Arbiter (The Arbiter Chronicles Book 1) (9 page)

Rae nodded, cautiously following the High Lord into the woods. This time, they didn’t go far, staying just out of earshot of Cathel and Ania and standing next to the larger river that fed the lake. The water flowed strongly in this spot, splashing merrily against the rocks and bubbling down towards the greater portion of the pool. She kept a careful distance from the edge, standing next to the High Lord.

“…You have not asked me about Kaeltharin,” said the High Lord after a while, watching the sky begin to grow orange.

Rae folded her arms. She tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle the sudden hopeful feeling that she felt. She had been waiting for the High Lord to speak about the Shard since they first arrived here, but now, four days in, she was starting to believe that that moment would never come. “…I thought you’d bring it up, on your own time.”

“I had always intended to,” said the High Lord. “I will tell you what you need to know. In due time. There are still a few more things I must speak with you about.”

Rae watched the High Lord carefully. “…I’m listening”

“Do you understand,” asked the High Lord. “what it truly means to be Arbiter?”

“…I make decisions,” answered Rae. The past few days, their conversations had been solely about her duties as Arbiter. Even though Rae was not sure she wanted to take on that responsibility…and in fact was almost certain she was going to refuse it, she knew the importance of the High Lord’s test. She had answered all of the questions truthfully. “My final decisions can’t be overturned. I get to decide on things that involve me, or things that are brought to my attention.”

“As Arbiter, you are given the most freedom of any position of office,” said the High Lord. “You have the ability to decide. None can deny you the right to make whatever ruling seems right to you. Understand that. But understand as well that as Arbiter, you are the most bound. You yourself are bound by your decisions. Your Rulings cannot be overturned, not even by you. As such…you are responsible for the consequences of your actions.”

Rae folded her arms, her expression growing thoughtful as she stared down at the water. “…You’re talking about the deal I made with the Reaper,” she said quietly.

“In part,” said the High Lord. “Do you understand why the Reaper could not simply kill you?”

She shrugged. She had thought about it once, wondering why the Reaper didn’t simply take her life like he had with all others. The best answer she could come up with was that he liked to toy with her. She was an interesting puzzle for him—a girl who could see him and could see what he did.

It hadn't always been that way, she remembered. There was a time when the Reaper had been content to simply observe her. That was before he discovered that she had a voice of her own. The memory of their confrontation came back to her. She lowered her eyes as she always did at the memory. It wasn't something she liked to remember. Would she have taken it back if she could? Probably.

But he had taken Hallie. Someone needed to speak for Hallie, or no one would have.

“No,” she said. “I thought he just wanted to torture me.”

“In a way, he does,” said the High Lord. “He has always been somewhat vindictive. But understand, had you been anyone else, if he wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. But you are Arbiter. He cannot kill you. He has to make you decide to die—to choose that fate of your own free will.”

Rae stared at the river as the weight of the High Lord’s words began to rest on her. The Reaper couldn’t kill her without her consent, but by agreeing to his deal, then she had basically given him consent. She had made her choice.

…And the Arbiter’s Ruling could not be overturned.

Her hand curled into a fist, a scowl appearing on her face as her eyes narrowed.

“…Bastard…”

If the High Lord thought anything about her language, she didn’t show it. Instead, she simply nodded at Rae, turning towards her. “You begin to understand.”

“So if I don’t give him Kaeltharin in a year, I’ve basically given him the only opening he’ll ever get to kill me,” she said.

“Or worse,” said the High Lord quietly, her expression growing far off as she turned away from Rae. “The Reaper would not be called the Thief of Souls if he only brought death.”

Rae suddenly felt cold. She knew from the beginning that he meant for her to fail out here, but it was only now that she began to understand just how deep his machinations ran. And she had the feeling she was only scratching the surface of it. “…And if I win, I leave him with a weapon,” she said quietly.

“Yes,” said the High Lord. “If you make that choice.”

“What other choice do I have?” asked Rae, looking up at the High Lord. “I can’t fight him.”

“Can’t you?” asked the High Lord, raising an eyebrow at her. “You assume that you only have two choices—win or lose. You are Arbiter. You always have other options.” She looked away from Rae, looking out at the woods across the river as the sun began to set. “…There was a time when the Reaper was a Lord of the Dark Court.”

Rae waited, but the High Lord didn’t say anything else. She looked up at the High Lord. “…And?” she prompted.

The High Lord stared at her as if she had just asked a question with an obvious answer. It was the same look Rae would have given someone, if they had asked her what color the sky was. “…The High Court and the Dark Court are equal in strength. To fight the Reaper, you would need strength equal to that of a High Lord.”

Rae stared. She didn’t need magic to know how strong the High Lord was. She had most of her life to tell how strong the Reaper was. How was she supposed to win in a fight against either of them? She had less than no chance.

“I don’t have that kind of power.”

“You don’t,” agreed the High Lord. “…Yet. But an Arbiter—a true Arbiter—is never defenseless. If you find Kaeltharin, find but not give it to him, then you have not overturned the Ruling you established with the Reaper. If you find Kaeltharin, it will give you power, but only if you are ready. In one year, the Reaper will come for you. That is certain. Kaeltharin will help, but it will not be enough.”

“I will give you a weapon,” said the High Lord. “I will give you a weapon that can defeat even the Reaper. I will give you the acknowledgment that has been granted the Arbiters since the beginning of time.”

The High Lord’s words were sharp, edged with steel. Rae watched the woman, a look of surprise on her face. The whole time she had spoken with the High Lord, she had seemed…detached. Indifferent, almost. As if it didn’t matter to her whether Rae became Arbiter or not, or as if it didn’t matter to her whether or not she succeeded in her quest. But now, something was different about her. There was actual emotion in her words, anger and vehemence and determination in her voice.

She couldn’t care less about whether or not Rae succeeded as Arbiter, she realized. She just wanted to see the Reaper die.

A thought occurred to her, something she had been wondering since the first day she, Ania, and Cathel had spent in the High Lord’s glade.

“…High Lord,” said Rae quietly. “…What happened to Ania’s father?”

The High Lord’s fists clenched, although no emotion showed on her face. Rae held her breath, wondering if the High Lord would kill her for daring to ask the question. But instead, the High Lord simply exhaled, and seemed to diminish somewhat. For one moment, her eyes became sad, and for that one moment, she almost didn’t look like a queen.

“He is lost to us,” she said bitterly. “He has been lost to us for many years.” She looked up at Rae, and this time her eyes were hard again. Suddenly, she was once again a queen.

“…The Reaper took my consort from me, as he took your family from you,” said the High Lord. “You have been hurt by him, so perhaps you can begin to fathom the hurt the Reaper has inflicted on me and mine. For this, I am willing to help you gain your revenge. But I would not acknowledge you as Arbiter had I not first tested your resolve. You bear the qualities an Arbiter needs. The mark was not given to you in error. That is my test, but others will test you in different ways.” She slowly unclenched her fists, turning towards Rae.

“I will not appear to you for a few nights,” she said. “There are things I need to gather, before I can acknowledge you fully. I ask that you wait for my return. When I return, we will speak of Kaeltharin. Is this acceptable?”

Rae hesitated for only a moment. A few nights was more wasted time, but they would lose more time wandering around lost. She nodded once. “It is,” she said. “We’ll be here.”

“Good,” said the High Lord, nodding at her. “I suggest you pay close attention to the things the
tarethan
is teaching you. They will help you, upon my arrival.”

#

It was three days before Rae saw the High Lord again. She was reading—having finally caved and asked Cathel to lend her the book he had brought, and was sitting with her back against one of the stone pillars in the raised platform the High Lord had shown her. Cathel and Ania sat in the center of the platform, Ania explaining something to Cathel. She spoke half in Common and half in her own language, and Cathel responded in kind.

She focused on the page she was reading as she listened idly to their conversation. She had picked up a bit of the Ivali language from Ania over the past few days. It helped her stave off some of the boredom, and it also eased her anxiousness about the High Lord’s coming. She couldn’t help but think that each day that ticked by was a day she could be moving, looking for Kaeltharin.

It was Cathel who saw the High Lord first. He caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye, and jumped to his feet when she approached. Rae set down her book, glancing over at her. The High Lord looked as regal as always, the same steely look in her eye that Rae had seen the first time she met the woman.

“…High Lord,” said Cathel, bowing.

She slowly got to her feet as well, setting aside Cathel’s book.

“
Tarethan,”
said the High Lord, turning towards Cathel. “You have been teaching the Arbiter magic, have you not?”

“I have,” said Cathel with a nod, his eyes moving over to Rae before going back to the High Lord. “Just the First Teachings.”

“In your opinion,” said the High Lord, “Do you think she is ready to learn a Series spell?”

Cathel considered the question for one weighty moment. “…I haven’t finished the Teachings,” he said. “But she’s talented. Yes, I think if there was someone who could teach her, she would be able to learn.”

“Good,” said the High Lord, turning towards Rae. “Come, Arbiter,” she said, turning on one heel and walking off into the woods. “I will teach you my Decadal Spell, as my acknowledgment of you.”

Rae started after the High Lord, doing her best to ignore the look of sudden shock on Cathel’s face.

Decadal Spell.

The High Lord's last words rang through Rae's mind as she followed her through the woods. She thought back to the look on Cathel's face as the High Lord mentioned that name. Rae's eyes fixed on the High Lord's back. Cathel's magic was the Edictal Series. He could command things, so it made sense that the series name was the adjective form of the word 
edict
.

Was this also a series, then?

The Decadal Series…

From what root word? Decade? Ten years?

No…ten. A set of ten.

Ten spells. Ten Lords.

…Acknowledgment from half of the High Lords, and half of the Dark Lords. A power that was meant for her, as her right as Arbiter…

Rae stopped as the High Lord stopped, realizing that they were now in a place she hadn't seen before. They had walked further up the river, and this seemed to be the place where the river began, bursting from a wall of rock just ahead of her. A delicate set of white stairs curled around the spring, leading to a small white pavilion. Rae followed the High Lord up the steps and realized that the pavilion contained a single flat pool. Its roof was open, the moonlight reflecting against the surface of the pool of water. The pool was divided by two white stone platforms, projecting out across its diameter. They didn't touch, so the pool wasn't completely bisected, but they faced each other.

The High Lord moved to stand on the larger platform. Rae, understanding, stood on the smaller one, facing her. There was just enough room between the platforms that the two of them could join hands, if they stood at the edge and reached out. She could step over it easily, but somehow, she knew that doing so would be a show of great disrespect.

"I have brought you here to the seat of my power in order to acknowledge you as Arbiter," said the High Lord. "I have come tonight prepared to teach you my Decadal Spell. Before I do this, there is one thing I must ask of you."

"What?” asked Rae, meeting the High Lord's eyes.

"The Decadal Series is the most powerful series ever mastered by a human mage. It is the series of the Arbiters, and as such, its use has fallen into legend. There are many magical forces out there that can harm the Ivali. Few can harm them in the way that the Decadal Spells can. Each spell is a gift from a High Lord, carefully crafted by them. Each spell contains a small portion of their heart, and with it, their trust."

Her eyes focused on Rae, and her expression was serious again. Rae once again felt dwarfed by this woman, who had seen countless ages and had seen people like her rise and fall. "I am giving you a great weapon," she said. "As Arbiter, I trust that you will use it well. But you are not recognized as Arbiter yet. Because of this, I must ask that you allow me to mark you with a geis before we begin."

Rae stared at the High Lord. "A geis?" She thought back to the mark on her arm, the jagged black slash that held the Reaper's promise to come for her in one year.

The High Lord nodded. Rae's eyes narrowed.

"…And what do you want me to do for you?"

"One thing only. That you see this through to the end, whatever that end is. If you decide to run away, or to abandon your duty or your post as Arbiter, all of this power will leave you—this, and any Decadal Spell that you learn after this. Do you agree to my terms?"

"…That's all?" asked Rae, a slightly surprised expression on her face as she watched the High Lord. "You just want me to finish this?"

The High Lord nodded. "That is all. This power was meant only for Arbiters. You may choose to deny yourself your rank, but you must know that the Decadal Series and the Arbiter title are inseparable. You cannot have one without the other."

She looked up, her silver eyes meeting Rae's. Rae held her gaze. It was hard. The High Lord's stare practically burned. "Do you accept my terms, Arbiter?"

She couldn't allow this opportunity to pass her by. If this spell would actually allow her to fight the Reaper…to find Kaeltharin…she couldn't simply leave it be. She was, at the very least, smart enough to understand this.

Rae stared at the High Lord, before nodding once. "…I accept.”

"Good," said the High Lord. "Now sit. I will endeavor to teach you my Spell."

Rae sat, slowly lowering herself onto the smooth stone. She sat cross-legged, in the most comfortable position she could manage. The High Lord followed, sitting on the platform in front of her. She folded her legs underneath herself in one graceful movement, in stark contrast to Rae's abrupt dropping down. It reminded her in that moment how far apart she and the High Lord really were. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, placing her hands in the High Lord's when she held them out.

"Close your eyes," said the High Lord, her hands closing over hers. "Take hold of your Source, and follow my instructions."

Rae nodded, slowly letting out the breath she was holding and attempting to relax, as she sank back into her mind. Taking hold of her Source was something that had been hard for her in the beginning, but now that she had trained more with Cathel, it was something that was coming more and more naturally. She knew now not to rush in after it, instead reaching out towards it and inviting it to come into her.

It did, and she grasped it close to herself, inhaling deeply as she felt that sudden rush of power. It thrummed within her grasp, waiting to be used, wanting to be drawn forth to the surface. Cathel had taught her two ways to do that, and was in the process of teaching her a third, but she held her Source where it was, not using any of those outlets as she waited for the High Lord's instructions.

She felt the High Lord's hands move, her fingertips lightly brushing against Rae's knuckles.

"…You have learned some the First Teachings," said the High Lord. "You understand how to let your power flow. Do not do that now. This spell is different. It does not form out of a projection of your Source. It is your Source. The Decadal Spells turn inward. They change you, turn you into something more than human. That is the power of the Decadal Series."

Rae nodded to show that she was listening, even though it was hard to listen and restrain her power at the same time. Her face scrunched up in concentration, her breaths beginning to shorten.

The High Lord's grip on her hands tightened only briefly. She felt it as a fluttering of fingers against her hand, reminding her of the High Lord's presence.

"You have grasped your Source," said the High Lord. "But for you to learn this, it will not be enough. Search for my Source. Grasp it in your hands and take it in towards you."

Search for the High Lord's Source…?

Rae's hands moved slightly under the High Lord's touch. They were connected like this. With the spell to cast light and the spell to start fires, she had expelled her power through her hands. What if she did the same now?

Slowly, experimentally, she exhaled, releasing just a small portion of her power into her fingertips. She pushed that portion of her Source into the High Lord's hand, searching. The power traveled from her into the High Lord. Rae felt it move, felt her senses shift, so that she was suddenly aware of her own mind and the High Lord's mind as well. She was floating above a sea of power—the High Lord's Source. Rae reached out to break the surface, to take just a small portion of that power, but it faded away, ever shifting, ever moving, and always out of her reach. She extended her hand towards it the same way she did with her own Source, but it continued to move, shifting around her with no discernible pattern—alternating patches of shadow and light. The High Lord's Source was vast, and the power behind it nearly took her breath away.

Was this the distance between them? The difference between the Source of a human and the Source of the Ivali?

The High Lord's power flitted around her in a circle, teasing, but never coming close enough to touch, taunting while remaining just out of reach. It was overwhelming, and the sea of power rose up around her, threatening to drown her.

"
Think on the nature of Source." 
The High Lord's voice sounded distant, like it was coming from far away, instead of right in front of her. Rae gasped for breath as the power flared up around her, and she lost all sense of place, all sense of time, all other sensation, her mind filled with the High Lord's light and the High Lord's power. 
"You learned to reach your own Source. Learn to reach mine, in the same manner…"

In the same manner…

Cathel had taught her how to reach her own Source. He had taught her that in order to reach her Source, she must understand herself. She needed to reach her Source in a way that she herself would respond to. But how could she take that same teaching and translate it in a way that applied to a High Lord of the Ivali…?

The High Lord had spoken of this a few days ago. They were different. Their abilities were different, and their desires were different. She couldn't treat the High Lord as someone who was the same as her. And neither could she treat the High Lord's Source in the same way. But what did she know about the High Lord…?

What did she truly know about Alcian?

…Alcian was a spirit of the wilds. She was queenly and regal, but she would never be confined to a castle of stone. In the same way, her Source would never be confined—it would rebel at any attempt to capture it, any attempt to confine it in four walls. It wanted to flow, to go its own natural way.

Immediately, she released it, floating upwards and away from the sea of power. Alcian's power withdrew from her, and she felt the pressure on her chest ease up for a moment, allowing her to gulp down much needed air as the power below her continued to fluctuate. She couldn't reach for it. She couldn't contain it. But if she couldn't contain it, how was she supposed to grasp it?

What else did she know about Alcian?

Alcian was…Alcian was a paradox. One minute she could be Ania's tender mother, the next she could be casually discussing Rae's death. She was detached from the whole situation with the Reaper and involved at the same time. She was both passionate and aloof, both secretive and at the same time, incredibly open. She was a queen who scorned formality, a ruler who lived in ruin. She was a summer day and a winter night, light and shadow. She was cold steel and forge fire, still waters and raging storm. She was…

…An image came into Rae's mind in that instant, the image of silver light against the black stone of the ruins she and Cathel had found themselves in.

She was the moon.

She was all of its moods, all of its shifting phases. She couldn't be confined to one definition. She was duality.

Four walls could never contain her. A hand could never grasp her, because it would only grasp one face of her at a given time. And she was more than that. She was more than one side, one face. And her Source was…her Source…

Rae stared at the shifting waves of power beneath her and took in a sharp breath, grasping her own Source in her hands. She cast her Source into the endless shifting sea of Alcian's power, then wove it upward, the threads of Alcian's Source weaving into hers as it flew up in a bright arc. It soared over her head and then back down, alternating patches of light and shadow.

Alcian's Source couldn't be contained. It could only be encouraged to flow.

The threads of power she had captured broke off from the original Source, completing the circle around her. Pure darkness above her head, pure light beneath her feet, and the shifting shades of gray in between.

Alcian was the moon.

And her Source flowed in a circle.

Rae gasped as she felt that power flood into her, the circle wrapping tight around her. Bright light exploded behind her eyelids, and she felt herself being bodily hurled away from the High Lord, her world dissolving around her as she lost all thought, all feeling.

The light took over.

#

I have lost much…

The words sounded like they came out of a dream, drifting through her unconscious mind and pulling her back into wakefulness. Rae slowly opened her eyes, looking around her. She felt…strange. Her thoughts moved sluggishly, and her mind felt somewhat blurred, her body feeling as though it was floating. She was lying in the center of a pool of light, the High Lord's power still surrounding her. The girl raised her hand in front of her eyes, slowly flexing her fingers and staring at it. Bright light gathered at her fingertips, wisps of it dancing over her skin.

…
And I have seen many lost…

The High Lord's voice rang around her, echoing in her mind. Rae clenched her fist, watching with mild interest as the light dissipated, fleeing from her. Shadow took its place, the light slowly changing and becoming darkness.

…
Will I lose you as well…?

She didn't know if it was truly the High Lord that was speaking, or if she was dreaming it. Rae slowly sat up, resting her hands in her lap. Light and shadow intertwined, playing around her fingers. She knew that this meant something, that this was a wonderful sight, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to care. She felt coolly detached. A part of her wondered, in the back of her mind, if this was what it was to die.

…
You have reached into the heart of a High Lord and survived. You will never be the same again.