Chapter 34 #2
Sadness spreads across Sirideán's face. “Although the lands were being guarded by a powerful fae, she was no royal. Some things can only be solved by the blood of a monarch and with nearly two centuries without our king and queen, Morvith came at the right time.” He seems disgusted by the female, hatred and sadness coating his eyes. “She is after all the king’s sister, the fae thought she could restore what was destroyed, not knowing she was the cause of it all. And she did at first, earning their trust and when she had them eating out of the palm of her hand, she struck like a poisonous viper. The respect and gratitude they felt for her quickly changed into petrifying fear.”
He sighs heavily, summoning a creature equally as daunting as she is.
Something made of wood and flesh with long limbs and terrifying sharp claws.
“Since the lands were in such a disastrous state, she needed a tremendous amount of power to cure the lands of this disease. The fae — loyal as they are — wanted nothing more than to cure the realm, and so they offered their aid. But once it became clear what they actually had to do, there was no way back.”
Sirideán bows his head, the memory a burden. “She never wanted to restore the lands, she wanted more rot, more decay. She commanded the volunteers to draw magic from the land and life itself, everything coated with beautiful words and promises. And that’s how these creatures were created.”
I stretch out my hand, my fingers moving through the liquid. “These were fae once?”
“They were, death would’ve been a mercy on their souls.
Nature will assist us when needed, but drawing that amount of power to help an evil entity comes with a price.
The fae would rather die than help her, but she wouldn’t let them.
She controlled their minds and erased the thought, until they were only a shell of themselves. ”
Sirideán stares at the image of the creature too, mind far away in his memory.
“We tried to change them back, cure them somehow. But once the rot has started, there is no turning back.” He closes his eyes for a moment and I nearly reach out my hand to comfort him.
“The king returned centuries later, alone and nearing the end of his life. It nearly broke him to see the state his once so powerful kingdom was in. The rot had spread across half of Thyralune and the only reason why it hadn’t fully spread was because of the few powerful friends that tried to keep it at bay.
And although weakened, he was not without power.
So with the last of his strength, he casted a powerful spell across the realm causing the rot to stop from spreading.
But in doing so, he froze the land entirely.
The endless snow you see outside was the only way to stop death and sickness from spreading. ”
For the few times I have been outside, I’ve never seen any rot or decay. The snow and cold temperatures are hard to miss, but I assumed it was natural, just as it was at Anima.
“Can it be reversed?”
He stares in the distance, outside the window that overlooks the courtyard. “Not that we have found, but we won’t stop until we can bring our lands back to its original state.”
The table swirls until it shows the vibrant colours of nature, happiness amongst the fae. It tugs at something inside of my chest. I think about my powers, about Conláeds. “Can’t the snow be…melted?”
The smile he offers me doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “If it only were that easy. We tried, many times, with different fae, in groups, with water benders changing the constitution of the ice. But it's no use, the snow returns, double the amount of before.”
The truth unsettles me. There has to be something I can do. I did my best at Anima, helping whenever I could. I just have to find how I can be of help here.
Speaking of Anima…
“Where do the humans live?”
Sirideán shakes off his sorrow and seems grateful for the change of subject. He even masters a rather convincing smile. “We live right next to them. You might’ve felt a wave of energy or a severe headache on your way to the Academy.”
I felt a lot of things in the ride, but I do remember a strong vibration rushing through me. “I did.”
“That was you passing the barrier. No need to worry, if you make another trip to the human lands, you won’t feel a thing.
The only reason you felt it was because you’ve been separated from us for such a long time.
” I nod. That makes sense. “We live peacefully next to the humans and visit them every now and then.”
“Can humans live in Thyralune?” I ask.
“Humans can cross our border, but we do everything within our powers to lead them away.”
I frown. “Why is that?”
“Us fae are a kind folk, but since you now know of the dangers that exist here, humans wouldn’t last very long. Besides the dangers, they would get lost in the beauty of it all, ignore their internal signals that want to protect them and end up dead.”
“Don’t follow the little lights. Got it.”
His laugh is a low rumble and it eases some of the tension in my shoulders. “Yes, something like that. It’s why our building looks haunted and seconds away from collapsing. Only fools would enter a building like that and if they do, our barrier makes them see their most gruesome nightmare.”
Since I don’t dream, I wouldn’t know what my nightmare would be, probably Dom, using his whip on me. And that’s not something I want to be reminded of.
“Are there any other questions?” Sirideán asks.
Yes. How do I explain the burning feeling in my chest, the fire rushing through me, the intuition and knowledge I somehow already possess. “Your explanation was excellent.”
He chuckles. “Thank you, it’s been a while since I’ve told the history of our realm, our story, and although the end saddens me, it keeps the memory of our king and queen alive.”
Why do I feel like I know them too?