The World Walkers: Quiar: The Case of the Counterfeit Enchantments (part 9, 107th continuation)

[k_a_webb]

Part 1

Part 9, 106th continuation

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‘I think I should too,’ Peric replied, ‘but I’m not certain that I’m ready to. Meriwether’s told me that it’s not going to be an easy thing to do and I worry that whatever I learn will change me more than I want it to.’ He thought for a moment, as he did his best to work out how to put what he wanted to say into words, and he was grateful that it was still something he could do without Quiar listening in. ‘He thinks I’m an old soul, which might mean I was placed here by the fae… which is a very strange thought. The whole thing is very strange, really, because this world wasn’t here until the fae created, and I can’t quite get my head around that. If it wasn’t for the fae only Athare would exist.’

‘Sometimes, Peric, I can’t quite get my head around it either, and I know I was created by the fae. I remember being in the jar that Emrys chose for me, I remember him talking to me as though he knew I was there but I couldn’t work out how that was possible, and I remember what it was like when they placed me on the Web. That was such a strange sensation and I knew that I could have just floated away if I chose to. Athare talked to me as I thought about what I wanted to do, telling me that it was entirely up to me what I did, but that the Web would be a much better place if I was a part of it. Other worlds didn’t make the same choices.’

‘Other worlds floated away?’

‘They did, and I have asked Kankirin, Aerith, and Taithmarin why they didn’t do the same. Kankirin told me it was because he didn’t want to be alone, even though he didn’t want his people to be a true part of the Web, which is something I can understand, but trapping the fae there did change his future. He had the option of waiting and he chose not to, wanting to see what would happen. Apparently his other selves didn’t do the same thing and he’s only been a part of three other Webs, so he was experimenting – the only problem is that he now wishes he hadn’t. Aerith, well, she hated the fae from the beginning, because of the choices they made for her, and trapping them was her way of getting back at them. She hoped that they’d end up dying and when they survived, thanks to the help they received from her people, she was angry, but slowly she’s got used to the effect they’ve had on her.

‘Taithmarin chose to stay a part of the Web because it meant she’d have a door. The worlds that floated away didn’t have that and from the beginning she planned on being a sanctuary for races who desperately needed it. So far she’s saved thirty-three races from extinction on their own worlds, although some of them did fade away in the end. Fortunately, though, they still exist as a part of other races. I’ve always been proud of her for the choices she made, but we’ve never really been friends, as she’s always been focused on what she needs to do, which has very little to do with the rest of the Web. If I get a chance I do want to get to know her better, but that’s going to have to wait for a little while.’

‘What happened to the other worlds?’

‘I don’t know. They’re probably still out there somewhere, as we’ve all survived, but there’s no way I can find out for certain, unfortunately.’

‘You can’t contact them?’

‘Sadly, no, I can’t. Only the worlds who have or have had the fae on them are contactable and the worlds that chose not to become a part of the Web have never had that. What I do is connect to the magic of the fae first, which has a very distinct signature, and that allows me to contact the world – although it is harder if the fae haven’t been there for millennia. It’s why we have so much trouble with the first two worlds they destroyed. Earth and Kalinia are simpler.’

‘They were created using fae magic…’

‘I know.’ Quiar sighed. ‘We have tried searching for them before, looking for the magical signature of the fae who created us, but there’s a chance they might be blocking us, or we’re looking in the wrong places, or the fact they were created from Athare’s magic changes the signature in such a way that we don’t understand. Magic isn’t consistent, Peric, even though I wish it was, so the time may come when we can contact the worlds who chose not to be a part of the Web, but I doubt it.’

‘How many were there?’

‘Twelve. Lucille might have read about them – they just aren’t really something she would have focused on, as they have very little to do with the Web, even though there is a chance they might, sometime in the future, chose to become a part of the Web. I think that’s just as unlikely as us being able to connect with the other worlds, but you never know what might happen, especially as things have change a lot since they made their choice.’

‘Wouldn’t that affect the balance of the Web?’

‘Yes, but we’re working on ways to be able to combat that, just in case. Athare’s likes to prepare for every eventuality, knowing that they have happened before, as there is another Web where some of those worlds did return, did connect with us, and that… well, it didn’t go too well, but the Web survived. She wants to make certain that if it happens here we thrive, rather than just survive, so I think that Gaelom wasn’t just created in case one of the worlds failed, but also in case we had another balance issue created by the return of a currently unknown world.’

‘Do you know much about them?’

‘Not as much as I’d like. The little I do know is based on what they were like when they were created and it’s likely they’ll have changed a lot since then. We all do what we can to find out more about them, but so far we haven’t got anywhere and we don’t have a lot of time to try, not with everything else that’s going on. Some of the other worlds have told their races about them, as you have as much a chance of connecting with them as we do – it simply depends on what sort of magic it is you have.’

‘You still haven’t heard anything, though?’

‘Not so far. I do keep hoping, because I’d like to know what happened to them, especially as one of them I spent a lot of time with while I was growing. We shared jars on the same shelf, in Emrys’ study, so we talked about what it might be like to be a part of the Web. I did think, after the conversations that we’d had, that she would chose to leave the Web behind. Things were different for me.’

‘How were they different?’

‘I wanted to be a part of the Web, even though I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Athare had come to both of us by then, had talked to us about the choice we had to make, and after that she was certain that she’d be better off on her own, with her races, somewhere far away from the fae and the Web. When I talked to Athare I felt this connection with her, one I think the other world didn’t feel, and I do understand why, because it was hard to listen to Athare talk about what was coming. She told me in advance what was likely to happen here, what might happen, and the things that wouldn’t, as well as telling me that I was the first Quiar to be created, so I wouldn’t have much help, although I would still be able to talk to my future and past selves. Of course I’d be helping my past selves by telling them what had happened to me, what I knew had happened to others of us, and generally guiding them in the right direction.’

‘You’ve never regretted the choice that you made?’

‘A couple of times, mostly when really bad things have happened, like when races from the other worlds came here to take my people as slaves, but it was, unfortunately something that had to happen. There were people who had to be in a certain place at a certain time and the only way to get them there was by taking them. Even though I wish it had never happened I understand why it had to, so it’s one of those things I have come to terms with.’

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

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>> because this world wasn’t here until the fae created, <<

That should say "created it" above.