Convergence
Hours passed while we were on the road. The sun climbed and fell behind clouds, and our bodies dragged with exhaustion. We still had not eaten anything, our stomachs hollow and aching, although we managed to drink water from a stream earlier. The cold water helped only for a moment. Hunger still gnawed at us.
By the time we finally arrived at my home, my heart was pounding with relief and dread all at once. We hurried down from the horses and moved toward my little shack, dust lifting around our feet.
But as I walked closer to the door, something felt wrong. The silence was unnatural, almost suffocating. You could hear a pin drop. The air itself felt too still, as if it was holding its breath.
I pushed the door open and called for my parents.
"Mum? Dad!"
Nothing. Not even the sound of movement.
Fear gripped me so suddenly it felt like a fist around my lungs. My eyes swept across the room and that was when I saw it clearly. Signs of a struggle. Things thrown to the floor. Chairs turned over. My home was never a scattered place, my mother always made sure of that. But right now it looked torn apart.
It clicked immediately.
"They have been kidnapped," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Oh God."
My breath stuttered. Then everything collapsed inside me. I started hyperventilating. Panic rushed through my veins, hot and chaotic. My thoughts scattered. My chest tightened. I was disorganized, confused, shattered. I could not think. All I knew, all I felt, was the terrifying truth that my parents were gone.
I looked at Doya. He was my only source of hope at that moment, the only steady thing around me, and I whispered through trembling lips,
"My parents are gone."
Tears slid down my cheeks before I even felt them leaving my eyes. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground, trying and failing to collect myself. The tears kept coming, sharp and uncontrollable, guilt flooding me so fiercely I felt sick. I blamed myself. I blamed everything.
Doya immediately knelt beside me and reached out to hold me, grounding me with his warmth.
"We will find them," he said, his voice firm and steady.
Giselle stood awkwardly at the doorway. She did not move, her guilt thick enough to touch. She could not even look at me. Part of her had been involved in all this and she knew it. She hugged her arms around herself and simply stared at the ground.
After some moments in that breakdown, I forced myself to breathe. Slow, unsteady breaths. I needed to gather myself. My parents needed me. I wiped my tears, even though more threatened to fall, and slowly stood up with Doya supporting me.
"We are going back there," I said, my voice firm, leaving no space for disagreement. "But we need help. We cannot go there alone. We will be outnumbered."
"Who do we get help from?" Giselle asked.
I shot her a sharp glare without thinking. But then I looked away, because the truth was simple. I still needed her. She was a good fighter and right now, that mattered more than my anger.
"We will be going to the coven to request help from the sages. I will speak to Sage Maera."
We moved immediately. Outside my shack the horses were waiting. We mounted and rode off in a hurry. Every second felt like a second wasted.
When we arrived at the coven, one of the sages spotted me and her eyes widened.
"Dana," she gasped, looking at me like she was seeing a ghost. "Where have you been? You went missing a few days ago. Your parents were worri—"
"I need to speak with Sage Maera," I said, my voice urgent.
She hesitated, but the look on my face must have told her everything.
"Alright. Follow me."
We followed behind her, my steps fast, Giselle and Doya trailing right behind me. She led us into one of the chambers where Sage Maera stood with her back turned before she slowly turned to face us.
"Grand Matron," I said, my voice trembling with urgency, "I need your help. My parents have been kidnapped by the forsaken and I need the help of the sages. I cannot fight them on my own."
Sage Maera reached out gently, taking my hands in hers. Her eyes softened.
"You have finally begun to accept who you really are. I am glad." She looked at me almost with reverence. "I will send ten of my strongest sages with you." She paused, studying my face. "You have to save the labyrinth, Koliasis."
My whole body froze.
How did she know?
Has she always known?
Is that why they all saw potential in me even when I could not channel a single spark?
"But before I send the sages with you," she continued, "you need to have a word with Grand Master Valkin. He has been waiting for this moment."
Grand Master Valkin. The leader of the Orialis coven. The one who always encouraged me, always told me he saw greatness in me even when I felt useless. He always made me feel welcomed.
I was taken to his chamber while Doya and Giselle remained outside with Sage Maera.
"Welcome, Dana," he said, his voice filled with deep authority.
"I always knew this day would come. And I am grateful that I lived long enough to witness it. To witness the great guardian, Koliasis." He paused, his old eyes shining. "You have to save the labyrinth again." This time worry filled his eyes. "You have to wake up, Koliasis, before it is too late."
My breath caught in my throat.
Doya had been saying those words. Wake up before it is too late.
It all tied together, suddenly and painfully.
"I believe the scroll showed you what happened centuries ago," Grand Master Valkin continued. "My grandfather wrote that scroll and my father entrusted it to me. I was to give it to the next guardian and I am glad I fulfilled my purpose."
I nodded slowly, even though guilt stabbed through me. I had lost that damned scroll.
I did not tell him that part.
"The sages will follow you to save your parents," he said softly. "But keep one thing in mind. A guardian always ends up alone..."
He closed his eyes gently. Exhaled.
And did not inhale again.
"Grand Master Valkin?" I stepped closer. "Grand Master Valkin!"
My voice cracked.
I ran to the door. "Help! Something is wrong with Grand Master Valkin!"
Sages rushed in. They checked his pulse with calm, practiced hands, but none of them looked surprised. Sage Maera simply placed her hand on my shoulder and said softly,
"He has lived a long life, and a fulfilling one. He has gone to rest."
Her voice wavered with sadness.
I felt something twist painfully inside me. I know he had lived a really long life. But why… why did he have to leave right after speaking to me?
Did I cause this?
The guilt tried to swallow me again, but I shook my head. This was not the time. My parents needed me more than my self hatred did.
Just almost before we left, we got something to quickly munch on, considering how famished we were.
We gathered the ten sages Sage Maera promised. The strongest of them, trained for wars like this, their faces stern and focused, while carry different weapons of war like swords, spears, bow and arrows. They mounted their horses. Doya mounted his. Giselle, too.
I climbed onto mine and looked ahead toward the road to Dambrishe.
A whole day's journey.
But we were ready.
I had Doya by my side.
I had Giselle, even if suspicion lingered between us. She was still one of the best fighters I knew.
And I had ten powerful sages prepared for battle.
We were going to rain hell on them.