What does she have planned? What is she planning on doing? Merrin thought, nodded, and observed the motions of the Attendants. Slow, steady, filled with that air of innate competence. All intelligent, he knew. Amazing to spectate. Was the entire race contained?
A frightening ideation. No doubt, a certain horror existed in the power of Casterhood, and humans had but few of those. What then was the outcome of an entire species of Casters? What miracles, what powers did they achieve in that time?
Such potential!
And they were moving. The collective of items to be taken had been emptied from the ship, causing the gradual elevation of it. In a moment, the black ship soared into the heavens, into the skies of total clear blue—a black dot in the clearness. And vanished. Flew away. Memory reimposed the days in the bumpy ships, the booms and surge of wide storm and lightning.
Chaos.
What did they experience in this sheer world? In that ship... What was it like flying without the wildness of the storms?
He yearned to know.
Nevertheless.
Este crept up to his side, both shadows stretching out behind them. Another bizarre thing. Seldom did one see their outlines in Old Eastos... Or was it new?
Again, he pondered: How was this taken away from them? Painful. The realization of the internal ache fitted into his awareness. Emotional, of course. Why not? Every child of Eastos was raised to hope and belief in the promised sun of tomorrow. The church peddled that faith. Someone would save us, they would say. A God will be born from amongst the Great Clans.
How convenient.
But here it was... the sun. High above the sky. Not the white of the buzzing, soul-charged lamps, but the gold of absolute naturality. This was the original state of the world. Not the heat... the rising steam. The fear of heaven's judgment.
Ah... He chuckled. Who knew an Ashman would one day think the steam an affliction? Who could have guessed?
Siding, Este offered a studious look. How slow she moved, diligent, competent even in simple motions. Befitting for one who made a race....An act of the Almighty caliber. Regardless, he sensed a task within the nature of the dream.
Orvane sought to show him something... What that was mattered little.
If Este has not yet built the Aelmiren, that means the Orvalen has not yet created the seal—one before the other. I must and can only wait.
Of course, the dream could still be shattered. Barely a thought was required. Regardless of the means employed by the whiteMother, he remained the owner of the dream castle. Hence, this remained within his control. But for now... let me see what the world was like before the Darkening.
Let me enjoy the sun above... the promised sun. And let me learn.
Omniscience is a path to true Caster might!
Or at least, for the existence of his Great Paradise, he must know. Knowledge begets power. That begets freedom... and bliss.
Este regarded him again from the side, vaguely the same height. Odd. For so long, he had existed smaller and shorter... Often, that played with certain advantages. But now... Merrin overlooked the distant hills and mountains. Forms of solid brown. How small they seemed...
Is this what it's like being tall? There was a quib in there somewhere. Where was it?
"Well, now that's interesting," Este said.
"Yes?"
"You're pondering."
"And that's an issue?"
She smiled. "I've not known you to be so inward."
"I'm learning..." Merrin said, "And my Master is now a Scientist of the Highest Fa'n." Whatever that means. "So I think I can only enhance with what I have."
"Splendid," she echoed, voice attracting brief glancings from the Attendants. "Who knows, you might have some use for my Experiment."
"Other than being your muse?"
"Multitask then," she said. "A caster has little in terms of limits. Just the imagination and complexities of the very world."
"That is true, isn't it?"
"Don't play the mind games with me."
"Ah, yes."
She regarded him with tender awe. "Are you afraid of the new world?"
Caster mentation spun, logic spewing from the chaos. "Every Kandorian will at some point leave Elmaran."
She smiled. "Well, I'm not exactly from Elmaran... Atun Marii is my home."
"Yes."
"It is in Elmaran, of course, but often we consider ourselves a city..."
"A need for uniqueness."
"Ah, please." She scoffed. "That is the way of humans. The search for meaning and complexities. Individualism, what a curse that is upon their race."
Is that what she thought of humans?
"But often the existence of individualism is the origin of spectacular forms."
"Do not argue such things with me..." She smiled. "I will outdo you."
"Always."
"Observables." She stretched both arms, grey, rearing. Such softness, like polished stone. He sensed a link from that thought, and said:
"Your skin is very..." Be correct. "Strange."
She paused—abrupt, two steps in front. "You're more observant than I thought." Ahead was the edge of the chasm, a stone bridge of polished dark stone. "You noticed the symbolic influences."
"I am your attendant."
"Well, not many have noticed it..."
"I suppose that's part of your great Experiment."
"Shush." She smiled. "When we get inside."
Merrin nodded, mind inputting the gathered data with that almost impulsive need to collect. There was knowledge there, he sensed. Este bore the traits of polished stone, almost like the Aelmiren. No coincidence. Symbols, in the end, play he role of reciprocity. Just as a Caster holds that awesome power, so does it offer its traits. Just like how the veilCounsel felt the serenity in the dark, the gift of night sight. That was the influence. The corruption of symbols.
She has been casting stones!
But on herself...
Self-testing!
Does she plan to turn herself into an Aelmiren? Or is it just a mere test to see outcomes... After all, self-casting... flesh casting, as it were, bore certain risks and hardness to achieve. Is she contained enough to achieve it?
He frowned... Many things can be learned here.
Este called with a wave, leading the cohort of Attendants towards the elegant bridge. He took it all in....
The air over the chasm breathed heavy, still; the kind of silence not the absence of sound but the presence of dread. Not his. The others. They fidgeted in their motions. After all, two sheer cliffs of dark brown, bruised stone faced each other across a vast emptiness. The waters below surging and splattering. The light from the saffron above pierced down, warm. Not scalding, just warm. There were no birds, he noticed. Este had confirmed it as an effect of the Anti-field.
What a range that thing had.
No wind, too. No stirrings of the dusty earth. Nothing. And stretching between the chasm, a line of black was the bridge. Simple, elegant. An arc that looked like iron, dark, and warm. Its supports were not massive stone pillars, but delicate, filigreed spires that seemed to grow from the cliffside. Strong and slender. That was their awaited path.
Este assumed leadership, guiding the collective. Often, she barked orders. "Don't you drop any of those!"
"Do not attempt to cast or see the unseen. I can't have you collapsing the bridge before my touchdown."
"Do not drown yourself in fear. Repeat a litany if you have to," she said. "The religious one can pray to any of the Shaedoran."
They worship the Shaedoran... Another piece of acquired knowledge. A chance existed, too. To learn. Who were the Shaedoran? Who was the true Auwale? And Oravien... Who was he?
Questions within questions.
But time... that revealed all.
At least, the passing of Dreamtime was faster than realspace!
That was the accepted boon!
An Attendant edged close to him. A short grey thing with white short hair. Male. Bizarre how Merrin could see the top of his hair...
Privileges of the tall creatures.
"So what do you think?" said the lanky Attendant.
"About what?"
"Think about it."
"About what we are doing here?"
"Yes."
"A great many things."
"Any specifics?"
"And you, my friend." Merrin regarded him. "Are an Attendant... What's the use of learning now, what you will almost inevitably learn tomorrow?"
No offered expression. "I see," he said. "I suppose a certain cronyism must exist even in Caster society... Perhaps the humans infected us, far more before their scattering."
Again... that word... the Scattering. What was it? "Does it matter?" Merrin asked.
"Yes, it does. We should just be rid of the entire species and be done with it."
Well, your Master might have every intention of achieving that. Merrin queried, "Why not?"
The Attendant gave a measured look. "Is that meant to be a joke?"
"I have not yet smiled."
Confusion. "How can you be a scientist and not know the promise by the Shaedoran not to end humans?"
What? "Perhaps I was simply testing you."
"An annoying thing and a total waste of time."
"But an exercise, nonetheless," Merrin said, "and it seems the Orvalen keep it despite their reservations."
This elicited a frown. "Orvalen?" He cocked his head. "What are you, a rock?" He murmured on. "Orvalen, my ass. What does he fancy himself as?"
And I suppose he sees that comment as some affirmation of my inner pride.
I am different from the Orvalen, thus I'm special.
He sighed...
But what does it matter? The real Attendant, all of them are long dead and gone!