The Shadow Tide

CHAPTER 7 - Revelations

"You're too quiet today," Arian's voice brought Brethen back from a trance. They were in the secret chamber, her lying on the velvet sofa with her legs up, and he at the workbench, hair tied back, sleeves rolled up, and glasses slipping down his nose, as if nothing had changed — or was about to change.

"I'm just tired," Brethen lied. "How much longer will this take?"

That morning, Arian and Belinda went horseback riding along the riverbanks, accompanied by other young nobles. Brethen, of course, accompanied the group, both as a friend and as the Prince's Champion, but her mind was elsewhere.

When they returned to the palace, Arian said he needed to search for something, and Brethen was to meet him in the secret room in two hours. And there they were.

"It's a delicate spell," Arian replied. "It needs to be done carefully."

Before him, on the workbench, lay an old, rusty sword. To untrained eyes, there was nothing extraordinary about the sword, except for its apparent age. But Arian soon explained that it was much more than that.

"This blade belonged to one of the leaders of the ancient Shadow Tide, Jon Moster. He used this sword to fight against the guards who came to capture him, just before the definitive end of the organization," Arian paused. "Well, maybe not definitive."

"And this sword was just lying around?"

"It was in the relic room," he said, as if that were explanation enough.

"What are you going to do with it?" Brethen asked, and Arian explained that he believed he could cast a spell to access the memories of the former owner engraved on the object.

"It's similar to what I did with that stone last night," he said, "just a bit more complex."

"A bit?" Brethen doubted.

"Maybe not a bit, but if it works, it will help us understand a lot."

"And the effects?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm free for the rest of the day. Belinda will be having tea with the ladies of the court, which could go on forever."

So Arian began working on the spell, and Brethen lay on the sofa, where she had been for over two hours.

"A few more markings, and it will be ready," Arian said. With a fine brush, he drew small runes all over the surface of the sword. "Then all is left to do is reciting the spell."

"And what if it doesn't work?"

"Then we won't see anything, and we'll continue exactly as we are now. Can you get me some water?"

With a grunt, Brethen stood up and went to the water jug. She poured a glass and brought it to Arian. He took a few sips, holding the glass with one hand and working on the runes with the other, then handed it back to Brethen, still half full. She drank the rest and returned to the sofa.

As soon as she closed her eyes to rest a bit, Arian said, "It's ready. Come here."

"Why?"

"So you can see it too."

Brethen had participated in Arian's spells before, but it always left her with a strange feeling, to say the least.

"Do I really have to?" she asked.

"You might be able to see things I won't."

Reluctantly, she got up and went to him.

"Hold here," Arian placed his hand over hers and led it to the sword's hilt. "Close your eyes."