System Break

The artifact reminded me of Aladdin's lamp which also happened to look like a teapot. The old man had left me with an indecipherable scroll, his words and the inscriptions on the teapot itself. 

I picked up a core from the undercity monsters and held it to the nozzle. Nothing. I tried rubbing it and still nothing. Then my eyes were drawn to the circular design on the top and I encouraged qi to the end of my finger, a tip from the old man, and then I traced the circle with my finger. 

I started anticlockwise, which was a mistake because the darn thing rattled and protested. It was empty and that was a clue. When I traced it clockwise it wisps of blue floated from the core to the open mouth of the long nozzle. It began to suck the qi from the core and into its reservoir.

When the remaining six cores were stored I chuckled - it even had a fill indicator. Within the circle engraving that I traced a small spot of blue appeared. I closed the lid of the obsidian chest and stowed it in the leather satchel I would wear under my arm. It was far too valuable to leave in my room unattended.

I lay down on my bed and shut my eyes. One of the reasons I sent Jerome to the infirmary was so I could get some shut eye. I hadn't slept for over a day.

I drifted off and fell into a deep sleep. I was dreaming and felt a familiar tug. 

"Found you," she said. "Come to me."

I was tired, over-tired so I placated her and allowed myself to float to my pond. It was like logging out, but I did it unconsciously. A stray thought floated through my mind, the artifact I cannot leave it unguarded, but I ignored it. It was nice to have but not essential to my mission.

"Come," she said again. "The path is open to you."

"How do you know?"

"You can hear me can you not?"

She had a point. I swam to the portal I could never enter and pushed my hand against it. The mysterious portal yielded, and I entered. 

I was back. Not in my old body, but in the glade. The rock pool was in the centre of Mother's domain.

"Welcome," she said.

"I made it on my own this time," I said proudly. "A little help from you. How did you put the portal in my domain and why does it open now?"

She shook her head. "You have done this Benzhi. All I did was call for you until I felt you."

"Oh? Is something wrong?"

She smiled. "No. Does something need to be wrong for me to search for you?"

I chuckled and shrugged. I looked out to the glade and it was daytime. Of course it was, I was napping not too far from here only a few hundred miles. And there she was, sitting near the tree.

"Gisael," I said, and her head tilted like she heard a far off sound.

"I called her here," Mother said. "Go sit near her, talk to her."

I walked to the edge of the tree where the green film separated us from the outside world. I sat on a rock and said, "I'm here."

She placed her hand on the tree and stared at it. "I can hear you. Is it you or a spirit walker."

"It's both. I'm me and I am here in spirit."

She frowned. "I do not understand."

I laughed. "Neither do I, ask Mother later and I'm sure she'll give you some useless riddle that means nothing."

Her eye's lit up. "It is you."

"It is."

"When will you be back?" she asked then paused. I searched for an answer but she added, "It does not matter I will wait."

"As soon as I can when my mission is complete."

"The gatekeepers?"

"Yes. I cannot come back to you without their aid. I wanted to cut the Chancellors link to them before and now I have no choice but to cut the link."

"And what if I travel to Loctris and kill him? Can you return then?"

"No, don't. It won't work and I want you to stay here until I return."

"I …, I will do as you ask," she said sadly.

She was so close yet so far. If I was able to reach through the tree I could touch her. I missed her so much and the sight of her reminded me of what I was missing, what I was fighting for.

"Gisael, …" I said.

"Benzhi," she interrupted. "I have news you must hear."

"Shoot."

"Our kind do not easily beget with child."

"Really?" I knew what she would say but I waited. I wanted to hear it from her lips.

"Your child is within me."

"How long before you give birth?"

She laughed. "You know nothing. It will be ten more months."

"Another reason you must stay here in the forest."

"I am a guardian, an elite, do not forget."

"You're an elite guardian who has our baby inside her. You will stay and train the others."

"And knock some sense into your bear. He is an idiot like you."

I laughed. "What about Demon Bird?"

She shook her head. "I have not seen him. He hunts and lives alone."

I thought about reaching for him through the pool as I had done when he died. But I would leave him be, let him roam for a while if not forever.

"And what of Reyas?"

"She is well. Her child will come before mine – six months now. She misses you also and it took some convincing to keep her in her fort."

"You should listen your own advice."

She chirped amusement. "What of Sakaala and Ailen?"

"Ailen will not return he is dead. It is unlikely Sakaala will also and if she did you must be wary of her just as you should be wary of Ailen's trainees."

"What happened?"

"Someone killed Ailen in my world and it was made to look like it was me. It could have been Sakaala, one of the trainees or even the man who helped me return. He is just that crazy."

"What should I do?"

"Keep an eye on the trainees, do not trust them. Do not trust Redmond if he shows up. I'm afraid once Ailen died we cannot trust anyone from the clan from my world."

"Are you safe?"

"I don't think I will ever be. Not until I do what the shaman did and leave the old world altogether."

"And then you will be mortal like me."

"I found a way to kill adventurers if its required. Kill them and consume their core immediately. If you eat their core before they can retract fully they will die in both worlds."

She stared at the ground. "If the trainees cause problems should I do this?"

"You can just send them packing. No need to end their life in the old world if they cannot come back and cause more trouble."

She nodded. "I will send them packing."

I laughed. "Are they trouble?"

She nodded. "They take and do not give. When you have gone I do not like."

"Okay, send them packing. Get Kysandre and Peppin to help if you need them."

She bared her teeth. "I am capable." She got a far away look in her eyes. "You will be happy; the fisher folk move to the fort to be with their daughter as you suggested."

I nodded. "That makes me happy." 

We chatted for hours and I promised to return when I could. It was almost torture not being able to hold her, but something I could bear because losing her altogether would have been much, much worse.