Coil of Worlds

Lara rubbed her eyes and moved her shoulders back and forth, loosening the tired muscles in her back and neck. Staring at yellowed scrolls and dusty books was draining. The majority of the scrolls were financial accounts for individual years. It was tedious reading, especially since she had no idea what the symbols and coinage meant. After two weeks of searching, she held little hope of finding a text that related to either their marks or the coil.

Frustration made her grind her teeth together. The marks had to have originated from somewhere. Just because a scroll or a book wasn’t found, it didn’t mean one had never been written. Time was odd that way. Although scholars were diligent in their upkeep of the Areth library, the manuscripts weren’t in any recognizable order. This was certainly the case with the older parchments. She had found scrolls mixed in with books that were separated by two and three hundred years. If they were close to one another in years, the documents were unconnected. One regaled the height of fashion, while another discussed farming techniques.

It was discouraging.

Many of the older scrolls were damaged from lack of care and moisture, causing the parchment to disintegrate. Some parchments were in decent condition, but the ink had faded over time, making it impossible to pick out a letter, much less a word. One of the library attendants had explained that the documents too damaged to keep were discarded when found.

Because the library wasn’t in a single, large cavern, but instead spread out into a string of chambers, they were all in different rooms. Cimma had ordered attendants to assist them in their quest for answers. Two, young women were helping her sift through the old scrolls.

Finished skimming a book, she stacked it onto a pile of books and dusted off her hands. Skye was the lucky one. Without the use of light, he couldn’t read. His power didn’t distinguish things on flat surfaces. They had debated the use of torches or lanterns with the scholars, but the scholars zealously guarded their treasure. They refused to let any type of flame near their precious collection.

Skye had looked crestfallen at discovering his inability to see the books in the library. He spent the first day following Eiren through the aisles. The next day Skye claimed his time was better spent training. Now he trained every day with the other Kurite warriors. Lara thought boredom was the real reason he trained. Lara and the two pakas joined him in one of the small practice chambers every evening. It took a while, but the other warriors went from blatant contempt to eventually accepting Skye. Yesterday, she’d entered the room in time to see one of the Kurite warriors slap Skye on the back, laughing at something Skye said.

Worried for nothing, Lara had learned that—like hearing and speaking the Kurite language—she could also read their texts with ease. Although the coil was here on Aradun, it still provided her with the means to read, including the older, more formal language the others struggled with. No one understood how or why it worked. She grimaced. It was also why the oldest scrolls and books were piled around her.

A pair of black ears peeked over the pile of books stacked in front her. With a jerk, Lara looked around. It was late already? The two women helping her had neglected to tell her before they left for the day. “Eiren? Is it time to leave?”

The paka jumped up, putting her two front feet on the edge of the desk, giving the paka the height to look over the books. Excitement gleamed in her eyes and she shook her head, her ears swirling back and forth. When Lara didn’t get up, Eiren gestured with her head, looking over her shoulder for a moment before looking back at her.

“You found something?” Lara asked, pushing herself up from the chair.

She scrambled around the books, careful not to knock the piles over. She trailed after the black tail that vanished around a corner aisle. Her excitement getting the better of her, she yelled, Chion, Eiren found something. I think she’s working in the east corridor of the library. She’s leading me in that direction.

I will meet you there.

Lara dodged people standing in the hallways and aisles, keeping the paka in her sight. “Chion will meet us there. Did you already tell Skye?” Ahead of her, Eiren stopped long enough to nod. “Is he coming, too?” Again, her head went up and down. Lara grinned, “Then what are we waiting for?”

Her eagerness on display, Eiren did a feline skip down the hallway. The paka increased her speed until they were both jogging through the corridor. Eiren entered a room on the left. Among the books and scrolls, a fragile scroll lay on top of the specially made table for pakas. The scroll was scuffed around the edges, as if the paper had rotted through. She touched it with trembling fingertips, taking in the bleached out splotches throughout the text.

It was old. Really old. Older than anything she’d seen in the library. Although she didn’t read the actual words, she knew the style of writing was ancient. The lettering was slanted, making it difficult to pick out individual letters. She looked up to find Eiren watching her.

Lara whispered, “I think I’m afraid to read it without the others.” Eiren’s tail whipped behind her and she cocked her head. “I know I’m being stupid.”

Stupid? Chion walked into the room without warning.

Lara sighed. It was Eiren’s find; they should read it together. After all, it was their quest, their markings. “Eiren wants me to read the scroll she found; except, it feels wrong to read it before we are all here.”

Breathless from running through the tunnels, Skye announced without preamble, “We are all here now. Please, read aloud what Eiren discovered.”

Chion closed in, looking over her shoulder as Lara stumbled through the text, reading out loud. There were large portions missing, but the gist of the scroll’s content was plain enough to understand. It was an in-person narrative of the funeral for a woman written by her mate. His love and his grief were tangible in the ancient words, and she realized the blotches were the tear marks left behind by a man who lived in a time no one remembered. At the strength of his sorrow, Lara felt her compassion reach out to a man who had died centuries ago. Areth was helping him build a tomb for the heroine.

Lara’s breath caught. The next paragraph mentioned his bondmate and the woman’s. They would each be buried together once they were called into the afterlife. They’d saved Kureto and Pyran only to lose the woman a year later to childbirth. Lara read faster as she began to understand why Eiren thought the one-page account was important. The man shared the loss of his ability to control his Lan’Ai powers.

Lan’Ai?

She glanced up, sharing her confusion with Chion. Eiren lifted her foot, and Skye needlessly interpreted the motion, “Eiren says to keep reading. The man explains the word.”

Finding the spot again with her finger, she read on. The man explained how the paka who bonded with his mate was inconsolable, unable to leave their rooms. Although the woman wasn’t alive, their Lan’Ai bond still existed. They were able to converse with one another. The Lan’Ai bond also made it impossible for them to leave their grief behind. The pakas and the man fed off each other, and their combined grief spiraled them down into a well of depression and sorrow. None of them could find the light. He hoped writing down his thoughts would help lift him out of their shared void. His only outlet was to work the stones in the tomb holding his mate.

After she finished reading, she sat staring at the page, feeling overwhelmed at the possibilities the man had left in his wake. No one spoke. Silence lengthened while they each worked through the puzzle laid out before them.

Chion’s deep, thoughtful voice dispelled the somber atmosphere the letter had left behind. “This man writes of a bond I’ve never heard spoken before.”

Skye murmured, “Lan’Ai. A Lan’Ai bond consists of two pairs of Tal’Ai.” Everyone in the room knew what he meant. Lara considered her friends. Her eyes dropped back down to the text, taking in its frayed edges and faded ink.

“This text is old,” Lara said in a low voice. “This was written while Pyran and Kureto were still allies.” She squinted at the small inscription at the bottom of the parchment. “It says it was written in 5641.” She ran her fingers over the numbers. Looking up, she asked, “How many years ago was this written?”

Chion gasped, stunned at the date, but it was Skye who answered. “It was written one year after the Last Battle.” Lara recalled Audren and Tryvon mentioning the Last Battle to her, but nothing else.

Eiren stepped forward, gaining their attention. Skye translated, “The Last Battle destroyed the majority of Kurite land, forcing their ancestors to retreat into the ground. This letter was written a year after the Last Battle was won.”

The man specifically stated they saved Pyran and Kureto. At first I believed he meant the Kurite army; however, the more I consider the man’s wording, I think he meant the Lan’Ai.

Lara gently touched the parchment with her fingertips. “You think four people managed to save two kingdoms from some unnamed evil?”

Skye nodded his head at something Eiren said. “Eiren says the Dark War ended because of a magic so powerful no one wanted to fight it. It was powerful enough to destroy all of Kureto. The war ended because everyone feared its power.”

“But,” Lara insisted, “you can’t be saying that a Lan’Ai bond is that powerful. After all, it is two Tal’Ai bonds merging together.”

Skye shrugged. “I am doubtful of a magic that powerful as well.” He glanced first at Eiren and then Chion. “Is there no description of the magic that destroyed Kureto in the scrolls?”

Eiren shook her head in response, regret showing in her eyes.

Most of the historic accounts from that time have been lost to dust, Chion explained. The Dark War took place over a thousand years ago. People quickly forget the importance of events. Many choose to forget the harsh times they lived through, preferring to look ahead.

Skye grunted. “Although the letter gives us more information than we had, we can’t assume we are meant to bond as Lan’Ai.” He rubbed his growing beard. “We need more information.”

Hooded eyes betraying his quick mind, Chion commented, At least we now know which direction to focus our search.

“What do you mean?” Lara asked.

My Lady, we must find the Lan’Ai’s tomb. We must also search for any text that mentions the Lan’Ai bond. How is it formed? What power do they gain? Is there some physical change that occurs? We must find these answers.

Tomb. They were going to find their tomb.

Was he serious? She stared back at her bondmate, biting her bottom lip as she tried to think her way through his plan. Lara hated cemeteries. A tomb located in the tunnels made her think of the catacombs she’d heard about in Europe. It sounded creepy; goosebumps popped up on her skin.

“How would their tomb help us?” Lara asked, rubbing her arms.

Skye explained, “Stones were once carved in the likeness of the person they entombed.” He eyed Chion for a few seconds. “Chion is hoping we’ll find more answers when we see their resting place.”

You are correct. Many of the older sarcophaguses were exceedingly meticulous portrayals of their dead. If the Lan’Ai are heroes of both kingdoms—as I surmise, their tomb was once visited by people mourning their passing. It is customary to leave behind mementos with the dead.

Their customs were exotic and yet strangely similar to the ancient funeral rites on Earth. Furrowing her brow, Lara struggled to move past her aversion to catch up with the others. “But how do we find a thousand-year-old tomb? I haven’t read anything regarding tombs in any of the scrolls or books we’ve found.” She glanced at Chion and Eiren. “Have you?”

“In Pyran all the tombs are located in one large place.” Skye stretched his arms above his head before turning to look at Eiren. “Eiren says it is the same in Kureto; except, we must remember that Areth is laid out differently than Malkese and Luthis. If the tombs are anything like Areth’s labyrinth of tunnels, we may have to search multiple burial chambers before we locate the right one. Areth must have a map of the burial sites with the placement of each, individual tomb. If they aren’t in the library, the priests will have the scrolls.”

I believe you are right, Skye. It is a good plan.

“Okay,” said Lara, tunneling her fingers through her bangs. “Do we have time to look this evening or should we wait until tomorrow? Oh, and what do we do with the scroll?”

Eiren batted at an imaginary foe, drawing their attention. After a moment, Skye interpreted for her, “Someone should rewrite the letter. There may be more information we didn’t grasp the first time. Besides, even if we don’t need it, the library can ill afford to lose the contents of this letter to time.”

Her friends all turned to look at her, making Lara blink in surprise. Then what Skye said connected, and she groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

She studied the letter, calculating how long it’d take her to rewrite it. She rotated her head, dislodging a kink in her neck, and eyed the writing instrument with skepticism. She capitulated with a sigh. “If you think there is a rush to have a copy, then I’ll do it tonight. I’ll make a copy for us and let the clerks make their own copy. There won’t be enough time to rewrite this and train.”

Chion flicked his tail as he sat down beside her. We have finally found a lead in our quest for answers. Our plans have changed. We will not train tonight. He looked up at Skye and said, If you will stay with Lara as she rewrites the letter, Eiren and I will locate the priesthood’s House. Once Lara is finished with the text, you can both join us.

“Do you really think we can have all our questions answered tonight?” said Lara.

I can only hope. But if our next search is anything similar to how difficult it was to find a lead—even one as obscure as this document, then I don’t expect answers this night.

Skye gave Chion a bow. “I’ll stay with Lara. We’ll join you as soon as we finish here.”

Eiren wound her way around Skye’s pant legs. Lara laughed at the amount of black hair the paka left on his clothes. Chion attacked her, bowling her over. They were both laughing as Lara fended him off with little success.

When he left the room with Eiren trailing behind him, Lara looked down in dismay. The paka was a pest. She shook out her shirt and brushed off the mass of hairs he’d left behind. Revenge was so sweet.