Page 17 of Fate

Olena smirks, but leaves it at that, which is the extent of our conversation for the remainder of the day’s travel. Helia is pushing us hard, eager to complete the contract.

We eventually stop as the sun dips below the horizon, the light fading fast. Breathing heavy, I watch as the others collapse as well. Looks like the conditioning, training, and travel is beginning to show progress. At this rate, we'll be back in Ionos in half the time it took us to get to Nolphi.

The quartermaster hands out dried rations; no one has the patience to wait for a hot meal. I’m quite grateful for that, flopping down on my bedroll and munching on my food. Sleep takes hold blissfully quick, thoughts of a black-haired woman chasing my descent into oblivion.

***

Gentle waves lap at my knees, the moon casting a silvery light on a black lake. Precisely as it had when Lunos visited me after my powers awakened in the forest outside Nolphi.

“You took so long to come back that I decided to bring you here.” The elegant flow of Lunos’s words spin me round. Sure enough, she stands behind me on shoreline in all her divine resplendence, water gently reaching her feet.

“It’s been an exhausting week or two. I had to come back eventually; Helia’s made it clear what kind of enemy we face.” I say, feeling more confident than I expected. Lunos taps her lips with a slender finger, silvery threads of power weaving a pattern in the wake.

“Did she now? I did not anticipate her revealing her origins. I certainly did not put that in her mandate.”

Schooling my face to stillness, I try to hide the shock. Based off of what Helia explained, I didn’t expect any active communication between them. However, I had considered Helia to be an extension of Lunos’s will. Yet, Helia had revealed herself to me without Lunos instructing it when creating her. The back of my mind itches like an bite from an insect; I need to talk with Helia about this.

Lunos takes a step onto the water, bringing focus back to the moment. With each step, ripples form, inching closer to me. In mere moments, Lunos is standing in front of me, towering and indomitable. She’s already taller when we’re standing on even ground. With water up to my knees, I have to crane my neck up just to look at her face.

“It is time for your first, and most important lesson. What is power?” The bluntness and seeming randomness of the question cause me to blink. Several times. There’s got to be a reason she’s asking this. Power…depends on the context. A soldier with a spear has power over life and death, a merchant has the power to purchase untold things; including the soldier. An Archon decides the fate of a city, gods and goddesses wield the power of the cosmos.

“I’m not sure. That’s not a simple question.” Lunos hums in response to my answer. Did I say the right thing?

“Interesting…all of my previous conduits had pretty direct answers.” What. The water is neither cold nor warm, yet the ice that grips my heart holds fast. I fumble for words.

“Previous Conduits? You mean, I’m not the first?” No shit. She just said that.

Lunos smiles, a smile that one would give to a puppy who went to fetch a stick and brought back a rock. “Oh sweet child. The cycle of true power has existed since the dawn of time, since the pantheons first came into being and the first humans walked the land. You are not the first, though you may be the last. For now, you are all that matters. So, I ask you again, what is power?” Pressure pushes at the sides of my head. This is too much to process. Closing my eyes and breathing deep, I try to center myself and answer the goddess’s question.

“Well, there is physical power, the power of life and death. That’s straight forward, but I think you’re asking for something more. You talked about true power.” Lunos nods, giving nothing away, so I trudge forward. “Power also exists in what you believe has power.”

“Such as?” Her godly eyes widen and seem to fill with light, rising in response to my words.

“Like the Speakers or even the Archon of a city. They only have power because people believe them to have power; they give them that power. If suddenly everyone stopped believing or trusting in them, that power, influence, and authority disappears. It’s one of the reasons I hated Porto; he really only had power due to his wealth, but more so, everyone in the village was afraid of his anger.” That last bit seems pulled from me. A truth I thought buried under the weight of the past months.

“Ahhh, well done Skion. You may not have gotten it exactly, but you are on the right path. Now that you are thinking this way, your practical lesson is to walk on the water. I will not return here until you can do so.” Lunos shimmers, a silver sheen coating her form. This is a twisted game.

“What?! You didn’t teach me anything!” I can’t believe this. All this time and effort, and she gives me weird riddles?

“Think about what power is. Unlock it and control it. I need you to.” With her final divine utterance, Lunos dissolves into nothingness, a final ripple billowing out from where the goddess of magic and moons once stood.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE JOURNEY LEADING up to our arrival in Ionos fell into routine. A double-quick march as ordered, thick and impossible to digest field rations eaten on the move, and exhaustion when making camp. Everyone was feeling it to the point where Andra didn’t have the energy to train, Bellius didn’t want to talk strategy or philosophy as we recently had discussed, Olena passed out the moment bedrolls hit the ground. And Helia…well, neither of us had the energy to sneak moments together.

My dreams were no better. I became accustomed to wet feet with the pleasant experience of faceplanting into the lake. I had the bright idea to try running at the water and proceeded to trip on a rock in the lakebed. What kind of magical dream lake has fucking rocks in it? And all the while, a full moon stared down at my mishaps.

When Ionos finally rears its head on the horizon days later, relief threatens to take my knees out from under me. Unfortunately, the sun sets behind the merchant city while we look down from our hillside precipice, promising one more night of camp.

Thankfully, we’re still eating rations. My hate for them burns brightly, tough and unsatisfying, but I’m grateful I don’t have to cook tonight; I’m ready to pass out. No lake of a thousand mistakes either. I want a normal night of sleep for once. Though for the moment, I dangle my legs off the edge of the cliffside and stare out into the encroaching night.

Stars poke through Nia’s darkness, small twinkles of hope, a promise of something more. An idle thought, but an interesting one. Perhaps, a promise of something more and greater than the gods and goddesses of the pantheons? Doubtful I will ever find out. A black cloud settles on my brow; I don’t even know if I’ll survive any of this.

The quiet crunch of gravel is all the notice I receive when Olena walks over and plops down next to me. She tucks her feet back, away from the edge.

“Not a fan of heights?” Everyone in the company is better than me at most things, but having lived in Athos built into the side of a mountain, heights were never something I struggled with.

She shakes her head while casting a guarded look toward the perilous edge. “Not one bit. Give me a spear or blade and something to fight, but a long drop to death? I’d rather try a pass at Andra. Would probably end up the same.” Olena leans toward me, serious expression etched into her face. “You ever tell her I said that and I will break your legs.”