Awakening the Dark Flame (The Dark Throne #2)

6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

T he next morning, I awoke to an empty bed. Lily must have already been working on her latest fashions at the seamstress shop. She had told me this was how she earned her keep within the castle walls, designing dresses for the upper class. I got up and put on a pair of leather pants and a formfitting sleeveless shirt and jacket. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail just in time for the knock that came at my door.

“Your Majesty,” said one of the guards. “Your cousin, Lord Toreon Drezmore, is here to see you.”

I turned slowly, trying to think of what he could possibly want. “Send him in, but please stay stationed at the door,” I instructed.

Toreon stepped in casually, taking note of my rooms. Blue-dyed hair that was longer on the top of his head shined radiantly in the light. He was dressed in the same fashion as I: leather pants, a tight black sleeveless shirt that showed off his muscular build, and a leather jacket to top off the look.

“Good morning, cousin,” he said, bowing towards me.

“Morning. Can I help you with something?” I asked.

“I’ve come to escort you to your first day of training. I will be helping with your lessons from now on. We Drezmore are quite skilled in the art of battle, so I expect you to catch on quickly.”

“I see. So do you just plan on killing me and making it look like an accident during training, or are you going to pretend to care so I begin to trust you, and then you’ll stab me in the back later?” I said.

He laughed, taking a step towards me. “I’m not out for your head little Genevieve. I am not my sister. The crown was never going to be mine anyway. Honestly, I am glad you appeared out of nowhere. You should have seen the temper tantrum Icici threw when our uncle announced you as his heir. It was priceless.”

“So, you’re not loyal to your sister?” I asked, trying to read his face.

“I am loyal to whomever I want to be. And for the record, no. She would have been an awful queen.”

I tried to search out any signs that he was lying. I didn’t believe him, but I could still try and use this to my advantage … somehow. “We will see. Shall we be on our way?” I said, moving past him to the door.

“I like you, cousin,” he said, catching up with me as we made our way into the hall. “You have the family’s brassy personality. It will get you far. Believe me. Now, shall we go over what you will be doing today?”

“Do I have a choice?” I replied, following him down under the castle to another area Erendrial had briefly mentioned yesterday during our tour. This was where every member of the dark court trained. It didn’t matter if you were upper-class or lower-class, everyone learned to fight. This was what gave their court the advantage over the light court.

“We will start with hand-to-hand combat. Alfar are usually quick learners so we will work on this for a few days and then move onto swords, arrows, and axes. It is going to be hard, and you will be very sore, but you will recover each day before your next lesson. Erendrial will come and get you after lunch for your other lessons, so that gives us about five hours.”

We entered through two large, frosted glass doors. A large fighting gym appeared where multiple sets of alfar were practicing and training. Some with swords, some with powers, others with weapons I had never seen before: long slender pieces of black metal that lit up with blue lightning. They cut clean through pieces of wood without even trying. They were curved into a hook at the end and had black writing down the shaft of the sword.

“What is that weapon?” I asked Toreon.

“That is one of our newest toys. It is a weapon that can harness the dark magic inside of us. The handle has a small needle on it that pierces our skin, pulling from the dark magic within us to activate the enchanted sword that can cut clean through anything we’ve tested it against. We call them black weapons,” said Toreon.

“Did you create it?”

“I wish. No, it was created by the mad genius twins Voz and Oz Telgarie. They have come up with all our weapons and toys that we use to defeat the creatures we’re up against.”

No wonder why Erendrial befriended the twins , I thought to myself. He had two little masterminds in his pocket able to create whatever he needed.

“Come, we’re over here,” said Toreon, leading us to a private room, separate from the other members of the court. “I thought you might want some privacy while you get your bearings.”

“That’s very thoughtful,” I said, feeling inadequate. “Thank you.”

We made our way to a clearing in the cave where another male stood waiting for us. He bowed towards me and forced a smile. He was a tall lean man with no hair. His imprint covered his head and part of his forehead as the design swirled around like a river. His ears were pierced all the way to the tips, and he had a ring in his lower lip. He wore no shirt, revealing his well-toned body. His eyes were white and haunting.

“Princess Genevieve, meet your other teacher, Varches Llrune. He is our military trainer. His gift is multiplication. He can create mirror images of himself that make it quite impossible to defeat him,” said Toreon.

“Please now, Lord Drezmore, you speak too highly of me,” said Varches in a deep voice.

“I only give praise where it is due,” said Toreon, bowing in his direction. “Now, he will take the lesson from here and I will evaluate. Good luck, cousin. You’re going to need it.”

The next five hours consisted of Varches beating the shit out of me. I bled so much, I was surprised I was still conscious. Thank the gods for my healing abilities. Just as I thought I had a move figured out, Varches would switch it up and prove me wrong. I learned proper form, the soft places on a humanoid body, and the places I should aim for to take down my opponent.

Toreon laughed at me mostly, taking notes on a piece of paper as he sat back and watched me fail repeatedly. Varches barely broke a sweat. I, on the other hand, was a mess. My hair was tangled, my face flushed, and my skin wet from exertion. We broke for lunch and moved to a back room where a table of food was already waiting. I drank four glasses of water before even picking up a piece of fruit. Toreon watched me closely, noting my every move.

“Can I help you with something, or are you just going to stare?” I asked, shoving a piece of meat into my mouth.

“There’s a lot of alfar in you, but the human parts are still a surprise,” he responded. “Your cheeks are flushed. That doesn’t happen to us often. I guess because we run a bit colder. It’s a good look on you though.”

“Thanks, I think,” I said, taking another swig of water.

Erendrial appeared in the doorway in a clean black shirt and a leather pair of pants.

“How did the hunt go?” asked Varches.

Erendrial nodded with a smile. “We caught the little beast, so I would say good. It was a nasty one though. Swords for hands that could shoot spikes from the tips. It moved faster than anything I have ever seen, but it isn’t moving anymore,” Erendrial said.

“Excellent. Will you be at the dissection?” asked Varches.

“Have I missed one yet?” replied Erendrial.

“When is it?” I interrupted. They all stopped and looked at me as if I spoke out of turn. “I would like to attend.”

“You want to see the insides of that thing?” asked Toreon.

“Yes. I am curious about the creatures that are coming from the rift. I’ve seen a few, and resurrected one, so yes.”

Erendrial smiled. I could have sworn I saw pride on his face. “Tonight, after dinner. I suggest eating a light meal. Come now, princess. Time to get you to your next lesson. Maybe we can throw a shower in there before we go,” he said, taking in my current state.

I stood, looking back at Varches and Toreon. “Thank you both. I will see you tomorrow,” I said politely.

They both stood and bowed.

“Of course, Your Highness,” said Varches.

“It’s been fun, cousin. I can’t wait to get to know you better,” added Toreon.

I followed Erendrial to my room where he told me about the hunt and how they took down the beast that now sat in the examination room of the castle. I quickly showered, eager to know what I would learn next. I came out of the bathroom in a robe and made my way over to the wardrobe. Erendrial sat in one of the chairs off in the corner.

“What lesson am I going to next? What should I wear?” I asked.

“Something light and comfortable. You’re going to meet our other seer. Hopefully, she can help you with that very special gift of yours,” he said.

I nodded, rolling my hands over the armoire as I remembered Atalee doing. I opened the doors to the room full of clothing. I shut them behind me, putting a magical barrier between Erendrial and I.

I slipped on a dark plum purple dress that had long sleeves and came to a point in the center in between my breasts. The fabric was sheer but hid everything well. It was formfitting, as was everything I now owned. It rested at the ends of my shoulders. I left my hair down as it curled along the length of my back. I placed a crown on my head and made my way back out to Erendrial.

He took a hard look at me as I exited the wardrobe. I turned nervously to face him.

“I don’t know how to do the whole makeup thing and I was never good with hair,” I said as he kept his gaze on me.

He stood, walking over slowly towards me. “You’re the princess. You get to look however you want. Come, let’s not keep the seer waiting,” he said, walking towards the door.

We went to the residential wing of the castle where the other high lords and ladies took residence.

“Are your rooms over here?” I asked .

He smirked at me with a side look. I already regretted the question. “Why do you ask? Are you planning on ruining another night of fun for me, like you did back in the light court?”

“Would you rather I had let you go for round two, only to end up dead the next morning? Not very smart for such an intelligent alfar,” I said innocently.

He laughed. A real laugh. I stopped dead in my tracks. It was the same sound that I had heard for the past three years in my dreams. The same sound that brought so much joy to me in my times of need and despair. He turned back to me. I dropped my eyes from his, trying to push the thought of my visions from my mind.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yes. I’m sorry, I just … your laugh,” I said honestly.

“Yes, I occasionally do that from time to time when I find something humorous. You should try it. It does wonders for your health, so I hear.”

“I don’t think I have much to laugh about anymore, but thanks for the advice. Can we continue?” I said, gesturing down the hall. We passed a pair of black doors that had an engraving of a dragon on it. Erendrial pointed to the doors.

“These are my quarters, just in case you get lonely,” he said, winking at me.

“Oh please.”

“Was that not why you were asking after my rooms? I just figured— ”

“You figured wrong, Lyklor.”

“Your loss,” he said with a smile. I couldn’t help but smile a bit back at him. He did that on purpose to get a rise out of me. He was always doing that. “See, a smile. Laughter won’t be too far behind, I promise.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Can you teach me how to read people like you do?”

“I suppose I could share a few secrets with you, but it is honestly a gift. It takes years to learn the tells, and each being is different. All your senses have to be aware and alert.”

“Well, I guess I am at a disadvantage there,” I said, feeling inadequate once more.

“How so?”

“My nose doesn’t work like a full-blooded alfar’s. I can only detect things as humans do. Same with my hearing.”

“Then we’ll just have to refine those senses and make them work a little harder. I’ve known many humans over the years that are just as skilled at reading others as I am. If they can do it, I don’t see why you couldn’t.”

“Thank you,” I replied as we stopped in front of two black doors. A carving of an eye covered both doors. How poetic. Erendrial knocked twice and then stood back. A human girl came to open the door and bowed at the sight of us. Erendrial passed her without a look and entered the room.

Winnow Fellwood stood from her chair as we entered and made her way over to us. She bowed towards me and then nodded at Erendrial “Your Highness, Ambassador Lyklor, what an honor it is to receive you in my private quarters,” she said in a formal voice. She walked over to me, taking my hands in hers. “You are brighter than I had seen,” she said, tracing her eyes around my face. “Your light is exquisite.”

I looked at Erendrial with confusion. He mouthed the word ‘later’ to me.

“Thank you, Lady Fellwood,” I said.

“Please, come sit. Tasha darling, bring us some tea and refreshments please,” she said to the human girl. We sat on the couch and Erendrial took a chair next to us. “Now, I hear you and I share a very special gift. I would like to know all about what you have experienced thus far. Start from the beginning, please.”

I hesitated, knowing where I was going to have to begin. “Well, I started having dreams three years ago. Just one dream really. It would play over and over in my head when I would sleep. Same details, same images, same sounds. I thought I was just going crazy until I saw what I was dreaming in person,” I said, trying to keep the details of that special dream brief.

“And what was it,” she said eagerly.

“I’d rather not say, but when I got to the light court, I started having more dreams. I saw the day Erendrial and the others arrived for the battle with Otar. I could feel the hatred between the courts. My … my hand was smashed,” I said, looking down at my palm, remembering the pain I had endured. “I saw and felt it before it happened.”

“Interesting, so you actually felt your own pain?” she clarified.

“Yes. Then …” I looked at Erendrial and laughed a little. “Then this one over here pissed me off, so I wanted revenge on him. I thought of how to get back at him, but I couldn’t come up with a clever enough way to hurt him. That night, I had a vision about the light alfar high lord he was working with. I saw them conspiring against King Atros. The next morning, I confirmed it was the male I saw and then spoiled their plans.” I turned back to Erendrial. “Sorry about that.”

“All is forgiven,” he said, winking at me.

“So, you wanted something, and your gift gave it to you? How interesting,” she said.

“Does your gift not work like that?” I asked.

“Oh, no. The details of my gift are sparse and sometimes hard to understand. It has never given me a vision for personal gain. I only see the future, or visions that will help others. Most of the time I can’t control when they come or what I see. It seems that your gift is far more advanced than my own. Have you used your gift for personal gain since that night?” she asked.

“Yes. When I … when I wanted King Lysanthier dead. I dreamed of Otar and how to revive him. I saw myself controlling him and speaking with him,” I confessed.

“And your visions only come in dreams? ”

“No. I had one when I was awake. I was looking at a map before the battle with Otar. When I saw the northern border of Urial it triggered a vision, but it was painful and sent me to the floor. I had to recover from that one.”

Winnow stood from the couch and began to pace back and forth. “Interesting. Maybe because your body is in a relaxed state when you are asleep, the power doesn’t affect you as greatly because you have time to heal and recover. But when you are awake and they come, they affect you due to your human side. Humans were not meant to have power. Their bodies cannot contain the gift, so it taxes them on a physical level.”

“Will the pain I feel eventually ease as I get used to my powers and learn how to control them better?” I asked.

“I’m afraid not. The pain will be something you have to live with, but if you can control and manipulate your vision to see the things you desire, I would say the pain is well worth the gain,” she said.

I nodded with a small smile. Nothing can ever be easy , I thought to myself.

“So how do I control it?” I asked.

“Premonition isn’t a gift you can necessarily control. Sometimes visions will come to you of things you didn’t even know to look for. Other times, you can focus on a topic or a detail and will yourself to see into the past, present, or future. For example, when you raised Otar. We knew the creature had died in battle and yet somehow, he rose weeks later and killed the light king. I focused on Otar and his life. It took some time, but that was when I saw the sigil on your wrist. Very clever by the way, princess. I am already a fan,” she said, patting my hand.

“So, I need to focus on specific things I want to see?” I asked.

“Yes. Once a vision is triggered you need to focus on the smallest details. Sounds, noises, colors, symbols. Anything that will help you make the connection out here. Unfortunately, that is all the help I can provide. Premonition isn’t something that can really be learned. You just have to get good at understanding what you see. But if you ever have questions or need help, I am here for you,” she said, sipping at her tea.

Erendrial rose from his seat, offering me his hand. “Thank you so much for your time, Lady Fellwood. Though we would love to stay, we have a very busy schedule to keep,” said Erendrial.

“Of course, Ambassador. Princess Genevieve, it was such a pleasure to meet you.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Fellwood. I am sure we will be seeing a lot of each other,” I said, taking her hands in mine.

“Oh, I do hope so,” she said, smiling at me.

“And thank you for finding me. You don’t know how truly thankful I am.”

Her smile softened as she took my face in her hand. She kissed my cheek and then placed her lips to my ear. “He got exactly what he deserved,” she whispered, pulling away from me slowly.

My heart sunk in my chest. My eyes widened as I looked at her. “You … you saw?” I asked her in disbelief.

She nodded. “Every moment. I am truly sorry for what you had to endure to get here, but it is in the past. It doesn’t define you. You will rise from the ashes of this fire into who you were truly meant to be,” she said.

I dropped my head in shame. Her grip tightened on my hand.

“That’s what I try to tell myself,” I said, pulling away from her. I took a deep breath and headed to the door. Erendrial and I left her rooms. My heart still felt heavy. I felt embarrassed even, knowing someone else saw the abuse I endured. Why hadn’t she told anyone? Surely, she could have found a way to use it against me.

“What did she see?” asked Erendrial. His voice broke me out of my own head.

“Nothing important,” I answered, as we made our way back to my rooms.

“Zerrial tells me you and sweet Lily made up last night. I am glad to hear it,” he said, changing the subject.

“Yes. I was wrong to lash out at her like that, but …”

“But …?”

“Does Zerrial still take others, even though he is with her?” I asked.

Erendrial scoffed. “I don’t keep track of who my friends fuck, princess.” He paused for a moment. “But I know he is eager to get back to her every chance he gets. He’s turned down late-night drinks, strip parties, and no longer attends Jestu. So, if I were to guess, I would say no.”

I smiled, feeling truly happy for Lily. “Does he love her?”

“You know how I feel about love and alfar.”

“Yes, but that is your opinion. It doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen,” I smiled brightly at him, still reeling with joy for Lily. “For whatever it’s worth, she loves him, no matter what he is or what he does.”

“The love of a human … how—”

“Worthless?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, but you were thinking it. The sheer fact that he is friends with you would have been a deal breaker for me, but Lily has a bigger heart then all of us, I guess,” I said playfully.

“Or she is just very, very stupid,” he said.

I looked at him, searching his face to see if he was playing.

His smile stretched across his cheeks, revealing those deep dimples. “I’m teasing. I am glad my friend has found happiness. I am just sorry it will be so short.”

“What do you mean?”

“Her human lifespan. She will have another thirty good years if she is lucky before things begin to change.”

“Oh, right.” Yet another reminder I would have to live most of my life without my best friend. Would this world ever become normal to me? Would I carry her loss with me for the next 900 years? What a life to live: watching as everyone around me died.