Mark of the Fool

Chapter 879: Reunion

Selina Roth ran past towering windows streaming early morning sunlight through the villa.

Her bare feet echoing through the halls, cut through the conversation the Lus were having with the queen of Thameland and a few of her guards, as they gathered in the dining hall, discussing the situation in the kingdom.

Mr. and Mrs. Lu—and their sons—sounded uncomfortable around the queen, and worried when they spoke of their daughter and Alex. The queen spoke in soft tones, her voice sounded distressed at times when recounting what they’d been through.

Her infant son was quiet, finally sleeping, likely all cried out from a night of fear and tears.

But Selina wasn’t focusing on the queen, her son, her guards or their worries.

She had her own to think about: her brother, Claygon, Theresa, Brutus and all their friends fighting for their lives and the future of everyone in Thameland. Once again, she’d been left behind.

It was always the same. She had to stay back—protected—while others fought, died and suffered.

Just like at the first Games of Roal she’d attended.

Just like when Alex went to the Empire by himself to make sure she wasn’t targeted by the hidden church.

From the time her parents had died, her brother and their other loved ones were always concerned with making sure she was safe, warm and protected. While she understood that, it didn’t stop her from feeling more and more frustrated because she could never help. She was too young, they said, she wasn’t strong enough to stand beside them, they said. She wanted to help, she wanted to protect them. Last night—after the Lus’ sons had woken her—she’d spent the rest of the night lying in bed, wishing she was four or five years older, four or five years more experienced with her magic. Her fire could be protecting her loved ones, burning their enemies, snuffing out the monsters plaguing Thameland.

But, since she was only twelve now, and had only just started exploring her connection to flame, she had to stay in Generasi.

But…she’d still do what she could with her connection, no matter how new it was. She wouldn’t be using it to burn their enemies to cinders, but…

She’d use it in another way.

Without speaking to anyone in the villa, she opened the front doors and ran outside into the courtyard.

She looked around, searching for a particular object, something she remembered from when she lived there when Alex was gone.

…she quickly found it.

Selina Roth sprinted to a tall iron pole with a hook at the top. On that hook, hung the object she was looking for, and climbing onto the bench positioned beside the pole, she reached up and took the object down:

A lantern with glass sides...

Holding the lantern carefully, she carried it inside, quickly passing the dining room.

“Selina?” Mrs. Lu called.

Selina didn’t answer, her eyes remained fixed on what was in her hands, taking it upstairs to the villa’s meditation chamber.

It was a bright quiet space, fifteen feet across and lined with windows, like a small solarium. The floor was covered with soft rugs, woven in calming colours and patterns.

On one end of the room—opposite the door—a small, stone altar stood.

One would normally place a small bowl with burning incense on it when meditating.

But, today, Selina had a different idea.

She put the lantern in the centre of the altar, then ran to her room.

Footsteps creaked on the staircase. “Selina?” Mrs. Lu called. “I thought you’d gone back to bed. Come on downstairs. There’s breakfa—”

“No, Thanks, Mrs. Lu, there’s something I need to do!” Selina called back.

An idea burned in the young girl’s mind, and the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that it was something she had to do. Reaching her room, she threw the door open and looked around.

When they’d moved back to their apartment above the bakery, she hadn’t taken all of her belongings with her, just in case they decided to spend some time here with the Lus.

She only hoped she’d left a certain item behind.

Something specific, she was convinced that she’d need.

She opened the chest at the foot of her bed, looking through everything she’d left there.

…and found the box of building clay tucked inside.

Exactly what she was looking for.

Scooping it up in both hands, she ran back to the meditation chamber, pushing past a stunned Mrs. Lu.

“What are you doing?” Theresa’s mother asked.

“Trying to help Alex and the others!” the young girl said. “I…I can’t really explain it!”

She stepped back into the room and dropped the box of clay on the floor then opened it, taking out two handfuls of building clay; it was a little dry, but it would do.

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Selina’s clever fingers quickly began shaping the clay into two female shapes as Mrs. Lu watched from the doorway, staring at her in bewilderment.

The young fire-mage soon finished her task, and placed the two clay figures on the altar on either side of the lantern: rough, miniature replicas of the goddess statues in the Cave of the Traveller.

“There,” she said, falling to her knees in front of the lantern and statues. “I made something kinda like…something that symbolises the Traveller. We want her back…and I think this might be a good way to get my faith to her.”

She pointed at the lantern. “The lantern is her holy symbol and the statues represent the ones that were in her temple inside the Cave. And there was something else in her temple too.”

Selina remembered how scared she was when her brother was shielding her from the goddess statues’ fury.

“Fire. And, I can provide that.”

She turned to the lantern. “Holy Traveller, I know you are trying to come back to the material world. You want to help all of us and save us from the Ravener…well I pray to you now…with all the faith I have. I pray with my connection to fire and I offer anything I can to help you. Thank you for helping us as much as you have so far, and…please help us save our kingdom. Help us save our family.”

Selina looked at Mrs. Lu. “This is how we can help the Traveller, and if we can help her, then she can help Alex…and the rest of us.”

Mrs. Lu looked down at the young girl for a moment.

Her face softened.

She stepped closer, falling to her knees beside her. “You’re right, Selina. I’ll help you.” Mrs. Lu looked up at the glass ceiling. “Oh, Traveller, please help us. Whatever you need from me to give you strength, I offer it.”

“And whatever you need from me, I offer that too.”

Selina and Mrs. Lu turned, finding Mr. Lu standing in the doorway.

He was not alone.

Their sons were behind him, along with the queen of Thameland—the prince was cradled in her arms—surrounded by their guards. She looked pale and drawn, her eyes were wet with tears.

“We heard you mention helping those in Thameland,” the queen said, her eyes on the lantern on the altar. “You have made a shrine to the Traveller…but not to Uldar.”

Her eyes flashed.

It seemed her husband had told her much about the god’s treachery.

“We will join you in this ritual, child,” she said. “I have heard of the Traveller—she was a Saint of good works and of a good heart—and if what we do here can aid her and aid Thameland in turn, then that is what we will do. I cannot allow a child to act on behalf of the realm while I stand back.”

She, Mr. Lu, the boys and guards crowded into the cramped meditation room, falling to their knees behind Selina and Mrs. Lu.

The young girl smiled.

“Thank you.” She turned back to the makeshift shrine and went to the lantern, opened its glass door and examined the oil-soaked wick inside.

Selina took a deep breath. “Traveller, we give to you, so that you can give to all of our people. Please. Aid us.”

She looked at the lantern…and spoke the incantation to a spell.

Flame surged inside her.

Flame...

Something she was so connected to…and could use as a focus for her faith. She concentrated on her memory of the fire-gems in the Cave of the Traveller.

When she finished the last word of her spell, an intense flame sprang to life in the lantern, crackling in the morning light.

“Traveller,” she said. “I want this lantern and my fire to symbolise you. I give you my faith and my power, oh Traveller.” She clasped her hands, lowering her head. “Traveller…Hannah…I gladly give you whatever you need. I believe in you and know that you can help us. And…please. Save our home. Save our family. Please come back to us…we know that you are good. We know that you’re not like what we worshipped before. So please…”

She squeezed her eyes tight.

“…travel to us.”

Her words disappeared into silence as her family, the queen and her guards, prayed silently. The only sound heard in the room was the crackle of Selina’s flame burning inside the Traveller’s symbol.

A peacefulness settled over the chamber.

…suddenly, it grew warmer.

The flame crackled louder.

Selina felt a warm touch against her cheek.

###

Something transformed deep within Alex.

His streams of consciousness—all focused on channelling his complete belief through the Traveller’s power in his soul—felt a tingling, reaching deep within his very soul.

Hannah’s power altered inside him.

Surging, the Traveller’s energy flooded his soul.

“This is it!” he shouted, feeling giddy. “It’s enough!”

Alex concentrated on his power, focusing on the feeling of his summoning spells reaching across the planes…and he reached out. Calling on the Mark of the General, he set it to the task of calling something from a faraway place.

He reached deep into his power, feeling a connection form.

The Traveller’s sword—fused with his staff—began singing, blazing with power.

“What?’ Aenflynn’s effigy suddenly cried. “What are you doing?”

“By the Traveller…” Merzhin whispered. “I feel it. I feel all of it.”

Alex reached deeper into his power, using his connection to its source.

He followed the connection beyond the fae wild.

Beyond the material world.

Beyond the planes.

Beyond the very veil of life and death.

And for a brief instant—a fraction of a heartbeat—he glimpsed the after-world.

Eternal light and the deepest dark joined together, packed with untold numbers of havens and voids—the final resting places of every soul in the universe.

And among them…

His breath caught.

He saw a man.

And a woman.

The man was lean and tall, corded muscle hardened from years of splitting wood and hauling kegs gave definition to his arms. His light brown eyes shone with mischief, and he wore his chestnut-brown hair cropped close to his scalp.

The woman’s auburn hair was caught up in a loose braid that swayed in a warm wind. Her green eyes shone with pride.

“Well, someone finally woke up,” the man’s deep voice said, as real as it was when it had woken Alex so many years ago.

“Alex had a busy day today, Sean. Of course he’s tired,” the woman said. “I’m sure it’s even more thrilling than the stories he used to read.”

Alex choked up.

Beside him, he heard a gasp.

He spun around, finding Selina there.

The young girl’s soul was bared to him, wrapped in the most beautiful flames he’d ever seen.

“A-Alex?” she stammered. “What is—is that…”

“You’ve grown so much, my girl.” Mrs. Roth smiled. “As have you, our son.”

“We couldn’t be more proud,” her husband said.

He and his wife walked to their stunned children, wrapping them both in wide flung arms.

“We hear your prayers, especially during the Festival of Ghosts,” Mrs. Roth held her daughter and son. “And we love you both.”

“We couldn’t be more proud of you.” Mr. Roth squeezed both children.

“I…moooom…daaad…” Selina sniffled.

“Mother, father, I—There’s so much I want to say,” Alex could barely get the words out.

“And there will be time for that,” Mr. Roth promised. “When next you see us, there will be an eternity for us to catch up.”

“But you don’t have time now,” Mrs. Roth said, her voice sad. “Your friend took a long time to find us so we could speak to you when this moment came. She’s so strong now, son. You, Selina and the people of Thameland fed her well, but from what I understand, even she can’t hold the door open for very long.”

“You mean—” Alex gasped.

“Yes,” a powerful, yet familiar voice said. “I am here.”

“And so am I,” another one said.

Selina and Alex gasped as their parents released them from the tight hug.

Floating above them were two faces Alex knew well.

Carey London’s.

Though she had changed.

She was taller.

A halo of power floated above her head, and wings of chaos fire—the very thing that had consumed her—blazed on her back.

Beside her, was another figure.

A young woman who Alex could never forget. A young woman whose face had been chubby at one time, but who’d been hardened by tough battles over a period of years. Her features were striking in the way a painting of a goddess might be.

Long dark hair framed her face, hanging down over familiar robes.

Robes that had shrouded a transparent spirit in Cretalikon.

In the blossom of youth, yet with the wisdom of divinity blazing in her eyes…was Hannah Kim, the Traveller.

She was neither spirit nor mortal woman.

Gone was the Saint of Uldar.

And Alex knew, without a doubt, he was now looking upon the personification of a goddess.

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