Chapter 7 #3
Danek’s body shifted, and a golden shimmer wrapped itself around him, restructuring the parts of himself that he had held onto for too long. A black speck floated away and disappeared into the air.
That was Vaerin’s curse on you. It held you down and took your Elvish heritage. I am giving it back.
Danek’s mind knitted together, his memories flooding in one by one. If he let them, they would debilitate him. “I won’t let them,” Danek promised, knowing his true path lay in the strength he reclaimed for himself.
I know, son of mine.
Danek lifted his chin as a wave of shimmering blue swept around him, mending the wounds in his body and reshaping the bones of his face.
The magic kissed him with the full strength of a power that had been buried deep within him, restrained for years by the will of King Vaerin.
Now, without even a speck of darkness left behind, Danek could become anything he chose.
The flare of power lifted him from the ground and burst outward in a blaze of iridescent light.
On this island, Danek became reborn.
Danek rode the trees to the bottom of the forest floor before the bridges of the Heart. Connak stood, waiting for him with his back against the bark, with one foot propped up and his arms crossed. He stood straighter, and a grin stretched his cheeks when Danek hit the ground.
“Looking sharp,” he said, pointing to Danek’s features.
Danek’s hand traced his face, his angular cheekbones taking on a more Elvish structure, alongside his ears.
They weren’t fully formed yet, but he could already feel them tipping.
He hummed, thinking about the island and how it pulled everything Vaerin had done out of him, giving him his true destiny.
His Elvish heritage. Pride flickered inside his chest.
“I’m surprised you found it,” Connak laughed. “The Crown Above, I mean. Most of our Elvish soldiers haven’t even seen it. It’s transformational.”
Danek could have laughed out loud. Of course, it was the goddess. Who else could have given him this gift? His face lightened even further. “Have you seen it?”
Connak shrugged. “I had to get rid of River Storm somehow.”
Danek trailed the wind around them as it shifted from stillness to a subtle breeze. The trees danced as silver runes lit up the bark with intricate strands. Danek glanced up again and asked, “Why not take us all up there? Especially with Kienna’s…condition?”
“The Eternal Mother calls when you’re ready. Do you have your memories back?”
Danek nodded, then cringed. More memories flooded his mind than he cared to acknowledge, but the Goddess was right.
He couldn’t let them drown him. It would only lead to darkness, and he had no interest in that.
He wanted more. He wanted to be strong. To be worthy.
It was why he fought the void above. It was time Danek claimed his strength.
“I’d like you to train me,” he said to Connak. “As a Hollow Blade.”
Connak’s brows knitted together. “Not as a Galeweaver? Or Duskveil?”
“You have the same magic as I do. Three powers. Not one. They wouldn’t be able to train me in the same way, and I think it’s time we start acknowledging the kinship that ties us.”
A carousel of emotions spun on Connak’s face before he wiped it away. “Welcome to the Blades, Danek. Follow me.”
Connak led him through the forest for miles up the hills until they reached the edge of Trinity.
It wasn’t until the city curled into itself and disappeared from their sight that Connak stopped.
“My Blades are a peculiar bunch. They’ll be able to make you stronger and faster, but not with magic. They don’t have any.”
Danek tilted his head. “I thought all Elvish had magic.”
Connak only shrugged, then shook his head.
“We tried to catch those born without it before the Elvish could cast them out.” He held up his hand as Danek asked for further clarity.
“The Eternal Mother watches out for them as they watch out for her. Children aren’t born with magic anymore, but we keep their lack of magic a secret just in case. Are you in or out?”
Danek stepped forward eagerly. “I’m in. What do you need me to do?”
“We’re going back to the Malintale. Your training will start there.”
Danek was excited to return to the Malintale, though his memory sparked. The Malintale was close to River Storm. There was hesitation in his step. “I saw something on the island,” he said quietly. “I fear River Storm is making moves.”
Connak nodded, his fingers drumming against his leg. “We have eyes on them. I don’t know what their plan is yet, but I fear it has to do with Fire Storm.”
“The volcanic lands? Why?”
“They have shadow creatures,” Connak admitted. “Wards protect our realm by keeping them in. They have since Sinmara was banished, but I’ve been getting hints lately that maybe Alistile’s wards are Vaerin’s target.”
Danek’s brows knit in the center of his forehead. “Sinmara?”
“Another time, Danek. We have a lot of work to do.”
“Tristian is okay with us leaving?”
Connak laughed. “Tristian will be fine. Unless you need to say goodbye to anyone else, I suggest we go. The best training is now, when the forest is dark. We’ll stop in Dove Port on the way.”