Hello all. Yes, it's true. I'm back. I've given up thinking of excuses to propose to you, so I'll just say that exams suck and Christmas sucks and homework sucks and school in general sucks.

I've just learned about the wonderful world of HTML, so now I can do real italics instead of asterisks for thoughts. It's pretty cool. Here's where I learned how if anyone is interested: www.htmltutorials.ca

I hit a little snag about seasons and months in this chapter, so I had to do a lot of research to get everything right. So I really hope you guys like it since a lot of hard work and effort went into the writing of this.

Responses to Reviewers:

Eternity's Voice: Thank you so much for your comments! They really help. Especially the vision thing. I've been trying to work something out about that and you've given me some great ideas. I hope you like this chapter!

Nip: No! What you think does matter! I love getting comments and ideas from my readers. It makes me into a better writer and I appreciate every review I get. Anyway, yes, plot is beginning to show. Adi was right though, the last chapter was a little rushed. I'm trying to make this one more balanced. Hope you like it!

iamari: I've updated, even if it wasn't soon! Please forgive me. *sniff* ;) About your question: No, it wasn't a stupid question. In fact, I've been working that out and it will be answered in the chapters to come. Nen will ask about it later. Thank you for your reviews and for making me feel guilty that I haven't updated in forever!

A huge "thank you" to AnotherChance, Muslima, Adi1, and BURN THE R.U.M for your comments and support! Your input means so much to me! Have fun with this one!


Chapter 7: Shadows of What Was


An excerpt from the diary of Nenyethilen Andrylica:

I don't know why I was picked for a job like this. It's insane. I'm too young. I'm not experienced. There are plenty of other Seers at Winding Circle. So why me? I asked Skylark yesterday, but he wouldn't give me anything other than a grunt and a "Go bother someone else." Well, thanks for your help, O Great Teacher of All Things.

For the past week I've been Looking into the Past, Present, and Future, searching for anything that might help the investigation. Of course, I'm not the only one. Skylark exhausts himself with the other Seers every day. Sometimes I feed him power so he can See further. It's very interesting. I'm learning lots of new spells and even some academic magic. So maybe this job isn't so bad after all. The one thing that's hard is finding the right Future. I have to sift through all the Might-Have-Been's and Still-May-Happen's. The Future changes all the time. One simple action could stop a war from happening, or start one, therefore changing everything else with it. It gets confusing, but, mostly, I enjoy the challenge.

I'm also learning to meditate properly. I know how to breathe and everything from practicing earlier, but now, Skylark has taught me how to put my magic into a small thing. I decided on the sky blue crystal I saw in the Seeing Room the first day when Daja showed me around.


Two sharp knocks interrupt my writing. I glance up, and I see Lark open the door slightly.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," I say, standing up and stuffing my diary into a desk drawer.

Tonight is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Lark wove everyone new clothes, dyed in the colors of summer. Lark looks resplendant in her ceremonial green habit of the Earth Temple embroidered with leaves and vines in honor of Mila of the Grain, her patron goddess.

I look down at my green dress and fawn-colored over-coat and muse that never in my entire life have I ever owned so many clothes. But, living with Sandry and Lark, I guess it's unavoidable. Even Briar has a full wardrobe with shirts and breeches for every occasion.

Lark steps through the door way and gives my dress and hair a few last-minute tweaks, then smiles at me and leads me out of my room.

Down the short hallway, Tris closes her door before turning and examining my new outfit.

"So, you couldn't escape the clutches of the seamstress, either?"

I chuckle and shake my head, noticing that Tris also sports a new dress the color of a cloudless sky at noon with embroidered vines twining about her sleeves, collar, and hem.

Lark pretends to be offended and frowns at us."Oh, it wasn't that bad. Besides, those colors look gorgeous on you."

"I know," I assure her. "And thank you so much for making them. I couldn't ever do anything like that."

I look at Tris expectantly for a few seconds before she finally rolls her eyes and thanks Lark. then I smile brightly at her and loop my arm around hers.

"Come on, Tris. You and Sandry have to teach me to dance so I don't make a fool of myself."


"One-two-three-stop, one-two-three-stop, one-two-three, one-two-three twirl-a-round."

Sandry's enthusiastic voice rings n my head as I do a complicated folk dance that Tris insisted I had to learn. It's really quite fun, once I get the hang of it--and once Briar stops stepping on my toes.

"I don't see why Ihave to dance. Dancing's for girls, anyhow," he complains once we step away from each other.

"Dancing's not justfor girls," Daja quips. She has been watching the entire fiasco with an amused look on her face and a sparkle in her chocolate eyes. "To the Tsaw-ha--Traders," she said for my benefit, "it is a sacred ritual for young warriors to dance for their initiation. Only the best dancers are allowed to continue on the the Trials."

"Traders have warriors?" Briar asks, confused.

"Thieves aren't the only ones that can handle knives," she says, grinning evilly at him.

"Anyway," Sandry interrupts, "I think you both dance beautifully. Yes, you too, Briar," she adds when she sees the indignation in his eyes at being described as "beautiful."

Rosethorn pokes her head out her door nd demands, "Are you finally done with that racket?"

"Yes, Rosethorn," Daja assures her before standing up and smoothing the red dress that graces her stocky frame.

"Shall we go, then?" pipes Lark as she comes in from her room.

"Please," mutters Briar. "Let's get it over with before someone starts to doubt my manhood."

Tris snorts and retorts, "What manhood?"


The ceremony has begun. The night is warm and a gentle breeze cools the upturned faces of the crowd. The moon is full and bright like a giant moonstone, and the stars are like a thousand thousand eyes, all watching me.

The silence is thick; so thick you could cut it with a knife, and the tense anxiety of waiting has descended upon us. Dedicate Moonstream stands on a low stone platform and raises her hands to the velvet sky for the invocation.

"Night is thick
And Moon is bright,
The stars with all their glory lift
Our souls high
Into the sky
For the day is soon in coming.

Let us all give thanks to the Living Circle, for by it we live in balance and peace."

The people say in a single voice the ritual response. "We praise the Balance of Life."

Slowly, still as silent as before, the throng streams out of the stone circle in which we are standing and gathers at the tent pavillions that have been set up for the feast.

A single bell rings in the distance, and the quiet of the night is broken. Encouraged by the feasting signal of the bell, a long, chattering line forms at the buffet table. Sandry grabs mine and Daja's hands and runs to get a good place in line. Briar is already there. Big surprise.

Tris walks dignifiedly toward us with her nose in the air and sniffs at Sandry, who is bouncing on her toes impatiently.

"Oh, don't be so uptight, Tris," Sandry says, mock-frowning at her. "You're supposed to be having fun."

"I don't have fun," Tris replies primly, but she can't keep a straight face and ends up grinning at Sandry.

I smile to myself and think, This is what a family should be like. So many people think it's all about bloodlines, but if I had to choose between them and my old family, I'd choose them in a heartbeat.

As we get our food and turn to find a seat on the grass that has not been occupied, Skylark rushes over to us. I am surprised to see him. He had previously told me that he would be scrying, not "engaging in silly festivities with the rest of the lazy delinquents." I took that to mean that he doesn't know how to dance, which, as I've found out, is true.

"Nen! There you are! It's impossible to find anyone in this madhouse," he says to me excitedly. I can tell he's found something important. He can be very mysterious when he wants to. It comes with being a Seer. But other times, he's as transparent as a pane of fine glass. "I've Seen something!" I nod, his frenzied talk confirming my suspicions. "Come with me. You can come back and be silly with your friends later."

I sigh and apologize to Sandry, Tris, Daja, and Briar, who all nod understandingly and say that they will save my food and my place for me. Then I follow him to his private rooms in the Air Dedicates' Hall. He closes the door behind us and pulls out a chair for me to sit. Instead, I find a cup of water and fill it from a pitcher beside his bed, then give it to him saying that if he didn't drink it he'd have a stroke and die early and then where would I be? He wrinkles his nose at me, but accepts the water and gulps it down like nectar from the gods.

When he's caught his breath, he shows me the crystal he's been scrying with. I recognize it instantly. This is the one he taught me with, and its touch is warm and welcoming.

"I have seen a Past, and I'm absolutely sure it is one that has happened!"

As there are many Futures, there are also many Pasts; things that might have happened if things had gone another way and things that did happen because things went that way. It's hard to discern from the two. Any Past feels cold and ancient because that is how Death feels, and the Past is Dead. There are subtle feelings like hopelessness and surity that come with Seeing the Past, and you must be very careful in how you interpret them. But I am only a novice, and if Skylark is certain this Past has happened, it must have happened.

"I saw the Seer's Light!"

"Um. Could you elaborate, please?"

"Yes, yes, I was getting to that, but you interrupted."

I raise my eyebrow at him and motion for him to go on.

"At first, I was looking for its making, but that proved too elusive. So I decided to accept anything that might have to do with the Seer's Light. As you might expect, I was immediately hit with a barrage of images, but one seemed sticky."

This time, I interrupted him intentionally. "Sticky?"

"Okay, so it's not an entirely technical term, but it fits. What I mean is that one image in particular wanted to be Seen."

"How can an image want to be Seen? They're only images."

"Well, I suppose the image itself can't want to be seen, but the magic that keeps it in this dimension can. You see, magic is aware of itself, and it wants to be used. The magic of this image wanted to be used, so I took the opportunity."

"Oh, I see. So what did the magic show you?"

"It was amazing. It showed me Eevan Lightbringer actually using the Seer's Light! He was at that time employed by the current Duke of Emelan, and was looking for a way to appease the rebels that were currently threatening the realm. It was ingenious! The image was clearer than that of any I've seen in a crystal and it even portrayed emotions!"

Now I am very interested. "Emotions? What do you mean?"

"Eevan could feel what the people in his visions were feeling. I can imagine it must have taken much practice for him to achieve that. He had many amplifying devices around him."

"Even so, that's still amazing. But why are you being so secretive about all this? Couldn't you have just told me outside?"

"Well, I could have told you that little tidbit, but I'm not done yet."

I lean back in my chair and think, What could be more interesting than that?

"I can tell you're skeptical. I guess you'll just have to See for yourself."

He shoves his crystal ball in front of me and instructs me to begin the breathing. I am much practiced in this and begin before his instruction. He places his hand on my shoulder and I can feel the rush of power fill me, almost overwhelming me. Skylark starts muttering a spell for Seeing past visions and I take up the rythm in my mind, weaving my own power around it like Sandry taught me, making it stronger.

Immediately after Skylark is finished with the spell, the sizzle of power turned loose inhabits my every being. Suddenly, Skylark's room is gone along with Skylark himself. All I see and feel is the electricity of live magic. And in that instant I see that magic truly is aware of itself. It's like a creature with thoughts and feelings, but with no physical form. So, it relies on mages to wield and show it. It relies on mages to keep it alive. I am startled at that realization, but I know it is a fantastic discovery at the same time. Suddenly, the magic blazes like a great heart beating, then subsides and disappears. And now I am in the vision.

A man sits at a worn oak desk, squinting at a bowl of silver liquid. I immediately recognize it from when I first encountered the Seer's light, so I turn my attention to the man, who can be no other than Eevan Lightbringer himself. He is a handsome man, with light hair and bright green eyes, a large, stocky frame, and a mouth that looks like it is always smiling. I immediately decide that I like him.

I start moving closer, peering at the water he is so intently studying, hoping to find a little of the vision of emotions Skylark described. I am very close now and can almost see the figures in the liquid. Suddenly, the water goes blank as his concentration snaps and he sits straight up in his chair. I back away, confused and bewildered, and he looks straight at me, shock and confusion mirroring my expression.

"Who are you?"


Muahahahaha!!!! Yes, this is the end of the chapter. I love being evil. It's so much more fun than just letting you guys have everything.

Anyway, I live on reviews, so feed me more. :) I'll try really really hard to get the next chapter up soon. I'm so busy lately I don't know how I even got this chapter in. *enormous yawn* I'm really tired even though it's not even 9:00 yet. So, I'm going to go to bed. Nighty night, everyone.

Your Crazy (and extremely tired) Authoress,

littlehorse :D -->That's a yawn smiley.