Taryn woke up to the cawing of a gull right next to his ear.
He grimaced as he stirred awake. The bird cawed incessantly, forcing him into full wakefulness. Taryn blinked and met the milky gray eyes of the bird staring right at him. He sat up abruptly, shooing the bird away from him and Airess.
They had fallen asleep on the beach last night, talking for hours, letting time get away from them both.
The gull flew over and landed on top of Airesss, pecking at her locket. Airess’ golden eyes shot open.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, shooing the bird off of her. It cawed one lasttime before flying off.Odd. Taryn watched it fly away, not sure why hefelt so strangely about a common bird.
He stood and offered a hand to Airess, helping her up. They both shook the sand off themselves as the morning sun beat down on them.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Airess commented as they walked back into town. Taryn muttered his agreement while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The events of last night came flooding back. They still needed to have a visit with Ismene–and soon.
The pair agreed to stop by the temple before heading back to the guest house, the matter was too urgent to wait. When they arrived at the familiar domed temple, they found the doors unlocked. Taryn and Airess shared a knowing look before walking back to Ismene’s study.
There Ismene was, standing in front of the coral-colored flames as though she were waiting for them both. The faint crackle from the hearth was the only sound in the quiet chamber.
“Welcome,” Ismene greeted, turning to face them. She wore the same style of clothing as before, only this time in yellow silk instead of orange. Her hoop earrings bobbed as she turned her head. Her eyes were kind, yet laced with a weariness Taryn couldn't read.
“Where have you both been? The king made an effort to visit your guest house last night and found it empty.”
Airess’ eyes narrowed. “How do you know Ima?” She asked, ignoring Ismene’s question. Taryn shifted on his feet at the sound of his grandmother’s name. Even hearing it spoken aloud brought a certain life to her that hadn’t existed in a very long time.
“My, I haven’t heard that name in ages,” Ismene said thoughtfully as she walked to her desk. Airess and Taryn followed behind.
“Airess met Ima in the dreamworld when we were in Luciena. Ima instructed her to travel to Rune, to find The Obadiah. Yet, all we have found here isyou. We want the truth, Ismene. What do you know about The Obadiah, about my grandmother?” Taryn forced a slow breath through his nose, holding onto the last bit of patience he had. It was as if his tensed body knew the answer to the question he craved.
“Please, sit,” Ismene instructed, as she sat down in her chair. The pair obliged as Ismene lit the candles on her desk, igniting each wick with the fyre from her fingertips.
Ismene thrummed her fingers on the desk as she spoke. “I was old friends with Ima back in Tevye. We met during our schooling in becoming members of The Obadiah.
“We were chosen to cross over to The Old World. Only a small group was sent: Me, Ima, and Esper Crawn. Our mission was to give up our Tevyen immortality and help assist the Prophesied Ones. When I came, I had the appearance of a thirty-year-old Human woman. Look at me now,ha!” Ismene chuckled at her own joke, meanwhile Airess and Taryn’s mouth hung open.
“After a decade of waiting for the prophecy to unfold, we grew weary that it never would. Eventually, we all went our separate ways and started our own lives. That is, until King Roz was born. Then, years later, Aesira Deyanira portaled into Rune with her baby–withyou,” Ismene said, looking directly at Airess.
“Aesira wanted to lay low in Luciena, to hide you away from your own family. She confessed that she crafted a dark spell to cross through Luciena’s ward. Aesira told us that a young Kazimyr prince went missing as a babe, and that he was suspected to be the Moon Godling. It wasn’t until Ima found Taryn in an orphanage years later that we began to connect the dots. Somehow, Taryn was also portaled from Tevye into Rune and had completely eluded us.”
Taryn had no words. No thoughts. His pulse thundered in his ears at the revelation of how he came to be here. He shifted lightly, gaze flicking towards Airess, but she wasn’t looking at him. Airess leaned forward in her chair, golden eyes intent on Ismene.
“Esper had volunteered to go and find you, Airess, after many years spent working on mimicking the spell Aesira had crafted to pass through Luciena’s barrier. We were going to bring the Godlings back together.”
“Wait a minute. Do the Luciens know about the prophecy and the Godlings?” Airess asked.
“We presume they are aware of their prince, Arzhel, being born as a Godling. Given how long they have been cut off from the outside world, it is highly doubtful they are aware of the prophecy. But one can never be too sure of what they know. Their barrier has been a mystery to us,” Ismene said confidently.
Taryn shook his head. “You said you wereimmortalin Tevye?” Ima only gave him limited information when he was a child, and she most certainly never mentioned immortality.
“Bah! I don’t look it now, do I? Yes, all Tevyens are immortal. We give up our immortality to come to the Old World. It is why no one from Tevye has attempted to cross over, they know what they would be giving up.”
Silence fell over them. Taryn wasn’t sure what to believe. He had always been a male of facts and reason, and certainly wouldn’t be taking this woman’s word for everything she had said. Could he even believe the story she gave about how Taryn ended up in Rune?
“You say you serve an organization devoted to preserving the natural state of the world and the Godlings, yet you don’t know the full scope of what that means?” Taryn asked skeptically.
“I may be two hundred and thirty years old, but even I was born in an era long after the last Godling passed. Who knows what Tevye has learned after our departure? Time works differently there. Technology is far more advanced than here. It is only a matter of time before we get the answers you seek, once the wall is brought down.”
“How do you expect us to believe this?” Taryn asked sharply. He stood, having heard enough of this madness.
Airess stood up next to him, grabbing his arm. “Just hear her out. I can’t explain it, but I can’t shake the feeling that there is a far deeper truth to her words than we are ready for.”
