Chapter 17

I felt a gentle urging from the selkie’s mind. It steered towards the cave, but I saw Myria and the Archmagus scanning the lake by the shore, so I wanted to join them instead.

Forcefully taking the creature with me felt wrong. I made up my mind and let it go, and I could feel my soul leaving its body.

Suddenly I stood waist deep in the water in my human form. The grey unicorn seal gave me a little appreciative bark with its head above water, then disappeared from view. Twilight cast from the merging suns made the vast lake look like gold. Quiet, peaceful waters and a clear sky. Behind them rose a line of purple mountains.

“Ah, the young lord Alaster calms the tide! Well done!” The Archmagus rushed through the sand and showered me with praise. He greedily shook my hand.

Then I saw Myria. She looked at Magnus, then at me. She bit her lip shuffled away from us to a broken wooden pier.. I noticed a shimmering tear at the corner of her eye. The Archmagus stood oblivious. It hardly felt like a win if Myria lost again.

I realized I hadn’t been paying attention to the Archmagus. Thankfully, I didn’t miss the important part of what he was saying:

“We will rest and feast at the inn tonight. It is the building with purple trim. The carriage is parked there. You are this city’s hero, boy!”

And with that the Archmagus clapped a hand on my shoulder and trudged through the sand to the city.

Myria sat at the edge of the battered pier, hugging her knees. I hesitated before joining her. I thought I’d make it worse. The stronger part of me won, the part that wanted to say or do anything to try and make her feel better. I sat next to her but not too close, and dipped my feet into the cool, tranquil water.

She didn't object. It took me a minute to find my courage.

“Look, Myria, I..I’m sorry.”

She looked up, raised her slender eyebrows, and regarded me with those silver eyes.

“For what?” she asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“For hurting you. I didn’t mean to.” I said.

Myria sighed. In the light of the waning suns her hair gleamed red and goldenrod.

“It wasn’t you,” Myria said, “My efforts aren’t near enough.”

“Are you kidding me?” I was shocked. “You messed up that manticore, and the way you healed Osner, and then just now when you kept us from being turned into paste from Wyvergath’s tail. I think you’re doing a lot!”

“Parlor tricks.” Myria scoffed.

As the reds and golds faded to rich blues in the sky, I risked another question.

“Why do you need the Archmagus’s approval anyways?”

She shuffled her feet and pursed her lips. I cursed myself for prying too much.

I was ready to accept the awkward silence when she spoke.

“The truth is, he bears the task of choosing the successor to our family’s house. My father’s dying wish was for the legacy of House Opal to remain in honor. My foolish brothers all are too indulgent or too secluded to bring the nation any good. That is why I desire, no, that is why I need to be recognized.”

“That sounds heavy.” I said. I felt sad for Myria and something else. I remembered DeAnna. Back in St. Louis, she got the groceries, cleaned the apartment, paid the rent, cooked all the meals, washed all the clothes, and I..just ate food and made a mess of things. A bitter pang of guilt bit down on my soul.

“I was wrong, you know.” Myria’s melodic voice eased the jaws of my brooding.

“About what?” I asked.

“The unfortunate man with the cart. Your kindness to that man showed me that ‘noble’ is not the position of one’s station, but the action one takes.”

“Uh..thanks.” I kind of said it more like a question. But it felt wonderful to hear.

She looked me in the eyes and smiled. I definitely probably blushed a little.

Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

“Look.”

Myria squinted towards where I pointed. Groups of creatures that looked like little jellyfish with bubbly hats were floating on the surface of the calm lake. They glowed and dimmed in a steady rhythm. The halo moon was out now, and casted a glorious silver reflection on the water.

Sitting in silence next to Myria, I felt I finally had what I had been chasing. Freedom.

It wasn’t because I had the freedom to do what I wanted; the whole past week I did many things I didn’t want to do. But being useful, helping someone else, there was a joyful freedom in that.

“Well, we should probably get to the inn,” yawned Myria as she dusted the sand off her robes.

“Yeah,” I said, “I’m betting we’ll all get some good sleep tonight.”