Word of Madi’s punishment as a result of her arrest in Tyrell had finally arrived by carrier-crow just the night before. Lord Eward Savannon, from his seat in Fortunia, the home city of Commerce, had now decreed to all members of the Savannon clan that they were banned from having any contact with her for an entire year. She would also receive no allowance, forcing her to live upon the “meager tokens” she earned from her readings while on the road with her troupe.
Madi found the verdict less than devastating. For one, she rarely had any contact with her family for most of the year anyway, and as far as money went, well, she retained ample enough amounts of her own savings to comfortably see her through the next several seasons. Also to lessen the blow had been her great-grandmother’s reaction to the letter. Danetria had crumpled the parchment in her gnarled fist with a snort, stating that it would be a cold day in the Chasms of Fire before anyone told her who she could or couldn’t hold company with. She’d then gone on to assure Madi that she would always be welcome in Kohtala, no matter what her bird-brained grandson had to say about it.
It was now the following morning, and Madi was enjoying her last meal in Kohtala before needing to depart to reunite with her troupe. Because many of the other members of her family here in the city of Destiny were attempting to adhere to Eward’s orders, for comfort’s sake she had requested a private breakfast with Danetria and her favorite aunt, Serena—Eward’s own sister. The three were now gathered in Danetria’s seventh-floor quarters, picking away at their food as they rehashed all their divinations and conclusions of the past several days.
Madi had told both her great-grandmother and her aunt about the incident with the owls which had occurred nearly a full week earlier. Despite the physical markings the animals had produced upon her face and hands, neither woman was convinced they’d actually been real, putting forth the theory that Madi had simply been so taken by the vision of them, her mind itself had actually manifested the wounds appearing on her skin. This would also adequately explain why the balcony had been empty of the creatures just moments after she’d made it into the inner Spindle.
Madi hadn’t seen why it made a difference either way; clearly, the message here was the owls, and whether they were real or simply figments of a powerful vision was for the most part inconsequential. Danetria had disagreed, and her explanation for doing so had been interesting.
“As we know,” the ancient woman had begun, “owls act as harbingers of death. Clearly, the act of Madi being confronted by so many, an entire parliament, warns of much death coming—although by violence, disease, natural disaster, or some other unknown entity, we do not know. But the fact of them appearing suddenly before physically attacking her was also extremely important, foretelling that whatever the origin of this threat, it is not one we will see coming. At least, not with the knowledge we presently possess. Now,” she had gone on, “this is where it becomes so vitally important that we try to distinguish between reality and vision. For if the owls were truly and physically there, this would imply a path already set, one we could not hope to escape. But if the owls were instead only the elements of an inner sight, we can take this message as more warning than harbinger. If the owls were only present to Madi’s inner eye, we may yet be afforded a chance to escape this calamity.”
This had all made perfect sense to Madi, although they hadn’t been able to come to any conclusions over whether the owls had been real or not. Danetria had finally just urged her to stay alert for any further clues and signs, and to send word of any she perceived back here to Kohtala.
The three were now discussing Madi’s looming appearance in Aralexia, in hopes she would have as much intelligence as possible to aid against the upcoming threat to her life.
Danetria continued to stress the importance of Madi staying near to Oliveah—an instruction Madi didn’t foresee a problem adhering to. Exactly how Oliveah was going to help keep her alive was a question none of them could yet answer, but Madi remained grateful to know even this much.
Her aunt Serena waited until the end of the meal before revealing her own divination, and it was one that shocked even Danetria—a circumstance Madi would have thought impossible.
“Last night, I consulted my own ball regarding this matter,” Serena began in her soft, gentle tone, “and I believe it has cleared matters in regard to Madi’s future steps so long as she escapes harm in Aralexia.”
Madi was sipping the last of her tea, and she quickly set down her cup to give her aunt her complete attention. Her great-grandmother was nodding.
“I was hoping you would glimpse further details,” Danetria said.
Serena tucked a long, loose lock of black hair behind her ear and looked to both of them intently. “I was not able to discern much in the ball,” she went on. “But I was granted a dream soon after my attempts.”
Now Madi was nodding. Her aunt Serena was often granted knowledge through her dreams, a method diviners found varying success with. Madi herself had experienced only a handful, and always they’d remained largely unclear, shrouded in mist.
“What did you see?” Danetria asked, adding a spoonful of honey to her own fresh cup of tea.
Serena paused only slightly. “The Catalyst Stones,” she said. “Or rather, one of them.”
Madi gasped, and her great-grandmother jerked so violently she overturned her cup, sending tea splattering all over the table.
Danetria ignored the mess completely. “One of the Stones? Are you certain? Diviners have been praying for centuries to gain clues to the locations of the Stones!”
“I am certain,” Serena replied, still calm.
“Well?” Danetria demanded, nearly vibrating in her excitement. “What were you shown, exactly?”
“I saw Madi,” Serena replied, with a quick glance at her niece, “holding the Ruby Stone. But she stood beside a man I did not recognize, one meant to act as her guide. She will not find the Stone without him.”
“What can you tell us of him?” Danetria asked quickly, her eyes aglow with a light not seen in them for years.
“I was not given his name,” Serena said, “and know only that he speaks to the dead.”
“Sabian Reif,” Madi realized instantly.
Everything in the room about her seemed to dim then, as her frantic thoughts attempted to assimilate these revelations into some sense of order. First, she focused on the Catalyst Stones.
Her great-grandmother’s excitement over them was not unwarranted. More than two thousand years ago, diviners and mages had forged them from the largest gemstones they could find, imbuing them with properties of great power. There were five in all: The Ruby Stone, which worked as a catalyst for love and wisdom, as well as protection from any threat of misfortune. The Sapphire Stone, which heightened the feelings of peace, happiness, and intuition in all who came near. The Amethyst Stone, said to calm emotion as to allow a higher and deeper process of thought. The Emerald Stone, capable of great healing and enhanced fertility, and also told to have given its bearers the power to hear the very thoughts of others. The final Stone was one of Diamond, and said to absorb and amplify the traits of its user, as well as the powers of the other four Stones. It was because of the Diamond that all five had now been lost nearly two thousand years.
For the first few decades of their existence, the Catalyst Stones achieved much good within the fifteen countries of the world, passing through the hands of diviners and mages of every race, given where and when they were most needed. The Ruby brought wisdom and love to whole communities, the Sapphire peace to warring realms, the Emerald a cure to plagues and pestilence, and the Amethyst a deeper appreciation of thought and life to all who grasped it. The Diamond Stone, however, was but a product of the intentions of its bearer, and it was here the trouble began.
To protect the Diamond Stone from falling into the wrong hands, as its creators had known would be a risk, it was always kept in the company of both a powerful mage and diviner. It was presu
med that the diviner, her abilities so enhanced by the Diamond itself, would see any threat coming, and that the mage, either through spells or a more practical method of violence, could defend against this threat. It had not been anticipated that a king, lustful for power and bloodthirsty by his very nature, would make a play for the Stone, his intent being to conquer the entire world. And it had not been anticipated that he would gather an army of hundreds of thousands to fight for possession of it.
The diviner foresaw the invasion, but too late. The castle she and her fellow protector were housed in was already surrounded, giving them no option for a conventional escape. Instead, they sent crows to the other four keepers, with strict instructions to hide their Stones lest the king gain control of the Diamond and possess a power over them all. This advice had apparently been taken with utter seriousness, for the Stones of Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst, and Emerald had all vanished from the world that night—right along with their keepers—never to be seen since.
As for the Diamond Stone, the diviner and mage immediately began making efforts to destroy it, even as the army beyond their walls began to break through into the castle. Their attempts were unsuccessful. But all hope was not lost—for the mage’s power was one of distance-jumping, allowing him to cross incredible spans of land in only the blink of an eye. Urged on by the diviner, who would be left behind to her death, the mage took up the Diamond Stone and vanished—also never to be seen again anywhere in the world. There was much speculation, even to this day, of what had become of the mage, as well as the Diamond Stone, but no conclusions had ever been found. The most popular theory was that he’d cast himself into a live volcano, or to the bottom of the ocean, to ensure that the Diamond would never again pose a threat to the world.
Madi quickly ran through all of this in her mind, all the details she knew of the Stones’ origins, before even allowing herself to grasp the idea that her aunt had dreamed her actually holding the Ruby Stone. Did this mean all five Stones still existed in the world? And how was Sabian able to act as her guide to one?
Actually, she amended quickly, the answer to that last question seemed rather obvious. Sabian would clearly be getting all his information regarding the Ruby Stone from one of his ghosts. But why now, after nearly two thousand years?
Evidently her aunt and great-grandmother were wondering the same thing, for as Madi tuned her ear back to the conversation, she heard them discussing this very question.
“The question of when has always been left in the hands of the Patrons,” Danetria was insisting. “Our concern is the why.”
“Perhaps the world is about to face great strife, and will need them to survive,” Serena speculated.
“Or perhaps they will only cause great strife, and we are meant to destroy them before another can use them for such ill deeds and purposes.”
Serena thought about this. “It could be another is finally closing upon their locations, and Madi is simply to act as interference, finding and destroying the Ruby before its power can be used for corruption,” she agreed.
Madi was looking from one to the other. “You want me to destroy one of the Catalyst Stones?” she managed, her gray eyes wide.
Danetria glanced at her. “If this Sabian Reif can direct her to the Stone, it stands to reason he will also know its purpose for being found.”
Serena nodded. “That sounds logical.”
Madi frowned. “Sabian lives in Tyrell. I don’t see how our paths will cross for him to lead me to the Stone anytime soon.”
“Remember what I told you about the events in Tyrell the week of Ardin’s Pride, Madi,” Danetria responded, taking her in. “What Destiny began there, it will finish in Aralexia.”
Madi began to nod. “This must be why I have to be there. To meet with Sabian.”
“I believe that to be just one of several reasons,” her great-grandmother replied cryptically.
Madi knew there was more Danetria had glimpsed, in both her cards and ball, that she’d yet left unsaid. And while she undoubtedly had her reasons for maintaining this silence, Madi continued to burn with curiosity; her great-grandmother did not unhinge easily, but she’d clearly been disturbed by something seen by her inner eye. And that did not bode well at all.
Serena continued to appear thoughtful, her clear gray eyes squinted slightly. “Although all five are capable of damage in the wrong hands, it is the Diamond Stone we need to be most wary of, as evidenced by the past. Particularly if the others have begun to be found.”
“It is possible we are being given the chance to destroy the others before the Diamond Stone itself is located,” Danetria speculated.
Madi was again looking from one to the other. “Destroy them by what means?” she asked. “If their keepers of days past did not know of a way, how are we to find one?”
“A fair question,” Serena replied, looking from her niece to her grandmother.
Danetria was pensive. “I may know of a way. Serena and I will further investigate the option while you are away, Madi.”
Madi nodded, her thoughts narrowing upon what the next few weeks were going to involve. Knowing she now had an opportunity to find one of the lost Catalyst Stones—a truly mind-shattering event in and of itself—she was feeling even greater anxiety about her upcoming stay in Aralexia. She would need to find a way to avoid the king, stay near to Oliveah, and locate Sabian Reif. Also, to heed the words of “Lendiv Vakli”, as well as keep alert for any aid offered by those wearing a Thieves medallion. Add to that the knowledge of her assured death should she fail in following any of these instructions, which would not only hamper the finding of the Ruby Stone, but also cut off any help she was meant to give others regarding matters still unknown.
And then there was the matter of the owls—she could not forget them, nor the dire omen they predicted. Were they somehow connected to the Stones? Did someone already have the Diamond Stone in their possession, planning to use it to unleash all manner of horrors upon the world? Would her finding the Ruby Stone, as Serena had dreamt, help thwart this evil plan?
Madi felt her head begin to spin, her breathing become fast as her sight grew dizzy. How much depended upon her staying alive in Aralexia? Would others die as a result of her own death, if she did not find a way to survive?
She suddenly realized that she was on the floor beside her chair, lying on her back with her aunt’s cool, soothing palms pressed to either side of her head. “Breathe, Madi,” Serena was saying soothingly, looking downward. “Nice and slow. Just breathe.”
Madi did this for several minutes, concentrating only on her own breaths as she stared back into her aunt’s eyes. Finally she felt the dizziness pass, and slowly sat up with Serena’s help. She stayed there for several more moments, and then slowly pushed herself back to her feet. Bemused, she noted the quartz bracelet now fastened about her wrist.
“Keep it,” Serena told her. “A gift to help you remain balanced.”
Madi nodded absently as she slid back onto her chair. Danetria was eyeing her from across the table.
“My apologies,” Madi murmured, ashamed over her show of weakness. “I just became so overwhelmed.”
Her great-grandmother’s eyes darkened. “Never apologize for your emotions. They manifest for a reason and are not to be ignored. This is especially true for diviners, for how effective would we be if we attempted to control these things we see and feel? Emotions are the key to what we do, Madi. Never forget that, and never apologize for it.”
Madi nodded back seriously, although she now wanted to smile. No matter how glum, Danetria always had the wisdom to make her feel better. She simply could not imagine a world that her great-grandmother was not in.
Serena too had resumed her place at the table, reaching for the teapot and starting to refresh all of their cups. Madi stirred in honey and then sipped at her beverage, thinking. There was actually one further matter bothering her, and she decided she may as well addr
ess it now.
“Why me?” she asked them bluntly.
Serena’s brows drew together slightly. “What do you mean?” she asked.
Madi paused, fiddled briefly with her spoon, and then said, “Why should I be the one to find the Ruby Stone?”
There was a silence. And for the first time, Danetria began to look disapproving. “Are you attempting to question Destiny?” she asked. “To question Ehle?”
“No,” Madi said, shaking her head with a frown. “Not question. Understand. For certainly there are others much more capable than I at finding and keeping safe the Stone.”
Danetria’s features relaxed as she took this in, and her look turned discerning. “I spoke that you have a role to play in what’s to come. I believe finding the Ruby Stone is simply a part of it.”
Madi spun this through her mind, seeking a connection. She then speared a searching look at her great-grandmother, locking their gazes. “This is all connected somehow, isn’t it?” she said.
Danetria didn’t respond, staring back at her with a look indecipherable.
“What is all connected, Madi?” Serena asked, now watching the two with concern.
Madi’s gaze stayed fixed upon Danetria as she answered. “Tyrell. Aralexia. Lendiv Vakli. Taleb, Oliveah, Nathon, Sabian, and myself. The Ruby Stone. These are all but parts of a greater whole, are they not?” she demanded.
“All those and more,” Danetria answered, her look unflinching. “But I have not seen enough to realize the deeper truth. And you must not try, Madi, not yet. For your tasks are just threads of many, and should you try too hard to understand them all, your focus will be lost. See out your own role in this, and let the others see to theirs. The truth will surface when it is meant to.”
Madi stared for another long moment, and then finally dropped her eyes, expelling a long, deep breath as she did so. Her great-grandmother was right. Focusing upon too much at once would only distract her, and at a time when she would need her wits about her more than ever. Whatever else Danetria had seen in her cards and ball, she was keeping it to herself as an act of protection— just another example of her wisdom.
“I understand,” Madi told her.
Chapter 24