Chapter 67: 66. Round and Round

I laid on a deck above a mirrored lake, all of eight years old. A familiar woman thrice my size laid beside me.

 

By any way I could tell it, it was a beautiful spring day. The sun shone bright through the scattered clouds as it peaked above the mountains, and its reflection in the Arguin made it appear as though the sky enveloped all of the world. 

 

Nor did the land I could see make any argument for that claim. They lay far off to the east and west like duelling teeth against the horizon, and I was simply the infinitely small meal looking out from the inside. I could only pretend that the eastern skies were but in actuality down and the western up, and I wondered briefly about what a creature of that size would even eat.

 

Tiring from that quickly, I switched to staring at the woman instead. 

 

She was a blur, a spot of blue and white that I couldn’t quite make out. I ignored that, the fact totally absent from my thoughts.

 

“Mom, is the Star the same thing as the sun?”

 

I knew the answer already, which technically was ‘no’, but I always liked how she would deny it, the tales of why it wasn’t having left the theological long ago.

 

“Actually, the sun is the Star’s Lmenli.” She said after a short pause.

 

“A Lmenli?” I laughed at the mental image of a four pointed star trying to cast magic.

 

“Indeed. Apparently it got jealous when it saw ours and decided to make its own.”

 

I rolled my eyes. Of course, the Star would never do something like that- it didn’t feel something as low as jealousy. 

 

“What element would that be?”

 

She continued to stare up at the sky for a long minute.

 

“A stellar one.”

 

“Mom…”

 

“It’s said that it accidently dropped it while it was helping.” She continued. “Some say it’s still looking for it too. That’s why the Star hasn’t returned yet.”

 

“It’s been searching for two whole eras?” I asked.

 

“Well, it left the sun up here in the sky, so it's no wonder it can’t find it underground.” Mom replied. “We might have to send a letter.”

 

“I’m sure it would find it immediately if it asked its own mom.”

 

“If it just opened its eyes...” Mom shook her head.

 

A chime broke over the lake, a signal from the Andorlin bell tower that we’d entered the tenth hour. 

 

“Sounds like we should be heading back soon.” Mom said, an element of resignation in her voice. 

 

“Can’t we stay out a while longer?” I asked.

 

“‘fraid not. Lessons won’t wait for idling!”

 

“Ugh…”

 

I groaned. Lessons were always my least favourite part of the day, made worse by my ill-tempered tutor. Hardly a day went by where he didn’t barrate me for some small mistake or for forgetting to practise some minute ‘fundamental exercise’.

 

She got up and stretched, waving to the helmsman as she did so. Moments later I felt a shift as the boat began to turn back towards the city.

 

It was a grand city, I knew, though for some reason I couldn’t quite make out its turrets and buildings as we approached. A strange haze masked the place, one that I didn’t think of questioning.

 

Instead, I looked at Mom, who had taken to staring at the city as well, though in her case I could see that it was something other than boredom that she feared upon returning. I couldn’t quite understand what exactly that was, for Mom didn’t have any lessons with cranky butlers to look forward to. It was quite unfair, really.

 

“Are you worried about Corto?” I asked, taking a stab in the dark. “I would too! He’s simply horrible at everything, you know.”

 

“No, I’m just…” She paused to give me a wry look. “You’re supposed to support your brother, you know.”

 

“I am! Everyone wants way too much of him, you know.” I shook my head sadly. “They need to know how bad he is so he can do less. And he is horrible! He never plays with me.”

 

Life was hard for eight year olds, I knew. Nobody ever had time to deal with you, nor did anyone care about that. You had lessons, too, with terrible old men who couldn’t tell a fiction book from a piece of manure. Even my brother (who was only a year and eleven months older, mind you) didn’t have the time to deal with me more than an hour or two each day. Yep, an eight year old was probably the worst type of person to be.

 

“I’m sure he has his reasons, you know.” Mom said, lightly chuckling to herself.

 

“Everyone has reasons.” I muttered.

 

“Well it’s true.”

 

She returned her gaze to the city, the troubled expression coming only a moment behind.

…

I bolted upright in the bed, scaring the hell out of the priest who leaned over me.

 

Volcanoes, mothers, Saphry, magic, demons… Where was I?

 

My eyes flew around my surroundings, taking in every inch of my body and the room.

 

Long white hair, pale skin, familiar glass paper weight upon my head… Yep, I was still Saphry. Or rather I was still Ryder, in the body of Saphry. And though I was monumentally tired, I was alive. Unless I was sorely mistaken, the wood panelled rooms and soft linens meant I was in the palace in Minua. Again.

 

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“Damn it.” I muttered. “I’d really hoped I’d be back…”

 

When I’d fallen off that building, I hadn’t actually expected to wake back up again. And certainly I hadn’t expected to feel totally fine if I had. It felt more like I’d just stayed up really late than anything.

 

The memory of what had actually happened flowed into me again, and I couldn’t help but bury my face in my hands.

 

Plunging a frozen sword into a demon’s heart and pushing it off a building in full view of the entire duchy? By the Star… did I have a death wish? Was I just determined to off myself in as dramatic a fashion as possible? And since I lived I even had to deal with the consequences of the whole affair!

 

Did everyone know I could use magic? Had they seen that? Damn it, those soldiers had, hadn’t they? Ah, I was so screwed… wait, Auro! And Breale!

 

My head shot up and found the eyes of the priest as I suddenly realised he was there.

 

“Lady Astrian, I would ask that you stay still.” He said gently. “Your wounds have but only been knit together. The body still requires rest. Especially since it appears that you have been soul-scarred before.”

 

He was dressed in the white robes of an acolyte of Celrion, probably a resident of the monastery on the mountain east of here. He was younger than other priests I’d seen, only about twenty-five to thirty if I could read wrinkles right, and his hair was the signature white of the Summarkan variety. He looked unarmed, which I could only take as a good omen so far.

 

“Never mind that, do you know of Auro faln Belvan? Or the Mavericks?” After a moment I added another. “Or Luis Coelric?”

 

He didn’t look surprised at the deluge of names, as if he’d been expecting a question like that.

 

“They are all alive.” He confirmed. “Lord Evendal had them all retrieved and brought here for healing. And though I must admit some of your comrade’s wounds were fairly dramatic, we were quick enough to prevent most major lasting damage.”

 

I let out a sigh of relief.

 

Thank the Star. Both of the Maverick’s had looked to be only a couple steps from death when I’d left them, what with all the burns and cuts. And the way Auro’s bridge had partly collapsed had me fearing for the worst. It was a wonder that we’d all survived such an event.

 

“And Hosi? Have you heard of her?” I asked.

 

“Lady Hosi is currently attending her lady despite her, ah, injuries.”

 

So they couldn’t completely fix a removed arm, huh? I suppose that would’ve been asking a bit much of even magic. Really, it was a wonder they could do what they did.

 

The middle of that sentence suddenly caught up to me.

 

“Wait, her lady?” I asked. “Who could… ah.”

 

Who was the only other Mistren I had ever seen before, and coincidentally had access to the city guard and the impetus to protect it? Andril’s fiance, Amelia, of course. It almost made too much sense now that I thought about it. It would explain Hosi’s apparent skill in magic and sneaking around and neatly put a reason as to why she was doing what she was, or why she was even in Verol to begin with. It was certainly a better explanation than anything else I’d been able to come up with.

 

But wasn’t Hosi actually from Doux-Burgund? That was what she claimed, after all. Was it just a ruse? Was my only republican friend actually a fed? 

 

“Ah, forgive me, my lady, but if I may…”

 

I looked back up at him, finding that he looked to be positively brimming with questions, which was perhaps understandable.

 

“I suppose you remember yesterday, then? About the demon?” I said.

 

Well, I hoped it was yesterday at least.

 

“It would be hard to forget about it. The way you shone with the light of Brionin before you pierced the demon through the heart and toppled over the side wreathed in magical ice… you looked as though you were the reincarnation of the great smith Balmin himself! And the explosion of steam and rain once you hit the grand fountain? Why, I almost thought you’d dropped a mountain on top of it! It’d be a miracle if anyone in the city could forget about it as long as they lived. And how could they? The first snow mage in millenia reveals themselves whilst nobly slaying one of the largest demons anyone west of the Arguin had ever seen? And she’s wearing gifts of a forest spirit? Hah, ‘Demonbane’ indeed!”

 

I looked away, embarrassed but strangely proud. 

 

[Fuck]. So much for that ‘keep it hidden’ plan. Though it really didn’t feel too bad when he put it all like that… Was this how being a hero was supposed to feel? It was certainly more recognition than I’d ever gotten doing the same thing back on Earth. Actually, was it really that bad that it’d come out like this? I obviously wasn’t locked in a prison cell yet, so it was better than the result Fredrick had doomed and gloomed about. Ah, and that title? That was official, right? Could I demand people call me that?

 

“I apologise if I’ve overwhelmed you, hah!” The priest laughed to himself. “But I must ask: was that entirely yourself? Or have you received some premonition of the Star? As you can imagine, such an event as this has generated quite a bit of debate over its meaning…”

 

“No vision, I’m afraid.” I said, not seeing any point in lying about that. “It was but the element I was born with.”

 

I really didn’t want to keep up with some huge lie like that, not least because I knew I’d slip up eventually. It didn’t make much sense to make myself into some divine prophet figure either, not when I still wanted to eventually go back to Earth.

 

I frowned.

 

Saphry’s easy-going life was pretty screwed, wasn’t it? There probably wasn’t going to be any recovery from being outed as ‘the first snow mage in millenia’, and there definitely wasn’t going to be any return to her prior quiet life. I mean, admittedly everything else that was happening with the country had determined that it wouldn't happen anyway, but I somehow felt like this was a few steps above even a civil war. 

 

And even ignoring that particular element, she was now (hopefully) known as ‘Demonbane’ to the entire duchy. Which was a badass title, to be fair, but it was also so far removed from the previous Saphry that it was kind of impossible to reconcile the two. From this point onwards I’d completely broken any illusion of keeping it under wraps.

 

Which meant that if any other world hopper happened to be here, I was now shining a bright spotlight straight into the sky for them. After trusting Fredrick and Auro with my secret, that of course wasn’t the biggest thing on my mind anymore, but it was probably worth mentioning.

 

“...think it might even be the beginning of a new era. And farewell to the Age of Ice, I say! Certainly it lessens the shadow that circles the east.” He shook his head happily, apparently not noticing that I’d only just started listening again. “Ah, I must inform Duke Belvan and Lady Amelia of your awakening. Oh, and Lord Andril as well! He had requested to be informed immediately.”

 

He got up and started walking towards the door, humming happy songs while I processed what he’d just said.

 

Wait, a new era? Wasn’t that a little extreme?  It was only one guy with ice magic! And it wasn’t even because of some religious reason or whatever either, but because I got ripped away from a different world…

 

My head shot up as that last part registered.

 

“Wait, Andril? Couldn’t that wai-”

 

The door shut behind him, leaving my request dead in the air. My previous fights with Andril over magic bubbled up to the top of my mind, and all the threats that had included.

 

“Andril’s going to kill me.”

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