‘I don’t know what to say to you,’ she said. ‘I cannot believe it! How can I thank you?’
‘Your joy is enough, Shira,’ the Oltor replied. ‘I think the journey to Loretheli will be a little easier now. How soon will you be leaving?’
‘As soon as the weather begins to break,’ Duvo told him. ‘There are more than eight thousand people preparing for the journey. You should come with us.’
‘I think not,’ said the Oltor. Looking down at Shira, he smiled. ‘Your baby is strong and healthy, lacking nothing. His development shows he will be a lusty infant.’
‘A boy, then,’ she said, taking Duvo by the hand. ‘A son for you, my love!’
Duvo sat down upon the bed, holding her hand in both of his. ‘A son for us,’ he corrected her. Releasing her hand,
he stroked her raven hair. ‘I cannot tell you how happy you have made me. And I cannot believe how I could think that love would destroy my music. Every day with you makes the power swell within me.’
‘I think you are embarrassing our guest,’ chided Shira.
‘Not so, Shira,’ said the Oltor. ‘But I think I will leave you. Tell me, Duvodas, is there a place within this city where land magic still flourishes?’
‘Not with any strength,’ said Duvo.
‘I feared not. You humans are similar to the Daroth, in that you draw magic from the land without replacing it. You carpet the ground with dead stone. It is not healthy.’
‘What is it that you need?’ asked Duvo.
‘I need to touch the stars. There are truths I must find, and riddles which must be answered.’
‘There is a park close by,’ said Duvo. ‘Whenever I need to feel the magic, I go there. As I said, it is not strong, but then you are far more powerful than I.’
‘Will you take me there?’
‘I will. In summer it is a haunt of evil men – robbers and thieves. It is too cold for them now. We should be safe.’
Hooded and cloaked, the Oltor Prime walked through the winding streets alongside Duvodas, coming into Gallows Square just as the moon emerged from behind a screen of clouds. The Oltor paused and gazed at the line of corpses hanging there. ‘You find it so easy to kill,’ he said sadly.
‘I have never killed,’ Duvodas told him.
‘I apologize to you, Duvodas. But you cannot know how much pain such sights cause me. Come, we must move on swiftly. This place is like a Daroth city. It is not just that the magic has gone, but there is force here, like a
whirlpool that devours. I can feel the power being leached from me.’ They hurried on, through the park gates and up the ice-covered slope to the small group of hills at the centre of the park. The Oltor Prime turned to look back at the glistening city. ‘What will you humans do when you have drawn all magic from the land? What will you become?’ he asked.
‘Perhaps we will also find a way to put it back,’ said Duvodas.
The Oltor Prime nodded. ‘That is a good thought. Hold to it.’
‘You say that without conviction,’ Duvodas pointed out. ‘Do you believe we are incapable of finding a way?’
The Oltor Prime shook his head. ‘No, not incapable. Just different. If all the Oltor were struck blind, save for one man, then the rest would look to him for leadership. They would seek a way for all to see. You humans would not react in this way. The blind would be jealous of the man with sight, and seek to put out his eyes also. I learned much from Brune. There was a woman in his village when he was young. She had power; she was a Healer. But they burned her in a great fire, and rejoiced when they had done so. However, let us not dwell on such matters. Do not be concerned with what you are about to see,’ he said. ‘No human in the city below will observe it.’ The Oltor walked to the highest point of the hill and knelt down in the snow. Within moments it had melted away and Duvo felt the warmth of a summer day radiating from the golden figure before him. The Oltor began to sing in a low, sweet voice, creating music more perfect than any Duvodas had heard. He sat down, lost in the wonder of the moment.