Chapter 3
"True legends never die"—Unknown
For the first time in over a thousand years, he opened his eyes. After lifting the lid to the stone sarcophagus, he frowned. It was too light, and made of real stone. This was not the sarcophagus he'd been given at his death. He should have been in a grove surrounded by his sister's roses. He had hoped to once again smell their fragrance, since they were one of his only reminders of his family. He hadn't seen his family in a very long time.
Instead, he found himself surrounded by the grey walls of a stone tunnel. Looking back at the foreign resting place, he analyzed the woman's effigy craved into the stone. He had seen more beautiful ladies. Her forehead had a large scar that disappeared into her hairline. Her features were strong and defiant. This is the first time he'd laid eyes on her. Why would Aeryon have Westrion place him here? As if the goddess were giving him an unspoken message or setting up a connected path… He could only wonder at the significance. If he had his way, the gods would explain why they did things, rather than setting up the situation and letting him fend for himself.
It was very like Aeryc and Aeryon to drop him in the middle of a situation. He sometimes wondered if they did this to purposely confuse him. More likely, they just didn't understand the concept of being confused. As gods, they knew things about the universe and would rarely need explanations on anything, so why would they think he needed explanations either?
Whatever their reasoning, he had learned to cope with their methods long ago. No matter what task they'd given him, Sevelon always did their bidding. Although, he was the one who decided how it should be done. Occasionally, he would dispense with their justice in ways strategically designed to benefit certain mortals.
After returning the sarcophagus lid to its original place, he used a minor thread of power to wrap the light around his body until it covered him like a blanket. Assured that no one would notice his intrusion, he walked towards the end of the tunnel. This light bending was one of his favorite tricks, because it allowed him to go unseen by mortals (who were notorious for only seeing with their eyes, very foolish indeed).
After passing several corridors, he saw a small man huddled over a breast plate. The little man rubbed the metal vigorously in an effort to make it shine. He was so focused on his task, he wouldn't even notice a common intruder in these deep halls.
Everywhere in these tombs, Sevelon found similar workers. They were all focused on their work and must not have a drop of magic in their blood, for none of them even noticed there was magic being used nearby. Even the guards dressed in black, who seemed competent enough, didn't notice his presence. Surely someone would notice the force that was passing them. If he had been hoping for such a confrontation, he would have been sorely disappointed. Once he followed the off-duty guards to the castle above the tombs, he found little more magic in the population above ground.
During his lifetime, magic had been abundant. You couldn't sneeze without getting it up your nose. This abundance allowed for a high percentage of magic users within the population. It was so common; almost every family had at least one member with some minor gift. Now he was here, in a world bereft of that power source. Magic was supposed to flow from all living things. He felt wrong-footed, being surrounded by so many who lacked the most elemental part of this world.
Beyond their lack of skill in the arts, their language had much evolved since the last time he had visited this land. His life in the immortal realm seemed like mere years, but it appears he had been away from this world for much longer than he had realized.
Unseen by all, he walked through the castle gathering information about the situation. Some of the gossip he heard was interesting, but not useful. In his experience, it was an operation's leader who had the most complete picture of his operation. It was only natural to search out the modern day monarch. He had started searching, when he came upon a grand hall. The King and Queen were seated upon a dais, with a line of commoners waiting. Using his light bending trick, he made his way to stand between the King and a green uniformed officer.
The officer was the first person he'd come in contact with that had any skill in the arts. Her gift was minor, but it was an improvement to every other person he'd seen. Her magic seemed to be channeled through a broach pinned to her chest. Sometimes she would touch it and lean over to her monarch, to tell him if someone spoke falsehood. Sevelon understood how such a person would be useful to the king. Kings were surrounded by political intrigue and constantly had to be on the lookout for liars.
The king himself seemed attentive to everyone who came in front of him with their complaints. This man was someone who truly cared for his people. Sevelon approved.