the staggering loneliness he must have felt when Ari and Kinsey toppled over, taking away the last best hope for a solution.
“Aristotle insisted that you were going to return. Kinsey agreed with him. He told me to give this to you when you arrived,” Tritos withdrew an envelope from inside his tunic and handed it to Alec. “ Bethany had maintained all along that you would be back. ‘It’s just the way it is with Alec,’ she told everyone,” Tritos added, before he let go of the envelope. “She had made her peace with your disappearances, or at least you’d made your peace with her.”
Alec looked at the envelope. His name was written in a bold stroke. It felt like a letter from sometime long ago, or like a letter from a dead person, even though he refused to think of the unconscious ingenairii in those terms. Tritos rose and walked away, while the others sat and looked at Alec.
Chapter 7 – The Journey Begins
Alec gently tore the seal on the folded parchment, and opened the paper to look at the message. He was frightened at the implications of Ari’s foreknowledge – had the wily leader foreseen a prophetic vision of the collapse of the ingenairii abilities?
“ Dear Alec ,” the first line read, and those simple words moved him again.
“ If you are reading this, the worst has happened, and our breed is on the brink of extinction.
“This strange malady that is striking us down is a result of your victory over the demons of Michian. I have no knowledge of how or why, but my heart feels the truth in those words. Beware of the deadly battle that awaits you if you choose to seek to rescue our fallen friends and colleagues.
“There is a weapon you may be able to use, in the lands of the lacertii. Your decision to seek peace with that race is potentially most fortunate. What the weapon is, I do not know, but it resides in a forgotten holy place that is now under the sway of the lacertii.
“You have done much already Alec, and no one should ask you to do another impossible, heroic task. Yet there is no one else. Go quickly, study with the lacertii to find the weapon that will defeat a demon, and then find and fight the battle if you choose.
“God bless you Alec. I rejoice that you are still alive to read this,
“Affectionately, Aristotle ”
“What is it Alec?” Lewis asked.
Alec tried to refocus from the letter to his friends.
“You gasped while you were reading,” Inga added.
Alec shook his head after a moment of silence. “Aristotle said that this is all my fault, and only I can fix it,” he paused. “I’ll have to go to the lacertii lands to find the weapon to use.”
The others sat in stunned silence, looking at him.
“How can it possibly be your fault?” Berlisle asked.
Lewis reached for the letter in Alec’s hand, and began to read it himself.
Tritos, meanwhile sat with a look of thunder on his face. “This is all your fault? What have you done to everyone? How could you do this to your own friends? To Bethany ?” he asked.
“I don’t know what I did, nor does Aristotle say how; he says that my battle with the demons caused this,” Alec said defensively. “But I will leave immediately to go visit the lacertii to find the way to fix this.”
“What about the palace and the crown and the usurpers, Alec?” Lewis asked. “Don’t you think you need to address the problems here in Oyster Bay first?”
“All of that is meaningless to me if I don’t restore the ingenairii powers, because Bethany and the others will die,” Alec burst out. “I, yes, I should do something, but I don’t have time,” he floundered, uncertain
“Aristotle insisted that you were going to return. Kinsey agreed with him. He told me to give this to you when you arrived,” Tritos withdrew an envelope from inside his tunic and handed it to Alec. “ Bethany had maintained all along that you would be back. ‘It’s just the way it is with Alec,’ she told everyone,” Tritos added, before he let go of the envelope. “She had made her peace with your disappearances, or at least you’d made your peace with her.”
Alec looked at the envelope. His name was written in a bold stroke. It felt like a letter from sometime long ago, or like a letter from a dead person, even though he refused to think of the unconscious ingenairii in those terms. Tritos rose and walked away, while the others sat and looked at Alec.
Chapter 7 – The Journey Begins
Alec gently tore the seal on the folded parchment, and opened the paper to look at the message. He was frightened at the implications of Ari’s foreknowledge – had the wily leader foreseen a prophetic vision of the collapse of the ingenairii abilities?
“ Dear Alec ,” the first line read, and those simple words moved him again.
“ If you are reading this, the worst has happened, and our breed is on the brink of extinction.
“This strange malady that is striking us down is a result of your victory over the demons of Michian. I have no knowledge of how or why, but my heart feels the truth in those words. Beware of the deadly battle that awaits you if you choose to seek to rescue our fallen friends and colleagues.
“There is a weapon you may be able to use, in the lands of the lacertii. Your decision to seek peace with that race is potentially most fortunate. What the weapon is, I do not know, but it resides in a forgotten holy place that is now under the sway of the lacertii.
“You have done much already Alec, and no one should ask you to do another impossible, heroic task. Yet there is no one else. Go quickly, study with the lacertii to find the weapon that will defeat a demon, and then find and fight the battle if you choose.
“God bless you Alec. I rejoice that you are still alive to read this,
“Affectionately, Aristotle ”
“What is it Alec?” Lewis asked.
Alec tried to refocus from the letter to his friends.
“You gasped while you were reading,” Inga added.
Alec shook his head after a moment of silence. “Aristotle said that this is all my fault, and only I can fix it,” he paused. “I’ll have to go to the lacertii lands to find the weapon to use.”
The others sat in stunned silence, looking at him.
“How can it possibly be your fault?” Berlisle asked.
Lewis reached for the letter in Alec’s hand, and began to read it himself.
Tritos, meanwhile sat with a look of thunder on his face. “This is all your fault? What have you done to everyone? How could you do this to your own friends? To Bethany ?” he asked.
“I don’t know what I did, nor does Aristotle say how; he says that my battle with the demons caused this,” Alec said defensively. “But I will leave immediately to go visit the lacertii to find the way to fix this.”
“What about the palace and the crown and the usurpers, Alec?” Lewis asked. “Don’t you think you need to address the problems here in Oyster Bay first?”
“All of that is meaningless to me if I don’t restore the ingenairii powers, because Bethany and the others will die,” Alec burst out. “I, yes, I should do something, but I don’t have time,” he floundered, uncertain
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