Page 174 of Salt in the Seas
Gaeren pulled away from the bars and clenched his fists. Orra held back a smile, sensing the change in him, both physically and emotionally.
“She’s well,” he said, “but they’re sailing north and east to head for the Myndren Mountains. I don’t know how we’ll keep them from falling right into Mayvus’ trap. So Aeliana might not be well for long.” He pounded on the prison bars once more. “I never should have left. Maybe Enla didn’t reel me in to a trap, but I’m stuck all the same. I thought I could stand by Enla’s side and serve the Recreants from a place of power. Actually do something to help them.”
“We’ve all placed bets with our decisions,” Marnok said. “And now we’ve lost the gamble.”
“My parents can be… ruthless with their authority, but every decision they make is calculated with precision.” Gaeren paced the small chamber. “I don’t know why they wouldn’t at least listen to you. The fact that you oppose Mayvus should be enough to convince them to listen. They hate her after having been branded by her.”
Rildan leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “I’d forgotten they were branded. A lot has happened to us in the last few moons. And I’m sure a lot has happened to you. Who’s to say they haven’t been through a lot as well? For all we know, they’re branded again.”
“Supposedly Tobias has been keeping watch over that,” Gaeren muttered. “But now I wonder if he’s up to something with all those tonics he gives Mother.”
As the heaviness of their situation settled over all of them, their stories came out. Rildan and Marnok filled in most of the gaps for Gaeren when it came to Myndren’s presumed fall and their premature escape, while Gaeren gave details about the others’ time on Sayhla Island.
“The Sayhleens were always a proud people,” Orra mused. “Not in a haughty way like the Ahmranans, but in an honorable way. They had to defend themselves against everyone else who saw them as inferior ever since they were cursed by the sprites. Although that was a thousand years ago. People groups change just as much as individuals.”
Gaeren’s brow furrowed, and she waited for him to finish his story, to tell of the way he and Aeliana had broken their bonds together. When she was stronger, she could have read his memories in a blink to learn the details for herself. Now… well, now she couldn’t spare the magic.
But Gaeren had latched on to her words, picking them apart until he needed answers to his own questions. “Velden told us the Sayhleens worship the sprites, but it seems like they don’t even know what they worship. If they met the sprites I met, they’d want nothing to do with them.”
Orra hummed, letting her mind sift through the little she knew of the sprites. Like most of the Stars, she’d found them detestable because of their origins, but since being grounded, she’d merely avoided them. How much more could she offer if she’d taken the time to learn more about them?
“Perhaps they wouldn’t want to worship them,” she admitted. “But Aeliana and Cyrus were surprised that you could worship a Sun who seemed harsh and unforgiving. A Sun whose favor has to be earned when the Stars they worship freely give their love.”
Emeris sat up straighter. “Surely Aeliana doesn’t still worship the Stars? Not after all the ways I trained her back in Myndren?”
“You even told us they were wrong about the Stars,” Gaeren added. “That the Sun was the creator.”
Orra closed her eyes and sighed. “You heard the truth you wanted. Yes, the Sun is the creator. But its love far exceeds what the Lorvandans believe about the Stars. The benevolence Stars can give is a mere reflection of the love given by the Sun. Your perspective is also tainted.”
“Are you suggesting some of what the Sayhleens believe is true?” Gaeren asked.
“I’m suggesting they are just as confused and biased as everyone else. And that they shouldn’t be looked down upon for believing the parts they understand. We call them cursed by the sprites. They call themselves created by the sprites. So they worship their creator. They don’t have to like the sprites in order to respect them. Fear can breed respect. Sometimes it’s unhealthy. But it’s still respect.”
“If the sprites created the Sayhleens,” Gaeren asked, “who created the sprites? I can’t imagine the Sun, whom you describe as so loving, would create such terrible creatures.” His words came out bitter, and Emeris flinched.
“Of course they were created by the Sun,” the priestess said. “Everything was.”
“What about creatures who become dark spirits when they die?” he asked.
Even Orra stilled at that. “The dark spirits,” she murmured, piecing together things she’d seen over the years, truths she’d not taken the time to fully understand. “It’s a progressive deterioration. And also a cyclical form of destruction.”
“What are you talking about?” Gaeren asked.
“Haven’t you noticed the way the sprites hold characteristics of people? They’re obsessed with knowledge and power. A certain type of person is willing to do anything to seek out that power.”
“Are we talking about Mayvus now?” Gaeren asked.
“Mayvus is a prime example,” Orra admitted. “But she is one of many over the last thousand years. Really since the beginning of time. Sprites were created by the Sun in their original form, but they’re a twisted version of their past. Some of them I recognize. But not all. My reclusive lifestyle has kept me from meeting everyone who chose that path over the years.”
Gaeren’s face paled. “Are you saying—? Are sprites people who once practiced blood magic?”
Orra nodded, her heart aching. “They can’t obtain the ultimate power they seek, but they come just close enough that it’s clear they’ve severed all hope of reconciliation with the Sun. They can’t leave Rhystahn and join the Sun in death, so they take a new form. And again, as you’ve pointed out, when they die as sprites, they become wisps of darkness, bent on repeating the cycle with new people practicing blood magic.”
Gaeren’s mouth swung open in disbelief.
“They become even less of what they once were,” Orra said. “Because at one time, they were all half-lights.”
“Maybe Riveran had the right idea,” Gaeren muttered. “Maybe we should kill them all.”
