Karma never had emergencies. She was too peaceful and collected to panic.
So why did she want to meet with Syndra again so soon? She'd just met with her yesterday; Syndra could only stomach being with her for so long. But Karma had sounded… Unwell. Or at least her note had. So she stared petulantly at herself in the mirror while she dressed for the day, but agreed to meet with her anyway.
Syndra was unhappy about being inconvenienced, so she made sure the orbs around her were bright and lively when she was welcomed inside Karma's home. Although she pursed her lips at the sight, Karma wisely remained silent.
Syndra sat down politely and crossed her legs, folded her hands on the table top. Waited.
Karma spread her hands and exhaled loudly.
"The kinkou are gone."
Syndra was confused. "Gone? What do you mean?"
Karma screwed her mouth up.
"There was a coup, by someone who used to be a part of the kinkou. He slaughtered them all. He's there now, at the old temples with his new order."
Syndra considered. The idea that one man could rally together a skilled enough group of people to uproot the famous kinkou order, in one day no less, was shocking. Karma could guess easily enough what she was thinking.
"I don't know who it is, exactly. There was… No one from the kinkou to contact. But he's a shadow master, more skilled than any other we've ever known. "
Syndra's spine tingled. Shadows. How interesting. She'd never had a affluence for shadows herself, but they'd always fascinated her. He must have been very well versed in the art, to be able to roust the kinkou by himself.
As nice as exciting news about strange men and spooky dark arts was, Syndra still didn't want to waste her day with Karma. She smiled widely, pushing her chair back slightly.
"Was that all?"
Karma eyed her with very familiar disappointment, but waved her hand in dismissal anyway. Syndra practically bounced from the room, trying to forget the wasted time she had to spend with Karma and focusing on returning home. The sun was shining, the breeze was light, everything felt… right.
Her gardens felt especially comfortable to her today; did the flowers smell sweeter? She tried to ignore the smell, and concentrate on her meditation. She succeeded… for a little while. But the thought of this master of shadows intrigued her more than she anticipated. It must have taken great strength to accomplish what he did, and in so little time. How did he manipulate the shadows so well? What was he doing now, now that he had the order to himself?
She had to know.
She'd never concerned herself with the kinkou or the affairs of the people living beneath her before, but she was so rarely intrigued like she was now. She wanted to know more, and there was no one to deny her what she wanted.
The shadows shifting across her legs caught her attention; she decided that this shadow master would still be where he was tomorrow… She didn't mind waiting just one more day.
For the second night in a row, Syndra slept blissfully content.
Zed was exhausted.
The shadow induced nightmares had kept him tossing and turning all night. He considered staying in, but he needed to establish the order, he needed to make sure that everyone was back to training, he need to make sure everything was okay, he needed…
He needed to sleep.
There was slight consolation in leaving his bed that morning; his students had kept the order running nicely during the night, and he found them in the midst of their usual training. It was a relief, to say the least. It made the pounding in his head hurt slightly less, made the tightness around his eyes slightly less noticeable.
Zed decided he would resume leading the training tomorrow; he needed the time today to meditate alone. If there was one thing he remembered liking about being with the kinkou, it was all the hidden places in the forest where you could meditate in complete privacy. He walked beneath the dark canopy until he found a spot that was far away from the order, shrouded in shadow and quiet as death.
He sat down amidst the grass and fallen leaves, removing his mask and closing his eyes. The breeze danced around the torn skin of his face, making it itch. He tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling and focus on his breathing. He matched it to the breezes that rustled the trees around him, using the rhythm to ease his mind and relax his muscles. He swayed in his spot, falling slightly backwards until his back hit the tree behind him. He tried to correct his posture but he was tired, so tired, everything was heavy and he just wanted to sleep. He slumped against the tree trunk, happily surrendering himself to shallow slumber.
It was several hours before Zed finally jerked awake. The sun was significantly farther behind the trees than before he fell asleep, and the breeze that had soothed him before was sharp against his skin. He leaned forward, ignoring the pain of stiff muscles and the pounding in his head that still hadn't gone away. He dragged his body off the forest floor, stumbling for a moment before trying to find his way out the way he came. The order was quiet when he arrived, the training completed for the day. Zed frowned. He'd been away in the forest for a lot longer than he'd thought. He considered finding one of his advisors, but decided against it. He didn't want to answer any questions about where he'd been, and for the moment, he didn't care about how the order was doing. He just wanted to be alone to think and sleep.
And eat.
His stomach clenching painfully, accentuating his last thought uncomfortably. He stopped by the kitchens on his way to his room, grabbing what little leftover food there was from dinner.
The torches outside his temple were lit, making it easier to traverse the forest around it. He took one inside, lighting every torch on the wall from the door to his bed. The shadows in the corners of his room flared almost angrily. He tried his best to ignore them.
He entered the connecting bathroom, stripping the clothes he'd fallen asleep in while in the forest. He turned on the shower, letting the hot water stream down his body and ease his aching muscles. He sighed into the empty room, relaxing. He'd never felt better than he did right at that moment.
It was only very reluctantly that he left the shower, dressing for bed. He fell on to the sheets much like he had the night before, exhausted and in pain. He touched the cut on his face lightly again, willing himself not to flinch this time. He decided that it didn't hurt nearly as bad as the night before.
He waited until his eyes were too heavy to keep open and the thought of moving made him cringe to give way to sleep, realizing too late that he hadn't blown out any of the torches.