The World Walkers: Quiar: The Case of the Counterfeit Enchantments (part 9, 99th continuation)
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Part 9, 98th continuation
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Peric nodded. ‘If it hadn’t been for what Lucille said about Aulus I would have been suspicious too, because the fae have long wanted to be rid of us, but it was obvious to me, and to Bertram, that even if the counterfeit ring had been created by the Council or the fae she didn’t have anything to do with it. She isn’t the sort of person to accept hurting someone else as a valid way of magic things happen.” He smiled. “I know how guilty she felt about what she did to the assassins, even though she knew she had no other choice. For her to be a part of this… she’d have to be a very different Lucille.” For a moment he looked down at the paper in front of him. “Quiar, I don’t know if you can answer the question, and I probably shouldn’t ask, but do you know how the counterfeit ring started?’
‘Yes, and I can tell you that it had nothing to do with the fae or the Council.’ Quiar sighed. ‘It didn’t on this Quiar, anyway, but there are a couple of others where they did plan this. Those Webs are very different to this one though.’
‘I’d love to learn more about the other Webs.’
‘Lucille might end up writing about them as well, Peric, and if she does I’m sure you’d be one of the first people to get a copy of it.’
‘Would there be any way for me to be able to travel to the other Webs? Maybe not in this life, because I still have a lot to do here, but in the next one.’
Quiar’s silence was longer than Peric had expected it to be. ‘Let me have a chat with a couple of the other worlds. They’ll know whether you can or not, because there are a number of Quiars that already have Perics on and they aren’t in the same position as you spiritually. If there is already a Peric then I don’t think it will be possible, but you might get lucky with some of them.’
‘Is my name always Peric?’
‘No, it isn’t, any more that Merry’s name was always Meriwether. Your name has changed with every life you live, but I always know who you are because of how your soul looks. Every soul is a little different, it goes through changes as people live their lives, and yet there’s always something about them that stays the same. I remembered when your soul was just a baby, learning its first lessons. Now…’ It sounded like Quiar was smiling. ‘You’re in a very different place to the one I thought you’d be, after your first lives, but I’m glad it’s you, because I can’t imagine anyone else working with Lucille the way you and Bertram do.’
‘Every choice we make helps us to grow.’ Peric nibbled his bottom lip. ‘Can you tell me how many lives I’ve lived?’
‘No, I’m not permitted to tell you things like that. You have to find out for yourself, if you’re ready. Just promise me you’ll be careful if you do, because it’s not easy to learn about who you were, and I’ve seen a lot of people regret making the choice. The problem is you only have two choices after that: to live with the regret, which isn’t easy, or to use something to remove all of your memories so you’ll end up having to start all over again.’
‘Has anyone who removed their memories ever got them back?’
‘You ask good questions. It has happened, a few times, but it’s the exception rather than the rule and those who do… well, it’s difficult. I’m sure that doesn’t come as a surprise to you. There have only been two on this Quiar, which is something I can’t help being rather glad about, because one of them ended up losing their mind entirely and the other tried to take over the world.’ She sighed again. ‘When they died they both disappeared, so I have no idea where either of them are, but Athare told me that she’d taken them somewhere she could help them. She has a lot more experience with spirits in that sort of position, whether it’s due to the lives they’ve lived or something else, as it’s something that could happen to anyone. It’s something that might happen to Lucille, if everything happens here the way it’s happened on other Quiars, although I think she’s stronger than the other Lucilles. I hope she is, anyway.’
‘What will happen to the platypus?’
‘Peric…’
‘I asked the question, Quiar, and I know I’m probably not going to like the answer, but I need one. There’s no undoing the choice I made, but at least I can understand it properly, so I’d know if I’d make it again.’
‘We both know that you would, if someone you cared about was hurt by them. That’s why you went after the platypus in the first place. She hurt Bertram, therefore she deserved to hurt too, and, honestly, I agree with you. Unfortunately I’m not allowed, before the choice is made, to tell you what I think, otherwise it might have too much of an effect on the decision that you make. Now, though, it’s done, and I can be honest with you, rather than telling you what I think you need to hear.
‘You destroyed her mind, so it’s not going to have as much of an effect on her in the lives that follow as it would if you’d shattered her spirit. That is something I’ve seen done and it makes me glad that Sini has never chosen to go to Mothar, because that’s exactly what her father would end up doing to her, even though it wouldn’t have been what he wanted to do. No, your magic has limited effects, mostly confined to this life, but it may affect her in small ways in future lives, although I doubt it, as you didn’t do that much damage.’
‘How can you say that?’
‘By not going in to her mind to destroy it you made a choice. That choice helped you, even though you didn’t realise it, to keep her mind as undamaged as possible, but by choosing to learn what she knew that way you did damage her. It’s really hard to explain, Peric, it’s just that how badly you affect someone is determined by why you’re doing something. If you’d have been aiming to shatter her mind in revenge you would have hurt her more than you actually did. Does that make sense?’
‘I don’t know.’ Peric scratched behind his ear as he thought through what Quiar had said. ‘When I left here I wanted to hurt her, but then I started talking to her and… it wasn’t a good idea. She made me start to understand why she made the choices she did when she was younger and how those choices affected her, emotionally mostly, so I couldn’t help feeling pity, that she’d felt she had no other option, even though she might well have done. That pity changed how I thought of her, but I knew she was still a danger to the people that I cared about and she wouldn’t tell me what I needed to know, so I made the decision to get what I needed from her, partly because I wanted to stop her from hurting Lucille and Bertram again.’
‘That pity, and understanding, is what means she has a chance at living another life. If you hadn’t felt that she wouldn’t have it, so you’re a much better person than I am, although I have been watching the two of them for a long time now. When that happens, when you see all of the damaged they’ve caused, it does make it hard to feel anything for them other than contempt, but you had a chance to see her, as she was and what she became, in such a short time that it could never have had the same effect on you as it had on me.’
Nodding, Peric looked down at the paper in front of him. ‘I still can’t quite believe I did something so heinous to someone.’
‘She wanted to kill Bertram and Lucille. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t tried before. You did the only thing you could and what you’ve learnt may help people in the future, even though Hereward probably isn’t going to believe your note.’ There was a moment of silence. ‘Remember that you have other contacts within the guards who might be able to help you.’
With that Quiar was gone and Peric found himself thinking about Durai and Sal, both of whom were worth talking to, even though Peric doubted either of them would be able to convince Hereward of the Fasachi danger if he didn’t want to believe it was real. Sal was the best option, as he worked with the day guards, so as soon as the note was done Peric would talk to him. If they could prepare a few of the guards at least hopefully things wouldn’t be as bad as they could be, if no one was ready for the Fasachis, and the last thing Peric wanted was for more people to get hurt.
Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.