The Shadow Wanderers

Chapter 21

The space above Erini was a world of its own. The night sky felt boundless as Calista laid on the tilted roof of her house, admiring the stars and the universe above. For the first time since the revelation of the existence of other life on other planets, Calista did not feel alone in her little bubble of thoughts. As she stared at the twinkling countless stars, she thought of the creatures out there, living their own lives.

Beside her, Zayden sat, a hand dangling on one leg, the other crossed beneath him. Calista felt Erini slumbering, the world around her quiet and unmoving, but peaceful. Her life, now, was restricted to the night hours alone.

Zayden was telling her about the funeral they had conducted for Hark on Vakenes and how they had captured the chief of the Serafiels.

"He had been trying to convince us we've been lied to, but gave it up once he realized we weren't buying it," said Zayden, giving a little tsking sound. "He's been silent since. Doesn't make a sound, doesn't give us whereabouts of Arik, though it's obvious Arik is back on Ionov since it's out of our bounds now."

Calista gazed at the stars absently as Alastor's fierce face came into her memory. "I remember the first time I saw him; when we were leaving for Vakenes for the first time. There was just something about him that unsettled me," she mumbled.

"He usually has that kind of first impression on people," replied Zayden, picking on the hem of his shirt. The night air seemed to get chillier. "He shouldn't have been able to do this."

"What do you mean?" asked Calista.

Zayden's face suddenly looked barren—shadows under his eyes—as though all the stress of his long immortal life was wearing down on him. He looked up at the sky as though searching for something. "When my father had entrusted me with the throne, he had entrusted me with all that came with it; the security and safety of Vakenian people, maintaining the peace of our planets, guarding of all the dangerous prisoners, and keeping them at bay. Now, look at me, I'm losing the loyalty of the most powerful immortals, the most dangerous planet that was in my custody, and fear has already started to instill in my people. What have I done to become such a weak king?"

Calista sat up, looking at his troubled expression. She crawled over to his side and sat close, hesitating. She felt as though she was obligated to offer him some comforting words when he had expressed his troubles to her. She didn't know what to make of this fragile moment of vulnerability, so she gave him her honest feelings.

"You're anything but weak, King Zayden. You cannot control the betrayals thrown your way, so stop blaming yourself for them. You have been protecting the people close to you and you have been doing everything in your power to get to Arik."

"Apparently, even all of my power was not enough." He gave a slight grimace.

She wanted to tell him he was kind, and that he was not losing loyalty because they thought he was weak, but because they thought he was too easy to overthrow and conquer. But she couldn't judge him like that so soon. Zayden had been kind to her, yes, but there was still the blood of his father on his hands, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't look inside him, couldn't decipher what kind of man he was; if the murder of his father was all that defined him.

Instead, she chose to remind him of his strength that he had momentarily forgotten. "You've got a big and strong army that relies on you. If a few have been rebelling against you, then millions of others have faith in you and your choices. Now, you can either choose to keep your spirits high and protect them or you can just sulk here and dwell on all the things you could have done instead of what you should be doing."

She heard Zayden chuckle and her heart fluttered in her chest. "Yes ma'am," he said, smiling up at her. His gaze fell on her hands clasped in her lap. "I promised my father I wouldn't disappoint him." He looked back up at the sky. "I've got to set it right. Otherwise, my father's efforts were for nothing. The Red War was for nothing; all those lives lost; all of our traumas were for nothing."