Chapter 36 #2
“Tough luck, little savage. You’re stronger than you think. You can handle this.” His smoky voice is much smoother and more enjoyable than the sharp, raspy voice of Calais, at least.
“I know I can handle it. I just don’t need you in my head any more than you already are.”
S?las cocks a brow over his devilish smile. “Careful, now. I may just think you're finally flirting with me.”
“Scáil and I don’t want to feel your emotions, either, but this is the way things will be. Regardless of our desires. Now, shut your mouth, and listen with your mind. And you, Shadowmancer. Do your job,” Calais all but barks at us.
S?las stands to his feet.
I brace myself as he walks towards me.
“Easy. You need to let those golden walls of your mind down. And yes, I can see the color of your mental shields. It’s part of my Celestial Gift.
I have been exploring them for weeks, searching for a crack.
Something I said this morning must have worked; I can finally get through.
” He has the audacity to end that with a wink. Fucking shadow prick.
“Great. So, now you can read my thoughts.” I sigh, hands lifting to scrub my face under the frustration of it all.
“No. You haven’t fully let me in, but I catch glimpses of feelings when you do let yourself feel.
I stay tethered, though, allowing me to talk to you.
I know you want to push me away, but if we fail, Calais may eat us both.
She’s more savage than you.” He smirks, and I can’t help but smile back at that remark.
He’s not wrong; we very well might become her evening snack for disobeying her.
My shoulders relax as I indulge the heat of his presence. I release the tie of the cloak, letting it slip down along with the first layer of my mental shields.
“Are you trying to distract me?” he whispers in my mind.
“No.” I shoot him an incredulous look—all he has ever done is manage to distract me! “Now. Tell me what to do.”
“My unique Shadowsense makes it easier for me to connect with the emotions of others. This is why Calais asked me to help guide you. Close your eyes. Imagine the walls of your mind lowering.”
I obey, letting the glowing golden walls fall. I can see the violently whipping iridescent ribbons of Calais. I reach out, snatching one. My knees buckle under the weight of her longing and sadness.
Visions slash through my mind: nuzzling eggs, tenderly, into the aether; blue tears streaming down, rippling liquid as I am gutted by the fear of never seeing them hatch.
My hand drops as I stumble back, overwhelmed. I try to remember where my mind ends and hers begins.
“You can already sense me. Try to find the Shadowmancer or Scáil.” Calais grimaces. It’s unclear if she’s disappointed at me or upset I saw her vulnerable. I’m not risking touching her ribbons again right now to find out.
I roll her response off, cracking my neck as I close my eyes again. Then there’s the warm touch of S?las’ hands on the sides of my arms, just barely there, circling his fingers in a rhythmic pattern. My brows pinch as I crack one eye open to scowl at him.
“Is that really necessary?” I whisper, annoyed at how far too soothing his touch is.
“Yes. Listen for my voice. Touching you will make my connection easier to find. Now keep your eyes closed. Don’t make me repeat myself again,” he says smoothly, but the command in his last statement is not so subtle.
I close my eyes again. Unfortunately for me, he’s correct.
I see the same shimmering velvet ribbons as before, tumbling in from the arched stained-glass window of the night sky.
They appear slightly different this time; the faintest hue of dark violet catches on them.
Rather than making the same mistake of grabbing them, I change up my tactic.
My finger slowly glides across the ribbon.
A subtle hint of desire and melancholy laces up my hand.
I twirl the ribbon around my finger, prying a subtle purr from S?las.
I dare to whisper, “Am I catching on now?” but my lips don’t move.
“You succeed at anything you put your mind to, Luxsula. I never doubted you. The trick is getting you to focus on the right things,” he growls seductively across my mind. It’s a deeper touch that isn’t along my skin. A bellow stoking the flames burning to life through my veins.
“Enough, you two. There will be plenty of time for that later. Stay focused.” Calais’ icy voice cools the heat between me and S?las. I can’t imagine how annoyed she must be trapped in my head all day.
“You are quite insufferable. Luckily, I can shield myself when I get exhausted listening to your constant excuses regarding the male in front of you.” Calais sighs. To be honest, I wouldn’t want to put up with my shit either if I were an ancient dragon.
“Now, search for Scáil,” S?las purrs, sending a shiver down my spine that not even Calais’ ice can quell.
I search past the black velvet ribbons, stepping further out from the center in which I ground myself in my mind. I notice the subtlest movement in the darkness: a ribbon that hardly moves, the iridescent black of a raven. I graze it with my hand, and a deep calmness settles along my bones.
“Hello, little one. You may call me Scáil C?ur. I am the last of my kind. I was born of the darkness of the Eclipse War. There were others, once, but we were hunted and feared for our dark magic. It is an honor to finally meet you. I have heard a great many things about you.” His voice is the peace of darkest midnight under the dim light of a new moon. Humming with an ancient power.
The reverence in his voice spurs me into motion. Leaving S?las by the lake’s edge, I walk over to Scáil and bow deeply as I say aloud, “The honor is mine.”
He dips his enormous head, a warm admiration flooding me. I have to steady my feet not to stumble from the sensation.
“Good. She listens. She speaks. I am glad you have finally met my mate.” Calais’ voice is oddly calm.
I whirl around as those last two words sink in.
“Your mate!?” I roar.
“My patience grows thin for your tone. How else do you think you can hear our voices in your mind? Love tethers us all,” Calais snaps.
“The last mated pair of dragons and Ellian Knights were Gildora and Raeya, who were also a mated pair themselves.”
“Yes. Which is why they were so powerful together. Their magic perfectly in sync with one another, they wielded as one. Where you see weakness to your Zenith, you are blind to the strength of embracing the bond that links us all. The most powerful magic is tethered in the bond of a mated pair.” Scáil’s cadence soothes the fear seeking to creep into my mind.
There’s truth in his words. Mated bonds are exceptionally rare.
Since the Celestials died, it is believed that their powerful magic is imbued in them.
The last-known mated bond was shared between the heroic females who founded Gildorea Universitás, but our lessons did not include how they could share thoughts or wield their magic as one.
“The Ellian Knights hold as many secrets as dragons do.” Scáil chuckles.
“So, it would seem, Luxsula, you are stuck with me. In more ways than one,” S?las whispers along the cusp of my ear, his breath twirling my hair to tickle my face.
“Must be nice, getting everything you want,” I growl at him, turning around to face him. He puts his foot out to trip me, catching me in his arms in a low dip. Fucking shadow prick.
His head leans down, grazing his chiseled cheek against mine. “Something tells me I’m far from getting everything I want from you.”
His closeness is like a lightning bolt to my heart with my shields down, electricity ripping through my nerves.
He lifts me back up and spins me in his arms before I can push him away. I sink into him, drowning in his embrace, unable to resist our pull with my shields down. My frantic heart limps to life, beating like a hummingbird caught in a lightning storm.
As if he can sense me not breathing, his arms fall. I gasp, fighting the urge to crumble into the chasm ripped open in my chest at the loss of his touch.
“Raise your mental shields back up. Now it’s time to learn how to control the connections.
There will be times when one of us is overcome with emotions, or battle demands focus.
You need to choose how much you let in. For me, it's different books on shelves. I can pull one off the shelf, allowing me to open and close it at will.” His voice in my mind feels like a kiss of darkness.
I shake my head, forcing focus. Walls of golden light rise to shield my mind, coolness replacing the heat roaring at my core.
“Windows,” I whisper. “Different shapes, each with a clasp, so I can close them.”
“Good. Now close your eyes again. I want you to picture a new window for each of us. Save Calais’ for last; your strong connection will be the hardest to close.” He directs me again. This should be easier since it’s something I’ve already done.
My fingers trail along the golden walls humming with power, dotted with the previous windows of my mind.
The upside-down heart of lust. The circular yellow window of happiness.
The flame of anger. The teardrop of grief, sorrow, and regret.
The most beautiful is the arched window of stained glass adorned with an indigo midnight sky.
I coax the black velvet ribbons of S?las back through it, clasping it shut.
Next, I find the raven ribbons of Scáil. They gently follow the direction of my hands to a window the shape of an eclipsed moon.
Lastly, I shape a window in a crescent moon. I attempt to coax the iridescent white ribbons of Calais to their new home. They whip out, biting my palms. Bitch, I sneer in my mind.
“Careful, Nebulight,” she hisses. I imagine a powerful gust of wind in my chest, blowing the ribbons and window shut. Just as I go for the clasp, it bursts open, white ribbons spooling out. I try again. Same result.
“You’ve done enough for today. We can try again tomorrow. Let’s sit down and enjoy the sunset.” S?las’ voice is a soothing escape from the fury of failure at blocking out Calais.
I open my eyes to the peaks of the valley buttered in orange, pink, and periwinkle. I turn to face the lake. We can’t glimpse the sun from this direction, but the colors reflect from the sky off the aether, stealing my breath away.
I don’t hesitate as S?las’ hand tugs on mine, leading me to the blanket I found him on.
More and more colors spill across the canvas around us, deepening as the sun kisses the horizon.
The aether almost appears to trap the colors inside it.
Twilight blue and midnight indigo with fuchsia and lavender swirling on the ripples as the dragons adjusted their body weight.
The world seems to still in the beauty of the sky. I wish I could capture it in a jar and hold it in my heart forever. As the colors fade further into twilight, I notice my hand is still in his, and I don’t mind it. For once, it feels right.