“Funny thing is,” he said, lowering his voice, “they aren’t even lunologists. Yours isn’t the only continent, there’s another continent, Caihalath and that’s where all of the non-human peoples originate. We sit on the bridge between the two, so people from both continents live here. That man yeh saw, with scales… well, the scales are just the start of it. Truthfully,” he continued with a massive grin, “the world issomuch more magical than yeh even imagined.”
Another continent? It seemed unfathomable. But, when Sirin thought about it, her people hadn’t successfully circumnavigated Timonde yet. All the ships had either gotten turned around, ran afoul of storms, or had been lost entirely. Therecouldbe an entire continent out there they hadn’t found yet, and it might even explain some of the weather anomalies they’d documented. More importantly, there were entire groups of people—non-human people—they didn’t know about!
“And, these non-human people, are they all different? Like tails, shadows, or scales? Does it pass genetically, or is it random? Does it have to do with lunula too, or is it innate?”5Sirin felt a familiar excitement rise within her; the tingling suffused her skin, the specific rush of adrenaline triggered by a new discovery.
“Erm, well—I think it’s not a lunula thing; they don’t have it on Caihalath. They aren’talldifferent. There are different species, though some can interbreed, which means I guess it passes genetically and—what else?“ he asked.
“Fascinating! Do you think they would let me interview them? How many different peoples are there? Did they evolve separately to suit their environments? For that matter, what are their cultures like?”
“I don’t know too much about the different cultures. Most folks here have lived in Sanctuary for long enough, several generations at least, we just have our own culture. Many are hybrids, too. My best friend, though, he’s an orc, so I know some about their society, especially since my nieces are half-orc.”
A giggle bubbled out of Sirin despite her efforts to restrain it. “Orcs arereal?“ she squealed with excitement. She could scarcely believe it! It was like suddenly all of the legends she’d heard growing up were manifesting themselves. Between giggles, she continued, “Next thing you are going to tell me that they really are the foot soldiers of an evil empire like in the tales.”6She howled with laughter, but noticed after a moment that Berne was not laughing. In point of fact, he looked uncomfortable.
“They aren’t actually the foot soldiers of an evil empire…right?” she asked, voice tight and suddenly sober with discomfort by the thought.
Berne pressed his lips together and shrugged, “Dead-on. They are trying to get free right now, but I’m afraid that’s the history of it.”7
It seemed not only the lovely legends might have more truth to them than she’d ever considered. “Oh, that sounds terrible. I take it they are not nearly as willing or bloodthirsty as the stories might suggest?”
Berne chuckled and shook his head, “They can be fierce, make no mistake, but no, they’re not well-pleased about how the Pathian Empire has used them. I’ve never been down into the Empire, it’s just too dangerous for a human, much like an orc traveling in the Compact would be. But I know Tor, of course, and the girls, so I can give yeh a few of the basics.”
There was so much Sirin didn’t know and she could feel the familiar itch starting in the back of her brain. An entire continent full of history and cultures that no one in the Compact had ever known? Her fingers wanted to fly to her notebook to document everything she could. First though, she’d need some solid data.
“Oh I’d love to speak with him! And your nieces of course!”
Berne chuckled. “Well, you’ll have to wait a bit. Torsten only comes for a visit twice a year. We’re working on building alliances with the rebel factions within the Empire and so he and his family are there right now on a diplomatic mission.”
“That is disappointing,” Sirin said, “but I can always document what you know, and what your nieces know. Though, aren’t they young?”
“Oh aye, they’re only three. They don’t know too much, but I know they are eager to meet yeh. They’d probably be tickled to be interviewed!”
Sirin clasped his arm tighter. “Really? Oh, wonderful. They’re your sister’s girls, right? Surely their father could answer—“
“Sadly, he’s out too. Raguk moved back home with the orcs permanently. He and Cat never quite worked out, and he missed his people. He didn’t grow up here, just came as part of their first envoy and stayed for Cat. I think, eventually he just felt too out of place, so when they decided to call it quits, he went back home.” He was silent for a moment while he chewed his lip. “But there is plenty of folks yeh can talk to! And Torsten, my friend, should be round in a few months—“
“Let’s not worry about it now,” she said, curling a hand around his arm. She wanted to dig in, but they had much more pressing matters at the moment. “We have so much more to discuss.”
They were approaching his cabin, which seemed cozy now. He’d left some lights on inside so it shone like a beacon from a distance. The thatched roof and rough-hewn walls lent it an honesty that Sirin found charming. After years of living between her wagon and a massive stone edifice, this quaint cabin felt so welcoming.
As they mounted the small porch and opened the door, she asked, “So what about the lunula? I know you all are hiding something there; you have got to know about the source. You can tell me now, right? And why is your council so strict about trespassers that they were going to kill me, and what was all this talk about Shades and such?”
When they entered, Sirin’s eye went to a new chair positioned near the fire, another at the table, and she spied the blanket she’d used earlier on the bed. She felt most comfortable on the bed, so she sat at the edge like before.
Berne blew out a huff and sat in his chair at the table. “Ach, so there’s a lot to tell yeh, Sirin, and I’m having trouble figuring out where to start. ‘Specially since yeh just asked me a fair few questions all at once.” He raised his eyebrow again and smirked.
She was getting damn tired of that eyebrow.
That was a lie. She loved that cheeky eyebrow.
“Fine. One thing at a time, then. Why was the council even debating executing me? And what are they hiding that is so serious they need to kill people over it?” she asked. Berne held up two fingers at her, and his shoulders shook with laughter. Sirin had to suppress the urge to throw a pillow at him.
“Well, yeh wanted to find the source of lunula and why it enables a person to do magic. We safeguard that secret. It’s the entire reason we exist, why we live up here. It’s our duty to see that people from the outside don’t find out about it, don’t disturb it. Yeh see, we aren’t even completely sure how it works or how it happened.”
Excitement bubbled up inside Sirin.Finally,she would have answers. She was breathless at the idea of reaching the end of her quest.
“We can go see her, and I’ll show yeh tomorrow if you’d like, but in the meantime, I am happy to answer questions and fill in what I can.” he took a deep breath and waited, as if expecting her to ask more questions.
Instead, she decided it might be better to get a baseline and ask questions once she knew more. They guarded the secret fiercely. She’dbegun to suspect, particularly during the council meeting, but hearing it stated so plainly was still a shock. She’d spentyearsworking up to this trip.8Nearly the entire time she was at the Citadel growing up, she’d been single-mindedly focused on the source of magic. She’d started prep in earnest once it became clear how little support she’d get from her peers. No one had ever seemed to have the answers she sought, but now she was getting them.
