The Alchemist_Dawn of Destiny by L. A. Wasielewski

Author:L. A. Wasielewski [Wasielewski, L. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-20T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

For bravery unmatched by any soldier in the Guard, I bestow a commendation of honor onto Jaric the Bold. For saving the life of an endangered child and risking his own in the process, he is hereby awarded the Diamond Medal of Valor.

--Heroic commendation, Harald Mrazen, Crystal Guard Elder Council

Ryris had the uncanny feeling he had been in this room before.

The layout was exactly the same as Kaia’s chamber, right down to the placement of the sarcophagus. Weapons racks lined the walls, books adorned the shelves. Even the glass case housing an ornate crystal helmet sat waiting to be opened. Kaia immediately set her weapon against the wall and moved to the side of the coffin.

“Jaric the Bold…it’s been a long time.” She brushed the dust from the lid and leaned over to peer inside.

Ryris joined her after shedding his knapsack, the back of his shirt sticky with sweat. The feeling of déjà vu was incredible. He closed his eyes momentarily and imagined himself back above Hewe, gazing upon Kaia for the very first time. “If I only knew then what I know now,” he mused inwardly.

“Can you open it?”

Kaia’s voice snapped him from his thoughts. Clearing his throat, he moved around to the foot of the container and examined the mechanism. It was exactly like the panel that had controlled his partner’s stasis. “I don’t see why not. Everything seems to be the same.”

“Then get going.” She laid her hands on the lid.

Ryris nodded and ran back to his backpack, pulling out his journal. Even though he had successfully opened Kaia’s coffin, he wasn’t confident that he could reproduce the same results from memory. He would definitely need his notes. Returning to his position at the foot of the sarcophagus, he set his journal on the glass lid and got to work.

“How long will it take?”

“Ten minutes? Each time I power a circuit down, there’s a small delay until I can do it again. I’m assuming it’s some sort of failsafe mechanism to keep the machine from releasing stasis too quickly.” He depressed the first glowing button. “When everything is done, the room should go black. Those lights on the wall will flare within a couple seconds.”

Kaia inhaled deeply, keeping her hands firmly planted above Jaric’s still form. Ryris wondered what could possibly be going though her mind. He made the split second decision to ask.

“Gamm for your thoughts?” He depressed another button, and it dimmed beneath his fingertip.

“Pardon?” She looked at him, surprised.

“I just…I’m wondering what you’re thinking. I mean, we’re really to the point of no return, aren’t we?”

“Indeed.” Kaia kept her hands on the lid, tracing her finger down the smooth glass. “Jaric is my most trusted general. Yes, he and Ealsig are both well trained soldiers, but I always felt a different sort of camaraderie with him.”

Ryris swore he saw Kaia’s cheeks blush in the low light. Before he could stop himself, more words tumbled from his mouth. “Was he your boyfriend?”

Kaia turned and shot him a stern glance, the young alchemist instantly regretting saying anything.

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