The Lost Voices (OLD VERSION - New Version to Come)

CHAPTER 13... BROTHER (PART 2)

FILE 15,312,960 (-1,036,800): Puzzles 

8-21-1620 A.R. 

Location: The Silent Mountains, Terrarin  

From that point on, his memories only stirred between his brief moments of consciousness. He was in the back of a carriage with clean blankets and bandages wrapped across his entire torso. The one who saved him was now acting as the coachman, but Ithrayel didn't even have the strength to speak and soon faded again. Some bumps would stir him awake, but only for seconds at a time.

He saw the sun at noon, then at noon again, and then he saw it rise.

Several days went by before Ithrayel could even realize they had. 

When the carriage finally stopped, the telltale fountain and noises of bustling children were enough to let Ithrayel know he was at Raam's School. Soon he was picked up, carted down a long hall, and placed in their infirmary wing. Now he could recall Raam speaking to the one who'd saved him. Greetings must have already happened since Ithrayel felt like he was coming into a conversation that had already commenced.

"Where did you find him?" Raam's voice was calm, but uneven.

"Along the east coast, on this side of The Britonia Wall." The voice was of a middle-aged man, but Ithrayel couldn't place where he'd heard it.

"How did you find him?"

"Ithrayel didn't wanna be found, not until he was moments from death."

"Hold on, what? Are you saying you found him because he wanted you to find him?"

"Somethin' like that."

"You talk about it like magic." Raam was clearly perplexed.

"Yeah, I do."

"Magic isn't like that. It doesn't have something resembling a will or a want."

The other man's voice spoke candidly, but not insultingly. "Raam...you have been in The Valley of The Nameless. You have seen storms of magic. People driven mad by it. Does magic seem like somethin' that doesn't have anything resemblin' a will?" Raam was silent for a long moment. "Further, have I ever lied to you?"

"No, but..." Raam sighed. "...magic aside, how did you find him? Are you suggesting that you can understand this 'will' or whatever it is?"

"What I'm saying, Raam, is that magic is far stranger and more mysterious than most want to believe...or can even fathom. It is not always scientific or reasonable, nor is it always chaotic. What is important, for this conversation and for you to accept what may come next, is that magic will continue to surprise you. Even chaos can have reason, if given a channel. And even technology can be deconstructive if left unchecked. Magic is not solely bound to blood." The other man tried to soften the tension. "Not even blood that goes as far back as yours. The world understands magic far better than you do...probably even better than I do."

Raam took a deep breath. "Well, however you did it, thank you for finding him and bringing him here. If not for you...he'd be dead. It's still hard to believe you managed to resuscitate him on your own." His head hung low for a moment. "I'm more grateful than you know." The other man waved off Raam's gesture.

"It's truly the least I can do for him. I'd take his place if I could." There was a pause. "All that aside, will your machine-smith–Malik, I believe–be able to fashion him with a mechanical prosthetic?"

"Before King Vulx came to power, Malik was the Frayan king's Royal-Machinist. He can certainly handle an arm."

"Then challenge him." The other man reached into his overcoat and extracted a green crystal. It was the same mystical emerald that currently powered Ithrayel's magic. "See if he can't find a way to interweave this Crystallization within an OldSteel frame. The rest of the arm can be made of ColdIron, like most machine-weapons."