Gwynne’s hurried departure caught Adi’s attention only after she ran off. Kassandra felt it too.
‘Topesh senses something, I can sense as much myself.’‘I sense that you think that’s a bad thing ...’The idea of arguing in her head was growing less taboo to her.
‘Topesh is a powerful sorcerer and a great Legionnaire, but he put his own interests - his vain experimenting - above the Legion. For all my own failings, he wields far too much power to be so selfish. I can only hope his chosen is more focused than he is.’‘She’s conflicted and lonely, and I have no idea if she really has the tenacity for what we are supposedly destined for.’‘How can you be so doubtful of her when you are so unsure of yourself?’She didn’t have an answer for that. The frigid night gnawed at her bones as the thought gnawed at her mind. She pretended she was a fierce warrior who would cut down an army to get what she wanted. She pretended to be a cold, ruthless badass without a soul and without hesitation. She pretended that her father’s crown and her father’s head were what she wanted above all else. Even Kassandra couldn’t see through the facade ... the illusion she constructed to fool herself.
‘Well what are you waiting for? We should follow them!’ Kassandra’s silent exclamation startling her out of her introspection.
Seemingly as an answer to the inquiry, another of the chosen emerged from the blackness. Adrianna bowed her head in acknowledgement and extended her greetings.
“Welcome.” she addressed,
“I must go now. We would not want Gwynne running into trouble by herself now. I suspect it would be best if she not be alone in this darkness. None of us should.”
Without a convenient glowing orb, navigating the ruins in near pitch blackness was a tall order at first. Her eyes adjusted to the night in the absence of the firelight, making the remainder of the journey possible. She envied Gwynne not just for the raw power of the orb, but for the small things like light that it was useful for. For some reason it seemed ...
brighter. The church ruins and the surroundings weren’t as dark as the rest of the city. It also looked, felt even, warmer. Unlike the cold pale light of the stars this was more like what the fire threw off.
She felt the energy the moment she stepped into the church. A tingle from her fingertips to her spine, but warmer, more powerful.
“This is aether ... isn’t it...” her comment no doubt startling Gwynne.
Adi had never practiced before. She like many believed the either to be gone after the centuries. The discovery had distracted her so, she hadn’t even noticed Topesh taking on a brilliant red.
“Forgive me I- ... I had to see this for myself. It’s ...” she couldn’t put words to the sensation, but she knew this was familiar to Gwynne.
She just stood still, eyes shut and head lowered, breathing steadily and taking it all in.
“It’s beautiful."