The lift's descent from the lighthouse aerie was a short one, but to Mia it felt as though it lasted hours. The four adepts rode in silence, none wanting to meet the others' eyes just yet, giving Mia time to mentally replay everything that had happened. The flash of light from the unsealing of the entryway, the lizard warrior in the entry hall, ascending the waterfall to the top of the lighthouse…and the scene that awaited them when they arrived. It was burned into her mind's eye: a whirring ultramarine sphere of pure Mercury psynergy hovering just above the well at the center of the aerie. It stood as a monument to her failure in carrying out the duty bestowed upon her by her clan, shining for all of Weyard to see.
"Mia? We're here." Her reverie was broken by a boy with messy blonde hair and a scarf to match. Isaac, she recalled. He was the one who had offered to help her that morning. Mia couldn't have made it to the aerie without his help, alongside his companions, Garet and Ivan. Now he was standing on the masonry below the lift, offering a gloved hand to help her step off as well.
"Thanks," she replied, offering a weak smile as she took his hand and stepped down.
Mia watched Garet and Ivan walk down the steps toward the fountain at the base of the lighthouse. Her heart skipped a beat as she set eyes on it: water flowed gently into the fountain for the first time in centuries.
"The fountain shall be filled as long as light fills the lighthouse." Looks like the legend was true. A miracle of the lost age of alchemy, returned by the ignition of the beacon. One upside to an otherwise catastrophic day.
"Man, I'm beat," Garet groaned. "Feels like we've been fighting nonstop all day. I'm definitely gonna feel it in the morning."
"I'm already feeling it," Ivan said through clenched teeth, wincing as he massaged his ribs.
"Drink from the fountain," Mia called to them. "The water has potent healing properties. It should mend your injuries even better than I can."
The duo looked at each other, then Ivan nodded and fished in his pack for a few moments before producing a clear bottle, which he dipped into the fountain. He held it aloft for Garet to see, now filled with the Water of Hermes. It bore the same azure hue as the beacon gently humming a few hundred feet above them. Ivan took a sip and passed the bottle to Garet, who followed suit.
"It's REALLY cold!" Garet exclaimed, wiping his lips. He tossed the bottle to Isaac, who caught it with both hands.
"Surprising given the tropical climate," Ivan remarked dryly. Garet rolled his eyes and punched him lightly in the shoulder.
Visible cuts and bruises incurred only minutes before, some still bleeding slightly, rapidly mended themselves as the water did its work. The boys marveled at the process. Garet stretched his arms and flexed his fingers, testing the effectiveness of the water, but could find nothing to suggest he had been injured at all. Ivan grinned as he ran his hands over his ribs again and discovered his aches and bruises had vanished.
"Amazing!" Garet exclaimed. He turned to Mia. "The Mercury Clan's healing psynergy is incredible!" He gestured to the fountain.
Mia smiled. "It's potent enough that the people of Imil should be able to get by without a dedicated healer," she said. Not that I deserve to be one. The thought stabbed like ice in her veins. The smile faded.
Isaac took a sip and sighed contentedly, then offered the bottle to Mia as well.
"Thanks, but I'm fine," she declined politely. "I wasn't really in harm's way." Those three did most of the work. I was barely present. The ice grew jagged. She grimaced.
"It's incredible how fast it works," Isaac remarked. He threw the bottle back to Ivan. "Let's take some back to Kolima Forest. Maybe this can heal Tret too."
Ivan nodded and refilled the bottle, then returned it to his pack. "Will we make it back in time?"
"Definitely," Isaac reassured him. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."
"Well then we'd better get going now!" Garet demanded. "I can't possibly be the only one who's hungry right now. I feel like I could eat a mauler!" As if on cue, Isaac's stomach growled. Garet's stomach gurgled even louder in response.
Ivan snickered. "Finally got to see Jenna for the first time in a month and all you can think about is food?"
Garet's face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson than his hair. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Ivan's violet eyes gleamed mischievously. "You've been pretty focused on her for the last week."
"I thought we agreed on no more mind reading!" Garet protested.
"Didn't have to, you keep mumbling her name in your sleep," Ivan responded matter-of-factly. "Good to know I was right!"
"Yeah, well…" Garet faltered. "Isaac, help me out here!"
Isaac shrugged. "It's not exactly a secret. Is it?"
Garet crossed his arms and pouted. "You see what I have to deal with, Mia? Ruthless, both of them!"
Mia giggled. The boys and their antics were a great distraction from the lighthouse. "Let's head back to the inn for dinner. We can come up with a plan for tomorrow while we eat."
"You're sure, then?" Isaac asked. "It's a long road ahead, and you've seen what we're up against."
She nodded resolutely. "We were too late this time, but we can still stop them before they reach the next lighthouse." Mia didn't know if she fully believed that, but there was nothing else she could do. Doing her best to keep her voice from quavering, she added, "We have to try."
Isaac offered a sympathetic smile. "We'll stop them next time for sure."
"Enough chit chat!" Garet interjected, his mock sulking abandoned. "It's dinner time! Let's go!"
The sun was setting by the time the four adepts reached Imil's only inn. Thankfully there was already a fire crackling in the hearth, and the smell coming from the kitchen told them it wasn't too late for a meal. Garen and Ivan dusted the snow from their clothes while Isaac paid for a table and dinner. Mia had little appetite, but she wasn't ready to be fully alone with her thoughts just yet, and the company was improving her mood.
"So what's next after Kolima?" Garet asked through a mouthful of bread.
"Venus Lighthouse," Ivan said, blowing on a spoonful of soup. "In Gondowan."
Garet swallowed. "That's so far away. How long do you think it'll take for us to get there?" He furrowed his brow and started counting on his fingers. "Three months? Four?"
"Probably longer," Isaac remarked. "That's just as well. We're no match for Saturos as we are. It'll give us time to train." He poked his fork into a piece of cooked potato and twirled it dismissively. It seemed he didn't have much of an appetite either.
"How much do you think the beacon weakened him?" Ivan asked, giving Garet a sidelong glance.
"Had to have been a lot," Garet said with a nod. "The place felt…thick. Like moving through mud up to your shoulders." He shuddered. His first few attempts at using psynergy during the fight had fizzled out almost instantly, leaving him with only his axe to fend off Saturos.
Mia, on the other hand, had never felt better than she did bathed in the beacon's light. Her body felt lighter, breathing came easier, and her psynergy was effortless to use. She felt a pang of guilt. Do I actually miss how it felt?
"We have to assume Alex was telling the truth," Isaac said, pointing with his fork. "We'll be wiped out next time if we don't prepare."
Alex. Mia sipped her cup of tea. As powerful as the intruders were, they were only able to access the lighthouse thanks to Alex's help. Mia thought back to the quiet boy who had grown up just ahead of her, always gazing out at the horizon over the sea. He had been the closest thing she had left to a family. He's changed so much. It hasn't been that long, but he feels like a completely different person. When Alex had gazed upon her, was that pity she saw in his eyes? His betrayal left Mia with much to think about. There was already far too much to think about.
After everyone had finished eating, Mia stood up. "I'll be heading home for the night, then," she said. "See you all in the morning?"
Isaac nodded. "We'll meet here at first light, then set out for Kolima."
Mia nodded back, then walked out into the cold silence of the village. Most of the other villagers had gone to sleep already, and the few that hadn't were inside their homes. The normally violet sky was tinged with an ethereal azure glow from the northeast, where the lighthouse sat. Mia cast her gaze downward as she went, trying to block it out, focusing on the snow crunching beneath her boots.
As the full weight of the day's events washed over her, the initial bravado that had spurred her to suggest joining her three companions more permanently had dissipated, replaced by a numbness unlike the kind she was used to after growing up in Imil. The ice in her veins had spread to her entire body. What's wrong with me? I should be furious, shouldn't I? It's like I'm sleepwalking. The emptiness she felt afforded her the ability to do little more than put one foot in front of the other, so onward she walked.
Once home, she stripped off her outermost layer of clothing and collapsed onto her bed, not bothering to light a lamp. Mia rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling in silence, praying for sleep. Her head swam as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened. There was so much she thought she knew, and it had amounted to nothing.
Alex had defended Saturos after their battle, and even chided him. There was no denying that his participation in their plan was of his own volition.
Alex, I don't know why you're doing this. I don't know why you left, or why you decided to work with those people. I don't know who you are anymore.
Finally, mercifully, her eyelids began to droop.
"But I will do whatever I can to stop you," she mumbled to herself.
An empty oath in her current state, but it would suffice.
The first light of morning set the snowfields of Imil aglow as Isaac stepped out of the inn. He shielded his eyes against the refracted light and scanned the pathways winding through the village as Garet and Ivan shambled bleary-eyed through the doorway behind him. On his second pass of the nearby buildings he finally caught sight of the now familiar blue hair and white robe belonging to Mia as she rounded the corner and walked their way. Isaac waved to her, and she held up a hand as well in acknowledgement.
"Morning," he said as she drew closer. "Ready to head out?"
"Almost!" Mia replied. "I just need to pick up some supplies at the healer's shrine before we go."
"Lead the way!" Isaac said brightly.
The walk to the shrine was just long enough to perk up Ivan, but Garet was still yawning and wiping the sleep from his eyes as the group entered. It was still early enough in the morning that Mia's apprentice healers hadn't arrived yet. Isaac watched as Mia set about gathering various plants and tinctures from the shelves lining the back of the shrine and storing them in her pack. He'd recognized a handful of the herbs and roots she was picking up, but most were completely foreign to him.
"I'm impressed that you know so much about traditional medicine too," he commented, reading the label on a jar of what appeared to be purple dust.
"We've never liked relying completely on psynergy," she replied as she worked. "Hand that one to me, please. Do the healers in your village not use medicines?"
Isaac passed the jar to Mia. "We do," he said, "but we have to. Our psynergy is nowhere near as effective at healing people as yours is."
"That's kind of you to say, but I think some people–" she cocked her head toward Garet, "–will still prefer the herbs."
"'S too cold when you do it," Garet mumbled sleepily.
"It definitely feels different than when Isaac does it," Ivan chimed in. "Not that I mind either way," he added, shrugging.
"I wonder if I could learn to use that technique?" Isaac mused aloud. He continued to pick items off of the shelves at Mia's direction.
Mia paused for a moment, contemplating the idea. "Ply has been passed down only to members of the Mercury clan," she began, "but before yesterday I'd never met any other adepts outside of my clan." She took a handful of vials from Isaac and wrapped them carefully in a cloth before storing them. "It couldn't hurt to try."
"Just an idle thought, but I'll keep it in mind," Isaac replied. "Maybe we can–"
Isaac was interrupted by the sound of the shrine's doors opening as Megan and Justin, Mia's apprentice healers, entered the building. Upon seeing Mia, both immediately ran to her with worried expressions. Mia gave them an uneasy smile.
"Mia, we've got a big problem!" Justin exclaimed. "Mercury Lighthouse has been lit!"
"Did you already know that?" Megan asked.
Mia's expression grew somber. "Yes, I did. I was there when it happened." She hesitated.
Isaac wondered how much information she would give them. Would they be able to figure out Alex's involvement if she didn't tell them? Does she even want them to know?
Megan looked at Mia's pack and the supplies still strewn about. "What are you doing, Mia?"
"Are you going somewhere?" Justin inquired.
Mia lowered her gaze to the ground. "I'm leaving with Isaac and his friends. The people who lit the beacon at Mercury Lighthouse are trying to light the others as well." She looked up at the two of them sorrowfully. "I dislike the idea of leaving you two, but we have to stop them, or else…"
"Everyone will be in danger if the lighthouses are lit, right?" Justin finished for her. Mia nodded solemnly.
Megan and Justin looked at each other, then nodded before turning back to Mia.
"Okay," Megan replied, beaming. "If you're trying to protect the whole world, we won't try to stop you."
"Yeah! We'll keep Imil safe while you're gone!" Justin added excitedly. "That's our job as members of the Mercury clan!"
Mia's expression softened, and she pulled the two children into a hug. "I'll miss you two." Megan and Justin returned the embrace.
"Not as much as we'll miss you!" Megan exclaimed. "We'll keep working hard to learn to heal as well as you, so don't worry about Imil!"
Justin looked up at Isaac over Mia's shoulder. Isaac stifled a chuckle as he realized the child was sizing him up.
"Please keep Mia safe, mister knight!" Justin demanded.
Isaac was reminded of Aaron, Garet's younger brother, making a similar request at the outset of their journey. He'd already failed to protect Jenna and Kraden, but felt confident he and Garet could cover each other well enough. While that had been the case for the first leg of the journey, their encounter atop the lighthouse had been a sobering experience.
He looked down at Justin, who was staring back at him expectantly. Isaac's expression softened. The world had become much more uncertain overnight, and the boy just needed someone to tell him things would be okay.
Isaac knelt down and put his hand on Justin's shoulder. "I'll do everything I can to protect her. You have my word."
If he couldn't keep such a simple oath to a scared child, what was the point of their journey?
"Don't worry, Isaac and Garet are tougher than they look," Ivan reassured Justin.
"Yeah, and Isaac's a pretty good healer in his own right," Garet added, finally starting to perk up. "She'll be safe with us."
Justin scanned the faces of the trio carefully for a few seconds, then smiled gratefully at them and nodded. He and Megan released Mia and went to work helping her finish organizing her pack. After a few more minutes, she had everything she needed.
"Well then," she said, dusting herself off as she stood, "shall we be on our way?"
"If we leave now, we should still make it to Bilibin Cave by dark," Ivan remarked, gauging the position of the sun as they exited the shrine.
"Never thought I'd be so happy about going through a cave," Garet grumbled. "This cold is driving me mad."
"Not that you had very far to go," Ivan quipped. Isaac snorted, and Ivan took off at a jog as Garet chased him toward the edge of the village.
As Isaac exited the shrine, Mia fell into step with him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her look at him and start to say something, only to stop herself. After the second time, Isaac broke the silence.
"Something on your mind?" he asked.
"Oh!" Mia gasped in surprise. "Well…thank you. For what you said to Justin in the shrine, I mean." She sighed before continuing. "They'll be fine without me, but I don't want them worried the whole time I'm gone."
Isaac grimaced. "Things are only going to get more dangerous from here on out," he stated. "I don't think any of us are really going to be 'safe' anymore, but I meant what I said."
"Oh? For the record, I can do a decent job of defending myself," Mia said playfully, smirking at Isaac.
Isaac beamed at her. "I know that better than anyone," he agreed.
His gaze lingered on her a little longer. It's good to see her smiling again, he thought. He looked ahead to see Garet grinning like a madman and attempting to pelt Ivan with snowballs, which the Jupiter adept deftly deflected with small whirlwinds, whooping with laughter with every gust. It's good to see everyone smiling again, Isaac corrected himself. Especially after yesterday.
He sighed as his thoughts turned to the encounter with Saturos they had narrowly survived the previous day. Even with Ivan providing long range support and Garet cooperating with him to double up on the powerful adept, Isaac had found himself on the ropes for most of their fight. Saturos was faster and stronger than any of them individually, and had landed more than his fair share of blows to both Isaac and Garet. One or both of them would be dead without the constant stream of healing psynergy from Mia. If that had happened, there would have been little to stop Saturos from killing her and Ivan as well.
Somewhere along the way, Saturos finally started to falter, and Isaac pressed his advantage, going on the offensive and driving Saturos back with his blade. A desire he could not yet comprehend had grown within him in that moment, one that instilled within the young adept a sense of dread. As he recalled feeling it blossom in his core, he shuddered and shook his head, as though to dispel all thoughts of the duel. Isaac could feel gooseflesh forming on his arms, and he knew it wasn't from the cold.
A snowball struck Isaac's shoulder, jolting him back to reality. In the distance, Ivan had started returning fire at Garet, who in turn had started using his own psynergy to deflect the icy missiles. Neither of them seemed to be paying him any mind.
Then it must have been…! Isaac whirled just in time to dodge a second projectile from Mia. He glanced over his shoulder at the space where it had landed, then back at Mia questioningly.
"Can't let them have all the fun," Mia said, still smirking. She bent down to scoop up another snowball. "Let's see how good you are at defending yourself, 'mister knight.'"
Isaac ducked and formed a snowball of his own. As they traded volleys, Isaac and Mia joined up with Garet and Ivan, and a free-for-all ensued. Seeing his companions laughing and red-faced from exertion and the cold, Isaac knew that their close brush with death had been all but forgotten, at least for the moment. Today was a new day, fresh as the snow before them and still full of promise.
He savored the brief reprieve from their duty. Soon they would continue on their way toward Bilibin Cave and the rest of Angara that lay south of the mountains, but that could wait a few more minutes. Right now, they were just four carefree teenagers playing in the snow.
This is what we're fighting to protect.