The market was bustling, as usual. There was a time that bothered Akna, but she was getting used to it now. More importantly, the people in the market—and more widely, the whole city—were getting used to her. She didn’t receive as many disgusted glances when she was out. People recognised her now. They’d seen her in public appearances with Anita, and about on her own. There were still a few disgusted glances, and muttered complaints, as well as many who didn’t approve of her “rumoured” relationship with the Lady of Belone, but Akna didn’t let that bother her. She was actually starting to enjoy time out in the city.
The weather was getting better, too. It was warming up and the snow was starting to melt. She could get away with not wearing annoying shawls. It was still chilly, but she could put up with it. The chill actually helped her feel more alert.
Corvin was about somewhere, but as was typical, he’d run off into the crowd, and she hadn’t seen him for a while. It was possible he had gone to investigate the alarm horn. He had run off before it, but it would explain why he was taking longer than usual to return. It had come from the direction of the docks. She had started to move that way herself, but only a short time later, an all-clear sounded. She would find out what had happened later, but if the issue was over, she should finish what she came here for.
That was to arrange for a delivery of supplies for the palace guards—food and ale, as well as basic living supplies like blankets and soap, things they needed more of as they hired more guards. Of course, this was not the kind of job she would normally be responsible for, but Anita had suggested it as a way to get out of the palace for a while.
“Trying to get rid of me?” Akna had joked.
Anita laughed, causing the handmaid doing her make-up to stumble back a bit and reach for a handkerchief. Anita put a hand to her mouth in embarrassment. “No, of course not, but I know you’ve been feeling all cooped up. You don’t even need to actually arrange anything if you don’t want to. I’m just trying to find an official reason why you might leave the palace, but it’s not strictly necessary.”
“I suppose I could do that,” Akna said.
There was an awkward silence while the handmaid hurried to fix the make-up mistake. It was always awkward talking to Anita while her handmaids were attending her. There were often long pauses during which Anita couldn’t say anything. Akna was glad she didn’t have any handmaids. Anita had tried to give her some, of course, but Akna had refused.
“It will be good for you,” Anita eventually said. “Besides, you also have to be on the lookout for that Isyar you’re supposed to save. It would be terrible if you missed her.”
“I don’t think it works that way,” Akna said. “It’ll happen when it happens, no matter what I do.”
“Really? I confess I don’t really understand this time travel stuff.”
Akna chuckled. “Neither do I.”
“Still, it’s very strange knowing that you’re going to be doing something before it’s happened.”
Akna gave a non-committal grunt. Felitïa didn’t like the idea of future events being preset. She seemed to think it removed free will or something like that. But Akna didn’t see it that way. Eleuia may have foretold many events, but the number still paled to how much happened to people in their lives. There were countless ways to reach those events, so there was still free will.
She did wonder though, what would happen if, when the time came, she chose to not save the Isyar girl? Was that possible? If the answer was no, did that remove free will?
Ugh, she hated these lines of thought, and the fact she was debating them in her head meant she really did need a break, so she agreed to Anita’s suggestion.
Now she was in the market, where she had just made arrangements for soap to be delivered to the palace. She was on her way to where she might order blankets. It was menial work, but she was feeling good about it. It did make a nice change from the usual.
“Akna!”
Corvin darted through the crowd towards her. She should scold him for running off again, but she didn’t really want to.
“Akna! You have to come!”
“Where have you been?”
“I saw the Tall Man!”
“What? Where?”
Corvin pointed. “This way!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the crowd.
She resisted for only a moment, but then followed him, though she did pull her hand away from his. If he had really seen the Tall Man, she would need both hands.
“He was with an old man with no eyes. The old man was yelling at him.”
They hurried through the crowds and away from the market. In all likelihood, the Tall Man would be gone by the time they got there, but it was worth investigating just in case. They were moving roughly in the direction of the docks. Could this be related to the earlier alarm horn, or was it just a coincidence?
They rushed a few blocks down a main street and then down a couple side streets. Finally, Corvin slowed near an alley. “They were up here.” He edged up to the corner and peered around. With a sigh, he turned around, shaking his head. “They’re gone.”
Akna walked up to the alley. “Not surprising. The Tall Man doesn’t usually stick around one place very long. What was the old man yelling about?”
“Something about not doing what he was told.”
The alley was mostly empty. There were only a couple of water-collection barrels—pretty much like any other alley, though perhaps with a little less garbage. Akna walked down it a short way. Perhaps the Tall Man or old man had dropped something or left a trail. Nothing was obvious, unfortunately.
However, something moved at the far side—a shape ducking back around the corner. Akna rushed forward. It might have been nothing, but it seemed like someone had started to come around the corner but had retreated upon seeing Akna and Corvinian.
“What’s happening?” Corvin called after her.
As she reached the end of the alley, a scream rang out to her right. Akna looked, but there was only another street full of people. None of them looked like the source of the scream, though they all looked startled. The scream had been high-pitched, like the scream of a child.
Then it came again.
“Look!” a woman called. She pointed to an alley as an Isyar child came running out. Another Isyar followed the child, this one still young, but a few years older.
It was Lisanacora.
That earlier thought of whether it would be possible to ignore this came back. But the answer didn’t matter. Akna knew what she was going to do, whether she had a choice or not. “Lisanacora, over here!”
Lisanacora looked at her in surprise, then spun around as the Tall Man came out of the alley.
Towering at well over seven feet, he was certainly deserving of the name Corvin had given him. He raised a hand with thin fingers and long claws, and smiled a smile that was just...wrong, his teeth in all the wrong places. Small sparks started to crackle on the tips of his claws.
People on the street screamed and ran, while Lisanacora froze in place. She was quivering and her face contorted in pain.
“Lisanacora!” the younger Isyar called and spoke several words in Isyarian.
Unable to finish your spell, Time Lord? The Tall Man’s mouth didn’t move, but the voice clearly came from him. It was soft and assured, yet somehow seemed to boom in Akna’s head. He extended his arm, the sparks on his claws intensifying. I have never seen anyone erase themselves from existence. This should be very entertaining. Let the arrow of time be broken.
Lisanacora remained frozen, blood dripping from her eyes.
With a yell, Akna clutched her spear and ran at the Tall Man. She thrust the spear right into the Tall Man’s side, and it dissolved away, causing no damage. It didn’t even cut the Tall Man’s robe. Shit. The sparks on his claws stopped, however. Akna grabbed for her dagger.
With a gasp, Lisanacora stumbled forward. She circled her arms in front of her, gasping words in a language Akna didn’t understand.
The Tall Man strode forward. I will deal with you later, Unifier.
“You’ll deal with me now!” Akna threw her dagger at him. It dissolved away on impact, but it did grab his attention.
The Tall Man stopped and looked back at her. Bold.
Another Isyar, this one an adult, ran into the street and past the Tall Man. He grabbed Lisanacora by the arm and pulled her towards the young child. A dome of shimmering light sprung up around the three of them.
With an audible hiss, the Tall Man lunged for the dome, but it vanished, along with its occupants. The Tall Man then turned back to face Akna. It seems you will get your wish. He strode towards her.
Akna didn’t like the idea of running from a fight, but there didn’t seem much other option in this case. She couldn’t fight this creature, so she turned and ran.
“Akna! This way!” Corvin stood by the alley they had come up, blue energy dancing around him.
Akna ran past him. The blue energy tickled at her legs, but she ignored it. “We need to hurry back to the palace, get Jorvan and Feviona.”
“You leave her alone!” Corvin yelled.
Akna stopped and looked back.
Corvin was still standing at the end of the alley. The Tall Man stood a short distance past him, recoiling at the blue energy wildly shooting out from Corvin.
It seems we are at an impasse, Unifier. I’ll deal with you another time, when the Child isn’t present. The Tall Man then turned and walked away.
Corvin turned around, smiling broadly.
“That was an insane risk,” Akna said.
“My energy protects me. I’ve told you that.”
“Yeah, except when it doesn’t, which is how you got caught by the Volgs.”
“Okay, fine.” He walked towards her. The energy around him was calming, though not disappearing, so she backed away. “It’ll go away soon. Probably.”
“We should wait here until it does,” Akna said. “You’ll cause a panic walking out on the streets like that, and there’s been enough panic already.”
Corvin slumped over. “I suppose so.”
It took quite some time for the energy to disappear completely, which was strange. It usually calmed much faster—at least as far as Akna was aware.
“I don’t think it likes the Tall Man very much,” Corvin said when she mentioned it.
As soon as the energy was gone, Akna hurried Corvin back to the palace. Whether she’d acted of free will or not, Felitïa needed to learn of this.
