Chapter 17
Jai got an odd sense of déjà vu as they flew over the vast Ethran desert, heading for Chamin. Leaving out earlier that morning, they made great headway and stopped for the night before the sun completely disappeared behind them.
He couldn't help but notice how Lyv's hold on Elys was tighter than usual, like he was helping her keep calm. Her thoughts had been all over the place, so much so he had to be the one directing Roshan's flight. Elys seemed to realize this, too, not asking for Roshan to do different flight maneuvers like he had been. He faintly remembered her bolting up in bed the night before and asking if she was all right, but nothing after. Sleep had grabbed hold of him and pulled him under.
He was the first to wake that morning, though, which was unusual. Elys had somehow crossed over Jai and nestled himself in between him and Lyv. She held him tight with her face pressed against his hair.
Their goodbyes with Mik's parents and sister finished before the sun even rose. Not only were Mik and Allel promising to come back soon, but Lyv was making that promise also. They, of course, made sure they were stocked up on supplies, even though they planned on only stopping for one night to make camp in the desert before heading to the eastern most Ethran city.
Now, Jai motioned for them all to start their descent and Lyv finally broke free of her trance.
"Has it really been that long?" she called out against the wind.
Jai nodded as he kissed the side of her head. "It has. You've been a little preoccupied to notice."
Sand flew up around them as the dragons landed, the heat uncomfortable though the cool night air was surely on its way. After jumping off, Jai helped Elys down first and then Lyv, making sure she was steady on her feet before letting go. Just like she had that morning, she wouldn't meet his gaze, but that didn't stop him from taking her face in his hands.
"What's been up with you all day?" he asked her quietly as everyone else moved around them. "You've been quiet, even with your thoughts."
Reaching up, she gripped his wrists, though not to pull his hands from her face. Rather, she seemed to want him closer. "Not now."
"All right."
It took them no time at all to get the tent set up, especially when Lyv just waved her hand and the canvas and poles magically went into place. She'd even added a second room to the inside for Allel and Mik, though you wouldn't have been able to tell from the outside. Mik was the only one to be taken by surprise of it all since Allel had been in it before as they searched for Lyv a few months before.
"And here I thought I was used to your magic by now," Mik marveled as Allel grabbed both of their bags to take into the room. His gaze traced it all, including the kitchenette where pans and food were flying around as Lyv magically started dinner, before he followed.
Everyone took some time to change out of their riding gear and into more cool and comfortable clothing. Elys was the first to find his way back to the cushioned chairs around a new, larger table in the center of the tent with one of his favorite picture books open in front of him. He was in a loose white tunic and dark brown pants, almost identical to what Jai was wearing right down to being barefoot. Jai ruffled his hair as he passed to head into the kitchenette, making sure Lyv's magic hadn't started a fire anywhere due to her preoccupation. The smell of beef stew and freshly baked bread began to fill the air as soon as he lifted the lid and cracked open the stove to peek inside.
"I asked Lyvi if we could have stew for dinner. We used to have it with Moswen and Tairin before," Elys told him as he walked back out to where he sat.
Jai sat down beside him, watching as he turned one of the colorful pages. "Well, it smells good, so great choice, kid."
His lips turned down at the corners. "And I think she agreed to make it since...since it was Bence's favorite, too. I think it helps her to remember him, the little things. She hasn't wanted to talk about him much just yet, though."
"She will, though. It's only been a few weeks."
Elys sighed, leaning back in his chair as he looked over at Jai. "We'll see him again, though, won't we? Whenever we all go the land of light and shadows?"
Just the thought of that... "We will, kid, though not for a very, very long time. But none of that heavy conversation. Even though I know Lyv's read you that book time and time again, you want to read it to me?"
Having their conversation turn to a lighter note, Elys happily obliged, reading it to Jai in more detail than was even in the book itself and changing his voice to match the pitches of each and every character. By the time he was halfway through, everyone had joined them, bringing brought all the food to the table. Stopping just a few pages from the end, Elys slammed the picture book closed and dropped it to the floor beside him, happily reaching for the big bowl of stew Lyv had placed in front of him.
"You missed this, huh?" she grinned at him, sitting down on his other side.
"Yep!" he chirped before shoving his first big spoonful in his mouth. Still steaming, it was hot enough to burn him, but he made no indication if it did or not. "Mmm, it's my favorite!"
"Mine, too," Gideon sighed as he took his first bite. "Almost as good as Bence used to make."
At the sound of her father's name, Lyv's smile dropped just slightly. "He did make the best, didn't he? Remember when we first went to the cottage when he was there, after you came back from Dalcaine?"
The memory made Gideon burst out laughing. "Oh, yeah. He almost hit me for trying to use magic on him since I swore he was someone else in a glamour and made fun of him for being a king who liked to cook."
"He did hit you," Lyv snorted, rolling her eyes. "Several times, in fact. Over that entire year."
Lyv and Gideon continued telling stories of that year in Escarral, most of them funny enough to have them all laughing. Jai could plainly see talking about Bence was doing good for Lyv, especially since she hadn't spoken much about him in the weeks after his death. The sadness and tension slowly eased from her as she was able to remember much happier times.
But her hesitation and preoccupied thoughts returned after everyone else retired to bed and Jai tucked Elys in after he fell asleep in his arms. Lyv was the only one up whenever he emerged from Elys's sectioned off room and was washing up the dishes and silverware, having not resorted to using magic to do so. He remembered her doing this once before to keep her mind off of something that gnawed at her. This time, though, he was the one to dry, slowly taking his time even after she finished washing.
As he ran the towel over the last of the plates, Lyv stepped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek to his back.
Jai folded and place the towel on the counter and covered her hands with his own. "You all right?"
She was silent before she sighed. "I guess. I...I needed this tonight. Talking about Bence. It helped a lot."
"I can tell." He turned around in her hold and pulled her closer as he leaned back against the counter. "You've been preoccupied all day while we were flying. Everything all right?"
"I guess," she shrugged. "I'm just...I've been thinking way too much about what we're heading for. Arloerin. Laria. Cleo, especially. I'm curious as to what my cousin's going to be like, especially seeing how her light and dark magic work. Royals in Laria sent assassins after her and Adeena, succeeding with one in their mission to kill them. They didn't know how their darkness would affect them or what they would be capable of. And after what I read in the first few pages of the grimoire, I can't help but think, can't help but fear..."
Jai watched her after her voice trailed off before squeezing her gently. "You never did tell me what you read in that first passage."
Leaning forward, Lyv placed her forehead against his chest. "Let's go outside and I'll...I'll read it to you. Maybe I'll even find it in myself to read through it more. I couldn't while I was with Talib in the archive. I wanted you there."
"You should have woken me whenever you left. I would have come."
"I know, but you and Elys were just too cute sleeping together."
At that, Jai chuckled. All he remembered the morning before was waking up with Elys sprawled across the bed beside him, his feet on Jai's chest. He only ever did it to him. Whenever he was by Lyv, Jai would always find the two of them curled up together.
Lyv pulled back with a sigh and held out her right hand to her side. Shadows curled around her wrist and pooled in her palm with flickers of light swirling within its depths. And in the blink of an eye, the grimoire was there in her grasp.
"How...how did you do that?" Jai breathed, staring at the leather text with an eclipsed sun embossed on the cover.
Her expression turned grim. "You already know the answer to that, love."
Jai wasn't going to say anything more. She already knew he was worried about her and for her. There was no need to put it in words.
Together, they left the tent for the cool night air of the Ethran desert. Roshan and Erly were snoozing on either side of it, keeping careful watch. Of course, as soon as they approached, Roshan was wide awake and moving to create the perfect space for them to sit. Having grabbed a blanket for them to sit on, Jai spread it out on the sand and sat down, leaning against Roshan's side. before Lyv joined him. She fit herself in the space between his legs, her back pressed against his chest, and propped the grimoire in her lap.
"Honestly," Lyv began in a whisper. "It scares me to know I'll be able to read this now. Even with just the first entry it did. I mean, we already know it contains information about the vessel that can hold the shadows, more detail about the obsidian stones, and even the spell that allowed Corliss and Meron to share the magic. I can only imagine what else it holds."
Jai wrapped his arms tight around her. "Like I said, the only thing you have to read to me is that first passage. You don't have to look at anything else just yet if you don't want to."
Nodding, Lyv cracked open the cover and flipped the first blank page to the next where a passage was written in a language Jai had never seen before. She read it word for word straight from the text itself, giving the short history of Darkness and Light and how they came to shape the worlds, how the shadows caused chaos and death to entire worlds.
Then there was a prophecy of sorts, one that stated three born of darkness and light would be able to fully control them. One of them, though, was to be key in finding the first world the shadows reigned and destroy it.
Lyv's fingertips traced over the last passage. "I think..." she started before cutting herself off. "We know who this is, don't we?"
It wasn't a question she actually needed answered. Jai didn't have to say it aloud either because they both knew who it referred to – Dessa.
Lyv sighed heavily as she shifted so she could look over her shoulder at him. "It's going to happen no matter what we do, won't it? There's no way of getting around it. At least we know it won't happen because I absolutely refuse to let you take on half of this. And if you don't have the darkness in you..."
"Lyv."
Here eyes narrowed. "Don't you even dare ask me to do it, Jai. I'm not risking it, no matter the cost to me."
"But it is something to think about, you know."
"Don't..."
"Lyv."
"Jai, no."
"Fine. I won't mention it again...for now. You do know I'd do anything for you, though. And I would do this."
"You won't if I don't let you."
He wasn't going to say more on the subject.
"Can we move on now?"
Lyv didn't wait for his answer as she shifted back into her original position against him. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a moment before slowly letting it out and turning the page.
Just like before, Jai couldn't read a single thing on the pages. He recognized a few of the etchings from when they flipped through the decoy text in Dewridge's office, though. What he could read was the scribbled notes along the margins, ones he immediately knew were written in Corliss's own hand. The majority of them were just her own thoughts, but without any context, Jai didn't understand what she was talking about.
Both he and Lyv recognized the diagram of an obsidian stone as soon as she flipped the page to it. It was a rough sketch with nothing but the spell that would allow dark magic to fill it written beneath. However, Corliss had written something even Jai was thinking.
Why would someone want to do this to another?
"I would have found that question from Corliss hard to believe if we hadn't read through her journal," Jai stated with a half scowl.
Lyv nodded in agreement without saying a word and flipped the page. By the catch in her breath, Jai had a feeling he knew exactly what this section was about before he even read the notes Corliss had written across the top of the page.
Those who harbor the dark magic have the chance to share it with another – their mate. Their bond acts as a tether...interesting, though it must be hard to know what they will go through.
"It's the spell that will allow mates to control the darkness together, halving it between them," Lyv whispered, her fingers tracing along the words. "How could someone ever...?"
Jai immediately cut her off. "I would do it in a heartbeat for you."
As soon as he said it, Lyv slammed the grimoire closed and tossed it on the blanket beside them. Leaning back into him, she crossed her arms over his, threading their fingers together in her lap. "And that will never happen. We're not risking it, especially when we know that was what let do Meron's death and Corliss going completely dark. Even Corliss herself told me I would be the death of you and that's certainly not how you're going, though I would be fine with slapping you upside the head for even suggesting it."
It took Jai a few moments to calm his thoughts of the possibility of helping her in that way, but then he just tightened his hold on her...and made sure he was doing so in a way she wouldn't be able to make good on her threat.
"Do you want to change the subject then?" he asked, turning his head to kiss right below her ear.
As he continued with his kisses down her neck, she scoffed but didn't pull away. "Don't you dare think we're doing that with Roshan right here and everyone else in the tent."
Jai snorted out a laugh. "I wasn't thinking about that, princess. At least not until we've got some privacy. Maybe we convince Elys to have his own room at Tahmuras's inn and then we can."
She paid absolutely no mind to his suggestion. "Tahmuras's? We plan on stopping there?"
"We're halfway to Chamin and we're going to have to rest again, so why not in a comfortable bed in the city?"
"Fine, just as long as we don't have a run-in with Queen Ozera again."
Jai's laugh burst from him before he even got the chance to reign it in.
Pulling herself from his hold, Lyv swiveled around to glare at him. "Don't you dare laugh at me, Jai Ayveri. You know I'm not a fan of hers. Not after that first and only time we met."
"I will say again, it was one time. Never thought of her again. Actually, I haven't thought of any other female I've been with in the last few years."
She pointed a finger, eyes still narrowed. "Good...and let's keep it that way."
***I've been loving my filler chapters for some reason, maybe because it just calms everything before the real fun/chaos begins! We're getting so close to getting to the land of Laria and I'm still coming up with new aspects about it that aren't the same about the world with Dalcaine, Escarral, and Ethran.
What did you think about this chapter? Comment and vote!
Happy reading!
- Ansley***