![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/04-TT-small.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nAn elegant black car soon arrived at the hangar for Audra and Azarola. Audra rattled an address to the driver as soon as she slid onto the seat. Azarola stared as the tall edifices of the city approached and then engulfed them. They did not sport the bright colors of Ixpoli, the earthy mossiness of Kaerras, or the painted pastels of Kertyra and Gabessa. Instead, artful masonry in many shades of stone presented a refined face for the city. Cobbled stone streets and wide tree-lined boulevards cut the sprawl of architecture into neat blocks. \u201cThese streets are huge!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the Great Fire, most of the city was rebuilt,\u201d Audra informed, \u201cThe University was spared, but that is only because of the wide green spaces and the rivers protecting the grounds. Before the fire, the entire city was a twisting warren, if the old drawings are accurate. The people decided to take advantage of their loss and create something even grander and stronger than what stood before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The car stopped in front of row of stone townhouses and parked beneath leafy shade. Here, Audra and Azarola disembarked and the car left them. With the ease of familiarity, Audra strode up the steps to the front door of a house. \u201cThis is the home of my Uncle Emric. He has been gracious enough to allow me to board here. There is a spare room that you may rest in, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
She knocked on the door and waited for a tall, thin man to answer. Beneath short gray hair, his eyes crinkled at the corners when he saw his niece. \u201cWelcome home, Audra!\u201d He peered past her to the young man leaning on a cane. \u201cIs that your guest? Come in.\u201d As Audra and Azarola removed their coats, he asked, \u201cHow goes the war?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs ever,\u201d Audra replied, \u201cThe Directorate keeps discovering new challenges to throw at us. Uncle Emric, this is Azarola of Inexa, formerly enlisted with the Seventeenth Combat Engineering Regiment. Azarola, this is my uncle, Emric Agius of Asphodel, professor of natural sciences in the Oakenmount College of the University of Elspia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFormerly of Asphodel,\u201d he corrected, \u201cI have not called Averna home for many, many years.\u201d He gave a slight bow to his Inexan guest. \u201cA pleasure to meet you, Azarola.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can consider you a friend, you can call me Az,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you are a friend to my niece, I will do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Emric led them into the parlor, Audra asked, \u201cWhere is Nadia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as you called, she took some ration stamps to the market. We\u2019ve only had meat once a week, but this is a special occasion.\u201d Emric answered, \u201cOh, what I would give for some bacon. It\u2019s been dried peas, beans, or lentils every day. Eggs aren\u2019t rationed either, but everyone wants them.\u201d He gestured to the plush couch and chairs. \u201cPlease, make yourselves comfortable. I\u2019ll fetch our coffee.\u201d With crinkling eyes, he added, \u201cReal coffee. Nadia managed to find some a couple of weeks ago. That girl is worth every bit of her wage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola settled onto one of the armchairs, while Audra sank into an oversized chair that fit her powerful frame well. \u201cIt\u2019s been too long,\u201d she muttered, \u201cI should have made this trip months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would have missed you in Karifiga,\u201d Azarola remarked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d she answered with a weary sigh. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the upholstery.<\/p>\n
Emric returned to the parlor with a coffee service in his bony hands. \u201cI forgot to ask if your messenger has received anything more from Sophia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola shook his head, \u201cI\u2019m trying to stay as far away from death as I can. If that\u2019s the only place she can reach me, then I hope we meet in person before we speak again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elder gentleman served coffee to his guests before he settled onto the couch with cup and saucer in hand. \u201cI did get a little information on that Inexan matter you asked me about, Audra. There\u2019s not a hint of anyone by the name of Rohita Bisera, but Hettie Dumont turned up a very wealthy heiress. She has a few addresses scattered about and my contact is currently looking into them. He thinks that she\u2019ll either be at a mountain retreat or in a rather impressive townhouse in Ixpoli.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola breathed out his tension, but his hands shook, vibrating his cup against its porcelain saucer. \u201cShe\u2019s still alive. Thank the gods.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know her, then?\u201d Emric\u2019s head tilted in surprise. His gaze shifted to his niece. \u201cAh, so that\u2019s why you asked. Well, young man, your friend is the most eligible lady in all of Inexa, but she\u2019s been most reclusive. Last time I heard from my contact, he had not yet seen her in person and there are no photos of her in any newspaper. The only mentions of her are regarding her family\u2019s holdings and businesses. Granted, I would not want so much of the unwanted attention as her circumstances invite.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola\u2019s brow furrowed with his frown. \u201cYou said heiress?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer family suffered a great tragedy about year or two ago. I forget the exact date. She was the sole heir to a considerable fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she\u2019s alive,\u201d Azarola repeated, \u201cThat\u2019s more than I knew before. If she\u2019s still in Inexa, better yet in Ixpoli, I can still find her. But first, I can\u2019t allow the Directorate to beat me there. I can\u2019t let them touch her.\u201d His hands stilled and his jaw firmed. Pulling back his shoulders, he locked his eyes with Audra\u2019s. \u201cWe\u2019re closing those gates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re ending this war,\u201d she replied, \u201cWithout the gates, Averna is crippled. We\u2019ll be able to move men and supplies faster than they can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emric sipped his coffee, relishing the luxury. \u201cFor now, a moment to gather our strength. Will Paetun be joining us soon or is he bound by matters in Karifiga again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s coming, but it will be a while yet before he arrives,\u201d Audra remarked, \u201cI will take this opportunity to indulge in a bath before dinner. I\u2019m finding my own odor offensive and it will soon contaminate your furniture if I sit here much longer.\u201d She excused herself and left the room.<\/p>\n
After a few moments of coffee-filled silence, Emric asked, \u201cSo, what do combat engineers do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuild or destroy roads, bridges, fortifications, and the like. I was a mechanic, so my job was to keep all of the equipment going out on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t fighting, then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe fought,\u201d Azarola answered, \u201cI don\u2019t think we were intended to, but that doesn\u2019t matter much when you got a bunch of fellas trying to blast you to bits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monochrome photos neatly framed on the side table caught his eye. He easily recognized Audra, even those of her as a young girl. He picked one up of a teenaged Audra standing with a smaller, younger girl. \u201cShe looks familiar,\u201d he remarked. Then recognition struck him like a bolt of lightning. \u201cSophia! This is Sophia!\u201d<\/p>\n
Emric nodded with a genial grin and Azarola set the frame back onto the table. Another photo featured Audra and a handsome man in aviator\u2019s gear. Both stood triumphantly in front of a biplane. \u201cLooks like the bosslady\u2019s enjoying herself in this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The professor peered over Azarola\u2019s shoulder at the image. \u201cYes, that man was her fianc\u00e9, Leofric.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas? They canceled the wedding?\u201d He wasn\u2019t sure if he could imagine Audra as any man\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n
A shadow of sadness passed over the older man\u2019s face. \u201cHe died in an accident during an air race before the war. They used to be quite the team. She waited at the rally point and he never came. For two days, she searched for him, and then found his wreckage on the side of a mountain. Audra landed in the nearest field and climbed that mountain to find him, but there was no hope for her there. Then to lose Sophia\u2026\u201d His voice trailed away. \u201cI don\u2019t blame her for holding onto that delusion that Sophia is trying to speak to her through dying men.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo delusion,\u201d Azarola countered, \u201cI\u2019ve seen Sophia. She\u2019s out there, somewhere. If I help Audra find her, she\u2019ll help me find Ro.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence fell between the two men as Emric stared at Azarola, weighing out a careful judgment. He sucked in a breath, \u201cQueen of the Heavens, you\u2019re serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s out there,\u201d Azarola repeated, \u201cI\u2019ve seen enough unexplainable things in my life to know when the impossible is real. She gave one cryptic message, though. Find the third Maedra. Do you have any idea what that might mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAudra asked me the same thing, but I don\u2019t know what Sophia could have meant by it. There is only one Maedra, as far as I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Sophia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe disappeared just weeks before the war,\u201d Emric answered, \u201cShe simply did not return home one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKidnapped or found some trouble on her own?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe suspect kidnapped, since Sophia would have sent some sort of correspondence if she left willingly.\u201d He set aside his cup and saucer. \u201cAudra believes that she was taken back to Averna, but we have no proof of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I wouldn\u2019t bet against Audra finding her,\u201d Azarola remarked, \u201cThat lady\u2019s got a reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA fearsome one,\u201d Emric agreed.<\/p>\n
Azarola\u2019s gaze traveled from one framed image to the next. If they weren\u2019t of Audra and Sophia, then they were of Emric with what he assumed to be friends and colleagues. \u201cI don\u2019t see any photographs of your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because I never married,\u201d the professor replied, \u201cOne never loves the same way twice. Some learn to love again, others do not.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paetun arrived later that evening, still wearing the same garb as he did when he left Karifiga. Trimmed with blue on the hems and stand-up collar, the knee-length white shirt garment advertised that he hailed from the distant land of Kurunesos. Loose beige trousers and well-crafted woven leather sandals finished the ensemble foreign to Elspia.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until Emric and his guests sat down around his dining table that Azarola finally spotted the elusive Nadia. She was a tiny woman, not even standing up to his shoulders, with her pale brown hair curled tightly into a bun atop her head. Every movement she made was quick and brisk as she efficiently served the evening\u2019s meal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you just returned from Karifiga, Audra, but I wanted to make something flavorful with the ingredients that I have,\u201d Nadia explained, \u201cSo, we have some spiced lamb served with a chickpea and egg pastry tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola counted the settings at the table. \u201cYou\u2019re not joining us?\u201d he asked Nadia.<\/p>\n
She paused in her retreat from the dining room \u201cWell, no. I\u2019m the cook. I eat in the kitchen.\u201d Before Azarola could say anything else on the matter, she darted through the doorway.<\/p>\n
Audra ignored Azarola\u2019s unseemly remarks and began a different conversation with Paetun. \u201cBefore our rude interruption in Kertyra, I was going to say that intelligence reports indicate that the Directorate has largely abandoned the archaeological site we attempted to investigate earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paetun glanced up from his plate with a frown. \u201cLargely abandoned is not the same as completely abandoned. That\u2019s how we were ambushed in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola set down his fork. \u201cIs that where you got captured?\u201d<\/p>\n
A tense moment of silence passed at the table, before Paetun answered, \u201cI thought I could outmaneuver the soldiers and rejoin Audra further down the dry riverbed. I thought wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is of little matter, now,\u201d Audra dismissed. She delicately cut her pastry, exposing the chickpea and egg filling. The pungent aroma of cumin and garlic rose up from the broken crust. \u201cThose were our orders from Elspia and we followed them faithfully. Despite a delay, you returned alive and well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola cut into the conversation again, \u201cOrders from Elspia, bosslady? Don\u2019t you work for Inexa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assist Inexa as an act of alliance,\u201d she answered as she spooned a little red pepper sauce onto the pastry piece on her fork. \u201cMy citizenship is with Elspia. I answer to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, looking at some old ruins is more important than fighting?\u201d Remembering his favorite serial magazine stories, he grinned, \u201cIs treasure hidden there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore glyphs, provided that the soldiers have not defaced the site.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azarola dunked his piece of pastry into his condiment cup of red pepper sauce. \u201cSo, what was this place?\u201d<\/p>\n
Paetun answered first, \u201cAn ancient holy crossing. Multiple pilgrimage routes intersected there when the river flowed. There is supposed to a sacred well somewhere at this site, but we weren\u2019t able to find it before the Directorate found us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audra set down her fork and added, \u201cThere is reference to sealing the well after the river dried and the routes changed. All records indicate that this event happened around the same time as the closing of the gates mentioned in the notes you translated. If this is one of Maedra\u2019s Seals, then we may be able to learn more about the nature of the Avernan transport gates. Crippling their lines of communication and supplies is of more importance than a single skirmish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking into his coffee, Azarola\u2019s eyebrows steepened their angle. His long fingers wrapped around the white ceramic cup. An unpleasant thought revisited him, though this was the first time he had it while Audra was near. \u201cWhen I was last in Ixpoli, I used a witchgate that was a lot like the type the Avernans use to disappear from one place and reappear in another. The owner of that gate was a Senviran witch by the name of Enuri.\u201d His tattooed and scarred left shoulder twitched at the unpleasant memories. \u201cI don\u2019t know if she survived the raid on her house or not. Anyways, one gate was underground, while the other was in her basement. She had these servants that you couldn\u2019t see except through a mirror. Not that you would want to look at them. All dried out like they were made from wasp nest paper. The second time I found a magic gate, it was in the back lot of a movie studio in Kaerras. That\u2019s to the north of Ixpoli, near the mountains. When I went through it, I was in a place that wasn\u2019t like the world we know. Strange trees with black bark and white leaves. Purple grass. I ran from there and returned to this world. Shortly after that, Maeva made her pact with Ilelune. From what I\u2019ve read, that\u2019s where she got her witchcraft. I have a feeling that Inexa could have access to the same kind of gates that Averna uses, but for some reason doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paetun stared at Azarola, but Audra calmly sipped from her coffee cup. \u201cTo deny the Directorate a point of entry onto Inexan ground,\u201d she primly stated like a professor to her pupil. \u201cMaeva advised against their use, since she suspected that all of the witchgates are much like a telephone switchboard. The gates are like sockets in the board and linked by cables. At any time, an operator can change which sockets are connected. Rather than risk the Directorate\u2019s more advanced operators learning how to connect one of their gates to one in the heart of Inexa, Inexa is relying on machinery and radio.\u201d She sipped from her cup again with her blue gaze on him. \u201cYou knew Maeva?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were acquainted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you have passed through witchgates in Inexa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA couple of times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you not speak of this sooner? Why not when you were interviewed by the Inexan officers?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leaning back in his chair, Azarola retorted, \u201cTo be fair, bosslady, I was bedridden and doped up on morphine when those fellas interrogated me. They never asked me about Maeva or if I ever walked through a witchgate. They just wanted me to tell them what happened at the camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I went on about my life story, then I would be shipped off to a nuthouse without question. I\u2019ve seen a man turn into a dog, a little girl trapped in a mirror, the population of an entire village disappear into thin air, and I\u2019ve sat across the table from a creature in the form of a woman with four arms!\u201d He pressed his finger on his upper arm where his tattoo lay below the fabric of his shirt. \u201cThis was a witch\u2019s curse! It took a priest of Maedra to pull it out through my teeth!<\/em>\u201d He caught the bewildered gapes and threw up his hands. \u201cAnd I\u2019m now a raving lunatic.\u201d He sighed and pulled his pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cNo smoking while I\u2019m here,\u201d Audra admonished, \u201cThat\u2019s an odoriferous habit.\u201d<\/p>\n He sighed again and tucked the package back into his pocket. Foiled, he picked up his wine glass.<\/p>\n The brawny blonde drew her shoulders back. \u201cWere I a younger woman, I would be inclined to think you a madman, but we live in a war-ravaged world with witchcraft and dragons. Madness is a matter of course. I shall assume that you are adept at coping with such a condition.\u201d She returned her attention to her cooling meal. \u201cOur priority is to find Maedra\u2019s Seal and close the gates. Doing so will turn the tide of this war. Your translating the glyphs is key to that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, whoever did the earlier work didn\u2019t help much,\u201d Azarola remarked, \u201cAnd there\u2019s an entire set of glyphs that I don\u2019t know how to read. I\u2019ve seen them before and they\u2019re associated with witches, gates, and the like, but normal Senvirans don\u2019t use them. I don\u2019t know where to start.\u201d<\/p>\n The scholar nodded at that. \u201cAt least we have verification that Maedra\u2019s Seal was responsible for closing the gates. It\u2019s too bad we never did find that medieval monastery. I still dream of the texts that could still be in there. I was so certain that it was at the edge of the desert near Fensa. All of the landmarks seemed to be the right ones. That herdsman stone had to be the tall rock.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnless the river changed course over the centuries,\u201d Audra remarked, \u201cThen we may have been looking at the wrong rock. In that case, we\u2019ll have to wait for the Inexans to push the Directorate back. I don\u2019t want to risk your capture again.\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola waved his fork towards Paetun. \u201cThat gambit to get you out of the camp took a few chunks out of my hide. I don\u2019t think you would get that lucky twice.\u201d He downed a bite of lamb. \u201cSo, what\u2019s the deal with these glyphs? There\u2019s all sorts of talk about gods and kings and gates. Shouldn\u2019t the priests know what this all says? This is about finding Maedra\u2019s Seal, right? I didn\u2019t think that the Maedran priests used old Senviran, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Audra frowned at Azarola\u2019s poor manners. \u201cThey don\u2019t. These records are from the Senvirans themselves, long ago. Tell me, Azarola, why do your people roam, scattered about the world?\u201d<\/p>\n He shrugged in response to that. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know why?\u201d<\/p>\n This time, he shook his head. \u201cNo, I\u2019ve never heard that story. I\u2019m not sure if anyone knows it, but with the way you sound, I\u2019m thinking you do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomewhat.\u201d She sipped from her wine glass. \u201cThe gates are likely a Senviran invention, spreading their people across the globe. From what I can tell, they were the ones who maintained the gates and levied heavy tolls on them or they served as couriers. This made the Senvira tribe very wealthy and there was some resentment towards them for owning this exclusive, fantastic route. I suspect that they cultivated and maintained a society designed to be difficult for outsiders to pass into their ranks unobserved and steal their secrets. However, when the gates closed, the Senvira tribe was shattered. After so many centuries, there\u2019s little surprise that so much is lost.\u201d<\/p>\n Azarola let this revelation settle as he cut into his pastry. \u201cThat would explain why everyone associates magic with the Senvira, even though they don\u2019t really have any. Well, a couple do, or I should say that they did. A long story that\u2019s rather short.\u201d<\/p>\n Paetun looked up from his plate. \u201cYou say \u201cthey\u201d when you speak of the Senvira. You aren\u2019t of their tribe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am and I\u2019m not,\u201d Azarola replied, \u201cMy status is usually a matter of convenience. Whose convenience is the messy part.\u201d<\/p>\n Audra set her glass down. \u201cThen I shall apologize for my assumptions. As which do you identify?\u201d<\/p>\n Without a ready answer, Azarola shrugged. \u201cThat\u2019s a matter of convenience.\u201d Shifting the conversation away from his murky lineage, he asked, \u201cSophia\u2019s message was to find the third Maedra. Do you know what that has to do with anything?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, no.\u201d Audra glanced to a photographed portrait of her and Sophia hanging on the wall. \u201cFor now, I will believe that it has to do with finding the Seal. In any case, it is something that we must investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n