I never went back to Alhallra. I often wondered what life was like for Audrey at the Krystalline.
A few months after I had returned to the pace of my familiar life, I walked out of the back doors of the music building. I stood there, remembering Audrey and the night of the rainstorm when she had saved me. Ravens flew in the dark sky, and I played with the thought that one of them was a messenger.
As if my thought were materializing into reality, I saw a raven with a silver band across its leg. It flew to me, and beneath its wing was a letter from Audrey.
She confirmed that Satinah had been convinced of my death. Audrey and Jesath were the only ones who knew the truth. I was safe.
I still miss Audrey. I remember her laugh was like a bell, her smile crooked and wry. I miss her, as one might miss a beautiful dream on waking. Perhaps, I would have looked back one day and thought of it as such, if the occasional messenger did not come, black-winged under the cover of night, to remind me of reality.
Over the years, Audrey wrote to me with news of Alhallra. One of Jesath’s kids left to chase a dream across the seas. I heard of that from Jesath as well. He made sure I kept my promise to send him whatever he asked from my world. And so I did. Among many things, I sent him a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and made some joke about Oompa-Loompas.
Not long after we began our correspondence, I received a letter from Audrey telling me of Satinah’s death. The queen’s death had thrown the entire land into mourning, and the longest and palest shrouds flew from every structure to honor her. Her life was painted as a mural on the windows of the Great Hall. Few are ever so honored, so Audrey tells me. During her funeral, Satinah’s body was placed on a white ship sailing towards a distant land of trees that she had loved. Her funeral was the first time Hallain returned to Alhallra. And that was the year that Audrey became queen.
After that, there was less time for messengers. But every once in a while, a dark raven would still cross my path. Often, Audrey and I would try to arrange to meet. But the busyness of life always snatched the opportunity away. And our lives went on, and the years fell away.
Until today.
Today, I wait on the back steps of the music building, on the exact spot where I first met her. To see her again, for the first time after so many years.
The salmon-colored building is as pink as it ever was, and the toll of the Campanile the same as it had been since the day I arrived as a freshman. The tint of evening shrouds the campus, and a few odd notes sound within the music department.
As I wait, I wonder if I had never chosen to go to the music rooms that night, if I had simply taken the front doors out, or if it hadn’t rained, then perhaps I would still have that same easy life I had always known, secure on my island. Perhaps I would have married, grown old and died, without ever having left that shelter. And sometimes I wonder if that mundane life would have been better. If I hadn’t walked out of those doors that night, I would never have been burdened with the secret of another world to keep, never have to carry within me a sense of confusion and difference, and never be bothered with moments of doubt regarding my own sanity.
But when I think about the wonders I saw, when I think about the uniqueness of what I experienced, the beauty that I now know – it was all worth the cost. I had wished for something beyond my island and my wish had been realized beyond my wildest hopes. I owe Audrey what I can never repay. Because of her, I had sailed out and discovered the possibilities of life. Sometimes, one person can step into your world and change it forever. Change. It can be a shocking thing, but it can also be a relief, like a shower on a landscape of desert.
How foolish I was to have thought life a boredom. Life is only boring when you cease to imagine what might lie beyond.
And now, I think I see her, beneath the boughs of a familiar oak tree.
About the Author
T.L. Rese was born in Houston, TX. When she was seven, her family moved to Upstate NY, where she grew up before moving to California when she was eighteen. Specializing in epic fantasy, she now has a PhD in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a BA in English from UC Berkeley. Her hobbies include travel, photography, piano, and horseback riding.
For more information on Rese’s books and where to find them, feel free to visit her blog: tlrese.wordpress.com
READING GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.The Gift Stones draws on the tradition of the portal story, in which someone from our world goes into a world of fantasy. How is The Gift Stones similar to or different from other portal stories, such as Narnia, The Wizard of Oz, or Alice in Wonderland?
2.Kevin begins the novel as an ordinary college student. How is he changed by his unordinary experiences throughout the course of the story? How does he react to the extraordinary circumstances? How is his perception of life different at the end of the novel?
3.The Gift Stones contains multiple stories and histories within Kevin’s central storyline. What techniques does the author use to interweave these different stories? Which is your favorite sub-story and why?
4.Consider Kevin and Audrey’s relationship. In what ways is it a typical boy-meets-girl relationship? In what ways is it different from what is ordinary?
5.What are some of the main themes in The Gift Stones? How does the novel address such concepts as adventure, the mundane, the extraordinary, the different, and home?
6.Have you read the other novels in the Sky Lands series? If so, how does The Gift Stones compare to the other books? How is it similar? How is it different? Do you like it more or less than the other novels?
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