Chapter Seventy-One: Cause for Concern
Zelphira's eyes were stained with tears as she walked through the glade, moving away from the departing young ones. She wanted to say more, wanted to do something for them, but nothing more could be done. And the real trial was only beginning.
Shaken, she plucked a piece of foliage off of a nearby tree and stared at it.
A breeze swept through the clearing, ruffling her sheer white gown and long hair.
"What a simple, beautiful thing, the leaf...." she murmured, "Much like that boy. Simple, but beautiful in every way, inside and out. Even if he's too dense to realize it."
She turned the plant slowly in her clawed fingers, looking through the thin green membrane and into its heart. There was a quality to it that a part of her envied, its realness, its firm substance. She could touch it, feel it, run the spider web of green tendrils through her fingers.
Xaphile was very similar, but there were parts of his heart that she couldn't touch.
Unlike this leaf, she couldn't reach the places that needed tending to.
After coming to the conclusion that one of her kin had become human in some way, things had changed, and the future of her world was continuing to ripple and shift even now. The news of her southern kin going missing had been shocking, and to her it seemed like all but the sun and moon had been lost, but things somehow still remained the same even after the grievous news.
The rushing of bubbling water still filled her ears.
The scents of flowers and trees still filled her nose.
Everything was the same, aside from her own perception of the world.
There were people she loved who had vanished, and even now she could not See what had happened to them or why they'd disappeared. Her foresight, not for the first time, had failed her.
That was why she had retired to this place.
This natural garden was hers, a place she needed to have in order to find quiet, solitude and most of all, space. Her worried heart was soothed in some small way by the beauty around her, so she continued on, moving beside the glowing river until she found herself at the peak of a gorgeous waterfall that flew down off of a huge chasm and into the darkness.
Here above, where the falls never stopped, where the water from the heavens joined with the flow of water down under, the light never faded away. Always the sun shone, or the moon glowed... or the river of light radiated luminescence. It was never dark.
And as she stood there, on the edge of this cliff that revealed thousands of acres of land, she pondered things she had been questioning throughout the entirity of her long life.
First and foremost being mortals.
Since the day of her birth, she had been taught that growing close to mortal creatures was forbidden for a variety of reasons. They were destructive, quick to anger, and their life spans were vastly shorter than a fae's, which led to the heartache and loss that faeries could never fully get past no matter how long they lived.
She had never once questioned things, but now, she felt guilty and unworthy to call herself the Queen of the Calcoon.
Both because she was betraying her kind, and because she had been ignorant for so long.
Xaphile had revealed the depth of his capacity to love, and she had been utterly shocked to learn that it was as endless as an ocean. Whether he was an exception among mortals as a result of being from another world, she didn't know, but despite being human... he was a Fae at heart.
And because of it, she'd let it take hold for the fifth time in her life.
Curiosity.
Curiosity about the world of birth and death, of light and dark that ruled the mortals, of petty grievances and fights that shouldn't matter to her even though they did. The world of mortals, both this one and the strange 'Earth' she had caught glimpses of with the help of her magic, had ensnared her.
She was hoping that the other members of the council wouldn't sense her intentions. She was hoping that they would not discover that a human heart beat within the breast of one of their own kind.
A mortal heart in an ageless body... a mortal heart with access to untold power... such a thing would normally be a great cause for concern, but she wasn't concerned, because she trusted him with everything in her.
He was pure.
And he still had a very long road to travel.
She had no doubt that some of his upcoming struggles were going to be her fault since the one she'd chosen to mentor him was beyond angry with her.
Her brother, Vordt... a very mean and heartless sprite who would rather live alone in the forest than among the rest of their clan... he hadn't taken well to what she'd tried to tell him.
He and Xaphile shared very strong similarities to each other, first and foremost being that the elder vadil was a darkling.
One of the only three who had ever been born into their clan.
Despite his fury and bad temper, he was still her brother, and she trusted him enough to reveal everything she'd discovered about Xaphile Heseroph, about his mind, and about what she'd seen.
He and he alone could be told about the bizarre circumstances.
Last time, it hadn't gone well.
Not at all.
Instead of being understanding like she'd hoped, he'd flown off in a rage the previous evening and hadn't returned all night.
Vordt was utterly against her decisions since he had a vendetta against mortals, but she hoped he would come around.
She also hoped that he wouldn't tell anyone about the ties that bound her thoughts and worries to the young darkling. If he did, this sort of solitude would become permanent, because what she was doing... what she had already done... was a crime.
A terrible one.
Allowing a mortal, in spirit or not, to take part of their holy rituals was blasphemy, but it was a necessary evil.
As she rested there, pondering the future and everything around it, a sound like the whir of wind through a keyhole broke the quiet, the sound of heavy wings flapping. Slowly, she lifted her head and tore her gaze away from the leaf being cradled so gently in her fingers.
Wind, as cold and angry as the one who approached, brushed against her back.
She didn't turn around when his bare feet hit the dirt a good distance behind her.
Moving with a menacing gait, he swept forward and settled down beside her without a word.
She didn't move, didn't even breathe when he let out a low, lion-like growl.
"Zelphira," an extremely deep and velvety voice muttered. "Do you know why I am here?"
A cold feeling of dread sank into the pit of her stomach.
She knew that tone like the back of her hand.
The faery woman turned the leaf slowly in her pale fingers, passing it from hand to hand, and then, on a gust of cool wind that blustered past, let it go. It whisked back and forth over the chasm until it sank through the glittering liquid, fluttering away.
She turned to face her little brother, platinum blonde tail sweeping through the grass.
They were as different in appearance as night and day.
Wild, curly black hair framed his extremely masculine face and a strong jaw lined with thick, unruly sideburns remained clenched as he glared at her with frigid blue-green irises. Two extremely long, curved horns jutted from his skull, looking thick and supple as a result of years upon years of growth, and two enormous ebony wings extended from his back, the feathers glossy and gorgeous.
However, he was enraged... beyond enraged.
His eyes were colder than the iciest winter, pupils so thin they were barely visible. She should have answered quietly, articulately, with a humble, repentant heart. But she didn't.
She couldn't.
"Vordt," she murmured, taking a breath. "I wasn't expecting you to come back here so soon."
She risked a glance, only to find his anger intensifying.
"You've committed an atrocity," he purred, tilting his head. "Now that I've had time to think, I've come to a decision. One way or another, you will make recompense."
"What must I do for your compliance?" she asked softly, studying her hands. "What must I do?"
"I don't want to give you my compliance," he hissed, making her heart sink. "I won't teach an impostor our ways."
Zelphira's eyes slowly drifted shut. She hated feeling powerless, like a pawn in a game of chess where the players couldn't be seen, couldn't be reached... just blind, invisible power.
"Brother, what will you do?" she questioned, voice breaking down into a whisper.
"You have planted a seed of discord among our people," he hissed. "Not only that, you have asked me to water it and help it grow. Through this, you have woken the name of our kind to the world outside, and against the will of the elders, against our laws, you have endangered us all."
"Endangered...?" she quietly murmured, letting loose a sigh. "That is what you believe?"
"Yes," he spat, ebony tail smashing against the ground; the whites of his eyes darkened to a sinister black and his irises began to glow bright yellow. Looking at him, Zelphira could see the fire of the sun, the level of magic that made him what he was. "Now, we will repair it."
"I have made my choice in an attempt to prevent disaster," Zelphira promptly retorted. "You are trying to say we must repair the only thing that can fix what will become broken no matter what we do."
"Et Kthuth vrie?" he growled, tension rippling through the air like a stone in a lake. "Perhaps the enslavement of all your kind is nothing to you? War, perhaps?"
"He and his mortals do not intend to hurt to us. He wouldn't hurt us. He has the heart and mind of a human, but his human heart is more Fae than some of our own kin."
"You speak so freely on the behalf of a mere mortal?" he scoffed. "A monster wearing our skin?"
"He is not a monster," she coldly informed him, finally getting a little angry herself. "He is one of us, and not only that, you know who he is to us, Vordt. I will not allow you to act rashly."
A burst of charged air gusted through her long hair and she froze, but not willingly.
The power melted into her body and held her in place.
He didn't flinch, not even a twitch, but she couldn't fight against it since the magical strength of a male darkling was a fearful thing.
"Do not think to control me with your position, dear sister," he said in a threatening tone. "After all, it is you who is asking me to betray all of our people and forsake the ways of our sire."
Zelphira hissed a sharp gust of air through her sharp teeth.
"That boy doesn't deserve your ridicule! Nor do I! He has suffered enough, brother... you don't know anything about that poor child, but I do."
"Do not speak to me of suffering, Zelphira! And do not ask me to be merciful!" the black-haired man spat. "If he has the mind of a human, he is no longer Olagrell's true son!"
"You're wrong! In spirit, and in heart, he is indeed still our brother's child!"
"Lies! He is not one of us any longer!" he angrily roared. "It matters not to me! I will not break my honor, so you just sit by and let me deal with this as I see fit. You will not interfere no matter what I decide to do to that impostor wearing our nephew's face!"
"What are you going to do?" she demanded, eyes sparking with alarm. "Vordt!"
He didn't answer.
Eyes cold with grim satisfaction, he smirked in her direction and slowly, he stood up, strong muscles rippling and revealing his hulking physique.
Then... it hit her.
Her heart stopped, freezing as it was shaken by the horrific realization. She gripped the stone beneath her, and high above, the sky exploded with clouds that obscured the stars. The ocean of thunderheads rolled into swarms and a flash lit up the air, letting loose a rumble.
"You're... you're going to kill him?" she gasped, trembling in disbelief. "You're going to kill him?"
His head tilted and he looked down at her, but he didn't answer.
"Oh, Vordt... no!" Zelphira choked; she couldn't think, couldn't even breathe, and before he could react, she leapt to her feet and tore over to him. "You can't! I won't allow it!"
His lip curled.
"I do as I please, even if it goes against your wishes," he hissed, eyes sharp. "You're questioning the ways of our people, and you've betrayed us all by allowing a monstrosity to take part of our most sacred coming of age ritual. You are not fit to rule us. At this point, you may count your blessings that I have not revealed your actions."
"Silence your foolishness!" she thundered, voice carrying across the wind. "You don't have the right to take his life!"
"Have you forgotten?! I alone have the right to that boy's life!" he laughed, throwing a flashing claw into the air; a whip of wind blasted from his hand. Shining gold orbs lit up the falling dark in his eyes, and in them, she saw lightning crack. "Should tragedy befall the father, if he has a brother, THE BROTHER BECOMES THE SIRE BY LAW! That abomination is my brother's flesh and blood, but if I so choose, I can remove him from the world if I desire it! Such is our way!"
"I won't let you kill Olagrell's child!" she wailed, eyes wide with horror. "Do not harm him!"
It was useless, but she didn't care.
"Why not? That creature isn't our nephew. Our real nephew is already dead!"
"He is not!" Zelphira wept, tears spilling from her eyes. "Olagrell's child is still alive! His heart still beats, even if his mind and memories lie fast asleep! You know naught of what is taking place right now! I desire you to trust me! That boy, he truly means us no harm!"
"How could you possibly know this?" Vordt bellowed, throwing his clawed hands out. "Even if you are correct, can you speak for the rest of his kind? What about the elves? Or men and orcs? All the short-lived creatures who would use his ignorance to their advantage?"
"That is why you must TEACH HIM!" Zelphira shrieked. "He must not remain ignorant!"
"The level of knowledge you desire him to learn cannot be taught in a day!" he roared back. "And it is beyond dangerous if one doesn't know what he is doing, but once one does know, the world will bow to his every whim! That kind of power is not something a human should have access to."
As if to demonstrate, he threw his head back and lightning burst from his fingertips, blending and swelling with the storm growing overhead. The clouds twisted and expanded, coiling like venomous snakes until they gathered on the winds.
Flashes of lightning ripped mercilessly across the sky, and they sent bursts of sound rebounding from the black masses.
Zelphira covered her ears, feeling her brother's power ripping through her like ice.
"Stop!" she shouted, screaming over the wind. "VORDT!"
He lowered his hand and looked down at her, thick neck bulging.
"Why should I?" he demanded. "Why should I betray our people for an impostor? Why should I teach a threat how to endanger the entire world?"
"Because I would rather see you betray our people," she whimpered, quivering tail slashing the air, "than stain your hands with the blood of our elder brother's firstborn child. I am disgusted with you. I never thought your heart would become so cold that you would willingly take a life belonging to your own family."
"He's not my family. He's a human. He should be treated as one when he breaks our laws."
"SILENCE!" the queen finally thundered, eyes darkening to a similar black before shifting to a bright yellow. "WERE HE STILL ALIVE, OLAGRELL WOULD STIKE YOU DOWN HIMSELF FOR EVEN THINKING OF SLAYING YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD! YOU WILL TEACH HIM OUR WAYS, VORDT, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT DESIRE TO DO SO!"
"Why?" he hissed, narrowing his glowing eyes.
"Because," Zelphira said in a calmer tone, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "That boy is going to change our world for the better, and you have not seen the things I have. You truly seem to have forgotten that I have never been wrong about the future."
His eyes twitched and his expression darkened madly, but the storm receded enough for the sky to break through. It still raged on the surface, still swelled and kept raining, but not a drop touched either of them. It flowed around them as if being deflected by an unseen force.
"Why did you choose me?" he finally questioned. "Of all the males in this community, why choose me?"
"I chose you," she whispered, closing her eyes, "because you were the only one I could think of who I knew could teach him properly. When it comes to magical strength, Xaphile is more similar to you than his own father, Vordt. Please, teach him... and in the process, I want you to let him teach you, as well. Perhaps then you will see why I am doing what I'm doing."
Her words seemed to surprise him into silence.
He didn't move a long moment, and in his crystalline aquamarine eyes, she saw cold finality, harshness, power.
Everything that made a man what he was.
"As you desire," he growled, folding his arms and cocking his head. "I will teach the darkling impostor, but if I find out that he is no different than the mortals who slew our sire, I will kill him. You have my word on that."
"Silence, brother," Zelphira begged, slowly stepping forward and pressing her forehead against the strip of black fur on his heavily muscled chest. "Take back those horrible words. They curdle my blood."
"Never," he growled, deep baritone vibrating her forehead. "I will kill him if he is a threat."
"Please," she whispered. "Take it back. I want to see our nephew alive and well, even if he is no longer the same. He is our flesh and blood... our fallen brother's child. Please, Vordt... promise me you will not stain your hands."
For a moment, the storm stilled to an almost deadly silence.
"Fine. I won't. Since you are begging... I will teach him what I know. I promise."
"At what cost?" she asked. "I know you."
Not like asking would matter.
He didn't even blink.
His face was a mask, glowing and emotionless.
"You will see," he growled, eyes shifting in a furious manner. "His training begins immediately after the ceremony. I don't want anyone interfering after I take charge of him. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it my way. Just as you seem to enjoy doing things your way."
With that, he pulled away and slinked off through the brush, leaving Zelphira behind.
"What will you do?" she demanded, swallowing hard. "Brother... promise me you will not harm him."
He didn't answer.
Long tail flicking, he began to run, then leapt into the air and spread his wings.
With a thunderous flap, he took to the sky, soaring away like a bird of prey. She stood there with a sad expression, watching her younger brother fly into the heavens.
Every time she saw such a thing, she wondered to herself why men were free to fly, wondered why women did not have wings... why they could not join their men in the sky.
She lowered her eyes.
"Olagrell," she whispered, pressing a thin hand against her forehead. "Forgive me... please. If he does anything to harm your son, please, please forgive me. It was not my intention."
There was no answer from above or below.
Only a thin rumble of thunder that foretold of an ominous set of events looming beyond the horizon.