Myne

twenty two

“What sacrifice?” Rain asked. 

Her eyes were clear. Oozing determination. Her whole person was shrouded in a sharp glow. There wasn’t a trace of doubt. It was a sight that wasn’t as common as it should be, Sky thought. This was how people should be. Unfortunately, they weren’t. People had too many thoughts. People had too much doubt. People had too many questions. And people lacked courage and determination. 

“You have your fate,” Sky said, answering her question. “A person’s fate is their own, determined by the heavens. What you see, what you saw up there, among the stars, was that determined fate, written in the old gods’ hand. It is unchangeable. It is unquestionable. And it is inescapable. But that is for everyone normal. Everyone regular. But if you are more. If you have the ability, that brings you closer to the stars, to the heavens, then options do open up. They are all very expensive, however. More than you can imagine. And you, are more special than most. For this, I will invite your father in. We will discuss the sacrifice, later. Hold that thought. And don’t bring it up.” 

He waited until she nodded. And then, nodded. She understood his intent. She got up. Opened the door, expecting to find her father outside in the hallway. And sure enough, he was right where she thought he would be. He was walking the hallway, to and fro, end to end. It was the only way to keep the curiosity from exploding. When the door opened, he looked over. Met her eyes. 

“Please come in,” she said, in the same fond voice she spoke to him with. “Mr Sky has invited you.” 

Lester followed his daughter in. She closed the door again. Locking the three of them inside. When they were all seated comfortably, Sky continued. 

“Mr Eavens, little miss Eavens, what I have to say is important. I hope you can hear me out to the end. And then, express yourselves.” 

The two nodded. And Sky continued. 

“Back in the afternoon, while I read her fate, I also read out the steps I followed. Directions on how to read the writings of the heavens. After I finished, Rain attempted to do the same. And succeeded. Not all the way. She couldn’t recognise the characters, obviously. She hasn’t been taught the runic alphabet of the old. It’s only natural she cannot read them. But even if she did learn the runic alphabet, it wouldn’t change much. The runes will appear the same to her even then. Strange characters, that hold something within. Is that what you saw, Rain?” 

Rain nodded. “Yes,” she said. “They were characters I didn’t recognise. And I couldn’t read them either. I was seeing them, the characters, the runes, but I wasn’t looking at them. There was something within them, contained inside. A magic. And underneath that magic, were pictures. Moving pictures. That showed me.” 

Sky cut in, interrupting her. “What you saw were indeed moving pictures. But you weren’t seeing them. Not in the way you believe you saw them. When you passed through the magic within the runes, you brought yourself along. And those moving pictures, were actually you experiencing all that you saw.” 

“You mean, I lived through it all? For real?” 

“Yes. You lived through it all. And that is what I want to talk to you two about. Rain, you are gifted. Your talent, however, isn’t in reading. It is, in fact, a much rarer talent. You are a walker. A dream-walker. When you stepped in through the magic, you collapsed over here. Your body, collapsed. And your spirit, lived and experienced all those moving pictures. When you return, it is as if you are waking up from sleep. It is as if you have dreamed the pictures. Do you understand?” 

Rain nodded. Lester, didn’t. He shook his head, because he truly didn’t understand. He had many questions. Many doubts. 

“So, she can’t be a star reader? Or can she?” 

“She can’t,” Sky answered without hesitation. “She can’t because she can’t see anyone’s fate but her own. And even her own, she can’t read it, not like a star reader can. She lives it. And because it’s all like a dream, she can’t remember much of it. Just a few things, major events. And even those, vaguely.” 

“She’ll be okay when she does, live those dreams? She will wake up, normally? She won’t be affected. She won’t be in any danger.” 

“Yes. And no. She will be okay. To her, they are no different from dreams. It’s no different from regular sleep. But it actually is. She experiences all of it, everything she sees in the dream, lives through it all. And she will be inevitably affected by it, by the experiences. How much, no one can say. Not even she herself. That’s her fate. That’s the price of her gift.” 

“Can she learn to control it?” 

That was the important question. Sky wasn’t surprised. Lester was a wise man. The last time they met, all those years ago, Lester had impressed him greatly. Which was why Sky made the promise in the first place. And Lester had definitely lived up to the expectations. 

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you two about. Like I said, it’s a gift. A talent. Not very different from star reading. Nor very alike. The basics are the same. The initial lessons are the same. She must learn to see the stars, see the heavens. Maybe even learn the runic alphabet. She must learn to protect herself from getting lost. All of which she can learn from me. What I am saying, is I want her to be my student. Will you agree?” 

The father and daughter were astonished. Lester was quicker to recover. 

“Yes, most definitely yes,” he said, as he nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. We agree. Without reservations. Without hesitation.” 

As Lester spoke, Rain was nodding vigorously, exactly like him. And Sky was beaming, while laughing heartily at the sight. 

“That’s wonderful,” Sky said. His tone brighter. His face brighter. His joy was visible. “We shall have a ceremony whenever you’re ready. I’m sure the Eavens’ family would want to celebrate this.” 

“Absolutely,” Lester said in agreement. It certainly was something to celebrate. Something to boast about. It would be a delightful sight, lording it over the other big families. His beloved daughter achieving something that the other daughters and sons could only dream about. 

“You can proceed,” Sky said. “I have no suggestions or recommendations. Just tell me when. And what to do. After the ceremony, we shall officially begin the lessons. Is that alright?” 

Lester nodded. “I’ll get started right away. Please allow me a week. I would love to make it a grand event. And I would need a week at least to do so, to make it memorable.” 

“We shall do as you say,” Sky said. 

And with that, Lester excitedly left. He left Rain behind, because he could see that the two had something to discuss. 

Sky began after the study fell completely silent, and it was just the two of them again. 

“The sacrifice,” he said. And paused. 

“The sacrifice,” Rain repeated after him. “Yes. Please, continue.” 

“The sacrifice, is an ancient method. It is counted among the evil practices. Dark methods. Dark spells. And the requirements are high and difficult. And the price is unimaginably great. Are you willing?” 

“Yes,” she answered. The memories, from the dream, were still fresh. Even she had forgotten most of the details, she hadn’t yet forgotten how she felt. The pain. The suffering. The sorrow. It gave her chills even now. “I am sure,” she said. “I am determined.” 

“Okay,” he said. What he didn’t tell her was that it wasn’t only her who had to pay the great price. It was also him, the caster, the enabler. In ways, the price he had to pay was greater. He would tell her, one day in the future. When she would discover it by herself, and come to him to ask why. For now, he wanted her to understand what she was choosing. 

“In the simplest words,” he said. “You will be stealing another’s fate. Exchanging theirs for yours. And the first, and most important, requirement, is the perfect candidate. The person whose fate you will be exchanging with, whose fate you will be stealing.” 

“Why stealing?” She asked. 

“Because,” he answered, “it isn’t a choice. Not for the other person. It is your decision. And it is the candidate’s misfortune. It can only be that way.” 

She nodded. 

“Which is why the price is so great. You are stealing from the heavens. You will have to face the fury of the heavens. The ramifications are beyond calculable.” 

She nodded. “First, the candidate.” 

“First, the candidate,” he repeated. “We need to find the perfect candidate.” 

“Then, we steal,” she said. 

“Then, we steal,” he repeated.