Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The fear of lashing out, to lose control of my flames, is something I can’t seem to shake off. Not after showering, and especially not after lunch. I barely manage to eat, the red mark a reminder of what hurt I can cause.
“Are you excited to learn about our history?”
That breaks my train of thought. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Is everything alright?” Ami asks, the worry clear in her eyes. Would she still be my friend if she knows I’m an unstable force of fire or that I keep longing for the kiss of her brother?
“Yes. Sorry, I’m a little distracted. I have a history class to go to?”
I know Mrs Delalune said something about starting my lessons, I just wasn’t expecting it to be this soon.
“Well, I can’t really say it’s a class. The students that go here already know the history and since you don’t… Well, Mrs Delalune asked Sirideán to explain it to you. He’s a remarkable storyteller and has the knowledge of where it all began.”
“So, he is old?”
“Fae don’t really like that word, let’s just say he’s lived many lives.”
That’s a vague description. I do wonder how old fae get. I assume older than the average human, but does that mean they live fifty more years or are we talking about centuries?
“Are you coming?”
Ami already stands, tray in one hand, and walks towards the cleaning area. I quickly do the same and follow her into the hallway. When we reach an ancient looking door, she halts.
“This is where I leave you, I’ll see you tonight? You don’t have to eat, there will be lots of delicious things to enjoy there.”
She winks, just in the same way her brother does. I ignore her, turn back to the door, knock and push it open.
It feels like I’ve stepped into another world. Books seem to be everywhere, cases so tall they reach the ceiling, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say I’ve entered another library. A smaller one than the one I’ve been in with Aramis, but still, there are more books than I can count.
A winding staircase leads to a mezzanine with — no surprise — more books and all kinds of crystals hang from the ceiling, creating a colourful design on the floor due to the light.
In the centre of the room stands a circular table of the darkest onyx, the top looking near liquid.
I move closer, transfixed by the sight of it.
The urge to dip my finger into the smooth surface is overruling every single thought, but as I reach out, the table ripples and something is being shaped.
I take a step back and wait.
Seconds pass and a world forms in front of my eyes. Mountains rise, trees stand tall, rivers run through the landscape and enormous buildings and small villages erupt at different locations. Yet, a huge part of the map is covered in mist where green veins flash through like poisonous lightning.
And deep down I know this map belongs to Thyralune. This is where I currently am.
“It didn’t always look like this.”
I startle and turn around to the male who spoke, placing a hand across my thunderous heart.
He looks young and ancient at the same time, like most fae of age do.
His piercing eyes are kind and possess a wisdom that can only be obtained by life.
His white hair is braided, so is his beard, bits of gemstone are woven in through the strands and it contrasts beautifully with his darker shade of skin.
“Oh, pardon me, miss, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s alright, sir, I was admiring this wonderful table and…this appeared out of nowhere," I respond as I gesture towards the halfhidden map.
“No need for the sir, Sirideán is just fine. It is peculiar. ”
I frown. “What is?”
“For this map to appear. Did you touch it?”
Deciding honesty will get me the furthest, I say: “I was very tempted to do so, but I didn’t.”
He nods, as if that actually makes sense.
“I see. Well, I believe you do owe some explanation of what you can see.” He gestures to the right of the map and it immediately zooms in.
I assume it’s the Academy, but it doesn’t look like the old, spooky building at all.
“This is where we are right now, Moonveil Academy for Magic.” The name appears as if written by hand as soon as he is done speaking.
Wait. “For Magic?”
“Ah, yes, they did tell you it was ‘for Mankind’, didn’t they?” I nod and he offers me a sympathetic smile. “I assume you understand why they initially did so?”
I nod again. I probably would’ve thought they were nuts, but I’m not that judgemental. The magic wouldn’t have made any sense at that point though.
“The Academy is surrounded by mountains and an enormous forest, but there’s also a protective barrier, held strong by the professors and Mrs Delalune, keeping all danger out at all times. You can pass through it, but I would strongly advise against it.”
His tone tells me enough, I do not want to see what is on the other side of that barrier, that much is clear. He waves his hand and the Academy is replaced by the village parallel to it.
“The barrier reaches to the village of Brugamere. You can see the village if you look outside the window. It is really worth a visit. The food is good, the fae are kind and the shops have new items every day.”
“I have visited it and I can’t wait to go back.” The memory of the trip with my friends makes my lips twitch. Especially of how that night ended.
With another wave of Sirideáns hand, the map jumps to the left side. “This is where our people live.” A heavy sigh escapes him and I’m not sure if he’s fully aware of it.
The name appears before he can voice it. “Solunara?”
He nods, face set grim, the mood in the room changing instantly.
It is a large area, again surrounded by mountains and trees.
“The City of Solunara is one where magic is feelable in every street and around every corner. Many fae families call it home, but over the years, the magic has diluted. The nature there used to take your breath away.”
“Used to?”
“The fae are struggling, dear Maily, and have been for a very long time. Dark forces are closing in from every side, seizing more land with a terrifying speed. Our people are strong, they fight back with whatever they can, yet I am not sure if they can hold on much longer.”
And with that, the onyx table shows the final part of the map, the largest area that is covered in shadows and green lightning.
“There’s a reason it won’t show you that area, although Aurelune used to be the heart of the realm, where the king and queen used to live amongst the fae. Aurelune breathed nature, but all that exists there now is poison, rot and cruelty.”
The longer I stare at the dark region, the more corruption I can feel vibrating off it. It gives me the shivers and a heavy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.
“What happened?”
Sirideán looks at me with so much pain and sorrow, I am seconds away from taking back my question, but with another wave, the map disappears and the surface becomes smooth again.
“The tale of Thyralune is one of light and shadow, since one cannot live without the other,” he begins, turning towards the liquid table.
“Once, long ago, this land thrived under the rule of King Finnick and Queen Eirian. There was no one who loved their kingdom as much as they did and they ruled with excellence and kindness. Their connection to the land ran deep and under their reign, there was peace, prosperity and joy.”
The onyx liquid in front of us solidifies until I see children running through cobbled streets, their laughter rings in my ears. The image vanishes and another one resurfaces, something that seems like a festivity, fae dancing and twirling, musicians playing a soft tune.
“But one day, they disappeared. No one knew where they had gone to. Search parties were organised, but no matter how long they searched, there was no clue, no sign or even a whisper of where they could be. Seeming out of options, a trusted friend of the royal family reigned for a long while, someone who was respected by the people and was chosen to rule if anything would ever happen to our monarchs. Yet those same people spread whispers of their king and queen abandoning them, leaving the land to rot. That’s when the decay began. ”
Where before, the liquid table showed a vibrant landscape full of life and colour, it now changed to grey and black, hinged with a poisonous green.
“You should know, Maily, that in the land of Thyralune, there was no such thing as decay. The king and queen kept the lands alive, letting their powers seep into it. Their heartbeat was that of the land and vice versa. So when they disappeared and part of the land died, no one was surprised. But when months after they had gone, entire forests started to turn to dust, the rivers ran dry and crops failed, we knew something was very wrong.”
The magical table manifests a woman that makes my skin crawl.
I take a step back, terrified by the sight of her.
The magical water colours her eyes a black so dark it consumes everything around her, same as the jet-black long hair and luscious red lips.
Along with the pale skin, she looks like a living corpse.
“Morvith,” I whisper, a chill settling in my bones, and I sever eye contact with the image to look at Sirideán. “That’s her name, isn’t it?”
He somehow doesn’t look surprised, even though I definitely am. A pounding begins in my temples, and I massage them, hoping to prevent it from fully erupting.
“It is. She is corruption incarnated, no creature is as dark and cruel as she is, except for her loyal subjects maybe. She claimed the throne with sweet words and promises that sounded too good to be true.”
“She could do that?”