The End is Near

Chapter 37

20 July 2045 – Banff

Shio looked at the still form of Laila as she lay within the magick circle and at Kiera lying next to her. Everyone else had stepped back and he had allowed himself to be led gently away by the seers as well. He had caught Laila as she fell as the Seventh had done with Kiera.

"Let them lie within the circle," the Seventh directed and bent slowly so that he could rest Kiera gently on the carpet of grass. Shio, lacking any better ideas, had done the same.

"Will they be alright?" he choked the question out. How must it have been for Laila to handle the merging of so many minds, even with the buffering of the seers that the Seventh had arranged. The Seventh had tried to reassure him that the seers would do their best to help her bear the strain. What if it hadn't been enough?

"I hope so," the Seventh said, "we did all that we could to keep them sane."

"Sane?" Shio exclaimed.

"To bear that much of others in your mind Shio? It was a lot to ask anyone and neither of them are connected to others the way the rulers are to their own peoples. In fact, both of them spent most of their lives staying very separate." The Seventh's tone was cold.

"Why did we let them do this? And how can you stand there after all they have done and sound like you do not care?!" Shio felt his fear coalesce into anger.

The Seventh turned his head and Shio saw his eyes for the first time, eyes that blazed with an emotion that raised the hairs on Shio's nape. The anger dissipated and he was back to plain old fear as the Seventh turned back to watching the two figures.

No one else in the clearing had moved and after a few moments the Seventh roused himself enough to say, "Thank you all for everything you have done, you may feel free to leave now."

Athena, standing on the other side of the circle, dropped gracefully to the ground. "I'll just wait here if you don't mind."

Mickael materialized to sit beside her, without saying anything. King Mullac was less graceful, lowering himself gingerly and Lord Lilon was more than awkward. There was a rustling in the clearing, as each and every being chose to take a seat and wait.

Shio realized that he and the Seventh were the last left standing, even the other six seers had chosen to take a seat. Fairies chose to come closer then, to sit on the mushrooms, until the circle glowed with a healing warmth.

Only then did the Seventh choose to sit and Shio felt that it was okay for him to do the same.

He must have dozed at some point, because he came to awareness with the sun's first rays falling into the clearing and somehow the circle absorbed most of that light. Laila stirred. She lifted herself groggily to one elbow and caught sight of him. Relief had turned his muscles and bones to water.

"Why do I feel like I just got rolled over by a truck?" she asked. He got to his feet slowly, never taking his eyes off her as he went to help her up. Her cheeks had a healthy flush and she seemed tired but well. They both stepped carefully back through the circle.

The fairies had disappeared with Laila's waking and they took a seat outside the circle. Laila leaned on him, with the Seventh on her other side as they waited. Kiera was so pale and small, lying on the grass. Are we sure she will wake at all?

Then, when the sun's first rays had turned her hair to fire and the clearing was as green as the inside of a gem, her eyes opened. She lay there, staring up at the sky for a moment as no one moved.

She rose gradually, using the sceptre as support. Her lashes were lowered and it was clear she was lost in an internal world, unaware of her surroundings.