Chapter 27
Lyv couldn't understand the flood of thoughts and emotions that ran through her as they flew toward the city of Arloerin. Cleo was leading the way on Ollyn with Odanth on their right. Thia and Gideon were on Erly just behind them, flying beside Allel, Mik, and Kalla. When Allel had shifted into her dragon form...gods, the looks on the Arloerians' faces were priceless, having apparently never know of a shifter who could transform into creatures. The shifters in Laria – who were either humans or mages called morphs – could only change their appearances to look like another.
As for Lyv, she was trying to keep her concentration on holding Elys, who was wiggling excitedly in front of her. Even Jai, who was at her back, was making sure the little boy didn't fly off with how much he was moving around.
The closer they got, though, the more of Arloerin itself they could make out. Lyv was absolutely fascinated by it all, rolling hills all around that elevated into snowcapped mountains in the distance, vineyards and pastures, the colorful stucco homes, the winding dirt roads that turned into cobblestone streets leading into to the main city. She was finally able to see that it was all built using the ancient ruins as a foundation and elements of it – the marble and gold, arches and towers and bridges. It was a mix that shouldn't have worked and yet it did.
Cleo lowered Ollyn and Odanth to just a few dozen feet above the clay tiled rooftops. From that height above the city, they could make out the people who looked up at them in wonder, especially when there were three more dragons in their midst.
Humans, mages, Fae, orcs, naiads, and dryads...they were all there. Their clothing reminded Lyv of those found in Ethran with the colorful fabrics of their gossamer gowns and cloaks, though they also had elements of Dalcaine also. The males were in either loose-fitting tunics or light-colored doublets, pants, and boots. And the guardsmen, both males and females, wore the same golden armor and red cloaks as the ones who rode on horseback through the city streets below them.
Cleo motioned for them to head for the palace just a short distance away, glittering gold and built with solid marble yet still incorporating the ruins of an older palace. From a distance, Lyv knew it was beautiful, but closer up it was absolutely breathtaking, especially with the surrounding gardens that weaved throughout and backed up to a smaller lake situated behind it.
It was a smaller section of those gardens they were heading for then, which held a vase expanse of grass in front of a large alcove carved into the hillside, so much like Roshan and Erly's quarters back home.
Ollyn and Odanth landed with such fluid elegance that it had Roshan trying to do the same, rather than his earth-shaking landing he usually did. He managed a bit, making Lyv laugh at his attempt, but still rattled the ground with Erly doing the same beside him. Allel let Kalla and Mik jump off before shifting back to herself, landing fluidly on both feet as Cleo marveled at her transformation.
"Kalla said you were a shifter, but I think that's going to take some getting used to," Cleo told her as they came together.
Allel smiled bright. "Says you and everyone else I meet for the first time. You will, though, just like they did."
Cleo gestured to the dragons' quarters behind them. "Roshan and Erly can stay here with Ollyn and Odanth and...forgive me, but Kalla, can you show them into the palace to the council room? I have to go reassure everyone of no impending attack, including those princes from Krahzara I luckily got to bolt out on when I sent Urell and the Elite out to the border of the Cagny."
"Of course," Kalla told her. "Go do your queenly duties and I'll make sure no one gets lost."
Cleo looked around at them all again before turning on her heels and strode for the archway leading out to the pathway toward the front of the palace. "Urell, get your ass over here!" she called out just as thundering hooves approached. The sound of the orc's grumbling laugh made its way toward them, along with the others'. "Send messengers out to everyone, though the people undoubtedly saw us come in. I'll have to go find our Krahzaran friends. Let them know we have guests. Family..."
Family. Lyv still couldn't believe she had even more family than she thought and couldn't wait to get to know Cleo as such.
"Gods, she's stunning," Allel sighed, clutching at Mik's hand. "And so much like Corliss and Meron. But the scars..."
"Right?" Kalla grinned proudly. "Like I said, the scars happened when the assassins came for her and Adeena. Having grown up with them and becoming a part of her...well, she's comfortable with them, though I have caught her a few times looking at them in a mirror and talking to herself. No...talking to Adeena." Pain and guilt seemingly washed over her at the name. "But no more about that. To the council room we go, though I'm definitely going to have to show you around the palace and the city soon just so you can see it all..."
Lyv reached over and grabbed onto Jai's hand, looping her arm through his as he stared down at her.
"Are you all right?" he asked her, reaching up to brush her hair back from where it had fallen across her face. "This has been a lot...and what was going through your head back there..."
Right. Of course, he would have gotten a few flashes of that. Of Destan and a certain female. "Later," she told him quietly. "I'll tell you about it later, but for now..."
They followed behind Kalla as she walked them through the same archway Cleo had disappeared through. She guided them to the right, though, and toward the main palace complex. Of course, Elys ran ahead, wanting to see everything first, but he came to a halt at the bottom of the steps that led up to the wood and golden doors.
Lyv and Jai stopped right behind him, along with Gideon, Thia, Mik, and Allel.
"Holy Mother..." Gideon breathed, saying exactly what Lyv was thinking.
She tilted her head up to take in the palace before them, golden and glittering in the sunlight with the blue sky above them.
"It took us about five years to get it back to its former glory, though we added our own little touches to both the palace and all of Arloerin," Kalla told them. She pointed up at the archways made of marble that looked several millennia old. The cracks were fused back together with gold. "Laria's an old world, so there was a race of people here before all of us. We don't know exactly who or what they were, though, but the remnants of their society remain, more so here than anywhere else. The other cities in Laria didn't make use of the structure ruins like we did. There's a kind of power in the ancient stone, though. Protective."
Lyv knew exactly what she was talking about. With every step, she could feel the power coursing through the city, though it wasn't anything to be frightened of. Protective, like she said.
It wasn't until they made their way through the double door entrance that Lyv had to stop and take it all in. Maybe it was the towering entryway with marble floors, stained-glass windows, and a muraled painting of constellations unknown to her on the ceiling above them. Or maybe it was everyone who stopped to stare at them, from the palace staff to the Arloerin nobles to the other people with dark and copper skin tones. She only knew they weren't from Arloerin by their clothing. They had to be part of the envoy from Krahzara judging by their clothing – rich colors adorned with jewels, sleeveless doublets and knee-length jackets, gossamer dresses.
"Yes, yes, it's just me," Kalla called out to them all with a dismissive wave of her hand. "And I brought some new family this time, but all you nosey nobles get to wait for introductions. We're off!"
Whispers and gazes ensued as they all followed Kalla, who made her way beneath an archway below the grand staircase. Lyv didn't even mind them all, her attention too occupied with the palace they were in – the lavish carpeting, the beautiful paintings on the walls, the stone statues that looked centuries old.
"I'll give you all a grand tour later, but I'm assuming Cleo wanted to meet in the council room for a reason," Kalla continued, guiding them down one last hallway that led to a set of double doors with two guardsmen posted on either side. They didn't make a move as she strode forward, though their eyes tracked their every movement.
Before she even opened the doors, two voices sounded from inside, along with...deep, rhythmic purring? As soon as Kalla was inside, silence found them from the females who had just been talking.
The first was an older sorceress, her skin golden from the sun and slight wrinkles around her dark brown eyes and lips that hinted at her age. Her hair was the same silvery blonde as Cleo's, though gray was glittering throughout. She had it twisted into a knot at the back of her head that made all attention go to her loose-fitting, light green dress and heeled shoes. She'd been pacing judging by how they caught her mid-stride as soon as the doors opened.
The second female was lounging in an ornate chair to the right of an even more decorated one that had to be Cleo's. Her golden dress was threaded with silver, which made her dark brown skin practically glow. Her black hair was tightly curled in a halo around her head. Everything about her screamed beauty and royalty, though she wore no crown herself, but the white tattoos that marked the skin of her cheeks and brows told a tale of past servitude. The purring had come from the spotted leopard that sat by her side, its head on her lap as she stroked its fur. The noise stopped almost immediately as its golden eyes locked on the newcomers, a growl rumbling from deep in its chest.
The older female's eyes swept over them all before landing on Kalla. "What...who...Kalla?"
The Pirate Queen grinned, going in to hug her. "Hello again, though this time I brought some others with me, the ones I was telling you about."
She forewent introducing the two females first, but rather Gideon and Thia. It was when she got to Allel and Mik that she seemed to freeze, recognizing their names first...and then their faces.
"Renna?" Allel choked out¸ and then rushed forward to launch herself into her embrace.
Renna. Lyv knew the name. She was Meron's mother, Cleo's grandmother who had been charged in protecting her and Adeena with her mate and husband Evander.
Her hand immediately went to the back of Allel's head to hold her as tears began to stream. Mik hesitantly walked up with a wavering smile, grabbing hold of the hand Renna extended to him.
"Allel? Mik? I thought...?" she whispered, looking between the two of them after she pulled back from Allel's embrace.
"Hello again, Renna," Mik greeted, trying to hide the fact that he was tearing up also as he swiped the back of his hand below his eyes.
She laughed as she cried. "Gods, when Kalla said you two were yourselves once more...I couldn't believe it. Not after what happened in Palrion all those years ago. I thought we lost you two forever just like my Meron and Corliss..."
"We're all right," Allel reassured her. "I just...we thought you died. We didn't know you and Evander had escaped with the girls until Kalla told us."
"Which was the plan," Renna nodded. "But I'm so, so happy you're here now. That you know everything."
Jai was the second to last to be introduced, though Renna immediately knew who he was, having met once before.
But as soon as her eyes met Lyv's, recognition sparked.
"And this is Lyv," Kalla announced, pulling the older female by the hand. "Bridget and Alberich's daughter."
"Undoubtedly so," Renna nodded with a smile, reaching up to brush her fingers against Lyv's cheek. "You look so much like your mother." She touched her silver streak in her hair then. "With some of your father in you, as well."
Lyv returned the greeting and the smile. "It's very nice to finally meet you, Renna."
The other female stayed back from the group, mostly keeping an eye on all three of the older males. Just by her movements, her tattoos, and the way she kept not of all their positions, Lyv sensed a history that wasn't too pleasant. A history that might have been a reality not too long ago.
"This is Janan," Kalla said, though even her movements for the female were controlled, careful. "She's a highly skilled mage from Rezuvell, though she's been here in Arloerin with us for the past three years. To Cleo, she's not only her best friend, but her second-in-command of...well, everything."
Lyv's eyes were on the leopard, who silently padded over to them, golden eyes never leaving, even as it nudged Kalla's hand with its head as it brushed up against her leg. From closer up, a brand could be seen burned right into the skin of its neck below its left ear. Two swirling letters in a language unknown to them. Just like with Lyv's bloodrite bond with Roshan, Lyv sensed the same kind of magic between it and Janan.
Kalla's grin widened as she patted its silky fur. "And this beautiful kitty cat is Shamira, Janan's familiar. Mages here in Laria have something similar to bloodrite bonds, though they're not limited to just one species. Her and Janan lives are linked together, though, including thoughts and feelings."
The leopard Shamira wasn't going to let her gaze faulter, not when Janan wasn't. But as soon as the mage relaxed just a little, so did she. Not surprisingly, it was Elys who she went up to first. And, being the studious little boy, he held out his hand for her to sniff at, just as he would have had she be a dragon. It worked all the same, though. As soon as her large pink tongue flicked out to lick him and he giggled, everyone seemed to let out the breath they'd been holding. Leave it to Elys to break the tension.
"It's very nice to meet you all," Janan said in a light, lyrical voice. She smiled down at Shamira, who was letting Elys hug her around the neck and purring in contentment. "I believe the same goes for her now that she's got a new friend. She says she knows you're a special little one."
"What brings you all here, though?" Renna questioned, looking around at them all as they converged on the council table and sat in the chairs around it. "Kalla, you said when you were here a few weeks ago that you had to give the secret of this world to those who needed to come...so I'm guessing you all are why?"
Kalla shifted uncomfortably in her seat, the one to the left of what had to be Cleo's. "I wasn't exactly truthful in everything I told you when I came here last. I was with needing to tell everyone about Cleo and Arloerin, but not as in why. But I'd rather wait until Cleo was here since both of you need to know."
Renna stared hard at Kalla, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
Silence followed, though it as broken by Allel and Mik, who were talking and catching up with Renna. Lyv moved her chair closer to Jai's side, her hand still clutching his. His thumb was circling the back of her hand, trying to calm her mind and heart, but it offered little in the ways of distraction. Elys did, though, as she watched him play around with Shamira. The leopard had seemingly fallen completely in love with him.
Who knew how much time had passed before the council room doors opened once more and Cleo and Urell strode inside. Cleo sat down in her chair between Kalla and Janan with Urell standing behind her and her second, his hand still resting on his sword.
Cleo huffed out a breath before smiling, brushing her hair back from her face.
"Now that everyone, including those annoying Krahzaran princes and their people, know we aren't under attack, we can finally get down to business," she said, looking around at them all. "So...care to tell us exactly why you're all here?"
Silence continued, but then Lyv realized she was the one they were waiting for to speak first. After all, she was the reason they were all there.
"How much about our world do you know? The history and what's currently happening?" Lyv asked first.
Cleo froze, already sensing where this conversation was going to go. "I know all of it, including what is currently happening in your home of Escarral because of...because of my mother and your adoptive mother Guinevere. I'm very sorry about your father Bence, though. She told me of his passing. It can't be easy."
Lyv nodded, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. "Thank you," she told her. "So, I guess you know what Corliss's intentions are – to plunge our world into complete darkness. She has her grip on Escarral, but we fear that reach is going to extend to Dalcaine soon. Once we're back, we're going to try and stop her. Stop them both since Guinevere is now her conduit instead of Mik."
"You're here to learn more about what happened at the beginning then?" Renna asked. Clearly, the topic was one that pained her. Because of what happened, she'd lost almost everyone she held dear to her except Cleo and Kalla...and now Allel and Mik. "You'd better tread carefully."
Jai's hand tightened around hers in reassurance, though she couldn't manage to look up at him.
"Did Kalla mention what happened to me?" she continued in a whisper. "That Corliss had captured me a few months back?"
Cleo's hands gripped onto the armrests of her chair. "No," she said, her gaze cutting over to the female. "She didn't."
With all eyes on her, Lyv held out the hand that wasn't clutching Jai's, allowing her shadows to curl around her wrist and weave through her fingers. Janan cursed softly in another language, as did Urell. Renna covered her hand with her mouth as her eyes widened. And Cleo...Cleo's own shadows began to show around her, now on the defense since both she and they seemed to understand what she was saying then.
"What happened a hundred years ago is...well, it's happening again," Lyv finished. "Corliss was the one to put the obsidian stone inside me, though the dark magic is now integrated fully with my own. But just like she and Meron did, Jai and I now share it...which was what you all happen in the Cagny Forest."
Renna was the first to speak. "Gods above, you shouldn't have done that!" she choked out. "My Meron...he died because of what he and Corliss did. And Corliss...gods, she's gone because of it, too."
"And just like Meron," Jai said, his tone cool and calm though Lyv could fell the tension throughout his body. "I would do absolutely anything for Lyv. Including this. That's why I did."
"You have no idea what you're dealing with, boy," she shot back. "I didn't either until the very end. I curse both Meron and Corliss for what they did, even though they seemed to know what would happen to them, what would happen to us all. Did you know they didn't even tell us about Cleo and Adeena before we went to Palrion to meet them? I had to learn about my granddaughters when my son and his mate were telling us goodbye and to take care of them. I had to watch as Meron idiotically tried to take on all of Corliss's darkness, only to kill himself and turn her fully dark. I know I just met you all, but I won't watch another family be destroyed once more."
The dark magic inside Lyv seemed to jump in defense of her, Jai's doing the same. "I didn't choose this, you know," Lyv snapped. "Corliss was the one to do this to me. Or rather the Dark Mage, given that she and Corliss are two different people. I know that because I have my own Dark Lyv who I've learned from, who I know would love to see me fall completely so she could take over again. That's why we're here, dammit. To retrace Corliss's steps, find that godsforsaken vessel the dark magic was in, and destroy not only it, but also the dark magic itself."
Cleo, who had been silent for it all, leaned her head back against her chair, hand still gripping the armrests. Her shadows continued to curl around her, trying to calm her.
"There must always be a little bit of darkness in the worlds," she finally whispered, straightening up to meet Lyv's gaze. "No matter what, that will always be what happens. The darkness contained in the vessel here in this world is gone and is in yours now thanks to my mother. But there is still darkness, you see." She lifted her hand and her shadows in demonstration. "That darkness lives in me and was also in Adeena. And if you happened to get rid of it in your world...it will always find some way."
***With all of these new characters, I've been thinking a lot more about their roles in the future series lately! There will be a few more, including yet another friend for Elys in a certain young Krahzarian prince.
What did you guys think of the chapter? Comment and vote!
Happy reading!
- Ansley***