Nolan promoted medicine and good health and was the Ancient people prayed to when they or their loved ones were sick. He also aided inthe discovery of new remedies and cures, working alongside the people of the Old World to create mixtures and tonics to counter sicknesses and diseases. He was revered by the Kingdom of Aireal, as they valued and used a lot of their summoning for healing purposes back when they had access to magic, and he worked at times in conjunction with Hirovale, alerting his Ancient brother when a soul was too far gone to save.
He was often at odds with the Ancient Rivian, the Ancient of Strife and Struggle, as him and his sister clashed on their completely opposite views of life. Nolan promoted the belief that life should be as unburdened as possible and often took away people’s struggle and suffering whenever he could. He was a mid-level Ancient in his powers but still an important one, nonetheless.
Tomo, the Ancient of Acumen and Judgement, was much more complex than his brother. Once Damen was slaughtered, Tomo rose to become the third strongest Ancient in the Old World, third only behind Hirovale and Malachi. He coveted rational intelligence above all else and judged important disputes within the Old World without emotion. He was known for having the uncanny ability to see both sides of any disagreement or story, understanding the reasoning behind people’s actions and what led them to the choices they made in life.
But it was often noted that Tomo lacked empathy, causing his judgements to be too harsh. While he could understand the reasoning for why people did what they did, he could not fully understand thefeelingsthat led people to make those same choices. Many feared his rulings on disputes, but none could argue that they were made with biases. He heard both sides and gave the most rational judgement, never deviating into emotions.
Sianoa, the Ancient of the Mystics and Unknown, was heralded for all things mystical and cryptic, most often dealing with prophecies and visions. She was a large supporter of finding and expanding all of the mysteries of the magic of the Old World, and advocated for new and different ways for summoning to be used. Her and her followers were relatively quiet and secretive until they had something to share, understanding that any new magic,unfamiliarmagic, made people feel uncomfortable. Not surprisingly, she stood at odds with her Ancient brother, Tomo, as rational intelligence and the unknown mystics rarely ever mixed well together.
Golem’s hand pauses me in my reaching, landing gently on my back. I look up at him and then follow his glance to the door of the pub, watching it close as someone enters.
The cloaked blonde Discerni…
The one from the Palisades.
The one who we passed on our way out of Marybeth’s Tavern in Gaumond.
He’s here, in Fumagalli, his hood drawn as he takes a seat at the pub counter at the opposite end of the room.
I glance back at Golem and wave my hand in a gesture towards the room around us, bringing my finger to my lips with questioning eyes. The magical creature closes his eyes briefly in understanding before nodding in affirmation.
“Will he hear us?” I whisper.
He shakes his head.
“This can’t be a coincidence, right? He was also in the Palisades the day before I left Bardot.”
Golem shakes his head slowly, eyes narrowing on the man’s back.
“Should I reach out to the Prince?”
He nods.
I push at the tug in my stomach and envision Keane in my mind from this morning. He’s laying in my bed without a shirt on, his hands casually folded behind his head as he watches me change. I smile at the vision and feel the genuine want and need that pushes out of me.
Keane’s curiosity immediately hits me back, his summoning filling my lungs hard as I rub my chest at the discomfort. I let my eyes land on the man at the far end of the pub and then turn to Golem with his gaze still narrowed on the man as well. Keane quickly releases his hold, either seeing or feeling the look behind Golem’s eyes as I try to steady my breath.
“He’s coming,” I whisper, reaching for the second mug in front of me. I take a swift drink and push my finished soup to the end of the table, pretending to read my book as Stormfall stirs against my neck.
The door to the pub opens again, revealing the Prince. His brown eyes instantly find mine to check that I’m okay before he turns to look at the man seated at the counter. He takes the stool next to the blonde Discerni and nods to the pub owner.
“Your Highness.”
“Toddy, please, Vickam.”
Vickam turns to grab a glass just as the blonde promptly places a cinerin in front of his half-filled drink. The stranger pushes back from his chair with a small nod to Keane and walks out the door. Keane watches him as the older Discerni places a glass in front of him with a curios look.
“Thank you, Vickam,” Keane nods to the barkeep, “has that man visited before today?”
Vickam grimaces at the Prince before nodding, “he came into the village about three days after you all departed. He’s been here since.”
I take a deep breath.
Definitely not a coincidence.
“His business?” Keane asks, lifting the toddy to his lips.
“Haven’t got much,” Vickam replies, “quiet fellow. Mentioned once he was a merchant. That he was taking a slow travel to A’aberg.”
