Page 29 of Ceridor

"She came right inside my protections," said Ceridor, his gaze still on the candles and yet also far away, as if he were gazing at what the candles were on the astral plane.

I told him of how Dunu would bring us fish and Effie loved feeding her. Then one day Dunu had brought a little contraption that looked like a beaded rosary but was actually a holder for seven small candles. We found candles small enough and lit them. She was very happy about that, so we lit them whenever she came by. Then one day she took the first candleholder away and brought this blue one by, and we'd been lighting that one for about two months now.

Here I'd been so excited for Ceridor to meet our little creek sprite, especially since I could see her with only two years of magical practice. I'd thought my partner would be pleased and proud of me, but from the worry in his eyes, it looked more like my sister and I had gotten ourselves unintentionally involved in something larger that we didn't understand.

"Was the first one ruby red beads?" asked Ceridor, surprising me.

"Ja, genau," I confirmed.

He nodded slowly, then swallowed, his eyes still on the blue beaded candle holder, though it was covered in melted wax. "So it was lit in Helvetican territory before she delivered it to Peter. We'd diligently made sure the rosary crossed into Danubian territory without being lit, but unknowingly our efforts had already been sabotaged."

"She's fading," my sister said, her eyes beseeching. "Is it her, or just that I'm going back to not being able to see her?"

That snapped Ceridor out of his reverie. "If you can see her now, it's because of something I did. Enjoy it; it likely will only last a few minutes."

Effie gave a sad little hum and handed Dunu another roll.

"Can we take a walk?" I asked my partner. "I want to talk with you, while I'm still like this."

His eyes widened in recognition. "Oh love, let me look at you." He came close, cupping my face and looking into my eyes. I didn't know what he saw. Then he held out his hand. "Come, quickly."

Chapter Twenty

Johann

We walked into the night and hugged the edge of town, far enough out that we couldn't be overheard, yet not quite into the trees. I looked at everything, and everywhere I looked had more color to it than before. The forest undulated with a pale green mist. When early spring fireflies winked in and out of the inky night, I caught dancing motes flittering after them, like sparkles of fairy dust.

But what utterly stole my breath from my chest was the sky. I knew on a dark night I could see the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, and being from the Alps this was something I'd witnessed in beautiful moments before, yet never in as much detail as I did now. It stretched across the sky like a multicolored river of pinks, greens, yellows and even bright blues.

It reminded me of something Ceridor had once said, on one of our many evenings spent with him reading at the inn while Iworked the late shift. He'd told me that astrologers way back in the Renaissance had believed that the planets sang to each other.

Filled with love at the beautiful colors stretching overhead, I could see how they might think that.

Ceridor walked beside me, content to remain quiet and enjoy the late evening for a bit.

But as the colors began to fade, I knew I was returning to my prior state of consciousness. Every part of me wanted to hold onto this heightened state for longer. I had to know everything about this, and most importantly, how I could get there by my own power.

"Why can I see more than before?" I asked. "I saw the white sphere you sent out to stop Dunu attacking you."

My lover brightened, the lamplight from town twinkling in his eyes. "Well done, Johann. That was my life force—your etheric perception is improving."

"It certainly calmed Dunu," I remarked. "And here I'd been looking forward so much to talking with you about her. Surely the fact that I can see her means I've done well honing my magical practices?"

"It does mean you've done well, Johann," my lover praised. "And the white magic calming Dunu proved she's not evil. All sorts of creatures can masquerade as a creek sprite, but the grimy ones would react to my white magic as if it had burned them. She must really be from the blessed Danube, since my life force soothed her and washed away her rage."

"It washed away my alarm," I added, "but it did more than that. I felt lifted somehow, but even that doesn't quite encapsulate it."

I told him about feeling so old and as if I'd lived many lives prior to this one.

"Sounds like maybe your higher soul dropped in," my lover surmised, squeezing my hand. "Is there anything you want to saywhile you're this way, before it fades? I'll remember it for you in case you forget as you transition back. Best to write these things down once we return to the inn."

I thought about that for several moments.

"Tell me why you were so alarmed about the candles," I said.

Ceridor huffed a breath out and seemed to think things over. "There is a power that watches over Danubian High King Ulbrecht in battle."

"The seven lantern gods," I surmised.

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