Might as well remind him. Merryn told Beeka about Unnamed, leaving out the destruction of the city. Parcival needs to know this, I don't want to end up lying about it later. Even if he ends up leaving me, I can finish this mission alone. Maybe. Arrg!

Beeka's breathing became faster, calling attention back to him. His complexion—close to that of Parcival's— dropped several shades. Sweat tricked off his temples. "Let me try again; I can't in good conscience leave you like this without making another attempt."

As he started chanting another malign incantation, he paled even further, and a mix of emotions flickered about.

"Your face is flushed." Parcival started to come over, but a split second later something crashed into him and pushed him back. He skidded several feet away. The breeze lifted Parcival's sleeves pushing them sideways. He startled, leaned back and made a coarse noise through his teeth.

Unnamed stirred, and his starry filled shape became thin threads that wound about her arm.

Her body stiffened as the coldness returned as each thread of his spirit exited. His presence, which had been there for days like an ignored weight on her back, eased away.

His voice was an ages-old whisper on the breeze: "The last requiem of the land begins; nothing is as it was before. Finish your tasks, I grow weary." The threads went onto the bracelet, and her body lightened.

Beeka jumped back, pushing his forehead into the hairline. "Aye yai yai!"

Bring me back to myself, Merryn. Do not fail me. If I cease to exist, the planet will cry in pain.

Balderdash! You lie to save yourself.

Can you take that chance? Lose everything? What of your precious elders and companions? Find my body, and I'll fix this, all of it. I once commended the most glorious power in this universe; nothing will ever harm you again. If you are not willing to be my mistress... then become my ally.

You're a plague on this world! Your words drip with acid—they're poisonous lies! You won't trick me!

Is that what they filled your young mind with? The truth isn't always what we're told. Wash the sleep from your eyes. Wake up!

His voice shouted in her head. She shot up, shouted, lost her balance, and crashed back down.

Parcival had already walked over with cautious steps.

Am I asleep or awake? She clamped her hands together. Awake, definitely awake.

"What in the many heavens is that thing doing to you now?" Parcival sat beside her, then dragged in a short, deep breath, lifting both his shoulders and chest.

"I think... this exorcism actually helped. He—the god—resides in the bracelet now. I feel much better now." Yes, and he's talking again, I'm not sure if that's good or not, but as long as the god stays alive and I can bring him back... I'll bring some good into this world. For once. Parcival just needs to understand. He can't if I don't tell him.

Beeka shuffled over to the screen door. He coughed. "I can now tell them the deed is done." He turned his face toward Parcival. "Come visit when you can. Don't stay here too long."

She bowed. "Thank you for everything."

"Ya..." He left and silently closed the door.

She faced Parcival again and raised her head. A mild light sat within him; it brightened behind his eyes and softened the aristocratic like cut to his cheeks and jaw. There's never been any malice in him, and I keep expecting him to switch like Maxwell...

She turned her face a little. I looked at him too long and almost got lost somehow.

She stayed quiet for a time.

"Remember, about my grandmother and the spirits? There's more to tell. Will you listen?" She rolled off her now stiff legs and switched to sitting cross-legged. "Can I... trust you with my—my people's secret? It'll be hard to explain. I must try, or you'll never understand why I must go home with haste. There's no more time! Too many months have passed as it is. I worry things have gone very wrong..."

"Do you have the right to? It also depends on what you confide in me."

"If you're going to stick with me, then going in blind will only end up hurting you. "I don't know anymore what or who I can trust." She wrapped her hand tight around her wrist and rubbed it. Her head shot up, and she caught his gaze. "Except you!"

"Merryn..."

"Please, let's continue."

He nodded. "Alright."

She started with a quick refresher on what she said last time, reminding him about the hostile spirit in the tombs and how she'd been training to seal away troublesome spirits.

"You also need to know that after the war of the fifty, the elders had already been losing their immortality, which is why nobody has figured it out yet or maybe hasn't told anyone." Flashes of memories that refused to stay until finally one surfaced.

"Go on." Parcival touched her hand.

 

######

 

She could almost feel the soft sheets again, warmed by the morning sun. That day, one act changed everything; shattering what she knew, forever.

Merryn awoke to her mother's voice, calling her name.

"Merryn!" A pause. "Get up! You're too old to be lazing about all day in bed! "

She rolled out of bed and sat on the edge, her eyes blurry. "Murfh day is it?"

Her mother huffed. "It's Moon Day. You're going to be late for your training—breakfast is by the stove." Mother gently prodded her to the folded clean underdress and robes.

"Tkanks." Merryn garbled the word, but Mother always understood her anyway.

She cracked an eye open while getting dressed, then pushed aside the privacy cloth and stood by the little stove. Was it today that I would finally get my chance to help the stealth team on a mission?

She raced out of the house, up a hill around the tiny spiny Thornberry trees, around the smooth multicolored shreek stones, and across the winding streets. The short cut isn't going to be enough. I'm going to be late! The street ended in a soft beaten path only a few hundred feet from the barrier. Lesson number one: watch your speed and don't crash into it. Not that I'd ever admit doing that...

She vaulted over the short fence around the school, startling the birds hiding within the grasses to take flight.

The other students were all waiting at the training grounds. Tristan was there already; he waved at her and sat on the large flat rock a few feet from the door. He took a blush apple from a pouch along with a small knife.

Steam whistled from a cup kettle, and whats-her-name—Fawn sipped a hot drink, as did two other girls. Fawn, weakly waved then went back to chatting with her friends.

Merryn waved back. One of the nice ones, awful hard talking with her, tho' every word I try to say comes out wrong. Fawn at least didn't make fun, unlike some others. Will I ever have guts?

"So, you finally woke up, eh? You're lucky the instructor is also late this morning." Tristan cut out two wedges, popped one in his mouth and handed her the other. One of his black embroidered sleeves crept up into his armpit, he tugged on it while holding the knife.

they always gave the wrong size, hers was too big. "Thanks." She took it and ate it. He's far too nice to become a dire thief, and that, along with his natural leadership qualities, confuses me even more.

A door slammed behind her. She craned her head back just as Advisor Quain rushed up the street, he spotted Tristan and waved his arms and hands wildly.

"This is simply horrid! It's a disaster! Tristan, good you're here! Come with me quickly!"

The shouting crackled in her ears, and she stepped away. What in the heck? He's usually so calm.

"But.. I haven't even—"

"Your uncle hasn't come back from scouting near the Esromer plateau!" Quain's brows lowered and dang near ate up his eyes.

She gasped softly and lightly clasped her throat. He promised. He promised he'd always stay here and protect us! Quain's uncle Drury... Fighting the Calcines was a never ending battle, how many more lives would be lost? How many more graves to dig, and heads hung in despair?

Tristan handed her the apple, and put the knife away. "We'll find him." He caught her attention. "Let the teacher know..."

Before she could say anything, Quain ran back down the street. "Hurry!"

Both soon reached the northern edge of the barrier and were let outside.

The hand touching her throat clenched into a fist, and her body shook as she dropped it. Should I?

Instructor Stellan appeared from behind a street corner near the school. Today he wore a sharp lengthy, short-sleeved tunic and cloth jerkins. Most days, he wore a more athletic uniform. What's with the outfit?

"Class is cancelled today. You all can go home."

A 'no' bubbled forth and she swallowed around it. No need to make them suspicious. Now how to get over there without out gramps. No matter. I just need to focus on the guard.

The students left chattering with another. Merryn followed behind them and when she neared a particularly long house, she snuck around it and worked over to where the lanky guard was.

She ambled over and took a moment. Hummm.. should I lie? With what, tho'? Beg? But yeah, that might work. Blarg!

"Hey, um... how 'bout you let me though? Tristan shouldn't go on by himself."

He shook his head and stood taller.

She clasped her hands near her chest. "I'll come back real quick, not even an hour!"

"I'll lose my job!" He snapped his feet together and huffed.

"Please? You don't want him to get hurt, do you? She batted her eyes, just a little bit. Too much and her stomach would sour. Ugg! Fawn often did this and it worked well, probably because of her long lashes. Mine aren't as long, so I hope it works.

His lip twitched, and he moved his jaw in a semicircle. "You have a half hour, so get back here pronto. If I get fired, then I'm looking at my new servant girl, who just loooves to clean the pot and grease catch under the stove! Kapeesh?" He made several scrubbing motions.

"Oh, you're the best!" She grinned, squashed a stupid squeal, and only bounced a little. It worked. And—he's alright.

He opened the invisible door and pushed it open. "Hurry up before someone sees."

"Right!" She zipped though, followed the path and didn't stop until halfway up the path. This was the right way to the plateau? Well, I just need to keep going; it has to end somewhere.

Close buy a sort of tapping. Well, it's a bird, a woodpecker. She kept at it, working up the path. To the left and right, no birds pecked at the trunks. Eh. Stupid bird. The leaves on the tops of the trees fanned the bottom of the sun and wriggled. That wind must be up high. The idiot birds were late with their curtsy chirps, they should be having a full-on sing-along by now. There it is! Forest gave way to the path and stopped dead at the plateau. It reached up, choking out the view of the mountains behind it; only the jagged top of the mountain showed. Twenty feet away from the plateau she searched around.

Nothing.

"Tristan!" Don't be on the edge...

"Come on, answer me!" She went down, crawled on her stomach, then peaked over while holding a thick root that stuck out. Not that heights were a problem or anything, but better than a cave. What if he fell into the cave at the bottom?

"What are you doing here?" A gruff voice behind.

A squeak shot from her and she rolled on her side. Tristan, oh good. She got up and stopped midway. He took another step forward; his shoes squelched, but it wasn't from water. The light caught the shadows of his body, making them seem to turn and weave about his torso. At first, her mind assumed that his shirt was damp from sweat, but it clung to him and congealed blood gathered as it dripped off the tail ends of the fabric.

Her neck tensed up and started to shake at the same time a shreek wanted to fly away but refused to finish and bubbled inside her throat. He was just fine less than an hour ago. This isn't him.

He swept his hair back and his hand left a thick, sticky streak of fluids—among other things on his cheek, his sweet smile long past being cracked and dry, they peeled at the edges.

Goddess stop this!

Every muscle tensed her neck a rock hard pillar, she held onto the sides of it trying to will her body and brain to mind and stop. Just run. Just go!

Then it broke free; a jagged shreek.

Flashes of what she didn't want to see smacked her. Sections of the skin on his arm were just missing... She dug her fingers into her arms, welcoming the small pain. Stop screaming get out. I can't help him right now, just go, don't think about it. She stumbled and nearly fell over, and half ran-half crawled out of there.

"Merryn, don't run I've got a game to play with you..." His footfalls slopped behind her.