Beneath the Sunless Sky

Chapter Fifteen

—Khae Falairas, World of Velara—

There's nothing quite like Khae Falairas. It stands in the middle of Nararran Vae, the center of innovation. From there, so much about the modern world was built and redefined. Everything was at our fingertips. Maybe it's no surprise then that things went the way it did. There was so much we already understood. I don't think any Velaran truly thought that there was anything new to discover that we could not handle or figure out, a trait that was very well earned.

So much we had helped to invent. We cured diseases, learned the secrets of teleportation magics. Even the bridges themselves were refined and made easier to build, ensuring everywhere was within an hour or so reach. So many marvelous things—but, then, it all came crumbling down. We thought we understood science and magic, two sides of the same coin. But, for all our advancement, for all our wisdom, we failed to realize just how ancient magic was, how so very far we were from understanding anything about its capabilities.

It happened with the tiniest mistake. In fact, I don't think anyone really knew it was a mistake at the time—but, I'm getting ahead of myself. I meant to write of the beauty and grandeur of a city I could never do justice to. It was a city so alive, so vibrant that I truly think it was the beating heart of the Vandalaran Empire. It may have been the Elves and Dwarves of Alfheim that found us first, their magic giving them an edge that we were able to match with our science. Truly, we were a force to be reckoned with.

The people, too, were so alive with their hopes and dreams, everyone adding together to make the Empire truly something wonderful and magnificent. I remember there was a café I always liked to visit just off the main square. La Vida Mocha, it was called. Coincidentally, it was the same place Oswin and I went for our first date. They had this small area just off the side of the building with tables for their customers. At the center of each was this cartoon cup built into the table just smiling at you as you finished your coffee. They had the most terrible taste in décor, but a marvelous view of the main square.

I would sit there some evenings when I was off duty, just watching the fountain shine in the soft light of the suns above. Children liked to play nearby, and musicians would play, hoping for a few extra coins thrown their way. So vibrant, yet utterly peaceful at the same time. And, just behind the fountain, the marble steps of The Capitol. The sight of it always brought a smile to my face—

It was just as he described. The café was fairly untouched from whatever calamity had claimed the rest of the city, it seemed. There were a few cracks in the building, mostly higher above, but the windows were untouched, and only a few tables were overturned. It was almost eerie how it remained unscathed. The tables were just as Galerus described, and, from them, a view of the fountain and a sight that made her blood turn to ice in her veins.

The others were following Rhaena as she measured the strength of the veil, but Idelle could not tear her eyes away from those steps, where several wraiths were floating by. They were the same steps she had dreamt of nearly a year ago now, the ones on which Lulu had lain, dead. There was no mistaking them, and it was all Idelle could do to keep her composure, to keep her scream of despair suppressed as the others moved about, unaware of her internal strife.

What was she supposed to do?

To stay, to work against the King of Bones, they could conceivably save Ori from whatever dark machinations he had planned, but that put Lulu at risk of whatever would lead her to die upon those stairs. To leave—what if the King of Bones searched for a way to enslave Ori, to trap her, overpower her somehow? Each path could lead to tragedy, and she had no idea where to go or what to do.