17.6 An Empty Grave

General Summary

Day 212

I wake earlier than I expect and find the air still and quiet. The common room is empty save for two figures: Thalien and Dal, relaxed and comfortable and waiting for me. I catch myself from nearly slipping out of shock as I descend the stairs before realizing that I’m not truly awake.   When I sit down Thalien passes me an exceptionally made bagel. For all that I had been searching for them just a week ago I’m content to simply sit and chat about my people and how they are all growing together. Thalien tells me that Bran won’t lose track of me anymore and that’s why he no longer sees my thread. When you know something is there you don’t need to see it to know.   And Dal! Dal tells me that he made some friends up North when he came here (surprising….but he was here for years without me) and that perhaps I should mention my name and see if it helps. I catch Thalien kicking him under the table and he rises to kneel before me.   The first thing he says is that he did it because Thalien told him it would be okay, and then that Thalien also told him to keep it a secret until I’d made my way North (clearly these two are in cahoots about something…). And the secret is that the grave he showed me was empty. He’s still alive albeit asleep beneath a grove.   I like to think I have a deep emotional capacity to feel strong emotions and manage them.   In this moment, I struggle to keep track of my disappointment at this information being withheld in the wave of relief that Dal is still alive. With my head buried in my arms on the table (bagel beside me) I listen to the careful explanation of the Witch Queen, a human (?) sorceress who gathers the broken and wounded close and gives them power and hatred. The magic she uses is human but also fae, drawn from the sacred trees that wither at her touch. She cuts them down to make wands and staves, an atrocity in itself.   Here, Thalien interjects that he feels the hand of the other fatespinner on this side. He contributed to her creation and then released her to sow chaos and hatred, and sow she has. I recall Amytri’s story of Drakken finding the power to face his enemies from the Master, filled with hatred. Seems plausible to me.   But Dal continues and tells me that he met an elven woman and her human daughter in the Witch Queen’s village. She doesn’t like when people leave her without the intention of returning, so he agreed to help Rina get to safety because Cresti knew she didn’t have long to live. My head buries further into my arms. I cannot believe how tightly woven things are here.   The village caught Dal as they fled, but Rina got to safety. Now he is imprisoned beneath the trees and he can feel her magic poking at him, trying to understand. She can’t reach the Dreaming but she might be trying to learn. Even now she is likely as powerful as Alwen and Tira together. The best way to approach would be with dozens of fae alongside me to reclaim their grove and pass judgement on her crimes against their trees.   As for the people in her village, they need someone to show them how to find their way back to themselves after being lost. Why does it seem like everything we’re running into here is designed precisely for someone like me to handle? Where are all the other old wizards who’ve lost themselves in darkness and found their way out? Will I run into a troll who’s just like me one day and get to start taking turns? Will one (or many) of my apprentices eventually take this responsibility after losing and finding themselves again? I think back to Lyssa and the state she was in when I found her in the Dreaming.   Thalien is still too far to reach her easily. He can reach Tira still though. She and Knotrael have had to leave Haze behind as they’ve descended into a labyrinth of tunnels that will lead them into the Valley. The Storm is raging too strong for them to have flown into it. Funny how perspective shifts - I’m disappointed and unhappy for moment that we weren’t able to send a dragon alongside our other family members to get to Lyssa. But just having her people around her will be good. Still a win. Having Tira’s careful planning and thoughtfulness along with Knotrael standing between her and the forces working against her.   As our visit concludes, Dal catches me and asks me not to tell Rina about his capture. She might feel like an elf but she’s not. Maybe she wouldn’t understand the willing sacrifice he made to keep her safe. Thalien disagrees - she might be very helpful if we attempt to get into the With Queen’s village. She might be able to open doors that are closed to strangers. It’s a choice I’ll have to make eventually, and I hope I can respect Dal’s wishes.   The rest of the day passes with rain and storms, weathered with varying levels of resilience. I stay inside mostly and draft a letter to Amytri. I’d love his thoughts on this Witch Queen development and whether Drakken is connected.