Lyren had finally found the Drakani to tell them about his discovery.
She had shown them the sword, dusting the blade with burnt dust. She had read the strange phrase that appeared.
In the balance of the fall
the whirlwind leads to freedom
Ocyx Rebelle
Their reaction ranged from surprise to dismay, but also left no doubt. His mother had been involved, and his Guild had understood what it was all about. But it was out of the question, out of the question to talk about it at the bar.
The group set off for a more discreet location. Krill, who was with them at the time, had followed. There was no doubt that she was a trustworthy hominin, as she had a reputation for not just rambling on about what she heard in one of her many daily mugs.
Ocyx Rebelle. So this was Eeri's no-longer-secret code name, the one she used for her actions within the, they, very discreet Trytonists, Elias's researchers. Indeed, not the kind of conversation to be had at Ba'. Lyren knew, without knowing. Eeri hadn't exactly hidden his convictions from him, so there wasn't much doubt. It took a while for the troop to understand the meaning of the message, if there was one. One solution eventually made more sense: a simple indication on a map, drawing a line from one outpost to the other, the whirlpool and the freedom outposts, leading to a small cove at Dew Falls. It could work.
The group set off, not really knowing what they would find. A secret meeting place for Elias's Seekers? Eeri herself, in the throes of dementia or dead drunk? The beach was deserted, and few homins were likely to pass by. If it was to be a secret meeting, the place was well chosen, with very few visitors. Kyriann was the first to notice that the sawdust had been stirred up in one place. She unearthed a small chest, next to a second sword. Inside the box was an envelope containing an empty parchment.
A second sword, and Lyren was out of burnt dust. These elements would have to be analyzed before he could continue his search. Eolinius proposed to study the parchment, convinced he would find a hidden watermark, no doubt written in sparan ink. The need for rest was also felt.
Lyren took the sword home to Thesos and soon discovered a new message, similar to the first. She copied the words and sent them via Izam to the Drakanis' hall. She was sure that Eolinius would be quick to decipher the parchment, and that something would come of it. She was sure they'd already tracked her down.
Lyren finally headed for the bed, stretched out and closed his eyes, but it was impossible to fall asleep. Was the apartment too quiet now that Uzykos was spending more time with his father? She stood there for a moment, then finally decided to get some fresh air, mechanically taking the sword in hand. It was quiet, a beautiful spring night, the air still a little too fresh. Lyren strolled towards the Thesos market, greeted a few guards, then headed for the bar. In the end, she stayed there all night, contemplating the sleeping city where she could have grown up if her mother hadn't been involved in so many dark stories. Everything would have been different, simpler. Her life would have been different. No, though, she thought, not everything, some things don't change. The calm of Thesos would have been the same, like the sound of the wind in the leaves of the small trees on the bar terrace. She and her mother's fate would not have shaken the smallest canopy bark, nor changed the direction of the wind.
And then, things were like that. There was nothing she could regret, nothing she could do over. Lyren had undoubtedly made the right choices so far. But, deep down, she hoped that someone would find her, that someone would understand, that someone would know where her crazy, unbearable mother had gone. Hope.
Hope was.
Perhaps there was already no hope.
She had shown them the sword, dusting the blade with burnt dust. She had read the strange phrase that appeared.
In the balance of the fall
the whirlwind leads to freedom
Ocyx Rebelle
Their reaction ranged from surprise to dismay, but also left no doubt. His mother had been involved, and his Guild had understood what it was all about. But it was out of the question, out of the question to talk about it at the bar.
The group set off for a more discreet location. Krill, who was with them at the time, had followed. There was no doubt that she was a trustworthy hominin, as she had a reputation for not just rambling on about what she heard in one of her many daily mugs.
Ocyx Rebelle. So this was Eeri's no-longer-secret code name, the one she used for her actions within the, they, very discreet Trytonists, Elias's researchers. Indeed, not the kind of conversation to be had at Ba'. Lyren knew, without knowing. Eeri hadn't exactly hidden his convictions from him, so there wasn't much doubt. It took a while for the troop to understand the meaning of the message, if there was one. One solution eventually made more sense: a simple indication on a map, drawing a line from one outpost to the other, the whirlpool and the freedom outposts, leading to a small cove at Dew Falls. It could work.
The group set off, not really knowing what they would find. A secret meeting place for Elias's Seekers? Eeri herself, in the throes of dementia or dead drunk? The beach was deserted, and few homins were likely to pass by. If it was to be a secret meeting, the place was well chosen, with very few visitors. Kyriann was the first to notice that the sawdust had been stirred up in one place. She unearthed a small chest, next to a second sword. Inside the box was an envelope containing an empty parchment.
A second sword, and Lyren was out of burnt dust. These elements would have to be analyzed before he could continue his search. Eolinius proposed to study the parchment, convinced he would find a hidden watermark, no doubt written in sparan ink. The need for rest was also felt.
Lyren took the sword home to Thesos and soon discovered a new message, similar to the first. She copied the words and sent them via Izam to the Drakanis' hall. She was sure that Eolinius would be quick to decipher the parchment, and that something would come of it. She was sure they'd already tracked her down.
Lyren finally headed for the bed, stretched out and closed his eyes, but it was impossible to fall asleep. Was the apartment too quiet now that Uzykos was spending more time with his father? She stood there for a moment, then finally decided to get some fresh air, mechanically taking the sword in hand. It was quiet, a beautiful spring night, the air still a little too fresh. Lyren strolled towards the Thesos market, greeted a few guards, then headed for the bar. In the end, she stayed there all night, contemplating the sleeping city where she could have grown up if her mother hadn't been involved in so many dark stories. Everything would have been different, simpler. Her life would have been different. No, though, she thought, not everything, some things don't change. The calm of Thesos would have been the same, like the sound of the wind in the leaves of the small trees on the bar terrace. She and her mother's fate would not have shaken the smallest canopy bark, nor changed the direction of the wind.
And then, things were like that. There was nothing she could regret, nothing she could do over. Lyren had undoubtedly made the right choices so far. But, deep down, she hoped that someone would find her, that someone would understand, that someone would know where her crazy, unbearable mother had gone. Hope.
Hope was.
Death, life, resurrection Where hope was Ocyx Rebel.
Perhaps there was already no hope.