“Rielle.”
She turned back to find Valhan beckoning. Hurrying forward, she looked past him to see the glistening rim of a new well cooling to black. A stairway led down into the depths. Peering over the edge, she saw a perfectly round wall, and water glinting far below.
He held out a hand. Taking it, she glanced back to see the Limn staring at them, faces betraying no expression but minds full of wonder.
All faded to white.
The memory of the dune flying over their heads repeated in Rielle’s mind. It had taken very little magic to do it, and to reshape the well, but the changes would make a great difference to the Limn. What could be done with more magic? What could she do with magic?
Her heart, whenever they were within a world, raced with excitement.
Soon the crystalline buildings of Cepher appeared again. To her relief, Valhan did not bring them into the world completely. He skimmed towards the structure Dahli had been headed toward when they’d left. As they plunged through the walls a confusing shimmer of refracted light dazzled her.
When they emerged, a room of faceted walls surrounded them. A ring of people stood within. They dropped to their knees then pressed their foreheads to the crystalline floor.
Ignoring them, Valhan turned to her. He drew something out of his coat. For a moment she thought he had somehow conjured up one of the desert creatures of her world from her memories, but as he held it out to her she saw that it was made of metal, once smoothly polished but now scuffed and scratched.
A leg moved. Antennae twitched. He dropped it into her outstretched hands. For a brief moment wing covers sprang open and iridescent wings flashed, only to snap back out of sight when it landed in her palms.
“Keep this safe for me until I can return it to its owner,” Valhan said. “Study it. You may be able to train it to perform simple tasks.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“The future.”
He smiled, stepped back and vanished.
CHAPTER 22
Several days later, he still hadn’t returned.
Setting chalk and paper aside, Rielle sighed and rubbed her temples. She had been constantly restless since arriving in Cepher, unable to focus on anything for long. Despite having all the materials she could ever require at her disposal, not even drawing or painting could hold her attention. She could not find the state of mind that made making art so fulfilling.
Too much had happened. Too much to think about. She hadn’t seen Dahli since she’d arrived either, and while it wasn’t unusual for the ruler of worlds to be gone for so long, she couldn’t remember a day when she hadn’t spoken to her teacher since she’d left the Travellers.
She wasn’t alone, though. She was surrounded by people. Like in any other palace, there were servants employed in fulfilling the needs of the occupants. Unlike in any palace she’d heard of, almost all of the occupants were artisans.
They’d lived here long before Valhan decided to make their home his own. Most were excited and pleased that Cepher had attracted the favour of the ruler of worlds. A few had feared that it would bring changes they would not like, though the Raen had assured them he did not wish to do anything more than occupy the topmost level of the structure.
As far as Rielle could tell, the only other sorcerers in Cepher were of the more common, mortal kind, and they were treated no differently to the artisans with no magical ability. Since Valhan’s original intention had been for her to become an artisan in his world, and he had brought her to a place full of them, it seemed obvious that he didn’t intend her to sit about doing whatever non-artisan sorcerers did in their spare time. He expected her to create, and to mingle with other creators.
The trouble was, she feared the artisans’ judgement of her. Memories of being mocked and rejected by the artists in Schpeta crowded her mind when she contemplated exploring the building. She had wondered if she might be better off approaching the tapestry weavers first, since in her experience weavers were more welcoming and were used to working in a group. Yet what would they make of her, a sorcerer and the Raen’s… what?
She did not know how to describe her relationship with him. Not friend, as they weren’t that close. Not follower, as she’d not made any conscious decision to serve him. Not ally, as they’d made no deal. Not student either, as he wasn’t the one training her. All they knew was that she had an association with the most powerful sorcerer in all the worlds. They might fear her based on that alone.
She didn’t want to scare or intimidate anyone. She wanted them to feel she was their equal.