4. Into The Light #2
That was my bedroom there. In the Venomthorn.
Under Vulre’s tutelage. While none of the students lived in luxury, my room was far worse than even the lowest servant’s.
Not that Lady Ashryn knew. Vulre made me lie to her.
Made me pretend that I had a bed with the other students in the dormitory. But no, I was locked in the tower.
This knowledge flowed through him. It was as true and certain as anything else he knew. But it was madness! A nightmare! Not real!
Yet was he sure?
He stopped pacing and covered his face with his hands. What was wrong with him? Why was he like this?
Who am I?
What am I?
The coolness of the Adiva pressed against his forehead.
The chain drifted against his cheek. He brought his hands down and looked at the delicate silver disk.
It was unmarked. So if he had expected some spell to be written in Katyr upon it, there was none.
The links of the chain it was on were delicate, but they did not look magical.
Could this really protect me from the Sun?
Although, why would there be any spells that the Aravae knew that would protect people from the Sun? They loved the Sun. They drew their power from the Sun.
Perhaps this isn’t an Aravae spell. Maybe Adivas aren’t Aravae objects. Adiva is not a Katyr word. If not Aravae, then what kind of amulet is this? And how does Rhalyf know about them?
Yet more questions for the enigmatic elf.
But from what he’d heard, Rhalyf, Gemma and Finley had headed to Hope, the Separatist city so there was no chance for him to ask more questions unless he followed them.
But it was nearly 11 in the morning now.
The Sun would be reaching its zenith soon.
The thought of walking all the way to Hope–miles away–under the blazing noon-day light seemed impossible.
It was impossible. He hadn’t even been able to survive the walk from the Dawn to the sewer.
Would this Adiva really protect him against that amount of light?
He needed to test it in a far more controlled arena.
His heart was thudding heavily in his chest as he turned and went to the door of his bedroom.
Should he put the Adiva on now before he even tried to enter the hallway?
There wasn’t that much light in there. Not direct anyway.
He’d want to see what the Adiva could do in full sunlight. He slowly put the Adiva over his neck.
He felt nothing.
No tingling.
No magical shield appeared.
Nothing.
Is this thing even real?
But Rhalyf might have seemed many things, but a fool was not one of them.
If he said this would protect Declan from the Sun then it would.
Besides, what did Declan know of how a magical amulet would work?
Maybe there wasn’t any tingling involved.
Just so long as it did work. That was all that mattered.
He was only wearing a light pair of black draw-strong pants, no shirt or shoes.
He couldn’t imagine going out like this.
Unprotected. So much bare skin exposed. He could imagine the acidic feel of sunlight on his ribs.
And yet, if the Adiva worked then he could have gone outside naked and been fine.
Still, he grabbed his long-sleeved black hoodie that was hanging over the back of his desk chair before he went to the door of his bedroom.
His fingers hesitated on the lock. It was cool beneath his fingers.
Cool and smooth. He flicked it open and then turned the door handle.
The door swung outwards and his eyes watered even at the low light in the hallway.
The Adiva hung so lightly around his neck that he barely sensed it was there.
He threw on his jacket, zipped it up to his neck, tugged down the sleeves so that they hung over his hands and pulled up the hood.
Now or never.
He stepped out into the hallway. There was only a single window at the end of the hallway, but that window faced west so no direct sunlight made its way into the hallway this early in the day. Just reflected light.
He could see the deep green of the side garden out there.
Even without the careful tending that Michael offered, the garden plants bloomed in wild abundance since the Aravae’s arrival.
The scent of them was intoxicating. Sun-warmed and full to bursting with life.
He imagined that to stuff his nose in such a flower at full-noon would be what it was like to draw his nostrils along Aquilan’s neck.
He shook himself. He needed to focus. He slid out into the hallway and stuck to the more shadowy parts of it.
He kept his hood pulled as far forward as he could.
The sleeves of his jacket extended below his fingertips.
He padded silently down the hallway past Finley’s bedroom and stopped only when he reached the central, circular foyer.
The house was laid out in three wings that jutted out from this central point.
One wing, the wing he’d just left, held his and Finley’s bedrooms. The second wing was where Michael and Shonda’s master suite was located and also where Gemma’s sun-filled bedroom was.
The third was the living wing with the kitchen, family room, two offices for Shonda and Michael and a dining room.
There was a gorgeous outdoor patio where they ate during the Spring, Summer and even early Fall months.
He’d not been out there during the day since…
well, for a long while. That’s where he should go now.
The thought of stepping out onto the patio near noon had cold sweat coating his upper lip and his hands twitching inside his sleeves. The doors to the patio were just to his right from the circular foyer. But even the foyer was filled with light.
I have to do this. I have to do this. I have to!
His heart was in his throat. His breathing was rapid and rushed as he dashed through the foyer to the shadows by the french doors to the patio.
There was just a segment of shadow there.
A slice really. Hardly enough for him to fit into.
His back was pressed tightly against the wall, his arms were clutched against his chest and his feet were tucked together into the corner.
Still he felt the warmth of the Sun on the hood of his jacket and sleeves.
I’m supposed to go into the light. Yet I am clinging to the darkness. And it’s hardly dark.
More cold sweat coated his upper lip. His breathing was short and sharp.
It was only then that he heard Shonda and Michael’s voices coming from outside that he unbent a little.
The two of them were likely sitting on the patio under the umbrella having breakfast. Michael always brought Shonda tea and toast with butter and jam.
They would drink and eat together while welcoming the day.
This was far later than they usually started their morning, but they’d all been out quite late.
What would happen if I go out there and… and the light takes me again?
If that happened, at least they would be able to help him inside.
Michael had seen what had happened to him yesterday.
He could carry Declan to the safety of the shadows.
So that would be better than if he’d done this alone.
But they’d have so many more questions if they saw him fall again.
But better those than to perish in the light.
If the Adiva doesn’t work…
He closed his hand around the cool disk. Again, he felt nothing from it. It seemed only like a normal necklace. Not something that could stand between him and the power of the Sun.
Is it worth risking this at all? I could just keep to the shadows. Go out only under the light of the moon and stars. It’s what I love most in any case. The night is mine. It always has been.
But then, for a moment, he saw Aquilan’s face in his mind’s eye.
The glorious fall of honey-colored hair.
The blue eyes that were as deep and vast as the ocean.
The creamy skin tinged with gold. For a moment, he imagined Aquilan laying back on a divan under a flowered-covered bower.
His chest was bare. His limbs were loose and languid.
Sunlight–golden and liquid–poured down upon him. He extended a hand to Declan.
“Come,” he mouthed. “Come.”
It seemed he said another name–not Declan–but the name was lost. The Sun King’s eyes were heavy-lidded. His crimson and white robes parted over his spread thighs. Just a slight movement more and they would hide nothing.
“Come to me , ” Aquilan’s voice whispered.
I cannot ever get to him if I stay in the dark. And he is mine. Mine…
And it was that, that thought, the thought of the Sun King that had Declan turning and going into the light. He grasped the handles to the patio doors and threw them open. He stepped out into full sunlight and thrust back his hood so that the Sun hit him full in the face.
I do this for you.
For you.
Sunlight flooded him.
It was so bright, he could only see gold .
“You’re here,” Aquilan whispered in the wind.
“Declan? Declan? Are you all right?” It was Shonda’s voice that reached him. A real voice. Not imagined. Not wished for. Not… whatever that had been.
He blinked and slowly his vision returned.
Shonda and Michael were seated at the outside wooden table.
Shonda wore an emerald green silk robe over white cotton pajamas.
Michael was in dark blue silk pajama pants and matching robe.
There was a pot of tea on the table and two mugs.
Half a dozen slices of toast, sweet cream butter and sweeter strawberry jam were also set out.
They were both staring at him with wide eyes.
He could imagine the picture he made. His arms outstretched. His head thrown back. His lips parted.
“Declan?” Michael suddenly roused himself from his shock and came towards Declan with raised hands. “The Sun… you shouldn’t…”
“I’m fine,” Declan said.
The sunlight was full on him. His head was exposed to it. He pushed up the sleeves of his jacket to his elbows. He turned his right arm back and forth, watching as the sunlight played over his skin.
There was no pain.
There was no sense of queasiness.
There was no weakness.
Just pleasant warmth.
In fact, he was starting to sweat in his jacket.
“I’m fine,” Declan repeated, not quite sure he believed it.
I can come to you, he murmured in his mind.
And it was then that he realized the Adiva was still cool against his skin. It wasn’t electricity, but cold that represented the magic. He remembered feeling cold inside of him when he fought Vulre…
When? I mean if… if…
“You don’t feel ill?” Michael asked as he put a hand on Declan’s left shoulder.
“No, I’m quite well. I’m quite…” Declan stared around the garden. “I’ve not seen this in daylight.”
Shonda shifted around and looked at the garden that was filled with blooms. There were stone paths that curled their way around the flower beds.
The vibrancy of colors was almost overwhelming.
Reds, purples, yellows, oranges. He blinked and looked away.
While the Sun wasn’t overcoming him, his senses were.
The sunlit world was still very bright and almost raucous.
“Come sit down, Declan. Have some tea and toast with us,” Shonda said.
Michael guided Declan to the table. Declan sat down and immediately the umbrella blocked out the sunlight. The chill of the Adiva grew less. He let out a relieved breath. He doubted he would ever really like sunlight.
As Shonda poured him a cup of tea, and both of his parents–for they were his parents as much as those who had birthed him were and his adopted parents had been–spoke gently to him, lovingly to him, Declan wondered, What human doesn’t like sunlight?
He knew the answer to that. Every human liked sunlight. They needed sunlight to live and be healthy. The Sun represented hope and the possibilities of new beginnings to them. A brand new day. But the Sun was his enemy. And the Adiva was his armor against it.
For he… was not human.