| Felanya had stayed in the Garden, gathering Dalnek's ashes. There was no container to put them in, so she scooped them up and placed them among the plants without ceremony or prayer. Part of her was saddened, deep in the back of her mind and part of her - and part of all the other Magi - really did not care, would not mourn. Lyahr went to the Spires to look at the statues of dead Magi. More and more often he would stand in front of the statues, head tilted as if listening to a soft whisper. It was becoming increasingly unsettling to all the other Magi in Trinlayra. Sylvae left to play with his weapons, practice his Rites - become a better killer, a better weapon. Corridan and Acharya stood in Acharya's chamber, arguing. Perhaps it was only a trick of the light, but the flickering candle flame made their eyes seem hollow. "You know I will not miss him, but that is not the issue!" Corridan was one of the few Magi in the whole of Sharan'akar that had the nerve to shout at the Acharya. "Then I do not see what the problem is." Acharya made his way behind his desk, and began jotting down orders for the Magi spread around the world. So many to kill, and maybe he didn't have all the time in the world after all… "The problem is that you are not in control anymore. It isn't like you." "You don't remember what is like me, Corridan. Leave me be. Dalnek is dead, neither of us wishes to mourn, and aside from that there is no time. Things…" Acharya sighed, frustrated that the right words would not come. There was a small screaming, always in the back of his mind. Not quite a wail, nowhere close to a whimper, but something like a low, violently angry threat that could find no syllables, no words to express the pain and malice behind that wordless bellow. It was becoming distracting, and as of late, it was growing louder and harder to push away. "Things?" Corridan prompted, and Acharya realized he had fallen silent. "Things are waking, and unless we act quickly, these things might interfere." There was a warbling from the corner of the room, from the massive golden cage that stood almost as tall as Corridan. Acharya strode toward the sound, wondering what caused his pet to stir. "That's new," Corridan gestured to the cage. Acharya nodded, lifting the sheer deep blue sheet, revealing a bird with plumage the colour of flames. It inclined its head to allow its eyes to take Corridan in. The birdlike creature stood half as tall as Acharya. There was not room enough in the cage for it to spread its wings - each as big as a full-grown man - or let its three spade-shaped tails twitch. Acharya undid several latches, opening the door to the cage. "Tahdisha," Acharya called softly to the creature, and it turned its unnatural eyes to focus on its master. The pupils were small, and bright rings of yellow and orange surrounded the tiny black pinpoints. Tahdisha stepped out of the cage, pressing its head - crested in feathers of deep violet and blue - to the Acharya's side affectionately. Acharya placed a hand on the creature, on the back of its neck and smiled. "Is that its name? Tahdisha?" Corridan let a small laugh out. Acharya only nodded, watching his pet. He ignored Corridan's laugh. "Ironic." The candlelight toyed with Corridan's hair, making it seem transparent black - true obsidian. "You named it Hope? Your pet?" "Yes. My phoenix," he smiled broadly, remembering all the trouble he had gone through to acquire such a beast. "All right, I give in. How in Sharan'akar did you manage to claim a phoenix?" Claiming smaller Beasts was difficult enough; the pack of So'er Fehlas only barely obeyed him. "I… liberated him, from the Rift. Darker things had allowed him to make a prison for himself, in the center of the plane and keep the walls up. When Torankhayel broke free, it brought Tahdisha with it, and now Tahdisha is mine." The small green and blue feathers on Tahdisha's tails shimmered against the candlelight. "And what can he do?" A small tinge of jealousy crept into Corridan's voice. He was fairly sure that this was the bird of resurrection - the only one of its kind - from the myths and legends of the Old World, and the worlds before it. If that was the case, there was almost nothing this creature could not accomplish. All his pets did was smell bad, scratch and claw things, and occasionally hunt stationary fungi. The So'er Fehlas were not bright creatures. Deadly, but not bright. "Breathe life into the dead, as long as there is a body to breathe into. He can pluck any soul from its Heaven, pull it back to a body and make the body breathe again. His beak and claws can rend through rock, and his plumage can be used to prolong life." "So that's how you've been alive for so long," Corridan felt as if he finally knew something of value. "No, actually it isn't. Torankhayel keeps this body moving." Tahdisha moved his head away from his master, and watched the two Magi talk, as if it understood. "Is that possible?" "It would amaze you what the Dark can accomplish, Corridan. Or maybe it wouldn't, if you were Awakened." "You say that a lot," Corridan tilted his head, scrutinizing the Acharya. "You keep saying that it will happen soon, but you cannot say when for sure." "Because if I said for certain, I would be lying. I could force it upon you, but-" "Then do it! You continuously say that we don't understand because we're not Awake, you belittle us because we don't understand and you refuse to explain anything!" Corridan interrupted, furious. "Because it will be more valuable to you if you discover it yourself. It is not my job to enlighten you three, it is your job to enlighten yourselves. You're Magi, over the world it is said that you are more intelligent, braver, less susceptible to pain, hunger, fear, alcohol - and all human emotions. Maybe you should start living up to that reputation." The deep cold in Acharya's sapphire eyes made the flippant statement a threat. "I have done all that I could! You're supposed to be the Great Teacher, the leader for this world, and even if you are only here to bring this world into darkness the least you can do is enlighten your army of puppets." Corridan refused to admit that he was a puppet as well; that Acharya, the two remaining Magi and he were all the puppets of Torankhayel. "Ask, and ye shall receive," Acharya smiled grimly. He moved with lightning speed, placing both palms on Corridan's forehead. The black-haired Mage began to scream in the viselike grip, the Jihann stones in both of Acharya's palms seemed to sear into Corridan's flesh. Corridan's legs failed him and he knelt for what seemed an eternity. When he stopped screaming, Acharya was standing over him, with his arms folded over his chest, his face grim. "It would have been less painful if you'd found the truth for yourself." There was a shadowed satisfaction to the Acharya's deep voice. Corridan could only kneel on the carpets, waiting for his eyes to focus, his muscles to function again. He could only wait for all those painful memories of failure - and forced servitude to the Ultimate Darkness as the cost - to clear and let him speak. "Come on," Acharya laughed, grasping one of the Mage's arms and pulling him to his feet. "There is no time to mourn your ignorance." Acharya put Tahdisha back in his cage, ignoring the bird's curious chittering as the two left the room. |