Joint Intentions (Book 9) (44 page)

"No, not everyone, but far more than I would like to believe. That is a sad truth, but it's one I can't avoid. Thankfully, you weren't one of them. You saw your own soul and took the next step. And from what you've told me, taking that step allowed you to stop Rul Saattan, free Sy, and save Holli. I believe I see the Hand of Godson at work."

Ryson knew where he was, and he knew the reader's faith. It wasn't a surprise to hear her bring the focus back to Godson, but for him, he still wanted to grasp the events based on his own terms.

"That may be. I really don't know what constitutes Divine Providence, but that's what you do, isn't it? You help people see that there's something more to us than the life we have in Uton."

"I try, but I'm pleased with all the help I can get. I think Sy Fenden's return has helped people find their way. I think the return of magic to the land has opened more hearts than I could ever guess. And I think you're helping as well."

"I'm not too sure about that."

"Why am I not surprised? You hardly ever give yourself the credit you deserve."

"I'm not looking for credit. I'm just trying to be honest."

"I've never thought you've been anything but honest."

"Then you'll believe me when I say it's hard to be an optimist. I think Linda wants me to be more optimistic. Vraya said she wanted me to celebrate the good things I've seen, but it's impossible for me to ignore that bad things happen."

"But you're seeing the positive side of this past encounter," Rachael countered.

"That's true," Ryson allowed, "but it's not always easy to separate the good from the bad. We talked about me being a contradiction; well, I think
life
is a contradiction. We have a spirit within us—I know it's there—but it's hidden. I can tell people what I saw, but not everyone will believe me. We live our lives in this existence, but we don't really know what happens to us in the next, or how important it really is."

"And isn't that where faith plays a part?" Rachael pressed.

"Maybe, and as I said before, I believe there is a far greater power than Rul Saattan. There's something within each of us which, if we choose to look for it, can lead us to a better place, a better frame of mind."

"And with this new outlook, what will you do now?"

"The first thing I wanted to do was to come back here and talk to you."

"Why?"

"I wanted you to know what happened. This all started when I decided to look for answers about what I saw in Demonspawn. We talked about what I should look for. You helped me, and I think you helped saved the land."

"I'm not sure I deserve any credit."

"You do. Quite a few times, I thought of what you told me. I kept trying to do what I thought was right, but I have to admit, I thought about the story you told me and what it might mean. I didn't want to lose my soul. That's what showed me how to defeat the pit demon, and how to call on the angels. Don't ever forget that; what you said helped defeat Rul Saattan. And I wanted to make sure you knew that."

"Well thank you, but I'm still interested in your plans. What are you going to do now?"

"I hope to talk to Sy at some point. I'm not sure if he'll listen to my questions, or answer them, but I'll ask the next time I see him. Burbon's having its Harvest Festival in a few days. Before all of this started, I told him to show up for the kids. Maybe I'll see him then. Those festivals are a lot of fun."

"We have one here in Connel as well," Rachael added, "but I think the celebrations in the smaller towns are better. Though I do have to admit, I'm looking forward to watching the dwarves rejoice with us. They do seem to enjoy a good party."

"Yes, I can see that," Ryson agreed. "You'll have the dwarves, and hopefully, we'll have a ghost captain. Singing, dancing, eating, and costumes. It'll be a good way to celebrate before the dormant season."

"Make sure you enjoy yourself," Rachael advised the delver. "Think of all the spirits around you, the angels that are watching over us. When you sing, make a
joyful
noise and remember what you've seen."

"I intend to."

A Final Note from the Author

It's getting more difficult for me to remember all the details of previous
Delver Magic
books. Maybe it's simply because there are more of them now—or maybe it's because I'm getting older—but I'm a bit worried that certain inconsistencies may be found in going from one story to the next. Since I continue to build on events which occurred in earlier books, I have tried to keep from making any obvious errors. I've enjoyed using previous encounters among the characters to create new stories, and I've also had a great deal of fun building on the elements and characteristics of magic and spells. In doing so, I risk creating the inexplicable discrepancies that are somewhat similar to the contradictions Ryson considered during this story. I hope you will forgive any mistakes in continuity that you might find.

If you have a comment or question about any of the
Delver Magic
books, please feel free to send me a note. Also, please let me know if you encounter any difficulty with the formatting. Contact information can be found on my web site at www.sitelane.com. Please consider my other novels, including
Soul View, Soul Chase, Counterproductive Man, Slow Fall, When Do I See God?
and
Alien Cradle
.

Jeff Inlo lives in New Jersey, USA with his wife, Joan, and their dog, Jilly.