Retribution Ch. 2

Heels clicking loudly over the white marble, Kirese cringed at the echo in the quiet hallway. She walked pointedly toward two guards talking at the end of the hall. Sunlight streamed in from the row of large windows, brightly illuminating the hallway from their raised position. The men glanced over at her when they noticed her approach, and stood at attention.  She came to a stop before them, and they saluted.  She waved them at ease.

"Jacis, Lemar, are your shifts coming up?"  She asked one of the men.  One of them nodded and spoke up.

"Yes ma'am.  We were supposed to report in to you first.  Peltos has already been stationed in Central.  Lemar is to take the East Hall, and I'm your replacement here.  If it's okay with you, that is, ma'am."  

"Sounds fine.  Better get to it, then." She nodded approvingly.

"Yes ma'am."  They said, heading off to their destinations.  Watching them depart, Kirese pushed open the double doors and headed out towards the balcony.  The southern winds carried the smell and feel of the ocean, making the temple cool and pleasant even on a warm day like this.  Kirese placed a hand on one of the columns and inhaled a deep gulp of air, smiling as the breeze played over her face, tugging her hair.  All was going well: nice weather, quiet rounds, and no problems, just like every other day, mostly.

She looked down over the parapet at the training session in the courtyard below.  There were about thirty children, mostly girls, learning the ways of white magic.  Most of them were orphan children, raised by the nuns and monks of the temple.  They were mostly reviving dead plants and healing small, injured animals, a precursor to later, more advanced spells like curing poison and healing wounds.
Kirese smiled.  I guess things here in Isaltus aren't all that different from in Faresei. She, too, had been first taught in a temple, and white magic had been one of the first kinds of magic she had learned.  However, she hadn't been all that proficient at white magic, somewhat unusual for a girl.  Though she was quite proficient at creating talismans and potions, her abilities were geared to offensive magic rather than healing, and there wasn't many kinds of offensive white magic.   She'd had better luck learning magic under the mages at the Academy in Faresei, her home country. I guess that's why I ended up as a temple guardian instead of a nun.  A temple has plenty of healers, and most other temple guardians are swordsmen. She fingered the ornamental short sword at her side, a part of the guardian's uniform.  With all these healers and physical fighters, they need someone who can use attack magic. Still, she could do a bit of healing magic if necessary, just not as well as she would have liked.  She frowned at the thought.  Pushing it out of her head, she walked down to the courtyard to observe.  She walked past them, down the stairs and around a corner, stopping briefly to admire the slew of orange and yellow flowers that surrounded the base of all the trees in the area. Rose bushes ran the perimeter of the entire grounds. She picked one orange flower, the sweeter smelling of the two kinds, and placed it in her hair. The teacher watching over them, an old, kind nun in a teal robe, nodded in her direction, and continued with the lesson.

One student was having trouble reviving a wilted carnation. She slyly moved closer, and hid the action of moving her finger, a short green light, barely noticeable to the naked eye making its way to the flower. The boy tried the spell again, just as Kirese's spell hit it. The flower became bright again, the stem growing longer, as well, and bright green, a flower that only the best gardeners in the world could produce without the use of magic. The kid smiled brightly, eyes wide and twinkling with glee.  The nun shot a look in her direction. Kirese just smiled as she walked over to the woman.

"He was doing just fine on his own," she mentioned quietly.  Kirese nodded, still smiling with satisfaction.

"If he thinks he did it, he'll try until he does it again. Perseverance will be his guide."

"I suppose," the woman said with a little grin of her own. "Have you been told?"

"About what," Kirese asked.

"I've heard Elder Bedam wishes to speak with you. I heard it this morning."

"I have not been called yet. Are they waiting for something?"

"Ms. Lariel!"  Kirese heard someone call.  She turned around.  A nun was walking towards her.

"Yes, what is it?"  Kirese answered, waiting for the woman to approach.  The nun reached into her robe and pulled out a scroll.

"This is for you, ma'am.  From the Elder."  She said, handing the scroll to Kirese.

"Very well.  Thank you."  Kirese said as she unraveled the scroll.  The nun walked away, and Kirese scanned the content of the scroll.  A summons.  What could the Elder want?  She wondered, putting the scroll in her robes. Hopefully not a complaint about the guards.  

"Looks like he was just waiting for my shift to end," she said, nodding and waving goodbye to the students. They smiled and waved back to her before returning to their practices.  "Keep an eye on the boy. He'll be able to do the spell in a matter of months if he keeps at it. Be sure to encourage him, too."

She turned to the right and walked along the veranda.  She headed up the stairs, steadying herself against the banister as a group of laughing children raced by her, some even bumping into her, but she kept her balance and even managed to tell them to watch out when they were running.  She stopped short of the stairs to East Hall.  Instead, she turned again down the Central corridor.

She made her way around the temple and through the illustrious white halls lined with statues of the greatest of mages and wisest of Elders of Isaltus, all standing in noble poses. She stared at each of them, reciting their names in her head as she walked by them. She enjoyed learning of the great spell casters and great minds of a time before hers.

She headed up to the second level of the temple, reserved for teachers, guests passing through, and the Elder, who got the largest room.  She stopped before the guards in front of the door to the Elder's room, scroll in hand.  She raised the scroll and showed them the seal.  They nodded and moved out of her way.   Good thing we tightened the security.  Those would-be thieves the other day could have gotten in here far too easily.  Then we really would've had a mess on our hands.  It's for the best, no matter how much the Elder complains about it.  Before she raised a fist to knock, the door slowly opened in front of her.

"Enter, child," an old man's voice echoed calmly, fatherly in the large room.
She walked in, the door closing behind her. The Elder was sitting cross-legged in front of a small shrine on the balcony with many lit candles around it, incense burning away in the center directly in front of him. He lad a long, thin walking stick that sat on his open palms. The tip of his white beard barely hung over the middle of the stick.  He smiled as she walked in, and he waved her over.

"Ah, Kirese.  I'm so glad to see you," he said as he stood from his position with the help of his walking stick.  "It's a pity that we even need guards for my room!  It's so unnecessary, and the children can't come and go like before."

"Oh, that's nonsense Elder.  You need protection as much as any of us.  What would we do if something happened to you?"  Kirese said chidingly.

"Well, I'm not as helpless as I may seem.  But anyways, please, sit down."  He said, gesturing to a chair.  She walked over and sat down, and the Elder sat down as well.  Kirese handed him the scroll, inquiringly.

"You summoned me, Elder?  What did you need to see me about?"  She asked.  The old man sat quiet for another few seconds before slowly getting up and making his way to the fireplace, the walking stick tapping the ground with each second step. The Elder removed the seal, and tossed the scroll into the fireplace.  The paper ignited spontaneously and went out just as quickly.

He used his stick to grab a kettle from the fire, and used a cloth on the handle so he could pour.

"You had a dream again last night," he said, pouring two cups of hot tea.

"I dream most nights, Elder."

He set his tea in front of him after putting in sugar and milk.  He let out a sigh.
"You have had this one before. It troubles me that you do not speak of your past, though you frequently dream of it."  Kirese ignored the tea, feeling terrible about how rude it was.

"How do you know about my dreams?"

"Your aura is troubled every time you have them. It makes your presence very easy to detect. Please know that you cannot bury your past by starting a new life here."

Kirese felt anger and frustration building in her chest.   She masked it as best as she could, but it still managed to show quite noticeably.

"I'll face my demons when I choose to. I don't need your help!"

"Calm down, child," the Elder said, still calm.  Kirese stood angrily, bumping the table and knocking her tea cup over. She shielded her ears from the high pitched shatter of the cup. Frantic, she apologized, looking for something to clean the mess up.

"Do not worry, Kirese," the elder said, waving his hand slowly. The cup slowly reformed itself back on the table. "I will send for someone to wipe up the tea. You may go, if you wish." She headed to the door. "Kirese." He said, and she turned.  "You know what we say here in the south; bad dreams are the shadows of a scarred conscience.  The only way to purge the shadow is to release them from your heart."  

She turned, walking though the doors.  The guards jumped out of the way as she stormed past.  It frustrated her that the Elder would track her aura, troubled as it may be. My past is for me to know. No one here can help what happened, so why bother?  She thought, irritated.  She kept walking, head down, just wanting to calm down.  She wasn't really headed anywhere, but the exercise was helping her blow off steam.


When she finally stopped, she found herself in the temple's garden.  She exhaled the breath she realized she had been holding for a good many seconds.  She looked around; the garden was empty. Flowers lined the stone path, surrounded trees, and laid in rectangular and circular plots all over around the large reflecting pool in the center. She sighed with relief.  She probably looked a fool, storming out like that because of a comment.  She shouldn't have acted that way; the Elder was just worried about her.  She would have to apologize to him later.

Kirese walked around the garden, looking at all the plants.  She felt calmer now.  The breeze blew gently, making ripples on the reflecting pool as Kirese walked past.  The spring air was sweet with the smell of flowers, and the garden was ablaze with color.  One particular group of flowers caught her eye, though.  She walked far into the garden, falling to her knees next to a patch of flowers.  

The flowers were a bright blue, with white and navy splotches.  A Fareseian Blue Kirione… Never thought I would see one of these in Isaltus.  It's too hot here for these to grow.  They must be using magic. She thought, pulling one from the vine.  She smelled it; it had a sweet, almost minty smell.  These were always one of my favorites.  'You know Kirione sounds a lot like Kirese.'  He always used to say that.  Reloe… She thought before she could stop herself.    

She had fought the men there, but she was already too late.  Amera was dead, and Reloe was dying.  He apologized, said he had been a fool.  But it was her that should have apologized.  She couldn't do anything, and he died right in front of her.  Reloe had been in debt to those men.  If only she had known, she could have protected them!  He had tried to save Amera.  But he did it alone and now they were both dead, and it was all her fault for not realizing.  

I'm so sorry!  Amera, I was supposed to protect you!  And I failed.  I'm sorry- I was such a fool.  Reloe, why couldn't you have told me?!  You should have come to me.  I could have saved her.  You shouldn't have gone alone!  

She had been so helpless.  Kirese pulled the magic from deep inside, the energy blazing from her fingertips.  All this force, but when she had actually needed it, it was useless!  Why was her power only destructive?!   She couldn't help anyone, couldn't save anyone, even those she loved.  She could only kill, only destroy everything she touched.  She looked at her hands.  The flower… She had burned it to ash.  She then realized that she was crying.  Kirese closed her hand on the ashes, and held her fist to her cheek.  It was still hot, and she could feel it burning her hand.  But she was the one who deserved to burn, not them.

She wiped away the tears.  She couldn't let anyone see her like this.  She opened her hand, letting the ashes fall, and stood fast, wiping her discolored and slightly burned fingers against her robe leaving a slight discoloration on it as well. No need to make anyone concerned. She thought, heading quickly off to her room.

Kirese tried everything she could to get the memory out of her head, but no amount of reading or meditating could remove it.  Finally, she got in bed and curled up, hiding under the off-white covers. Her bed had four giant posts with a veil of gossamer fabric over it. She had always wanted one when she was younger, and managed to procure one when she came to the temple.  Normally, the bed was comforting, but she could not shake her anxiety.  It was only due to the lack of sleep that she managed to even fall asleep early the next morning while the moon was still in the sky.