against the Way at a rudimentary level. Technically, he could ascend now, far ahead of schedule.
That should be rewarded.
Begin transmission, Suriel commanded.
[Excellent decision,] her Presence said.
Suriel began to wonder if its personality might be set too high after all.
As Lindon stared into the blue flame of Suriel’s marble, Dross began to panic.
[What is this? What’s happening? Hey, get out of here! Shoo! No, you can’t kick me out! I live h—]
A cool, distant, female voice replaced his. One that Lindon recognized. [Prepare to receive transmission.]
Before Lindon could “prepare” anything, he found himself sitting in a simple, wooden room.
It was primitive, but comfortable. The ceiling, walls, and floor were all polished wood, and each seemed to be made of one piece rather than planks bound together. There were no windows, but a fire burned in a hearth, the smoke carried up the chimney. Even the hearth and the chimney looked like they had been grown out of the same wood that made up the rest of the room.
He sat in a smooth wooden chair, though it was darker than the walls, and faced a similar chair a few feet away from him. That one was empty.
Other than the fireplace, the only features of the room were trophies hanging on the wall. Bunches of herbs, with flowers that radiated life aura. A red potion spinning in a sealed bottle, sitting on a tiny shelf. A dagger with a long handle and tiny, razor-sharp blade was mounted on a ceramic plaque on the wall. That weapon felt heavy to his Sage senses, like the attacks he’d sensed from Malice.
A structure emerged from one wall like moss-colored antlers, though he was certain they had not been taken from any dead animal. They felt alive in their own right, even then. They hung next to a drifting oval of pure strands of light and a few tiny winged spirits in a glass cage.
Lindon took in all the objects with his eyes and perception in one brief moment, but none caught his attention fully.
He was focused on figuring out what this was.
He could still use his spiritual perception, which implied that his spirit was here, and his body felt physically present. He moved with no problems, and the room smelled of woodsmoke and flowers, so his senses were working.
But Dross was gone, and the voice had told him to prepare for transmission. Either he had been transmitted somewhere else, or someone was transmitting a message directly into his mind. Or some other, stranger method that he had no frame of reference to understand.
Still, he felt excitement rather than fear. His clothes had come with him, but not his void keys or his badge. The one object that had followed him was Suriel’s marble, still burning steadily in his hand.
And he was certain he recognized that ghostly voice.
A moment later, he was proven right.
Suriel materialized in the far corner of the room, smiling gently.
She looked different than he remembered her, and he didn’t know if his memory had faded with time or if she had dulled her appearance before. Rather than a deep, muddy green, her hair was now a bright and vivid emerald. Her eyes were purple, but brighter and less human than Mercy’s, and symbols swirled in the iris.
His immediate instinct was to lean closer and try to figure out those runes, but it was a fleeting thought.
She wore seamless white armor, as she had before, which flowed like a liquid rather than having any sort of visible joints. Lines of gray smoke snaked up from her fingertips on one arm, terminating at the back of her skull.
And Suriel herself was flawless, like she had been perfected. She stood out in this wooden room like a shining jewel sitting on a dirty kitchen counter.
He hurriedly stood and bowed, but she strolled around to the second chair, pulling it back and sliding in. She sat comfortably, one leg crossed over the other, and spoke softly.
“Wei Shi Lindon. It’s good to speak with you directly again.”
“The honor and pleasure are mine. I had never thought that I would have the great fortune to meet you again until I left my world behind.”
“I hadn’t expected that either. There are circumstances in the greater realms of existence that have changed much of what we thought would come to pass.” She waved a hand. “You can sit. This space is modeled on a house that I’ve always liked. My old home, back in my world.”