy of the moment or the effects of the brew, but Kian did seem to be happier than usual.

Ascha sat at the far end of the table. She was looking at her rather empty mug.

"Excuse me a moment," Vyk told Kian, who turned to Fial and proceeded to outpour his mutual excitement and nervousness at his eventual commitment.

"Deep in thought, I see," Vyk said, as he slid closer to Ascha.

She smiled faintly.

"More like trying not to think," she replied. "Sorry, I don't mean to spoil the moment. Congratulations to the happy couple!" she exclaimed, raising her empty mug. Celea, Fial, Narim, Fel and Kian reflected the motion.

"Oh come now. I've been through enough ups and downs in love to recognize when someone else has done the same. All this joy is making you think about a past lost love, isn't it?" Vyk asked, his voice not overly loud so that no one else would come in on their conversation.

"Is it really that obvious?" Ascha asked.

"Not to everyone else. You don't have anything to worry about."

"That's good." Ascha nodded, looking down at her mug.

"No need to tell me his name. Can I get you a refill?" Vyk asked.

Ascha bobbed her head with ascent. Vyk took her mug up to the bar, disappearing for a moment. Once he had left she muttered her response.

"Irzo."

She smiled as Vyk came back with her full mug.

"Ah, thanks," She said, taking it from him.

That was when Narim came by them. She pressed something cylindrical and cool to the touch into each of their hands. Ascha recognized the energy manipulation tool right away, she just didn't expect the gift of the wand. When she looked at it closer, she could see the letters _Ascha N'Dreyid_ etched finely into the silver handle.

"Fial and I were talking, and we thought they would make nice gifts for everyone. They can help us further and deepen our studies of the magickal arts," Narim clarified.

"Wait, are these wands? I've never had one of those before. I mean, I've heard things, about their power and whatnot..." Vyk stared at the silver rod in his hand.

"Power, yes, but I don't think that you are quite thinking of what they actually do. They're good for directing and allowing you to better visualize energy, but they don't take all of the effort out of magick. There are plenty of legends and folklore that say otherwise, but they're just stories," Ascha laughed as she explained. She turned to Narim, "Thank you, it's very thoughtful. I hope that you and Fial didn't go to too much work for us."

"It wasn't too much work at all," Narim answered, "I thought it might also be a nice symbol for those of us who are members of the Sanctum. I'm sure that you've used them before, Ascha, but some of us might be new to the concept of using wands for energy direction and manipulation. I thought it might be a good idea if we held a class or something so everyone can understand the basics."

"That sounds like a grand idea. Do you feel comfortable leading such a class, I mean, with the material and everything?" Ascha asked. "After all, you did make these, so I figure you must at least have an intermediate level of knowledge."

"I should be," Narim mused.

"Well, consider it a plan. Once we have finished with the enchantment for the other thing, then I think it would be wonderful. I don't want anybody misusing these because they don't know what they are doing," Ascha concluded.

Narim smiled in agreement.

## Chapter 13 | Lingering Liaisons

"Thank you everyone, for coming to this meeting," Ascha began. The Sanctum members were all sitting around the table on the main floor again. "It has already been half a month, and we need to make a decision about Sister Morana. I know it might not be the most appealing thing to think about, but now that we have finished the planning to better secure the Tome, we really need to come to a final decision. Also, if I'm to have the time to travel to T'Sala and deliver our verdict, it would better for us to make our decision now."

"I think it should be anonymous, like how we decided on a leader for the Sanctum," Celea suggested as soon as it was clear that Ascha had finished talking for the moment.

"Yes, I think we could all go with a vote. Should we decide it with over half? If four of the votes go either way, yea or nay, then we go with that decision?" Fel wondered.

"Well, a vote sounds like a good idea to me. Fel, could you set another one up? I would like to get this decision made before the day is out, so that I know what message I will be delivering," Ascha said.

Kian's brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry, but did you say that you will be going to T'Sala personally?" he asked.

"Yes, Kian, I will," Ascha replied.

"I suppose I didn't catch that before. Am I the only one concerned that we are sending the leader of our explicitly disallowed organization into one of the hearts of the Kirike?" Kian pondered. "I mean, it didn't go so well the last time we went to T'Sala Un Sung, as I am sure we all recall."

"Well, I think that the vote is a good idea, and yes, Ascha, I can set one up so that we have a decision by the close of the day. I also think that Kian brings up a valid point: we can't just let you walk in there, you might never walk out. However, I also understand that old Saith members can't be seen consorting together, even as the Sanctum. So I propose something else. I think that we should send some people with you as guards. If you wait a couple more days before you leave, Narim can get some more wand training in, and then we can make sure that you have casting guards to go with you," Fel determined.

Ascha looked around the table.

"I can see by your faces, that there is not much point in my protesting that I don't need casting guards to go with me. I suppose that means that I will be waiting another couple of days after we make the decision before I depart, so that we can be ready. Can I leave it up to you lot to figure out who will go with me and who will stay?" Ascha asked.

"I think we can figure that part out," Fel said, smiling. She looked to everyone else. "Volunteers?"

Kian, Vyk, and Celea were the first to raise their fingers in a sign of ascent. Fel turned back to Ascha.

"I think three and myself are more than enough. Anymore, and the whole Sanctum would be going with you and no one would be left behind to man the Tower," Fel established.

"Well," Narim faced Fial, "it appears as though we will be getting some alone time." Seeing Fial blush made everyone else feel as awkward as he looked. Fel cleared her throat in an attention-getting and un-ladylike manner.

"Well then, let's start getting everything set up for the vote. Celea, if you want to stay behind and help me get everything ready, the rest of you, meet back here after a finger of sun?"

"Sure. I suppose I will head down to the Soggy Oat for some fare. Did you want me to bring anything back from the tavern for you and Celea?" Kian asked.

"I'd love one of their travel hand-pies. Same for you, Celea?" Celea nodded in response to Fel's question.

"Thank you for saying hand-pies. I still won't call them ostrum, no matter how they are marketed. As far as I'm concerned, if you can buy it, it's not ostrum." Most of Kian's rants were food-related, as was this one that they had heard many times before. Not being a matter of life or death made the rants easier to have around on a regular basis. Such passion over something so quotidian actually made them somewhat comical.

***

Fel was counting the votes. It had gone rather well, civilly at the least. She counted them again, to be sure that the result she had determined was correct.

"She's in," Fel addressed the group, "Sister Morana will be offered membership into the Sanctum." Celea crossed her arms and huffed. She didn't appear to be trying to hide the fact that her vote and opinion were not the overwhelming ones.

"Well, I'm glad that is concluded," Ascha began. "Though, I would like to add, for everyone's knowledge that Sister Morana's invitation to the Sanctum will not be without conditions. First, I want her to procure and offer something for the Sanctum to show her loyalty. There are many items of value at T'Sala, but I was thinking particularly about the Cube of Power. Secondly, I want her to remain at T'Sala under the guise of still upholding the Kirike." Ascha raised her hand as several people tried to respond. "There is a reason that I say this. It could prove quite valuable to have an inside person, and we need to know what the Kirike is thinking. It would be even better if we could influence their actions. Sister Morana's relatively high position within their scheme provides this for us. I think we would be remiss to overlook such an opportunity."

***

They had been on the road for a full day. It had been a gray and weary day, as though the clouds in the sky were mirroring the general sentiment of the group. When Ascha, Fel, Celea, Vyk and Kian broke camp, they knew that they would be reaching T'Sala today. It only took a day and a half to travel to T'Sala by foot, and only a day if it was by beast-drawn carriage. The small party had decided that it would be prudent to split up after they broke camp with the dawn. It was best if Ascha's protectors were not seen in her company, especially when entering enemy territory. _It was so odd how things changed_ , Ascha mused. There was once a time when she considered this land the closest thing she'd had to a home.

The land from here until Valona was unfortunately rather barren. They had made camp in an area that was almost completely clear grassland, only barely out-of-sight from the road. The party had debated avoiding the road, and cutting through country, but that would have required them to add more time than they wished to voyage through part of the Shari forest and over hills. Using the road also limited the chance of getting lost.

So, it was decided that they would use the road that ran alongside the N'Sea river, but camp off of the road in case there were too many prying eyes that might recognize members. Right now, they were just after the fork in the road. The west fork would have taken them to the Bay of Renaan, but by taking the east fork they were heading towards Valona, and after that, T'Sala. Brush-land, and the scant cover that such a landscape provided, wouldn't pick up really until after Valona. Because of this, Ascha decided to go ahead alone, while her entourage would follow separately after her. They could travel over land, and off of the road, once they were beyond Valona. They only hoped that it would be a short enough distance that they wouldn't get lost as the terrain got more flora.

"I think it goes without saying, but be safe on the road and in your dealings, Ascha," Fel said, clasping her friend's hand as she made to leave before the rest.

"I will," Ascha bowed her head, almost moving in to give her friend a hug, but instead gripping her hand more tightly.

"Yes, be safe out there," Vyk echoed Fel's sentiment.

Ascha looked up at the sky. It didn't look any more cheerful than the day before. If anything, the clouds had gotten denser and looked more threatening. Ascha just hoped they didn't rain, though she wasn't willing to lay any wagers against that by the look of things.

"Once you are done in there, we will all be waiting for you," Celea began briefing in her usual practical manner. "Though it won't be safe for us to be seen with you, we will be following up until the walls of T'Sala Un Sung. How long should we wait before we attempt a rescue?"

"Rescue? Well, I certainly hope that it won't come to that," Ascha responded, then sighed at the unfortunate possibility before her. "Oh, give me a couple of days in there before making any assumptions. After I get out _unscathed_ we'll meet back here. Since you lot are following me, you'll have eyes on me so that you will know when I depart the school. I would say that we could meet in Valona afterward, but who knows who's watching these days."

Celea nodded curtly as a sign of contentment and understanding. Ascha turned from her companions, and headed towards the road to T'Sala.

The walk was longer, now that she was alone and didn't have anyone to chat with. She actually found herself appreciative of the weather's inability to decide to rain; the unexpectedness of it all rather kept her guessing and kept her mind engaged. One moment it would start to drizzle lightly, then the next would be completely clear. She even had to cover her head with the hood of her cloak at one point as the rain came down in a torrent for a few moment. Because of laziness, she decided to just leave it up once the rain relented its shower again. If the shower had been any more thorough, though, she would have had to put the hood back down because the wool would have been soaked through. As it was, it was only wet on the outside, so she wasn't sporting wet cloth on her head when she left her hood up. She hoped it wouldn't rain that hard again for the rest of the trip to T'Sala. She didn't know how much more her cloak would take before she would start getting drenched.

Valona was a lot closer than she had expected. It was only moments before she passed through the town. She was glad that she had packed provisions for the hike, because she hadn't wanted to make a stop in Valona for food. Besides, it was still early yet and she really hadn't worked up an appetite. She didn't like to eat until she had been awake and moving for a little while, anyways.

Once she could no longer see Valona when she looked behind her on the road, she rummaged around in her satchel to find one of the hand-pies she had brought from Soggy Oat.

It was shortly after Ascha had finished her hand-pie that she could see T'Sala growing on the horizon before her. As she got closer she could recognize the gate. The smaller man-sized door inside the gate was shut. As before, only the viewing-slot was open, though Ascha only saw this as she got within talking distance. There was another new addition. Two tall individuals stood on either side of the gate. They were clad in some sort of uniform that Ascha didn't recognize, and matching helms of the soft yellow gleam that denotes gold adorned their heads. It was not until Ascha began to approach the man-door that one of them spoke.

"Stop right there, that's close enough." The voice that echoed from behind its helmet was devoid of gender or emotion, but its command was simple and strident. It seemed that the owner of the voice was very used to his or her commands being followed.

Ascha stopped. She saw a pair of eyes look through the slot in the gate.

"State your business," an oddly lilting and familiar voice stated.

"Ylen? Is that you? I just came back for a visit. I wanted to see some old friends." This answer seemed to satisfy the gate-keeper, and he opened the man-door.

"I thought that form in the distance was familiar," the small fellow with the odd gait commented after he had closed the door again behind her. He stood little taller than her elbow. Were it not for the weathering on his face and in his croaking voice, he could be taken for a child by his slight frame.

"Is Brother Tiam here?" She knew the answer, but asked anyways to see the response to the question.

"You know him. He has sandy hair," she offered when he didn't respond.

Ylen fumbled with an imaginary trinket in his hands and his gaze met the ground, but only for a brief moment before he clasped his arms behind his back and looked her in the eyes as he responded.

"I regret to inform you that Brother Tiam is not available for the time being. Is there anyone else here that I can escort you to, Mistress Ascha?" he asked.

"Oh, that really is too bad," Ascha let the disappointment show on her face. "Well, if he is not available, then perhaps I could visit with one of my old teachers. Is Sister Morana around?"

Ylen's demeanor brightened at the mention of the Sister's name.

"Why yes, of course, let me take you to her," he offered joyfully. He began to trot towards the main hall, and Ascha followed. The sky started to cry faint tears in a light rain again as they made their way, encouraging Ascha to pull her cloak more tightly against her sides as she walked behind Ylen. She glanced behind her to see the gate. Someone had taken Ylen's post already, without being bidden. Everything seemed as though it were being watched very closely.

They approached the main hall to find more sentries standing on either side of its massive doors. Ylen addressed them, his tone taking on a formality that chilled Ascha.

"To see Sister Morana," was all the little man said and the sentries opened the doors for them. Truly, only one of the doors needed to be opened in order to allow both of them easy passage, but the sentries seemed to feel it necessary to open both doors. Ascha could feel the heat of the inside rush against them. Once the two of them had passed through, the doors were closed behind them, thudding with a definition that made Ascha wish she were not alone in here.

Sister Morana rounded a corner.

"Oh, hello, Ascha," she exclaimed, almost running into her as she was looking down at a stack of papers. She flushed slightly. "I'll take it from here Ylen, thank you."

"Thank you," Ascha muttered as Ylen turned to leave.

"Well, you have fortuitous timing. I was about to break for a late lunch. Would you join me, Ascha?" Sister Morana asked. The request sounded normal enough, but somehow Ascha felt that Sister Morana was holding something back.

"Of course." Ascha hoped that she would get a chance to deliver her verdict to the Sister quickly, and that she could safely exit this place.

Ascha followed Sister Morana. The halls were silent, even as they passed several people. Ascha recognized the halls they traversed, recollecting that they were headed towards one of the staff's rooms. It was odd. Ascha couldn't remember ever having been inside one of the staff's chamber's before.

"I hope you don't mind eating in my quarters." Sister Morana's apology was very polite and prim.

"It shouldn't be a problem." Ascha remembered that she wasn't likely to see Brother Tiam in the large common room regardless. Private chambers should suit the purpose of her journey perfectly.

Once they had arrived at Sister Morana's personal rooms and had both entered, the Sister closed the door behind them. She stood for a moment at the door, holding her hand on it. Turning to Ascha, she gestured at a chair.

"Please, sit," she offered. There were two chairs by a small table.

"Sister Morana, it is good to see you. Are you in good health?" Ascha asked, taking the seat that was offered her. Sister Morana smiled in response, swallowing before she answered vocally.

"Technically, yes."

"Well," Ascha began, then looked around the room before continuing, "is it safe to talk in here?"

"As safe as any place in this accursed school is anymore," she answered. Ascha did not bother to try and hide her surprise as it registered on her face.

"I thought you would always love this school," Ascha responded bluntly.

"No matter how much we love something, it can still change. And T'Sala certainly has."

"Well then, I doubt you will like what I have come to say. I come bearing both good and bad news." The weary expression on Sister Morana's face deepened. "The good news is that the Sanctum is willing to accept you as a member."

"That gives me the first hope that I have felt in too long. Leaving this place is something that has become an ever-increasing motif of my dreams."

"I'm so sorry for what I'm about to say, then. The Sanctum needs you to stay here."

The faint embers that had been growing in Sister Morana's eyes since she had seen Ascha died. Her face looked barren of emotion.

"Of course. It would have been too much to hope to leave."

"We just, we need you to be our eyes and ears here. Everything that you said when I ran into you at the tavern, everything about making a real change in how all of Caillte sees magick, you were right. But to change those things, we need to know what the Kirike is doing." Sister Morana put her aging hand on Ascha's, quelling her words.

"You don't need to tell me: you are right. To make those changes, I must be here. Is there anything else that I can do?"

"I wish that I could say 'no', and that this sacrifice were enough. But the Sanctum needs something else as a show of loyalty. The Sanctum needs an artifact that is housed here at T'Sala." Sister Morana nodded at Ascha's words.

"It seems that we have found ourselves in beds made of snakes." Ascha closed her eyes against Sister Morana's words. "It's alright. I just never thought that I would see a day where I would become a thief."

"I take no pleasure in asking such a deed of a good woman, but I cannot extend the offer of Sanctum membership without something in return." Ascha made deliberate eye contact with Sister Morana as she spoke. "Perhaps the Cube of Power?"

Sister Morana snorted. It was the closest thing to a laugh that Ascha had heard from her for some time.

"That is far too well-guarded. I could not get near it, let alone make it out of here with the Cube alive." She paused for a moment, "Maybe the Sanctum could accept something that is still a very powerful artifact, but that I could find a way to slip away with?"

"Perhaps, what did you have in mind?" Ascha asked.

"The Mantle of Boran," Sister Morana answered.

Ascha tilted her head quizzically, encouraging her old teacher to explain more about the piece.

"The Mantle of Boran has been enchanted and imbued with great runic magick. It is an art that very few—if any—still know, which makes it not only a valuable but also a very unique piece. The mantle has the ability to sense innate magickal power in a person when it is donned. It then elicits an incredible musical tone. The more palpable the tone, the more magickal power it senses." Sister Morana had fallen back into the narrative of a natural-born teacher.

"And you could secure this for the Sanctum?"

"I believe so. Give me a few days and I can sneak into Valona, if there is someone who can meet me there."

"That should be something that we can arrange. Let's say the day after tomorrow we can meet at the inn, the Triquetra, to make the exchange."

They set the details for the transfer. They also decided that they would need a way to continue communication between Sister Morana and the Sanctum for her to be useful in her capacity at T'Sala. It was something that Ascha concluded to discuss with the other Sanctum members, and go over the minutia with Sister Morana at the exchange in Valona.

## Chapter 14 | Small Town Charm

Ascha left T'Sala feeling the worse for wear. Meeting with Sister Morana had been a mixed affair, and the emotions it had drummed up were less than settling. When she left, the dusk was only barely starting to darken the sky. She had insisted that she begin the journey back home, and that she could make it to Valona to spend the night. It would be a very brisk pace she would have to set, but Ascha didn't intend on spending a night outside by herself, nor did she fancy remaining at T'Sala longer than she had to stay.

She had eaten enough food to fill her belly well before she left, and they had given her some bread for the road, so at least she didn't have to worry about that. Ascha looked at the pale orb that Nohtin cast as she hovered on the horizon. Ascha figured that she could make Valona before the moon came into her full brilliance for the night, especially if she jogged. She could be most of the way there before the light of day was even completely gone. Besides, Ascha probably had unseen protectors lurking about in the shadows around her. She didn't know if she should smile at the thought. Somehow, it made her feel uneasy. She hoped that the shadows around her only hid her friends.

***

By the time that she did finally arrive at Valona, there was hardly any difference between the dark of the air around her and the deeper shadows cast by buildings and other things. There was only one choice of inn in the town of which Ascha was aware. Considering the size of Valona, it was probably the only inn at all, regardless of Ascha's knowledge. The Triquetra was a rather humble place with a small number of rooms, and given to the passage of many traveling students and teachers. Ascha just hoped that they had an open room for the night, which was a significant possibility since nothing particularly special was going on at the school currently.

"Ah, you're lucky," a round and warm woman told Ascha as she entered the Triquetra. "I was about to lock up for the night.

"You'll be wanting a room, I suppose?"

"Yes, please," Ascha replied.

The rotund woman held out a key.

"It will be upstairs, second door on your left." The woman gestured to sign behind her where the price for the room for a night was scrawled in chalk. "That okay by you?"

Ascha nodded, putting the sum on the counter.

"Just the one night then. Well, here you are." She handed Ascha the key. "We don't serve any food or breakfast here, like in those fancy larger inns that also have a tavern. From the looks of you, you're from the south, but we don't have none of that here. Small, and we like it that way, if you want something to eat or quench, that'd be the pub down the street that you want. Called Old Kin's."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Ascha replied, though she could hardly consider Boran to be 'from the south'. She was likely going to be back on the road before breakfast would normally have been available, anyways. She trudged up to her room.

Once she arrived, she closed the door behind her, locking it out of habit. She had been in Boran for so long that even when she was in a small town it would have been odd for her to leave the door unlocked. It was still a strange place, after all.

A pitcher and basin perched on a petite washstand near the modest bed. Ascha walked over to it gratefully. She didn't realize how much she missed being able to keep herself clean. It didn't take her long to get as tidy and neat as the small room that she occupied. She readied herself for sleep then tried not to think too much about the less-than-pleasant aspects of her rendezvous with Sister Morana. All-in-all, she decided it had gone rather well. She would be meeting with the rest of her group in the morning, before they would have had a chance to worry. She had secured a new member of the Sanctum. If things went her way, Sister Morana would not be stuck at T'Sala for long. Ascha fell asleep playing with dreams of a brighter future, where there was hope and love and magick was only respectfully used, and never feared.

## Chapter 15 | Plans

Ascha woke early. She was eager to meet her comrades, and departed before the first light. They had much to discuss, such as how they were going to make the exchange with Sister Morana for the Mantle of Boran, or how they would set up a reliable manner of communication, so as to best make use of Sister Morana's position. Ascha found herself hoping against the ridiculous notion that Sister Morana might make use of such a system for misinformation. She quickly pushed the misgivings aside, convincing herself that if Sister Morana had wanted to use such a position against the Sanctum, she never would have asked for membership, as all of them would already likely have been detained. After all, she had been wishing to leave T'Sala, hadn't she?

The sun was just breaking the dawn as Ascha made it to the place of their previous camp, and the agreed-upon rendezvous point.

"Kian just had to stop in Valona to pick something up," Celea noted as Ascha came into her view. Fel and Vyk were already in the camp.

"Did everything go well? It seems that you didn't even need the few days, since we are seeing you already. I hope that means good things," Fel commented.

Ascha nodded in response. It was nice that they were pretending not to know that she had already left T'Sala Un Sung.

"Yes, it all went well. It looks as though the Sanctum will have a new member. Sister Morana will be bringing the Mantle of Boran to us. We had to settle on something other than the Cube of Power. Once Kian gets back, we have a few details that we need to hash out," Ascha replied.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to get out of that place safely," Vyk said. He held out a canteen to Ascha. She gratefully took a swig. Surprisingly, it was devoid of flavor.

"What is this, Vyk?" Ascha asked, staring down with a confused expression at the canteen.

"Don't you know plain water when you taste it?"

Ascha was saved from having to acknowledge Vyk's question with a response as Kian arrived at that very moment.

"Stopped in town to grab some more bread rolls," he answered the unspoken question. He tossed a couple to each of the members. "I didn't see the point in any of us being hungry on the way home."

"Thanks," Vyk said, catching his in mid-air before stowing it in his pack.

"So, you said that we had a few things that we needed to figure out?" Fel asked, turning to Ascha.

"Oh yes, now that we are all here. We will be meeting Sister Morana tomorrow at the Triquetra in Valona to make the exchange for the Mantle of Boran, and officially secure her place in the Sanctum as a member. But before we make that exchange, we all need to come up with a way for Sister Morana to report to us since she will be staying at T'Sala for the time being," Ascha explained.

"Only one of us should go to the exchange," Celea noted.

"I was thinking the same thing, which is why I think that we need to figure out all of the details for the communication system we are going to set up now," Ascha agreed.

"I'll go," Vyk offered.

"Thanks for volunteering, but we still need to figure out what all we are doing," Ascha smiled at Vyk's enthusiasm.

"Well, we just need someone to go to the inn tomorrow, get the Mantle from Morana, and tell her how to contact us, right?" Vyk summed it all.

"That made it sound simple." Kian couldn't help but smile a little as he spoke.

"Seriously, though, how is she going to contact us? I mean, keeping someone here is a definite risk." Ascha had to bring them back to the problem at-hand.

"Kian and I could work together on it. I mean, we are getting married and all. It's pretty standard for a husband and wife to be in the same place." Kian nodded as Celea made the offer.

"I like it; that might work. One of you could stay here at the Triquetra, and the other could make the trip back to Boran, say, once during each one of Nohtin's faces?" Ascha clarified.

"So, four times in a month, one of us would go back to the Tower of Boran and report back? That sounds feasible," Kian commented.

"Alright, so then Vyk, it looks like you are telling Sister Morana that she will be meeting with Kian and Celea once every phase of the moon at the Triquetra in Valona. Let's set it up so that they have a standard room there." It was times like this that Ascha was glad that Narim and the small fortune she kept with her were in the Sanctum. Sometimes being a rebellious child of a wealthy family must have its advantages.

"Are we all agreed that this is the best way forward?" Ascha asked, looking in turn to each one of the present members.

"It seems the best option," Fel commented, as each of the others nodded in agreement.

"That sounds simple enough. Consider it done," Vyk stated.

"Great, you'll leave in the morning." Ascha was glad that the decisions went fairly simply.

## Chapter 16 | Exchanging Hands

When Vyk arrived at the Triquetra the next morning, he asked for a room. After giving the stout woman her due figure, he informed her that a lady from the school would be stopping by for him, and he asked her to please show her up to his room. The woman raised her brows but said nothing, nodding in ascent. Vyk winked at her, then headed to his room, hoping that he wouldn't have to wait too long.

He turned back to the innkeeper.

"Can I get a pint of brew from you?"

"Do you see a bar? Sorry, we don't serve here," she answered curtly.

Vyk looked at her pleadingly.

"Oh fine, I'll see if I can rummage something up in the back. But don't leave, I won't be delivering anything. Don't go expecting room service." She pointed at him with a vehemence before grumbling her way into the back room.

She returned carrying a mug of something frothy. Shoving it into Vyk's hand, she continued sharply.

"Here you are, and don't be asking for any food. I already checked, we don't have any extra back there."

"Thank you. Do you have a name?"

"Karryl. You can call me Karryl."

"Thank you, Karryl, for helping me pass the time a little more happily while I wait." Vyk took a sip from the mug.

Karryl snorted in response before saying, "You're welcome."

Vyk climbed the roughly-hewn staircase and entered the door to his room. He left it open and sat on the edge of the bed. The curtain on the room's singular window had been brushed aside, allowing the humble accommodations to be illuminated. He glanced out the window at the height of the sun.

A knock sounded on the open door.

Vyk turned his head. Sister Morana had kept Vyk from waiting very long.

"What was your name again?" she asked.

"Vyk."

"May I come in, Vyk?"

"Of course." He gestured to the simple wooden chair in the corner. It seemed that the piece was also meant to serve as a night-stand in this room. Sister Morana took a seat, while holding something carefully in her hands. Vyk presumed that it was the Mantle of Boran. He stood up from the edge of the bed and closed the door, before taking his seat again.

"So, I guess that you are now my co-worker," Sister Morana attempted to chide.

"I guess that's right," Vyk stated, taking the last drink off of his mug before he placed the empty mug on the floor beside him.

"Here it is," Sister Morana said, handing Vyk the precious bundle. He took it from her and carefully stowed it in his pack.

"Well, I suppose that makes it official now. You are one of us. Are you ready to be an outcast? Unloved by society?" Vyk asked.

"I haven't been loved in a very long time," she chuckled. Vyk smiled wryly.

"You probably want to know the details about how we are going to keep in touch with you. Kian and Celea will get a standing room here. On the last day of each of the four phases of the moon, you will meet them in these rooms for your report and so that we know you are doing well and still alive, and all that. Does that all sound doable to you?"

"Yes. I really can't think of anything that you haven't covered, yet. I'll let Kian and Celea know if I have anything come up that needs to be worked out," she said.

"Right, then, I guess I shall be on my way. I don't want to keep everyone waiting, and I'm sure that the less you are missed, the better."

"Quite right, dear boy. I should be on my way," Sister Morana agreed. She followed Vyk out the door of his room.

As they left Vyk handed Karryl the emptied mug.

"Thanks again. I won't be needing the room for the night, but here's the coin for a night's stay."

"Well, that was quick," Karryl commented, looking from the empty mug to Vyk and then to Sister Morana, her eyebrows raising higher each time her glance changed.

Vyk laughed.

"Yes, I am well-known for draining my drinks with speed and style. Oh," he turned back to her, as he had been making to leave, "I also wanted to let you know that I two of my friends will be here shortly. They will be needing to book a standing room with you. They will be rather obvious: a young couple, very much in love and heading for nuptial bliss. They will be traveling by the names Kian and Celea."

Karryl's face made a close approximation of a smile, before returning to its more usual dour countenance.

"Well," Vyk said, turning to Sister Morana and offering her his bent elbow, "Shall we?"

She took his arm as graciously as though she regularly had gentlemen callers offer her their, and they exited the small inn. Once they left the Triquetra, Sister Morana and Vyk cordially nodded to each other, and then separated to go their opposite paths: Sister Morana in the direction of T'Sala Un Sung, and Vyk to meet up with his companions south of Valona.

## Chapter 17 | Different Ways

Ascha heard the whistling before she saw him. It was a light tune, as though the air itself had found a way to sing.

Vyk crested the small hill to their encampment, swinging his pack off of his shoulder as he did so. Celea rushed to snatch the pack from him, and was quick to thrust her hands in to search for the relic. With as much reverence as the speed of her motions would allow her, she pulled the Mantle of Boran from its place of safe-keeping. She gingerly unwrapped the light muslin cloth that provided the Mantle its scant protection, revealing the brilliant blue stole beneath.

"They say they found a way to use actual silver to make the thread. It doesn't use a plant fiber at all: just the metal. I never thought I'd be setting my hands on this. It's absolutely incredible." When she spoke, Celea sounded as though she wasn't talking to those around her, but instead reciting a memory.

Kian knelt beside her and placed a hand lovingly on the Mantle, before retracting it swiftly. He looked over at Celea, and she at him. She couldn't help but release a small giggle.

"Okay, that's enough admiration," Ascha broke apart the moment of wonder. "Celea, wrap that back up and return it to Vyk's pack. We need to start our way back to the Tower of Boran. Celea, you and Kian need to head to the Triquetra in Valona and set up the accommodations. After everything is set, why don't one of you come back to the Tower to let us know that everything is good?"

"Aye-aye, Madam Ascha," Kian replied with mock formality.

"We really should be going, though," Fel agreed, looking at the angle of the sun. "We have a bit of road ahead of us before we get home."

"I told the innkeeper at the Triquetra to expect you, so it should all go rather smoothly," Vyk said.

Fel helped Celea stand up once she had finished stowing the Mantle of Boran in Vyk's pack, then swung her into a brief hug. "You take care of yourself, and that Kian fellow."

"Of course," she responded, turning with Kian to head towards Valona.

Fel and Ascha had already packed up the rest of the camp and were ready to head back to Boran.

"Do you have everything Vyk?" Ascha asked him.

"Yep, it's all in the pack," he replied. Hiking the straps of his pack higher on his shoulders, he continued, "So, seeing that my company will be rather feminine on the trip home, I guess we'll have to lay some ground rules for conversation." Sometimes the things that came out of Vyk's mouth made Ascha wonder, and maybe encourage gravity to pull harder on him, too. She sidled closer to Fel unconsciously, afraid of what he would say next.

"Well with that kind of attitude, I'm not sure that we need to talk at all. Silence seems a welcome companion, especially in lieu of certain company," Fel rebuked before Ascha had a chance to do so.

"Oh, you are so funny Fel." Vyk affected a laugh before continuing in a more serious tone, "But really, we'll likely get somewhat bored on our trip, and there are certain things I'd prefer not to talk in depth about, such as the merits or lack of merits that belong to my gender."

"You mean to say, we'll avoid talking about something by talking about it in the first place? That doesn't sound like it has anything to do with men, but with a lack of ability to refrain from that subject matter on your part. You must be thinking an awful lot about the differences between men and women, if it's the first thing you bring up," Fel pointed out.

"So, how do think Narim and Fial will react when we return to the Tower without Kian and Celea?" Vyk said, quickly changing the topic after his line of attack backfired on him. Fel smiled.

"Hopefully no one will go throwing themselves from any heights before we can tell them that they are safe," Fel responded mirthfully, accepting his admittance of defeat.

## Chapter 18 | Dínaeia Gh'Dín'

There was a knocking at the door. Narim rose from the table to answer it. Her eyes looked red and puffy in comparison to her normal appearance, but she heaved a sigh and continued regardless. She opened the door.

"Ugh, please tell me that you have some katcha ready for me to pour," Fel said, going towards the back where the kitchen area was. Ascha and Vyk followed behind, Narim closing the door after them once it was clear that no one else was following.

"Kian and Celea?" she asked.

"We have a few details to deliver to you and Fial. Suffice it to say, though, that Kian and Celea are safe. Once Fial has joined us, I can catch up with both of you," Ascha stated.

"Everything's fine," Vyk said, patting Narim's shoulder and noting her worried expression, "for us. How are things for you? Where is Fial?"

"Oh it's nothing," Narim responded. "We just had a little tiff, is all. He's around somewhere. He said he needed to take a walk to cool off."

At that moment, they turned at the sound of Fial opening the front door to the Tower.

"I see you've returned safely," he noted, then looked around and added, "Where are Kian and Celea?"

"They are safe," Ascha answered, continuing, "Now that you are both here, I want to fill you in on how it went. Firstly, Kian and Celea will be staying in Valona and making regular visits back to the Tower so that they can update the Sanctum. Next, we have a new member. Sister Morana has joined us. She will be staying at T'Sala Un Sung to gather information for us. She will then pass her findings on to either Kian or Celea, who will, in turn, inform us. Lastly, we have a new relic to add to the Tome of Reckoning. Narim, do you think we could find room in the Tome's special chamber for this?" On cue, Ascha let the Mantle of Boran unroll from her fingers, revealing its splendid blue and silver adornments.

"Is that?" Narim started.

"The Mantle of Boran, why yes, it is," Fel finished Narim's question.

Ascha carefully folded the Mantle and placed it in the middle of the table.

"So, did anything happen while we were gone?" Ascha asked.

"Yes," Narim cleared her throat, "we got a few things done. The special chamber for the Tome is all but ready. It just needs the final blessing said over it, then it should be complete. I was able to do all of the other enchantments with Fial, but I need three people for that one to make it strong enough to cover the entrance."

"That's some great news. Let's finish it right away. What's the blessing?" Fel inquired.

"It's just a variation on that old blessing used for protection that people use for their houses: ' _Dínaeia Gh'Dín'_ ," Narim answered.

"That sounds simple enough. Fel, myself and you can perform that. Fial and Vyk, do you want to find something to eat? We can meet you at the Soggy Oat after. Narim, would you lead the way?" Ascha responded.

"I can agree with that course of action," Vyk commented as he and Fial left the Tower, while the others ascended the stairs to continue the work on the special chamber.

"Well, that didn't take much prodding," Ascha noted before turning to Narim and Fel to continue, "Shall we? The Mantle and the Tome certainly need some protecting, so let's to it." She led the way to where they were working on the special chamber, laying the Mantle gently beside the Tome when she arrived. As of now, the chamber was quite visible. With this final blessing finalizing the other enchantments, though, the chamber's entrance would disappear, and seem as though it were nothing but another wall in their simple library.

After stowing the Mantle, she joined the others. They all had a sense of stately duty to their posture, standing more erect as though their next actions would hold importance.

Closing their eyes, they thought the words as well as said them. In unison, they chanted the words " _Dínaeia Gh'Dín'_ " softly, growing with every utterance until they had reached a total of twenty-one times and the words had grown loud enough that they seemed to tremble, though there was no shake in them as they were spoken.

With the silence of their final chant, a solid wall grew before them. Where once stood the easy access to a chamber holding the Mantle of Boran and the Tome of Reckoning, nothing but standard brick and mortar matching the rest of the make of the Tower held its place. Narim stepped forward and placed a hand gingerly against where the opening once was. It did not fall through. She closed her eyes and muttered something under her breath, stepping through with as much ease as though the wall had been made of water. A moment later she came back.

"The enchantment for passing is the same that we had agreed upon before?" Ascha asked.

Narim nodded.

"Everything seems to have gone rather well here. I'm glad something went according to plan at least. If only love lives were so easy." Narim sounded slightly sarcastic on the last bit.

"I think it's about time to go down to the Soggy Oat and grab some nosh," Fel said, giving a final nod of admiration to their work before heading for the door. Narim and Ascha followed behind her.

## Chapter 19 | News from the School

Celea burst in the door. She saw Fel. It had been several days since they had all been together, and this was the first visit that the Sanctum had had from the affianced informants of the group. Fel was sitting at the table in the main room by the entrance. She hadn't expected the first report to be so full of energy. Whatever Celea had to say, it must be interesting, thought Fel.

"Where is Ascha?" Celea commanded more than asked.

Fel pointed up the stairs.

"Special chamber with the Tome," Fel answered Celea's question.

"I forget, where did we say that was going to be?" Celea sounded annoyed.

"The library, second level up," Fel answered.

Celea ran up the stairs without even bothering to say thank you to Fel.

She muttered the pass-phrase and placed her hand on the wall of the special chamber. At least she had remembered that much. Soon, she was passing through the once-solid wall.

"Ascha, I have some news," Celea started.

Ascha held up a finger as she finished reading the page she was researching in the Tome. After a few moments she looked up at Celea.

"Yes?" Ascha inquired.

"It's from Sister Morana at the school. We think you might have a chance, but you need to move quickly," Celea stated.

"A chance for what?"

"A chance to for the Sanctum to insert a High Priestess of the Kirike and to set the entire organization in the right direction," Celea revealed with excitement. Ascha carefully put the Tome of Reckoning back on its pedestal, marking her place and closing it.

"Right," Ascha commented quietly. She mumbled the incantation by the wall and exited the chamber, Celea following after her.

"Right? That's all you have to say? You could be the next high priestess!"

"Well, it is quite an idea. I suppose it would help us further, if not complete, our goals. We'll need to talk with everyone and make sure that it is the best move for the Sanctum." Celea wasn't sure what Ascha was thinking or feeling. Her face was strangely devoid of emotion and her motions had become almost mechanical. _Perhaps she just came across something of significance in the Tome?_ Celea wondered. Of course, Celea had just delivered rather momentous news. She just wondered why Ascha wasn't more excited.

"Certainly," Celea responded, regaining better composure.

"Could you go around and start rounding everyone up? I think we need to have a meeting and go over the details." Ascha's voice had become almost curiously polite.

"Sure. Are you okay?" Celea asked her friend.

"Yes, by all means. I'm just going to go downstairs and find something to drink." Ascha gave Celea a smile before heading downstairs.

## Chapter 20 | Opportunities to be Grasped

By the time that Ascha made her way to the main table, everyone else of the Sanctum, that was present in Boran, had already been assembled. She took her seat at its head. It was obvious that everyone had been excitedly talking recently, and that they all had hushed each other quickly once their leader had arrived.

"I can see that all of you have already heard Celea's news, but let us have her tell it to us all. I want to make sure that nothing is lost in rumor, and that everyone knows the same version of the story," Ascha began. She turned her head to Celea, indicating that she speak. It took Celea a moment to catch on to Ascha's formal manner of conducting the meeting. It was almost reminiscent of Celea's days in the Kirike when a visiting person of high office held a gathering. Celea just hoped that Ascha didn't fit in too well to the proposed position. She hoped that this was the best decision for Caillte.

"Right. As I was saying, this presents a great opportunity for the Sanctum. But let me start at the beginning, just for everyone's edification and transparency. A couple of days ago, Kian and I were just waiting in our chambers as we knew that our appointed time with Sister Morana would be soon." Fel kicked Vyk under the table, as he had muttered something that everyone was glad was only a whisper. Celea rolled her eyes and continued. "A forceful knock sounded at our door, and within the same moment the knob was tried. We had left it open, so a very breathy Sister Morana fell into our room. Needless to say, we were both on our feet to assist her quickly. After a glass of water and seating her in a chair beside our bed, she spilled forth her story. To make her long story a bit shorter, T'Sala is unhappy with a recent action that Michaeyala has undertaken, and they have found reason, some loophole or other, in order to take her out of the High Priestess position and to put someone else in her place."

Celea paused for a moment and traced some invisible pattern on the table before her.

"There is something more," she continued. "We don't have much time. Sister Morana thinks that she can sway the Kirike to take you, Ascha N'Dreyid and former student of T'Sala Un Sung, as the next High Priestess, but we have to get you back to T'Sala by the next full moon."

"But that's only a day and a half from now!" Vyk exclaimed.

"Don't you think I know that? It's why I rushed back here as quickly as I could. Furthermore, it's why you have to leave with me tonight, Ascha, if we are to take advantage of this wondrous opportunity."

Ascha held up her hand, calling for silence. She stood.

"I shall go with Celea to T'Sala and attempt to make this claim, provided that there are no objections."

The residents of the table all shook their heads, indicating that they had none.

## Chapter 21 | Council of the Kirike

"Oh good, you're here," Sister Morana breathed as soon as she saw Ascha.

"We had to travel rather quickly, and didn't have much time to discuss the ramifications of this decision, but I don't think that we're any the worse for wear," Ascha responded, gesturing to Celea and herself. They had only made it as far as the small entry to the inn before they were stopped. Sister Morana had been waiting at the Triquetra with Kian when they arrived. Ascha turned to Celea.

"I am sure that you are road-weary. We have been traveling at quite a pace. Why don't you and Kian return to your rooms so that I can speak with Sister Morana." Celea nodded at Ascha's suggestion and she and Kian left to retire to their rooms.

"I apologize for any apparent rudeness, but time really is of the essence here," Sister Morana began. "Allow me to brief you on what is happening, Ascha. The ruling Council for the Kirike has made it clear that if we are to replace Michaeyala with a known candidate, it has to happen quickly. If you are not in place tomorrow, they will be burdened by their own laws to go through their standard procedures, which could take months, and could result in someone completely unknown taking the position of High Priestess. I must present you before the Kirike Council tonight. With any luck, you will be the High Priestess by morning."

"Well, that is sudden. It doesn't give a person much time to breath, does it?" Ascha asked rhetorically before continuing, "I take it then that Michaeyala has already left the position?" Ascha knew that the Council was largely made up of Sistere and Brethere from T'Sala. She hoped that her previous attendance of the school would work in her favor, and not be a hindrance. However, it could be hard to predict how these things worked.

"Yes."

"Do you know if it was by choice, or was she forced to leave?" Ascha queried her childhood mentor.

Sister Morana looked slightly uncomfortable, as though she wasn't keen to answer the question.

"Ostensibly, she stepped down of her own accord. That is all that I can really say on the matter right now," the older woman concluded.

***

Celea and Kian had stayed behind. Sister Morana had brought up that they would travel more quickly, and that their mission was likely to be more successful, if they went alone. So it was that Ascha and Sister Morana found themselves before the gates of the walls of T'Sala Un Sung and making the small movements that could take their land, and themselves, to new places.

"State your business here at T'Sala Un Sung," rasped an unseen voice from behind the viewing slot in the man-door of the gate.

Ascha stepped aside to allow the person to better see Sister Morana.

"Oh, it is you, Sister, by all means," a scraping sound indicated a bolt being moved aside as the door swung open shortly after, "enter."

"Thank you, Ylen." Sister Morana nodded to him as she strode into the complex, Ascha following closely behind her.

Ascha silently chided herself. She should have felt more excitement at the possibility of the new post. Why was it that she felt dread? Sister Morana had already briefed her. Their next few moves would be simple, but they had no room for error or time-wasting. They would meet with the Council, present Ascha as a viable candidate, she would leave the room so that the Council could ask questions of Sister Morana liberally and without worrying about censoring their answers, then they would dismiss Sister Morana, deliberate among themselves, and then with any luck, they would proclaim Ascha as the new High Priestess of the Kirike sometime early in the morning.

Ascha reflected for a moment on how these formal occasions always seemed to require one to be as quick as possible, so that they could take as long as they needed to make their decision. Sister Morana had warned Ascha that it could take a few days for them to decide, if they didn't make their proclamation right away. She hoped this wouldn't be the case. She didn't want to remain at this school any longer than she needed. No matter what she did, Ascha simply couldn't shake this menacing feeling coming from the grounds. It was as though the walls themselves had eyes, and that they were watching, silently judging and waiting to commit some sinister action.

***

Ascha sat down on the chair in Sister Morana's quarters. She had met with the Kirike Council and answered their questions. She felt silly now, when she thought back on how nervous she had been. Their inquiries had been rather straight-forward, and no one had been overtly rude to her. No one had been forthcoming when she had asked what the duties of the High Priestess of the Kirike entailed, either. Ascha couldn't help but wonder what was hidden in the darker recesses of the position. She still wasn't sure what she wanted the Council's verdict to be. After all, it couldn't be seen as her fault if they didn't choose her, right? She had tried, and not much more could be asked of a person, she reasoned with herself.

Ascha poured herself a cup of some sort of tisane. It smelled particularly floral, and tasted much the same. On more thought, she was fairly sure that she placed it as selian tea. The rather high ratio of water to flower brought out the more delicate flavors of the tisane, making it quite pleasant. She was glad that she had had the forethought to stop by the cafeteria hall to get herself something to eat and drink while she waited for Sister Morana. Ascha found that analyzing the tea was more constructive than dwelling and worrying about what was occurring in a room where she was no longer allowed to be.

She took a spoonful of the stew she had brought from the cafeteria with the tea. In all of the excitement and rush of activity, she had forgotten to eat much, and only now that she smelled and tasted the food did she realize how hungry she had become. It was some sort of potato and meat stew. The spices and the subtle heat of the stew made it taste even better than any one of its ingredients would have been alone, she was sure. At least she had learned that much from Kian.

It was as she was slurping the last dregs of her stew that Ascha heard a light rapping at the door. Sister Morana heaved a sigh as she entered, closing the door behind her. The sun had set some time before, and if it weren't for the oil lamp on the table before Ascha, the room would be as black as pitch.

Sister Morana slumped into the other chair at the table. Ascha looked down into her empty bowl.

"So, does it seem like the Kirike will make a decision in our favor?"

"I don't know, Ascha. I really don't know. Their questions were very – what's the best word – probing," Sister Morana responded. Ascha gazed towards the window.

"It won't be much time before dawn, now," Ascha commented. "I wonder how long we will have to wait before we know how we stand in this matter."

## Chapter 22 | Determinations

Thud-thud-thud.

Ascha pushed harder against the water, but the thing kept punching her in the side.

Thud-thud-thud.

Her head was starting to get faint from lack of air. She grasped the water as hard as she could, trying to break the surface. She needed to get air and she needed to get away from that thing that was punching her. It didn't matter how fast she moved, though. It came again: _thud-thud-thud._ It had her shoulder now and began to shake her.

"Ascha, wake up, Ascha." Sister Morana hadn't gotten the door yet, and the knocking continued. Ascha raised her head lazily from where it had been resting on her crossed arms on the table, thanking Sister Morana for giving her the opportunity to wipe the drool from her cheek before opening the door.

The people at the door looked around briefly when Sister Morana finally received them. Ascha recognized several of them from the Council.

"Well, I'm glad to see that everyone is decent," one of the men commented. Ascha was fairly sure that his name was Brother Weylen. It was hard not to remember that white beard stuck onto that bald man's face, or the deep wrinkles on his forehead that ran like irrigation channels for crops. Ascha figured that they must have meant the man worried and thought too much.

"It appears that you have gotten some rest, which is fortunate considering the news that we are here to deliver to you this afternoon," Sister Sera spoke, at least, Ascha thought that was the elder woman's name.

_Was it really afternoon already?_ Ascha wondered. A glance out the window confirmed the opinion. The sun was rather high in the sky.

"Yes, we have come to a conclusion regarding your petition for immediate placement into the role of Kirike's High Priestess. The Council has had the opportunity to deliberate, and though there are some reservations, we recognize the need for quick and decisive action. That being said, we have decided that you, Ascha N'Dreyid, will fill the role, under the Council's guidance and influence of course." Brother Weylen was almost reluctant as he delivered the news. He waited for Ascha to respond. Only, she remained silent. After a while, when it was obvious that Ascha was not going to say anything, Sister Morana stepped in.

"Thank you, for taking the time to make this deliberation," Sister Morana said.

"Right, well, we will need you to assume your post in the morning. There are some matters of business that require attending. We will meet in the same rooms where the Council was held. Good day," Sister Sera concluded, closing the door behind herself and Brother Weylen as they took their leave.

Ascha looked at Sister Morana. Something between fear and excitement was in her eyes. In any case, the emotion was too much for Ascha to bring into simple words. Every time she went to open her mouth, what she was going to say felt too mundane.

"At least you have the rest of the day to sort it all out," Sister Morana offered.

"Right," Ascha said, collecting herself. Then she frowned, "I just hope that it's enough."

"I will be able to help you. Once we figure out what we need to say, I can go to Valona to inform the Sanctum."

***

Sister Morana left the next morning, after helping Ascha settle into the Council chambers. It seemed that the day would be long and boring; doubtless Sister Morana would have a more entertaining day traveling to Valona and informing Celea and Kian of the victory.

The rest of the evening before had surprisingly little talk between Ascha and Sister Morana of what the recent events meant for the Sanctum. In fact, Ascha seemed reluctant to talk at all. Sister Morana wondered if it was because the younger woman was so deep in thought.

An evening meal and a quiet evening walk around the grounds were all that the day had held in store for them. She just hoped that this new appointment hadn't turned Ascha into a different person altogether.

## Chapter 23 | Transitions

"Brace yourself, I have some news," Vyk began to tell Ascha. The Sanctum apparently had felt it necessary to send someone from Boran to accompany her at T'Sala. Vyk had arrived earlier that morning. Preparations were already being made to accommodate her 'assistant' in the chambers across the hallway from her own. She may not have been able to go back to Boran right away, but at least it did feel slightly more normal.

"I don't think that you can give me any news bigger than what just happened."

"True, no one really saw you becoming High Priestess," Vyk said. At seeing Ascha's expression he rushed to continue, "I mean, so soon. As I was saying, Fial and Narim broke up."

"So, they made it official, then. It didn't quite seem like they were in blissful union," Ascha replied. The event wasn't particularly unforeseen. "Regardless, we have work to do. You ready to start your internment here with another day of endless meetings, assistant of mine?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Vyk replied, hanging his head as he sighed at the onerous duty ahead of them.

***

"What are you doing?" Back in Boran, Celea found Narim in a small clearing by a stream near the outskirts of the city. Narim had just finished doing something and turned to see Celea.

"I was making an offering to a friend of mine," Narim answered, stowing the pouch where she kept her krouak dust safely on her belt.

Celea looked around and saw only the two of them by the side of the modest stream. She listened over the churning and gurgling of the water, and heard no human voices. Only birdsong chittered away happily. Celea frowned at Narim as if to ask for more details.

"My friend Quey'sea. What can I say? Working with water elementals calms me," Narim clarified.

"Ah. I guess everything has been a bit emotionally charged for you lately, what with the recent break-up and everything. Also, there is Ascha being named High Priestess of the Kirike. It's only a matter of time now before the Sanctum can start working in the open. I don't expect that it will take long for Ascha to give us the Kirike's blessing," Celea mused.

"It must be hard, being away from the one that you love," Narim referenced Kian still being in Valona.

_She wanted to talk about this. Why did she want to talk about this?_ Celea wasn't sure how she should answer.

"It can be rather difficult, but we make do," Celea said.

"It's nice -- that you have each other," Narim concluded. "I won't make you listen to any more about this. I guess I could just use some more time alone."

Celea's discomfort must have been more obvious than she had intended. Regardless, she understood when she was being dismissed, and left.

***

She breathed. Forcing herself to sigh always settled her nerves, and made things not appear as bad as they were.

Vyk had been supportive, and now that Sister Morana was back at the school it was not as though Ascha didn't have allies around her. The first several days of her duties had been nothing if not monotonous. Relentless paperwork and seemingly insignificant decisions were asked of her continuously. She wondered if it had been this way for Michaeyala when she had been High Priestess. Ascha pushed the notion from her mind; she didn't want to think about Michaeyala. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Somehow, she was mentioned in every conversation. At least, it seemed that way.

Ascha supposed that it was to be expected, but wondered at how long it would last. She hoped that she wouldn't have to be plagued with Michaeyala's name for the rest of her life. Derisively, she snorted aloud at the notion.

She went to the back of her chambers. She felt that she needed to cleanse herself. T'Sala Un Sung had provided her with vast chambers, due to her new position. Ascha remembered being a student here. The chambers that she shared with Michaeyala when she was a child at the school had been only half the size of one of the chambers in her current suite. Ascha even had her own toilet chamber for her more menial requirements. The first time she had gone to use it she almost gagged on the over-whelming sweet smell of selian that had been trussed along the walls of the toilet to mask the aromas that were more standard of such an enclosure.

The first chamber was laid out for seating and entertaining. In the next room, the one to which her privy was adjoined, her massive and luxurious bed took up a good quarter of the room. She had been very glad for the draperies that hung in a canopy over the bed, sweeping along the floor and keeping the heat close. Had her head not been so full of thoughts, it would have been most probably the best sleep of her life. Certainly, the luxury of her accommodations allowed for it, if not the stresses of her position.

Ascha stood in front of the washstand that stood in the same room with her bed. The pitcher and basin were beautiful in their simple white porcelain. The water she poured into the basin swirled as it slightly steamed, filling the air above it with its wonderful clean scent. Ascha plunged a clean, light tan muslin cloth into the water and proceeded to wash her hands and face.

Even though it was already evening, she still had to return to the Council Hall to finish with more business. It felt as if they had only just broken for the final repast of the day, and here she was preparing to return again. Ascha wondered when the High Priestess got a day off to relax.

***

Ascha took her seat at the head of the Council table.

"We need you to look over this addendum. It is relatively menial, only further reaffirming the Kirike's already assumed ability to execute searches for relics, with cause, of course," Brother Weylen narrated as he handed her a piece of parchment.

"Of course. What is it that you need from me?"

"Simply your verbal approval before we post this bulletin publicly," Brother Weylen clarified.

"Provided that these are things already in effect," she scanned the document, "then I see no reason not to proceed. Consider it approved. What is the next item?" Ascha wanted to get through the remaining items quickly. Brother Weylen handed her another sheaf. He droned to explain it further and the reason for its necessity.

After what felt like another eternity of minutia, they ran out of items, nearing the conclusion of the Council for the evening. Ascha pinched the bridge of her nose with her fore-finger and thumb, trying to shake some of the fatigue she felt from focusing on the documents too much. She had a little-slept-in bed that was beckoning her. Sister Sera seemed to be of the same opinion, as she stifled a yawn with her elbow. Ascha didn't really feel like raising this topic now, but she hadn't had an opportunity yet and it was starting to seem that if she didn't force certain discussions to occur, that they wouldn't happen at all. Larger issues seemed to constantly be brushed aside as they were caught in the progressive wave of smaller matters.

"There is one item that I would like to bring up. While I don't expect us to make a decision to expend resources now, I would like everyone to be thinking about it. I feel that T'Sala is a little far and disconnected from the rest of Caillte. It seems to me that we would serve the people better if we were more centrally located, say, in Boran." It looked as though Ascha had just poured buckets of ice water on each of the members of the Council, waking anyone out of their lethargy. She didn't like the expressions surrounding her, as she could see about a million questions burgeoning from their mouths. She decided it was time to terminate the day's proceedings.

"All other matters being addressed, I think we should all close today's Kirike business." Ascha looked around the room at the twelve Council members. The recent events had been so tumultuous for her that sometimes she forgot how wearing they must have been for the Council. She wondered what the circumstances had been for Michaeyala's removal. She made a mental note to ask someone when she got the chance.

Everyone packed up their belongings and headed for their respective chambers. Ascha headed for sleep knowing that the next day would be full of reactions, and more work than the proposal of the idea of a move might be worth. All she knew was that she couldn't be High Priestess and the leader of the Sanctum from two such disparate places.

## Chapter 24 | The Kirike and the Tower

Ascha awoke the next morning and readied herself for another appearance in the Council Hall. She was starting to get used to the faces in there. Still, she found herself wishing that those faces were more familiar. For instance, she wouldn't mind it if Sister Morana found herself appointed. She wondered what it would take to make an opening on the Council.

Sister Morana had proved to be a very helpful asset, even in the small things, such as getting dressed. Her position of High Priestess called for certain garments, such as her light-blue satin robe and intricate belt. Ascha pondered on how counter-intuitive it was that such a simple garment as a robe should take so long to don correctly. However, she had learned that in order to maintain the simple flowing lines of the robe's skirt an unfortunately complex, but beautiful, belt was required, and that it had to be put on a particular way. Sister Morana had shown her how the ties from the belt fastened to the robe itself the first time she had worn it. Luckily, however, her hair was long enough that she could do the braids herself before she twisted the raven-black hair on top of her head. Between that and Sister Morana's occasional assistance, she had been able to avoid the need for a dressing maid.

The figure that entered the Chamber Hall would have been intimidating for one that didn't know her, which was most of the populace of Caillte. While perhaps not the prettiest woman, at least Ascha cleaned up well. In the right light, and when her expression was particularly pensive, she had even been compared to looking like an exquisite statue.

She took her seat at the head of the table. Per their new routine, Vyk took his seat at the small desk behind her. He had protested when they first presented it to him, but Vyk had grown accustomed to and even looked comfortable in his surcoat bearing the Kirike colors. The black chevron stitched expertly to the back contrasted with the red trimmed with gold that made the majority of the garment. It was only appropriate, and even deemed necessary that the assistant to the High Priestess should appear so.

Ascha didn't wait for one of the Council members to start the agenda today. She wanted to get the questions from last night out of the way, and start on the actual progress towards her vision.

"Good morn, everyone. I hope that you all slept well. I propose that we open today's discourse with discussion of last night's new issue, the move of the Kirike's headquarters to Boran."

"Well, I am sure that I can speak for most of us in stating the obvious: this will be a logistical nightmare. Your point from last night, about being more centrally located, is a good one. However, I think we need to carefully weigh the possible gains of moving against what we would stand to lose," Sister Sera stated forcefully. "For one, we already have everything here, and I think it is working all right."

"Thank you, Sister Sera," Ascha said. "You state that everything is working all right here. However, I would like to point out, that although I do not know the specific reasons for her removal, I would like all of you to consider if a more central location, and thereby more direct influence into the majority of the population of the land of Caillte, would have had any bearing on the events that lead to Michaeyala leaving and my needing to be appointed as High Priestess of the Kirike. The actions of the Kirike can appear cold and make little sense to the rest of the population when they have to follow our edicts, but we remain the faceless authority of the north."

The silence of the Council members told Ascha that she had made a valid point. She decided to take the opportunity to impress the requirement for the relocation.

"It seems to me that although this move would be resource-intensive, it is also necessary for the health and continued life of the Kirike. If there are no reasonable objections, I really think that we need to move forward with this sooner rather than later."

Ascha could sense that there was resistance from some of the members, but no one spoke.

"Right. Well, then, I will take your silence to mean that no one has any objections that are reasonable. Of course, there will be many logistics that have to be figured out in more detail. That being taken under advisement and understanding, I see no reason that we can't start the relocation by the end of this moon."

"Excuse me," Sister Sera began.

"Yes?"

"I would like to bring up that Boran is a large place. Do we even have any idea where it is in Boran that we are going to operate?" Sister Sera voiced.

Even though Sister Sera and Brother Weylen were the ones to deliver her the news that she would be the Kirike's High Priestess, Ascha was constantly reminded in these meetings that they were not her allies.

"My uncle has a large warehouse by the river. He no longer uses that location for his business, but it is still in his name. Perhaps we could do something with that..." a brown-haired man that rarely spoke offered. He must have had a common name, because no matter how many times Ascha was told, she always forgot what it was. All she could recall was that he was a Brother.

"I don't know about you, but I don't think any of the rest of us want to operate out of a warehouse." Anyx wasn't often very vocal, but when she was it was often in the tone of a derisive scoff. The woman bordered that line in age between middle-age and old-age, and very rarely, if ever, bore a happy or pleasant expression on her face. She was one of the few members of the Council who was not also a member of T'Sala Un Sung's ruling body of Sistere and Brethere. Ascha wondered how she had found herself a place on the Council.

"Now, now. Everyone calm down. As most of you know, I spent a fair amount of time living in Boran. I have had a chance to familiarize myself with much of the city," Ascha began. "There is a tower that I think could be renovated to suit our purposes, and provide the majesty that the headquarters of the Kirike should elicit. Would that be more suitable to everyone?"

The heads in the Council Hall all bobbed as the members nodded their assent.

"Wonderful. Now, Brother Weylen, what is on the agenda for this morning?" At Ascha's request, Brother Weylen began in on the morning's mundane requests. He presented a petition, several documents, a couple amendments to policies that were already in place and broached a new policy before they broke for lunch.

***

Back at the Tower of Boran, Fel and Narim were tending the plants in the small courtyard behind the Tower. Narim was digging a hole with her trowel in order to transplant a small noshberi bush that had been in an inconvenient space. She didn't even lift her eyes from her work when she spoke.

"I think I need to go see my family," Narim said.

"Alright," Fel agreed as she pruned taller bush that reached just above head-height. "Well, I understand that you have a few things that you need to put into perspective. Maybe a trip home is just what you need," Fel advised. "I can help you make the preparations. You should be able to leave tomorrow."

Narim attempted a smile, but it was only a wan half-expression that hinted at one.

"Thank you. You're a good friend, Fel." Fel stopped and looked at Narim.

"Forever and always." It was easy to see the strong bond of friendship between the two women. They were more like sisters, and couldn't have been closer even if they had grown up in the same home.

They finished their work in the courtyard before they went inside to pack Narim for her trip home.

## Chapter 25 | The Letter

Fel was sitting at the table in the main room of the Tower of Boran when there was a knock at the door. She rose to answer it. There was only a letter carrier. He handed Fel a letter, tipped his hat, then went on his way.

Fel closed the door after him. She looked at the letter. She felt some excitement as she noticed Narim's family crest pressed into the wax sealing the letter closed. It had been several days since she had left, and Fel was eager for word from her friend. She hurriedly opened the letter.

Narim told us that this was her last known address. That girl moved so much that it was hard to send letters sometimes. I regret that now. In any case, I think she would want you, her friends, to know what happened.

How to say this? Even as I write this, I am not sure how to make the letters or the words. I guess that I should start, though, or I might never get this written.

See, Narim was always a very adventurous girl. We never thought anything of it when she said that she was taking her horse out for a ride that morning. Sure, she looked sad. But who wouldn't, right after losing such a close relationship that might have turned its way to marriage? We never knew much about him, except that Narim was always so excited when she talked of him. He seemed as though he were a really good fellow, and things may have been getting serious between them.

But I digress. Narim didn't come back from that ride. We found her body that evening, still warm but without a bit of life left to it. We searched for any signs of foul play, but there were none. The truth is, no one really knows exactly what happened. I don't want to think that my little girl was murdered, but I don't want to think that she took her own life either. It is a horrible place for a parent to be. I simply wish she was still here, and that I was not writing this letter.

That's enough. I don't wish to belabor anything here. My mental and emotional state is not your concern. I know that this is sad news that I give you, but I think you needed to know. Also, it feels as though it is a good thing if at least one more person misses her. She was a beautiful, smart, strong and loving girl. I hope that this is what you got to see as well. I am sorry that I will not be able to send her back there.

Regrettably,

Earl Janyx

Fel had already taken a seat once she realized the letter was not from Narim herself. If there was a lower place to sink, she would have done it. She noticed the tear stains on the letter, now that she went to re-read it, though her cheeks were dry when she felt them. Even though she hoped that reading it again would somehow make the words more real, they refused to resolve themselves into meaning.

She had to tell the others. Fial would be crushed. They may not be in a relationship any longer, but Fel knew that he still cared for her. He always would. At that moment the door opened. Fial stepped through.

Fel looked up at him. She tried to say something, to warn him somehow. But she couldn't make herself speak. All she could do was hand him the letter. When he touched it, that's when the flow started down her face again. She could feel the tears this time, all wet and messy.

If she could have seen clearly through the water moving in front of her eyes, she would have seen that the expression on Fial's face was very worried now. He sat down, reading the letter.

Fial must have gotten to the part where the news in the letter was undeniable. The coughing, sputtering noise that emitted from the silent man was heart-breaking. He finished the letter, clutching it oddly. Fel leaned over, attempting to hug him through her own reaction. In their non-verbal wailing, they mourned the young woman that had once been their friend, Narim.

## Chapter 26 | A New Chapter

The carriage jolted. Ascha couldn't wait for this trip to be over. She was going to Boran to make her official survey and acceptance of the new site for the Kirike headquarters. It had already been a month since she had taken the position of High Priestess, and this would be the first time she made her way back to the Tower of Boran since. It would be the first time she saw any of the other Sanctum members aside from Sister Morana or Vyk since she had been chosen and assumed the role of High Priestess. Vyk had only brought topical news about them on his arrival to T'Sala, and Kian and Celea hadn't received any monumental or ground-breaking news or decisions that had to be delivered since their last trip to Boran.

Granted, they were supposed to have more progress on the large project that was moving the headquarters by now, but at least Ascha had been able to get the Council to agree to the move, and everything was still moving in a progressive fashion. Ascha had even been lucky enough that one of the members of the Council had left of his own volition because of some affairs that he had of a more personal nature. There had been some speculation that he was needed back home because of something to do with unplanned fatherhood, but Ascha deliberately didn't pay too much attention to those rumors, other than was absolutely necessary for her position. Due to his resignation, it had come as a largely fortuitous arrangement that Sister Morana take the place of Brother La'ast on the Council.

"Is this it?" The driver broke into Ascha's thoughts, tethering her back to reality. The carriage had stopped before the Tower. After being at T'Sala for a while, Ascha had forgotten how run-down the Tower looked by comparison. It would take some cosmetic work to keep the Council on board with making this place the new headquarters for the Kirike. But the more she thought about it, the more necessary it seemed for them to break the overwhelming tie between the Kirike and the school. T'Sala could be the preferred institution for magickal studies, but Ascha didn't think that it should be viewed in people's minds as the same thing as the Kirike. This move would help that.

"Yes, this is it. You can leave the carriage here." The driver didn't seem to appreciate Ascha's offer, but the lack of other options left him little choice except to leave the carriage on the side of the street. "There is a café just up the road if you want to find something to drink and eat."

"Thank you, madam High Priestess," the driver said.

"Look for a place named Caife," Ascha added.

The driver nodded to the guard that was sitting next to him. The aspect of always having a bodyguard was one of Ascha's less favorite parts of being the High Priestess. She thought about encouraging him to take a break as well, but knew that it would be useless. Especially since she was fairly sure that she overheard the driver asking the guard if he wanted him to pick anything.

Instead Ascha concentrated on looking at the scene before her. If they took over the vacant spaces beside them, or two or three on either side, they would have everything to the end of this road, and it would make construction easier. In fact, they may even be able to cross the road and incorporate some of those structures. Simple architecture implied that the larger one made the base of a building, the taller they could make it. And a tall, immense tower was what everyone had in mind. She didn't even notice the guard standing behind her. He was a respectful distance back, but not so far back that he was more than a step and an arm distance from her.

_Well, enough dallying,_ Ascha told herself, reaching for the door to the Tower of Boran. She had barely cracked the door when she heard Fel on the inside.

"She's here!"

Ascha couldn't help but smile. She had almost forgotten how nice it was to have friends, or how nice it was to be missed. Ascha stopped when she noticed Fel's odd expression. It was a strange mix between agony and joy. She was smiling, but there was little happiness in those eyes, and frown lines seemed to be permanently tattooed above the bridge of her nose.

"Oh Fel," Ascha exclaimed in return, enveloping her friend in an embrace. Pulling away, she asked, "Where's Narim?"

Fel's face lost its smile, and now only sadness and anguish could be read on her visage. She looked over at the guard, then back to Ascha.

"We need to talk," Fel replied.

Ascha turned to look back at the guard, "Could you give us a moment, please?" The guard nodded and retreated to the entrance. He didn't make to leave the room, and when Fel and Ascha made for what used to be their room, he started to follow. It seemed that he would give them distance, but would not allow the High Priestess to leave his sight. She grimaced and led Fel to the part of the room that was farthest from him and his earshot.

"You must love that," Fel noted, gesturing with her chin to the guard by the door.

"You have no idea. One of the many perks of being the High Priestess of the Kirike. Now, you said you needed to talk with me. I don't think that this guy will let me out of his vision, and it seems this is the best we'll do, so you might as well tell me." Ascha's tone was apologetic, even though she had no real control over the situation.

"Right. Well, I guess that there is no easy way to give you this news. I wanted to tell you sooner, as soon as I found out, but I couldn't really find a way. I guess we only found out a few days ago, anyways."

"Fel, what are you trying not to tell me?"

"Narim is dead."

"You know, if you wanted to play a joke on me for being gone so long, you could have found a much funnier one." Ascha was going to continue, but the hurt on Fel's face told her that the words were not a joke. Ascha closed her mouth, soon followed by her eyes. She almost looked calm, if you didn't pay attention to the fact that her breathing was deliberately measured and her hands had balled into white-knuckled fists at her sides. Fel put a hand on Ascha's shoulder, only for Ascha to shrug it away as soon as it made contact.

"Ascha? Are you okay?" Fel asked.

"I'm fine." Ascha deliberately opened her eyes, lifting her chin and swallowing. With the swallow, all expression left her face. However, Fel saw the cold steel that had crept into Ascha's eyes.

"How?" The question that Ascha asked was more of a command.

"That's the problem: we're not sure. I received a letter from Narim's father, Earl Janyx, a few days ago. See, Narim was taking the end of her relationship with Fial rather hard, and it seemed like she could use some time away. I actually encouraged her to go home. That's where it happened. The letter said that Narim had gone out for a morning ride one day, and that when it was dark she still hadn't returned. They sent out search parties and found her, but it was already too late, she was cold," Fel explained.

"Do they know who did it?"

Fel hung her head. She knew that this question would come, and she wasn't sure how to answer it. She would just have to babble what she knew, and hope for the best.

"It doesn't look as though there was any foul play."

Ascha had been staring at a point on the wall, but now she turned slowly to catch Fel's gaze. Fel looked up at her shyly.

"After all that we have been through?" was all that Ascha could say.

"I know. Not once would I ever consider anything like that a real option," Fel said.

Ascha's face softened, remembering what Fel had lost. She put a hand on her friend's arm.

"I believe that, Fel," she said. Then a thought occurred to her, "does Vyk know yet? Has anyone told him?" she wondered.

"Celea was just here, and I was able to give her the news. She is going to inform Kian and Vyk," Fel answered. "Actually, that gets me to wondering, what are you doing here? She was going to tell you, as well."

"The Council needed me to visit the site for the new headquarters. It looks like construction will begin soon, but I will make sure that the sensitive areas are avoided," she answered Fel's unvoiced question. "Sister Pellyx and Brother N'oknu will be meeting me here tomorrow, to solidify the plans so that the work can be contracted."

"Sister Pellyx and Brother N'oknu?" Fel queried.

"They are members of the Kirike Council."

"Well, I suppose they will need a place to rest. I can make something in here work for that." Ascha could see on Fel's face that she was rapidly making plans in her mind.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. The Kirike purse is paying for them to stay at one of the inns close-by." Ascha's feelings were mixed on the matter. On one hand, it seemed like an unnecessary expenditure when they had the Tower right here, but on the other hand, she was glad that she didn't have the Kirike staying in her home, for one more night, anyways.

"Well, do you have plans for the rest of the day, then?" Fel asked.

"Not that I can think of," Ascha replied, trying to think if she had anything required of her.

"I hear the Soggy Oat singing a song for our presence tonight, then." Fel seemed determined not to allow the bad news that she just gave Ascha to sully their scant time together. Ascha looked forward to the day that she would not have to wait so long to be by Fel's side, and they lived in the same place again.

Ascha smiled.

"It will be almost like old times," she said. Ascha tried not to look over at the guard, and think how his presence was very much not like old times. The only other time in her life that she had felt similar to this was when she was in prison.

## Chapter 27 | Sister Pellyx and Brother N'oknu

Ascha rolled out of bed clutching the top of her head. She moaned. Perhaps she and Fel stayed out a little longer than was a good idea.

She rubbed her eyes. She needed to make herself at least somewhat presentable. Ascha smelled the delicious aroma of katcha coming from the kitchen. Looking around, she noticed that Fel had already vacated her own bed. She finished rummaging around, completing her morning routine to make herself somewhat presentable, glad that her friend had already started the brew. She was meeting with Sister Pellyx and Brother N'oknu to discuss the tower's suitability today. Katcha was a good choice for a start to the day.

When Ascha came into the kitchen, she looked pristine in her pearl opalescent robes that sheened with a purple glow when the light hit them. Her hair was pinned atop her head in a clean and simple bun, which only further accentuated the long, lean line of her neck. It was hard to remember sometimes that this was only her informal dress as High Priestess.

Ascha had just poured herself a mug of katcha when the rapping sounded at the door.

"I'll get it," Fel said as she hurried to the entrance.

The sheer beauty of the woman at the door made Ascha appear normal by comparison. Her light eyes contrasted almost starkly against her dark skin and hair. Even though her eyes were light, however, they still appeared smoky, rimmed as they were in thick dark lashes. Her physique bespoke of many generations from southern Caillte, and was not typical of the northern parts. When she spoke, her slightly lilting and rolling accent spoke to a childhood spent somewhere else, most likely Albia.

"Good morn, High Priestess N'Dreyid. I hope that we have not disturbed you by coming over too early," Sister Pellyx trilled, looking past the person that had opened the door.

"Not at all. I was just finishing some morning katcha." Ascha drained her mug.

Sister Pellyx was followed by Brother N'oknu. His shock of white hair were quite different from Sister Pellyx's dark complexion. Ascha only hoped that he spoke more clearly than when he did in the Council sessions, as he tended to mumble.

"So, let's get down to business and take care of things," voiced Sister Pellyx. That was one thing that Ascha liked about her, she was always efficient. "It seems that we just have to go through this place and establish what needs to be altered, and then you can all head back to T'Sala Un Sung." It had already been established that Sister Pellyx would stay behind in Boran and get the appropriate contractors lined up for the construction. Besides, she still had some viable contacts, or so she reminded the Council. She was in the religious realm out of choice, not because she didn't have many viable options for monetary success in the "outside" world.

"Well, if you'll follow me, we can start touring what is currently available in the Tower. It also looks like we might have some potential if we work with the surrounding properties, as well." Ascha rose to lead the small party around the limited grounds and structure that the Tower currently possessed.

***

Ascha had been careful in her tour not to bring attention to the hidden chamber. It hadn't been too difficult, since it was sufficiently disguised, but if one bothered to do the math and note the spatial geometry, they would notice that the outside of the structure represented a space that was not available when inside the room where the false wall hid the chamber with the Tome of Reckoning and the Mantle of Boran. Luckily, no one seemed to pay attention to this, at least, they didn't say anything.

They had finished their cursory survey of the property before late afternoon started to give way to dusk. Ascha had already said goodbye to Fel and Fial, and completed the small amount of packing that she had before herself in order to complete the trip back to T'Sala. She hoped that this would be the last time she had to go back to the school, but she doubted that she would not have make further excursions in order to facilitate this move.

Ascha met Brother N'oknu in front of the Tower. The carriage was waiting for them, and the driver threw their bags on top of the carriage. Ascha figured that the Brother would fall asleep very shortly on their voyage, leaving her with her thoughts in peace.

## Chapter 28 | Renovations

With the move to the Tower occurring so soon in the future, Kian had returned with Celea to Boran. They were in the main room of the Tower, and the smells of Kian taking up his customary post in the kitchen wafted their gentle comfort promising a good day after they broke the night's fast.

Celea leaned on the counter beside her betrothed.

"I don't think we should wait any longer," Celea told Kian. "After everything that has happened, I think it should be now. I don't want to be your affianced anymore." Kian looked at Celea. The hurt in his eyes was evident. "We need to get married now."

"Oh, thank goodness. You scared me there for a moment," he said, exhaling as he held his hand over his heart. Celea playfully shoved his shoulder.

"Silly, I just found myself thinking, after losing Narim and all. I mean, none of us could have seen that coming. Life is short, and if I want to spend it with you as your wife, why shouldn't it be now? It doesn't have to be a big wedding. I don't need that, but I do need you."

"Well, how about tomorrow?" Kian proposed.

"I guess that's close enough to right now," Celea assented.

"Wow. We're going to be married," Kian marveled.

"Oh, you just realized that now?" Celea asked. "I found myself a quick-witted one over here."

"What are you two talking about? You're pretty much already married. You just don't have the titles. I don't think anyone could come between you guys," Fel chimed in from where she was sitting at the main table. The two of them hadn't been talking very quietly. Fel had been joking, but the redness around her eyes still spoke of how she felt partly responsible for Narim's death.

***

Things started to move much more quickly than Ascha anticipated. The construction for the primary tower structure was already mostly completed, and it had only been one month since Sister Pellyx had had the contractors begin their work. They were still putting some finishing touches on the rest of the complex exterior to the main building, but the actual additions to the Tower of Boran were done.

Ascha was traveling to the Tower with the rest of the Council to take up residency. She felt like she was going home. She wondered how the Tower looked, now that it had been expanded to a more majestic structure. White marble and ivory had been the primary building materials for the remodel.

There was a veritable train of carriages set to travel to Boran. Ascha climbed into the one that was reserved for the High Priestess. Per her request, she had no travel companions, other than Vyk. Sister Morana had offered to join her, but Ascha had declined. It would be better if the rest of the Council didn't start associating them together too heavily, or draw the conclusion that Ascha was playing favorites.

"Well, I for one, will be very pleased to be back in Boran. They actually have a real tavern. More than one, even," Vyk chimed, once they had seated themselves. Ascha smiled at the predictable comment.

"Yes, I'm sure that you can hear the Soggy Oat singing your name even from here," Ascha replied.

"Really, I'm just glad to be going home," Vyk added.

The rest of the journey ensued in relative silence as Ascha brought out her reading material. Dry though it was, she did need to familiarize herself with the new policy amendments that the Council would be reviewing once they began holding sessions again.

She felt a little sorry for Vyk for a moment, as he was left with nothing but his thoughts, and he was not by nature a very contemplative man. Soon enough, though, she found that the document before her actually required some attention and mental participation.

As they made it to Boran, the excitement was evident in the two of them. Ascha put the unfinished document away, finding it more difficult with each passing moment to tether her thoughts to reading, and watched in anticipation. She knew that they were still some way from the Tower, but she couldn't help herself.

"Are you eager to see the changes, too?" Vyk asked. He had already been looking out the carriage window when Ascha turned to do so. They had passed into Boran some time ago, and now were closing the distance to the Tower's location.

"I know what they are largely doing, from the Council meetings and all, but there is something different in actually seeing it. I mean to say, our old home isn't there anymore. I hope that this has been a decision for something better."

Ascha was not wrong. When the Tower came into view, the majesty and beauty of it could not be denied, and no amount of plans or designs on paper could possibly have done it justice.

The day was a sunny one, with very few clouds in the sky, and wispy ones at that. The brightness served to make the Tower of Boran appear to glint and gleam in its white brilliance. They were still some distance out from the site, but Ascha and Vyk couldn't tear their eyes from the incredible changes made to their Tower. Even as the carriage turned onto the same street as the Tower, they had to visibly fight their expressions turning to ones of awe as they took in the immense pillar scratching the sky that stood before them. Nothing in Boran could have been taller.

They took a moment to regain their relative composures as the carriage came to a halt in the new roundabout that existed before the Tower. Ascha dismounted her carriage to be greeted by Fel. Vyk exited before her and offered her a hand down the step. She turned to Vyk. Ascha took in her surroundings. Sister Pellyx hadn't missed the details. While it was obvious that work was still being completed in some areas, Ascha noted the gorgeous cobbles that paved the area, being laid in intricate swirls that cradled the fountain in the center. She also saw that the inverted chevron that adorned so much of T'Sala had been carved and emblazoned tastefully throughout the architecture.

They stood before the new main entrance, which now had several wide and flat steps leading to the massive ivory doors. Vyk seemed to hesitate slightly as they went to enter.

"Why don't you go find your way to the Soggy Oat? I know you have been waiting to enter a real tavern for some time." Ascha offered, turning to Vyk for a moment.

"No, I can wait for everyone else. It doesn't seem right to go by myself." The pain of self-sacrifice was evident on his face as he eked out the words.

"No, who knows how long the Council and I will take to settle into the new place? You should go down. I know you're itching for one of their brews. I'm sure that Kian, Celea and Fial are around here somewhere, if I run into any of them I'll send them down to meet you," Ascha stated.

"Yeah, they're just in the main courtyard if you want to find them. I'll stay with Ascha in case she needs anything," Fel noted.

"Besides, I have the guard that the Kirike so magnanimously furnished me. I'll be fine. You go and have some fun. You didn't get to come with last time I was in Boran, so I insist." Ascha had a tone of finality to her voice. All she really wanted to do was see her new rooms, anyways.

The new rooms did not disappoint, either. The window was facing the inner courtyard. Beautiful and secure, Ascha decided it was a very pleasant combination. She sat on the bench beside the window and just stared out at the plants for a few moments. It was good to back in the place that she had come to think of as home. The guard found his way to an adjoining chamber that was discreetly tucked away, allowing Ascha to explore her new rooms.

"And if you come through here you will find your bed. I'm sure it's not as big and fancy as what you had at T'Sala, but we did try." Fel had accompanied Ascha, and pointed out some of the amenities that she helped to obtain for her friend.

"No, it's perfect. I wouldn't change a thing," Ascha replied. Moreover, she actually meant it. The rooms had everything she would look for to provide to her needs. A washstand with pitcher and basin stood in the corner next to her bed. It even had a mirror built into the washstand. The bed looked comfortable and cozy, and not so large or ornate as to be ostentatious.

The first room featured a much smaller pair of windows to let the light, and less scenery, into the room. There were also a pair of chairs and a table, as well as a small bench along the wall. It was in this room that Ascha found the bookcase. Scrolls and volumes littered the shelves. Currently, they were neatly stacked. Ascha wondered how long before she could lose herself in them. On the top shelf were glass pieces used for distilling and steeping. She could even make her own teas and brews using them carefully in conjunction with the small fireplace and iron stove.

The privy room for the more menial business of being a human was directly across the hall. It was only a minor inconvenience that it was no longer in her suite, since no one but the High Priestess was allowed to use it.

"Another of the details you oversaw, I take it?" Ascha asked Fel, pointing out the lantern on the small vakwood table by her bed. She wasn't sure why anyone would make a table of vakwood, but the material was unmistakable.

Fel nodded in response, happy that her friend had noted the addition.

"Thanks. I just hope that I get the chance to use it." Reading in bed was one of the few luxuries that she didn't get to indulge in as the High Priestess, at least not as much as she would like. There always seemed to be some business that required her attention, and left her exhausted and looking for nothing but her pillow when she did finally get to retire to bed.

Ascha turned to Fel.

"It think it's time," Ascha stated matter-of-factly.

"Time for what?" Her friend's sudden assertion left Fel wondering.

"Time for the world to know about the Sanctum, and that the Kirike officially supports them as a magickal research contingency." Fel's eyes bulged at Ascha's words, which encouraged her to rush further, "Oh, they don't need to know all of our names or anything, I still want to offer us the protection of anonymity."

"What about the Council?"

"What _about_ the Council?" Ascha answered Fel's question with the same question.

"Well, I was just wondering if you intend to tell them who the members are, or if you were going to tell them that their new High Priestess is a member of a group that they forbade..." Fel cautioned.

"I figure that they don't need all the details. We can start with small steps. As they prove that they can deal with those, we may let them know more." Ascha seemed to have made up her mind.

"You're not going to do it right away, are you?" Fel asked.

"No, I figure that it might be better to wait until everyone has grown more comfortable with and accustomed to Boran being the new base of operations for the Kirike. A full moon's cycle, or two, ought to be enough, don't you think?" Ascha was asking for Fel's opinion, but it was rather evident that Fel's opinion would not change her intended course of action. From Fel's face, it was obvious that she didn't want to fight her friend on this, and that she thought that it would be prudent to agree.

"Sure," was all that Fel replied.

## Chapter 29 | Acceptance

Ascha came down the stairs to what had once been the main chamber of the Tower greeted by the sound of laughter. The room had since been cut off and no longer served as the main entrance, but was now one of the kitchens that branched to the main edifice of the Tower. It was here that the original Sanctum members often found each other, when they could not be found elsewhere. It was here that Ascha found herself going on this day. And she was not wrong, for she did find the other original members here. Fel was at the table with Vyk, Kian, Celea and Fial. Even the ever-stoic Fial was smiling.

"Oh, and then," Fel gasped her words between chuckles as she relived the moments, "when Vyk went up to her and gave the brew to her husband, then wished her luck. Oh, that was great." Ascha could sense that there was more to the story.

"Definitely. We can't wait so long to all go to the Soggy Oat next time." Kian cut his words short as he noticed Ascha come up behind him.

"Oh, hi. We haven't seen you in too long. High Priestess work claiming all of your time again?" Vyk asked, still slightly red in the cheeks from the re-telling of the previous night's adventures.

"I didn't know everyone was going out last night. Did I miss anything?"

"Not much, just Vyk and his usual poor taste at choosing people to make his advances on," Fel answered Ascha.

"It actually was rather enjoyable. I can't remember the last time I was out with a group." Sister Morana was in the corner refilling her mug with some katcha. Ascha hadn't seen her when she first entered the room. Her old teacher could be quite stealthy when she wished. Ascha would need to remember that.

"Well, I have good news to give everyone. It looks like the Sanctum is now officially approved by the Council, per this morning's meeting." Ascha could gather from everyone's underwhelmed responses that the news had already been delivered.

"Yeah, it's great to hear. Sister Morana told us as soon as she came down," Celea confirmed, unthinkingly.

"So I guessed. Well, since it seems that no one here needs me, I have some things to do. I really must be going." Ascha turned around and headed back up the stairs of the Tower.

"No, Ascha," she heard Fel start to say, but Ascha made her way up the stairs too quickly to hear how Fel finished her sentence.

***

It had been another couple of moons, and still the members of the Sanctum had seen little of Ascha. Her appearance had grown such in its infrequency that Fel was afraid that soon she would not see her friend at all. It was because she had made this determination, and vowed not to allow another friend to slip away, that Fel found herself mounting the stairs to the library. She did not hesitate long before the door as she had already made up her mind to confront Ascha, and she was fairly certain that Ascha was behind this door.

Ascha turned to see who opened the door, her face failing to soften when she saw that it was Fel. Fel looked at Ascha. She was taken aback. Ascha was supposed to be older than Fel, not by much but still older. Fel could not ignore what had been small signs niggling at the back of her mind any longer.

Ascha's hair was deepening and becoming blacker. The gray strands were fading. Her skin was tightening as her wrinkles disappeared. At first Fel had thought nothing of it, but as the days turned into months, she couldn't deny it any longer. Ascha didn't just have a good night of sleep: she was actually no longer aging. If anything, she was getting younger, or healthier, or however one terms the appearance of youth in an older frame.

"I see how you have been spending your time avoiding us. It isn't just the work of the High Priestess claiming your time. You found the passage," she said at last.

"Excuse me?" Ascha asked Fel, confused.

"The method of ever-lasting life that is rumored to be in the Tome of Reckoning, you've found it."

"Ah, that, you've noticed. I guess there is no point in trying to deny it, not to you anyways. Yes, I found it."

"I guess, I thought if you'd tell anyone, you'd tell me," Fel lamented.

"I suppose that I wanted to make sure that it worked before I told anyone," Ascha responded, attempting to soften her friend's evident hurt.

"So, it's a potion, then?" Fel's curiosity was apparently more intense than her sense of being slighted, for the moment at least.

"Well, it's not just a potion. It's more than that. It took me forever to figure it out, but that's what that part of the book meant. I have to meditate. During this meditation, I have to convince every cell in my body to revert to its most healthy state, and I have to keep an underlying mindset, or continual meditation, to remind them of this," Ascha explained. Then she got more silent. No longer excited to share her new discovery with her friend, she looked at the floor and continued, "But there is a cost. As near as I can figure, there will be someone born that can stop this. I think that person has to die for this ever-lasting life to continue." Then she continued more cheerfully, "But that won't be for a long time yet. It will be more than a hundred revolutions of the sun, so I should have plenty of time to fix things before I have to make that decision. By then, I should be ready to die. It's better than killing another, anyways."

"Yes, that is hardly a decision to make. You can't take another life simply to extend your own." Fel's opinion was plain and a matter of fact as she pronounced it.

"Anyways," Fel continued, "that's not why I came here. I came to let you know that you have been missed."

"I'm sorry, I guess that I just got caught up in all of the research. What with the High Priestess duties, it doesn't leave much time for leisure," Ascha justified her actions.

"We were just wondering if we'd done something wrong. I suppose we thought that with you being here at the Tower of Boran, we'd actually be able to interact with you more. I mean, Vyk's not even your assistant anymore. What's the new one, Drefas?"

"I had a reason for that. I thought Vyk deserved a break, and Drefas was highly recommended and needed a position. Besides, I knew his family back when I was a child at T'Sala. I owed them a favor. Also, Drefas has hand-to-hand combat training, so I was able to get the Council to relent on having a guard assigned to me, as Drefas can serve as both guard and assistant."

"I guess that makes sense. I know how much you loath having a guard assigned." Fel still seemed ill-at-ease even despite Ascha's reassurances.

"Look, why don't I join everyone say in two days' time. I'm sure that you can come up with something fun for us all to do." Ascha offered.

"Alright then, two days from now, you are ours. It will be good," Fel decided.

"Now why don't you go and discuss with everyone what we will be doing?"

Fel nodded at Ascha, smiling as she left the library.

## Chapter 30 | Nature Hike

It was the morning of the group activity. Ascha stretched herself awake. All of her High Priestess duties had been rescheduled or canceled to make the day free, despite much complaining and inconvenience. When she stopped to think about it, though, Ascha couldn't remember the last time that she took a day off from the onerous monotony of her role. Maybe she needed to get away from it all, and spend some time with her friends.

They were going to take a short hike and lunch in the field. By the time they got back, the sky would likely be darkening.

Ascha got out of bed and donned clothes that were more appropriate to a hike: thick canvas breeches, boots designed for rigorous terrain and a light-colored tunic, which she cinched around her waist with her pouched belt. She had even promised not to take any books along with her. The point was to interact with her friends, not lose herself in more study and research, Fel had pointed out to her.

The Council had insisted that she take Drefas as a member of the entourage. Ascha had pointed out that Sister Morana would be accompanying them, but even though she was a member of the Council, they had deemed that she was too frail and old to offer sufficient protection, and Vyk was untrained. They were not familiar enough with any of the other party members to accept their service in this capacity. It was simply too important.

Ascha looked around her rooms. She felt like she was missing something, but when she double-checked, everything was there. She had even remembered to keep her small plant-collecting athame in her pouched belt. She took a deep breath, then headed downstairs to meet the rest of the party in the main room.

"Ah, hello. Seems as though we have everyone. Are we all ready to head out?" Fel asked as Ascha met the rest of the group.

"Just let me fill this canteen with some water and then we will be good to go," Kian responded.

It would take a little bit of walking to get out of the city of Boran before their hike actually began. Ascha looked out a window, noting that the sky had only barely begun to lighten with the fast-approaching dawn.

***

Once out of Boran, the buildings started to give way to the small brush that heralded the promise of a forest farther along their path. Shortly, the sounds of birds and other creatures became standard and almost grew raucous as the animals trumpeted more boldly with increasing distance from the city.

Ascha had lost track of time, being as involved with the minutia of people and their societies as she had been of late. The return to the forest reminded her that nature was so beholden to the seasons, and the cooling of fall had triggered the beautifully turning colors of many of the leaves. The crisp smell of the air reminded her that she had grown far too divorced from the natural world.

"Want some water?" Kian held up a canteen. Ascha nodded, taking the canteen from Kian and helping herself to a swig. She started to give it back to him.

"No, keep it. It's an extra that I filled in case anyone forgot to bring some libation," Kian said.

Ascha tied its thong to her pouched belt, where it lightly banged against her hip with each step. She was glad he had remembered to fill an extra one.

"Having fun yet?" Fel directed the question to Ascha.

"Yeah, although I must point out that even though we haven't gone too far, I'm already reminded of how unfit dealing in the world of paper makes one. Are we going to break soon?" Ascha asked.

"We can," Fel responded, jutting her chin at a location just off the path ahead. "I think we could all use one. I brought some dried fish if anyone wants to snack, too."

Once they reached the spot that Fel had pointed out with her gesture, the group paused for a break and Fel doled out dried fish to everyone. Ascha accepted the fish, mentally noting that she would wait until they broke for lunch before she munched on the bar she had brought. It was very nutrient-dense, and didn't taste horrible. She had grown accustomed to replacing her meals with the bars, which were simply a variety of nuts bound together with molasses and baked for a short time. They were quite convenient when one did not have the time or opportunity to pause for a regular meal. It was not long before they continued the path for their hike.

"So, do we have a destination in mind?" Ascha asked.

"Oh, Vyk and I were hiking this path a little while back and there's a clearing not too far ahead. We should be able to make it there around midday. I figure we can pause there for some lunch and some wildcrafting," Fel answered. "Speaking of you, you've been rather silent, my friend." Fel elbowed Vyk playfully, who had been walking at her side.

"Yeah, yeah. I know it's not all that standard for me, but I was actually quiet because I was lost in thought." Vyk broke into a sunny grin, obviously putting those thought away.

Fel furrowed her brow a bit.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing all that important, or interesting. I'm sure it would bore everyone if I shared it, hence why I was quiet."

"Fine then, don't let us in," Fel quipped.

"Alright, if you must know, I have received an offer," Vyk said plainly.

"An offer? What kind of offer?" Fel pressed.

"Well, someone must have liked me over a T'Sala Un Sung, because they are asking me to come back and teach."

"What? How is the first we are hearing of this?" Ascha's words burst forth before she could consciously control them from sounding a little bit squeaky.

"And who would want you to teach? I don't think I could call you Brother Vyk," was all that Fel could say.

"You're not seriously thinking about this, are you?" Ascha asked in a calmer tone.

"Well, what else is there here for me?" Vyk wondered aloud, "Everything is running just fine. Ascha, you even have a different assistant. There isn't much room for me in your life here. Besides, I have a future to consider."

"So, you are saying that you see no reason to stay." Ascha hoped he would come up with some reason, but she couldn't define any herself, so she doubted that he would provide any new insight, at least not verbally.

***

The rest of the way to the clearing had been mostly continued in silence, with only light pleasantries to intersperse the sounds of the increasingly dense woods around them. The trees around them suddenly broke into the gentle field of a meadow, with tall grasses going to seed and late-blooming flowers painting the expanse. Ascha wondered how she did not know of the path to this meadow, as it was rather large, making the trees on the other side appear much smaller than they actually were. The field was large enough that the winds from the air currents above could blow through, creating a satin or wave-like effect as they blew across subsequent stalks in turn. Ascha stepped into the meadow, knowing they had met their destination.

The field gave an over-whelming sense of rest, as some fields do. Once one entered the well-defined ground, troubles seemed to disappear, and the desire to nap lazily in the patchy sun and dappled shade of the afternoon greeted and taunted one. Ascha removed her canteen, laying it on the ground beside her. Everyone else did something similar, removing and stowing whatever extra garments or accoutrements they had.

"So, what did everyone bring to eat?" Vyk asked. He had already made himself comfortable, laying on his side with one knee bent into an angle, propping him.

"Sounds like someone forgot to bring nosh with him," Celea commented.

"Oh, I brought extra," Kian said between chuckles.

"If everyone will be here for a while, I think I'd like to wander a bit, and walk the limits of this meadow."

"Sure, though you might miss out on some lively conversation," Fel remarked. "We'll save the best for when you get back."

"Right." Ascha turned and began to walk the perimeter of the field in a manner with the sun. Someone when she was a child at school had once told her that their family called this direction of walking deosil.

Eventually, their voices started to diminish, even despite the ease with which sound could carry over largely flat ground. But Ascha wasn't concentrating on them, anyways. She was now about halfway, and on the exact opposite side of the clearing from where they had entered it. It was here that she felt pulled, to this spot. It was here that she would stop and do a small meditation to clear her mind. It was during this meditation that the energy disturbed her. She did not bother to open her eyes. She knew that she would not be able to see any bodily form if she did. Only by concentrating on the energy that was brushing by her meditation could she make contact with the elemental.

Air? Was it air she felt?

_No_ , she decided. It had too much activity to be air.

_Changed. Different, she is. She is the same girl, but not the same girl,_ came the voice with what Ascha now decided was a fire elemental, or sylph.

_Hello, N'Tosea,_ Ascha intentioned to the element, now remembering who it was. She remembered back to her days as a schoolgirl, when she had first met N'Tosea. _You haven't changed at all. Your energy still feels the same._

_Oh! The girl remembers me! Truly, your energy does not feel the same, I wasn't sure that you would. Time is so funny for mortals,_ N'Tosea replied.

_I guess you wouldn't understand it. Yes, a lot has changed, maybe even my energy, but I still remember what has passed,_ the mortal girl concluded.

Well, not all mortals do, when enough time has passed. It can be hard to know.

_Out of curiosity, how is my energy different to you?_ Ascha asked the elemental.

_It is somehow dimmer and harder than before. Your energy used to be brighter. Have bad things happened? Can I help?_ N'Tosea offered.

Ascha couldn't stop herself from laughing silently at the assessment.

_I guess you could say that. A lot certainly has happened, and some of it bad. There were times when I didn't know whether my energy would continue. But everything is fine now. Though if I do need your help, is there a way that I can find you?_ Ascha wondered.

_A way? To contact me? Of course! I like this field, and a standard summoning with my name should work. The first time we met, it was at the magick school, and they teach how to do summonings. Does that mean that you know how to do one?_ N'Tosea responded.

_Yes, I do. Thank you, N'Tosea,_ Ascha said.

_You're welcome, Ascha. I must be off to do things of my kind. Fare well._ With those words burning across her mind, the energy that accompanied N'Tosea's presence left.

Ascha took several breaths to steady herself before opening her eyes. There was nothing before her but the flora of the meadow. She finished walking to where the group was breaking for lunch, pondering the niceties of meeting N'Tosea again.

"You were gone for a while. Find anything exciting?" Vyk hollered when Ascha returned.

"No, nothing of substance," she replied.

"Well, we've all finished and packed up for the return hike. Are you okay to eat along the way?" Fel asked.

"Sure. I was only going to eat a nut-bar anyways," Ascha assented.

## Chapter 31 | Visits from another Life

The next day, Ascha looked around herself. She was in her favorite chair in the library, positioned so that she could gaze out the window into one of the courtyards. But it was the room that she took in right now. It was the walls lined with cases that held precious leather and wood-bound volumes full everything from stories to recipes to histories. Everything was supposed to be good now. She had wealth. She had power. She had fame. She had people that adored and worshipped her, even if they didn't love her. She couldn't place anything that was specifically wrong in her life. The Council had come to respect her decisions, and she thought that she even detected a note of fear coming from them sometimes. It was one of those moments when she found herself alone, though she did not see herself as alone when she was surrounded with all of the tomes and scrolls of the library.

But even with everything being perfect around her, she still felt sad. She tried to figure out why. Though, try as she did, she couldn't figure out why she was constantly so depressed. She looked at all the aspects of her life but could only come to the same conclusion: she wasn't happy. It had only been a day since her hike with the people she had come to think of as once being her friends, yet it had not fully assuaged this emptiness inside of her.

She could try killing herself, but what good would come of that? She had no idea what would await her after such an action, and it might be the same, or worse. Besides, she had already rejected the notion some time before.

A polite knock sounded at the door before it opened. Kian entered the library of the Tower.

"I thought I saw you in here as I was passing," he said.

Ascha closed the book she had ceased reading some time before, and stood to reshelf it where it belonged.

"Everything seems to have died down," he continued. "I don't think any of us thought that this is how the Sanctum would turn out, but here we are. Even practicing with the Kirike's blessing, and you as High Priestess."

"You and Celea are married, now, too. That must make you very happy." Kian smiled in response to Ascha's remark. They were well passed the newlywed phase of their marriage, but they both still had a glow whenever they were near each other, or someone mentioned the other person.

"I don't know if it's enough, though," Ascha said quietly, as though she hadn't meant to say it aloud.

"What do you mean?" Kian asked.

"It feels like something is still missing, something is still off," Ascha answered, seeing little option but to reply. "I don't know. Maybe we just didn't go far enough."

Kian furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean by that, Ascha? Everything is just settling into place. I don't think we need to change that."

"Oh, I know that many of the things we said we wanted are there. Like you said, the Sanctum doesn't have to operate in hiding anymore, and High Priestess of the Kirike is no longer a role occupied by that hypocritical and undeserving person, Michaeyala. And we are starting to change the way the Kirike deals with magick in this land, but I just don't know that it is fast enough. Maybe we need to break completely from even the name and idea of the Kirike."

"I don't know that that would be the best idea," Kian hesitated. "What about all of the people that the Kirike has been good for? There are some good things about the Kirike, I don't think we need to leave all of them behind just so that our name can be the one that everyone knows."

"You might be right. But then again, you might not be. We can talk about it more later," Ascha conceded, though it was plain that she had no intention of talking about this with Kian again.

***

Ascha was sitting in the Council chambers that had been constructed for hearings, which had been dubbed loosely as the Halls of Hearing. They were spacious and comfortable, and the morning light that filtered through the windows and hit the white marble columns had a calming effect. It had long been known that materials such as ivory, marble and silver all had amplifying effects for magick, so when the opportunity of enhancing the Tower of Boran came along, they were the primary building materials.

More than a week had passed since she had spoken with Kian, but she still could not shake the desire to act on the feelings that had washed over her of late. The morning's hearings had already been dealt with, and the members of the Council had all taken their leave. Ascha N'Dreyid sat by herself in the large, empty hall.

It was at that moment that the strange man entered. At first Ascha thought it was one of the Council members, returning for something that they had forgotten. Then she noticed that this man did not carry himself with the bearing and gait of someone who regularly had high societal interactions, and could not have been one of the members of her Council. Even the lower-born of the Council had since adapted their carriage to match the high-born members, especially on their arrival to Boran.

She had seen this man before, but she could not remember where.

"I'm sorry, if you have business with the Kirike, you will have to go through the proper channels. Perhaps one of the members of the Council can assist you?" Ascha did not shout, but the echoes in the empty room made her voice resonate.

"I am not here for them. I am here for you."

"I'm sorry? Who are you?" Ascha wondered aloud.

"My name is Malak." Then he said words that she could not get out of her head. "I am here to help you."

The words caught her off-guard. Then she remembered where she had seen him. Malak was one of the men that she had seen when she had served her time in the prison. She was not prepared to see someone she had counseled from those days. She looked at him. Maybe she just needed to get passed this cold feeling, this shiver that he gave her, whenever she looked at him. He still gave it to her, even all of this time later. His hair was now white, but he still had that distinctive eye. _That must be it_ , Ascha convinced herself, _this feeling is simply because of his eye._ Malak's dead right eye stared sightlessly through her. She would hear him out, but not here and not now, not without Drefas or her guards.

"That is good to hear, but I will have to see you later. Come back at the end of the day." _That should give me enough time,_ she thought.

"No, I really need to speak with you now."

"Excuse me?" People did not usually say 'no', at least not so casually and firmly, to the High Priestess.

"I am sorry. I simply do not have a place to stay in Boran, and it has been some effort on my part to get here in order to hold an audience with you. I do not wish to simply be turned away. It has been my experience that if an important people will not see you once, then they will not find the opportunity to do so again."

"A fair and wise assessment, though not always the case. Regardless, this is quite unusual. If I were to find you rooms at the Tower, could you meet with me later today or even tomorrow?"

"That would be very reasonable, and I humbly thank you, High Priestess."

"Very good. The next guard that you see down the hall can assist you. Tell them that the High Priestess requires rooms for you in the Tower."

## Chapter 32 | Courted to Converse

"I don't like it," Fel said to Kian. She was sitting around the table in what had once been the main room. They had made the 'kitchen' officially private. Only Sanctum members now had the key to it. "Maybe it's superficial, with that eye and all, but he scares me. And I think he might be getting too close to Ascha." It had been a month since Malak had moved into the Tower of Boran. The extension for his stay had been deemed prudent since the snows of winter were hitting them so heavily this year. Ascha said that she could not in good conscience ask someone to travel through such weather.

"Do you need a refill?" Kian asked Fel. She held an empty mug up to him and thanked him. She must have drained her katcha quickly in her agitation.

Celea, who was sitting next to Fel, patted her friend's hand absently.

"I think that we are all concerned a little bit. After all, before he arrived none of us knew his name, and now we hear an awful lot about Malak, though none of it seems consequential."

"Well, at least I'm not imagining it, then. I just can't wait until this weather breaks and he can leave," Fel resolved.

***

"I don't think you are wrong. After all, it is that place that sent you away, and stole so much from you," Malak agreed with Ascha as they walked through the massive main courtyard. Here, one could almost pretend that they were not in Boran, but instead lost in some garden in the countryside.

"I mean, she even became the High Priestess for a time. I did nothing wrong, and she did. She has to pay, with more than being forgotten," Ascha decreed.

"I know that you must take care of Michaeyala, one way or another, but are you sure that is far enough?" Malak asked.

"What do you mean? There is not much more that I can do."

"Well, from what I understand, one of the collaborators of your demise works very closely with you, she is even on your Council. How can you trust her? How can you allow that?"

"Sister Morana? No, she has proved herself very loyal and a good asset many times. I could not dismiss her."

Malak looked at her and she rethought her stance. Ascha decided to put it in a more assertive manner, one that could be more easily understood.

"I mean to say that it wasn't her fault specifically. She was bound by T'Sala and its rules." Ascha imagined that circumstances may not appear favorable for Sister Morana from the outside, but Malak didn't have all of the information.

"The school then, ah. I wonder if any vestiges of the problems that sent you to prison still exist in that school?"

"Yes, I wonder."

"After all, we couldn't allow such a horrible situation as what happened to you happen to another," Malak pointed out.

"You are right. I suppose there is only one way to really make sure. Though, dismantling T'Sala Un Sung may be difficult. It is not anything I could do right now, anyways," Ascha concluded.

## Chapter 33 | N'Tosea

Ascha had made up her mind. She needed to take action, and this short journey would provide a step in that direction. She inhaled the fresh air around her as she finished the hike to the meadow and the point to summon N'Tosea. It was one of those rare moments where no one was around her but the land and the sky. She looked around. The clouds were heavy with the promise of sleet or rain, and the air smelled clean as it prepared for the extra moisture. The weather had been warming with the coming of spring, but winter still held tight in places where the crisp snow had been deepest.

It had rained the last several days, and if the land had not been so given to good drainage around here, they would have had a good deal more mud and mucky snow piles to worry about. But, luckily, the ground in these parts was somewhat rockier than that near her old school, T'Sala Un Sung.

Ascha had decided to petition N'Tosea's help in dealing with Michaeyala. She had a vague notion of what she needed to do, and the more that she thought on it the more that she realized that she would not be able to rest well until it was done. She knew that Michaeyala could not spend the rest of her days without consequence in happy isolation. She had to make recompense for her actions.

There was something odd about going to speak with a fire elemental on a day so given to water. But this was her opportunity, and she needed to speak with N'Tosea.

"N'Tosea, I need your help," she pleaded into the night. She intoned the same words with her mind, feeling the cadence as the words thrummed with energy. She was startled for only a moment as she realized how easily energy work was coming to her. Apparently the motions and thoughts required for a deliberate summoning were something that did not leave a person easily.

_Yes?_ Ascha felt the fire elemental's response. He was somewhere behind her. He had felt her call.

_You had offered to help me last time we met. Do you remember?_ Ascha thought.

Yes. What did you have in mind?

_Well, what I come to ask, I ask because it must happen,_ Ascha continued.

Yes?

_I don't know if you remember her. But I need your help dispensing justice,_ she framed the request.

_Dispensing justice? That is not something that I can do. Mortal justice is far too easily confused with vengeance._ The sylph seemed to glow brighter in Ascha's mind.

_Well, okay then,_ she tried again. _I am not looking to harm anyone, if that is what you are afraid of. I only need to detain someone._

_Detain? I can and will not do that, my friend._ N'Tosea was resolute.

_Well, what good are you, then? Can you at least help locate the person?_ Ascha asked.

_Do you intend to detain them after I have assisted in their location?_ Ascha wondered why the fire elemental was seeking so much clarification. It was annoying.

_What matter is that to you? If you must know, then yes. I intend to detain them so that I can dispense justice to them._ It did not matter how Ascha finished her thought. N'Tosea had left before the end of her second sentence, leaving the trace impression that it would be better if she did not attempt to contact the elemental again.

## Chapter 34 | Powerful Ideas

This was it. She was starting to get near the end, she could feel it.

Ascha opened the peculiar small silver ring on her finger. She hadn't shown anyone else her potion ring. She had found it at an antiques vendor in town. She couldn't quite explain it, she didn't usually buy jewelry. But there was something about the interlaced designs that had been cast into the metal, and the satisfying 'click' that sounded every time she closed the tiny box in the ring, and she found herself making a purchase.

She later found that she could actually use the ring for a purpose, so it became more than merely decorative. She was currently doing the ritual that charged the air she would keep in the ring. She found that keeping some charged air with her made the spell for lasting life that she had found more effective. The 'pausing' effects that the spell had on her age were now almost youthening. When she found herself in a particularly stressful moment, she simply opened the ring for an extra jolt of charged energy.

She finished charging the air with the cellular meditation that had come to be so normal to her, then blew the air into the box and snapped it shut, wiggling the ring onto her finger. Once the ring was snugly in its place on her hand she closed her eyes and inhaled, reveling in the tingling sensation that came with a fresh charge. As she opened her eyes, she snuffed the flame of the ritual candle in front of her.

She was glad that she had asked for some time alone. Sure, she could not leave her chambers right now, not without Drefas following her as soon as she left. Right now, he was outside her door, standing in the hall.

"He does make a good guard," she said aloud.

If someone had been with her, they might have pointed out that she had been talking to herself more of late. But as it was, there was no one else in the room save Ascha, so Ascha continued to talk to herself.

She absently drew on a piece of paper on the table before her. She didn't feel as though it was time to leave her solitude just yet. She sketched the smooth edges of the Cube of Power, then looked at what she had done.

"Perhaps that is it. This may be one of your better ideas, my dear N'Dreyid. Too long has it not had a purpose, but I can lend it one. There are some other things that have gone too long, as well. Such things should be united.

"N'Tosea might not be willing to help, but at least I don't have to worry about the will of a thing. Now I just have to figure out how. I think further research might be in order."

She stood from the table and opened the door to the hallway.

"Drefas, I just remembered I need something from the library. Care for a walk?"

"It would be my pleasure, High Priestess." His responses were always precisely courteous and prompt, and they never assumed too much in either content or tone. It was almost enough to spur Ascha to overlook the fact that he was so short she actually had to crane her head downwards to make eye contact when speaking with him. She had given up trying to make eye contact, and instead spoke to the air. He did his job well and she could not complain about that.

Even better, he hardly ever got in her way. In some ways, it almost felt as though she didn't have a guard. She tried not to think about how it was to have an actual friend close-by as her assistant, but since Vyk had left, there were many things she thoughts that she would not allow herself to conceive. He may have had his irritating moments at times, but his absence had certainly not gone unnoticed.

***

As they approached the library, Drefas took up his customary post by the door, giving Ascha the privacy to do as she willed unsurveilled inside the room. Drefas had already gone ahead to do his standard sweep of the room to ensure that there were no enemies lying in wait, and that the chamber was safe. He already knew that the library had no known entrances or exits aside from the one that he was guarding.

Ascha nodded as she passed him, holding her chin high and closing the door to the library behind herself. Once she verified that it was closed, she dissolved the wall hiding the secret chamber. Ascha entered the chamber then turned to erect the wall behind herself again. It would be better for Drefas to find an empty room than the High Priestess in a secret chamber with the Tome of Reckoning, the Cube of Power and the Mantle of Boran.

She had found that in her position as High Priestess she was able to get the Council to release the Cube of Power to her. It had taken some doing, but she did convince them that it needed to be held in someplace more secure where only she and one other person had knowledge of its location. That other person had been settled to be Sister Morana, since the Council required a member to be in possession of the knowledge of the Cube's new home in order for it to be released for relocation.

This was how Ascha came before the Cube of Power resting in its home in the secret chamber. She closed her eyes in order to commune with the device. She reached one hand out to it, remembering her childhood when she and Michayaela first unveiled the artifact.

_How ironic,_ she thought, _little does she know that by discovering this with me she may have helped provide the means to her own undoing._

She concentrated, focusing her thoughts to the item before her. She felt the immense power coursing through it. She also noticed something else. She pulled her hand back, almost physically injured by the realization.

"No, it is not enough," she muttered, after more closely inspecting the Cube of Power.

"It needs something to take its power and transfer or relay it to the corporeal world. If only N'Tosea had decided to help me. I know that many elementals can do that, and he probably could."

She sighed in frustration.

"Finding another elemental to work with me could prove difficult."

Then she added as an afterthought, "Maybe Malak will have an idea. I should talk with him."

***

She found Malak in one of the courtyards. Some bird sweetly trumpeted her arrival, causing him to glance up. Even though it was winter, there were still some birds that made the courtyards at the Tower their perennial home.

"Oh, hello, Ascha. The ground is softening and the snow has mostly left the ground." He looked up, assessing. "We should have spring soon."

"Actually, I didn't find you to talk about the weather."

"I'm flattered that you were actually looking for me."

"Yes, I need your counsel on something."

"Now I am very flattered. What is it that you wish to discuss?"

"Well, I'm starting to get a plan. And I don't think anyone else would really understand. No one else alive truly knows what I have been through, and what I have lost. I was hoping that you might."

Malak grinned.

"Then you have come to the right place. You know that I could never judge you."

Ascha smiled in return.

"Wonderful, I was hoping you would say that. You see, I have this object. It has immense power capacity, but I need to find a way to translate it so that I can harness the power in this world." She noted the confusion on Malak's face.

"Let me start at the beginning. You remember Michaeyala, yes? The one who is responsible for my being in that prison in the first place?"

"Of course," Malak replied.

"Well, I have come up with a way that I may be able to cause her stasis, restricting all further action on her behalf."

"That could prove beneficial."

"But, the elemental who could do the service of transferring the power of the object into a useable resource does not want to help me in this."

"High Priestess N'Dreyid," Malak started.

"Malak, I've told you before, call me Ascha."

"Ascha," he stopped walking with her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "It seems to me that there are times in leadership when we must do things that we might not otherwise do in order to get the result that must be achieved."

"Are you saying that if the elemental will not help that I should force him to do so?" Her eyes widened, her words bordering between a plea and outrage at not wanting to hurt N'Tosea.

"No," Malak added hurriedly, "I'm saying that if he will not help then you may need to be more persuasive in securing his agreement."

"I suppose that makes sense," N'Dreyid relented. "I mean, we never used it, because that kind of summoning played with free will and was considered unethical by some. But if I used it just to make N'Tosea see that he needed to help me."

Malak smiled.

## Chapter 35 | Michaeyala comes to the Tower

_This is it,_ N'Dreyid thought to herself, _just do it._

By some stroke of luck, Celea had located Michaeyala, and invited her to the new Kirike headquarters at the Tower of Boran. Celea had described Michaeyala's response as hesitant, but that curiosity eventually won her over, and the break of spring would herald a new visitor.

N'Dreyid knew that she would not have a better opportunity than the one that had presented itself. She had not found the chance to summon N'Tosea and bargain with him, but she figured that it did not matter too much. She could simply summon him in Michaeyala's presence. She didn't need him to locate Michaeyala after all, just use his abilities to transform the energy from the Cube into this realm. Once she figured out how to maintain the energy in this world, N'Dreyid would dismiss N'Tosea.

After all, she wasn't going to use it to hurt Michaeyala, just trap her, N'Dreyid told herself. It really was harmless, Michaeyala just needed to learn how it felt to do nothing for part of your life, know what it felt like to wonder if the paralysis would last for eternity.

Fel had insisted on taking Michaeyala on a tour of most of the grounds of the Tower of Boran as soon as she arrived. Fel and Michaeyala had only failed to see the view from the top of the Tower, due to time constraints. Fel said she would take her in the morning. But evening had fallen, and Fel still had yet to eat, as did Michaeyala and Ascha.

The three women found themselves now in the Sanctum kitchen for their final repast of the day.

"It's not as good as Kian's, I'm sure, but at least it's not horrible," Fel said. The High Priestess did not cook for herself except very rarely anymore, and Michaeyala was unfamiliar with the kitchen, which left Fel to the duty. Regardless, it still smelled appetizing.

"Sorry that it's not fancier," Fel apologized as she carried the large stew pie to the table. The tender carrots and potatoes made for most of the filling, they could be smelt throughout the room, and the meat was shredded throughout and promised to be tender as well.

"Nonsense, it looks and smells splendid to me," Ascha contradicted.

"I would have to agree with the High Priestess N'Dreyid, I am sure that the concoction will taste as lovely as it smells," Michaeyala chimed.

"Come now, one more platitude and I won't believe you," Fel concluded.

They all ate in silence for several moments, washing down their meal with some brew that Kian had concocted, which tasted wonderfully spicy and sweet. Finally, Michaeyala turned to N'Dreyid.

"You know, Ascha, it makes me gladder than I thought I would be to see you again. It has been rather nice being with you again. I know how busy the duties of the High Priestess can keep a person, so thank you for making the time to meet with me." Michaeyala's blond hair disguised the gray of age that had started to creep into the curly mass—but Ascha knew how old the other woman really was, since they shared nearly the same age.

N'Dreyid's concentration on other thoughts kept her from noting how beautiful Michaeyala still was. Another woman might have proclaimed how unfair it was that some women that are pretty in youth get even more so with the years of life.

"Well, I don't wish to cut this short, but I must turn in for the night," Fel said as stifled a yawn. "I guess that this day has been more tiring than I thought."

Fel rose and gathered her dishes, taking them to the more utilitarian area of the kitchen. Once she had cared for them, she turned to leave.

"Good night," N'Dreyid said, waving as Fel left. After Fel had closed the door behind her, N'Dreyid turned to Michaeyala.

"Come, there is something I would show you," N'Dreyid broke the levity of their conversation.

"Oh? What is it?" Michaeyala asked.

"An incredible spectacle that I am sure you will enjoy," N'Dreyid said. Michaeyala looked a little concerned, prompting N'Dreyid to continue, "I am sure you would love to appreciate the view of Boran from the top. I hear that Fel was not able to show it to you earlier."

"I am sure that I would," Michaeyala smiled in reply. Then she said with more hesitation, "There is something that I have been thinking on a lot lately. What happened to you when we were at T'Sala Un Sung together really was unjust. Does this mean that you can forgive, and let all of that nasty business from when were young at T'Sala go? I don't want to see it hold you from life, and I wish what life was taken from you can be given back to you."

"Yes, after today, I will surely be able to let it all slip away." N'Dreyid agreed. Michaeyala smiled, though one could see that she was slightly unsure at the meaning of Ascha's words.

"That's wonderful. I would love to have my friend back," Michaeyala approved bouncily.

"Just follow me. I am sure that you will love how everything looks from the top," N'Dreyid continued.

Michaeyala followed without reluctance.

***

They had finished mounting all of the steps to reach the utmost peak of the Tower.

"So, are we almost at that incredible vantage point that you keep speaking of?"

"Yes, we are almost there. The city just opens up before you. You could lose yourself looking at it for an eternity."

N'Dreyid closed the trap-door they had just exited.

"Oh wow. Ascha, you were right."

N'Dreyid knew that Ascha had just glimpsed the incredible view through the pillars.

"Here, sit on the low table there." N'Dreyid gestured to the case in the center of the Tower. She rose from securing the door beneath them to see that Michaeyala had indeed taken a seat.

At first, Ascha N'Dreyid had failed to grasp why the decision had been made to construct the piece of such an indestructible material as vakwood, but now she counted it to her advantage. It was one of the few materials that could withstand just about any magickal or energetic current that was sent through it. Now that she thought about it more, they had probably made it out of vakwood to withstand the weather atop the Tower.

"What is this?" Michaeyala picked up the Cube of Power that had been sitting on the vakwood case beside her.

"It's not, Ascha, is this the cube that we found all of those years ago? Is this the Cube of Power?"

"Hm, so it is," N'Dreyid replied.

Michaeyala concentrated, looking closely at the Cube.

She did not see N'Dreyid behind her, holding the cloth doused in the botanical concoction. Kian may have been a wonder in the kitchen, but N'Dreyid still had not found her match at potions.

Michaeyala did not have time to struggle against N'Dreyid once the vapors from the cloth hit her airways. N'Dreyid carefully laid the limp, but conscious, form onto the vakwood dais. It was almost creepy how the case was exactly long enough to accommodate Michaeyala's height, and just as wide as her bodily frame, too. If she had not known better, N'Dreyid would have considered the coincidence to have been foretelling.

N'Dreyid tried not to look in Michaeyala's eyes. Although they could not blink, due to the potion's effects, they stared the betrayal and hurt and sadness straight to N'Dreyid's soul.

"It's okay, Michaeyala. Everything will be okay." N'Dreyid sighed. "Get a hold of yourself. This has to happen. It's too late to change it now."

N'Dreyid grabbed the hand of Michaeyala's that held the Cube and angled it onto her chest, placing the immobile woman's other hand to layer atop the Cube.

"This will be the center," N'Dreyid said.

"I know what you're thinking. You're wondering if I am going to keep you in this same stasis with potions. Unfortunately, I can't do anything that simple. See, sadly the effects of the potions would wear off, and only in a few months. Well, we can't have you running off.

"And since we can't have that, we will have to do something else. You remember N'Tosea? The fire elemental? Well, he will be helping us today. He is going to make it so that the energy from that cube creates a stasis around you. You should be proud, what you do you do for all of Caillte. Don't worry, I shall make sure that everyone knows it. I will come up with something to tell everyone that will explain this all away, and make you a hero. You really should be thanking me.

"Speaking of N'Tosea, it's about time to summon him." She would have to use the less friendly type of summoning now. Oh well, she decided, she couldn't be perfect at everything. She saw a chance to deliver the cloth to Michayaela, so she had to do it. Now that she thought on it, N'Tosea certainly wouldn't approve of her actions. N'Dreyid would have to use the summoning that also provided her the powers of binding the elemental. It was too late to leave anything up to chance now.

N'Dreyid rose from where she had been crouching by Michaeyala's staring face. She pulled out her silver athame, and began the preparations for the summoning. She sliced her finger and started to draw a sigil onto the ground, all the while muttering something unintelligible under her breath. N'Dreyid must have finished the complex lines and angles of the sigil, for she stood. Her mutterings grew louder as dusk continued to fall around the city of Boran. It was almost night, but not completely yet.

" _N'Tosea nak narrum val olea sind._ " N'Dreyid chanted with finality, holding her arms akimbo, her athame dripping blood in one hand, the sigil before her and the vakwood dais with the limp Michaeyala and the Cube of Power behind her.

How dare you. This kind of summoning and binding is unconscionable. I thought you had more respect, Ascha.

The elemental must have been rather angry, since he actually bothered to appear in a corporeal form. The flames of red, orange and blue danced and flared through his skeletal frame.

"Respect?" N'Dreyid spat. "You mean that very thing you refuse to show me? Here I have summoned you, and you still insist on mind-speak. At least have the decency to use the tongue that lives in that mouth."

"What do you ask?"

"Now that's better. I did bind you, after all. You must do my bidding. It will be done more quickly if you are kind about this all."

"Yessss," N'Tosea's ashen voice hissed, as he only bowed half-way, "mistress." The word sounded like the venom that he felt in his mouth.

N'Dreyid shook her head in the direction of Michaeyala and the Cube.

"Over there, the Cube of Power. I need you to transmute its power so that I can manipulate it. I can take care of the stasis spell from there." N'Dreyid wanted to get this finished.

N'Tosea angled behind the vakwood case, ostensibly to make a better connection with the Cube of Power. He just hoped that he still had time to stop this madness. He may not have been able to affect many corporeal things as an elemental, but he could impede the flow of energy from that cursed cube. _Why did she have to find out how to use the power source?_ He felt the thought so loudly that the words became palpable to anyone nearby.

Her mind was so crazy with the fury that she did not hear N'Tosea's thought, not that it would have mattered. She had him bound, and no matter how much he disliked it, he would have to wait until after the binding to defy her.

N'Dreyid tried not to dwell on what had brought her to this place, but she could not keep her mind from it. Irzo had forgotten her. He had a new family even. This was all Michaeyala's fault. Everything. _This was all because one nosy little girl couldn't keep her mouth shut_ , Ascha thought. _Of course I learned how to use the Cube. Did they really think they could take away my life, and get away with it? I will fix this land. I will fix Caillte. And after tonight, everyone left will know that I am the one to thank._

He was almost there. He was almost in the perfect position. And then he wouldn't be able to move from the trap that she had already carved into the floor as soon as she had heard that Michaeyala was coming.

She could feel the sylph as he tried to slip away, but she held him here with sheer power of will. She had tricked him to get him here, now it was just a little further to bind him to the Cube, for all eternity. Once that was done, all she had to do was utter a few words and then Michaeyala would be stuck in a stasis for as long as N'Dreyid or the Cube remained. N'Dreyid laughed aloud with mirth at the thought of the justice of it.

The laugh had caught N'Tosea off his guard, causing him to stumble into the trap. As he was bound to the Cube he had time for one last thought. He called out to the goddess Nohtin. If she cared for her creatures, she would hear him. If she cared, she would do something about all of this.

N'Dreyid did not hesitate. As soon as N'Tosea was bound to the Cube, she quickly recited the words of the spell that would trap Michaeyala in stasis. As she finished the spell, night completed its transition, and thunder sounded through a cloudless sky. N'Dreyid did not notice that the night that surrounded her was different than all of the other nights that had led to this one, as an inky black void absent of stars stared down at her for the first time in her life. A night that should have held a full moon held no moon at all.

Instead, all that could hold the attention of N'Dreyid's eyes was the still body of Michaeyala. It had been cased beneath a cold and slick substance, as though crystal or ice had frozen the body. N'Dreyid looked up. N'Tosea's corporeal form had already begun to fade. By morning, he would be invisible to most people.

## Epilogue

Ascha N'Dreyid needed to clear her mind from the night's events before she could sleep. She stepped into one of the Tower of Boran's courtyards. She raised her chin into the chill night air. _The moon should be full tonight_ , she thought. But she could not see it. Her eyes panned across the sky. But it was a lonely blackness that greeted her eyes.

***

The next day was a festival that the Kirike had to open the newness of spring every year. The people were gathered at the steps of the Tower of Boran. They were all waiting to hear the words that the High Priestess would speak. Something significant had happened, of that everyone was sure. Many rumors of what exactly that was were abounded. Some said they had felt it in the air. Some said they had heard thunder without a storm. Some gave speculations as to why. Others simply waited for what the Kirike or the Sanctum would tell them. They all hoped that her words would help to clarify a few points, as well as give them a direction.

"Everyone," High Priestess N'Dreyid's words rang as they echoed along the streets of Boran, "We are on the verge of a new era. Many of you know that incredible events took place last night. For those of you who don't know, let me tell you now. The wonderful Michaeyala, former High Priestess and my predecessor, gave her vast magickal knowledge and has cloistered herself away to protect us from a new threat, a threat that has already taken the lives of some of my closest and dearest friends. This threat is called night-fever.

"Dangerous night magicks have been found to invade the body, creating this fever and a delirium of the mind. This is one reason why all magick use must be closely monitored by the Sanctum. I am happy to announce that we will be building a new facility down in the south of Caillte to assist with the training of those who are gifted and curious in the ways of magick. This wondrous place shall be called Sanctum City. If you or anyone you know wish to join us in any way, you are more than welcome. Find us in the south.

"We will always be in a debt to the magnificent Michaeyala. She shall henceforth be known as the Lady of the Crystal Veil, for it is a crystal veil that she fuels with her magick, keeping the frightful natural magicks of the night that cause the night-fever at bay for as long as it shines."

## Appendix A  
Pronunciation
**Appendix A:** Pronunciation of names and titles

The following words are the most difficult for English speakers to say. However, we are in luck in this circumstance because there is one linguist and historian from Caillte Saíocht, N'Taleah Sahli, with whom I have had the pleasure to speak. He has been generous enough to clear up many points of pronunciation and his help was invaluable in compiling this list. Any special notes appear after each word.

**Ascha-** _AH-shah_

**Athame-** _AH-thah-mae_

**Boran-** _BOHR-in_

**Bose'quea-** _bo-say-KAY-ah_

**Cabila-** _KAH-bi-lah_

**Caife** \- _KAY-fuh_

**Caillte Saíocht** \- closest approximation: _KAYL- tə SEE- icht_

When pronouncing _Saíocht_ hold the first vowel _ee_ for twice as long as you would hold a regular vowel.

**Celea** \- _SELL-lee-ah_

**Coinnigh í** \- closest approximation: _kin-ni GYEE_

The _gh_ sound is pronounced by holding your tongue where you would for a _k_ or _g_ and making a sound like an _h_. Hold the double consonant _nn_ and the vowel _í_ for an extra count.

**Deosil-** _DEE-oh-shil_

**Dínaeia Gh'Dín-** closest approximation: _DEEN-ay-a gh-DEEN_

This word is exceedingly difficult to pronounce. As with the word above, the vowel 'í' sounds like _ee_ and is held for twice as long as you would hold a regular vowel in English. The _gh_ sound is pronounced by holding your tongue where you would for a _k_ or _g_ and making a sound like an _h_ —a very difficult sound for English speakers to make. If you can't get it, just make a hard _g_ sound like in English _gut_.

**Dolarum** \- closest approximation: _doe- LAH- rum_

The best way to break this down is as follows: the second syllable _ar_ and last _um_ receive relatively equal stress, however more than the first syllable, the _o_ has the value in _boat,_ the _a_ has the value in _father_ and the _r_ has the same value as in the Spanish word _pero_ or some English pronunciations of _button_ or _ladder_ where the middle consonant is replaced with a 'flap D' by rapidly touching the roof of your mouth with your tongue.

**Felisya-** _fel-is-YAH_

**Irzo-** closest approximation: _IR-tso_

The _r_ has the same value as in the Spanish word _pero_ or some English pronunciations of _button_ or _ladder_ where the middle consonant is replaced with a 'flap D' by rapidly touching the roof of your mouth with your tongue, and the _z_ has the peculiar effect of being pronounced with the sounds of rapidly following a _t_ by an _s_ , or making a _ts_ or _tz_ sound.

**Ituèn** \- _it-OO-ən_

**Kian** \- _kee-AHN_

**Krealu** \- _KRAY-ah-loo_

**Maran** \- _MARE-in_

**Malak** \- _MAHL-ik_

**Michaeyala** \- _MIK-ay-ah-lah_

**Narim** \- closest approximation: _NAH-rim_

The _r_ has the same value as in the Spanish word _pero_ or some English pronunciations of _button_ or _ladder_ where the middle consonant is replaced with a 'flap D' by rapidly touching the roof of your mouth with your tongue.

**N'Dreyid** \- closest approximation: _nd-RAY-id_

Unfortunately, this word can never be authentically pronounced by English speakers, or speakers of any other known language save native speakers of Caillte Saíochtan. Luckily, however, N'Dreyid is such a ubiquitous character to Caillte Saíochtan lore that it is highly unlikely that anyone from Caillte would not know of whom you spoke if you use the above approximation. If that is too hard for you, you may drop the initial _n._ However, if you do this, make sure to hold the _d_ for an extra count to help avoid confusion.

**N'Sea** \- closest approximation: _ns-AY-ah_

Although the beginning sound has no equivalent in English, it is made by saying the two consonants in rapid succession as the _nc_ is pronounced in the English word _once_.

**N'Taleah Sahli-** closest approximation: _nt-ahl-AY-ah SAH-lih_

As with the previous word, the beginning sound of this name has no equivalent in English. The two consonants are said in rapid succession, with no vowel sound between them as in the end of the English word _tint_.

**N'Tosea-** closest approximation: _nt-oh-SAY-ah_

As with the previous word, the beginning sound of this name has no equivalent in English. The two consonants are said in rapid succession, with no vowel sound between them as in the end of the English word _tint_.

**N'Tosea** **nak narrum val olea sind** **-** closest approximation: _nt-oh-SAY-ah NAHK n-AH-doom VAHL oh-LAY-ah ZIND_

The _r_ has the same value as in the Spanish word _pero_ or some English pronunciations of _button_ or _ladder_ where the middle consonant is replaced with a 'flap D' by rapidly touching the roof of your mouth with your tongue.

As with the previous word, the beginning sound of this name has no equivalent in English. The two consonants are said in rapid succession, with no vowel sound between them as in the end of the English word _tint_.

**Nohtin** \- closest approximation: _NOH-ghtin_ [or _NOH- tin_ if you cannot pronounce the first]

Here the _h_ is pronounced like the _gh_ from _Coinnigh_ above. It is made by holding your tongue where you would for a _k_ or _g_ and making a sound like an _h._

**Ostrum** \- _OH-strum_

**Raeyan** \- _RYE-ən_

**Saith** \- _SEETH_

**Triquetra** \- _TRAY-qwə-trah_

Please note that the first syllable of the word "triquetra" rhymes with the English word "eye".

**Quey'sea-** _kway-SAY-ah_

**Vyk-** VIK

## Appendix B  
Glossary (including Herbs)

Following is a glossary of many of the words and names familiar to the people of Caillte.

**Aklan** \- a tangy fruit found in southern Caillte, aklan very popular and prized in northern Caillte.

**Albia** \- a port city in the south of Caillte, Albia is known for being a trade hub.

**Amianus** \- a rather short plant with tiny fern-like leaves and delicate stems with miniscule white or pink flowers, amianus is known for its very light and delicate flavor.

**Antea** \- sprite of wind, Antea is often called upon to provide clarity during times of emotional turmoil.

**Bakayla-** the root of this plant is dried and roasted, then infused to make the very popular katcha drink. Bakayla is relatively easy to grow throughout Caillte Saíocht.

**Bay of Renaan-** This is the bay located near the school of T'Sala Un Sung. Not many, if any, ships use the bay for trade, due to the extreme weather conditions one is required to traverse. Traders default instead to use smaller craft on the N'Sea River, which allows them to encounter all of the populated areas along the way.

**Beriak-** a healing herb which is prevalent in most swampy and water-logged regions of Caillte, Beriak can be identified by its matted, moss-like appearance. Although its smell is repugnant to most, it helps cut the healing time of cuts by half or more, and scarring is virtually unheard of when Beriak is being used.

**Berrian Sahli-** famed historian and linguist, as N'Taleah Sahli's ancestor he was responsible for the most commonly used map of Caillte Saíocht up until his descendant, N'Taleah, did further cartographic work.

**Brother Raeyan** \- provided testimony that he and Ascha were having an affair, which sent both of them to prison. Brother Raeyan was attempting to cover for his family member, Irzo, in so doing. _More on the interaction between this character and Ascha can be found in the book_ Ascha, Book -3 of the Caillte Cycle _._

**Bose'quea-** dryad and protector of trees., this spirit was much angered by the massive clearing undertaken by the Sanctum shortly after N'Dreyid became High Priestess. They had been undertaken in attempt to minimize rebel hiding places.

**Caife** \- the name of a tavern in Boran that is frequented by the members of the Sanctum, due to its proximity to the tower.

**Cabila** \- a potent herb with a very pungent odor, cabila is used throughout northern Caillte to flavor foods, mainly soups. It is good for digestion and is said to boost immunity.

**Caillte Saíocht** \- the land where _The Tower of Boran_ takes place; most often natives refer to the land simply as Caillte.

**Coinnigh í** \- a binding spell, this spell, or blessing, is known and used in most Caillte households.

**Cube of Power** \- is a cube made of an unknown metal that at times appears entirely smooth or sometimes appears to radiate engravings in its surface. One of the arcane items of power and unknown origin in Caillte, the Cube of Power has incredible potential, and has had a part in shaping the history of Caillte.

**Deriak** \- a low-growing, matted herb, deriak is only common in the north of Caillte. Deriak is renowned for its healing abilities, when prepared as a poultice. Its flowers are so small that they are very difficult to see with the naked eye. The flowers are not used for identification, but rather the leaves and stems, since the leaves and stems grow in a very unique structure.

**Dínaeia Gh'Dín** \- spell used for blessing or protecting a household, one of the few old spells that has survived within the Sanctum Regime.

**Dolam** \- T'Sala title used to address students over ten seasons of age, when being addressed by someone of a different station or level of society.

**Dolarum** \- Sanctum title used for apprentices who are on the path to becoming priestesses, some linguists speculate that it was actually a linguistic evolution of "Dolam", a title used at the magickal training school of T'Sala Un Sung.

**Irzo** \- member of a traveling troupe, and possibly a wild wizard, Irzo's relationship with Ascha caused members of the tribunal and of Ascha's school, T'Sala Un Sung, to believe that Ascha was threatening political instability. Many thought that Ascha was having an affair with Brother Raeyan, though this was not the case. Ascha and Irzo's relationship eventually culminated in Ascha and Brother Raeyan being sent to prison. _More on the interaction between this character and Ascha can be found in the book_ Ascha, Book -3 of the Caillte Cycle _._

**Ituèn** \- a common, low-growing plant, ituèn is a ground-cover found throughout Caillte. It bears tiny purple flowers during the spring season, and has silver-green leaves that contrast nicely when it is in bloom.

**Kala Rekin** \- a magickal prison where powers are limited by the magickal barriers built into the very mortar and stone, only those that the authorities in Caillte are afraid of are sent to Kala Rekin. Its location is kept from most maps, further limiting chance of escape. **Irzo** \- member of a traveling troupe, and possibly a wild wizard, Irzo's relationship with Ascha caused members of the tribunal and of Ascha's school, T'Sala Un Sung, to believe that Ascha was threatening political instability. Many thought that Ascha was having an affair with Brother Raeyan, though this was not the case. Ascha and Irzo's relationship eventually culminated in Ascha and Brother Raeyan being sent to prison. _More about this topic can be found in the book_ Ascha, Book -3 of the Caillte Cycle _._

**Kalarth-** rare bush native to the mountainous regions of the north whose bark is highly prized for its ability to preserve food without altering its original flavor and which can only be harvested during a short window of time in the fall.

**Katcha-** warm spiced drink, composed primarily of an infusion of bakayla root with regional spices. The drink is usually drunk during cooler weather throughout Caillte Saíocht.

**Krealu-** fellow inmate to Ascha N'Dreyid, Krealu tells Ascha the first she hears of the Book of Prophecy.

**Krouak Dust** \- formed from ground stalks of the krouak reeds, krouak dust is a highly prized magickal ingredient. It is needed to perform moderate to high-level castings and enchantments, as well as to enter the deep meditative states required for communion with any of the gods or elements.

**Mantle of Boran** \- an ancient relic, the Mantle of Boran contains great power. It is a blue shawl, the blue field of which can produce a shimmering or shining effect in its fabric, embroidered with many runes in thread made of silver. These runes hold much magickal power. According to legend, when worn, it sometimes produces a runic song. When this song becomes audible to other than the person wearing the Mantle of Boran, it is because great power and magick has been detected in the person, and that individual is going to have great influence over future of the entire land of Caillte. No one knows how old the Mantle of Boran is, and yet it shows no signs of wear. When worn in an official capacity, it is worn as a stole, with the left and right sides measuring equal distances down the person's body, usually to about their waist.

**Michaeyala** \- character of legend, who was encased beneath a veil of ice atop the Tower of Boran in her attempts to help bolster its light and protect Caillte. Some speculate, however, that Michaeyala was attempting to destroy the light of the Tower, but the High Priestess N'Dreyid found her first and that N'Dreyid always kept the topmost room of the Tower so she could ensure the strength of the crystal veil.

**N'Dreyid** \- the High Priestess of Caillte during the highest point of corruption of the Sanctum Regime, N'Dreyid does not pose a very favorable character in Caillte literature.

**N'Sea** \- the main river that runs south from the bay, N'Sea has many off-shoot tributaries. ( _See the map at the beginning of this book.)_

**N'Taleah Sahli-** descendent of Berrian Sahli, he was a famed historian and linguist.

**N'Tosea-** a fire sylph, also known as a fire elemental, not much is known about N'Tosea.

**Nohtin** \- a goddess of legend and lore that watched over the nights of Caillte, Nohtin protected the people by shedding her silver light over the night sky.

**Noshberi** \- a woody bush that blooms in early through late spring, the blossoms then produce the berries for which the plant is named. Its shiny green leaves have a heavy scent behind them and hold their color through all seasons. Berries are almost always white, though there are rumors of a red variety that has extreme magickal potency when the berries are ground.

**Ostrum** \- a pastry native to northern Caillte, ostrum is a pastry filled with a combination of potatoes, cheeses, and savory spices found in the north. The recipes for ostrum vary greatly from village to village, and family to family. Recipes for ostrum have been heavily guarded as family secrets. Most families are wont to give out even the spice blends they use, let alone the recipe they use for creating the entirety of the dish.

**Pouched Belt** \- A customary garment of members of the Kirike, the pouched belt is, as its name suggests, a belt with several pouches, usually ranging in number between three and ten. This belt can, but does not often, denote societal status. When it does, higher-end materials, such as thick leather, are used, as opposed to lower-end cloths, such as rough homespun cloth.

**Quey'sea** \- water spirit.

**Raygian** \- with its large serrated leaves, raygian is easy-to-identify. A very pleasant tisane, or tea, is made from its leaves, and sometimes its flowers. It is often found growing near, or under, noshberi bushes.

**Saith-** the group formed by Ascha, Narim, Felisya, Celea, Kian, Vyk and Fial, for the purpose of pursuing the magickal arts without having to report their findings or request approval from the concurrent Kirike regime.

**Selian-** herb prevalent over most regions of Caillte, selian is most abundant in forest underbrush and groundcover. It is most easily recognized by its characteristic flowers which are small and five-pointed and have the appearance of stacking upon each other in a columnar fashion. The flowers are very sweet and often used to flavor food and beverages, but are also known for their magickal qualities and their ability to help induce meditative states and help the bearer focus magickal energies.

**Shari Forest** \- this is a forest to the northeast of Boran. The Shari forest is rumored to be the legendary location of Ascha N'Dreyid's final communion with the goddess Nohtin, before the goddess was temporarily banished from the land of Caillte Saiocht.

**Soggy Oat** \- this the name of one of the taverns frequented by the Sanctum in its early days, due in large part to its proximity to the Tower of Boran.

**Torrian'sey** \- more stem than leaf, most people from Caillte regard torrian'sey as a weed. Its small leaves and almost non-existent flowers make it easy to identify. Its spreading, prolific nature, and root system that can go up to twenty feet deep, also can make it difficult to re-locate. Once this plant has taken hold in an area, it usually does not like to let go.

**Triquetra** \- The Triquetra is the only inn in Valona, having become famous as one of the first and most instrumental places where N'Dreyid and the Sanctum gained power and momentum against the Kirike.

**T'Sala Un Sung** \- sometimes referred to as simply T'Sala, T'Sala Un Sung is a Caillte school for the study of the magickal arts.

**Vakwood-** a solid and fireproof wood, vakwood is very useful, sought after, and expensive. Vakwood requires the hand of a skilled carpenter, due to its highly toxic sawdust and the hardness of its wood, making it difficult to work with. Aside from its more practical qualities, its black and red striations make it quite beautiful and highly prized among royalty.

## Appendix C  
Herbal Notebook

**Amianus** \- a rather short plant with tiny fern-like leaves and delicate stems with miniscule white or pink flowers, amianus is known for its very light and delicate flavor.

**Bakayla-** the root of this plant is dried and roasted, then infused to make the very popular katcha drink. Bakayla is relatively easy to grow throughout Caillte Saíocht.

**Beriak-** a healing herb which is prevalent in most swampy and water-logged regions of Caillte, Beriak can be identified by its matted, moss-like appearance. Although its smell is repugnant to most, it helps cut the healing time of cuts by half or more, and scarring is virtually unheard of when Beriak is being used.

**Cabila** \- a potent herb with a very pungent odor, cabila is used throughout northern Caillte to flavor foods, mainly soups. It is good for digestion and is said to boost immunity.

**Deriak** \- a low-growing, matted herb, deriak is only common in the north of Caillte. Deriak is renowned for its healing abilities, when prepared as a poultice. Its flowers are so small that they are very difficult to see with the naked eye. The flowers are not used for identification, but rather the leaves and stems, since the leaves and stems grow in a very unique structure.

**Ituèn** \- a common, low-growing plant, ituèn is a ground-cover found throughout Caillte. It bears tiny purple flowers during the spring season, and has silver-green leaves that contrast nicely when it is in bloom.

**Krouak** \- a relatively rare type of simple reed, it grows near water and will tolerate growing in water, so long as it is not completely submerged. Krouak reeds will grow along river banks or in bogs along water edge where the water is shallow. The dust made from the ground stalks is a highly prized magickal ingredient, which is needed to perform moderate to high-level castings and enchantments, as well as to enter the deep meditative states required for communion with any of the gods or elements.

**Kalarth-** rare bush native to the mountainous regions of the north whose bark is highly prized for its ability to preserve food without altering its original flavor and which can only be harvested during a short window of time in the fall.

**Noshberi** \- a woody bush that blooms in early through late spring, the blossoms then produce the berries for which the plant is named. Its shiny green leaves have a heavy scent behind them and hold their color through all seasons. Berries are almost always white, though there are rumors of a red variety that has extreme magickal potency when the berries are ground.

**Raygian** \- with its large serrated leaves, raygian is easy-to-identify. A very pleasant tisane is made from its leaves, and sometimes its flowers. It is often found growing near, or under, noshberi bushes.

**Selian-** herb prevalent over most regions of Caillte, selian is most abundant in forest underbrush and groundcover. It is most easily recognized by its characteristic flowers which are small and five-pointed and have the appearance of stacking upon each other in a columnar fashion. The flowers are very sweet and often used to flavor food and beverages, but are also known for their magickal qualities and their ability to help induce meditative states and help the bearer focus magickal energies.

**Torrian'sey** \- more stem than leaf, most people from Caillte regard torrian'sey as a weed. Its small leaves and almost non-existent flowers make it easy to identify. Its spreading, prolific nature, and root system that can go up to twenty feet deep, also can make it difficult to re-locate. Once this plant has taken hold in an area, it usually does not like to let go.

## Special Thanks

A special 'thank you' goes out to my alpha and beta readers, and their invaluable feedback, especially my brother, Ervin Scheets III. Their interest makes it more enjoyable and possible for me to continue through the effort of taking those stories in my head and giving them life on paper, or otherwise known as being a writer.

## About the Author

 Always a lover of languages and stories, Shauna Scheets graduated Boise State University with a degree in Linguistics in 2007. She lives with her husband, beautiful baby boy, and two dogs. She spends her free time—when it can be found—creating fantastical stories, learning languages (both human and computer), creating artwork in all forms, gardening and spending time with her family in Boise, Idaho.

She has been writing since she was a child, but started the stories of _The Caillte Cycle_ when she was in her mid-teens. She has several more for the series planned in the near future.

