Atlantis 3: Opening the Door

Chapter 1

The wind was blowing cool night air in to the court yard of the palace and Ranist stood at the window of his study above the court yard looking out to sea. His thoughts were of his wife who had been missing for fifteen years now. Their daughter now 17 had no memory of her mother but he had plenty. He could still smell the scent of her skin as he held her close, The sound of her voice when she wispered in his ear "I love you." But the memory of her face was beginning to fade & he tried to remember her soft features, the bold blue of her eyes, & her long black hair.
  "Ranist? Ranist?" Lorna said. "Oh. Huh? Yes Lorna.?" Ranist said obviously startled. "The council of magic is waiting for you in the courtyard." Lorna said. "They are? What is it they want? I've not requested their presence" Ranist said. His distaste for the council of magic was no secret. He didn't like magic. He didn't understand it. He respected the need for it and made accommodation for it's users but only grudgingly. "They are here because of Diablo's awakening." Said Lorna. "Awakening?" Ranist  asked confused. "Her magic waking up." Lorna said with a skiddish tone. "Oh yes I understand. They want to take my daughter to their training academy. Not going to happen. She has duties here to tend to. They will have to wait." Ranist said in an official tone. "That's not why they are here. They want to have a special teacher come here to teach her and honestly I think it would be a good idea to allow it." Lorna said somewhat scoldingly. "Nonsense. The less she has to do with magic the better." Ranist argued. "I know you don't want anything to do with magic and I understand why but the fact remains Diablo is also Merriam's daughter and as such she has Merriam's magic in her blood. As much as you would choose to ignore that she cannot. She has more magic

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running through her than I have ever seen in a magical child. Left unchecked, untamed, and unmanaged it could consume her. She needs to learn to control her abilities." Lorna explained. "She always has been strong like her mother. It's no doubt she would favor her magic as well." Ranist said defeatedly. "So then you'll allow the teacher time in Diablo's schedule?" Lorna asked. "I don't see what choice I have." Said Ranist. Lorna smiled sympathetically. "You have made the right choice. Merriam would be most proud to call you husband and father to her only child." Said Lorna. "I just wish she were here to make these decisions. It was supposed to be her job to raise our daughter." Ranist said. A tear began to form in his eye but he quickly shook it away. "We don't always get to do the things we planned for. Even the immortals have unfulfilled dreams, missed chanced, and unobtainable planned futures. That is why we adapt and keep moving forward." Said Lorna. "When did you become so wise?" Ranist asked. "When you spend as long as I did with out your eyes to see your mind develops a much clearer perspective of  everything. Even philosophy. Now that I have my eyes I must admit my opinions have not changed but that's only because while blind I was able to see things with out my eyes to deceive me." Lorna explained. "Maybe I should appoint you as royal advisor." Ranist said with a chuckle. "I believe Tural would get his beard in knots if you did that." Lorna said snickering. "Indeed I would." Tural said smiling as he walked into the room. Lorna's eyes lit up and she smiled when she saw Tural entering the room. Tural bowed slightly "Lady Lorna your looking quite cheerful today." Tural said. "Just happy to see your still in one piece." Lorna said. Ranist snickered at Lorna's response. "Your Majesty I know how you

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dislike dealing with the council of magic so I took the liberty of dealing with them for you and they have appointed Princess Diablo two magical arts teachers that will both reside here in the castle during her training." Tural said. "Two? They have lost their mind if they think I'm allowing two of their overly smug, lazy, magic wielder's to tie up all her time...." Ranist was saying. "They have appointed Lady Lorna and myself as her teachers." Tural interrupted. "They what?" Asked Lorna. "They decided that since Queen Merriam can not be here to teach her it is up to you and I to do so because our combined strength in magic are the only ones that come close to that which the princess already possesses." Tural explained. "And exactly who was it that determined me to be a teacher? I have turn that position down many times and do not wish to change that. I'm no teacher." Lorna said. An angered tone creeping in to her tone as she spoke. "It was either you or your mischievous sister Grena." Tural sounded annoyed. "I know that look. What has she done this time?" Lorna asked. Tural opened his wizards robe to reveal that he suddenly possessed a tail.  "Need I say more?" Tural asked dryly. "Oh. I see. Um..." Lorna was having great trouble in fighting back the laughter that begged to consume her. "You and I are teaching her and that's that." Tural said closing his wizards robe. He then bowed slightly to both Lorna and Ranist before turning and storming out of the room. Once he had left the room and was out of sight Ranist and Lorna bursted out laughing. "I wonder how long that will last?" Ranist asked. "If memory serves it is a day and a night in total." Lorna said.

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"When night becomes day and the world is in shadow find your sight to look beh." "Diablo stop reading that out loud before you send us all in to a time loop." Grena said urgently as she entered Diablo's bed chamber. Diablo looked up from the book she had found with her mother's name in it. She looked up at Grena with a startled look on her face. "In to a what?" She asked. "A time loop. Where did you get Merriums Crystillian magic book? Don't you know that reading those spells or any spell for that matter is dangerous and could very easily cast it. Especially from someone as powerful as you are." Grena said scoldingly. "No, I didn't know it was a magic book. I just thought it was a story book or from some of the pages a book of riddles my mother had written. I had hoped to find an entry that might give knowledge on how to find her. I'm sorry Aunt Grena I mention no harm." Diablo said with tears building in her eyes as she spoke. "I forget that you have not been taught the ways of magic.  It's in your hands what you can do when it comes to magic but you must never take what you can create for granted and never work magic outside of what you can control. The moment you do will be the worst moment of your life. People can loose their sight others can lose their lives from a single mistake." Grena had a look in her eyes that said the words she spoke were proven truth by her own hand. The pain of the memory echoed through her and she cleared her throat to fight back the sadness that threatened to take her over completely. "I promise to be more careful with what I read from now on." Diablo said trying to ease the emotion surging through Grena. "That will do for a start I suppose. Just promise me one thing more and I will be satisfied." Grena replied. "Name it and I will Aunt Grena." Diablo said. "Never let your abilities decide your path. Choose a path that make you and you alone feel that your on the right path because you walking your path you walk it alone. No one else can walk it for you. Never let the magic change you to suit it's purpose make it bend to yours." Said Grena. "I thought magic was an engagement of the wielder's intention brought to being by desire then released to flow as directed in its own will?" Diablo said unsure if her understanding was tangled or true. "In some cases that is correct but not in all things. Do you know the type of magic the process you just discribbed to me relates to?" Grena asked. "I thought it was that way with all magic. I didn't know there were different kinds."

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Diablo replied. "There are many different kinds. There are so many wonderful things that can come from magic but there are dangers and evil things that can be done with it as well. I fully recommend you stick with the wonderful stuff. The bad stuff has irreversible consequences that those around you who you care for most will pay the price for. Not to mention what it does to you as well." Grena explained. "Did you do something bad a long time ago that hurt Aunt Lorna?" Diablo asked cautiously. Grena got a really sad and far away look in her eyes. Diablo could feel the pain in Grena's heart just by the look in her eyes. Grena was fixing to say something when the door opened and Lorna stepped inside. "She did nothing that was unforgivable and the past is the past princess. Best we leave it there." Lorna said in her nurturing voice. A soft smile on her face as she looked a Grena who seemed on the edge of years. "Grena, why don't you go and find Jerl. See how the construction of the wedding ceremony events area is coming and if you can add any of a woman's touch to it while I have a very important conversation with Diablo." Lorna requested somewhat commandingly. "Fine but I just want to say I still feel I was the better choice." Grena said coldly before exiting the room.

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            (End of chapter 1)