Young Writers Society

It was difficult to maintain an uncaring, aloof expression in such a tense situation. Corso wasn’t even bothering to hide his confusion about my mention of the Myriad and the Harbinger, but Taanyth, curse him, was still maintaining an expression of icy calm. There was more to the old man than met the eye. I knew I could have Corso spouting his darkest secrets if he was left alone with me for another half hour, but Taanyth was going to be troublesome, so I kept pressure on Corso, targeting the weak point.

“So, Ghostfire,” I said. “Many of your questions have been answered. Tell me about our mutual friend, the Harbinger.”

Corso was flummoxed and Taanyth’s gaze shifted to the boy, but his impassive expression didn’t change.

Corso sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I… he… I lived in a village called Stratha.” He supplied a bitter laugh. “Well, I say ‘lived,’ but it was yesterday. So much has happened since then.” He proceeded to explain how his village had descended into madness. Corso wasn’t a very good storyteller. He hadn’t had much experience, and so he glossed over important details and forgot some of the smaller ones.

“These symbols,” I interrupted. “What did they look like? Could you draw one?”

“I don’t have any paper,” he said. “Or ink. But it was a circle with two spirals twisting towards a solid black circle at the center.”

I felt the color drain from my face. “You’re sure?” I pressed. “You’re sure it was that exact design?”

“Yes,” Corso confirmed. “Why? What does it mean?”

“That symbol has been found all across the Myriad,” I said. “For milenium. Some say there’s a Flicker cult revolving around it. Others think it’s the mark of an interplanar secret organization. But in almost every case of the mark appearing, it’s been connected to-” I cut myself off, not wanting to give too much away.

“It’s connected to Parallax the Mindbreaker and Phyrza the Hooded,” Taanyth finished, voice just above a whisper.

“How do you know those names?” I hissed, all thoughts of the Harbinger forgotten.

Taanyth ignored me. “Go on, Corso,” he said.

“I’d prefer to hear the answer to Nyx’s question,” Corso replied. For a moment I thought I caught a hint of the smirk I made a point of wearing on my face. I made a mental note not to underestimate him.

It was hard to tell through his beard, but I guessed Taanyth was grimacing. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that at the moment.” The elf gave me a pointed sideways glance. “Not in front of the Alchemist.”

Taanyth was trying to shift attention off of himself, the same tactic I had just used. We were both focused on a far more important question: why had the Eternals left their mark in a tiny, insignificant village on Alaran.

All at once, it dawned on me. It was Corso. Corso was the reason. Of all the people in the village, Corso was the sole person who hadn’t gone mad within the course of a few hours. He was being targeted by the Harbinger. He was a Flicker. There was more to him than met the eye. Somehow Corso had gotten himself tangled up in a dangerous game stretching across the Myriad without even knowing it.

I watched Taanyth’s expression, but nothing changed. Corso continued with his story, which offered few surprises after the mark of the Eternals appeared. When he described his battle with me, his description of Ascension left no doubt in my mind that he was a Flicker. I had expected him to have be a trained pyromancer, but it wasn’t unheard of for people to show extraordinary uses of magic when they Ascended.

“...and here I am now,” Corso finished.

“Taanyth, I need to speak with you. Alone,” I said. Corso opened his mouth to object. “Now.”

“Corso, do you mind terribly about leaving us?” Taanyth asked. Corso closed his mouth, his expression making it clear that yes, he did. Still, he walked to the door and left.

“Do you have any idea who he is?” I asked, my voice just under a shout. My composure had cracked. I had never expected to get involved with the Eternals, never wanted to.

“I know exactly who he is,” Taanyth replied, no signs of worry showing on his lined face. “Do you?”

“No!” I cried. “That’s what terrifies me! He’s, what, fourteen, he barely knows about magic, and yet the Harbinger wants him dead. Normally that would be enough to make him interesting, but he’s involved with the Eternals. The bloody Eternals, Taanyth! Who is he?” I was breathless with worry, my voice had gained a hint of my old accent as it often did when I was under this much stress.

“He is under my protection,” Taanyth said.

“Under your…” I couldn’t help but give a hysterical laugh. “Listen to me, elf, the Eternals lived millions of years ago and their technology alone was more powerful than any magic we have today. And their magic made them powerful enough to destroy worlds. Do you know why they’re not here today? Because two of them, Phyrza the Hooded and Parallax the Mindbreaker killed the rest. Now Corso is involved with them. You trying to protect him is like....” I struggled to find a good analogy. “Like trying to shoot down the sun with a broken bow.”

“He is under my protection,” Taanyth repeated. I was speechless. The elf had a death wish. Worse, now I was connected with him. “And you’re going to help Corso fight the Alok.”

“What?” I sputtered. How could the idiotic old man focus on something so trivial?

“The Alok has been attacking my people,” Taanyth said, and then he did something I didn’t expect. He placed his hand on my chair. His hand glowed with druidic magic and because my chair and bonds grew directly from the tree, they obeyed him. The chair reflexed and my bonds retracted into it, releasing me. “You’re going to help Corso stop it. If you try to Flicker away, the Harbinger will find you. If you try to kill him, I have no doubt the Eternals will give you a fate worse than death.”

I was stunned. “How can you focus on something like that when you have the Eternals to worry about?” I said, almost speechless with frustration. But on the other hand, he was right. If he wanted me to help Corso now, there was little I could do to argue.

Taanyth stood and walked towards the door. “I’ll provide accommodations for you and Corso and arrange to have your gauntlet returned. Good luck, Alchemist.”