“Tea—a selection of tea,” the Eternal Emperor said, setting aside a handful of pages from the short wooden table in front of which he rested. With his toned muscles and a thin layer of dark whiskers on his chin, he hardly looked like a man who should be doing paperwork.
Aralim slowly sat down on the green and beige cushion across the table. “This is the last time we’ll have tea for a long time. Next time, I’ll think the world has changed, and you’ll insist nothing changes.” He would be leaving the city of Rema in two days, according to all the plans he had made.
Tag’na smiled. “I thought Miresh was the prophet.”
“She has more of a dagger based specialty,” Aralim replied. He set his lantern on the table, with the staff leaning across the floor.
“Ah, I see,” the Emperor replied. “And after this year, I can hardly insist that nothing changes. My Court seems to have been filled with unfamiliar faces.”
The Aura strode out of the shadows—three young women. The first one carried a narrow wooden tray, lined with parsley and inlaid with silver pads for each of four kettles carried by the other two girls. Once the dishes had been served, the orange robes withdrew, leaving Tag’na and the Walker alone.
“Of course, I would normally say that they are the same people I’ve known all my life, except hidden behind masks of varying appearance,” Tag’na said. He inhaled and winked. “But I shall not say it, since I know you’ll have none of it.”
Aralim smiled. “You’ll grow to know the new faces with time. Though it’s a shame to have lost General Ro. I know you held him in high regard amidst the court.”
The Emperor nodded quietly, and filled a small square cup with a steamy tea. “There will be others like him…” the Emperor replied. Then he grinned. “Hidden behind a mask of varying appearance, I’m certain.”
“Not for many generations I’d say…” Aralim muttered. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then closed it and licked his lips instead. He leaned forward and took a sniff of one kettle that seemed to hold the spiced tea he had enjoyed a few times now. He watched the brown liquid drizzle into a cup amidst gouts of steam.
For a few moments they sipped their beverages in a friendly silence. Tag’na broke it, after returning his tea cup to the table. “Are you looking forward to your journey? I understand you have walked more miles than most men, and are keen on adding more.”
“I am. If I’m being honest, I didn’t intend to come to Rema when I left my home. I look forward to seeing the strengths of new lands,” Aralim explained. There was something different about his tea—was there a tinge of ginger amidst the other ingredients?
Tag’na rubbed his bottom lip with his tongue, then leaned back in his cushion and spread his arms. “I’m well aware of how skewed my senses must be by this time, but what if my land truly is the greatest? Or do you have no potential for such a realization on the Path, requiring something greater at all times?”
“It’s not so much about raw power. It’s about seeing how others have walked the Path. How they gained their power and what stops them from gaining more,” Aralim explained. He took a deep breath. “You’re of special interest to me, because you have walked a very unique Path, and are clearly powerful—but… if I can make you more powerful, who out of the two of us is truly farther on the Path?”
The Emperor nodded slowly as he considered Aralim’s words. At least he didn’t snap Aralim’s neck for blasphemy; Aralim remembered Ovoe’s death. After a moment, Tag’na seemed to address that concern directly. “Not many would dare say something like that to me, but it lends more reason to your argument that you are strong enough to have. I think you’ve helped me realize that it may be my secrets that stand in the way of my Path, and, on that note, let me share one that further validates your argument. For me, it’s just an experiment as I continue considering what’s next. I can be killed, Aralim. Well, having not died yet, I suppose I can’t say for certain. But I am certainly not invincible, and I have reason to believe that my death would be possible and permanent.”
“I—” Aralim blinked. That was quite a revelation, and the Walker believed the Emperor could count on one hand the number of people who shared such knowledge. Aralim started to lift his tea cup, but it waivered in front of him. “Please don’t test that theory while I’m away,” he said, and then took a sip.
“Of course not.” For the first time Aralim had ever seen, the Emperor stuttered. “I, er, that’s not what I meant.”
Aralim smiled. “I know, but I have to get my worrying in now. You did say you would miss it.… you seem not to know the limits of your own power, in many ways. Perhaps one day you’ll become a new element of nature.” He allowed a silly chuckle at what he knew would be perceived as his silliness.
The Emperor chuckled in unison. “Do we really need another? The wind, the sea, the earth—they cause us enough problems already,” he joked.
“The more the merrier,” Aralim said. “Though you’ll anger the alchemists indefinitely.” He finished off his tea and set the cup aside rather than pouring more.
Tag’na scratched his chin and smiled. “I look forward to your return, Aralim, and whatever new insights you’ll have for me,” he said.
When Aralim walked away from the table, the Aura led him to the stairs before the Second Court. A mother and child at the front of the line waved and smiled to him, but he paused, and looked back at the orange-clad man who had brought him out of the Palace. “Oh, I’d also like to speak with Grand Mage Rattar. And after that, Grandfather Athanu.”
The Aura bowed at the waist and wordlessly led him back into the structure. Rattar was sitting cross-legged near the edge of the Palace, with his back to a column and a bowl of water before him. Aralim had seem him meditating over it before, slowly making water appear from nowhere.
The Grand Mage noticed him immediately. “Ah, Aralim. Are your preparations nearly done?”
“It seems I’ll be departing the day after next,” the Walker replied. He slowly sank down onto the iron floor, though the old man was sitting on a plush yellow pillow.
“Excited?” Rattar asked. “Worried about anything?”
“I’m looking forward to the travels. This is the longest I’ve spent in one city since my youth. I’m less excited to leave Miresh behind,” Aralim confessed.
Rattar grimaced. “I’m afraid I’m mostly to blame for that,” he said. “I feel she’s still missing some of the fundamentals of magic, and to give my blessing for independent studies at this point would probably enforce detrimental habits, whether she’s aware of it or not. It was my recommendation when the Emperor asked about this, and because of that, her wellbeing here will be my direct responsibility. You have my word.”
“In many ways, I agree with you. She’s mature for her age, but not quite so mature that she can teach herself magic,” Aralim said. He tossed in a smile, and added, “I’ll rest easier knowing you’ll take care of her during this time of change in the Three Courts.”
“You’ll have to tell me all about Tal’lashar. I’ve not been in many, many years,” Rattar murmured. He blinked, and looked up from his bowl of water once again. “Oh, in case I don’t see you again before your departure…” He pulled out a small pouch and passed it to Aralim. “In case you need to pretend to be a magician again, or find yourself in actual danger, this will serve you far better than a sound magnet. Just a pinch in any fire source—your lantern even—and it will form a massive gout of fire and noise. Needless to say, do be careful with it.”
Aralim peaked inside the pouch, to find finely ground yellow powder. “Thank you Rattar. I hope I can keep it as a memento rather than use it.” He tucked it into a small pocket inside his robe. “When I come back, we’ll have to compare the published writings to the real story of my journey.”
“Of course, though I look forward to the fiction just as much.” Rattar offered Aralim a hand. Aralim leaned forward to clasp it while the Grand Mage said, “And no matter what happens, I’d like to thank you for the impact you’ve had on his Ascendance. It will be missed, I’m sure.”
Aralim shrugged. “I’ve only done what seems natural. And I’m thankful for your impact on Miresh.”
Next, the Aura took Aralim to speak with Grandfather Athanu. Niyal was working at a wooden desk amidst the big columns. He looked up and rose to his feet when he saw Aralim’s blue light approaching. The two embraced palms and the old man asked, “Aralim, how goes it?”
“Excellent,” Aralim replied. “I’ve come to say goodbye. I’ll be leaving in a few days.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I wish you great speed,” Niyal said. With a rasped breath, he went on. “Don’t die while you’re gone. It’d be a shame to be outlived by someone of my age.”
Aralim grinned. “Of course. Take care of yourself as well. I might have a lot to tell you upon my return. Your youthful insight is always appreciated.” His comment brought a wave of laughter from the old man.
As Aralim was leaving the Iron Palace, he stopped in the courtyard. He put himself in line for the Third Court, even though he probably didn’t need to. When Lyo spotted him on the steps, half-an-hour later, he offered to invite Aralim onto the stage instead of him waiting. Aralim explained to the man, quietly, that he was just going to say farewell and it seemed more fitting to wait.
When at last he climbed the stage, he faced all the Selected from a different angle than he was used to. Of course, his seat and Dullah’s were both empty. She was arranging her own affairs for her rather sudden decision to set out with him.
Aralim didn’t lean on his staff this time, merely holding it at his side as he spoke to them. “All my fellow Selected,” he said. “I came to you over a year ago, a beggar from a distant land. And soon I will be leaving as the Eternal Emperor’s ambassador. I have learned much from you all. The most important of which is that power cannot be found in coin. The selected are twenty of the wealthiest people in Rema, but yet you seem, in many ways, stagnant. So today I make a request of the Third Court: test your power in the most difficult sense. Help the Empire of Rema become even greater. Move away from your coins and spread Rema’s name to the corners of the world. In the meantime, I truly appreciate having met you all, and look forward to our next meeting.”
There were a few mumblings and murmurs at his stance, but then Lyo called out, “We all thank you for your time here!” A few of the nobles applauded followed the words, and Aralim climbed the steps out of the Third Court.