Where the Void and its various sub-aspects pushed for destruction and death, the Light dealt with countering it as much as possible through creation and life. Among the gifts it provided were healing and endurance. Strength of mind, body, and spirit were also enhanced beyond the normal capacity. With these powers came the Burden.

Chapter 10

Trynneia rolled the totem between her hands, blowing on it as she’d seen Driver do. It did not surprise her in the slightest that she perceived no direct difference, or change, in her capabilities. Perhaps her focus improved, but then she wasn’t exactly focusing on anything. The only thing she noted was Ditan’s elevated breathing as his body adjusted to being normal once more. Whatever the barrier had been, they both felt sure Driver had meant it to specifically exclude the fledgling shaman.

“The way I see it,” Trynneia began, “Is that neither of us have been much farther from the village than this. We need to find out a lot of things, like where the murderers were taking heads, and why? Were they the only ones? Being out in the field, I don’t know if we’re more safe, or less. More importantly, I’ve lost the only teacher I could have for my powers.” At that admission, her voice broke. “Pretty sure we lost your option too.”

Ditan shrugged nonchalantly. “Not like he was being very hospitable towards the prospect of training me. I’ve gotten decent without one. The elements keep talking to me anyway, so I’ll learn one way or another.”

Near the edge of the horizon, Trynneia stared at the few lights from the village glowing in the distance. She’d already given up on the prospect of returning, so sure she’d been that Driver would take up the mantle of mentor and teacher. She despaired. With his immolation, her choices narrowed down to one.

“Mom never talked about where she’d been trained in the Light. It can’t have been our village.”

“Do you think someone there knows?” Ditan had taken to chewing another few blades of grass to calm his nerves. He sat next to her taking in the same view, though his eyes still darted around. “Can kinda make it out from up here. Home looks small and insignificant from this distance.”

“And we can barely make it out from here,” she agreed. “But yeah, someone should know where mom was trained. Or at the very least, be able to tell us where she came from.”

“Not sure I’m willing to brave my parents.”

“If you can throw a lightning bolt like Driver, you might scare them away,” she retorted, causing them both to laugh, though Ditan gave a rather healthier snort than he intended. “What kind of curfew were they trying to enforce?” she asked.

“Seemed like it was mostly in name only. I was pretty free to come and go as I chose. Patrols were in pairs, but the magistrate had to conscript who he could, so it’s not like they’re trained up for much. Plus it’s people we know and their hearts aren’t into it,” Ditan described what he’d witnessed during the evening he’d been back home.

Trynneia pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, with the totem dangling loosely in her left hand. “Doesn’t sound too bad. I just don’t know who to ask.”

“Well, my parents are right out, as are the few goblin families in our clan. Take it from me, our interests rarely extend past our moneylending. I’d say we could try the magistrate, but he’s just as likely to question us as tell us where your mom came from.” Ditan looked at her sideways. “It’s pretty odd your mom never mentioned where she was trained, or at least grew up. You weren’t ever curious about whether or not you had any other family?”

“Probably part of her obscuring my Light training,” Trynneia pondered. “Might also have something to do with my dad. I never knew him really, and it was a sore spot with her.”

“Maybe you were born during her training from a virgin pregnancy and you have no father. WooOOOooo,” he joked, mimicking a spooky ghost wail.

Trynneia shook her head. “No, she told me I looked like him a bit. I guess I have his nose. And hair. But they parted under unhappy circumstances and chose to raise me alone instead. I don’t even know if he is alive.”

“But hey, if he is, you might be able to connect with him,” Ditan suggested.

Ditan had touched on something that had held a place in her heart for years. As much as Rendrys had tried to mute her past and obscure the Light, Trynneia had eked out those scant details over the years. She’d wanted to know his identity for selfish reasons. Her friends mostly had fathers, and she looked up to their strength, and sense of responsibility. Not that Rendrys didn’t have those as well, but something about the expectation of protective masculinity guarding her mother and herself with purpose made her want a different type of hero.

One that she could call dad. Her mother had been just as communicative as Driver had when it came to asking questions about her father. Quick to ask self-reflective questions, or to redirect to a new topic. After a while, she’d learned there would be no answers, and had given up trying. Perhaps that’s where her frustration with Driver had really come from.

“As lovely as that sounds, mom kept a pretty tight lip on that. She was the one everyone told their secrets to. I don’t suppose it would help her credibility as Priestess of the Light if she freely gave out secrets of her own. If I couldn’t get her to tell me, she sure as Light didn’t tell anyone else.”

“Pretty fair assessment. Old Chet at the Inn, maybe? He’s been running that place forever, and she might have mentioned something when she first came to town. At least, I’d expect her to have stayed there at least briefly.” Ditan rubbed his eyelids, causing himself to see specks of light dancing his eyes when he reopened them.

“We can speculate all night but I think that’s all it’ll be. How about we check with Old Chet about mom, then see if the magistrate found out anything more about the murders? I really would like to rest, so let’s just sleep here for the night and head out first thing in the morning? It’ll take us most of the day, and I’d rather not fumble about in the dark.”

Nodding in his distracted way, he shut his eyes. “Feels reasonable to me, though I wanted to remind you that you can glow and I can light a fire. We could start walking back tonight and be closer when we stop to rest. Plus, I wanted to see if my fire could be brighter than you,” he said with a mischievous grin.

“One, my runes glow mostly in emotional response. It’s pretty involuntary and I can’t quite control it. And two, we don’t need to light a signal beacon straight for us if there happen to be more murderers out there. Finally three, I feel safer being this far away from the village. Less chance of those murderers being close, if they exist.”

“And that is the Light-blessed reason I made you the leader of our little expedition,” Ditan chuckled.

The friends remained at the base of the hill for the remainder of the night. Driver’s shack had been reduced to the smoldering cinders of foundation, and provided no chance of shelter from either weather or predators, animal or otherwise. Lower down, some vegetation provided a bit of cover, and Ditan managed to coax some branches to be just a bit thicker as well.

Trynneia chose to be the first watch. While her mind reeled with questions, her heart coped with the loss of her mother. She needed time to process what it meant for her, as the whirlwind of life had given her precious few moments to do so. Over and over, Rendrys’ gruesome murder played out in her mind, becoming almost as one with the murderer’s taunt just before she herself had been attacked.

Grief became an underlying backdrop to her thoughts as she mulled over her sinking suspicions about being Lightblessed. If the accusations were true, her mother had both deliberately lied about her past and obfuscated her own purpose for being the Priestess of the Light.

Driver’s admission of providing tea put things in new context, and Trynneia teetered dangerously close to hating her mother for what she’d done. Furthermore, if a simple herbal concoction could dampen the use of the Light, she wondered how powerful the Light could even be. Certainly not as strong as Driver had insinuated.

Looking through the branches of their make-shift shelter, she watched some lightning bugs playing near the ruins of Driver’s shack, falling back onto old habits. Distracted, but it held her attention less now. Had her odd fascinations been due to the potency of the tea?

Driver had provided the tea. Her runes flared up in anger. If he’d been complicit, how much could she trust anything he’d told her, anyway? Even during his lucid moments, he’d exhibited instability. Trynneia recognized how insidious this all was.

Ditan snored softly next to her, his green skin decent camouflage against the foliage. Even the goblin had kept things from her, and she’d considered him her closest friend. Why am I dwelling on all these negatives? It’s no good, she admonished herself. It’s not in accordance with the Light. Yet the goblin had trained his abilities in secret, his parents believing he had spent his time with her. She believed him when he told her how long he’d worked at it, but the betrayal didn’t sting any less. Unwilling to think more of these depressing thoughts, Trynneia woke him for his turn at watch, and let sleep take her.

Trynneia woke to Ditan shaking her. The imminent first sunrise already brightened the horizon, and she ached from her unmoving sleep on the unforgiving ground. Ditan looked unreasonably chipper, and Trynneia groaned.

“Just five more minutes, please!, Or even until second sunrise. Boon for a friend?”

“Nope sleepy-head, rise and shine. I’ve decided to add a fourth reason to your list. By the Light, I’m starving. We need to get some food.”

“Oh, why did you have to remind me,” she said as her stomach immediately gurgled in response. “That snack yesterday didn’t really do much, did it?”

“Good thing we’re in farmland. Lots of stuff to nick,” Ditan said, smiling impishly.

“Things have barely been planted, ya fleet-fingered goof. There’s no food to steal.”

“Well, I’m hoping to find a pie cooling on a window-sill or something. That would hit me,” he said, slapping his belly, “Right where it counts!”

“You’ve been thinking of this since I woke you up, haven't you?” she asked.

“Yes, and don’t tell me you weren’t!” he exclaimed. “I’m not built to go several days without food.”

“You and I both, Ditan.”

The pair set off, equal parts dirty, sweaty, hungry, and sleepy. Despite their misgivings the previous day, they made excellent time travelling, even with Ditan’s shorter stature setting the pace. Food dominated their talk, rather than concerns for their arrival back in the village they had so recently decided to avoid. Trynneia kept the lookout, being able to see farther than Ditan.

Much to Ditan’s disappointment, and Trynneia’s empty stomach, they never managed to find an unguarded cake or pie. As Trynneia said, there also wasn’t much in the way of growing crops this early in spring. Ditan regretted not having hunting gear. The only thing of note between them was the totem, and only Trynneia had its exclusive use.

By noon they reached the village, only to be greeted by two separate pairs of patrols who converged on them as they drew near. The friends watched with trepidation as the two groups had some sort of argument while they approached. One group sped off, and the remaining patrol advanced on them.

“Trynneia Lightblessed, your arrest has been directed by the magistrate in connection with the murder of two persons at your home,” the first said, grabbing her roughly and restraining her wrists before she could comprehend what was going on. Her runes began glowing weakly. “Ditan Coinlock, your arrest has also been directed, both as an accomplice as well as suspicion in several thefts over the last two days. Come with us.” The friends looked at each other in confusion as they were led away.