Beneath the Sunless Sky

Chapter Five

—Niflheim—

Her lips were still tingling from where Lulu had kissed her. The sensation hadn't dulled, making her heart skip a beat at the memory alone. It had been all too brief, Lulu pulling away almost immediately, but it had been enough to set Idelle's heart aflutter. How many times had she imagined the feel of Lulu's lips against hers? How many years had she longed for just such a thing to occur between them? Now that it had happened, her curiosity wasn't satisfied. She wanted more.

But, Idelle kept her head down, refusing to even look in Lulu's direction as her friend, also, tried to ignore her presence. The moment the kiss had ended, Lulu had flushed the deepest shade of scarlet she had ever seen and retreated as far as possible from her before demanding an explanation. Idelle had explained, as best she could, not understanding the full gravity of what had occurred. When her story was done, Lulu nodded, but said nothing on the matter. They still hadn't fully discussed Idelle's vision, or what it meant. She knew Lulu wouldn't bring the matter up again, but Idelle would not ignore it.

Anna, the vision had called herself. Uncle Baloren's youngest sister, she had died during the Battle for Valdornne, though Idelle knew very little of the details. Uncle Baloren never discussed the final battle that brought the empire crashing down, and so what little she had learned was through second-hand accounts, and rumors. All that she knew of Anna Tor'Varyan was that she had possessed magic far beyond the skill of any known mage, her power so ancient that she had been unable to control it.

Though it was never confirmed by any source, Idelle found it far too coincidental that Anna had been unable to control her ancient power and had died almost at the exact moment of the great Cataclysm. It wasn't unreasonable to guess Anna as the source of it. The Cataclysm had shattered the bridges that allowed interstellar travel, had crippled the dying empire, ensuring its demise, and continued to mark the worlds even to that day. An ancient, uncontrollable power seemed an appropriate source.

And, somehow, through death, Anna had reached out to her, had pulled her consciousness out of her body and ripped her across the worlds to ask for her to go to a place she had never heard of and to dream. She believed Idelle had the power to open the Grave, to find someone lost within. There was no reason to trust such a vision except for one vibrant detail.

She had been a Tor'Varyan.

Of all the truths she had witnessed, all the things she had seen, there was one thing she had found to always be true. The Tor'Varyans were the human paragons of goodness and virtue. Each one in their long, expansive ancestry had done everything in their power to leave the world better than when they found it. They were not immune to corruption, but, in the end, when a Tor'Varyan was tested, each one knew which path, good or evil, to take. And, for that reason alone, Idelle would trust Anna Tor'Varyan. She would lead Lulu to the attunement point in Niflheim, and, then, she would take them to Velara.

"Alright, boys, looks like it's almost time to party," Lulu's voice broke the quite that had settled over them. Unsheathing her sword, her eyes trailed along the bloody path leading ahead. Idelle frowned. This blood was fresh, its vibrancy stark against the snow. The carnage led into a valley, thankfully obscuring their presence from whoever lurked ahead. They each armed themselves and pushed forward.

Large ice crystals jutted out of the ground, creating the Crystal Mountains that towered over them as they followed the fairly thin passage between them. There were a few more bodies, but what held their attention, keeping everyone silent as they crept through the shadows of the crystals, was the screaming coming from up ahead. It was increasing, reaching an almost fevered pitch. When, at last, they reached the edge of the mountains, they came to a stop, crouched in the shadows as they watched the scene below.