Shrugging, Eirwyn unfurled her own wings and tested them.
It felt no different to her than gliding through the air.
'You need not fear drowning here,' Oshiga called to her over his shoulder as they moved deeper into the depths. 'You are a guest of Erathaol's. He has made the way more welcoming.'
Eirwyn, her chest already aching from holding her breath, released it, and was surprised to find no bubbles escaping her mouth. Tentatively, she drew in a breath. She did not choke on the water. How wonderfully odd, she thought, and began breathing normally.
As the light from above grew dimmer, the glow from below increased. Eirwyn found that she could see just fine the entire way down. More than once, they startled a school of fish as they passed, sending the creatures scurrying with a flash of silver.
Before long, they reached the bottom, and Eirwyn stood before a massive edifice made of huge seashells. It rose before her like a great castle, with countless levels towering overhead. The glow she had seen before emanated from within, shining out through windows and doorways scattered all across the imposing structure's surfaces.
Oshiga led her to a large portal made from a matching pair of shells. It fanned open like the angel's own wings and covered the entrance. The twin valves parted before the archon, and Eirwyn followed him into a long hallway beyond. The shells sealed themselves shut once they had passed them, leaving both standing in a corridor filled with air rather than water.
Eirwyn was perfectly dry.
'What a fascinating journey,' she said with a smile. 'It's not every day you get the opportunity to fly through the water.'
'As I said,' Oshiga replied, 'Erathaol welcomes you and wished to make the way easy. Come.' He led his charge deeper into the castle.
Eirwyn followed her guide through numerous hallways, passages, and rooms, marveling at the decoration. Every surface not covered in bookcases featured smooth white stone, perhaps marble, covered with finely etched imagery, often visual tales that stretched for many paces with one scene flowing seamlessly into the next. Sculptures of dainty coral, delicate gold and silver filigree, or highly polished wood, bone, and stone separated the graphic stories, while rich tapestries divided large chambers into smaller, more cozy sections. Luxurious divans, end tables, and throw rugs completed the furnishings, while the entire place glowed with the warmth of faint but soothing amber light that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once.
Eirwyn hardly noticed the grand extravagance of the place, though. The sheer volume of written works completely captivated her.
She stopped in one great oval room through which they walked, staring awestruck at row upon row of tomes, scrolls, and tablets. They sat upon great bookcases that stretched from floor to ceiling and covered every wall, with more standing free in rows through the middle of the chamber.
'So many,' the angel breathed, gawking. 'Never have I seen so many.'
'And they shall be yours to peruse as you desire,' Oshiga said, taking Eirwyn's hand and gently pulling her along. 'But first, you must meet with the Seer. He has much to discuss with you.'
A shiver of delight went down the angel's spine as she turned to follow the archon toward another set of double doors. Even as an immortal, she thought, I could never finish reading all of these.
The two of them passed through the portal and into an inner sanctum. Eirwyn followed Oshiga past more stacks of books and toward what she could only think of as a very sumptuous den. Several divans framed an open area with a large table in the middle. Smaller tables with faint glowing orbs set like lamps rested between the couches, providing rich, comfortable reading light. An assortment of books, many open, lay scattered across the central table. Others teetered in rickety stacks, ribboned bookmarks spilling free of the pages.
A figure stood with its back to the two visitors, bent over, studying something Eirwyn could not make out. She could tell that her host stood considerably taller than either her or her guide. Lustrous golden hair cascaded down the figure's back, draped upon rich blue robes adorned with finely wrought silver thread and hundreds upon hundreds of pearls. A pair of white feathery wings sprouted from the middle of the figure's back, folded tightly against the robes.
At the sound of Eirwyn and Oshiga's approaching footsteps, the figure straightened, turned, and faced them. The wise and serene face that regarded them was human, faintly male in attributes, and pearly white.
He smiled warmly and gestured for Eirwyn to come closer. 'Welcome, deva,' he said, and his voice resonated throughout the chamber like the deep echoes of a whalehorn. 'I am so pleased you decided to visit me.'
Eirwyn blushed despite her years. She curtsied once and smiled back. 'Thank you for inviting me, my lord Seer,' she said, 'and for sparing me the fate of loneliness and inactivity that had been thrust upon me.'
'Please,' the figure across from her said, 'address me as Erathaol. And it is I who must thank you, Eirwyn, for choosing to accept my hospitality.'
Eirwyn nodded again, but she frowned. 'I am grateful, but I am puzzled too. I cannot fathom why you would possibly need my services. Your powers of divination are vast compared to my own.'
The archon pursed his lips and nodded. 'Indeed, my insight is great. But even one such as I cannot foretell every possible bit of the future. There are things that remain hidden from me, or that are simply beyond my scope to research and discover. Time is my enemy in many ways, Eirwyn.'
She nodded.
'However, I did not ask you here because I need your help, strictly speaking.'
Eirwyn cocked her head to one side. 'Oh?' She cast a sideways glance at Oshiga. 'Your messenger claimed otherwise.'
The trumpet archon looked confused and a bit uncomfortable.
Erathaol smiled. 'Yes,' he said. 'Because I did not choose to reveal my true intentions to him. I hope the deception does not sour your enthusiasm for your visit.'
Eirwyn raised her eyebrows. 'That depends on the real reason you asked me here.' She felt uncomfortable speaking to a paragon archon in such a manner, but at the same time, she did not care for being deceived.
'Truthfully, I cannot explain it all to you,' the Seer admitted. 'For I do not know all, myself. I only understand that you have locked within you a great secret, a glimpse into the future that must be revealed, lest dire happenings come to pass.'
'Inside me?'
'Indeed,' Erathaol said. 'Something you yourself cannot yet see. Something quite dark and dangerous.'
Eirwyn's thoughts turned to her dreams, forgotten each morning when she awoke.
'Yes,' the Seer said, 'you struggle against remembering. We must find a way to calm you, to allow them to come to the surface. I believe you will recall them during your stay here.'
Eirwyn was suddenly terrified.
CHAPTER FOUR
Satisfied that the abomination of Micus and Myshik could not escape the cage Aliisza had formed, Kaanyr turned his attention back to their surroundings. He eyed the edge of the gaping hole where the astral kraken had tried to make a meal of him and noted that the edges remained rough, irregular, just as the beast had left them.
'The bubble no longer seems to be shrinking,' he said. When Aliisza did not answer, he turned to find her kneeling over the prone form of Kael. The sight made him grimace. Would she be that concerned over my injuries, he wondered, or has Tauran filled her head with too many foolish thoughts of nobility?
Despite his anger, the image of her worrying over him pleased Kaanyr. There was a time, not so long ago…
Memories of the sultry alu, teasing him as she nursed him back to health after some battle or another, filled Kaanyr's mind. She had always managed to find creative ways to keep him in bed, he recalled with a chuckle.
But now perhaps she's the one who needs healing, he thought. Despite her assurances that she was fine, Kaanyr could see her pain, had seen the bizarre blue glow that had radiated from her. He knew her too well to
