The Blue Pearl

Tristan blinked into the darkness as he tried to remember where he was. He was lying down face up straight on something soft. A thin bedroll he noticed, as he grasped round with hands. At least he was still in the temple. He was certain of the location despite the darkness as he felt the ward that surrounded the temple, like a distant song at the edge of his senses. But he didn"t remember how he got here or how long it had been since... since... he didn"t know.

Tristan"s frowned deepened. He thought back to his last clear memory. The morning, Ava, the cave and the monsters? ...And ... Endahar and Nora...

Were those his memory or just imagination? He tried to feel himself, his core, his well and yes, it was expanded still, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with magic he the Black Lands and returned to the village. Where he found out that his master was missing. And looking for him Tristan and Olean found an old armory. And...

That was where everything turned foggy. Where was Ava or Olean? And where in the temple was he? He felt hunger and realized either he didn"t take part in the feast that was supposed to happen. There has to be something left... after eating sc.r.a.ps for so long... he was really looking forward to it.

He got up, fighting back the dizziness. It was still dark but his had touched the pillow and sheet over him that he hadn"t yet noticed. Someone had taken care to make him comfortable. He wondered who it was, Olean? Ava? He didn"t think anyone in the village would be so considerate. Maybe Laanimere.

He got up and grasped through the darkness as to get an idea where he was. A ball of light formed in front of him without any conscious thought and the darkness was finally lifted. It was a dim glow but he saw around him clearly enough. A big chamber with dust and cobweb covered barrels and crates at the corners. There were old and half broken wooden shelves by the walls, again old and dusty. It was a storage room once long ago, completely empty now and Tristan knew where he was.

He approached the door and pushed on it. Like he had suspected it was closed and latched from the other side. He pushed again and called out for help. No one answered and he pushed harder, but the old wooded panel was much too strong for his and weak frame.

"Anyone out there. Hey, open the door." He called out again. Beat the door with his fists but the heavy wood didn"t budge.

He wouldn"t be able to open it like that. He knew it in his mind but his body somehow didn"t agree as he backed up and crashed into the door with the side of his shoulder. The hit rattled him and before he could realize what was happening, he was jumping onto the door again. He hacked up again and another jump. The pain was making him dizzy and he was having too hard a time to focus to stop his legs from moving. He wanted, no he needed to get out. But why? He tried to ask, to think of a reason but the constant crashing onto the door was making it nearly impossible to settle his mind. Tristan watched helplessly through a swimming vision him crashing to the door again and again like a mindless golem trying to follow an order. Tristan didn"t know for how long the monotony lasted b.u.t.t when he finally got his mind back again, he was standing in front of the door with a very sore shoulder.

His good hand rose in front of to draw a symbol in the air just over the door. He felt magic flowing out of him and heard a click of latch opening and within moments the door opened as if it had never been locked in the first place. He blinked in confusion as he stepped out of the door. That spell, he understood but didn"t know. He remembered it in his mind like he remembered a taste in his tongue. But he didn"t know how to do it again, he hadn"t learned or even seen his master use the spell before. On top of that it was dangerous to use magic where others could see, his master had warned him to that. So given he did know how to open a lock he wouldn"t have here.

Then why had he done it and how?

And just like that the question slipped his mind. A stray thought no point pondering over. There were more important things to do like go out and see what was happening. He ran, up the stairs and in a narrow tunnel that was outside the door. There was no light, the one he created was long gone. But his legs seemed to be familiar with the stairs, they were always the same height no matter where they were in the temple. So he ran up and came into a hallway still unfamiliar to him that was lit by one distant torch. He followed the light

He jogged, through the hallway and past the dark chambers along it. All of them empty, he knew despite not being able to see. He was in the storage halls of the temple and the refectory for the old priests, at least that was what his master had said. Even then despite his age, Tristan had noticed his master seemed to know more than he should have. But he was never curious enough to question Nowsen about it. Just magic he was interested in and now he was beginning to wonder, had he asked, would he have known where his master had gone?
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The light drew sharp contrast of a jagged wall around the corner. Tristan walked around it without pausing and almost b.u.mped face first into someone, a standing silhouette against the light.

"Tristan?" Said a gruff voice asked, in surprise and mild alarm. He recognized it right away. Ava, the old woman that came from Sharak.

"How did you get out?" She asked again.

Tristan looked up at the woman, frowning hard to see her face but saw nothing but darkness.

"I was hungry." He replied without thinking and paused, then decided it was a true enough answer.

"Go back, I will bring you food." Ava pushed on his chest with the tips of her finger and spread her feet as if to block him from leaving.

"But I can-"

"Go back Tristan." Ava"s voice was suddenly cold and ominous. Tristan shuddered as if hit by the winter breeze.

He wanted to tell her to leave, to argue with her that she had no right to stop him but words wouldn"t leave his throat. Slowly he turned to leave, to head back into the darkness and felt Ava Standing behind him. He felt her warmth on his back like she had been a fire. He felt her gaze on his back that were like sharp needles piercing his skin. His mind felt slow, too lazy to think, as thoughts moved inside him sluggishly like they were in a waist deep water under a dark storm. His thoughts were stopping and disappearing in his head, slowly sucked out by something. Thinking was so tiring, he wanted to sleep...

Tristan grinned and turned. And Ava, who also seemed to be ready for it charged Tristan. She was faster than her age would suggest and reached out her hand and was almost upon his face before he could even blink. He closed his eyes and prepared expecting to be struck by her but nothing happened. And when he finally looked he saw Ava"s dark silhouetted flying back into the air almost lazily and then hit the far wall with bone crunching sound.

High laughter escaped him, dark amus.e.m.e.nt clouded his mind as he felt tears stinging in his eyes. His vision blurred into dull yellow before it covered his entire sight and he saw nothing else.