Page 1 of Triadic

Chapter One: Corbi

October 21, 2448

When I arrived back at our room, I stood in the doorway, watching as my lovers Wren and Marit cuddled in bed together, pretending to read but actually getting a little handsy. Just when I started teasing them about not leaving any space for me to join in, a monk called from downstairs with a message for Wren.

The letter I accepted for him held such a magical weight to it that I recognized the sensation from my etheric training. Causation: something coming in and adding to the picture of one's life so substantially that it changed their fate.

With no shortage of trepidation, I climbed the stairs and handed it over to our Wren.

Already causation was at work: Wren had frozen, his eyes wide at having apparently recognized the penmanshipof the author. Trembling hands took the envelope and freed the letter. Marit shot me a glance in question, but I shook my head—I didn't know. My intuition was on high alert, every hair standing up on the back of my neck, but I wasn't privy to the details.

Wren read the letter in silence, then handed it to Marit, his expression unreadable, processing. Marit's expression went from worried to stone-faced. He read it lightning-fast before handing it over to me. I rushed to sit on the bed and take it.

Dear Wren,

I have secured a court magician's position under the warlord that has brought peace to the Danubian plains three days' ride east of you. This king has a mountain shrine of seven lanterns to honor old gods who the people believe have allowed their king to secure the area and bring peace. The elderly mystic that once manned the shrine has now passed through the veil, and without the support of these gods, Helvetica's border could once again return to warring states. Though I know a shrine mystic is in no way a glamorous calling, I still thought of you for the position.

See you soon?

Ingeborg

Ingeborg was the traveling mage woman who had found Wren wandering the streets as a child and taken him under her wing. She'd let him tag along, teaching him meditation and especially memory techniques. After many years, she had rightfully concluded that Wren wasn't suited to the kind of training she could give him, that of learning the waysof the world and human behavior in order to be hired to advise a ruler or even a king. She'd then dropped him off at Diana Monastery, where he could get a more formal magical education, and Wren had eventually gone deep into theurgic training to connect directly to the divine.

Marit shot me another look, and I realized I had frozen in shock. I tended to ice over when things got to be too much. It was a function of my upbringing and made it difficult to be present for my partners.

"Indeed that is not a glorious calling," said Marit. "It will be humble, to say the least. If the old man died from being robbed and murdered, knowing how unstable that region has been, then you'll have to be prepared to defend yourself without neighbors close enough to hear you."

A shiver ran through me as terror filled my veins.

Marit then delivered a truth. "For your mentor, a mage by every definition of the word, and one powerful enough to secure a position next to a warrior king...for her to say that this elderly person was a mystic is really something, Wren. Those gods in the seven lanterns were probablythere. You wouldn't be manning an empty shrine or need to struggle to establish some kind of connection with the Unseen. If it hasn't been too long since the lanterns went out, then those gods are likely waiting for someone to pick up where the old mystic left off."

Then he whispered, "If we just knew you'd be safe, Wren…"

Slowly, I pushed my inner turmoil aside. How could Marit be so calm right now? He had the wherewithalto advise Wren even as his face was drawn tight with pain. But Wren was already looking into the future and did not notice.

This was surely the end of us as lovers. The monastery rules were that upon reaching adulthood, we could take partners and lovers. But we could not fallin lovewith them, or say words of confession or commitment, because our duty to the gods had to come first.

My heart had never listened to those rules. I'd loved Marit since the day I met him, and when Wren crashed into our lives, he had eventually worked his way into my heart also. I had kept with our monastic vows, however, and never uttered those precious words.

Wren nodded. "This is what we are trained to do, and why the three of us have held back from giving our hearts to each other. If it is to serve the gods, then when we are called, we must go. My training and talent does lie in connecting to spiritual forces."

My breathing came more shallowly. I set the letter on the bed so it didn't flutter in my trembling hands. Wren had always prioritized his connection to the gods and had lived waiting for an opportunity like this. After a decade of deep friendship with us and several years of sharing our bed...he was going to leave. Just like that.

I jumped in. "You have more than talent, Wren, and this posting doesn't have to be permanent. You can always come back if something changes. We will be here to support you, however you should need us."

As I spoke, Marit watched me like a hawk. "Genau," he confirmed.

Our gazes locked. We weren't allowed to love each other, but at least Marit would stay with me. He'd sunk his claws into the head librarian until he'd finally been allowed to apprentice under him, thus securing him a spot at Diana Monastery even after we came of age and the monastery started trying to push us out the door and back into the local economy. My job as a medicinal herbalist and healer was one of the few that the monastery held onto, since medical remedies brought in outside money.

Wren's voice was barely above a whisper. "I know we aren't supposed to love each other, since our duty is to the gods, and we've always known one or more of us would be called away..."

As he trailed off I watched Marit's reaction to Wren's words, wondering if Marit felt the same way I did, all but screaming inside for Wren to choose us over this divine calling.

"I guess I just never thought we'd actually be separated," Wren said softly.

That broke us out of it, and both Marit and I nodded. Wren indeed had been preparing to leave the monastery ever since dedicating himself to a theurgic path. As the years wore on, I'd become so used to him being here with us, I'd all but forgotten this day would come. I couldn't be the one to ask him to choose us, however. He had to do that on hisown.

I gathered my courage. "You've got a big change ahead of you. Let's spend what time we have left together. Marit and I will be sure to send letters and snacks whenever a messenger is headed in your direction."

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