Lunae had fallen asleep, and Fulch was just staring at her. A union needed to be made, to bring back order, to bring back powerful magic. Fulch was wondering if the water wanted to take a step back, after being controlled for so long. Did the water know there were going to be two masters? Fulch thought. He brushed the hair from Lunae’s eyes and smiled at the thought of making her his own. He was going to let her sleep, but he noticed she was having a nightmare. She started to groan and cry. He immediately tried waking her up. Once he did, she sprang up and thrust a water wall, resulting in him flying into the wall. Once she realized where she was, she stopped the wall.
“Oh my Istil, Fulch, I’m so sorry!” Lunae said as she ran over to him. He lay on the floor coughing up water. He put his hand out to show that he was okay.
“Pretty nasty dream, huh?” Fulch said, Lunae turned, embarrassed.
“Wanna tell me about it?” Fulch said. Lunae went back to the pillar she was sleeping on. Fulch followed. She sat down and put her hands on her head.
“I feel like I’m going insane. The voices of my ancestors and these blasted headaches. The dream was about us failing. Lannyre is taking the fulcrum of acquiescence and using it on you. Fulch, you turn against me and try to kill me. Everyone turns against me. I feel like it’s going to happen,” Lunae said. Fulch came over to her and hugged her. She was reluctant at first, but then gave in and began to cry.
“Shh, it’s ok, Lunae, I’m here. We can get through this together. Have you asked the ancestors about the headaches?” Fulch said. Lunae nodded her head yes.
“They said it comes with it, and I’ll get used to them. I try to read the book my father gave me, but every time I start, I get a pounding headache, and I can’t continue,” Lunae said. Fulch didn’t trust it, but he didn’t want her to know that, not yet, at least.
“How bout I read it for you?” Fulch said. Just at that moment, Lunae grabbed her head. She started shaking her head no.
“They say it’s meant for me, and me only,” Lunae said. This made Fulch more suspicious. He knew he needed to tread carefully. Just then, Hashmire and Linth showed up.
“Good news! We found some books!” Hashmire said. He was overjoyed and didn’t see the look on Fulch’s face. Linth, however, did.
“I never agreed to this!” Fulch yelled. This put a stopper to Hashmire’s excitement. He bowed to Fulch.
“Apologies, sire, but this had to be done,” Hashmire said. Fulch wanted to fight more, but he knew that he was right.
“Everyone is safe?” Fulch asked. Linth then came to attention.
“Yes, everyone is accounted for. The place wasn’t stable; earthquakes were making the ground split in two. We shouldn’t go back,” Linth said. Fulch was disappointed; he so desperately wanted to see his home world again. Hashmire couldn’t hold back his excitement.
“Sire, these books explain how we can channel elements. Some even have the power to heal. This is magnificent! Everything that I remember is true and so much more!” Hashmire said. Fulch patted his back.
“Good, now we can start training the men for combat,” Fulch said.
“And women!” Tanla said. Fulch looked at her and saw the sadness in her eyes.
“Everyone who can fight should; we need all the help we can get. This is about survival. Even the children need to learn how to defend themselves,” Tanla said. Fulch came up to her and stared at her.
“No Tanla, we cannot do that. We need to protect the ones that cannot protect themselves,” Fulch said. Tanla was angry.
“She’s right Fulch, we do not have the luxury of some fight, some don’t. Everyone needs to be a part of this,” Lunae said. Fulch turned to her and saw the desperation in her eyes.
“Please, sire, we must all fight,” Tanla said. Fulch didn’t want to give in, but then he looked at Linth, and he nodded his head. Fulch lowered his head and ran his hand through his hair.
“Do what must be done,” Fulch said. Tanla almost smiled, and she and Hashmire left to prepare the others. Lunae quietly snuck away while Linth came up to Fulch.
“You made the right decision,” Linth said. Fulch looked at him and smiled.
“I know, I just didn’t want to, I need to talk to you about something,” Fulch said. Linth stood there while Fulch explained his fears with Lunae, and Linth agreed. They needed that book, and they needed to subdue Lunae. Linth then got an idea.
“I know what we need. I’ll need Hashmire,” Linth said. Fulch was reluctant to bring anyone else into this, but the high priest should be trustworthy. Linth left to go get him, and Fulch sat there feeling guilty. While he was waiting, he looked at a piece of vine and tried to make it grow. Concentrating was hard, especially since he was worried about Lunae. He focused on the root of the vine and told it to grow, and miraculously, it started to grow. Fulch was elated and wondered what else he could do. He decided to just focus on the vines. He waited for a while playing with the vine, and by the end of everything, he could manipulate it to do whatever he wished. Hashmire gasped, bringing Fulch’s attention to them. He noticed something in Linth’s hand.
“What’s that?” Fulch asked. Linth smiled.
“Something to knock her out,” Linth said. They all went towards the library to confront Lunae. She didn’t notice they were there, and they heard her talking to herself. Fulch saw how distressed she was, and he desperately wanted to help her. Lunae then shot them a look.
“They won’t be quiet; they want me to run. They’re saying I can’t trust you. Why would they say that?” Lunae said. Fulch’s guilt was pouring out of him; he couldn’t hide it. Lunae noticed and started to back away. Linth then threw the sack. It landed right in front of her, and she breathed it in and fell to the ground. Fulch ran up to her and asked if she would be okay. Hashmire assured him she would be. They brought her into the library and had Hashmire and Linth watch over her while Fulch read the book. He never read so fast; finally, he got to something. Lunae’s father warned her about the ring and the side effects. The ancestors would try to live through her and take over unless she had the crown. Its magic protects the heir from going insane. Fulch told everyone the good news, and now they just needed to wait for her to wake up.
After a while, Lunae started to stir. Fulch warned everyone to be ready. Hashmire wondered if they should tie her up, but Fulch forbade that. Linth was prepared for a fiery vengeance, but somehow Fulch knew that it wasn’t going to be like that. So he came up to her and started stroking her hair. Lunae gently woke up and smiled at Fulch. Then panic ensued. She got up fast, breathing hard. Looking at them as if they had betrayed her.
“Calm down, Lunae. I know how to help you,” Fulch said. Lunae didn’t know what to believe.
“I read the book, and your father says that the ancestors would try to take over unless you have the crown. If you have the crown, then everything will get better,” Fulch said. Lunae was having a hard time understanding. The voices were getting loud. She shook her head in confusion. Fulch had to get in that room. He brought Lunae to it and held her hand. He was taking a risk, but he needed to know. He put her hand on it and prayed. Luckily, they both went through the door. Lunae couldn’t speak; she was starting to cry. Fulch had to hurry. He looked all around until he got to an altar with a cabinet over it. He opened it up, and there it was, the crown. He rushed to grab it and ran over to Lunae. She tried to fight him off, but he was not going to give up. Finally, he put the crown on her, and she stood there holding her head. He dared not speak, he watched, barely breathing, until she looked up at him smile on her face.
“Thank you!” She said tearfully. Fulch came up to her and wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. When Lunae’s breath was about to leave her, he put her down. Something had changed in Lunae; Fulch saw it in her water, and her mind felt different. They didn’t talk about it, but they walked out there together, not knowing what this change might bring. Linth and Hashmire were waiting impatiently. Once they saw them, Lunae smiled, and both took a deep breath.
By the time they got back to the others, Tanla was training people to use their magic. It was quite impressive to see so many pick it up this quickly. Tanla noticed and came over to them. She smiled, which surprised everyone since she hadn’t smiled since Verdom died.
“It’s quite impressive, Tanla,” Fulch said.
“It’s made simple; there is an sign on the back of their family's talisman, which signifies what magic they can do. Once we figured that out, it became quite simple,” Tanla said. Lunae was loving this; Fulch was overwhelmed with pride.
“Linth I want to know what is yours?” Tanla asked, while reaching for it. Linth backed away from her.
“It’s fire,” Linth said. Tanla was ecstatic, but Fulch wondered why he was so protective of his talisman. Hashmire was smiling, like he knew, and Fulch made a note. Lunae was the one to bring Fulch back to reality.
“We need to get going, Shardoe might already be on his way to the Rhudon’s world,” Lunae said. Fulch agreed, and they gathered a small but lethal band of warriors together and headed towards the portals. Frayusha insisted on tagging along, even against Narutay’s objections. Linth gave his blessing, which Fulch was glad of. They walked to the portal, and Hashmire deciphered which one was the Rhudon’s world, and one by one they went through.