The World of Emporium

[SilntAngl5]

Emit and Pasce


Emit closed his eyes and sighed, a mixture of relief and grief, when Felix said he didn't follow the coronation completely. They didn't know. Emit, too, was at a loss in his own way. he'd only been told half of what to do. The rest was still shrouded in darkness.

"Truthfully... I do not know. I was hoping you would be able to tell me."

Emit sat up a bit. He tried to explain what, to him, had been common knowledge, taught in schools.

"The coronation process is a lot longer than the actual ceremony" he began, choosing his words carefully so as not to cause any more confusion. "The Princess has been secluded from most of Rekōdo for most of her life, that we know of. She and her older brother have both undergone rigorous training to hone their magical abilities for the day their father passed. one of them would succeed the throne, if they pass a series of magical challenges. They are designed by each of the Council members from the Five Provinces to test all the abilities, intelligence, and skills one would need to rule Rekōdo. If the first heir, the younger sibling, did not pass, then the older sibling would be given a chance. If no heir is found, then it's an even lengthier process to find a suitable ruler."

He took a breath and continued.

"The Fifth Oath is a part of the Five Magikal Laws of Rekōdo. The Fourth adn Fifth are two oaths of magik only to be sworn by those in power at the heart of Rekōdo. I am one who is bound by it. It states 'Protect the rulers of Rekōdo from harm by another unless they are tried and found guilty of a crime.'"

The next question: What's the danger to the princess went hand in hand with the crime she committed. He was not ready for that yet.

He took a deep breath.

"The princess passed the grueling tests required of her but before her coronation, she came to me. Her mother had, had a gift of Dreamwalking and it was passed on to she and her brother. Someone who Dreamwalks has the ability to enter the world of dreams, where reality exists but is not the same. It lacks people, time and space and distance, but it is our world laid before us. In it, one who can walk enters and exits naturally as often as they want or don't want. Others without the gift need a talisman of sorts to be able to enter."

Emit reached into the lapel of his white undershirt, beneath his coat, and pulled out what looked like a simple, clear donut-shaped stone tied to a leather cord. He tucked it back in and continued.

"In the dream world, one can forsee the future, the past and present. If one were to die in the Dream World, they would not return to our world. It is not a place to go unless one is trained to enter it. Sometimes, people pop in and out on their own but only briefly. I believe it is what people call deja vu."

Emit glanced over at the Princess. She still slept and he chest rose and fell as if she were only sleeping, but her lips had no color and he could tell without touching her that she was ice cold. Emit shivered and looked back at Felicity and Felix.

"The Princess came to me before the coronation and begged me to help her. She said she foresaw what would happen and could not go through with the coronation. She said it would destroy everything of peace Rekōdo knew and that it would be at her hand. Pasce... the Princess said she would steal the ancestral powers of the Five Council members at her coronation. She was desperate... but I did not do all that I could to help her. I did not believe her. The ability to Dreamwalk was an ancient skill, something we had thought was all but gone. I should have listened to her."

His own failing. Emit clenched a fist around the drying rag in his hand. It didn't have to be this way. It all could have turned out differently, if only he had listened to her.

"The High Council can only run things when it has its power" he said quietly, looking down as his anger faded. "The Council has not power now. It is gone, all of it."

He looked at Pasce again.

"She broke the Second Magikal Law: 'Never use magik to force the will of another.' She forced the Ancestral power from the Council and took it onto herself. She stole their power and now, they are but humans without. She is not convicted, so the Fifth Oath that I took holds me to protect her. It is a flaw in the Oath, to protect someone who is guilty simply because they have not been tried... but the princess did not want their power. She fought against it with all her strength."

The moment replayed in Emit's head. Even when he closed his eyes, he could hear her incantations, her desperate shields and wards, her screams when the power was forced upon her. Forced. She did not want it. Wasn't this a breech of the Second Law also?

"The last thing she said to me the night before the coronation was to find you... That you would give us safe passage."

Emit's calm blue eyes looked at Felicity, who was no older than the princess.

"Can you do that?" he asked her We need to leave the heart of Rekōdo City. Can you give us safe passage?"

[Shadowseldil]

(((Sorry, I had a bit of writer's block, and then I sort of forgot about this.)))

Felicity was knelt over the prone figure of who she now knew to be princess Pasce. She was supposed to help them? How? She would try. She always tried. But, what could she do?
Felix, however, was still a little confused. "So," he began slowly, "The princess is dreamwalking now? Because she took some sort of ancient power from the High Council?" He sighed, "I got to tell you, I'm simple folk. Most of this goes over my head. But one thing you didn't answer; what role do you play in all this? I get that you have to protect her because of this fifth law or whatever, but who are you to her, some sort of bodyguard?"
"Sorry, Felix," Felicity said, "We need to go. That high council guy was already here. If he comes back for some reason, he'll find them. We should get her to my apartment for now. She'll be safe there."
"By the powers, you're right. Are you alright to walk, Emit was it? Think you can help me move her to a carriage?"

[SilntAngl5]

The Five Provinces Rekōdo Country

Rekodo City is at the heart of the Country of Rekōdo and is the epicenter of its magik. On all sides it is surrounded by the 5 Provinces. Rekōdo City itself does not cater or favor one specific province, but like any big city with a vast network of cultures, it has sections that are "Little Provinces" and sport the colors, fashion, foods and practices of a particular province. The magikal schools in Rekōdo City admits students from any province if they show high academic standing and stands to tutor them in their specialty and the other forms of magik so that the student might sek a higher station in life.

Below are the Five Provinces and their Council Members:


The Province of Taroc
High Councilman: Alain LeCavalier
Colors: Red & Gold

The Taroc are a very serious people for their art and do not take the magik they do as lightly as the other provinces do. They are often seen as a joke, for very few possess the divinity for reading cards, cups, stars and other sorts of tarot items, but their councilman Alain holds great sway in the council meetings for his wisdom and vast knowledge of what is going on in the country of Rekōdo. Their primary practice is in predictions and many from this province are the "authors" of the predictive texts housed in the Central Library. They are a people constantly trying to advance magik through harnessing unpredictability, predictability and changes. If someone goes in search of magikal advice, a tarot or tea-leaf reading or a horoscope, they will most likely seek out a Taroc. The Taroc have little belief in fate or destiny, as everything is constantly in motion and the future is always changing. The fashions here are ever changing as markets are constantly predicting the newest rage to come. Many dress in the traditional flowing robes, shawls and bangled jewelry of their gypsy-like heritage. They are located on the Western most border of Rekōdo City.


The Province of Shamaa
High Councilman: Mindoka
Colors: Brown & Blue

Natural Magik is one of the oldest magiks known to man. It dictates that everything (people, animals, plants, rivers, mountains, etc.), everything natural, not man-made, has a spirit that can be called upon to guide, help or give information etc. This is known as Animism. There is some debate about whether man-made things have spirits, but so far, it has gone unproven. The Shamaan are the only ones who can naturally call upon these spirits and they protect the spells that can be learned by outsiders very carefully. The Shamaan can see into the 'spirit world' (sometimes thought to be the Dream World) where these spirits dwell. Animisn is one of the most popular studied as it is one of the most commonly believed magiks. Though the Shamaanic magik has been tried and practiced all over Rekōdo, it is the Shamaan who are able to enter this world, waking or sleeping freely for vast amounts of time without the use of a Totem. The Shamman also have a master of herbology and potions, making them among the best healers. Each person born a Shamaan as an animal spirit to guide them. In essence, it is like a Familiar or patronus, personifying the person's soul in animal form. There are rumors of Dark Arts that seek to capture the spirit guide in order to control its human counterpart. The Shamaan are among the greatest animorphs, taking on the appearance of their spirit guide or projecting them.

The people of Shamaa often dress naturally, using natural things such as animals, bones, furs, skins etc. over man-made fabrics. Because of the history of the Dark Arts, the Shamaa Province will often opposed to the Maginus Province at council meetings, regardless of the discussion presented. Coincidentally, they are located on the Southern most border of Rekōdo City.


The Province of Astral
High Councilman: Herotus
Colors: Purple & Yellow

To the Southeast the magik of the mind and spirit are practiced. The people of Astral spend vast amounts of time trying to create a world where anything is accepted as possible. The Astralians seek to reach a state of mind where everything is possible. They are known to use astral projections (the ability to project the soul outside the body and move unimpeded by the physical world) and their odd use of geometrics and physics (and breaking them) in their magik. This is similar to their neighbors in the province of Shamaa, but their focus is more self-centered that naturally centered. Their magiks are not terribly 'real-world' but the Astralians have offered Rekōdo some of the finest and most bizarre inventions in the country's history.

Their Councilman, Herotus, has a twin sister name Adaya. She has specialized in taking the belief that anything is possible through magik to a Tantric level. Adaya specializes in not just of the mind, but magik of the body, seeking to not only understand oneself but others too. Borrowing from the Shamaan, Adaya has developed tantric spells, potions, perfume and musiks (not to be confused with the ordinary 'music'). The people of Astralian are a semi-self centered people, feeding their ego with the images they project and maintain. Their bodies are flaunted in their tropical climate and exotic, sometimes seen as scandalous, garb. Adaya occasionally comes to Council meetings with her brother, though she is not always wanted or invited. Her perfumes and allure can be distracting to other members of the Council, which it is undoubtedly done on purpose.


The Province of Da'Jinn
High Councilwoman: Jinai
Colors: Orange & Green

In the far East of Rekōdo City lies the dry Province of Da'Jinn. Its desert-like climate makes for a very nomadic people who travel to great cities and out again as quickly as they entered. Some use portals, traveling long, magikal routes mapped out eons ago by their ancestors, to doorways in the desert. Some prefer a more physical movement among the desert with tents and beasts of burden. The Da'Jinn are often seen as barbaric in nature, but their harsh, strict lifestyles are opposite to their magikal forte: wishes and fate. They call upon Jinns, or genies, that create a desired magikal effect. Their name literally means 'masters of Jinn.' A Jinn is an elemental force of nature birthed from the elements. The two main types are the Jinn (spirits of air) and the Efreet (spirits of fire). Earthen and Water-based Jinn exist, but those elements are scarce among the hot, airy desert landscape. Both are incredibly powerful and difficult to deal with if you are not a Da'Jinn. To better master them, the Da'Jinn have Totems hidden on their person to help control their Jinn of Efreet. These Totems can be anything from a necklace to a nose-ring to a gold cap on a tooth, but are traditionally something precious. Some Jinn are confined to lamps and sold into the markets of Rekōdo. The bands on their wrists and legs mark them as bound servants to pay off a magikal debt by bringing wishes and fortune to those who possess their prison (lamp).

The Da'Jinn dress in long, exotic garb for the desert heat, wind and sand. They often wear a shawl over their hair and faces and vast amounts of sculpted jewelry to hide the Totem that controls their Jinn.


The Province of Maginus
High Council Members: Darmon and Nalia
Color: Black & Dark Blue

The Northern-most Province is set in a colder, more hilly and mountainous climate and it's reflected in their wardrobe. The Magini wear long cloaks, sweaters and the occasional witch of wizard hat wrapped in a shawl. Theirs is the power based from witchcraft and warlockery. Occasionally called "Dark Arts" their province often deals with blood rites and rituals of the oldest kind, from the age when people were primal and sacrificed or worshipped in exchange for power. The present people are not quite so primitive.

There is a deal of controversy over some of the things they study. There were rumors of Necromancy, where someone would use magik to steal the familial powers through the deceased. It was done to get back at someone who slighted another's family and is illegal. There is also the debate of their study of "force-based" magiks... magiks that force people to tell the truth or to do or commit acts against their will that they would otherwise not. The Maginus say they are studying them to find preventative counter-magiks to keep such illegal works from being effective.

The City of the Enchantry
Colors: Dark Green & Black

Located within the Western portion of Maginus, on an island called Capios, this city-school is open only to women. In an amazonian-like society, these women seek to gain benign control of magik using artifacts and Totems. Totems are anything magikal in origin from the early eras of Rekōdo that heighten a specific magikal ability. Stone rings on a necklace are often found on people who wish to Dreamwalk, though such Totems are not handed out lightly. They are stored and studied by the Enchantry. Some artifacts have unknown abilities and women who tried their power have died using them. they are the keepers of all great artifacts found in the Country of Rekōdo.

The women are called "Enchantresses," which lends a somewhat darker interpretation of their society, especially being found within the borders of the Magini. The name usually refers to the magik of coercion and control, but such things are illegal. In a text at the Central Library, there was once a mention of a society of Enchanters. That book has since gone missing from the library's archives and no magikal traces of its whereabouts can be found. Nalia serves as co-councilman to Darmon and is secretly involved with Alain of the Taroc Province.

The Enchantress Guild is certainly the only Guild to have sex-based restrictions on membership.

[SilntAngl5]

Emit and Pasce


Emit shook his head.

"I don't think she is" he said to Felix, but his voice was laden with uncertainty. "At least I do not think she is. If she were sleeping, we could wake her up, but... I cannot."

Emit glanced over at Felicity and Pasce.

"She didn't want this" he said quietly.

He raised his voice to finish answering Felix's question.

"She should be dead" he said with finality. "Taking so much magik into yourself like that... it should have killed her. The Princess seems to be unconscious, but I have no idea how to wake her. I'm not a doctor. Just a High Chronicler. If we were at the Central Library, I might be able to find some medical texts explaining what to do."

But that would be suicide right now, to go right into the mouths of the lions, so to speak. There were magikal guardians in the shapes of lions at the entrance to the library... would they still heed his commands? He was, technically, a fugitive....

The Felix asked what role he played. What is he to the Princess? The question caught Emit off-guard and the elder mechanic would see that.

"I... I don't know. I can't be her protector... That's not my job."

He wasn't supposed to be her protector. That was her older brother's job now that she was the ruler of Rekōdo. He should be nothing in all of this. His job was the oversee the library and all recordings of Rekōdo's history, to guard the most sacred texts and prophesies in the deepest alcove of the Central Library.

It just occurred to Emit that the Princess hadn't yet seen the Book of Memories, as all Rulers did once they were endowed with power. Emit looked at the Princess again. There was something terribly sad and tired in his blue-gray eyes.

"I am the only one in Rekōdo who won't want to kill the Princess. I am all she has" he finally said. If the High Council allowed word to travel over the holonets, holopapers and other news, the Five Provinces would be in a riot over this. There could be civil war, provinces and people who had magik vying for power over the ruling seat... She would be hunted and-

"Which Councilman was here?" Emit leaped to his feet, answering Felix's question, and went over and took Felicity by the shoulders.

"Which one was it?"

Her answer could shift their direction entirely. Emit felt his feet standing at the threshold of a great portal, as if he were waiting for her answer before walking into the next, dark chapter of his life.

[Shadowseldil]

"Back off her, lad!" Felix said as he push Emit backward, misunderstanding Emit's own fear. "You alright, Felicity."
Felicity nodded nervously. Her eyes showed that she was rather shaken up.
"We're not your enemy here. And she's just a child, Emit. It was Councillor Charold. His carriage broke down, hunting you no doubt, and Felicity fixed it up. It's almost a miracle you missed him."
"No," Felicity said quietly, "She saw it, didn't she? She knew somehow. We have to help her, Uncle Felix."
"We will. But we need to get her out of here first."

[SilntAngl5]

Emit and Pasce


Emit stumbled backward and half fell, half caught himself in the chair they'd set aside for him. His pale blue eyes were wide and he held a hand up defensively. Magik crackled in the air, in Emit's palm. The lights flickered from its impulse into existence. Then, just as quickly, the feel of magik died.

"I... I'm sorry."

This wasn't like him. He was always so sure. He always recorded everything, knew exactly what happened, where things were placed... He was far outside his element here, in a humble mechanic's shop, with an unconscious royal fugitive.

"Forgive me" he began again, righting himself to a standing position. He was young for his position and rather tall. "Councilor Charold-"

Emit stopped.

"He said his name was Charold?"

A look crossed Emit's face. One that made him look a shade paler than a mere second ago.

"That's not the High Councilman... That's his Second. The Second to Darmon of the Province of Maginus."

not good. Not good. Emit crossed the room and whispered something into his hand. Magik crackled in the air again and he lifted a finger and began to draw. Across the doorway he drew several runes that glowed in their archaic form. he spoke as he drew the runes around the doorway.

"The High Council Members have no power. It's all inside the Princess. If they go out in public, everyone will know it's gone. They will lose their positions and throw all of Rekōdo into chaos. they can't lead a magikal country with no magik!"

he finished drawing, breathing heavily, and uttered a final word. The runes glowed brightly and then sank into the wall around the door and disappeared. he wished Felix were right about their miracle.

"I was careless. Everywhere the Council Members go, they leave behind a magikal trace that they can link back to. It allows them to listen in on conversations that happen after they leave for as long as the trace holds. The stronger the stronger the trace, the longer the signal. But there's a time delay to keep it from being sensed. They don't hear everything as it happens, but a few minutes later."

From a coat pocket, Emit pulled a small, clear ball. He held it upward as high as he could and turned in a circle.

"It's how they gather information spoken after one of their political discussions. To see who will try to back door them while another deal is on the table. Charold probably left one everywhere he went to see if he could get any leads on us."

Emit tapped the sphere three times and blew onto it. Inside colors began to spin and twirl, picking up faster and faster. Emit held it high into the air and it turned blue before emitting a small pulse that fluttered like an explosion of confetti over the room.

"Hopefully that will disarm it before the rest of our conversation reaches their ears. The spell on the door should lead them in circles for a while and stall them. They'll come in and end up back outside. throw them off their game."

Emit put a hand on his head and then turned back to face Felix and Felicity.

"We won't have much time. I have no way of knowing if they heard you mention your apartment, but we have a head start. Charold will have lots of traces to listen to, so we might be in luck. Is your apartment far? We need to leave as few magikal traces as possible. They can track us easily unless we mask it somehow."

He went to the couch and gently lifted the Princess into his arms. For all his hurried magik and speedy speech, he was infinitely slow and gentle with the sleeping girl.

"I'm nearly out of magik and all for brilliant ideas."

[Tigers]

Branwen & Kali



"Get up alien scum!"


The whip fell hard against Kali's back. She hated these.whatever you called them. Slaver's she guessed, but they were just as alien to her as she was to them. Despite the pain from the whip she glared at the one who beat her.

"Up yours rat face!" Kali replied defiantly.

The whip fell hard and fast on her back again before he kicked her across the room. Branwen, despite the possible repercussions for her actions ran over to Kali and pulled her to her feet. Xendrak was one of the meanest slavers and Kali seemed to find a way to always infuriate him. Branwen laughed and cringed inside when it happened. At least Kali was being honest, these things, aliens or whatever they were looked like hairless rats.

"Stop it Kali!" Branwen pleaded as she helped her to her feet.

She tugged her away from Xendrak and out of sight. Already she could see the clothes clinging to the blood from the cuts on her back. Kali was so stubborn sometimes that Branwen thought for sure she'd push Xendrak until he beat her to death. Not like they were lacking for workers, they'd just replace her with someone else they'd taken from somewhere.

Truth was, neither of them knew where they'd come from, or where they were. Branwen had over heard them say they wiped the minds of all the slaves; it was easier to control them that way, it made them more dependent on their keepers. She'd only known Kali for a short time, but Branwen felt very protective of her. She'd taken her under her wing so to speak the first day they brought Kali into their camp. From then on, it had been a tiresome job to protect her from Xendrak, often times it had cost Branwen the whip as well. The first time Kali had been angry with Branwen, told her she hadn't ask for her help and to stop.

She knew it was because Kali felt guilty that she'd been punished too. Ever since that day, Xendrak looked for reasons to take the whip to Kali, and it only drove the young girl to be more defiant. Branwen had to find a way out of here, or they'd both die. She had a thought, a way to get out of there aboard one of the ships. Branwen had a knack with animals, and she was planning on using that to her advantage. The trick now was get to one of the ships without the guard seeing.

It had taken her a week to work out the plan and less time for it all to go to hell. Branwen had easily snuck by the Guardians, a creature that looked like some strange cross between a cat and a bird. But when Kali had taken her turn, one of the Guardian's had pinned her to the ground. Branwen couldn't understand it, she'd never had problems like this before. In the confusion the other Guardian had raised an alarm and Branwen had to forcefully push the creature off of Kali.

They'd crawled into what looked like a cargo hold and hid, Branwen pushing Kali as far back and away from the detection of the Guardian's as possible. They were both sweating profusely, terrified of being caught. Neither girl had breathed a sigh of relief until they had felt the ship take off. Thinking that their next task would be sneaking off the ship, they hadn't planned for any other situations. How could they? They had no idea on what really to expect. What Branwen hadn't considered, was the possibility that once on board, there could be more problems than just being caught as a stowaway.

Their first realization that things had just become a lot more difficult was when the sound of an alarm came blaring across a loud speaker just above them. Both girls had jumped and screamed as the sound of their voices was drowned out by the alarm. It was total chaos, the ship rocked from blasts from an unseen force, sparks and fire broke out all over the ship, and smoke quickly began to fill the cargo hold. Branwen was mortified; they'd left that awful place only for her to kill them both in this ship in the middle of space.

She grabbed Kali's hand, not really caring now if they were seen by anyone. She had no idea what she was doing or where she was going, they just had to get out of the smoke. Whether instinct or just blind luck, she led Kali out of the cargo hold and away from all the major fires and breaches in the hull. The sound of crackling wires and steel giving way to the heat and pressure sang all around them. Kali's hand held Branwen's so tightly, she couldn't feel it anymore.

She rounded the corner straight into the towering figure of one of the ship's occupants. Their progress forward was suddenly brought to a screeching halt. They were dead! Branwen had killed them, it was her fault. The figure stared at the two girls; he was as surprised to see them as they were to have been caught. Was it fate or chance that fell upon them again as the strange alien pushed each girl into a separate escape pod and launched them off the ship?

Branwen didn't know what to think at first, screaming and fighting to keep him from separating her and Kali. But she suddenly realized, he was saving their lives. The pods would only carry one individual, with hopefully enough oxygen to last until they were rescued. But even being saved, she had no way of knowing where Kali was, if she was safe, if they would be rescued and by whom. It was agonizing. Perhaps it was a blessing that the exploding ship had knocked both girls unconscious. Their small life pods rocketed out into space from the blast toward a neighboring planet. So close was the each pod, that the gravity of that planet pulled it into orbit, causing the pods to hurdle like a flaming meteor toward the earth? The concussion of the landing sounding for miles around as each pod landed well away from the other.This is how they came to be on the planet Emporium, in the country of Rekōdo and that had been two years ago.

[Shadowseldil]

Felicity hesitated, but said, "I might be able to get you out of here quickly. But, I don't know. I've never used the hopper pack with more than one person."
"The what?" Felix asked.
"It's an invention of mine," Felicity explained, "It lets me get around the city fast. But I'm the only one who has ever used it. I don't know if it will work with more than one person. But we can try," she added with a smile toward Emil, "Let's go to the roof."

[SilntAngl5]

Two Years Ago...

Light streaked across the sky, stars falling, hurling through the atmosphere and burning bright as the floating candles that surrounded the top of the open tower where he stood. Alain LeCavalier stood before a large telescope that hovered before his eye and observed each and every one of them fall with a smile. All around him papers fluttered from one pile to the next, sorting themselves and being scribbled upon with magik pens to confirm the falling stars on a chart already marked for their fall. But these were not stars that were falling. They were something much, much more. Something he had foreseen in dreams- he fondly fingered the Totem ring on the cord around his neck- and had predicted with a power that was his.

These were not stars, not all of them. There would be two-

"Ah..."

There they were. A soft boom against the dusk sky as a large one of these 'falling stars' entered the atmosphere. one turned into two as the shards split and flared across the sky with a special brilliance of something falling from the heavens. He fixed the telescope onto the farther one to chart its descent. The nearer one...

He knew where that one was going. They disappeared and Alain stood from the telescope and took in a deep breath. The wind whipped his cloak and played with the short, graying ponytail behind his head. He lifted his flesh-and-blood arm and observed an emerald stone on his wrist. He smoothed it three times with his thumb and the world shimmered violently around him. Alain disappeared.

And the world shimmered violently again, though for him, it was one giant transition. The air evaporated him into release and then went still again. He was on the Island of Capios, by the small sea that surrounded it. The winds were stronger here, whipping his cloak and loose strands of his dark hair before his brown eyes.

"It's over here, Alain."

He turned, not startled. She never once meant him harm when she found him like this.

"Is it safe?"

They walked together quickly over to a hole impounded in the ground, close to the water's edge.

"For now, but Darmon will be here soon. He has access to the island that no one-"

"Except me."

"-except you has."

The capsule was clear, see through in the hull. There was a girl inside. Long black hair, fair skin, too thin and dirty, but breathing. Alain reached out to touch the skin of her back. She was looking out over the sea, a green gem on her forehead, her dark hair billowing with the sea's enchanted wind. He could smell the faint toxins in the air-

Alain stopped.

"He's here."

And the air erupted with violent force, with the force he felt as Darmon came to Capios.

"How did I suspect you'd be here, star reader? But, this is my province, after all, despite what little island we may be on. Get out."

"That is not what is written in our agreement."

Her voice was like venom. Alain intervened by lifting a hand. Around them , in a circle fires flickered into existence. Each flickered the colors of the Provinces they represented. Astral Da'Jinn and Shamaa. The heads of the Heads of each province appeared. They looked displeased.

"Have you forgotten the terms of our peace treaty, Darmon?" Jinai sneered.

"Equal power for all so that no war may touch our soil again" recited Herotus and Adaya's conjoined half-heads with an impetuous grin. His twin, Adaya stood beside him and both shared a half of the grin.

Mindoka of the Shamaa remained silent.

"Friends" Alain held up a hand. He looked to Shaaman's fire portal. "Mindoka... did the other girl survive?"

The others heads swiveled to look at the blue and brown flames of the Shamaan. The older man, older than any of the others here, lifted his chin.

"Yes. And In the spirit of fairness and equality for all of Rekōdo, I open a channel to all of you."

And all there would feel their minds divided, one eye looking on events at Capios, the other to the natives of the Province of Shamaa, who stood in a circle around the opened capsule of the second girl, dark haired and ragged as her friend.

"Thanks" the Councilman of the Magini drolled.

He was ignored. Alain stepped forward in the land of the Shamaa and also in Capios, to the girls within the capsules. The one at Capios was opened and his hand touched each girl's forehead.

"Feel through me and see the powers they hold."

And his mind opened to all of them and their ghostly hands laid atop his. Through his telepathy, Alain shared the strengths of the girls, the most prominent one of each. A taste, a hint, nothing more. He would not be invasive into their thoughts. the link was severed and the heads remained in their flames. Then they all spoke.

"I am at peace with Mindoka having the naturally inclined one. I would have no ability to train her in Da'Jinn." Jinai sneered.

"We are agreed. We have no use for the animal talents here" the twin half heads chorused. Surprisingly, it was Mindoka who's old voice rose above the twins.

"I am not laying claim to a second, my reasons for asking are for Rekōdo. Why does Darmon claim a second to his guild?"

Darmon and Alain stood equidistant from the pod, as if at a standoff. He shrugged.

"You saw her abilities. They would be best fostered under my care. A simple answer to the complicated web you weave, genie."

"But you already claimed Nalia from the Astrals! It is not for you to have everything dark that comes into Rekōdo! That is too much power even for you!"

Nalia stepped forward in front of Darmon and Alain. She pointed angrily back at Darmon and darkness welled behind her hand.

"I am not more a dog of Darmon than you are, Jinai of the Da'Jinn! I have separated myself and become my own entity for the sake of Rekōdo!"

"There is nothing of darkness within me that Darmon could claim. Your past is shrouded in it, as is the island you hide form the world."

Nalia balled her fists, but Alain raised a hand to Nalia and shook his head. She backed off and away and glared at Darmon and he at her in a silent exchange of unpleasant words.

"We credit you, Nalia, for all your accomplishments apart from Darmon's tutelage. Why don't you claim the girl?"

Nalia looked at the conjoined half faces.

"She has no experience in training someone with powers as dark as her own."

"But she has mastered her powers and heads an entire city-guild all her own without fault. Let the Enchantress have her."

"Yes, let Nalia train her."

"She is a woman, Darmon, and would fair well with the woman's guild of Capios."

Darmon stepped forward.

"I will not lose what I can best train because you all are a bunch of cowards."

He flames of the heads sparked and crackled. Things were getting out of hand. He could hear the sing-song of violent intent for Darmon and the encapsulated girl starting to pitch.

"Let them both have the girl." Alain stepped forward and put a hand on Darmon's shoulder to calm him. He did not touch Nalia, who stood apart from the floating fires.

"Let Darmon guide her through her darkness as he did Nalia and let Nalia be the beacon of what could be. She will see if the girl can aid her in discovering the secrets of the Totems. Both are on maginus soil. Both can control the darkness. Both can claim her."

He raised his stone arm. The golden threads caught the magik firelight and sparkled in their marble veins.

"They can share" he finished simply. For a moment, the floating heads were silent. "What say you?"

"Agreed."

Alain, who saw this battle among the stars, smiled.

"Thank you, all. For the sake of Rekōdo, so that no war may touch her again."

Then each drew a symbol in the colors of their province and bound them together in the air as one, the symbol of Rekōdo and their word was made into law amongst themselves.

[Tigers]

Kali


Two years ago...


Kali stirred within the life pod. The first signs of consciousness were the sound of voices all around her, like she'd turned up the volume in a dream. Her head throbbed and for the moment, as her body began to wake itself once more, she was not aware of what she had lost, yet again. Had she retained that memory then, Nalia would not have dealt with the anger of her words later.

As it was, waking to no memory other than her name on a world of magik would put her on the defensive as it was. Kali had never seen such things, and they had frightened her at first. She had just escaped slavers to land in yet another situation where choices were made for her without her consent. She may not remember what freedom was, but it was an innate feeling.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, looked around the small pod with confusion before sitting up to find three people whom she'd never met looking right at her. Perhaps it was her own darkness within her that recognized the darkness within the other two. It put her on the defensive and when questions were asked of her, she replied with a smart remark even though inside she was terrified.

Darmon was the first to receive the brunt of most of her anger and would continue to do so the next few years. But it must have been quite the sight that day, this young girl of about 15, thin, ragged, dirty and obviously beaten, standing before them defiantly. Whether the mention of Branwen's pod had been made that day, Kali would not recall. She had been too frightened of these people and too busy putting up defenses to recall. It would become Nalia's thorn in years to come.


Present

That was how they first met, Kali standing there as a thin waif of a girl, arms crossed scared out of her mind, but hiding it behind her anger. Nalia would be a bit more forgiving, as Darmon was the one that dealt with most of Kali's anger and rebelliousness in the beginning. For two years though, as Kali's powers had begun to awaken, there was something pressing in the back of her mind. Things were not right, something was wrong, something was missing.

She had gone to lay down in her room, it was the best thing for everyone when she was in a mood. For the most part, Kali had been a quiet teen, except for when she was provoked or angry. The girl's temper could be explosive and the darkness within her was seemed more out of control when she let herself go. The first time she had sprouted leather wings and horns she had become so overwhelmed with anxiety that she'd locked herself in her room for a week and wouldn't talk to anyone. Then the following week she had blamed Darmon for making her some kind of monster.

She fell asleep, her dreams plagued by the current affairs taking place with Emit, but it was strange and made no sense to Kali. Then the darkness surrounded him and swirled like an angry cloud and the sight of some creature appeared before her, whip in hand and and angry snarl on it's face. She saw herself standing defiantly before it, like she had with Darmon many times. The whip came down and Kali heard someone scream.

"STOP IT KALI!"

She sat up from her bed so fast that the light sheet that had covered her billowed tightly around her frame.

"Branwen?"

In that instant, all her memories came back. At least as far as the Slavers and her memory of Branwen, there escape from the ship...and their hurtling decent toward a planet. This planet, this place! Branwen ripped off the covers and ran in search of Nalia. A sense of excitement and anger swelling within her, but questions she needed answered. So consumed with finding Branwen and being angry that she had forgotten about the dream of Emit, or that Nalia might well be aware of what was happening as well.

When she found Nalia, her anger was so great that she was struggling to keep the darkness at bay. Her eye glowed with fire brimstone as the accusations flew from her mouth.

"Where is she?! Where is Branwen?! Take me to her now! All of you! You're no better than the slavers, just because you don't beat us doesn't mean your no better! You still use. You use us for what you can get out of us!"