-Tan'Thalon: The library-
Calenelda didn't know where she was going. She only knew she had to get away. Away from Elira. Away from Talia. Away from the words.
Dangerous. Serenya. You should have told me.
She ran until the sounds of the library disappeared. Her feet carried her through a side corridor and into a narrow service courtyard. She stumbled against a wall. Her palm struck stone. She breathed. Once. Twice. Then her knees gave out.
Calenelda slid down the wall and sat on the ground. She pressed both hands against the stone. Her earthsense spread outward. The city appeared beneath her. Foundations. Pipes. Old walls. Lazulli channels. Too much.
She pulled her hands away. "No."
A faint vibration passed beneath her. Calenelda froze. Another followed. Stronger. Her head lifted. The stone beneath her palms began to hum.
"No..."
Thin lines of blue-white light appeared between the cracks in the courtyard floor. Calenelda scrambled backward. Somewhere beneath the city, something groaned. The vibration deepened. The Lazulli lines brightened. Then another line came alive. And another. They spread beneath the courtyard in branching patterns, following paths Calenelda had never sensed before.
Foxglove dropped from the air. "Calenelda!"
"I didn't do it!"
The ground shuddered. A crack split through one of the paving stones.
Foxglove spread her wings to steady herself. "What is happening?"
"I don't know!"
Calenelda dropped to her knees. She pressed both palms against the ground. Her earthsense exploded outward. The city vanished. For one terrible moment, she felt everything beneath it. Foundations. Tunnels. Conduits. Lazulli veins stretching in every direction. The network was enormous. Far larger than anything Tan'Thalon's builders should have been able to construct. And it was moving.
Calenelda gasped. "It's responding."
"To what?"
"I don't know!"
The vibration suddenly surged. Calenelda cried out. The force travelled through her arms and into her chest. Calenelda's head snapped toward the ground. The sensation was wrong. Not like ordinary earth magic. Not like the familiar hum of Lazulli. It seemed to come from everywhere at once.
The courtyard. The tunnels. The city beneath them. And somewhere much deeper.
Calenelda dropped to her knees. "Something's down there."
Foxglove stared at her. "What?"
"I don't know."
The network surged. Calenelda cried out. Her earthsense was pulled violently outward. For one instant, she felt the underground as a vast, incomprehensible shape. Lines intersecting. Chambers buried beneath chambers. Ancient structures. Empty spaces. Then—
Something moved. Not physically. She couldn't have said what it was. A shift. A pressure. A sudden absence where something had been a moment before. Calenelda ripped her hands away. The sensation didn't stop. The Lazulli lines continued to brighten.
"Calenelda!"
"I can't—"
She pressed her palms against the stone again. The moment she did, the pressure returned.
Harder. Her muscles seized. She gasped. The ground shook beneath her.
"Stop!"
Nothing happened. She tried pulling her earthsense back. It wouldn't come. It felt as though something had caught hold of it. Calenelda dug her fingers into the cracks.
"Let go."
The vibration intensified.
Foxglove rushed toward her. "Calenelda!"
"Don't touch me!"
Foxglove stopped. Calenelda's whole body was trembling now.
She couldn't tell whether the shaking was from fear, magical strain, or the violent resonance beneath the ground. She tried to sever the connection. Nothing. Again. Still nothing. Her nose began to bleed. She wiped it away without noticing. The Lazulli lines flared. Calenelda screamed. She drove her palms harder against the stone and forced every scrap of earth magic she had into the ground. Not to control the network. Not to understand it. Just to break the connection. Something gave.
The pressure snapped away. The Lazulli lights went dark. Calenelda collapsed forward. For several seconds she couldn't move. Her hands shook uncontrollably. Blood dripped from her nose onto the stone. Foxglove landed beside her. Calenelda tried to push herself upright.
Foxglove caught her shoulder.
"Don't." Calenelda breathed heavily. "I stopped it."
Foxglove looked at the dark lines. "Did you?"
Calenelda looked toward the ground. She listened. Nothing. Then—
A single, distant vibration. So faint she almost missed it.
Her face tightened. "I don't know."
Foxglove didn't answer. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Then Foxglove sat beside her. Not too close. Just close enough.
"You're scared."
"I'm not."
"You ran away."
"I needed air."
"You ran."
Calenelda lowered her head. Foxglove watched her.
"You're not scared of Elira." Calenelda's fingers tightened. "You're scared of Talia."
Calenelda said nothing.
Foxglove sighed. "She's been the one person who never made you feel like you were too much."
Calenelda's eyes closed. "She was angry."
"Yes."
"At me."
"Yes."
Calenelda's voice cracked. "I can't lose her."
Foxglove's expression softened. "You haven't."
"You didn't hear her."
"I heard both of you." Calenelda looked toward her. Foxglove continued. "Talia is angry because she's frightened."
Calenelda swallowed. "That doesn't make it hurt less."
"No." Foxglove shook her head. "It doesn't."
Calenelda stared at the ground. "I hurt someone."
"Yes." Calenelda's head snapped toward her. Foxglove didn't flinch. "You did." The words were gentle. "But that doesn't make you a monster."
Calenelda's breathing slowed slightly. "Serenya might never wake up."
"I know."
"What if she doesn't?"
"Then you'll have to live with that." Calenelda looked down. Foxglove continued. "And Talia will have to live with it too."
Calenelda's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Because she loves you." Calenelda's expression crumpled. Foxglove leaned closer. "She can be angry with you and still love you."
Calenelda wiped at her face. "I don't know how to do this."
"I know."
"I don't know how to control it."
"I know."
"I don't know what I'm becoming."
Foxglove looked toward the dark Lazulli lines. "Neither do I." Calenelda looked at her. Foxglove continued. "And I'm not going to pretend I know what just happened down there." Calenelda was silent. "I don't know if you caused it. I don't know if it sensed your magic." Foxglove paused for a moment. "I don't know if something beneath the city woke up."
Calenelda swallowed. "That's not very reassuring."
"No." Foxglove glanced at her. "But I'd rather tell you that than lie to you."
Calenelda looked back toward the ground. "I felt something."
"I know."
"Something enormous."
"I believe you."
"I don't know what it was."
"Neither do I."
Calenelda's hands trembled again. Foxglove noticed.
"But I do know one thing." Calenelda waited. "You were already overwhelmed before any of that happened."
Calenelda lowered her head. Foxglove's voice softened.
"You were hurt. You were frightened. You thought Talia was pulling away from you." Calenelda said nothing. "And then something happened beneath us." She shook her head. "Maybe your emotions had something to do with it. Maybe they didn't." Calenelda looked toward her. "But either way, you can't afford to lose yourself like that."
Calenelda closed her eyes. "I know."
Foxglove reached toward her. "You're far too powerful for that, Calenelda."
Calenelda managed a weak smile. Her confidence was still far away.
"I don't know if you caused it or not," Foxglove admitted. "But I know what I saw."
Calenelda swallowed. "And what did you see?"
"Someone terrified of being abandoned." Foxglove paused. "And powerful enough that the world beneath her answered."
Calenelda's breathing caught. Foxglove reached toward her. "But you're still here."
Calenelda closed her eyes. "I don't know what I'm becoming."
Foxglove looked toward where Talia was. "Then stop trying to figure it out alone."
Calenelda was silent.
Foxglove stood. "Come on."
"Where?"
"Back."
Calenelda didn't move. "Elira hates me."
"No."
"Talia's angry with me."
"Yes." Calenelda winced. Foxglove continued. "And you need to let them be." She held out a hand. "Anger isn't abandonment." Foxglove continued. "You're powerful. You're frightened. You're angry. And right now those things are mixing together badly."
Calenelda gave a weak, humorless laugh. "That's one way to put it."
"You nearly activated an ancient network beneath the city because you couldn't bear to stand still while Talia was angry at you." That silenced her. Foxglove's voice softened. "That's the consequence, Calenelda. Not that you're a monster." She finally touched Calenelda's shoulder. "But you have to learn."
Calenelda breathed slowly. Then nodded. "I will."
"Good." Foxglove stood and offered her a hand. "Because I'm not carrying you back."
A tiny smile touched Calenelda's mouth. "I wasn't asking."
"I know."
Calenelda took her hand.
Together, they returned to the library. Elira was still standing beside the tables. Talia was there too. The moment Calenelda entered, Talia's head turned toward her. Neither woman spoke.
Elira's expression hardened. "What happened?"
Foxglove answered before Calenelda could. "She lost control." Calenelda winced. Foxglove continued. "She also accidentally woke part of the old Lazulli network beneath the library."
Elira stared at her. "You did what?"
"I stopped it," Calenelda said quietly.
"After you triggered it."
Calenelda nodded. "Yes."
Elira looked toward the floor. For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Elira exhaled sharply. "That is exactly what I'm talking about."
Calenelda's shoulders tightened. Elira's anger remained, but something else had entered her voice now. Fear.
"Whatever is beneath this city, we don't know what it does. We don't know what it was built for. And you just gave it a reason to notice you."
Calenelda looked down. "I know."
Talia finally stepped forward. Calenelda tensed. But Talia didn't scold her. She simply stood in front of her.
"I'm still angry."
"I know."
"I'm still worried."
"I know."
Talia paused, letting the words sink in. "But I'm not leaving."
Calenelda looked up. Talia reached for her hand. This time, Calenelda took it immediately.
Elira watched them. She was smart enough to put two and two together. But she didn't comment.
After a moment, she spoke. "I'm still angry."
Calenelda nodded. "You have the right to be."
"And I'm still worried about my commander."
"I know."
"But I don't think you're our enemy." Calenelda looked toward her. Elira's expression softened by the smallest amount. "I think you're someone with more power than anyone should have to figure out alone."
Calenelda gave a quiet, humorless laugh. "That sounds worse."
"It probably is."
Varros cleared his throat. "Can we all agree to stop shouting in the library?"
Foxglove looked at him. "You weren't shouting."
"I was about to."
Elira sighed. "Fine."
Talia looked at Calenelda. "There is one thing we need to do."
Calenelda stiffened. "What?"
Talia's fingers tightened around hers. "We're going to the infirmary."
Calenelda went still. "To see Serenya?"
"Yes."
Calenelda's voice became barely audible. "I don't know if I can."
Talia looked directly at her. "Neither do I."
She squeezed Calenelda's hand. "But we're going together."
Calenelda swallowed. Then nodded. "Together."
For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then Talia turned toward the maps.
"You said these tunnels aren't registered."
Elira nodded. "Large sections aren't."
"And you think the Circle of Veils may be using them."
"I think they're one possibility."
Talia studied the map. "Could the tunnels predate the city?"
Elira glanced at her. "That's what we're trying to determine."
Calenelda's head tilted. "They do."
Everyone looked at her.
"When the surge happened, I got a brief view of everything under Tan'Thalon. Including the tunnels and the stone beneath this building. The stone underneath this building is wrong."
Varros frowned. "Wrong?"
"Old." She closed her eyes. "I felt where the foundations end." She opened her eyes again and tilted her head toward Varros. "There's another structure beneath them."
Elira stared at her. "How deep?"
Calenelda remained silent for several seconds. "Very."
Talia crouched beside her. "What did you feel?"
Calenelda's brow furrowed. "Lines."
Elira's eyes sharpened. "Lazulli?"
Calenelda nodded. "Some." Her toes moved slightly across the floor. "And something else."
"What?"
Calenelda looked up. "I don't know."
Elira exchanged a glance with Varros. Then she gathered the maps again.
"Then that's where we're going."
Varros sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."
Elira looked toward the library's oldest shelves. "We've been treating those tunnels like ruins." She looked at Calenelda. "They aren't ruins."
Then toward Talia. "They're part of something." And finally toward the maps. "Something the city forgot."
Elira turned toward the exit. "We're going to find out what."
Before exiting, Elira turned to Talia. "Talia," Talia looked to Elira. "While you're here, you should look for Full awakenings and the Event Horizon Prophecy."
"You think she'll awaken again?" Talia asked.
She kept her composure, but her facial features betrayed the underlying worry.
"I think it is possible," Elira answered. She looked at Varros. "And if that happens, we'll need more than magitech shields." She sighed. "Accept the help from your friends, Diviner. You need them more than you realise."