Chapter 27 Origins
Origins
Rionan came to meet Alianna after work, as he had promised. She had called him on his mobile phone, and the way she could speak to him through it puzzled him, although it was incredibly useful.
Alianna had said she had something important to discuss with him, and to meet her when she finished, at three o’clock this afternoon.
He was once again in his human form, not daring to leave his hotel suite in his natural Xanthian state.
He was wearing his usual finery, a navy-blue shirt with a black belt and black trousers.
He was leaning against a lamp post, waiting for Alianna.
Two women walked past, catching his eye and offering him what he assumed were supposed to be seductive smiles, batting their eyelashes in his direction.
Rionan didn’t respond with words or any returned attention. He looked away from them, staring at the door he knew Alianna would appear through shortly. He had no interest in anyone else and had no need to pay them any attention.
“Rude.” Rionan heard one of them mutter, as they sashayed past him.
Rionan stepped away from the lamp post as he saw Alianna exit the café, her eyes scanning the street for him. When they landed on him, she offered him a broad smile, hastening her walking pace as she moved towards where he stood.
“I found something, I think,” Alianna offered, forgoing a hello, “some place where we might get some answers, or new ideas at least.”
Rionan raised an eyebrow as she pulled a leaflet out of her pocket, handing it to him.
“The museum?” he asked her quizzically, taking in the details of the leaflet and the new exhibitions.
“Yes. There is a new exhibition that I have been told about, which is all about Porthan. The exhibition includes items that belonged to Porthan’s founders. They have recently been returned to the museum, so they’re out on display.”
Rionan considered her words. “It is coincidental timing that these artefacts should appear precisely when I did. And as you pointed out, it is possible that my people have been to this area before, given our very similar currencies. It certainly will not hurt to go there and see what we find.”
“It’s open until 5.30pm. We should be able to get there soon, if we head off now.”
Rionan’s heart warmed at the eagerness in her tone and her desire to help him. He also felt a pang of sadness.
This new headway was good. They might be on to something. The sooner they found it, the sooner he could return to Xanthia.
But Alianna was not in Xanthia. Alianna was here.
He decided to shelve those thoughts for now and offered Alianna an appreciative nod. “Let’s go.”
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“Ali,” crooned an elderly man, who was standing above them at the top of the museum stairs. He was sweeping outside and looked a lot like he needed to sit down. “Lovely to see you, dear. Who have you brought with you?”
“Hi, John. This is…Max,” Alianna offered, hesitating before coming out with his name.
“Hello, Max,” smiled John. He looked at Rionan, who was the same height as him, despite the fact that he stood two stairs lower. “Might you be the reason our Ali has had a smile on her face of late?”
Rionan’s eyes twinkled at the information John had let slip, and he reached out towards her hand. He interlinked his fingers with her own, turning back to John. “Ali and I are…companions. It has been a pleasure spending so much time with her recently.”
“Companions, eh? Is that what you young people call it nowadays?”
When neither of them responded, John continued.
“Ali, my dear. No need to pay for the entrance fee today. Just let them know that you’re here as my guest. I get a couple of free tickets a month, you know, so you can use them today. Enjoy the exhibitions. Good day to you, Max.”
Rionan dipped his chin at the man who resumed his sweeping, whistling softly. Alianna began to lead Rionan into the museum by the hand, with neither of them commenting on the fact that she had not pulled away or let go.
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“You will find the Origins exhibit on the top floor, Miss,” said the ticket clerk, who had organised passes for them due to John’s free tickets. “If you get lost, do ask one of us. Or, there are maps around, if you can find those. Enjoy.”
“Thank you,” Alianna smiled as they began walking to the area the clerk had said the elevator was in.
“Do you think you will find what you need here?” she asked Rionan quietly.
“I don’t know, truly. My powers are silent. We may get another lead, which would be better than nothing at all.”
They entered the elevator, and Alianna pressed the ‘3’ button. While they waited for the elevator to go up, she asked Rionan a question that she had been thinking about since last night in their room.
“Last night, you showed me Xanthia. It seemed to be such a beautiful place. You also told me that the Lord of the East was corrupting his magic and that it could do things to the land. So, what’s the matter? I didn’t see anything awful in Xanthia.”
Rionan considered his words carefully. “The Xanthia I showed you was…before the war. Before the land started changing. Now, where crystal waters shone, horrible pits of stagnant filth sit. Where fish swam, monsters lurk. The singing of the birds has been replaced by the sort of silence that watches you. The Xanthia I showed you is how I want to remember my homeland – not what some maniac has been trying to make it. Full of terror, lurking everywhere that was once good.”
“Has he done that to your territory, even with you there?”
The elevator door opened, and they walked out, presented with three long corridors and a map on the wall ahead of them. Alianna moved towards it, and Rionan followed.
“Not entirely. I have explained that Xanthia has a sort of network that runs through it. This network is supplied with power provided by the four Lords. Xanthia is not a place of violence, of terrible things. When one person has such intentions, their magic changes. Now imagine you had a system of pipework. Four separate systems that end up linking at points. It might take a while, but eventually, the pipework of one system would seep through into another.”
Alianna nodded in understanding. “So, although the West is mostly supplied by you, some of his power has started to creep in?”
“Exactly. Made worse by the fact that he has killed another Lord, and thus, taken over their Well. He is stronger. More of his power can seep in. There is only myself and one other Lord that stands against him.”
“How does a Lord’s power corrupt, if Xanthia is not a place of evil?”
Alianna scanned the map as she asked, keeping her voice low.
“If one has bad enough intentions, then one’s own power begins to reflect this.
Much like the actions other humans put out in your realm are reflected by the thoughts and desires that they have, our powers reflect our intentions, even if it is not a conscious decision to affect the land in such a way.
” Rionan’s lip curled in disgust as he recalled the acts that had taken place in the other territories of Xanthia. “Rannirr revels in it.”
Alianna reached out and took his hand, intending this to be a display of comfort, not knowing what else to say. She decided to change the subject slightly.
“Do you have friends in Xanthia?”
Rionan raised an eyebrow. “Do I seem so miserable and boring to you that I would have no friends?”
“You just haven’t mentioned anyone so far.”
Rionan shrugged. “I do have friends. My closest friends are Ulreah and Thallax. Thallax is my general. Ulreah is my Stormbringer. I have known each of them from childhood, before I became Lord of the West.”
“What’s a Stormbringer?”
“Ulreah is very gifted when it comes to influencing the weather. He can create lightning storms so intense that they could flatten a mountain.”
“So, you all have powers?”
“Many of us do, each are different. Ulreah controls the storms, the electrical currents in the air, and can be quite the weapon. He is also as stubborn as a mule, although that is not really a power, just an observation. Thallax has an affinity for persuading people to do certain things. He is incredibly charismatic. It makes him a fantastic leader for our armies. He is able to rally the weariest of soldiers, embolden the terrified. My power, as a Lord, is of Xanthia. It is of life and of our world.”
“So what can you do?” Alianna asked.
Rionan levelled a look at her. “I can do what I want.”
“Somebody likes getting their way, I see,” she retorted, no malice behind the statement.
“Of course I like getting my way. It makes my life a lot easier,” Rionan smiled broadly, squeezing her hand.
“I speak truthfully, though – my powers are much less specific than Ulreah’s or Thallax’s, and can be adapted to suit most needs.
I can affect the elements, the ground beneath our feet, the minds of others, whether it feels hot, or feels cold - ”
“You can affect people’s minds?” Alianna asked nervously.
“Should I choose to, then yes,” Rionan looked at her earnestly, his brow furrowing.
“I have told you, Ali, that I have never used my powers against you. You need not be worried by me or my actions towards you. In fact, thus far, I believe I have mostly used these powers to obtain lodgings, clothing, and food. Oh – and the mobile phone.”
Alianna cringed inwardly. He must have sensed her brief concern about the way he could have potentially used his powers, their bond giving her away in whichever form that manifested for him.
“I’m sorry. I’m still processing all of this.”
“I know,” he nodded, stroking a thumb over the back of her hand. “Come – we can discuss more later. Where on this floor is this exhibit?”
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