Song of the Ascendant

7. Travellers

Fifteenth of Harbinger

The Misty Veil was no safer the second time, though Sashai at least had her own horse now. They moved slowly, with Brimur taking the lead along a path that only he seemed able to detect. For her part, Sashai followed close behind, listening nervously to the patter of footsteps and the fluttering of wings that often seemed to track them. Once or twice she spotted small lizards scattering upon their approach, but it seemed to her that bigger things lurked in the mist. Brimur didn't seem concerned by their presence, though he was certainly distracted by something. The first night, they stopped under a rocky overhang only a few feet from what seemed like a relatively recent rockfall. Brimur managed to get a fire started, which helped to push back some of the cold. Sashai waited until he had settled back against the rock before she spoke.

"Brimur, if I may ask a question?"

He turned his eyes to her and nodded, his lips stretching in what almost formed a smile. "Of course, Sashai. I haven't been much of a conversation partner today, have I?"

"It is not a problem," Sashai promised. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "What is Belkai?"

Brimur raised an eyebrow. "What is she? Or who is she?"

"I know who she is," Sashai assured him. "I have seen her as Ashelath's slave, as well as freed and Lord of Narandir. I have spoken with her and her friends, I have been amongst her people. But there is more to her than simply her actions."

Brimur's smile widened, and there was a distant look in his eye when he responded. "I always forget your wisdom for your youth, Sashai. Forgive me. You are right, Belkai is more than she appears. When she first came to the Brilhardem, she was like many of our initiates. She was bold, smart, and broken. In time we began to learn a bit more of her spirit. Arak put it best – she has the heart of an orc. She is a fierce warrior, a natural fighter. She wasn't the fastest learner or even the strongest mage, but I have never met anyone who understood the art as she does. Her relationship with magic goes deeper than anything that I have ever seen, not that she recognises it.

"She was, quite literally, a child of Elkur. Of all of us who call ourselves Children of the Wind, Belkai Androva is the only true heir of that name."

Sashai frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Her parents were from the southern tribes. They tried for many years to have a child," Brimur told her. "They could not, at least not on their own. After years of pleading to the Arcane, they turned to Elkur and he granted them a daughter. The tribes feared the coming of a divine person, something to do with an ancient prophecy. Androv brought his family to the Dominion, and Belkai was raised amongst orcs. But she was never at home.

"Sashai, Belkai is not one of us. She is human, but there is a divine element to her. Hence why she has such a connection to magic. We always wondered what her destiny was to be. I believe that it's becoming clearer with each moment. Whatever this age is that we live in, Belkai was placed here to play a decisive role in it."

"The Prophetess believes that Belkai will change the balance of power on this continent," Sashai said. "She can bring this world together in a way no one else is capable of."

"The balance of power?" Brimur's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Three Arcane are dead, Sashai. And she killed the Sons of Retribution. She has already shifted that balance. All that remains is to see where it leads."

"And where is that?"

Brimur looked out at the mist, his eyes unfocused. "Somewhere we can't imagine. That's the only certainty that I can give."