Spirit Speaker

"That was slick, Instructor Lukas." The king said, impressed.

The princess had explained her position to her father, who made a show of thinking about it before approving it. 

He was already considering appointing Miss Rita as Anna's etiquette teacher, so I made it easier for him to make the decision. 

When he gave his consent, the princess squealed and dove into her father's arms. 

She then stood up, walked over to me, and curtsied. 

"I look forward to learning from you, Lukas."

"So do I, highness." 

She pouted for a second when I used her title, then realised why I did it. She smiled conspiratorily. "I shall see you tomorrow."

Now, I sat with the king, who reclined in his desk chair. 

"Lady Anna has a big heart, sire." I explained, "It wasn't that she didn't want a new tutor; she just didn't want to abandon her old one."

"And now she gets to have both. Does she know what you've done?"

"I think deep down she knows that I played her, but she got what she wanted out of the deal. She's intuitive."

"Just like her mother." The king shook his head wryly. "Have you met the queen yet, Lukas?"

I shook my head. "Not yet, sire."

"Attend court tomorrow, and I will formally introduce you."

"As you wish, lord."

*

I sat at my desk, writing. 

It had been thirty years. I needed to remember everything that led to the war and the end of the world.

I tapped the quill on my desk, trying to think of the highlights. 

The king dies five years from now from a hunting wound, leaving the Princess to take the throne at nineteen. 

There was a famine? Yes, three years into the princess's reign, there was a drought, and thousands died. 

It took a miracle to bring the rain back. 

And then… I tried to think of what happened afterwards, but it felt like I was grasping at straws. Every time I thought I had something, it just slipped from my grasp. 

It's hard to remember the future.

I shook my head. Too much thinking today. I needed to rest. 

I got up and walked to the centre of the room, removing the furniture and carpet until a large section of the floor was left bare. 

Then, with a well-worn piece of chalk, I set to work, inscribing the floor with runes set in concentric circles that overlapped every few feet. 

I drew lines from the outer edge of the circle in the four cardinal directions. North to South, East to West. 

I drew another circle where the lines crossed and stepped back, admiring my handiwork. 

"Okay. That should be enough for today." I muttered to myself and sat in the middle of the circle. 

I didn't lie when I said that it would take a great deal of energy and dozens of mages to summon a larger spirit, but I wasn't summoning it, just contacting it. 

I closed my eyes and began to hum absently as I concentrated. 

Soon, the humming faded. 

- What do you want, Mage?

I shuddered. I knew it was powerful, but I had forgotten just how strong The Kingdom's land spirit was. 

"I'm following protocol. I'm here to greet you."

- The greeting is only necessary for first meetings, Mage. I know you.

"We have never met in this life," I replied carefully. You can't lie to a greater spirit. 

- It isn't this life that I speak of. We met before, in that life.

I nodded. "Yes, spirit, we met before, in the other life."

- Then I repeat my question. What do you want, Mage?

"Understanding."

- I cannot give you what you seek; it is forbidden."

"But you know why I'm here," I said

- I do.

"Can I get a hint?"

The spirit laughed. - You cannot bargain with me, Mage. You've lost all your power. Besides, the Spirit King has decreed that you need to discover for yourself why you were sent back.

"I know why I was sent back, spirit. It's to stop the war."

- I cannot say, Mage. Tempt me not.

There was a hint of a threat in that message. 

I backed down. 

- Now, your service merits a boon from me. You did well to defend me in that life. Ask me one thing. And if it is in my power, I shall grant it.

Shock reverberated across the connection, threatening to break my concentration. 

"Do you know what you offer me, spirit?"

Understanding crossed the connection, tinged with amusement. 

- Ask, mage. Before you lose your grip.

"Protection, spirit. I want protection."

- For you? Disappointment this time.

I shook my head. "For Lady Anna."

Joy and approval. - Granted. For as long as the princess dwells within the borders of this land, death cannot touch her.

I breathed a sigh of relief. 

- Do not contact me again, Mage. 

The connection broke. I fell onto my back, sweat beading on my forehead. 

I breathed out heavily. The spirits know why I was sent back. But the Spirit King has commanded them not to tell me. 

Why?

I rubbed my eyes and crawled to my bedside. Exhausted and confused, I fell asleep.

And dreamed. 

"Call me by my name?" She asked, her voice quiet, weak. "Like you did when I was a little girl."

"Anna." The name fell from my lips freely, and those two syllables carried every ounce of love I had for her. 

She smiled, her hand tensing in mine, and through my own tears, I watched as the fire in her eyes went out. Her hand went limp in my grasp. Her breathing stilled. She died.