“Will I…will I see you again?” Thealos asked, feeling his emotions churn to the surface again.
Jaerod smiled, that same quirk of a smile that said so many things. “I’ll bid you farewell before I leave Avisahn. Your family has been interred, but there will be a state funeral when you return home. I will be there with you.”
The thought of it sent splinters of sadness deep inside, but he was grateful Jaerod would be there. “Thank you. I will see you in Avisahn then.”
The Mage lifted his cowl. “We must go.”
“I promised Exeres a word. I’ll join you shortly, if I may.”
“Well enough, Jaerod. Well enough.” He turned one last time to Thealos. “Sleep, my son.”
And he did.
*
Exeres turned as the door opened and Jaerod motioned for him to enter. Thealos was asleep again, but this time the pained twist of his forehead had calmed. The Mage of Safehome was gone. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
The Sleepwalker went over to the window and tugged the curtains closed to block out the fading sunset.
“What is it, Jaerod?” He was tired of games.
“I have a message for you.” He turned back, his gaze deep and meaningful. “The Everoot has been taken back to Safehome. As well it should. Men are too eager to fight over it, as you’ve seen for yourself. To use it in Forbidden ways.”
Exeres licked his lips. “I wish I had a little stub of it left to heal Thealos. Though it would require more than a stub.”
“The injuries of his that I worry more about are the ones in his mind. They will take time to heal. No amount of Everoot will cure those. It is better that he heal more slowly, to provide him with some time to think. But I will say this. The Everoot is a powerful magic. It is the strongest of the Earth magics. The fountain where it was kept in the Shadows Wood has become…acquainted with its powers over the centuries. Those waters will be potent for healing for years to come. Be sure he drinks of it, every day. As a Zerite, you’ll be amazed at how quickly it happens.”
Exeres smiled and stubbed his boot tip gently against the corner pillar of the bed.
“Don’t be shy, Exeres. I lingered here for a reason.”
“I don’t like playing games, Sleepwalker. Tell me what you intend to tell me. I’d rather not fish if nothing is going to bite.”
Jaerod gave him a sidelong look. As if considering him again.
“You’ve seen for yourself what the Sorian are, Exeres. You’ve seen what they became.”
“I’ve seen what some became.”
“But Achrolese was a Sorian too. You may respect his motives even more, but that does not change what he was. It does not change that the Druid priesthood was founded by the Sorian order.”
“What am I supposed to do, Jaerod? Renounce my vows? I’m a Zerite priest. Then where would I belong? What people could I call my own?” Anger and bitterness crept into his voice. He shoved them back, struggling to stay calm.
“There is a place that would greet you as a king because of your gift. Because of your Silvan gift. It is not truly a Druid’s eye. I see you as they would see you. Sometimes loneliness is a price we pay for being right. But that doesn’t make it any easier to bear, does it? Loneliness can be worse than a cage, Exeres.”
He looked the Sleepwalker in the eye. “Do you know about my visions, Jaerod? Do you know about the woman I’ve seen when I sleep? The one trapped in a cage of glass?”
“Does this woman have a name?”
“Altheas. Altheas Althanna.”
“A name from the past. From the distant past. She lived long ago.”
“How can I see her then? In my visions, she is aware of the present. As if…”
“Your visions can link you to the past, the present, or the future. It is a great gift, Exeres. A gift that would be honored in Safehome.”
A memory pricked him. “She told me that. She said that if I ever wanted to be completely free of the taint, I should seek Safehome.”
“Good advice. If you stay close to Thealos, as you swore you would, then you will have that opportunity. When you come to Safehome, you will begin to understand the meaning of your visions.”
“Who was she, Jaerod?”
“Altheas?”
He nodded.
“She was a Shae who lived a long time ago. There is a reason you saw her in a cage of glass. That is all I will tell you about it.”
“Why? If you know, why don’t you tell me?”
Jaerod chuckled. “It is a secret of the Druid priests. It’s not mine to give you. Seek that answer in Parath-Anatos.”
“I will. I promise you that.”
Jaerod turned and looked at Thealos, his expression thoughtful. “I know.”
*
"Well, lad. You look a trifle bit better than the last time I saw you.”
Thealos looked up from the book of Silvan poems he was reading and saw Allavin Devers grinning ear to ear in the doorframe.
“Allavin!” Ticastasy said and bolted from the chair to wrap the grizzled woodsman in a hug.