Bingmei finished the last line and felt confident she had done it properly.
It is well made, came the thought-voice inside her mind.
The light from the runes sizzled in the air as they invoked the magic. She felt it sweep past her, rippling out like a heavy rock tossed into a pond. A spasm went through her as the magic took hold, leaving her helpless, weak, and completely drained. She slumped to the ground, unconscious, while the glyph continued to burn.
As Bingmei drifted to sleep, she felt as if she were walking in the narrows. Water lapped against her legs, and huge cavernous walls stretched high on each side. Looking up, she saw black thunderheads. Spikes of lightning flashed from them as thunder rippled across the sky. Fear struck her as she walked, struggling to reach the far end of the cavern. It started to rain, and in moments it became a torrent. She lumbered forward, the water slowing her speed. Panic filled her chest. She had to get out of the ravine. The storm drenched her, and she felt the water rising higher up her legs.
It is just a dream, she told herself. Just a dream.
But it didn’t feel like a dream.
After walking a distance, she heard something strange. Turning, she saw a wall of water coming down the chasm. It was going to crush her against the rocks. She stared at it in horror, holding her hands out as if she could stop it by pushing.
It was then she felt the itching of the wings on her back. Invoking their magic, she soared above the flood and watched the waters smash into the rocks and boulders. The brutal force of it knocked loose several of the rocks, which joined the foam and surging current.
The wings lifted her higher and higher, the feeling both thrilling and frightening. She soared above the chasm and watched as the rainfall gathered in silver pools along the ravine. The storm winds buffeted her toward a mighty bank of clouds in the shape of an anvil, but her wings took her around it. She saw winter coming in its wake. She watched through the magic’s power as the storm whipped the seas and brought stinging ice into the faces of sailors and fishermen. She saw one boat capsize and watched in despair as the fisherman drowned trying and failing to get back inside.
She looked back toward the vicious storm, and there, atop the massive thunderheads, she saw the blazing glyphs controlling it. The glyphs that she had drawn with her hand. The awesome power of the phoenix controlled the storm.
She realized she was seeing the future, or perhaps the present. What had she done?
The magic continued to carry her as the earth became blanketed in snow. There was an old woman who froze to death during the season change because she hadn’t gathered enough firewood. She saw families suffering the ravages of hunger, having not prepared enough meat. And she realized, as she was carried from place to place, the terrible consequences of her choice. A little boy wandered in the snow, hopelessly lost, before growing so cold he sat down next to a tree and shut his eyes, the snowflakes gathering on his lashes.
Bingmei screamed in anguish. She’d never felt so small, so insignificant as in that moment. She was helpless to turn the tide. The Immortal Words had been written, and there was no erasing them now. She worried she’d destroyed the whole world in the hopes of saving it.
No, Daughter. In order for the season to come early, the storm had to be unusually large. You invoked it with the words. Now it must run its course.
Sadness gripped her heart. But so many have died! I didn’t know!
How could you know, Bingmei? If a harsh word spoken to an angry stranger can impact them for the rest of their life, what impact does a larger action have? Can you not see? Everything that we do ripples and touches everything else. We cannot see the infinite reach of our choices. You summoned a storm and many died. But Bingmei, many more would have died if you had not summoned it. Some of the people who died, and will die, in this storm might have prepared better for winter if given the time. Some would have died anyway because of their lack of preparation. Just as you did not know the future, neither did they. You must learn that the Immortal Words are not to be used on a whim. They always have consequences. And you lack the foresight of a phoenix to see what may come. As long as you do not use them against my will, I will teach you to use them properly.
Bingmei still felt awful, but the sting was lessening. I’m afraid to use them again.
Good. You must use them with reverence. You must always try to think of the consequences. I will help you learn them, but you must be willing to be taught. The past cannot be altered. You cannot undo your actions. But remember I chose you because I knew what you would do. And what you have yet to do. Because of your choice, the door separating the Grave Kingdom will one day be opened. And families who have been searching for each other for thousands of years will be reunited in Fusang. One choice can bring immeasurable good.
Bingmei felt a glimpse of that day, of that moment when the lost would be found. The feelings of gratitude and eagerness, of unfettered joy and redemption rose like a song in her heart. And the smell of it, the smell was stronger than anything she’d experienced. It
