Between Darkness and Light

By Brianna Hawthorne

Imagine that in all the vastness of space, the most powerful force in all existence, is music. That what (which) most people perceive as merely vibration, can be heard and directly manipulated by only a handful of beings throughout the entire Universe. But those rare individuals are not what you might expect.

Shi’ahn and her brother William, after having lived their lives on a highly magical and extremely isolated world, suddenly find themselves in a place that defies imagination.

Lumina is the most powerful and technological realm in the universe, and Shi’ahn and William are immediately treated as utterly insignificant, backwards, and naive. While Shi’ahn receives only mistrust, suspicion and even contempt from the bulk of the Royal family, she does find one ally. Cailliach, the greatest of all their kind and creator of their realm, takes Shi’ahn in and begins to teach her unimaginable things. Cailliach understands - for she, like Shi’ahn, can hear the Song of the Universe: Harmony.

As Shi’ahn and William embark upon their journey of enlightenment and the harnessing of their unique powers, they must survive intrigue, danger, and their growing relationship with the foundations of the Universe itself. And if they should fail, all could be forever lost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brianna Hawthorne
• Release date: Jul 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466101951

Brianna Hawthorne

Many of us seek a purpose for our lives beyond our own well being, and mine is the preservation of forested lands. When I was four years old, my father bought 97 acres of land that was being used by its owner as a junk yard. Dad cleared out all the junk he could, and started planting 500 to 1,000 trees a year on it. He named it Ganderhawk Forest, and I worked on the land with him until I went to college. During our summers, we cared for my grandmother in a primitive summer camp on Lake Huron that our family has owned since 1908. It is also heavily forested. All my happy memories from my childhood occurred while living or working in forests. My intention is to use the bulk of the proceeds from selling my books to maintain the forested lands that I inherited from my father. He told me I would only be able to maintain one of them, but I wish to protect both from development. If possible, I hope to protect more forested lands in the future, either through donations or outright ownership. My life goal, beyond my family, is to be a guardian of the land.

Book preview

Prologue

A Celtic knotwork dragon

Before the dawn of Order, whilst Chaos rules the Cosmos unchallenged, an ancient being sits in trance. The Ancient One , the first to manifest permanency in the early days of the maelstrom that would become our Universe .

She is troubled; she has sensed something she does not understand… something she must investigate. While her son watches over her still body, the Ancient One frees her mind to seek an explanation.

She reaches out, listening, seeking, and finds herself surrounded by dissonance, by something that… does not belong, somewhere in the farthest reaches of space. Something is… no, something will be wrong. It is echoes of the future that she hears. A dark future, existence unraveled, consumed. Insatiable hunger… screams in the darkness. The Universe shrieks in agony as The All is torn asunder. It is the end, not even the echoes of life remain. She tries to follow the trail of death to its source, but there is no path, for it is both everywhere and nowhere at once.

Muttering in a language that has not been spoken since time unremembered, she reaches out further, stretching the limits of what her mind can sustain. It is difficult to meaningfully scry the future, to discern true prophecy from that which is merely imagination. To recognize the difference between what is unavoidable and what is merely a possibility among innumerable possibilities.

But this is the SeshHaud, she is unaccustomed to limitations. Her search seems endless, and still every possibility she follows ends in absolute destruction from something… she cannot comprehend. The Circle of Life cannot be broken thus… It does not make sense, and yet in every thread she examines, it happens. It is as though nothing done has any impact upon this doom; the Universe is powerless to save itself.

She cannot accept that. Then she feels it, a glimmer of hope as she begins following what otherwise seems a rather undesirable thread. This one does not lead to total annihilation. A seemingly improbable scenario, and yet, concentrating on it brings into clarity the most beautiful creature she has ever heard. As she concentrates on the harmony of the wondrous being, the tenuous possibility becomes clearer. It would be dangerous, and difficult to navigate all the inherent hazards, but… it could save them from ultimate destruction. The question remains, though, from what? Who is this unfathomable enemy?

She shifts her attention to the dissonance yet again and finds herself crossing a veil the living are not meant to cross; she is surrounded by… shattering, jagged screams of despair. Unnatural death. Not surrendering one’s self to chaos and returning to the raw stuff of creation, but true, absolute ending.

What hungers so? Their song is repulsive! Suddenly she understands.

ABOMINATIONS! Invaders from without; Defilers - Slayers of Creation! As her mind flees back toward her body, she tries to envelop herself within the harmonies of the beautiful creature. She will be our salvation, but much must be done in preparation for the dark days to come; so many changes…

A voice interrupts her thoughts.

Mother, Gorgoth Lagash requests an audience. SeshHaud Draconae turns and gives voice to her vision:

"Daughter of burning light,

Daughter of fire,

Universe Child,

All must inspire.

Stars shall know of her,

Their cold light will gleam,

Her coming foretold,

Within the dark dream.

The weaver of worlds,

The singer of songs,

Must stop that which comes

And right all its wrongs.

The Family together

To face hunger great,

On her and the balance

Rest life’s very fate."

With that she turns away as though she had not noticed their presence. Markoso ushers Gorgoth toward the door.

It is a dark time in her mind, Gorgoth. Please do not find insult in her poor manners.

Gorgoth’s expression though, is one of wonderment. I had only hoped to know if another singer of worlds would be born to us – I never dreamed her destiny would be so great.

1

A Mystery Explored

A Celtic knotwork dragon

Iawake to a familiar sound – two deceivingly gentle thumps that most would hardly notice, but I feel reverberations deep within the Shir. Only one thing would cause that. As I open my door, a tremendous roar shatters the early morning tranquility. For a moment, I pause at the majestic sight - dragons in the first rays of morning light. The nearest a magnificent blue, the other is the largest dragon I have ever seen, a great golden .

Zah-Ha’Gor! The blue lowers her head and I throw myself against the side of her face, stroking the comparatively soft scales beside her eyes.

More roar-like sounds; Dragon speech. We don’t know why, but William and I have always understood the tongue of dragons, even though we cannot speak it.

Shi’ah’i, it is good to see you again as well. In a way, I find it comforting that she cannot completely wrap her tongue around my name, in this one way we are equal.

Yaaaahhhhhnnnnn!

Arms raised in a stretch, William looks almost statuesque - a pale though handsome face surrounded by soft, wavy black hair that falls just short of his wide shoulders. It is easy to see why women are so fond of him. He shatters the vision by rubbing his eyes. When he opens them they are a sparkling, playful blue.

Good morning, Puff.

That’s my brother; when we first met our dragon friends, he was too young to attempt to utter even a small part of Puff’s real name. Instead, he decided that since dragons are magical creatures…

The large golden dragon nods and replies in his almost impossibly deep voice, And to you, sleepy one.

I turn a questioning gaze to Zah-Ha’Gor, but I need not voice my thought, she knows.

I have found something that I think you and William will want to see. If we leave soon, you should be back in time for bed. Her eye playfully glints toward William, who laughs and heads back inside to dress.

I’ll be out in a few minutes. This could be an interesting day. I don a carefully fitted deep blue leather jumpsuit that I’ve created specifically to adjust for flexibility and other needs – it’s perfect for flying and blends beautifully with Zah-Ha’Gor’s iridescent scales. It sounds as though this trip is business, not play, but I’m sure she will still appreciate my wearing the beautiful fire diamonds she gave me years ago - a full belt and necklace. I’ve never seen any that rival these. The way multicolored lights flash within the depths of the jewels reminds me of Zah-Ha’Gor’s eyes, filled with power and mystery.

I grab the travel rations bag I always keep on hand for just such occasions and tie it to my belt. As soon as I step out I see I have chosen my attire well; both dragons fix me with gazes of avarice and proud appreciation.

I love flying! The wind on my face and in my hair feels like freedom, and the rhythmic, powerful beating of her wings fills me with anticipation. We almost always have exciting, fun-filled flights; I’m especially fond of diving next to waterfalls, I never know if she will pull up at the last second or take us plunging into the depths. This trip is different. There is no play, only serious straightforward and breathtakingly swift flight. The feeling of anticipation that builds within me is very different from the lighthearted excitement I usually feel while flying, I can sense it - something important awaits us.

After hours of flight we land in a clearing on the side of the mysterious Mount Luminos, named for the eerie light that sometimes can be seen emanating from it. It is feared, and generally considered unsafe.

Zah-Ha’Gor?

It is safe at this time, I assure you, and I will know well beforehand if that changes. I am a dragon, after all. Mirth sparkles within her eyes, and then she turns serious yet again. Come, follow me.

She leads us into a forest, and again her ability to utterly belong anywhere she goes amazes me. She moves so quickly, it is as though she follows a well-marked trail, and yet there is none; we are on land that neither man nor beast frequents. We come to the face of a cliff and she leads us along it until we reach a large boulder. She rolls it aside to reveal an opening in the rock face.

Go ahead, I shall follow. Puff enters first, pausing as he assesses its safety. It doesn’t seem a very interesting cave. When Zah-Ha’Gor enters, she allows the boulder to roll back into its place, plunging us into darkness. William summons light for us. I’ve never understood how after being unable to grasp sorcery, he managed to develop an entirely different skill. Yes, there are those who can manipulate light with sorcery, but that isn’t how he is doing it. Ah well, that’s my brother, one of a kind.

The cave his light reveals is really quite unremarkable and looks as though it ends fairly soon.

Zah-Ha’Gor continues in a much quieter voice, Follow me.

She leads us further back and slightly to the right, and I see it - to the left is an opening into another chamber; perfect natural camouflage. She leads us through many such chambers, until finally we come to one that truly has no hidden openings. Zah-Ha’Gor reaches up to one of many stalactites and with a single talon, pushes up on it. Something deep within the mountain shifts and a section of rock drops back, revealing a far more interesting looking chamber.

We enter a living rock cavern… it’s beautiful and I want to explore, but Zah-Ha’Gor continues moving. Come, there is far more to see. It seems as though we walk for hours, always going down, down into the depths of the Shir. I’m not bored though, the entire path is of living rock, and striking collections of crystals are actually common. William experiments with different frequencies of light to make our surroundings even more breathtaking.

At the end of that chamber we come to an odd opening in the rock, the floor drops away quickly on the other side; Zah-Ha’Gor explains, "You will like this, William. Follow me. She quickly steps through and begins sliding down! William steps forward, but I slip past him and follow my dragon friend.

The floor is slick! Very soon I reach an astonishing speed. We slide past several magical barriers, they sound as though they would stop just about any from passing, but not us. We must be terribly deep within the Shir, but with Zah-Ha’Gor before me and William following with Puff, I feel perfectly safe. Eventually the slope of the tunnel levels out and our rate of movement slows accordingly.

Finally, we are deposited into an almost sacred feeling cavern, a monument to the beauty of rock and crystal. The acoustics are phenomenal. I sense that the cavern is highly shielded from without, yet as I move across the floor I fleetingly hear snatches of life on Shiral – as though the entire world can be eves-dropped upon from here. In the middle of the cavern stands a monolith. The writing on it looks strange, and yet I understand it. Those of the blood, prove it. I caress the words and a stone bowl forms along a corner, the edge just over it becoming razor sharp. The situation seems almost compelling and I see no reason to fight it; I reach out and draw my finger down the sharp edge and a single drop of my blood flows toward the cup.

Shi’ahn, what are you doing? William sounds distressed.

Trying to learn exactly what this thing is, of course. Somehow… it seems the right thing to do. The cup recedes back into the monolith as soon as my blood lies within it. After a brief pause, a section ceases to exist, creating a doorway of sorts – it seems questionable, but I walk through, unable to resist my curiosity.

Shi’ahn!

That’s all I hear; the doorway snaps out of existence as soon as I am fully within.

Odd, this place is far larger than it should be. The walls, floor and ceiling are of an entirely different rock than I just left. I’ve never seen such strangely colored stone before, and the light isn’t right, it isn’t blue at all. Neither is it yellow like the burning flame. It seems… artificial. I scan for something - anything familiar - and finally I see it; a smaller monolith in the middle of this strange place, and this one already displays the sharp edge and awaiting cup. Well, I’ve come this far; I see no reason to stop now. I walk directly up to it and once again draw my finger down the sharp edge. No doorway appears this time; I’m simply… elsewhere.

2

A New Beginning

A Celtic knotwork dragon

Nothing looks right! I stand at the base of the most magnificent structure I have ever seen. It’s huge, fairytale-like in design; a citadel carved into the side of a tremendous mountain. I’ve never seen such stone; it looks like some type of bluish quartz? Traceries of indigo and violet make it utterly beautiful. It’s perfect. Above the citadel a mountain stretches up, towering impossibly high – it seems to go on forever… It plays tricks on my eyes .

The sky isn’t right; it stretches out below me at a 30-degree angle and continues above at an increasingly steep incline until… it ends in light.I Never before have I felt so disoriented; has this place been set on its side? And the light… it’s similar to the sun, but more violet and intense. There is also ultraviolet and much, much more. It is the most beautiful light I have ever seen.

Shi’ahn, where are we?

I turn to see my brother at my side, but instead of wildly looking around as I have been, his attention is riveted on the light.

William? How did you get here so quickly?

He doesn’t look my way, but he does answer, though somewhat distractedly.

You didn’t think I would stay behind, did you? I was scared silly when you didn’t come back out of the monolith. Puff didn’t want to allow me to follow - in case it was a trap - but I assured him that I could feel that you were fine. That wasn’t quite true, but I didn’t feel that anything bad had happened to you, and you know I’ve always been able to sense your distress. Zah-Ha’Gor nudged me toward the monolith. Then you scared me again when you weren’t inside, but it seemed a good bet that you had given another drop of your blood to the second monolith. I tried to get back out to tell Puff I’d be following you further, but I couldn’t get the doorway to reopen. Honestly Sis, one of these days this impulsive nature of yours is going to get you into serious trouble.

How could he have done all that? I just got here. Before I can ask him, I hear heavy, running footsteps. Several men burst into sight, holding what may be weapons, pointed directly at us.

A deep and authoritative, but not very pleasant voice calls out, You there! I don’t recognize you. Identify yourselves!

A guard? There is a flash nearby, like thousands of prisms simultaneously casting light next to me for the slightest moment, then I sense… greatness. Aeon’s of wisdom.

My vision clears and I see an old woman. William tears his eyes away from the light to stare with almost equal fascination at her. Physically she is just a very old woman, shriveled and stooped with age, but her eyes! Looking into them is like gazing into the depths of time.

Stand down, Captain - I will take responsibility for these two. I’ve been expecting them!

Her voice does not sound old at all, it is actually quite melodious, and yet it resounds with authority.

The guards look at once shocked, awed, and quite uncomfortable. Of course, your… Ancientness. Our fault entirely. His voice is weak with more than awe. This woman is feared.

She places her arms around us; my mind floods with music and everything suddenly sparkles. We are bathed in light, every frequency, infrared through ultraviolet, separated more precisely than by a prism or spell; I hear… something new. The balance of frequencies changes, stabilizes.

Yet again we find ourselves in an entirely different place. We stand before great ornate doors, which open before us, leading to a throne room filled with very impressive, very serious looking individuals.

They look more like us! William and I have always been different from our people, stronger, more powerful, and most notably, we have always seemed pale compared to nearly everyone else. Only the Technologists in their underground civilization looked as we did. The intensity of our sun does not allow for light complexions, yet here I see infinite variety in skin tones. It feels both good and odd. These people… I had always found William to be the most impressive man I’d ever seen, being more solidly built than anyone else on Shiral, and possessing an aura of something I’ve never understood, but that always overshadowed everyone else. These people make both William and I seem like children - not yet fully grown.

Where are we?

I manage to snap my jaw shut before we reach the front of the hall. Frowning down at us from his throne sits the largest, most substantial man I’ve ever encountered. I have to fight to keep my jaw from dropping once again. His hair is rather light, only slightly wavy, and frames a face that, above all else, looks disapproving. His steely gray eyes glare down at us, adding to that impression. He opens his mouth to speak, but with a note of playful amusement, our escort begins first.

Imperial Majesty, I do hope you can forgive the interruption. I have new family members to introduce!

Family?

Muted gasps and exclamations fill the air; to say that our arrival is a surprise would be quite the understatement.

New family?

They aren’t children, they’re adults!

This is madness!

I pay little attention to the exclamations of those around us as my mind reels – family??

The Emperor looks unconvinced. That seems rather unlikely, are you certain?

Our benefactor pulls herself up straighter and it seems as though decades drop away from her; I almost edge away in awe, but she shifts her arm up over my shoulder and tightens her grip. Sniffing with an insulted air, she continues. Yes, of course I’m certain! I happen to be exceedingly good at recognizing my own descendants – no matter how distant most are these days.

Descendants! So, there are increasing degrees of mental reeling… I hadn’t known. Heedless of our audience I ask the old woman, Who are you?

The Emperor turns his intense gaze to us, I will ask the questions here. Who are you and where have you been hiding?

It feels very strange, being spoken to with such an absolute lack of respect; it is as though he is trying to goad us. Something tells me that appearing unsure of myself would be unwise, so I lift my chin and set my shoulders confidently. I am Shi’ahn, Leader of the High Council of Shiral, and this is my brother William.

He chuckles coldly – a more chilling sound than I’ve ever heard before. Well, Leader of the High Council, your position on your homeworld means nothing here – remember that.

Homeworld? Where are we?

His expression turns contemplative, Shiral… I have not heard of that world. It must not be of any significance.

Annoyance flares in my mind, but I restrain myself, and outwardly ignore his insult. What is this place?

The ancient woman answers, at first directing her words toward the throne. They quite literally just arrived at the front gates; I haven’t explained anything to them yet. She turns back toward us, You are at the pinnacle of the Universe - this is the source of Order, the beginning of the Path of Enlightenment. Welcome to Lumina. You and William are my descendants, and therefore members of the Imperial family. She turns again toward the Emperor, I expect them to be treated appropriately.

It’s strange, the man is obviously the head of state, and yet the old woman seems to outrank him. He doesn’t seem pleased with that.

I have business to attend to at the moment, send them to me in one hour. That’s it. He turns away as though we have ceased to exist. Again, the sparkling light and our surroundings change once more; we are in a room where the walls are lined with books, and very comfortable looking chairs await us. The ancient being is once again a shrunken old woman.

Do you do that often? Travel instantaneously from place to place? She laughs, a surprisingly musical sound for one so old.

No, child, I rarely find reason to leave my tower. The infrequency of my visits causes shock when I appear, which I find I rather enjoy. Come, sit. We have much to discuss.

I sink into a chair that seems to welcome me; I’ve never felt anything like it.

Like the chair? I’ve had a long time to perfect it. Chairs are important, after all – you never know how long one may be caught up in thought. Now, I expect you have some questions you’d like to ask.

I hardly know where to start, but William does.

Are we truly at the pinnacle of the Universe?

It would be more precise to say that we are at the extreme end of one half of our bi-polar Universe. Lumina marks the Spire; the beginning, the source of the Realm of Order.

I restate my original question, And you are?

Ah, that is a good question. I have been given many names throughout the ages, some not the least bit flattering. Many refer to me as the Old Hag. Suffice it to say that I am she who imposed order upon this end of the Universe.

Then you are… My voice sounds odd to my ears, awed beyond imagination.

Very old, yes, I’m quite aware of that!

What… what should we call you?

What indeed? My primary function these days is watching over the Spire, and so some call me the Guardian. I don’t like that, though, to me it sounds as though I am a keeper of wayward children. She shrugs, That may not be far from the mark at times, but I prefer names to titles; call me… Cailliach, I’ve always liked the sound of that one. Something so simple? Yet, it is the name of an ancient goddess… She puts her arm around me, once again bathing my soul in perfect music. Better still, my little muse, you may call me Cailli – or Grandmother, if you wish.

I can hardly believe my ears. Are you truly our grandmother?

She smiles and then laughs gently. Not quite, my little one, but Greats don’t trip over the tongue well at all. Grandmother sounds much better, don’t you think? I can only nod as I try to assimilate her words and the music that fills my soul while she touches me.

My mind busy grappling with her revelations, William takes up the conversational reins. The Path of Enlightenment, what is that? It’s easy to hear that those words ring a cosmic bell within him; he seems almost giddy. The Ancient One - no, think of her as she wishes - Cailli, notices as well.

She looks at him thoughtfully, and with an almost amused expression, she replies. That’s a term for use in public, not with family. It’s a staircase, actually, within the Spire. It is a place of testing and learning, the place where all the dimensions come together in equal strength and become joined as if one. The greatest singularity of all. You will see when you are ready but not before - to ascend the Staircase prematurely can kill, or worse yet, destroy the mind. I will take each of you to it when it is your time. A quiet ringing comes from a painting of a great tree that hangs on the wall next to a fireplace. Cailli looks faintly surprised. That didn’t take long at all. Well, speaking of time, I think I’ll be sending you for your interview with the Emperor, now.

William looks positively distressed, But it hasn’t been long at all yet!

Cailli smiles, It has been precisely as long as I say it has been. Time is a dimension, child, and just as controllable as the others… to those who have mastered the Spire.

I see a playful glint behind her eyes and can’t resist asking, And to she who created it?

Effortless.

Our surroundings sparkle around us a third time, and we are left standing in yet another room, this time without our escort. A man sits behind a desk in what looks like an outer office. He is a large man, yet not so large as the Emperor. He appears well-built, and yet he doesn’t sound quite right to me. Perhaps it is his hair, or lack thereof. I can hear that he should have a fine head of light blond hair, but he doesn’t – he is clean-shaven. Why would anyone remove something perfectly fine that the Universe has gifted one with?

He looks up with icy cold blue eyes, Exactly on time, of course. His Imperial Majesty will be with you momentarily. His tone sounds entirely unimpressed, even annoyed. I find myself instinctively disliking him. I reach out to take William’s arm and speak to his mind; one of the many skills we have always shared, but was beyond our people.

‘Little brother, things are going so fast - how are you faring? I’ll admit I’m… a bit overwhelmed.’

‘Agreed! But it’s exciting too, isn’t it?’

‘I suppose, in much the same way that falling off a high cliff with no way of breaking one’s fall is exciting.’

‘Oh, come on Sis, I’ve never seen you hesitate in the face of the unknown before. Besides, I’ve got a really good feeling – there’s something about this place that feels… well, like I’m supposed to be here.’

Before I can respond the door before us opens, and William and I walk forward, arm in arm.

So, the Emperor looks us over critically, descendants of Nebulaea, I would say. Who are your parents?

We glance at each other before I reply, The people called Mathair ‘beautiful lady’…

And you never knew her name?

She was taken from us when I was quite young; William was little more than a babe.

And your father?

William and I exchange another silent glance before I answer, We have never known a father - there was only Mathair. He gazes disapprovingly at us.

Just what we need, unidentified foundlings. Tell me, how did you come to find yourselves before the main gates?

We found a strange obelisk deep within a great mountain. It bore an inscription that read, ‘Those of the blood, prove it.’

And so, you appeared here?

After a second obelisk, yes.

Obfuscating your point of origin – how convenient.

Speaking of our origin, how do we get back home? He looks at me as though I’m a fool.

Lumina is the very source of reality, the most important place in all existence. Why would you wish to return so quickly to your insignificant homeworld? Now tell me, how did you come to find this mysterious obelisk?

We didn’t. My dragon friend found it and felt we should investigate.

A dragon took you to the obelisk? He looks me up and down, his eyes pausing on my fire diamonds, and frowns. Oh, this just keeps getting better and better. Then he raises his voice slightly. Lucian!

There is movement in a chair off to the side. I hadn’t noticed anyone there before. He’d been here the whole time, and I hadn’t even heard him breathe! The man is… well, extremely attractive, but in a dark, dangerous way. His hair and eyes are identical shades of near black, his skin far darker than mine, but not nearly so dark as my people’s. He is almost as tall as the Emperor and his build is undeniably strong, but not overly bulky. His expression sends chills down my spine.

Yes, Father? His voice is deep and cold, so very cold, as though something important within him is missing. Or dead.

Take these two to the Nebulaean quarter and assign them rooms. Escort them to dinner tonight. The Emperor turned away from us as Lucian approaches; I get the distinct impression that we are dismissed.

Follow me. It is plain to hear that he isn’t exactly pleased with this duty, so we follow him silently. So, you two are dragon riders… is that common on your world?

I stifle a choke of surprise while William answers with laughter behind his voice, Oh no. Dragons consider humans to be inferior creatures, for the most part. They’ve taken a fancy to us, however. I suspect they consider us their pets.

William and I share a smile; he has described our relationships with Zah-Ha’Gor and Puff quite well.

Very astute of you, young William. Dragons are extremely powerful and dangerous magical creatures, consorting with them is usually considered rather suspect.

Why?

He just looks at me, piercingly, and says nothing. He leads us through a long succession of corridors and up a flight of stairs, finally stopping in front of a large wooden door. These will be your rooms, Shi’ahn. I would appreciate it if you would stay in them until I come to escort you to dinner. You may wish to appear somewhat more formal then, feel free to choose something more appropriate from the provided wardrobe.

He closes the door behind me as soon as I step in - though at first I hardly notice - my new accommodations are fascinating. The walls are all made of the rock the citadel is carved into, but polished to a high sheen. They are beautiful. Beyond the entrance is an office containing a large, wooden desk with a nice chair behind it and two simpler chairs in front. A bookshelf has been carved into the wall, but holds only a few books. A doorway leads to a large sitting room. It also has a carved stone bookshelf, but this one is filled with books. There is a smaller but oddly designed desk with a single, very comfortable looking chair. Judging by the chair it looks as though this is the desk I’m expected to use the most, but it has no drawers. It sounds… technological? There are also a few leather couches that look very inviting.

A door off the sitting room leads to a nice bedroom. These walls are not of stone, but paneled in a deep, rich wood. Everything in this room is fairly dark, and yet the room is well lit. Where is the light coming from? I turn around in circles, looking for a lamp of some sort, but see none. Neither are there any windows. The other rooms are the same – no visible light sources. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any light sources in this entire place, unless you count that strange glow at the top of the mountain.

I return to the bedroom and find two more doors, although these are not as obvious. One leads to what I can only assume is a bathroom. Most of the walls are again of the beautiful quartz. I recognize a sink and toilet, I think. One corner of the room is slightly sunken, and is not made of rock, there is a smooth substance on the floor, walls and ceiling. Is it a bath? There are no fixtures, no defined enclosure and no controls. I hear no magic in it, only cold technology. I wonder how it works?

A voice rings out, State the purpose of your cleansing.

What?

Do you seek disinfection, beauty treatment, relaxation, massage? State your need.

Ah, nothing at this time, thank you. How strange.

I leave quickly to continue my tour. The other door off the bedroom leads to a large closet. As I pass through the doorway I’m scanned, then there is a flash of sparkling light and while I’m unsure of the method, I suspect that all the clothing will fit me perfectly. I look more closely and see a plethora of clothing options, almost all of which are far lower cut than I usually wear, and decidedly more pretentious. The materials are beautiful, though.

It would take the addition of only a kitchen to make this place a complete apartment. As it is there are absolutely no means of storing or preparing food, I must be expected to go elsewhere to eat. I return to the sitting room and gaze at the books…where to start? The titles are daunting, The Nature of a Bi-Polar Universe. Order, Chaos, and You. When Rules Quit Working. Striking the Cosmic Balance.

Obviously, I have a great deal to learn. I lift down one with a title that sounds as though it may have been written just for me, Elementary Physics for Those Who Have Lived Sheltered Lives. Intrigued, I begin to read.

Primitive civilizations often see their worlds as being merely three-dimensional.

I snap the book shut and give it a stern look of disapproval – such rudeness is entirely uncalled for! I move to replace it on the shelf, but… I have a nagging suspicion it may contain information that I need to understand.

The three dimensions of space are all that are needed to understand the physical world around them. Some come to recognize time as a dimension; the final indicator of exactly where one is in relation to not only their world, but also its past. Gravity and electromagnetism are often considered forces, alongside weak and strong forces. It isn’t until a society begins to understand just how complex and varied the universe is that they realize they need more unified theories on how everything works - that they either need new terminologies, or they should re-define existing terms. Here in Lumina a dimension is a specification of mass, location, forces or powers that are the most important to existence in the universe. (Force explanations given in disgracefully simplistic terms)

1. Physical space

2. Time

3. Strong Nuclear Forces (Hold things together)

4. Electromagnetism (EM waves, radio, light, etc.)

5. Weak Nuclear Forces (Decay)

6. Gravity (Keeps things from floating aimlessly about)

7. Physical Energy, all forms.

8. Mental Energy

9. Mystical Energy / Bridging all other dimensions, non-technologically.

Wow, those really are simplistic, what do they think I am, a child? Ah well, I read on…

The first seven dimensions are purely of the physical world, the last is metaphysical, and the eighth, mental energy, can be of both. Most of Lumina find it far easier to control the physical dimensions; generally, these days, only those of the Nebulaean line find mastery of the metaphysical to be a natural progression of their skills.

There are those who consider Chaos to be a tenth dimension, allowing within it infinite sub-dimensions to ‘work out’ the difficulties inherent in certain theories, yet here in Lumina most feel that Chaos is not a dimension, but merely a state. There are also those who strongly feel that Sesh is a dimension, but in truth, much like our Spire, it is merely a means of gaining control over one’s reality, or lack thereof.

I’ve just recently learned of the Spire, but what in the Shir is Sesh? I feel my mind begin to drift into a haze; I let the book slip from my fingers and fall to the floor. How could I have not suspected that there was so much beyond Shiral? There we were, surrounded by people that, beloved though they were, were not… like us. They could not establish mental contact with a simple touch, as William and I do. They could not see the extent of the beauty of the Shir due to their inability to see into the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums. They did not intuitively understand the languages of magical creatures. They were not able to mimic the effects of mystical disciplines other than their own. By mass, they were weaker than William and I and tired far more easily. Their skin was affected by exposure to the elements, while ours was not. We were stronger, faster, and healed far more quickly than they did. So many factors pointed to what I now know, that we were from somewhere else, but I never even suspected.

Still contemplating the depth of my lack of understanding, I hear a knock at the entry door, Shi’ahn, may I come in? Shi’ahn? Are you still in there, Sis?

Yes, of course, William. Come in.

Gee Sis, why did it take you so long to answer?

I… I guess I didn’t hear you. Say, aren’t you supposed to stay in your rooms?

Lucian said that if I were to venture out, your rooms were to be my only destination. So what were you doing, reading? Your entire library?

Ah, no, I was just… thinking.

I hear that. Isn’t this place fascinating? I always knew there had to be more to existence than what we had on Shiral. Now I finally understand. Man, it feels good to know I’m not crazy!

Yes, I suppose you would have felt that way. Oh William, how could I have been so deaf to the anomalies that surrounded us? The only thing I felt was missing from our lives was Mathair. I never even stopped to wonder where she was taken. I just accepted that it was… away. I feel so—

William, oddly, smiles. Blindsided? It’s a first for you, I’d wager. You’ve always had a knack for anticipating just about everything – it used to drive me nuts. He smiles almost sheepishly. Of course, I didn’t tell you that, but it really did get to me. It made me feel inept. But now… now I think things will be different. I’ve been glancing through some of the books in my own library, and so many things make sense to me now. What have you learned?

Learned? Oh… from the books. I only managed to read the introduction to one.

Wow, you really are in bad shape. Here. He reaches out to take my hand and my mind floods with the contents of the books he has read – he did far more than glance through them – I hadn’t realized just how fast a reader he had become! I also pick up on his understanding of all he has read – and it all fits in quite well with both what he seemed to think was lacking in life, and the implications of the introduction I read. He was also provided more technical explanations of the dimensions; these people are far, far more advanced than our Technologists. My little brother who couldn’t catch on to simple sorcery was right in believing there had to be more to the Universe, a greater, technological reality.

I really have to hand it to you, William, all this time, you were right; something very important was missing. My heart floods with joy for him, crowding out some of the feelings of inadequacy that had paralyzed my mind. I pause and think back on what he showed me – this place is so different from home! They even mark time differently here. Our time segments are based on life and the land, while theirs are cold, meaningless increments. Here they would call me 37 years old, and William 34, but their ‘years’ seem to have no basis. They have no sun to revolve around, and no moons. No growing cycles. I don’t understand, yet I feel certain I should start using some of their terms as soon as I gain a proper understanding of them. Including… Luminos? This great citadel is called Luminos?

I know, just like our Mount Luminos! It makes a certain sense, though, don’t you think?

No, I’d say it’s… curious. There is obviously a great deal for us to learn here, as quickly as possible!

Split the library, like old times?

I think that would be best. You started at the beginning, so I’ll start at the end and we’ll work toward the middle.

He reaches up, then pauses, Ah, Shi’ahn, the books in your library are different from mine.

I sigh, I had suspected as much. For some reason, my books are not as deeply technical as yours. In fact, the introduction I read was rather insultingly simplistic. I quote the descriptions of the dimensions and William doubles over in laughter.

That’s kiddie physics!

I am well aware of that. I doubt you will want to waste your time with these books.

Ah, what the heck – you still need to know what’s in them, and I’ll admit I’m a bit curious. He grabs a book and plops happily into a chair. Every now and then he snickers.

Several books later, we are startled by a knock at the door. A nicely dressed woman greets me. Lady Shi’ahn, I thought it prudent to warn you that Prince Lucian will be stopping by to escort you to dinner in 15 minutes.

15 minutes? We forgot all about the passing time! Remembering my manners, I smile warmly at my timely informant, Thank you. Excuse me, what is your name?

My question seems to catch her off guard.

She smiles, then. I am Joanna, my lady.