As related by Prince Evan Finlay-Cole, Esq., Ipsissimal Bard
I’m worried about Quennel. I should stop worrying about Quennel. He wouldn’t be safer with me. Right now, I’m a beacon, drawing the attackers in our direction. The attackers capable of doing to us what they did to Cillian. I could protect Quennel from the pleroma, but the pleroma hasn’t killed anyone yet. Not any of us, at least.
Cillian. I think my heart is broken. If that’s the case, then what must Ailann feel? The same thing I would feel if it turns out that Quennel isn’t really safe.
Don’t cry.
And Tara is in the pleroma.
Don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t think about that.
Ashvattha Isle is in sight. Are the apples of immortality here? We’ll just have to comb the island. Stupidly, there’s not a single Ashvattha emanation with us.
But Balin is an Ashvattha emanation.
« I’ve never seen any apple trees, » he admits. « But it’s not like I’m there often. It’s too quiet. Of the three of us, Harsh used to spend the most time out there. Maybe Ellery should ask him. »
For good measure, I have Ari ask Rand also. None of the Ashvattha emanations have ever seen any apple trees. Perhaps this is, as humans would say, a wild goose chase. Are geese that hard to find? Maybe they mean mongoose. A mongoose is wily, smart enough to catch a snake.
But Tara wanted us to come here, and Dermot says that apples of immortality are always found on an island, so here we are.
« I’ve never been here before, » says Daniel. « It’s amazing. »
« A lot nicer than your room, » says Owen. « It doesn’t seem fair. »
Daniel shrugs. « I like my room. I like that it’s always full of people. » He puts his arm around me. « Some of us have been together a long time, » he says. Then he smiles at Benbow. « Not that new friends aren’t welcome. »
Daniel is so pure, so good-hearted, that it’s impossible not to love him. I want to bury my face against his neck and weep my heart out. But Tara wants us to be here. Tara says that Cillian can’t be sacrificed, and that’s all that matters.
« I really don’t think he’s dead, » says Malachi, noticing my expression. « There’s no physical mechanism for destruction. He’s just lost. He’s lost, and we have to find him. »
We split into teams, searching every inch of the island. It’s really not that difficult. Unlike the mysterious Yggdrasil Tower, Ashvattha Isle is perfectly ordered. There’s a round palace with ten chambers arranged around a central courtyard. The chambers are connected to the courtyard by an access alley; each chamber houses an emanation. Harsh’s room is octagonal, with silken curtains draped from a central point surrounding a mattress strewn with pillows – it feels like a seraglio. Balin’s room is sparse, an enormous round bed piled with furs sits on a dais between two pillars of warm, pinkish marble. Rand’s room is modest and comfortable, with platters of dried fruit and bowls of freshly-cut flowers. There’s a fourth room now, a room with a bamboo mat and an incense burner. It must be for Manan. As with Yggdrasil, we can enter the chambers of the unemanated ones, but they are empty. There are no apples in the building.
There’s an extensive garden outside, and it does have trees. We inspect each tree personally. There are dates and figs, bananas and mangosteen, pomegranates and nau’gsh. No apples. The climate is wrong.
« Did you notice that these are Cu’enashti nau’gsh? » asks Malachi. « Ten of them, and four in flower. They must represent the branches of the isle’s inhabitants. »
« Only one still has fruit, though, » says Lugh. « I wonder whose it is. Well, I’ll bring a piece to Tara. It might be useful for her to make amrita. »
“Lugh Carrick, Twice-consul and Most Magnificent Engineer of Skarsia,” says a disembodied voice. “20th to emanate, 9 in the color scale, resonates to 23. 1.801 meters tall, cock size 16.51 cm when erect, apparent age 36. Mining engineer. Totem is Platanus occidentalis, the Haudenostani sycamore, fixed star is Capella Aa, first twin of the she-goat. Esoteric symbol is the Archimedean solid truncated octahedron. Dessert is chocumber soufflé with nau’gsh soft-serve. Function is combinatory stabilization, proto-conscious tendency is love, designated Synthesize. Blazon is per pale true blue and or, a heart, countercharged.”
« I’m an idiot, » says Dermot. « Even though Cu’enashti fruits are really nectarines, they’re called apples. And archetypally, they’re linked to the Ancient Chinese peach of immortality because the Cu’enashti give immortality to their Chosen. »
« In other words, we won the quest achievement, » says Tielo, « but it won’t do a damn bit of good for Cillian. »
I can’t help myself anymore. I do start to cry.