A Court of Three Stars

9: Agent Light

The Mind Bridge

Leur

I stood at the top of a temple of planets and stars, staring up at a sky of endless space. Swirling multicolored refractions of light, a light fog of cosmic dust, galaxies forming and reforming. It looked almost like Starfall, all the different lights in the sky, a solid ground beneath me of pure starlight. Like the two sides of the Ingysi had mixed and become solid somehow, and were now carved into this massive temple. High pillars and stairs so high I could barely see the bottom, skylights in the roof that allowed me to see what lay beyond.

I felt it when she answered my call, when a vision of pure flame appeared behind me. I felt her take stock of me, trying to determine who and what I was, what I could possibly want with her.

She hadn't been expecting me.

She had been expecting someone else.

But she must have noticed the resemblance in our forms, connected it with what she had seen a day ago, because I felt her fear whispered through the shadows at the same moment.

"Don't leave." I said, spinning around.

She froze on the spot, like a deer come face to face with a hunter.

Like a hind.

Flames stared out at me, wide golden eyes hidden behind them.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I raised my hands in defense, "I swear it."

Still, she didn't move. She didn't speak, didn't blink, just stayed completely still.

"I just want to speak to you, Lidia." I took a slow, careful step in her direction, "I know who you are. I know what you are."

I thought back to all those years ago, when I was stuck in Hybern's court. If I had come face to face with someone like who I am now then, I wouldn't have trusted me either.

I would have wanted to run too.

But Lidia just looked me up and down once, and then asked, "Is he alive?"

I knew who she was asking for, and I knew why it was the first thing she asked too.

"Yes. His injuries were..." I tried to block the image out of my head, "Very severe. But we healed him. He's still unconscious while the more minor things heal."

I watched some sort of tension uncoil itself inside of her, a deflation of her shoulders, "The others?"

"Hunt is already awake." I answered, "Baxian will be up soon too."

"Good." Her voice was laced with sadness, with pain, "I tried to-"

"I know." I cut her off.

I knew what she wanted to do, what went through her head every second, the feeling of utter helplessness as she watched it. I knew all of that far too well.

And I knew that if she could have done something more, she would have.

And all she said, so quietly that I almost didn't hear it, was, "How?"

I smiled, the light from the star in my chest sparking up a bit, "I can see you, Lidia."

She let out what I thought might have been a choked sob, or maybe a gasp. I didn't know. I only reached a hand out towards her.

In solidarity. In peace.

She stared at that form of deepest night and violet stars for what felt like an eternity, seconds ticking by where she waited to see if it was a trap, waited to see if I would change my mind.