The Final Lesson, page 13
part #1 of The Final Lesson Series
However, this comes at a hefty toll—only those that the Warlords deem well-intentioned can harness their resolve, and such worth is laid only in those that possess magic of the highest pedigree.
“That sounds like Old-Man Olen’s speech from when we first arrived in Nilu,” Rem noted, recalling the information. Solus knew it well. It was hard to erase the memory of being told the fate of the only home one could ever know. “Why was I born a Bloodlinch?”
Solus paused before setting the paper aside. So, Rem stopped listening to the translations somewhere in between. He wasn’t surprised. The young Prince did have his mind wrapped around other places. It didn’t matter to him; they could always come back to it at another time.
“Laikros says that a Bloodlinch is considered an illegitimate child of an Arcana or Maester and a human that possesses no magical prowess. But you know the story. Your mother is an Arcana, and your father was a man bred to become King. Their relationship was a damned one, but they had you.”
Rem shot his adversary a glare. “Way to chalk up the phrase of ‘you shouldn’t have been born’ to a new level, Solus.”
Solus held up his hands in defense. “Pardon me. The words belonged to Laikros, not me. Continuing… he believes that the motivation and supremacy that your mother carried as an Arcana is why you were born with magical energy—it’s a rare trait to have from the moment of your first breath.”
“Magic isn’t that uncommon in Adrylis. Why does it make me any different?”
He folded his hands now, clearing his throat. “Most have their magic thrust upon them at a young age, if at all. It was my duty to make sure that I knew as much about you as possible—it is what my father wanted me to understand. Your magic was always unique. I’m not definite on the consequences of magic yet but being born with the skill would have made you a target when you began showing signs of possessing them. Your parents kept that secret from even you.”
“So, they couldn’t tell me, but they told you,” he said flatly.
“I’m supposed to protect you,” Solus reasoned.
Rem pointed a finger at him, his face set in confidence. “You listen here, Solus Brenner. That was your duty but now things are different. Now it’s just us. We protect each other.” He grabbed the sheet of paper and allowed his eyes to scan over the words for himself.
Solus sighed, knowing that he couldn’t accept no for an answer. Rem always did have a sense of justice in his blood, defying the odds and craving battle. Always with a grin when he picked up his sword. “I know that face.” Just like now, he was wearing that eager grin, but his eyes were bright with a thoughtful haze. “You’re wearing your thinking cap, aren’t you?”
“We’re gonna need this Orb of Concord if its power has the potential to bring down a colony when used for good intentions. It may be our only chance to take things into our own hands.”
He closed the grimoire shut and handed it back to Solus, who walked it over to Leilana’s side on the tips of his toes to keep from rousing her from her slumber. She stirred at the movement before returning to sleep. Once he had finished his duty, he reclaimed his seat next to Rem, folding his hands while considering his words.
“Therein lies the problem though, Remiel—nobody knows where to find it. It has been hidden away for more generations than either of us could count back, and I’m certain that others before us have tried to find it and had no luck.”
Rem’s face held no hesitation, a soft glint in his brown eyes. Solus cringed. Oh no. He knew that look as well. His mind was made up already, wasn’t it? The wheels of his mind swerved in every direction. There had to be something that he could break down for him. Anything.
“That shouldn’t be an issue,” Rem stated. “It may be hidden, but it’s not impossible to find. Someone had to have found it to be able to hide it again.”
Solus’s leg was anxiously bouncing. “We could search around every corner of Adrylis for the rest of our lives and never track it down. And even if we do manage to find it, you might not be able to use it. The Warlords of the past might not see you as someone that’s worthy enough to use the Orb. You-you do understand that, right? Would you really want to take a risk like that?”
“Hey, think about it. We’ll just have to try our best, right?”
“Oh,” he elongated the vowel in the simple word for a few seconds before stating, “I suppose.”
Rem smirked in satisfaction, holding up a closed fist in a silent victory. “Don’t make a big deal out of it, Sol.” He wrapped an arm around the man’s shoulders, shaking him in the process. “We’ll be able to handle anything!”
Solus couldn’t help but laugh. “If you say so.”
All the while, Leilana was watching over the two, turned on her side to face their backs. They had no idea, and maybe it was for the better for them all that they didn’t. The two continued in their banter for some time now that their plans had been laid out onto the floor, and she rolled over onto her left side, returning to sleep.
“I see that you’re feeling better today,” Solus called after waking.
Leilana was sitting up in her spot on the floor, the blanket she was provided wrapped around her shoulders. She had hardly acknowledged him, her attention set on the morning sun. The rainwater was a fresh scent, and the aroma was pleasing to her reemerging senses. She wanted to step out but decided in the end that it was better to wait for Solus and Rem. She knew as much about Adrylis as them and being separated could have put them all in danger. Unwise.
The barrier had since fallen, and Solus found it fortunate that no beasts or people had seized them in the middle of the night despite the three of them all being asleep at relatively similar times. He crawled over to her, claiming the empty spot at her side. Still, she didn’t turn to him, staring instead at her fingertips clutching the blanket.
“Are you thinking about something?” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to intrude on her thoughts, but he didn’t want her to be left alone in whatever darkness was plaguing her mind. She stole a glance at him at long last, and Solus noticed a hint of discomfort in her expression.
“Kindall.” Solus raised an eyebrow. “He was a friend. Someone that was lost in Paluna.” Solus continued to listen, not daring to interrupt her while she spilled the goods. It was important to her, so why hold back any chances? “I keep seeing his face, covered in soot, his lungs caved in until he couldn’t breathe anymore...” She was staring at her empty hands again, raising them closer to her face, as if peering through a looking glass that withheld no reflection. “And I held him in my arms until he went.” She rested her hands on her lap, an audible slap filling the cave, echoing for a subsequent moment before fading away altogether.
Solus folded his own hands, drawing in a breath as he attempted to address the manner in a non-damaging way or a way that seemed to be too insensitive. Death was always a complicated subject to discuss, but the process of it was forever going to be inevitable. “…Leilana… have you ever seen someone die? Before what happened to Kindall?”
“No,” she said softly, “nobody ever got really hurt at the school, and no one ever died. They talked much about that topic. They treated it as though-” She swallowed, her eyes beginning to widen. “As though those that die never existed at all, not that they lived and then ceased to exist. That’s why they never spoke of Ennis...”
“Ennis?” Solus repeated, “Are you referring to Ennis Erovina, the fallen Warlord?”
“The very one.”
That name brought back more memories than one. He took pride in having the chance to know Ennis Erovina, but they had met only once in his short life, just before his pilgrimage came to an end. Solus’s own statement towards the rather enigmatic budding Warlord left a mark, but it was shaped in a different light, and now he brought his own words down on himself like a hammer to stone. How times had come to change.
“Don’t let your sister down come morning light, when all is said and done,” he mumbled.
Leilana raised an eyebrow at the nearly concealed words. “What’s that mean?” Solus returned her expression, no longer masking his smile.
“He and I had the opportunity to meet once. He mentioned a girl, his younger sister. She was someone that he fought for, to make a home with her.” He stared at Leilana, noticing the sense of sincerity in the girl’s expression. “Leilana, that girl is you, isn’t it?”
Her lips upturned into a smile. “It would be ludicrous to compare me to my older brother. I was never as special as he was. I never knew he thought so highly of me, especially when I look at myself. He got to take his pilgrimage after training for only a year. Our Masters called him a prodigy.”
Solus cleared his throat, giving a small nod. “I’m sorry about what-”
“You don’t need to apologize,” she interjected. “As time passes, people expire. it’s something that can’t be helped, and it’s an inevitable aspect of this short existence we are given. Ennis used the time he was given to make a difference and gain a title that would outlive him.”
Solus considered her words before piping up, “I heard a rumor about Ennis Erovina long ago. He entered Archbane Castle in Linmus with a premonition of demise—the kingdom’s destruction. But the royal family didn’t believe him and sent him on his way. That was his quirk; he could foresee certain incidents.” He sighed, brushing some hair from his face. “Good gracious, why didn’t they heed his warning…?”
“In the end, the decision still rested with the royal family. They chose not to follow the will of a Warlord, and they didn’t prepare for it. They had their enemies, and they also had their allies. Some people can become too clouded by lies to uncover the truth between those at their side and those with a knife pressed to their back, ordering them to walk forward.”
Solus was impressed by her logic, curious about what she would uproot next. She may not have been conditioned to the ways of the world, same as him, but she certainly knew her way around people. Maybe that was why she was chosen for the pilgrimage—she carried herself in a manner that rivaled her brother. They both seemed set on what method they took towards approaching their pilgrimage, but each step could unravel what fate had in play for them. Then again, Solus knew little about what they were meant to do; every pilgrimage differed.
“At the same time,” Leilana continued. “How could they have known that things would come to this?” She leaned back in her spot, continuing to gaze at the budding horizon. “There is a lot to consider when stepping into a new day. The future is always changing, and nothing is set in stone. Warlords can provide readings and offer a small sense of what is going to occur down the line for you.” She cleared her throat, stealing a glance at Solus, who grinned in response. “That is something that I’ve come to understand after having a tarot card reading, at least.”
“I think that it is good progress,” he stated, “Even a small hint can turn the tides.”
“Why are you two being noisy so early in the morning…?” Rem whined right before a stone hit Solus in the back of the head. He reached up a hand to rub the aching spot, glaring at his friend. “Trying to sleep here.” Rem rolled onto his side and pulled the blanket over his head.
“Good grief, he can be such a pain,” he mumbled.
“That was a bit rude. Does he do that often?”
“Rem has a habit of being moody when woken up. So yes, this isn’t uncommon for him. I’m choosing not to retaliate due to a rather unfortunate time period. I would be wrong if I found no sympathy in the manner.”
“Terrible fate or not, that still doesn’t give him much right to behave like that. The two of you are friends, and you’re doing your best to help one another.”
“Pay it no mind,” Solus replied, his irritated expression wiping away into a satisfied grin.
“All right. I guess I’ll just take your word for it.”
“Grand choice. Now that we’ve established that, what do you say that I look around for breakfast, and you can remain here with Rem while I am away?”
“Breakfast?” Now that he mentioned it, Leilana’s stomach was growling audibly. The action made Solus laugh uncontrollably, and he wasn’t considering Rem’s sleeping anymore.
She buried herself under the blanket, hearing him ask, “I’m to take this as a yes?” She hadn’t stomached much since the night that Paluna was incinerated, and even then, it wasn’t much aside from herbs and fruits. Delicious, but she was well accustomed to the taste after fueling on health-quality meals at the academy for her body and spirit. That alone wasn’t filling for two nights.
“Breakfast would be nice.”
Solus went on his way, and Leilana remained in her spot, watching him climb from the height of the cavern’s entrance, landing on the grass. He turned back to her after he tucked some loose strands of hair out of his face. “Try to stay out of sight. We wouldn’t want to have our location revealed, correct?”
“Don’t worry, I can handle a little turmoil,” she proclaimed. “Find something good out there!” He held up his index finger and thumb to his forehead as a salute before disappearing into the trees.
After an assortment of berries and venison came about for a suitable breakfast, the three set off for Kalonia. Leilana’s mouth was continuing to water, the scent of the freshly slaughtered deer still lodged into her nose, cooked to a superb texture by her own hands. Rem had cut through the entrails without so much as a flinch, blood splattering about the cavern walls. The sight was gruesome, but the result was enough to wipe the idea of a helpless animal suffering away, if only for a moment.
“Some virtuous circle of life,” Rem dubbed it. His tone was so nonchalant she couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to sway her from her worries or if he was keeping her from talking too much. With him, it was unclear what he wanted from her anymore, and she was certain that if Solus wasn’t a defining factor in Rem’s sense, then she wouldn’t have gotten a word out of him about some of the statements that he threw at her.
“Look at that!” Rem suddenly exclaimed, extending a finger forward. Beyond the trees, shades of white had blossomed through. Solus elongated his neck to observe the buildings peeking through, holding up an arm to shield his eyes from the blazing sun.
“Kalonia,” Leilana observed. “That must be it.”
Rem brushed past the bushes lining the trail, stumbling over loose branches. He was quick to dive back into the shrubs after hearing a yelp from an unsuspecting by-passer, lowering his hand towards Rem and Leilana to assure that they crouch as well, not wanting to frighten anyone else in their way. Solus couldn’t help but glare at him, unsure of what the young Prince was planning or considering. Without warning, he grabbed Rem by the arm and dragged him out into the open despite his protests. Leilana sighed before following the two.
Their first steps on the new ground were met with genuine amazement, and Rem couldn’t avert his attention from the sight. The bleached buildings in Kalonia stretched towards the clouds, reminiscent of the castle in Linmus he had come to know and reside in for years. There were citizens roaming the checkered streets, rushing for the marketplace and bartering for their goods. Thankfully, there seemed to be plenty of merchants minding their booths and a variety of food and drink to go around. The area wasn’t too crowded from the chaos.
Rem was the first to go rushing through the city after regaining his momentum, his smile bright at the view of all the people, the soldiers that were guarding the streets to keep people in line, and the shrines that rivaled palaces off in the distance. Kalonia was elegant to observe from a distance and a wonder from within. He hadn’t gotten to visit Paluna, but now he knew that there were far more prosperous places that he was meant to explore. This was just the beginning.
Solus’s expression softened as he watched the young Prince dash through the area, his mind away from the knowledge of Linmus. It was refreshing to witness, even if it was temporary. A brief respite was better than an endless spew of agony.
“Solus,” Leilana began, watching over Rem as well. Solus smiled, peering at her in the corner of his eye. She folded her arms behind her back, clearing her throat. “I wish you both the best.”
“You’re awfully forward. Taking your leave?”
“Rem did seem pretty clear that he wanted us to part ways once we reached Kalonia. I’m planning to stay for the night and do a little research.”
“I wanted to ask—what does your pilgrimage revolve around?” Leilana wondered if the students could discuss the manner of their pilgrimage with the others. She supposed that Hinju wasn’t against it. Otherwise, many of those chosen to claim a totem would be outright confused and maybe a little upset if they went through the ordeal with no knowledge.
“I’m gathering totems,” she began, “We’re supposed to be discovering them in the hearts of other people from what I read in my journal. But I’m not entirely sure how to find them. There are so many different interpretations of what to look for that it’s hard to pinpoint a single trait. Most people that I’ve encountered don’t seem to have a single dominant trait about themselves.”
“Well, that adds to the fun if you ask me,” Solus told her, “It presents a challenge in choosing what quality is more domineering for someone. And it allows you to gain a new perspective on what that person is like.” He sighed. “Are you sure that you want to endure that trial on your own? You might not be able to find Lancett out there, and even if you do, he might be caught up in trying to find Amiria.”
“I’ll handle it.” Solus was about to interject, not sure how to address her decision before she took a step back, her right hand wrapped around her left wrist, unable to turn from him. “Don’t worry about me. I should be fine on my own for a little while.”
