Julia woke up alone. Falcon was already gone, and she knew where he would be: with their new friend, no doubt. She grumbled at herself as she got out of bed. She knew it shouldn’t upset her―he was always up before she was―but she was feeling jealous again.
She sighed. She didn’t want to feel anything. So much had happened since she had come to Kelstone. Had it really been just over a month? It felt like so much longer. She felt so weary, and they weren’t even halfway through this quest.
One day at a time, she told herself. As she knew too well by this point, so much could happen in just one day.
She descended the stairs to find Falcon sitting with Lotus at a pub table in the almost-empty tavern. They were laughing together, the heavy mood from yesterday seemingly forgotten. Julia walked closer, hating that she felt like an intruder.
Falcon sobered when he saw her. “Hey, Jules.”
There was something strange in his voice this morning, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Lotus beamed at him―she knew something Julia didn’t. Jealousy prickled inside her again.
Falcon touched her hand under the table as she sat down. “How are you doing?”
“Fine.”
“Today has already started out to be beautiful,” Lotus said, throwing another knowing glance at Falcon. “It will only get better,” she promised. “Now that the three of us are friends, we’ll have a great time traveling together.”
Julia’s answering smile was tight.
__________
After selling the raw rubies Falcon had taken from the mine, they restocked their supplies and headed northeast through Brunya Forest. Lotus sat behind Julia, riding with her since she didn’t own a horse. Julia would have much rather insisted on Lotus taking the horse so that she could share with Falcon, but she said nothing. At least Lotus wasn’t riding with him; Julia hated even the mental image of his arms being around the nymph.
“So, is a bard just someone who sings and plays at taverns?” Julia asked, deciding to start a conversation to distract herself from her own thoughts.
“One like me do,” Lotus said. “Some bards tell stories, recite poetry, dance, paint… I do a bit of each, but singing is my focus.”
“And she has magic to go with it,” Falcon added.
“I do, yes,” she agreed. “But not all bards use bardic magic. In fact, most of them don’t.”
“So you’re a mage or something?” Julia asked.
“She’s not from this world,” Falcon explained when Lotus looked surprised at Julia’s ignorance.
“Neither are you,” Julia pointed out a bit testily.
“There are four types of magic,” Lotus continued, seeming oblivious to the tension. “There is arcane magic which mages use. The arcane part is because they use arcane writing for spell creation. They use mana to cast, but that is inside them. So is the actual magic―it’s in their blood. If you aren’t from this world, then Eolys, the God of Magic, gave you magic for some reason. No one has magic unless they are born into a magical family.”
“What if mages and non-mages have children?” Julia wondered. “Does that matter?”
Lotus nodded. “It weakens the bloodlines, makes for less powerful mages. That’s why there are a lot of mages who won’t marry outside their society. Makes a lot of them seem kind of aloof to the rest of us.”
“The mages at the guild in Jaida Grove were snooty.”
“Not uncommon,” Lotus told her. “Some mages believe magic to be more important than anything, so they act as though everything else is beneath their concern. But please don’t think they’re all like that.”
“Jules isn’t like that,” Falcon said, smiling at Julia.
Lotus smiled and nodded. “Bardic magic,” she continued, “isn’t in people at all; it comes from the arts. Sound and symbols are the magic. Words, a voice, a musical instrument, or a paintbrush are what bards use to cast their spells. Anyone can learn bardic magic, but it takes a lot of time and practice. There’s also divine magic. Only certain people can use that. The gods preordain their clergy; these people are born with a birthmark in the shape of that god’s symbol."
"Do they always serve in a temple if they're marked?" Julia wondered.
"Well, they don’t have to, but I’ve never heard of one not desiring to," Lotus answered. "Once they’re twelve years old, they can choose to go into service and join the temple of their god. Then they go through schooling to become a cleric, and only then can they use the magic. They obtain and cast, for lack of a better word, using prayer.”
“What about priests?" Julia asked. "And are there priestesses?”
“They have to become clerics first, then work their way up. And yes, there are priestesses, too. Oh, and that is usually passed down through families, as well, but not always. People are chosen because of their parents. If the parents are very good people, their child might be chosen to serve Daegon, or if they are very compassionate, their child might serve Aryst. So you can see how someone who is a cleric or priest of Daegon, for example, would be a good candidate for having a child with his birthmark.” She smiled at Julia then. “You’re so heroic and compassionate, it could possibly happen with your children.”
“She’s not staying in this world,” Falcon told her.
Lotus looked over at Falcon with a sad look. “Oh, that’s too bad.”
He just nodded.
Julia tried to hide her hurt. He said it so quickly, she thought. She felt like now that he had found someone worth his time, he couldn’t wait for Julia to go home. She took a deep breath, then pressed on. “So, what’s the fourth type of magic?”
“Ranger magic,” Lotus said. “They don’t call it magic, but the definition of the word is something that is used to manipulate the natural order of things. A mage uses heat from the air to create a fireball, a healing cleric manipulates the body to cure people, a bard manipulates emotions―a ranger manipulates, too. They can make a gust of wind, cause a plant to grow in size, communicate―on a very basic level―with animals, and so on. But they do these things by learning to speak through their spirit to the spirit of nature. That’s what they call it, just speaking to nature.”
“Is that passed down, too?” Julia asked.
“No. Anyone can learn it, but it takes extreme patience and focus. It’s a long and slow path to become a ranger. That’s why there have been only a small handful of human rangers in known history; usually, they’re elves. Elves are perfect for it because they have a very long lifespan and are very calm and focused people.”
“How long do they live?”
“Usually between five and six hundred years.”
“Oh my god,” Julia breathed.
“My kind―the nymphs―are woodlanders, too. They also live a very long time, even longer than the elves: up to about eight hundred or so.”
“What about you?”
“I’m only half, so I’m not exactly sure,” Lotus said with a small shrug. “Half-woodlanders like me are very rare. Woodlanders tend to stay in the woods and don’t often mix in human society, and vice versa.”
Julia nodded and was silent for a few moments, until she thought of another question. “Is your magic the reason I felt better when you were singing last night?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Well… thanks,” she told her. “So, you travel all over?”
“Yes; I’ve been traveling since I was twenty.”
“Do you usually travel alone?”
“Mostly,” Lotus answered. “I traveled with a bard named Napalo for awhile. He was a great musician. He’s the one who taught me the song to open the cave in Mount Aylios. He was old and wise. He knew a lot of ancient legends.” She looked excited now. “Like the stories of the time of open portals, when this world was supposedly connected to others. They say that’s where all humans originally came from. But those stories are only myths… or at least they’re thought to be. Did you really come from somewhere else?”
“Yes,” Falcon said, and he told her everything. She was enraptured by it all and asked lots of eager questions, which he happily answered.
Julia was quiet as she listened, wondering how this woman could have traveled all over this horrible world and yet was still so sweet and happy.
__________
They set up camp in a meadow near dusk. Julia pulled out some items for dinner, picking out what she wanted Falcon to make as she sometimes did, but he stopped her, returning the bacon she had taken out of his pack. “Lotus doesn’t eat meat.”
Julia had no idea how he knew that. How long had they been in the tavern talking away while she slept? A new wave of jealousy swept over her, which she unsuccessfully tried to ignore.
“Animals are my friends,” Lotus explained, then spoke quietly to the forest at large. “Come,” she called gently.
A few seconds later, a doe stepped out into the clearing and walked over to her. The beautiful deer sat down and Lotus stroked its back tenderly. “No, I’m not a ranger,” she said, answering Julia’s silent question. “It’s because I’m half-nymph. Nymphs, unlike elves, are born with the ability to speak with animals. They don’t have to learn it like a ranger does, and they can speak to them in more depth, as well.”
She turned her attention to the deer. “Hello,” she greeted softly. “How are you?” She waited a short moment, then smiled. “I’m glad you’re not anxious. We’d never dream of hurting you.”
Julia looked at Falcon, who was smiling at the animal. She rolled her eyes, knowing that under normal circumstances he would have thought it was dinner. But at present, he seemed to be just as enthralled with the deer as he was with Lotus.
Falcon made a vegetarian meal, then chatted happily with Lotus while they ate, talking about Kelstone. They seemed to be turning into fast friends―maybe more, Julia thought as she ate in brooding silence.
“So, what do you know about Kieran?” Falcon asked as he started cleaning up after dinner.
“I don’t really know that much,” Lotus answered. “I’ve heard of her during my travels before, and then more after my father’s murder. I’ve heard it said that she’s trying to become a god herself, that if she pleases Malluk enough he’ll make her immortal.”
“Can that happen?”
She nodded. “It’s happened before. Nathora, goddess of nature, fell in love with an elf woman, Ona’Ess. She was made into a goddess so that they could be together forever. Also, I heard that Brex, the God of Chaos, gave two of his followers immortality… but that’s just a rumor, I don’t actually know that for sure.”
Julia sighed. “That’s all we need―Kieran becoming a god before we can stop her.”
“I know,” Lotus agreed. “But Lila, my fairy friend, told me that we have until the fifteenth of June―Malluk’s Day―to complete our quest.”
“That’s less than a month away,” Falcon noted.
“We can do it,” she said confidently. “What’s our plan, anyway?”
Falcon explained about the orb of Gahala Dune.
Lotus nodded. “I’ve heard of it. Do you know how to use it?”
“No. An old mage, Ikoris, is supposed to be finding that out at the Arcane Library in Oraunt. He’s not exactly all there, though, if you get my drift,” he said, tapping the side of his head, “but we can look it up ourselves if we have to, once we get all the pieces.”
“And the one in Mount Aylios is the third piece?”
“Yes.”
“Have you figured out where the fourth is yet?”
Falcon shook his head. “The clue we have is, Woodland creatures do not lie, they will answer, eye for eye.”
“Oh, the Ifori forest,” she said quickly. “It’s referring to the elves.”
“Elves don’t lie?” he asked.
“No, never. No woodlanders do,” she answered. “That’s a human thing. Creatures of nature are very honest.”
“So we just have to ask them?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, good. I was worried about that eye for eye part,” Falcon said, and they both laughed.
__________
After a while, the deer returned to the forest and Lotus started playing her lute. But when Julia yawned after a few songs, she set the instrument down and came to hold her hand, continuing to act as if they were all old friends. She led her to the tent and, while Julia sat on her bedroll, Lotus crawled onto hers, which she had placed next to Julia’s, and lay down.
Falcon came in as well and settled into his bed on the other side of Lotus, closing his eyes immediately. Julia held back a sigh. She missed sleeping in his arms, but she guessed that wouldn’t be happening anymore; she was sure Lotus would get that privilege soon enough. Her chest started aching again, and her eyes stung at the thought.
“Isn’t this fun? Traveling together?” Lotus asked, turning to her side so she could see Julia better. “I’m so happy to be with you.” She smiled conspiratorially as she leaned closer. “You know, I’ve always wanted a sister,” she confided in a whisper. “If I had one, I would want her to be just like you.”
“I don’t see why,” Julia muttered.
She smiled tenderly. “Because you love so easily, your heart is so open―that’s the greatest gift. To love like you do, to be vulnerable… it’s very brave. You open up your heart to all the pain as well as the joy. There is nothing nobler. You are truly an awe-inspiring person.”
Julia frowned. “I don’t feel very awe-inspiring.”
Lotus nodded, her eyes filled with compassion and understanding. “You’ve been hurt deeply in your life. I can feel that. Most people would have closed after enduring what you have, but not you―you’ve stayed open. Any fool can rush into a fight and risk their life, but it takes a very courageous person to risk their heart. Like you, Julia.”
Julia looked from Lotus's earnest face to Falcon's on the other side of the tent. His deep brown eyes were open and held some emotion, but she couldn’t tell what it was. His gaze held hers for a moment, and then he closed his eyes again. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. She couldn’t handle hearing the things Lotus was saying, or seeing that look in Falcon’s eyes that confused her so much.
She lay down. Lotus was smiling again as if she knew something Julia didn’t, yet her expression was caring and tender. Julia felt the sting of the tears and turned away from the bard. Lotus’ eyes saw too much, and her words touched a raw place inside her. Feeling exposed, she pulled the blankets up to her chin, as if it would protect her―though she didn’t know what she needed protection from.
Lotus placed a gentle hand on Julia’s arm and started singing a lullaby. It was so soft that it was like a bird cooing, and Julia drifted to sleep almost immediately.
