Chapter 17

“With the power you have acquired, you could rule the world,” Leniz said. He was sitting in the same chair, wrapped in a blanket even though the evening was mild.

“I’ve had far too many encounters with people who believed that they should rule the world, or their city or their block,” Zuri said. “Each suffered from an outsized sense of importance.”

“You are not immune,” Lakarra said.

Zuri held up his hand. “I know. I think I cursed Premia last night for disrespecting me. They got me infuriated, and the words poured out of my mouth like milk from a jug.”

“Tell this sad tale,” Leniz said, leaning forward.

Zuri explained how he arrived in Premia, finding the children at play and the adults elsewhere. He described the distillery and the invitation. Taking a breath and sip of tea, he detailed his confrontation in the temple building, of how he threw a nasty character against the far wall and departed.

“The chair does magic?”

“Yes, but a person must gain mastery before using it,” Zuri explained. He knew better than to mention Ahsa though, keeping his answer short.

Lakarra nodded his head. “Makes sense, since no one has been able to do anything with any of the chairs except sit in them.”

Leniz cleared his throat. “Are we talking about the man with a grey beard, big broken nose, and ears that poke out funny?”

“He has a long ponytail that he binds with a string of blue and green beads.”

“Achuri,” both old men said.

“Neither he nor his family have a lick of sense between them to share,” Leniz said. “Your words will have consequences, Ghura Master, but who can predict what they will be?”

“He forced the response and now he’s a condemned man,” Lakarra said. “He chose to poke a stick at the coiled viper.”

“I’m a coiled viper, am I,” Zuri said with a sad grin. “As one who took a priestly vow, your words sound like I failed.”

“Fake religion,” Leniz said. “God is a given and all the rest is bullshit. You took a vow of obeisance to a lie and a deliberate deception. You didn’t break the vow, they did. Keep your ideals in perspective and don’t forget your history. You travel with the truth now and the world will change for the better.”

“You think?” Zuri asked.

“I know,” Leniz said. “I’ve spent enough time to take the measure of you, Ghura Master. You may still be in the thrall of youthful idealism, but you have most of your priorities straight. You may want revenge a little strongly, but you can’t let people get away with shitting on you either.”

“People who believed in me are counting on me to make things right,” Zuri said. “Vengeance is part of what they need to see for the degradation they’ve suffered.”

Lakarra chuckled. “Saving the world is not much different from ruling the world, you realize.”

“Huh?”

“By the time you reach our age, you’ll be damn lucky you can save yourself,” Leniz said, shaking off a chill. “You may be smart and mastered this thing, but you can’t delude yourself that you know what is important. You can’t substitute wisdom taken from studying books from wisdom gained from what you learn from years of experience. You must learn how to prioritize, but that’s not something you can learn in a fancy school. We’ve been practicing two lifetimes longer than you; we still don’t have it right all the time.”

“Are you saying I’m on a fool’s errand?” Zuri asked.

“No,” Lakarra said, holding up his hands with his fingers spread. “We’re saying you are going to make mistakes, young master. You cannot know they are mistakes until afterwards when you examine the consequences. Experience is a great teacher that all of us rely on day by day. The old may envy your youth but we treasure our experience gained since our own youth.

“We’re also saying that you cannot save the world, but you can save a few of the good souls who cross your path. Save a life and you will have done more than almost everyone else who has ever lived. You have the ability now and you saved Leniz’s life. You are already gaining experience.”

“But I almost killed that man last night,” Zuri said.

“Almost,” Leniz said, holding up a finger to make his point. “He is alive and licking his wounds today, which is what he needed, probably. You put the fear of the Ghura in them, and it may be for the good. You made the best choice at that moment based on what you knew. They did provoke you; they thought you were bluffing. They learned.”

“I graduate school, I gain mastery, and then learn that there is much I do not know,” Zuri said. “Surely the fates are laughing at me.”

“If you’re lucky, you will continue to learn your entire life,” Lakarra said. “Life is terribly drab and grey when there is no hill to climb or rock to overturn. Trust me on that one.”

“Complain all you want, Ghura, wait until you get a wife,” Leniz said. They were both laughing. “Then you will understand how little you know.”

Zuri cocked his head. “You are feeling better, Leniz.”

“I am. However, between you, me, and the mice in the walls, all the stuffing is out of me. Taking you to Fundazioa and returning wrenched the last of my strength out of me. Old men die and I’m really old, now. Lakarra knows it and I know it. Unlike him, I’ve seen the promised land. I’ve walked upon it and eaten its fruits. I’ve seen miracles, like that temple we found. I won’t be leading a group of homesteaders up the stairs, but they will all know that I was there to witness the miracles first. I’m proud to have played a part.”

“I’m glad it was you who guided me,” Zuri said. “I could have died ten times over during our journey.”

“Twelve,” Leniz said, “but who’s counting.”

They sat in companionable silence while they sipped tea. Lakarra refilled their mugs and returned to his stool. The insects of the night took to their chirping and buzzing.