Kai woke with a start.
He gasped for breath, as though he had suddenly surfaced after struggling against the current underwater. His heart was beating painfully against his ribs, pulse thrumming so insistently that he could feel it to the tips of every extremity. His hand trembled as he moved to push his hair out of his face, his fingers brushing along the spot on his skin where he had dreamt Ealda had placed a kiss.
He let out a shaking breath, lowering his hand slightly and realizing that tears were fresh on his cheeks, warm and wet tracks left behind on his skin. He rubbed at them with the back of his hand, drawing his legs up to his chest, and resting his head on his knees.
It had felt so real. He was fairly certain that he could still feel the warmth lingering on his forehead—but no sooner had the thought occurred to him that he worried he was just making himself sick. He pressed his cool hands to his face, as though he were checking for a fever, hoping that this was not the case.
Kai dropped his hands to his blankets, curling his fingers into fists around the thick material. He felt ashamed of himself, almost angry. He felt weak. To have a dream of one of the deities like that—one where she declared him special and asked for his help, just as he had asked for hers?
He slumped back against his pillows, curling himself beneath the blankets. He wondered if it was all just because of the guilt he felt from Enfys’s death—after all, there was no reason for him to have such a dream, otherwise. The guilt was heavy and uncomfortable against his chest, pressing down so hard on him that he feared his ribs would break, and his heart with it.
He pressed his face into the pillow, willing himself back to sleep, hoping he wouldn’t have another dream.
—
Kai was thankful that the little gold he had was able to last him so long; costs were low from the war, as there were very few travellers, and certainly none from other Kingdoms, which made it much easier. And, of course, he’d lived through worse conditions—he’d survived for a year with just a few copper coins in his pocket at any given moment as he’d traveled across the continent. Now, he had a small pouch of gold on his belt, earned from his time working for Enfys, but it was still more than enough to live in relative comfort. He could afford a bed and more than one meal a day, and he’d been able to buy a few sets of simple travelling clothes.
The most expensive thing he’d invested in was a bag—one that looked plain on the outside, just simple brown leather, but was enchanted to hold more than it appeared to, without being extraordinarily heavy. For now, he’d stowed his clothes away in the set of drawers in his room at the inn; he’d gone ahead and paid Mara another five silver to keep the room, at least for one more night until he came up with a better plan.
He decided to use the few hours of daylight to explore this version of Dyandra, to see what other differences he could find. More than anything, he hoped that he could find these differences so he wouldn’t repeat everything that had happened with Roszondas, appearing as though he’d lost his mind. He thought it was much better to avoid that situation to begin with, to try and blend in.
At least, until he finally met with Enfys. If his goal was to return to the time that he knew, then he knew he’d have to be honest with the archmage—at least, to an extent. There was no way that Enfys would be able to help him return if Kai didn’t tell him what he wanted to achieve in the first place, and share a few key facts: specifically that Enfys had made the device in the future, and Kai was from what future. Everything else he’d keep to himself...
This was how Kai had found himself at Dyandra’s Archives; he was looking through the public records as an excuse, so that in reality he could hopefully glean some sort of information in regards to whether Enfys already worked there. He felt foolish as he essentially staked out the library, watching and listening for any sign, for any indication that the archmage was involved with the archives.
He spent his days at the archives with little to show for it. As he watched and waited, he read, gathering more information about the time where he’d found himself. When Kai came across the name Auvryneld on one of these days, his heart nearly stopped—only for him to realize that the name was not attached to Enfys at all.
Instead, he’d uncovered the meaning behind Roszondas’s mention of Lady Finella Auvryneld—she was the representative of the Isle of Dyandra for the Northern Kingdom’s High Court. Portraits showed her to be a dark elf who bore just a very slight resemblance to Enfys, with some striking differences in their eyes and facial structure. Her skin tone was a deeper violet color, but her hair was the same brilliant white, pulled back into a tight bun which made her look rather severe, especially with the spectacles she wore. She looked distinctly older than Enfys, but that didn’t mean much when it came to elves and their life expectancy.
As Kai continued reading, he finally came across a brief mention of her ‘grand-nephew’, describing him as an artificer, inventing and creating for the Northern Kingdom in the war. Kai had no doubt as to whom that was referring. He read and reread the article, committing this small connection to Enfys to memory. For now, that was all he could do.
A part of Kai feared that he was wasting his time by not taking immediate action—but he had no idea what else he could be doing. For now, he had to accept that he was doing the best that he could, within his limited capabilities.
That evening, as Kai walked through the citadel to return to the Ivory Bell Inn, he realized just how busy the streets were. The city was bustling with even more activity than usual, moving things and cleaning, hanging decorations between the buildings. It was then that Kai was struck with the realization that he’d already spent nearly a week in this time—tomorrow would be the Feast of Fyrinn.
The celebrations in Dyandra were so different from the small village in Riviel where Kai grew up. There, the Feast of Fyrinn only meant that the harvest season would soon begin, and thus everyone had to begin working harder in the fields. They’d work straight through the Day of Navyd, only truly stopping when it was time to celebrate the harvest as Quen heralded in winter. Then, there were never festivities for Nadima—only prayers that she would pass over the village as she reaped souls. Ealda and Ignus always had grand celebrations in the spring; it was those days that Kai would see his village happiest and most carefree—including his mother.
Dyandra, however—and most cities, Enfys had told him—honored all six of the deities on their feast days with equal vigor and excitement. Each deity was celebrated in a unique way, but no day was put above any other, just as no deity ought to be put above another; it was the unity of the six, their work together that led to harmony on Visterra.
Kai had never thought about what that meant before the unification of the Three Kingdoms, when Visterra was divided by war. He’d never really thought to ask Enfys, either. Now, he wondered if he should have.
He hadn’t dreamt of Ealda again since that first night after Enfys’s death. He tried not to think of it, still feeling admittedly guilty for dreaming of the goddess at all, let alone for the elevated opinion of him and faith in him that she had had within his dream. He wrote it off as a result of the stress from suddenly finding himself in the past. It was easier that way—it made him feel a little bit better about himself and the situation that he’d found himself in.
When he returned to the inn, Mara and two other dark elves—Coyle and Danrelle, brother and sister of Mara—were outside, similarly adding a few decorations to the outside of the building. Mara smiled warmly at Kai, and he gave her a small wave in greeting.
“Are you going to be celebrating tomorrow, love?” she asked him as her siblings hung a string of fairy lights in warm autumn hues.
“Ah,” Kai murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not sure, Miss Mara. I’ve never been too keen on the large celebrations.”
“Oh, but they’re so much fun!” Danrelle chimed in as she looked down at Kai from atop her ladder; she was a bit taller and thinner than Mara was, her hair a few shades lighter and midnight blue freckles dotted across the bridge of her nose.
“Dyandra’s got one of the best,” Coyle agreed—he looked almost identical to Mara, though his hair was cut just a bit shorter. “Though, nothing tops our parties for the Day of Navyd.”
“‘One of the best’?” Danrelle scoffed. “You’ve never left Dyandra, Coyle, how would you know?”
“Well, we hear from travellers, don’t we?” he argued, shooting a glare at his other sister.
“You have to come!” Danrelle continued on, ignoring her brother. “They set up for a bunch of street vendors to sell food and other treats, and the fireworks—”
“Oi, leave him be,” Mara snapped. “If he doesn’t want to come, he doesn’t have to.” She turned to Kai, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t blame you if you don’t like the crowds—they can get to be a lot. I feel exhausted after a few minutes, but I have to keep going for these two.”
“As if you don’t enjoy it,” Coyle laughed.
“Never said I didn’t!” Mara argued, rolling her eyes, and Kai smiled at the three siblings. “It is a great deal of fun,” she conceded. “But if you’re not one for crowds, it gets to be overwhelming.”
“Everyone comes, though,” Danrelle said, climbing down her ladder and looking at Kai almost pleadingly. “Even Lady Finella spends the day instead of going to Tenwick.”
Lady Finella. Kai paused for just a moment, thinking. If Lady Finella came, would Enfys make an appearance, as well?
“I’ll consider it,” Kai conceded at last, pulse fluttering a little at the potential—that this at last might be the opportunity he needed to meet Enfys.
Danrelle grinned, clapping her hands together. “That’s all I ask!” she said happily. “Just give it a bit, and you’ll enjoy yourself. You’ll definitely love it.”
Kai nodded, and bade the siblings goodbye as he slipped back into the inn, immediately making his way back up to his room. He set his bag down and dropped himself onto the bed, mind whirling with the sudden idea.
He really hoped that this would be his chance. The only thing he needed now was to decide precisely what he was going to say when he met him.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm his frantic mind. He was so close to the moment he’d spent the past week preparing for—but the sense of longing he felt had little to do with anticipation and expectation, with the possibility of returning to his own time.
Instead, he finally fell asleep while thinking about the Fates giving him the chance to meet Enfys a second time, no matter how brief.
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