RELIC

21

The next morning, the entire group ate breakfast together in the dining hall. Having been dismissed by any seer they approached for information, and denied access to the small Sanctum library, they settled on doing some light sparring in the dirt outside the Sanctum grounds where they could stretch their magic and their muscles.

Having been there almost an entire day without any word from Selene, Luka grew restless as they gathered around the fountain in the courtyard after lunch. "We're basically the only visitors here right now. What could she possibly be doing that's more important than this?"

Aria watched him pace, the muscles in his jaw flexing over and over. "Don't get yourself worked up," she warned. "Selene may be the only chance we have. And when she's ready for us, we'll let her know how grateful we are for her time. It'll serve us better to stay on her good side. Right?"

Luka just crossed his arms in response.

"Are we all going to meet with her?" Kam signed, his face hopeful, "I might die if I get to meet her. I always thought this place was a myth until we got here."

Aria laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you, Kam, but I think it should just be me and Luka that visit with her. I don't want her to feel cornered. And I can assure you she's more intimidating than exciting."

"Then what of the rest of us? Are we just to sit here and twiddle our thumbs?" Evelyn mused, her head lolling back in the sunlight.

Aria thought about it for a minute. "Well… You could do what you do best, I suppose." Evelyn's eyebrow arched skeptically. "You and Taren can sneak around the grounds, maybe try to get into the library. Even just eavesdropping might prove helpful."

Taren and Evelyn shared a look. Taren seemed much more excited by the prospect than Evelyn did, but that wasn't surprising.

She continued, "Kam, Leah, Finn—you three should try charming your way into the hearts of some of the lesser seers, especially the newer ones. I've noticed they tend to stick to themselves. They might be more willing to open up if you flatter them a bit. Split up if you have to. We don't need anyone feeling threatened."

"Yeah, Finn, you can finally put that boyish charm of yours to good use," Kam signed at the grumpy-faced panther who was very much unenthused about the prospect of making small talk with strangers. He just grunted in response.

"Let me know if you need some tips," Taren winked at Finn. Aria couldn't contain her chuckle at Taren's brazenness. "What?" They asked seriously. Aria just shook her head. Finally, she looked at Luka, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. "Well, Captain Fulgara? How does that plan sound?"

He stuck his chin out. "I like it."

"That's it?" she asked in disbelief, her eyes narrowing. "No snide remarks? No suggestions? I'm not sure I believe it. "

"If my squad has no qualms with your plan, then neither do I," he resolved.

"I just have one problem," Evelyn said, garnering a few concerned looks in her direction. "How are we supposed to sneak around when we look like this?"

***

The group parted ways once they realized they probably needed to prepare for their separate missions, lest Selene decide sometime soon she was ready to entertain an audience.

For Evelyn and Taren, the first stop was figuring out how to blend in, which they certainly wouldn't do in their non-white clothing. Aria had given them instructions on where to find the laundry room, which was their first stop, hoping to find a few forgotten seer gowns laying around.

They walked through the dining hall confidently, only a few seers remaining after lunch. Evelyn knew that mornings around the Sanctum were usually quiet due to the seers participating in individual prayer and devotionals. Afternoons were often spent meeting with those from Denover or Allar who had traveled and reserved time with specific seers who trained in areas of expertise like health, fortune, love—if people desired to know it, seers could specialize in it. Those without meetings were on their own to study, socialize, or, for the lesser seers, contribute to the well-being of the Sanctum grounds—a polite way of saying "do chores." And that's exactly what two seers were doing when Taren and Evelyn walked into the washroom.

They hadn't exactly discussed the plan about what would happen if they encountered anyone in there, but Evelyn took charge .

"Excuse me," she said in her softest, kindest voice, stunning Taren who gawked at her. "I'm sorry to bother you. But we're here visiting on behalf of both Allar and Denover…"

The two seers—an androgynous short-haired, stocky fae and a lithe, long-haired shifter—looked at her curiously as she continued. "We just met with Ryenn, I'm not sure if you know her?" Evelyn took a huge gamble dropping a name she remembered from her last visit. "She asked us to fetch you both. She said she had a vision that required assistance?"

Evelyn prayed to Mallium, for the first time in a long time, that these two lesser seers were as desperate for responsibility as she hoped they were. The two acolytes looked between Taren and Evelyn and then at each other, unsure of whether to trust the strangers that stood before them. She could see the hesitancy lacing their thoughts, so she flashed her best placating smile.

"Thank you for fetching us," said the fae in a light voice, and they both left Taren and Evelyn alone in a room full of white seer garb.

"Nice," Taren grinned at Evelyn in appreciation.

"I'm honestly amazed that worked," she blew out a sharp breath. They each waded through some of the tunics hanging on the lines until they came upon one that would fit each of them. Taren quickly shoved the clothing in the pack they'd brought, and they left the room through the dining hall with no one the wiser.

They found the courtyard empty. Which meant Selene had called for Aria and Luka while they were gone. Perfect timing.

"Let's do this thing," Taren said with a grin, and tossed Evelyn her gown.

** *

Only a few moments after the group split up, a mid-level seer approached Luka and Aria to join Selene in her study. It was such apt timing that Aria almost worried their plan had shown up in one of the seers' visions. As they were escorted through the Sanctum halls, Aria said a small prayer that their group's intentions were not obvious, and that the acolytes had more important things to seer about. Because if they were caught… She didn't want to know what Selene would do.

"Right this way," the seer, a pale, red-headed former shifter, showed them through the open door. They stepped into a massive room covered top to bottom in what appeared to be journals. Every shelved book looked identical in format—each one bound in light brown leather and the thickness of a large tome. The walls full of the dark color were almost a shock after the blanched surroundings of the last day. Aria spotted a few of the volumes left open on a table near the door, filled with scrawling, frantic writing and symbols, the pages torn and aged.

She didn't have time to speculate before Selene greeted them, her silver eyes remarkably pleasant. "My, what a surprise to find you both before me. I must admit I was pleased when one of my seers saw your travels in her vision."

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Selene," Aria gave a slight bow, Luka quickly following suit. "We're very grateful for your time."

"I know what you are here hoping to learn, and I am sorry to tell you that you've come all this way for nothing, though I hope your friends are enjoying their time here at the Sanctum," Selene said wistfully.

Aria prayed that the mention of the squad didn't mean she was onto them. She wasn't exactly sure how it worked, only that it required a deep meditation session and that the visions weren't exact—they were usually up to interpretation by the seer. And the more powerful and experienced the seer, the more accurate the predictions usually were. She could only imagine how strong Selene's prophecies had become over centuries.

"Be honest with us, then, please," Luka said candidly. "Have you at least tried to learn more about what we're going to face? We're at a loss, and our leaders are set to meet here in two days' time. We need something ."

Aria could tell he was grappling with the severity of his emotions, which were growing into desperation. "Do you know anything about what this force might be?" Aria added. "You haven't learned anything about what's coming?"

Selene exhaled deeply and stood. She took her time crossing in front of her desk and finally leaned against it with her arms crossed. It was far more casual than the last time they had met with the head seer.

"You want me to be honest? Then I will be honest," she began. "My lack of knowledge is not for lack of trying. Mallium is leaving me in the dark. For the first time in centuries, he will not answer my calls for help. I am just as frustrated by his vague threats as you are, and any attempt I make to learn more is met with a dead end.

"When he first bestowed the decree upon me on the day of the solstice, he gave me strict instructions that I was to remain neutral, as all seers are. But more than that, he's ignored me completely when I try to conjure visions about the equinox or anything around it. It is why I'm so thrilled to see you both here. I am left unable to assist with your conquest, and it is driving me mad to know I have to rely on two warring realms to protect my land and my acolytes." Her eyes wandered as she continued. "My entire life has been dedicated to helping those in my service, to fighting for a land of peace. I gave up my heritage for that ability. And to know that I'm now unable to assist in the most important test of that peace…" she trailed off. "You can imagine how frustrated I am."

Aria's brain contorted from the possibility that Mallium had cut off his head seer. The person who had given Mallium her life, her powers, in exchange for the ability to help those around her. The person who, Aria truly believed, had actually been on the side of both fae and shifters throughout their conflicts. If what he wanted was peace among their realms, how was this helping his cause?

"Selene, I'm so sorry," Aria finally mustered, "I can't imagine how you're feeling right now. But surely Mallium expected this—expected us to seek your help. What does he gain from keeping you out of our efforts, when you've been the biggest advocate for peace all these years?"

Selene still refused to meet their eyes. "I don't know, child. I don't know." The weight of that sentiment sat heavily on Aria's soul. She sensed the hollowness in Selene's words. "Perhaps I have worn out my welcome."

Luka's eyes went wide. "Is that something that can happen? What are the odds he would revoke your powers in the middle of all this?"

"Knowing Mallium," Selene laughed without amusement, "the odds are pretty good. I have been Head Seer for a long time. It's possible he is ready for someone new. He does nothing by accident." The room went silent for a moment at the statement. "There is one thing that I can share. It didn't mean anything to me at the time, but perhaps it may mean something to you."

"What is it?" Luka asked seriously.

"Each year for the solstice decree, we are expected to give a sacrifice—"

"We know that already," he replied impatiently .

"But the terms are vague," she continued, annoyed by his outburst. "Some years he requests more than others, but most of the time it is just a precious item thrown into the eye of the mountain, occasionally livestock, really anything that has value to the beholder. Each year since I have been Head Seer, I have been the one to oversee the sacrifice—offered at sunset on the summer solstice.

"This year, just as we were about to offer a large goat from one of our seer's villages, I was overcome with the vision of his decree. The prophecy. He informed me the sacrifice had already been completed. When I came out of the vision, I assumed the animal had been offered while I was unconscious, but the goat still stood there, bleating happily. I was confused, of course. But as I have learned over time, you do not question Mallium.

"But I couldn't shake it, the strangeness of it all. I continued thinking about it, praying on it, to no avail. Maybe he did not require an offering this year, perhaps he saw it as a favor, a blessing due to the magnitude of his demands. Maybe someone in one of the realms made their own sacrifice and he thought that was enough, which happens from time to time." She paused. "Or maybe it is something else entirely. I was so drained from my vision I did not have time to ask, and each time I've asked since, he has ignored me."

Aria and Luka exchanged a nervous glance. "That's all he said? That the sacrifice had already been completed?" Aria asked.

Selene nodded somberly. "I must dismiss you, as I have more meetings today with the other seers I have working on the issue. But if something comes to you while you're here, have one of them fetch me. I will do my best to be of assistance." Her rich, dark skin had grown sallow even since they had seen her last. She looked haunted. Hollow .

"Thank you, Selene," Luka said. "We're going to do our best to make sure your sacrifices are not in vain."

"I know, Captain," Selene offered the dragon a small, knowing smile as the two made their way back out the door with more questions than when they'd arrived.