A/N – Well folks, first of all thank you all for reading and reviewing! This chapter have been quite difficult to write and I was traveling for a week so it took more than I expected. I added Akkarin parts, mostly for having the hole plot and because his point of view is going to be very important, but if you think that they are not necessary, just say it please! :) Hope you like how the things are going to develop. All comments are welcomed.

Disclaimer – TBM world belongs to Trudi Canavan. I just try to do something enjoyable with it.

CHAPTER 2 - DISCOVERIES

Akkarin was full of expectation when he entered the Tombs of White Tears. He was harbouring the faith that he may find something important in that remote and frozen in time place. After the Drogon Scrolls "joke", he was not going to leave the Tombs without finding something interesting first. After all, if there was any place in the Allied Lands where he could find more information about that magic called Superior Magic, it was there. He found just few references to it in the oldest books of the Great Library of Capia. It really seems that someone did great efforts to hide all evidence of that magic, I just hope that they didn't think in profaning tombs… He was thinking in this when he entered the dark tunnel that leads to the oldest tombs.

When he reached the end, he started to find inscriptions in the walls, but there was so many stalactites and stalagmites that they formed an irregular ice wall which made impossible to look inside. Hoping that no one will notice it, Akkarin applied a little bit of concentrated heat in the thinnest part of the wall, creating a hole big enough to see the inner walls properly. He carefully examined the inscriptions inside before doing another hole to check the next tomb.

In many of them he found the same symbol, a hand with a growing moon over it, the symbol of the Superior Magic. It seemed that almost all the people buried in the oldest tombs practiced that type of magic when they were alive. But there was no clue of what that magic was or how to do it, though the fact that so many people practiced it made his suspicions grow. A magic, that was so common in older times, was now consigned to oblivion after a meticulous work of information destruction.

When Akkarin started his trip, his only hopes were being free and having adventures, but he had found someone that no one really expect that exist. Indeed, there was an unknown ancient magic. However, he should go to the oldest places if he wanted to discover something more about it, somewhere where those who tried to hide that magic had forgotten. Although there was a rising question in his head. Why did they do it?

It was already seven month since she had hit Akkarin, seven month in which every night she had tried to find her magic. First she tried to see it, looking inside of herself, then she tried to touch it with her inner skin. She even tried to heard or smell it, but nothing had worked. The night before she had tried to notice if something was moving inside of her besides her blood, but she could only heard the rhythm of her heart. She wasn't close neither to find a plan to convince her father to let her enter the Guild. One day she had asked if he could let a magician to make her the test, he simply said a cold no, without even stopping starring at the documentation that he was reading.

Lyria was starting to feel a little anxious and disappointed, but not that day. That day she woke up when the first sunray entered her room. She got out of the bed with a jump and started to get dressed. "Wake up Sky! You remember what day it is, don't you?" And she throw her nightgown to the blue bird that was sleeping over the clothes rack that was net to her bed. "Wake up! We are leaving."

She ran out the room and she went down stairs to the small room where she had breakfast every day. There was, like every year, a package wrapped with great delicacy, though that fact didn't seem to impress Lyria because she picked it up and began to tear the paper, pulling firmly and rapidly. Soon she could get what she was looking for, her new adventures book. Great! Let's see what's about… She thought this before dropping the broken package by one side on the table. Lyria was already reading the first lines when the packet impacted with the table with a much louder sound than the one that a simple paper would do. Lyria jumped and left her new book carefully aside to examine the package more closely.

Inside the paper she found a huge envelope and a piece of paper with a single statement. "I think that you are grown enough to read this." It was her father's handwriting and that made grow her curiosity even more. She opened the envelope and she found inside a letter and a silver pendant necklace. Lyria observed the necklace for a moment, it had a blue gem in the centre of a complex work of silver that formed a weird kind of flower or maybe flames. Then she left it next to the book and she took the letter. There were two papers written with big and elegant calligraphy. She gave a quick look to the first page and she froze when she saw the signature in the second one. It was a letter from her mother.

The only thing that Lyria knew about her mother was what the servants had told her. A very pretty woman, smart and elegant, with a strict sense of what was correct and what should be done. Her nanny had also told her that she had been her mother's personal servant and that she loved her very much despite the so short time that they'd had. Lyria knew that she had died just after she was born, Tiara's mother told her that she had a strange illness that had killed a lot of people on that time. Overall, no one had ever given her many details and she wasn't sure of willing to hear them. Generally, she didn't though often about her because every time she did she had to face a strange feeling of sadness, but, when she did, she imagined her happy and kind, just the opposite of her father.

She started to read the letter with a mixture of illusion and fear, her hands were trembling.

"My dear Lyria,

I've decided to write you this letter to tell you what I would never have the chance to show you. First of all, I want you to know that I love you, since the first moment, with all my heart. The thing I regret the most about this illness is that it will impede me to see you growing. I hope that your father had accepted my inevitable death and that he loves you, I know that he will take good care of you. The necklace that I will keep with this letter had belonged to our family during many generations, now it belongs to you. This are the words that my mother told to me and that you must repeat to your daughter when the time comes. "There will be moments when you'll be afraid, it's normal, it's sensible and it is in these moments when you must be brave. Bring the Blue Gem and we all will be with you to give you strength and to guide you to the right path." Be brave, my darling, be strong and be happy above everything else. But do not base your happiness in yourself, because there is no great joy than the happiness of the ones you love. Work hard and do not slight anyone to reach your goals, this attitude is condemned to failure and loneliness. Be a good person, but trust only the ones who deserve it, do not expect too much of the others if you don't want to be disappointed. I know that these are poor advises for a whole life and I regret with all my heart not being able to help and teach you in the proper time. But when you feel alone, remember the Blue Gem and you'll find the strength to keep going.

I know you are going to do it well, make us be proud of you.

I love you, now and forever.

Elia"

When Lyria finished the letter, she stayed quiet like a statue for some seconds and then she reread it over and over again. At the end, she put the papers delicately inside the envelope again and she took the necklace with the Blue Gem to place it around her neck. She was surprised to notice that the metal wasn't cold, but comfortably warm. "Let's go Sky, we have to tell Tiara everything!" She took some rolls with butter with one hand and the envelope and the book with the other before leaving the room. Sky, whom had started to eat cookies when Lyria had finished to read the letter for the first time, took all the cookies that he could handle with his ducks and beak before follow her.

Lyria was back in the house at dinning time. She had spent a great day with Tiara. First she'd showed her friend the letter and the necklace and they had been talking for hours of how her mother had been and how could a gem give her any strength. In the afternoon, they had read the new book, which was pretty good and interesting. So she was in a really good mood when she left her room to have dinner with her father.

However, before she could reach the dining room, when she was in front the library, she heard a guttural voice that said "Lyria, come here." The library was dark but she could identify her father seating in the armchair and some wine bottles on the floor. "Have you read your mother letter?" His voice was now more similar to his usual one. "Yes, father." Lyria could smell the alcohol in the atmosphere, she didn't like it. Her father wasn't used to drink alcohol.

"What does she write? No, it doesn't matter." He said it all together, giving Lyria no time even to think the answer. "It shouldn't be letter, because she should be alive." His voice was now like a bottomless dark pit full of broken glasses. "But you took her away from me. You killed her! You stooled her life bit by bit until nothing left!" With the last word he broke the wine glass that he had on his hand and stood up. Lyria did a back step, scared.

"Father, I…" "Shut up! You even stole her eyes and now I have to remember it every time I see them!" In that moment he grabbed her by the arm, hand stained wine and blood, and he looked her deeply. It was the longer gaze he had ever given her. "Bring her back." He whispered. "You killed her, you should not be here. Bring her back, you killed her, you should not be here." He started to repeat it like a mantra, every time a little louder.

Lyria was petrified while she was thinking. How can he blame me for mother's death? Everyone say that it was an illness. I didn't want her death. No, it is impossible that I killed her. But then, why is he telling that I killed her? She tried to speak to her father, but he was shaking her and yelling over and over "Bring her back, you killed her, you should not be here!" His eyes still fixed on hers. Sky was flying around them, trying to bit Victor and screaming nonstop. Lyria was terrified, she could not even think and her cheeks began to wet with tears.

Then, with a particular hard shake, she notice her necklace against her nest and she remembered her mother words. She had read them some many times that day that she knew it by heart. Be brave, be strong. Then her fear was surpassed by her determination. She was going to be brave and also strong, she wouldn't let her father to blame her for something she hadn't done nor wanted. And then came the anger. Anger for eight years without a hug, a game or a look of approval. Anger for knowing that he didn't love her, rage at the longer look he had given her in her life, the only time he had touched her, it was to tell her that.

And, letting all the rage of her heart concentrate in her eyes, she stared back. But he seemed to be in a trance as he yelled and shook her and he didn't even notice the change in Lyria's attitude. At that point, Lyria felt degust for him and a huge desire of being as far from him, his eyes and his wine breathe as possible.

Suddenly, Victor flew to the other side of the library, the books fell of the shelves and the armchair began to burn. All was still and silent, for a moment. Then Lyria realized what she'd just done and fled without looking back.

She ran as fast as she can, without paying attention to where she was or where she was going until she tripped over a root. Her feet had brought her to the forest. And there she stayed, nestled between the roots of the giant white oak. She fell asleep with the burning armchair and her father's words echoing in her head.

When Akkarin reached the ruins of the ancient city of Armje, three months after visiting the White Tears Tombs, he was already absolutely sure that many years ago there was a kind of magic, called superior magic, that was practiced widely by magicians and that something had happened to them to make them stop and try to erase all traces of it. It was not much, but, considering the expectations with which he had begun his trip, discovering that it indeed existed an ancient magic, it was already a great achievement. He was proud of the discovery and he was happy to have seen all that he had seen. This is the great adventure that I desired so much. He thought with a smile in his lips. In that moment he saw again the bright eyes of the little girl, looking at him with admiration, and at that time he felt proud of himself.

He explored the ruins and discovered some well-kept rooms. He saw the symbol of Superior Magic in multiple sites. In one room there was a large rock that looked like a door, with inscriptions in an ancient Elyne language above it saying that the door leads to the Cavern of Ultimate Punishment, made to kill wizards. He knew that probably it wasn't wise going to investigate something that could kill him, but his curiosity was greater than his good sense. He withdrew the magic door and started down the passageway, the floor sloped slightly down and the air was cooling rapidly. The walls of the tunnel finished suddenly and a narrow ledge followed. Akkarin stood at the end of the tunnel, cautious for once, he had no intention of dying in that moment. He sent his light behind and increased its intensity. Falling on both sides of the cornice was considerable and the ledge widened to form a circular platform about ten steps ahead. He made the balloon light shine even more brightly and he gasped when the light was reflected in a flaming vault. The room's roof and walls glittered and sparkled as if covered countless gemstones. He observed them and he perceived that they were full of magic, not the kind of magic used to build by the Guild members, this was a more intense magic, more alive.

He hadn't a clue of how to do such a thing with gems, but he decided that he wasn't going to risk his life to discover it through that chamber, it must be some clue somewhere else. Besides, his curiosity had been dazzled by a myriad of precious and dangerous stones. He left the Cavern of Ultimate Punishment, he placed the stone again in its place and he decided to write a warning in the stone next to the inscriptions, just in case some magician came there not knowing ancient Elyne language.

Now that he had exhausted all the ideas he had about where to find explanations on Superior Magic on the Allied Lands, he only had one option left, he could only go to Sachaka.

A/N - Well I hope that you liked it and that my english is good enough. Review please! :)