43. YOU ARE NOWHERE
Chapter forty-three
YOU ARE NOWHERE
Amira
T he pearlescent surface felt very much like freezing cold water that did not leave my skin or hair wet as we passed through it. I held my breath, the way I had while passing through the portal to come into the Vale, but this crossing was much easier than that one.
My eyelids were completely white from the brightness, so I kept my eyes closed to prevent myself from being blinded until they turned a soft, greyish red. I peeked my eyes open, squinting in the brightness. I could still feel Riordan and Orion gripping my hands on either side and checked to ensure Helena was next to Orion as well.
We were standing in the same empty space that Pen had described which had no walls, just a white flagstone floor that was covered in a thin layer of white sand. Everything was so bright, but the ceiling and edges of the floor seemed to fade away into a soft, greyish light that wavered so serenely and reminded me of the shadows of trees swaying in beams of sunshine.
Our envoy had told us exactly what to expect, and yet we were all still in shock.
“What is this?” whispered Helena, and I saw her lift a hand to catch some of the shimmering particles in the air.
“Stardust,” Orion answered, and I heard him shift his boot across the grainy floor.
“Where do you think this place is?” I asked Riordan.
“You are nowhere,” answered a voice that was at once too fair to be male and too deep to be female.
Riordan tugged me against him at the same time Orion moved in front of us to face the speaker. They had both dropped my hands in favour of gripping their weapons.
A featureless figure had appeared in the room with us to our left. They were draped in a gleaming, cream veil that draped down their back and to their knees in the front but was shorter around their shoulders. I could see the vague outline of their nose, and their hands were clasped in front of them. Beneath the veil, the figure seemed to be wearing a white, long-sleeved robe that pooled on the sandy floor around them, and white gloves.
“Mortals cannot look upon the face of the Elisari and preserve their sanity. So it is for your sake I have donned this shroud. It is not a sign of wicked intent or secrecy,” the figure explained in a lilting, melodic accent, but the voice was hollow and ageless. They had said the exact same thing to Pen as if they knew that we would be distrustful of a faceless entity.
The figure was just as Pen had described they would appear to us, and yet, I was still unnerved. I had met many elves from all of the seasonal quadrants but none of them possessed this sort of ethereal element.
“We came to speak with the Sylvan Elves. Or are they and the Elisari one and the same?” Orion asked them.
“And what do you mean that we are… nowhere ?” added Helena in discomfort.
The veiled figure was silent for a moment, and I had the impression they were bracing themselves.
“You might call us Sylvan Elves, but that is not a name we gave ourselves. And the dwelling place of my people is not a place you could go,” explained the elf patiently.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet me,” said Riordan, and he put a hand on Orion’s forearm to gently move him out of the way so he could stand in front of us.
The ethereal figure seemed to take a deep breath under their veil, but I did not hear them drawing in any air.
“You seek to destroy an evil that has long plagued the memory of our people. A blight upon our Light that must be eradicated before it Unmakes All,” said the elf, and I almost shuddered in horror at such dire words.
“The Mavaari,” Riordan acknowledged, and the name made the elf visibly tense beneath their white shroud.
I had been learning a little about the history of the Sylvan and their battle with Rian’s ancestors in order to prepare for this meeting. Apparently, the first Sylvan were born when the mere idea of their existence had come to Thea, goddess of light, who cried with wonder and love. Her tears had fallen like stars, and the light of the Sylvan, most cherished children of all the gods, was born.
And then their beloved princess had fallen in love with a monster, the entity known in all worlds as the Destroyer, and when she was exiled for it, many elves went with her. Their Light was removed, and in its place, the Destroyer gifted them with his Shadow, a kernel of which had been passed down through generations to Rian. Death and hunger in his veins. A Scrios. These Sylvan had become servants of the Destroyer and were known as the Dark Constellations. Fallen Elves. The Dark Host. They had a great many names, but the one that they were given by their new master was Mavaari .
I was not sure how much of the lore could be taken as the honest truth, but I was standing beside three demigods who were griffin shifters. I would not discount anything.
“Do not speak that name, Vale King,” hissed the elf, and my whole body shuddered in horror of their ire.
Riordan was far better composed and inclined his head in understanding.
“Are you familiar with Rian DorTìodhlac?” he asked. “Do you know the power he has?”
“We do,” answered the elf with a graceful, forward tilt of their covered head. “We also know that he has acquired a witch who is a powerful Seer.”
“A Seer ,” hissed Helena in disbelief.
“Our Light blinds her now, and we could continue to keep her Sight out of the Vale for you,” said the elf.
A generous offer. Although I remembered the emissary telling us there was something the Sylvan wanted, so I knew this aid would not come without a cost.
But what the hell could an ethereal creature like this want from mortals like us?
“I need to know if there is a way to stop Rian. I will kill him if I need to, but I would be content with a way to keep him out of the Vale,” Riordan admitted.
The elf was quiet for a moment, and I wasn’t sure how, but I had the sense that they were receiving some kind of communication. Perhaps they could speak mind to mind the way I could with my mate.
“Only Light can drive out Shadow, and our Light is no longer the force that was once shaped and bequeathed in weapons of immense power to worthy mortals. You will not overcome his magic. It is something we must do.”
I almost blurted out my astonishment that they were willing to kill our enemy for us. They would provide us protection against his Seer and kill him? It seemed rather strange to me, firstly, that such otherworldly creatures would take any interest in the affairs of mortals. And even if Rian did have a dark power that they had once battled, he could hardly reach them to use it against the Sylvan. And secondly, if they wanted him dead so badly, then why would they not just do it? Why wait for us? Why waste their energy making a deal to provide us with their aid?
“My emissary said you wanted something from me,” said Riordan, as if he were reading my thoughts.
The veiled head dipped forward in graceful assent.
“There is another even more troubling than the Scrios. A Light Wraith rides with the Wild Hunt,” said the elf, their voice growing colder.
“And what is a Light Wraith?” I asked.
“A creature more offensive than the Scrios. A Fallen who has retained fractured Light magic. Such power was not meant to be wielded outside of the stars,” said the elf, their shoulders straightening. “Bring us the Light Wraith for our purposes, and we will ensure your kingdom is safe from the Spawn of the Dark One.”
“What… will you do with the Light Wraith?” I asked, my heart sinking at the thought of what these creatures might want with the fey. I was not sure I wanted to hand over another living thing to be harmed, even if they were an enemy or a monster.
The veiled figure did not seem to shy away from my question, but they did take a moment to answer.
“We will rip out his stolen light.”
“Why do you require our help for it?” Riordan asked before I could speak up again.
We will discuss our plan of action later, but for now, we need answers from them, he insisted in my mind.
The Sylvan Elf wavered this time, a slight sway in the veil that rippled around their knees.
“Our interference is limited. There is only so much we can do without the Shadow taking notice. Beings such as us are not permitted to interfere in the affairs of mortals. That is why we are here. Nowhere . Rather than in your world where our power would be sensed and swarmed,” explained the elf coolly.
But even here, in this place of nowhere , they seemed to fear mentioning the Mavaari Elves.
“And how will you kill Rian if you can’t come to the Vale should he arrive? You also said your power is greatly diminished, so are you able to kill him?” asked Orion.
“Diminished, but certainly not weak,” hissed the elf, obviously offended. “Our Queen will create a diversion, but it is not one that we resort to lightly. It is a sacrifice,” they added sharply. “One we are committed to making in the name of eliminating the Spawns of Shadow.”
“Why?” I asked impulsively. “Can I ask why this is so important that you would make any kind of sacrifice?”
The elf hesitated, the bottom of their robe rippling as if they had shifted on their feet again.
“Does it truly matter if we are prepared to give you what you need? What possible meaning could this eternal battle between Light and Shadow have to you?”
“It matters if it is spilling over into the mortal planes and will cost mortal lives. And it matters if we are going to hand over someone for you to do… whatever you are going to do to them,” I insisted, swallowing the nausea that rose when I realized that I would do it. I would hand over the fey to protect the Vale. The truth was that Rian and this Light Wraith creature terrified me. The threat to the Vale was imminent, and they had my friend.
They had Nell.
The elf wavered again noticeably, and I thought I saw a flare of light beneath the shroud.
“You have not known fear such as that which we will know should the Shadow reclaim His bride. All of you would be returned swiftly to Stardust,” said the elf, gesturing with a gloved hand to the white sand glittering in the air around us. “Unknowing and senseless to your fate once it had been sealed. You simply cease to know . But what he will do to us shall be eternal,” they stressed, their voice trembling slightly. “I do… have a concept of how your heart might quake at the notion of harming what you perceive to be an innocent. But it is essential we have the Light Wraith for our purposes. For all of our sake.”
There was silence for a moment as we all absorbed the harrowing words.
“We’ll need time to discuss,” insisted Riordan finally, and the veiled head dipped in agreement.
“You have time, although it grows short now. We will extend our protection to prevent the Seer from perceiving our collaboration, but we cannot risk coming here again. We will know your decision,” said the elf as they formed a crystal, fang-shaped blade seemingly from the Stardust, “when you bleed upon this blade. But do not spring this trap lightly, for we will act at a great consequence to ourselves. You must only bleed upon the blade when the Scrios and Light Wraith are together before you.”
The blade drifted from the elf and lingered in the air in front of Riordan who hesitated a moment before taking it. The moment he touched it, the glowing crystal blade was dimmed, and the hilt turned into a simple bone handle wrapped in leather.
“I urge you to think about this prudently,” said the elf. “The fate of many depends upon it.”
The portal returned us exactly where we stepped through in the Silver Moor, and it did not seem as if any time had passed at all judging by the light.
It was some time before any of us could break the silence once the portal had closed behind us.
“That was… deeply unsettling,” noted Helena at last.
“What do you think?” I asked Riordan, who was still clenching my hand while he stared straight ahead into the shadowy forest. He breathed in deeply and turned his head down in my direction but did not look at me.
“I do not like these choices,” he began slowly, and then he raised the weapon he had been given in his other hand. He turned the blade in the fading light and watched as it glinted faintly. “But I am not sure there is a choice.”
“And what if the elf lies in order to force your hand?” demanded Orion. “You can never trust an ally who tries to present themself as your only hope. You told me that.”
“It’s probable they exaggerated or omitted something,” Riordan conceded. “But we cannot deny the fact that Rian means to attack the Vale, and we are not able to stop him from taking my power over this kingdom. I cannot justify risking you, Amira, our people, just to protect a stranger, much less one who actively threatens our people! I don’t like the options any more than any of you, but we are not the ones bringing war to Ahnnaòin,” Riordan maintained, his voice growing firmer as he sheathed the blade.
Orion was silent, his tail whipping behind him as his jaw clenched tight while he accepted Riordan’s words.
“The elf said that only their Light can defeat Shadow, but it is not the same as it once was. They can no longer make powerful weapons with it,” I recalled thoughtfully, drawing their attention. “But what if there are still some weapons out there that they made before?”
“We wouldn’t know how to use them and such power is not something to play with,” Orion assured me.
“But surely someone knows! There are still fey who are at least as old as the Four Courts who may have ideas. Perhaps the Spring King or the enuksha ,” I suggested, referring to the magic woman who evidently told Riordan that I would break his curse.
There was silence as my companions considered the option I had presented.
“It is an alternative worth exploring,” Riordan agreed. But I could tell the words of the Sylvan Elf had shaken my mate deeply as his hand rested over the blade sheathed safely on his belt as if to ensure it was still there.
I just need to think, he reassured me when he felt me prodding at the link between us.
I understand what you will need to do if we cannot find another alternative, Riordan. I will support you.
He moved close to me and kissed the top of my head, but I got the sense that there was more bothering him than sacrificing someone to the Sylvan Elves. Something even heavier weighed on his mind, and it did not take me long to realize what it was.
It is what they said about… the Shadow.
I knew I’d guessed right this time when he reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly.
“We need to get out of this thick underbrush and get airborne before we lose the light,” he said to the others. Finding an alternative weapon to defeat Rian might spare the Light Wraith being harmed. But what happens then?
I nodded in grudging understanding as he pulled me along behind him.
You don’t want to waste time looking for a weapon.
He did not answer, but he didn’t need to. I understood what he was saying.
I still think we should try and find someone who knows more about this to confirm the situation, I insisted, and he agreed with me.
But if we could not find another weapon to repel the Autumn Prince, then he would bleed on that dagger. Riordan was ready to sacrifice the Light Wraith individual to protect me, to protect Orion, and to protect the Vale.