Part Three: Fate and Soul
Dart stood on the bow of the Queen Fury, craning his neck to see anything in the distance. Within an hour, they would be making landfall in the country where he'd been born – Mille Seseau. He wanted to be the first to catch a glimpse.
"You might hurt yourself if you keep straining like that," said Shana.
He spun to see her approaching with a smile that he could not help but return.
"You came to watch with me?" he asked.
"Of course!" she answered. "Everyone else is coming, too, I think." She took a place next to him, resting her hands on the railing as he put an arm around her waist. "We don't want to miss the first sighting of Dart's home."
"Yeah."
She peered up at him.
"Are you nervous?" she asked.
"Yeah," he repeated, eyes still focused on the horizon. "I don't know how not to be."
"It's understandable." Shana put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "But you're not alone."
"I know." He smiled and squeezed her.
"Anything yet?" called Meru, and they turned to see her running along with Haschel and Albert in tow. "They said the thing an hour ago!"
"Not yet," returned Dart with a chuckle. "Not for our eyes, anyway."
"Do you want to go up to the crow's nest?" offered Shana.
"No, I'd rather be here with you," he said before kissing her head.
"Ew, gross," said Meru as she came up to the railing and looked down at the water.
"Yeah, get a room already," laughed Haschel.
Dart rolled his eyes and turned back to the north. There, in the distance, was his home – the place of his birth. His mind swirled with ideas of what he might find there. Perhaps when they visited Neet, he would find a hint as to the identity of the Black Monster, that foul fiend that had taken his home from him. But then again, maybe he wouldn't be so lucky. On the journey from Donau, he'd already had three dreams of returning to Neet only to find the monster waiting for him.
He sighed, and Shana touched his chest. He looked down at her, and she offered a discerning smile. With a grin, he put his hand over hers.
"Are you nervous, Meru?" asked Albert from behind him.
Meru placed her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Nope, not at all. Why?"
"It is natural to be anxious as you approach somewhere that you have left behind. How long has it been since you left Mille Seseau?" He approached the group and stood next to Dart.
"A few years."
"Wait, you're from Mille Seseau?" asked Dart.
Meru nodded but kept her eyes on the sea.
"How have I not known this? Do you know anything about Neet?"
"Where?"
"My hometown, Neet."
"Oh, right…" Meru frowned.
"Is that a yes…?"
"Sorry, I didn't get out much." She chuckled. "Once I left, I pretty much made straight for Tiberoa."
"How young were you when you left?" asked Albert.
"Ha…" Meru laughed nervously. "Young enough to think I knew everything."
"Are you going to go visit?" asked Haschel. "Do we get to meet your folks?"
"You do not want to meet my folks."
"Why not?"
"They, uh… They don't like people."
"Meru, why are you so anxious?" asked Shana with a kind tone. "If you don't want to talk about it, you can tell us that."
"Then I don't want to talk about it," replied Meru carefully.
Dart gasped. "I think I see it!" He retrieved his arm from Shana's waist and ran to the railing before leaning out to see better. There, at the very edge of his vision, there was a dark shape taking form amid the endless blue of the ocean that had surrounded them for the past week. He waited with rapt attention as it steadily grew larger, and everyone eventually joined him at the railing. Even Rose and Kongol came over, and they waited for another anxiously happy half hour before they could make out any detail.
As the forested peninsula of Mille Seseau came into view, Dart glanced to his left to see Haschel's knuckles white with tension as he gripped the wooden rail, and his face was twisted into a firm scowl. Dart patted Haschel's shoulder, and the old man jumped. When he met Dart's eye, Dart offered an encouraging smile, but Haschel merely turned the corner of his mouth for a second before returning to his frown.
"I guess a lot of us have reasons to be nervous," he muttered to Shana.
"It seems so," she whispered with an eye on Haschel.
Soon enough, the Queen Fury blew its horn, and the ship maneuvered into the dock. Multiple dock workers coordinated their movements, and it was not long before the dragoons were spilling out onto the wooden pier and taking in the port town of Furni.
Half the town had been built over the water, and several small boats meandered along between the buildings here and there. The homes seemed to be made of some kind of plaster, and most had been shaped into domes. But before they could go exploring, an older man with gray hair and a short, thick beard ran up to them. His long, blue cloak wrapped around his shoulders, and he waved to them in his haste.
"You're here!" he panted when he stopped before them. "I am so sorry that I was late! I was in the middle of a meeting and didn't expect you until this evening."
"It's no problem," replied Dart as he stepped forward and offered a hand. "You knew we were coming?"
"Oh, yes!" nodded the man. "It's not every day that one of the Royal Tiberoan Navy's ships comes to port in this town! And with national heroes, at that!" He shook Dart's hand vigorously. "We've been anticipating your arrival for many days now."
"We're happy to have… arrived," said Dart awkwardly. Then shaking his head, he added, "My name is Dart." Then he introduced the others.
"I'm Noah, the mayor of Furni. We are most pleased to have you all here. The dragoons!" He laughed and clapped his hands together. "We have prepared rooms for you in the inn. I hope three is enough?"
"Three is plenty," smiled Dart, trying to mask his surprise at being called dragoons.
"Excellent! Allow me to escort you there!"
The mayor then trotted along the dock, and the seven dragoons followed. As they moved through the city, Noah pointed out details about the architecture of Furni while the people pointed, whispered, waved, and shouted at them. It seemed that they had been eagerly awaited by all the citizens of Furni, and Dart could not help but hope for the lonely refuge of the forest that spanned the entire landscape beyond the city's edge.
At one point, they were forced into a string of three boats so that they could reach the inner parts of Furni, and then the mayor led them on firm earth until they reached a tall, two-story building nestled among the dark pines and spruces of the evergreen forest of Mille Seseau.
"Here is where you will be staying!" announced the mayor. "The accommodations should be to your liking. Do you know how long you will be here?"
"Probably just the one night," replied Dart. "We have business in Deningrad."
"I see. Grand places for grand people!"
"Furni is no lesser in importance," assured Albert.
"If only that were so. I fear that our own plights are overlooked by those in higher places."
"Plights?" asked Dart.
The mayor shook his head. "It is no matter. I will leave you all to get settled in. I believe that we have even procured appropriate bedding for your friend." He nodded toward Kongol. "He should be as comfortable as the rest of you."
Kongol smiled.
"We are most appreciative of your generous hospitality," said Albert.
"Oh!" Noah threw a finger up. "Before I leave! I was hoping to invite you all to my house for dinner tonight. Say, an hour past sundown?"
"Sounds great!" said Dart. "We'll be there."
After a lengthy description of how to reach the mayor's home, he finally scampered off, and the group sighed as they turned to each other.
"Another day, another free meal," grinned Meru. "I love you guys."
"It's not a bad gig," agreed Haschel.
Kongol knelt suddenly and placed his hand on the soft earth, closing his eyes as if he were listening.
"What is it, big guy?" asked Meru.
"Something is…" He frowned. "I'm not sure." Kongol stood and crossed his arms. "The earth is surging."
"What does that mean?"
"Some energy flows that I cannot identify."
"An imminent earthquake, perhaps?" offered Albert, but Kongol shook his head.
Dart looked down, but he could sense nothing out of the ordinary. He stomped his foot, but nothing happened. Then he knelt and touched the earth as Kongol had, and he felt nothing but soil. Still, he couldn't deny that something felt off. A sudden twinge of energy struck his chest, and he jerked his hand up as if he'd been shocked.
"Kongol's right," he muttered before standing.
Meru dropped to the ground and felt around. "I don't feel anything."
"Maybe it's nothing," he dismissed. "Let's get inside and get settled."
Shana shot him a questioning look, and he shrugged before leading them into the inn.
"What did you feel?" asked Albert.
Dart shrugged. "I can't explain it. Maybe… kind of like when we could sense Regole, but not so much of a prick, more of a… shock?"
"What, like this?" Haschel pointed, and a tiny spark shot across the room and landed in Dart's hand.
"Ow! No!"
Haschel giggled.
Albert shook his head and said, "Given our purpose here, it is something to pay attention to. We have no understanding of Lloyd's schemes as of yet. He could be anywhere, doing anything."
"We have to get to Deningrad before he does," nodded Dart.
"Perhaps the path forward will become clear upon our arrival there."
The three men fell into silence, and Dart glanced toward the window of their room. The sun had set not long ago, and they had been waiting anxiously for the time to leave for the mayor's house. The rooms were cozy and spacious, and as promised, Kongol had been given a bed that fit his oversized frame. The giganto had been resting in it since their arrival, and Haschel had gotten so bored that he'd come to Dart's and Albert's room to pester them. Now, they sat waiting, and Haschel began to bounce his leg.
Then an odd sensation came over Dart, and his hand flew to his stomach. Albert and Haschel had a similar reaction.
"Meru's… hungry?" said Haschel with utter confusion on his face.
"Yes, I was getting the same impression," added Albert.
"I thought we only communicated through dragoon spirits when we're in danger," said Dart.
"Perhaps Meru believes that she is in danger."
"Of starvation?" laughed Haschel.
The three chuckled, and a moment later, the door opened.
"Meru has sent me to announce that it's time to leave for dinner," said Rose with a sour face.
"I think she already announced that," grinned Dart as he stood and moved toward the door.
"It would appear so."
"Is that something that we can do?" asked Albert as they filed into the hallway.
"Yes, dragoons can communicate many things through their dragoon spirits."
"Why hasn't this happened before?" pressed Haschel.
"We haven't been with Meru as a dragoon very long," explained Rose as they rounded a corner. "As we spend time together, we become more unified."
"Please don't tell me that we're going to have to feel Meru complain about every little thing for the rest of the journey," whined Dart. "It's bad enough that we have to hear it."
"I guess we'll see."
They reached the lobby, where stood Shana, Meru, and Kongol talking among themselves. When she saw them, Meru began jumping up and down.
"Yay!" she cried. "Let's go get food!"
On their ten-minute walk, light-hearted chatter bounced around the group, and Dart held Shana's hand the whole way. As it turned out, the mayor's house had been built on the water, and they were forced to take another set of small boats to the dock that ran a full circle around the isolated building. Meru sped them along, and it was mere seconds from their loading into the boats that they were forced to clamber out, and it was not until Kongol's heavy footfalls shook the dock that the mayor finally came rushing out of the house to greet them. He ran out so quickly that Dart feared he would slip and fall into the ocean, but he managed to keep his footing and shook all their hands for a second time.
"I'm so glad you could make it!" he huffed.
"You have a lovely home," said Shana as she glanced at the endless ocean off to their right. "I wish I could live so close to the sea."
"Thank you, thank you! Yes, it is quite soothing to sleep every night to the sound of waves. But, uh… come inside! Dinner is ready, or, it will be in just a minute. Just need to stir a couple things, and they'll be done."
Noah rushed back into the house without them.
"Is he okay?" asked Haschel.
"I'm sure he's just been flustered with getting everything ready," suggested Shana.
They followed the mayor up a set of stairs into the house that spilled into a seating area decorated with several couches and throw pillows. To the right was a stately kitchen that reminded Dart of Lavitz's home, and in between was a long dining table with nine place settings. Noah was in the kitchen leaning over the stove, whispering to a small child with black hair standing on a stool.
"Give it one more stir," he said quietly. "And it's done! Great job!"
He patted the girl's head, and she smiled up at him.
"Are you ready to meet our guests?"
She nodded.
The two turned, and Dart grinned to see the young girl, no older than six, as she tentatively clung to her father and smiled at them.
"These are the heroes from Tiberoa," announced the mayor, and they each spoke their names. "This is my daughter Fa."
"Pleased to meet you, Fa," said Shana.
Fa grinned and hid behind Noah's leg.
"Everything is ready!" said Noah. "Please take a seat wherever you like, and I'll get these things on the table. I'm so sorry, Mr. Kongol, but I don't have a chair suited to you."
"That is okay," nodded Kongol as he sat on the floor at the head of the table. "This will do."
The rest of the dragoons took their seats as Noah carried over several pots full of stew, rice, and vegetables, and Fa clung to him the entire time. At long last, he sat across from Kongol, and Fa sat between her father and Shana. As they began passing around the food, Noah turned to them with eager eyes.
"It is such an honor having you all here," he said. "I would never have imagined that the heroes of the Dragon Campaign would sit at my table."
"How did you know about that?" asked Dart.
"King Zior sent word ahead of you," replied Noah sheepishly. "Not to mention, rumors travel like wildfire. Only last week, we had a merchant vessel in port who described your achievements in Tiberoa. We could hardly believe it! This may be presumptuous of me, but why have you come to Mille Seseau?"
Dart glanced at Haschel next to him, who was all but drinking his soup. Tiny beads of broth were clinging to his moustache, and Dart fought a laugh before Albert spoke for him.
"We have official business with the queen."
"Nothing dangerous, I hope?"
"That is the way we intend our visit to be, yes. But we also have some personal matters to attend to. Dart here is originally from Mille Seseau."
"You are? Where?"
"Neet," he replied.
For a moment, Dart watched with rapt attention as Albert slowly sifted through his stew, drew out long strings of bell pepper, and set them aside on his plate as surreptitiously as possible. But his fascination was interrupted when the wide-eyed Noah gasped and tapped Fa's arm. She looked over at him in confusion before poking at her salad with a fork.
"Amazing!" exclaimed the mayor. "When did you live there? How old are you?"
Dart chuckled. "Twenty-three. I was there for the attack."
"And you survived?"
Dart focused on the mayor but couldn't help but glance over as Albert withdrew another vegetable and hid it behind his soup bowl.
"Yes, my parents hid me outside the village."
"All this time, everyone thought there had only been one survivor. To find that there are two…" Noah sighed and shook his head. "What a day this has been!" He gasped again and clapped his hands to his face. "You have to meet Luanna!"
"Who's that?" asked Meru with a mouthful of food.
"One of the Sacred Sisters! She survived Neet, too! She should be there in the castle when you arrive."
"I'll make a note of that," assured Dart, offput by Noah's fervor but intrigued at the implications. Perhaps he could learn something from this Luanna.
Looking down, he spooned bits of broth over bits of chicken and watched how the liquid spilled. To think that there was another survivor filled him with a hope that he hadn't known he needed. Despite all his time in Seles, his difficulties with his adopted parents, and his wanderings in the wilderness, he was not alone in his experiences. Maybe this Luanna would know something about what had happened.
Suddenly, Dart felt another tingling sensation in his chest, and his hand flew to the center of his tunic. There underneath the fabric, he could feel the leather pouch housing his dragoon spirit, which was pulsing with an odd sort of energy that he could not identify. When he looked up, he met Kongol's eyes, now fiercely trained on him, and Shana watched him with concern.
"So, where is Neet exactly?" asked Meru as she stood and reached across the table, over Rose, and toward the sliced bread.
"Just ask and I'll hand it to you," whispered Shana as she placed a piece in her hand.
Meru frowned and sat.
"Far north of here, near the foot of the mountains," replied the mayor. "If you all time it right, the anniversary of the attack is coming up soon. I think it's just over a week away? There will be a festival in most towns, and some people even travel all the way to Neet to pay their respects."
"Festival?" replied Meru with a gleam in her eye. "I love a good festival."
"How do you not know about the festival?" asked Haschel before stuffing his mouth with carrots.
Meru shrugged. "I didn't get out much as a kid."
"Your town didn't have a festival?"
She shook her head before focusing all her effort on spreading butter across the warm bread.
"Are you from here, too?" asked Noah.
Meru nodded but didn't look up.
"Fa, would you like help with that?" asked Shana quietly, and Dart turned to see the little girl reaching for a platter just beyond her grasp. Fa nodded, and Shana scooped out some rice and placed it on Fa's plate. Fa whispered something, and Shana smiled and whispered back before happily returning to her own meal.
"We would be most intrigued to take part in any kind of festival," inserted Albert. "Alas, our timing may be too poor. We will head to Neet from here, and then afterward make our way directly to Deningrad. Time is a luxury not ours."
"Ah, it must be so," waved Noah. "I'm sure the duties of dragoons are of utmost importance."
"It is so, at least this time. However, I was hoping to ask about your passing mention earlier. You said that Furni has some distresses. Would you be willing to explain what you meant by that?"
"It, uh… It's nothing deserving of your attention."
"Daddy," whispered Fa, tugging on his sleeve. "Tell them. Maybe they can help Teo."
"Even if we can't help, maybe we can offer some kind of solution," offered Dart.
"Tell us," encouraged Kongol.
Rose leaned over and whispered something to Albert, and he hesitated while glancing at Noah. She whispered something else, and a vague shadow drifted over their places as she hastily scraped the discarded peppers into her bowl.
Noah sighed. "Very well… About a week ago, there was an incident with one of the children. Teo, Fa's friend, was playing with his dog when it turned and attacked him. It… dragged him away into the woods. He's been missing ever since, despite several search parties trying to find him."
"That's awful," said Shana.
"Why would a dog do that?" asked Haschel.
"Strictly speaking, it's a wolfdog," explained the mayor. "And we aren't sure. The dog was good to Teo for several years, but the only witness was Fa, and she isn't sure what happened."
"Did the dog attack you, too?" Shana asked Fa.
Fa shook her head.
"Well… not as aggressively, maybe," said Noah. "She has a scar that's still healing across her chest and upper arm. I'm guessing it clawed at her."
"I can heal it, if you would like," said Shana.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"That would be wonderful! Maybe if you're still here around bedtime."
"I'd be happy to."
"So, this kid has been missing for a week?" prompted Haschel.
"Yes, and we can't find him anywhere." A hint of desperation had seeped into Noah's voice. "His mother is distraught, but I'm hesitant to send out any more search parties. The woods have become dangerous recently."
"Dangerous how?" asked Dart.
"The animals have become vicious. Usually, being loud can scare away bears, and wolves are usually so skittish as long as you have a few people with you. But for a while, both bears and wolves have been attacking even the loudest and most plentiful parties. We've had three gravely injured, and one woman died just a few days ago."
"Is this the same aggression as the wolfdog's?" asked Kongol.
The mayor shrugged. "Perhaps. I have no way to determine that."
"Maybe we can go looking for Teo," offered Albert. "We are not worried about wolves and bears."
"Oh, don't trouble yourselves! You have more important things to worry about!"
"There are few things in life more important than the life of a child."
"It… is true. But, if you don't have time, don't—"
"We'll make time," assured Dart with a smile.
Their promise lifted the mayor's spirits, and he soon settled into a grin.
As the serious conversations dwindled, Meru and Haschel filled the space with humor as they joked back and forth, and the others were content to watch and laugh as they invented fantastic stories. Shana focused much of her attention on Fa, and before long, the shy girl had opened up enough to tell them a story about a manta ray she'd seen under the dock just outside. Eventually, Fa asked about dragoons, and they were happy to demonstrate their abilities.
For the next half hour, they took turns entertaining the girl with dramatic shows of their talents. Albert ruffled her hair and swept in an ocean breeze, Kongol manipulated a clay vase so that it appeared that he could balance it on one finger, Meru made it snow, and Shana scattered all colors of lights around the room. Each of these actions elicited squeals and giggles from Fa, and everyone laughed to see her joy.
When dinner at last was done, the mayor took Fa to her room, and Shana followed along to attend to her scar. Albert, Rose, and Haschel began attending to the dishes, and Kongol, Dart, and Meru gathered on the sofas to wait.
"I haven't eaten like that in a long time," said Meru contentedly as she leaned back on the couch with her body slid halfway off.
"It was pretty good," replied Dart distractedly.
"You felt it again, didn't you?" asked Kongol, his eyes piercing.
Dart hesitated, then nodded. "And you did, too."
Kongol nodded.
"I didn't feel anything," inserted Meru. "What are you talking about? The earth thingy?"
"Yeah, it's a sort of spark in my chest."
"Isn't that what you all felt when Regole was close by?"
Dart shook his head. "It's different this time. I can't explain how."
"How can you feel something that Kongol can feel? Fire and earth are so different. And if it's a dragon, why can't the rest of us feel it?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"I will pay attention when we go into the forest," said Kongol. "Maybe we'll be able to sense something deeper in nature."
"Do you think it has something to do with the aggressive animals?" asked Meru.
Kongol nodded.
"Creepy."
Meru sank back into the couch with a thoughtful expression.
A few minutes later, Haschel trotted over. "You all ready to go?" he asked.
"We have to wait on Shana," said Dart simply.
"Ugh… My belly's full and I'm ready to lay down and relax."
"You could sit down and relax," offered Meru, patting the seat next to her.
"Eh, I'll just go check on Shana."
He shrugged and ran up the stairs to the second floor, and Dart chuckled.
A moment later, the mayor returned and lightly chastised Albert and Rose for cleaning up, but he joined them with a happy smile, and a few minutes later, with all the dishes clean and put away, they all sat on the couches together. When Shana and Haschel returned, the group bid farewell to the mayor. Although they weren't exhausted, given the strength lent to each of them by their dragoon spirits, each was eager to sit and rest in a place so comfortable and spacious as Furni's inn. Spending the last seven nights in the cramped quarters of the Queen Fury had left them eager for reprieve.
An hour later, Dart climbed the long sets of stairs until he emerged into the open night air of the roof. The air was cool, and he summoned heat to himself and was pleased to feel it push into his extremities. He glanced up at the endless face of stars, but ultimately, his attention was captured by Shana.
She was hugging herself, standing near the far edge, and watching the swaying trees of the forest. Moonlight from both moons cascaded onto her, illuminating the white of her blouse and reflecting in pale streaks on her braided hair. In defiance of the darkness, she had conjured a small light that hovered over her left shoulder.
"Meru said you came up here," said Dart.
Shana turned to him, and her face lit up to see him.
"I kind of told her to tell you," she replied sheepishly.
"For that, I am grateful." He walked across the roof of the inn and cupped her face in his hands. "I can never seem to get enough time with you," he whispered.
She giggled, and he kissed her.
"I figured that we'd actually have some alone time up here," she said before leaning into him. "We've been cooped up on that ship for a long time."
"It seems like forever. There were eyes everywhere."
He draped his arm around her and closed his eyes. Her skin was cool to the touch. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, and he soaked in the feeling of her next to him.
"You're so warm," she said.
"Do I need to cool off?" he asked as his eyes flashed open and he looked down at her. He jerked his arm away and glanced at his hand, ensuring that no fire had appeared there.
"No, it's perfect," she smiled before taking his hand. "You're okay."
Hesitantly, he put his arm back in place.
"It's starting to get chilly," she added.
"Maybe you should have brought a jacket."
She chuckled. "Why bring a jacket when I have you to keep me warm?"
"What, you want me to carry you everywhere we go now? This country is cold, and winter's on its way."
"I wouldn't really mind."
Shana grinned at him, and he bent down to kiss her again. It felt as if his very soul was fulfilled by the action, and he found that he could not pull away this time. Her touch left a warmth inside him unlike anything his dragoon spirit had ever offered, and for several moments, he could think of nothing else. The chilly autumn evening became a distant backdrop on their affections for each other, and it was not until a crack of thunder startled them that they finally pulled apart.
"What was that?" asked Dart, searching the eastern shoreline.
"I'm not sure… I didn't think it was going to storm tonight."
"The skies are clear," he muttered. "Is Haschel inside?"
Shana shrugged. "I don't remember seeing him, but that doesn't mean anything."
"Maybe he's training…"
"Maybe." Shana looked up at the Moon That Never Sets that was presenting itself splendidly, framed by shadowy shapes of clouds. "You know…" She spoke softly. "Tomorrow is my birthday."
"Is it? I guess I haven't been keeping good track of time lately."
"It's been difficult," she conceded. "A lot has been happening."
"Do you want to do anything for it? Maybe I could get the others in on something."
"No." She shook her head. "I don't want to tell the others."
"Why not?"
"There's too much going on right now. We're in a new country, Meru seems really nervous about something, Albert is still always thinking about Emille, Haschel is worried about finding Claire… And if we're going to try to find Teo tomorrow, I just don't want everything to be revolving around me."
"I'd try to argue, but I don't think I'd get anywhere."
"That is correct."
Dart laughed and followed her gaze to the larger moon. For several seconds, they stood in silence and watched, arms wrapped around each other. He rested his chin on her head and squeezed her.
A few moments later, she lifted her head as if she'd heard something, and her eyes turned wide as she gazed up at the moon.
"Do you… hear that?" she said.
"Hear what?" He narrowed his eyes.
"It's like a… a whisper, I guess?"
"A whisper? Like with the virage?"
He pulled away and maneuvered in front of her, watching her closely, but she pushed past him toward the edge of the roof with a focused gaze and confused expression.
"Shana?" he said tentatively, and he reached out and tapped her shoulder.
Almost shirking from the touch, she took another step forward as she stared at the Moon That Never Sets.
"It's like it's…"
She shook her head once.
Then her face turned flat, and her back stiffened. Her eyes flashed and began to glow with blue light, and she held her hands out, palms up to face the moon. For a moment, Dart was frozen. He felt as if he were back in the cave passage or the Valley of Corrupted Gravity, watching Shana as she prepared to unleash some otherworldly power and destroy him.
This was what he'd been worried about. Shana was right – something was taking over her mind again, and he was powerless to stop it.
In horror, he watched as she began to lift slowly off the roof, and he grabbed her arm and tugged. She did not lower but raised her hand and swatted at him. A flash of light momentarily blinded him, and he was cast to the ground as a stinging pain rippled through his body from his left cheek. Pushing it aside, he leapt to his feet and planted himself before her. He tried to think of something to do. She was now almost a foot off the ground, and he shouted her name desperately.
"Shana!"
She did not respond.
Thinking back, he remembered the last time this had happened. There, in the Valley of Corrupted Gravity, Shana had spoken to the virage. The only thing that had pulled her out of this state had been…
Feeling with his mind, he reached out until he could sense the faint consciousness that resided within Shana's dragoon spirit. It was there, in her pocket, resting in the peace that surrounded them. He called to it, screamed at it, pleaded with it to help. Then to his astonishment, there was a white flash.
The magic began at Shana's hip as it emanated from the dragoon spirit, and it moved up her body until it touched her mind. He watched with bated breath as the dragoon warred against whatever had taken over Shana, wriggling about as it tried to expel the foreign force. Then the blue glow of her eyes flickered – once, then twice – and then it disappeared.
Shana collapsed, and Dart caught her before she crumpled to the floor. She lay unconscious in his arms, and he fell to his knees as he fought to stay calm. Bringing a hand to her face, he whispered her name, but she did not stir.
Unbidden, tears began to stream down his face, and he pressed a finger against her neck. Her heart was beating, and yet he could not stop the sobs that began to overtake him. He held her close to his chest as he wept, and it was another minute or so before she woke.
"What… happened?" she asked as her hand flew to her head. "Are you okay?" she asked suddenly.
With a sigh of relief, he hugged her tightly.
"What happened?" she asked again.
"I can't… explain it," he said as he finally pulled away from her.
"Why are you crying? Did I do something to hurt you?"
"No," he lied. "I just… I don't know, I think it reminded me of… that day in Bale. Shana, it happened again. We have to talk to someone about this."
"No, please," she urged. "They can't know. They'll—"
"This isn't a game anymore!"
His voice cracked, and Shana's face filled with apprehension.
"What did I do?"
"The fact that you don't know is enough of a reason."
With a huff, Shana pushed off the ground and stood. Warily, he eased to his feet and waited.
For several moments, she stood with her arms crossed, and Dart wiped his eyes and sniffed.
"If I tell them…" she began slowly. "They'll… treat me differently. They'll be afraid of me. Of what I can do. I can't… I can't let them look at me like that."
"Your feet left the ground," he said quietly. "You were hovering in the air without being transformed. Something is wrong, and we have to figure out what it is. I can't just keep this to myself anymore."
She turned to face him with a steely gaze, and yet somehow, compassion was hidden behind her eyes. She inched toward him and placed a hand on his face before wiping away a fresh tear.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll tell them. But please… let me do it when I'm ready."
He sighed, closed his eyes, and nodded.
"Thank you."
Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her close.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," he replied.
Haschel bounded up the stairs until he came to a landing. Then he turned down the hallway and stopped in front of a door with voices coming from inside, and he paused to listen.
"I'm sorry that this happened to you," Shana was saying. "But I can make it go away. Do you want me to do that?"
Fa must have nodded, because a moment later, light illuminated the room and shone through the crack in the door. Once it dissipated, sounds of laughter followed from Noah, who then vigorously expressed his heartfelt thanks a thousand times. Haschel grinned and shook his head. The mayor had been a source of entertainment for him all evening, and it seemed that this would not stop anytime soon.
"I guess I should get back now," muttered Shana. "We're all so eager to rest this evening."
"Will you sing me a song before you leave?" asked Fa. "Momma used to sing me a song every night before bedtime."
"Um, sure, if your father's okay with it."
"Of course!" boomed Noah. "I'll leave you be and head back downstairs."
Haschel swore and bounded back down the hall as quietly as he could manage. Then he turned a corner and waited until he heard the mayor's footsteps pass by. Slinking back, he hovered outside Fa's door and waited, intrigued to learn what sort of lullabies the people of Seles sang. Pressing his ear up against the closed door, he listened. Shana's voice was soft but clear as she sang:
When darkest days have come and gone,
Sing of this, my darling one:
Light will always come to find you.
Night is broken with the sun.
When ocean waves sweep over you,
And stormy skies obscure your view,
Remember that my heart forever
Always sings, my love, for you.
Haschel exhaled. This tune, these words – unprepared, he was dragged back in time until he stood by the door of his home, now so far away across the ocean. He could hear the waves a hundred feet away and smell the ocean breeze. And there Claire sat, pen and paper in hand, scribbling furiously as she sang a tune over and over and over. Then she marked out a few words, sang again, and wrote something else down. Haschel merely stood and watched for several minutes until at last Claire seemed to have grown satisfied. He stepped onto the deck.
"What a pretty tune," he said.
"Thank you," she grinned. "I've been thinking a lot about kids, what with Abby pregnant and all. I wanted to write her a song to sing to her baby, but now that I've done it, I… I think I want to keep this one to myself. Maybe I can sing it to my own child one day."
Haschel meandered over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You could always write Abby a different song. Keep this one. It will be more special. I didn't know you were so gifted with poetry; maybe you should write songs for every new child."
Claire laughed. "I'm not so sure about that. But it was fun! Maybe I'll toy with some other words and see what I can come up with."
Wrenched back to the present, Haschel steadied himself against the door frame. How could Shana have known? How was it possible? Had Claire gone to Seles after all? How could Dart and Shana not have mentioned it before? Was he on the wrong trail here in Mille Seseau?
He had to know the answer.
For several more minutes, he waited until, at last, Fa's breathing became regular, and Shana shifted. Her light footsteps were swallowed by the carpet as she moved toward the door, and she jumped slightly to see him when she opened it. After closing the door quietly behind her, she peered at him for a moment.
"Everything alright?" she whispered.
"Yes, I was just…" He hesitated. He didn't want to appear too eager. He turned and walked with her down the hallway. "I was coming to check on you. That was a lovely tune. You… have a good voice."
"Thank you," she replied. "That was always one of my favorites."
"I've never heard it before. Where did you learn it?"
He fidgeted with his hands behind his back, hoping desperately that he was coming off much calmer than he felt.
"Dart taught it to me. He used to sing it to me all the time when I was little. His mom wrote it for him, he said."
Haschel's jaw trembled as if he were shivering, and he quickly clenched his teeth to keep them quiet. Realization came over him, and he fought against his wild heart. Now was not the time. Shana could not know.
"Are you feeling alright?" asked Shana as they descended the stairs.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little queasy. Maybe I'm not as much of a fan of carrots as I thought I was!" He chuckled and applauded himself for his performance.
"Let's head back to the inn, and you can get some rest."
"Sporting idea!"
As the group filed out of the mayor's house, Haschel lagged toward the back. He grinned and laughed appropriately when Meru splashed everyone on the way back to shore, and he even managed to carry on a lighthearted conversation with Kongol as they walked back to the inn. But once the inn was in sight, he slowed and separated from the group. As silently as he could muster, he sneaked away, weaving between buildings until he found the open shoreline. Then, he walked.
For several minutes, he walked, focused on his breathing and trying to keep it as even as possible. Eventually, the dim chatter of Furni faded out behind him, and he was faced with the lapping waves and evening breeze. He was reminded of a thousand walks just like this back in Rouge, moments spent with Claire along the seashore. He turned toward the ocean while its waves beat against the gray sand. He thought over the words again; perhaps he had misremembered.
When ocean waves sweep over you,
And stormy skies obscure your view,
Remember that my heart forever
Always sings, my love, for you.
There was no way around it. He'd written the words himself, framed them, even sang them himself after Claire had taught them to him.
"Impossible," he whispered to himself. "It can't be."
He shook his head. There was no way around it.
He recalled crossing Claire Bridge in Fletz and Dart's revealing that his mother had borne the same name. He remembered the time in the Black Castle when Dart had exhibited some of Claire's mannerisms. Reconstructing Dart's face, he saw there the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose. There was no denying it.
Dart was Haschel's grandson.
Part of him wanted to rejoice. He wanted to skip and dance and go find Dart and give him the biggest hug of his life. He wanted to tease him about it for the rest of their journey across Mille Seseau. But the implications of such a realization could not be avoided.
Haschel's lip trembled, and he fell to his knees. He understood now: he would never find Claire. His last moments with her had been written in stone long ago. He would never find redemption for his sins. He would never find her forgiveness. Any hope of such a thing had been burned to ashes eighteen years ago when the Black Monster had destroyed Neet and left Dart an orphan.
The Black Monster had left Haschel childless.
The grief took over him, filling his soul with such a pain that he had never known. He wept bitterly there on the seashore, face pressed into the sand as he wailed at the ache in his heart.
As the tears subsided, he found himself numb, but anger quickly rushed in to fill the void. The wrath that Dart had carried close to him for most of his life now rose within Haschel, and he felt a sparking, acute desire to unleash his fury on the Black Monster, that fiend that had taken his daughter from him. He brought his fist down on the sand, and crackles of electricity ran around his hand. He struck it again, and again, and again, and then he screamed as he punched the earth with all his might. A bolt of lightning shot into the sky above him and unleashed a crack of thunder that echoed over the water.
Somewhat satisfied, he sat on the sand and tried to wipe off his clothes and skin. The grains had worked their way into his hair and moustache, and he shook his head vigorously to try to extricate it. In the end, he gave up, and he merely watched the ocean as the waves sloshed back and forth, constant as ever despite the pain in his heart. They had not fallen into the same realization. They had not experienced the world-shaking understanding.
For some time, he sat and sullenly tried to decide whether he should tell Dart. On the one hand, Haschel would have a family again. But then, what good would come of it? Dart would only mourn his mother afresh.
Haschel shook his head as he recalled that they were to arrive in Neet in just a few days. What had been nothing more than a serious leg of their journey for someone else had suddenly shifted into a weighty thing that he was not sure that he could carry. How could he go to the place where Claire had died and not mention it to anyone? How could he mourn his daughter and keep it to himself?
Footsteps came from his right, and he stiffened. The pace was even, the footsteps light – but not too light – and tentative. The newcomer eased up behind him, but he refused to turn.
"You left," said Rose, and he applauded himself for guessing correctly.
"Observant tonight, aren't we?"
"I was going to ignore it, but that lightning strike drew my attention."
"Are you my therapist now?"
"I thought I was supposed to be the rude one here."
Haschel said nothing.
"May I sit?" asked Rose.
He shrugged, and she sat cross-legged next to him.
"What's going on?" she pressed.
"I'm not sure that I should talk about it."
"That's always the better option, in my experience."
"Yeah?" He grinned as he turned to her. "You think it's better to talk about your problems? Are you going to be opening up, then?"
"Don't be silly." She smirked. "That rule only applies to everyone else."
"I love it that you smile now."
"Don't try to flirt with me again."
"I'm not! I'm genuinely happy to see you so happy. Can't I be happy for my friends?"
Rose leveled serious eyes at him. "If we're such good friends, why don't you tell me what had you summoning a thunderstorm on a clear night?"
Haschel sighed. "Did everyone notice?" he asked.
"No. Everyone else is either sleeping, playing loud card games, or making out on the roof."
"So, Dart and Shana noticed."
"I don't think they notice anything when they're around each other."
Haschel nodded, and Rose waited expectantly. After a while, he sighed and conceded defeat.
"I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone else," he said.
"My lips are sealed," she assured.
He sighed again before saying, "I realized something today. I can't believe I didn't see it before, but I guess… I guess it felt too impossible. But after hearing Shana sing a song that my daughter wrote, I could finally understand it. Claire is… Dart's mother."
There was a long pause during which Haschel's eyes welled with tears again. He hastily wiped them away and then turned to Rose, surprised that she hadn't responded. She was watching him with grief in her eyes. Of course, she had made the connection even more quickly than he had.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I'm so sorry."
"Thank you," he replied. "I don't know how to process it. I don't know how I'm supposed to go to Neet."
"Are you going to tell Dart?"
"… No."
"Doesn't he deserve to know?"
"Yes, of course he does. But I… can't. Not yet. Visiting Neet is supposed to be about him, not me. I would just take from that. He needs to do his own processing before I add to the plate."
"That's fair," she said. "Just make sure that you do what you need to process it yourself."
Haschel nodded. "I will."
Although he understood the nature of time and that he would eventually reach a point of peace, at this moment, it didn't feel possible. He wasn't sure that he could ever forgive himself for what he'd done. Not only had he driven his daughter away, but he'd missed his opportunity to find her again. He would never see her face again. The only remnants in existence were the tiny facets buried within Dart's visage, and it felt like that would never be enough.