Page 66 of Rhuyin

“This is amazing,” I said, running my hands along the earthen walls. I could feel my power stretching, just itching to be used in response to the echoes of power I felt. “I can feel the resonance of the Mageia who built this room. It’s the same kind of work that was in your base in Heraklion, right?”

Hel nodded.

“Once I started sending Mageia back to Illyria, leadership decided I needed a more secure base of operations. An Earth Mageia came out and created that complex in about a month. Then we had to run water, sewage, all the things you never really think about.”

I smiled and remembered Elex marveling over how Hel had had hot water in Heraklion. Illyrians might not think about those things, but it had made an impression on us.

The dichotomy of Alexandria and Illyrian society couldn’t be more stark in my opinion. Illyrian society was much more advanced technologically. The ongoing restriction of learning and knowledge was having severe effects on Alexandria’s economy. They relied so heavily on magic and the power of Mageians that they had neglected to continue pursuing other sources of development. Electronics were rare. Hell, some homes didn’t even have indoor plumbing. Illyria was a modern miracle in comparison.

The wing we had been assigned had a kitchen and a nice common area with large, comfy seats centered around a vid screen. We found Deliah there upon our return from our tour, sifting throughpapers spread out before her. Tik was curled up on one of the couches, sound asleep.

“Hey!” She jumped up and gave us all hugs. The tall fire Mageia looked great. She was wearing a pair of loose cotton pants and a t-shirt that was very similar to what I’d found in the room.

“You guys settling in?”

Elex and I nodded.

“Hel’s been showing us around,” I nodded at Elex’s Bonded.

“Good! Man, some of this stuff is insane!” She gestured at the papers. “Wait til you see, Luke! They haveprintedbooks! All kinds of info is available on the laptop. It’s… a little overwhelming. I don’t know where to start reading first!”

I smiled at her eagerness. As a child I had had access to the Library of Alexandria, but only because I was a member of the royal household. Thinking of the library made me remember Master Tarek, and I wondered for a moment how he had fared. I hadn’t heard anything about his fate after I had helped him escape. I hoped he had survived my father’s hunt.

“We were really worried about you. You okay?”

I nodded absently. “Long story.”

She seemed to accept this answer at face value.

“There’s a ton of food in the kitchen. Turns out Tik is actually a pretty good cook. He made a bunch of sandwiches, if you want some.”

Our walking tour of the city had left us with healthy appetites. We descended on the kitchen and loaded up plates with food before moving to one of the seating areas to eat. I took a bite of the sandwich and was suddenly aware of just how long it had been since I had eaten anything.

“Your people are pretty amazing, Hel,” Deliah said to Helios between bites.

Hel shrugged self-deprecatingly.

“It’s not entirely altruistic. We hope that many of you will help in the war effort.”

Deliah nodded excitedly.

“I’ve been talking to Dagan about it! I want to help. He said there is some kind of accelerated training they do with pairs that Bond, then we can join the Illyrian armies.”

“Where is Dagan?” I asked, hoping I might be able to find out about Rhuyin.

She grinned at me.

She straightened her shirt nervously, something I’d seen her do before when she was embarrassed or nervous about something, but she smiled when she responded.

“Thank you! He’s out running some errands. He’s so—amazing. Perfect! We’ve been together all day. I wanted to tell you guys something.”

Her words caught everyone’s attention.

“Dagan and I have decided to get Bonded.”

“Congratulations!” Hel said, moving to give Deliah a hug.

“Thank you!”