I did a little bit of reading while I waited, but I was pretty distracted wondering what in the name of the goddess he was up to.
Two hours later, Jin returned, pulling a glowing green gemstone out of a pocket of my borrowed coat. His face was covered in sweat and he was clearly out of breath, but lips were curled into a crooked grin.
I stared blankly at him. “Is that...?”
“You’re going to want to see this. After I leave, put the crystal in your right palm and say ‘view.’” He took a deep breath, wiping off his forehead with his free hand. “You’ll be incapacitated for several minutes while you view the memory, so do it somewhere safe.”
I nodded. “How did you—”
Jin shook his head. “I didn’t. You got this on your own. There’s an after-hours return slot on the right side of the Divinatory. Drop it there late tonight. Don’t be seen.”
...did Jin just break into the Divinatory in a ridiculous disguise and steal that gem for me?
This may be the single most amazing thing that has ever happened.
I smiled brightly, accepting the gem as he handed it to me. “Thanks, I owe you... two now? Let me know if there’s something I can do to repay you.”
He gave me a short nod. “I will. I’m leaving now.”
“...can I have my coat back?”
He raised a hand, tipped my borrowed hat downward, and focused his eyes on mine. “I suppose, if you insist.”
I laughed as he slipped off the coat and hat, setting them down on the bed. He leaned the cane up against the wall.
I put the memory crystal down on my bed and opened the door for him to leave.
He paused, turning his head toward me as he began to walk out. “Corin?”
“Yeah?”
“You should distance yourself from this whole affair as quickly as possible.”
I frowned. “I’ll consider it after I take a look.”
“Good.” He left with no further discussion, and I closed the door.
Hrm. If I’m going to be out of it for several minutes, I should make myself comfortable.
I sat down on my bed, leaning back against the wall.
Maybe I should grab Sera to watch me while I do this? But then I’d have to explain a lot of things to her... I’m not sure that’s a good idea yet.
I’ll just do this now and talk to Sera later, if I think it’s appropriate.
I put the gem into my right palm, propped a pillow behind my neck for support, and moved into a comfortable position.
“View.”
My vision faded, replaced with the view of unfamiliar eyes.
***
My surroundings shifted, and with them, my perspective. For one dysphoric instant, my mind refused to process the abrupt changes. Height. Clarity. My gaze shifting without my control. I adjusted, though the discomfort didn’t subside.
My new surroundings were unfamiliar, though I recognized elements within it. I was seated on one bench of many in a circular chamber with fine décor on the walls. The most notable from my position were a Valian flag — a white serpent over a crimson hexagon — and tapestries depicting two of the visages, Tenjin and Kerivas.
I tried to turn my head to inspect the rest of the room, but I couldn’t.
In fact, I couldn’t move at all.
Should have expected that, I chastised myself. I’m seeing a vision, not living in it.
Fortunately, whoever had copied their memories into this crystal turned their head of their own accord a few moments later, giving me a better look at the chamber as a whole.
Well, at least I’m not completely stationary. I suppose I’ll move whenever this guy did.
The place reminded me of a theater or an opera house in structure. I didn’t see any private boxes, however. The benches were positioned to overlook a stage-like area about fifteen feet below, but instead of stage props, all I could see below were chairs and a speaker’s lectern.
Is this some sort of lecture hall?
That didn’t seem quite right. I’d never seen a lecture hall with this kind of circular structure. A judicial hall of some kind, maybe?
The seats were nearly all empty, but I saw a handful of people gathered in a cluster to my right. They were far enough away that I couldn’t make out all their words, but one of them turned and addressed me directly.
“He’s coming. Watch this closely. We may need to inspect the details later.” The speaker was an older man with a gray beard and a scar under his left eye.
I stood up. “Yes, Sir.”
The voice that emitted from where I was standing was strong and deep, most likely an adult male. “Should I...?”
My hand reached down, indicating a saber that was sheathed on my hip.
The older man smiled. “We’ll take care of that side of things if it comes to it. You just focus on staying safe.”
I nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
The older man turned back to the collection of figures around him as they began to disperse. As the crowd separated, I finally noticed someone I recognized. A woman in her forties in an immaculate dueling tunic, her hair raised into a bun, a sheathed saber at her side.
My mother... dressed for a fight.
She moved to a position on the exact opposite side from where I was standing. My heart lurched in my chest as I processed the fact that I was seeing her for the first time in five years and it wasn’t even through my own eyes.
Her jaw was set, her expression was grim. Something was bothering her, but she didn’t say anything aloud.
Where the resh was this? What was I seeing?
There was a rapping sound from below. Someone was knocking on a door to the lower stage area. I stepped forward and glanced down, seeing a door open on the lower level. Two men in the coppery armor of the Soaring Wings guard stepped in first.
Keras Selyran followed them into the room. The guards shut the door behind him.
Keras was wearing his mask, but not his long coat or belt. His sword was absent. He was wearing a fairly standard tunic — no knives in the back like the one he’d been wearing in the tower. As far as I could tell, he was unarmed.
My vision swam for a moment as shimmering auras flashed into being around the people in the chamber.
What the—
Oh!