Chapter 21
‘I heard the Lucien twins attempted to recreate their own version of Tevye after what you did, but the spell went wrong. The Gods turned them into demons as retribution.’
— Written correspondence from Pierce Moros to Evyen Deyanira
Airess
It was entirely too ironic that they had no trouble finding their way out of The Twins after Taryn’s horrible dream and the fight with the beast. It was as if they were being held there by a force, waiting to show him the vision he saw while dreamwalking, only letting them out once he had awoken.
She had seen the fear in Taryn’s eyes upon his waking, knowing something had truly terrified him.
“It was – it was insane,” Taryn said as he relayed the contents of his dream with a shaky breath. “It was a memory, but it wasn’t mine. And the twin demons–they touched my fucking face and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I was completely paralyzed in my dreamform.”
“What did you see? Who’s memory?” Airess pressed, her voice low as their horses trekked through the jagged switchbacks of the unfamiliar mountainland.
The air was thick with the scent of damp moss, and fresh rainfall dripped off the canopy of leaves overhead.
Never once had she ever been paralyzed in her dreamform. It sounded terrifying.
“I don’t know who they were, but they were dressed in ancient robes.
There were two people. One was an Elven male–Evyen was his name, I believe.
The other was a Fae female. He called her Tinyrah.
It seemed as if… they were lovers, and Evyen betrayed her.
He pulled out this freshly bloodied crystal blade, stabbed it into the ground, and the world exploded. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Airess had never heard of those names before, but she wasn’t surprised the dreamworld had shown him something like this. It wasn’t uncommon to observe random memories while dreamwalking.
“What do you mean the world exploded?”
Taryn shook his head. “Evyen had done something dark. Something powerful, and Tinyrah didn’t want it to happen. He had done it anyway. He said–” Taryn looked up to the sky and bit his lip, as if recalling the memory. “He said we can create a world we both want to live in.”
“Do you think they were The Twin demons?” Airess asked, trying her best to piece together his dream.
“No,” Taryn answered assuredly. “I don’t think they were. At the end of my dream, those demons were trying to emulate what Evyen had done. It was as if they were trying to recreate whatever dark Magick he had attained.”
Airess’ intuition told her that this memory was important, something she needed to pay attention to. If The Twins were able to dreamwalk, what were they trying to tell Taryn?
“What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know,” Taryn said. “But it felt like a warning.”
Over the following week, Airess and Taryn had traveled from dusk until dawn to put as much distance as they could from The Guild and the Lucien soldiers who were no doubt also on their trail.
In her spare time, she tried wielding her Magick when she could, but it felt impossible. This left her more frustrated, how was she able to wield so much power when they were bound in chains, or when she felt extreme fear?
At this point, Airess would do more damage with a dagger than her own power, and that wasn’t saying much, considering Taryn was still only verbally teaching her the basics.
During their travels she had learned more about Taryn. Slowly, he began to open up to her. She still didn’t know much about his past or how he came to live in Luciena, but she did learn his affinity for science and the heavens above.
At night before they fell asleep, they would lay on their backs so they could face the moon and stars.
Every night Taryn would share stories he knew about the constellations.
Some nights, he would retell facts he had learned previously from the library books he’d read in the past. Other nights he would stare at the moon and question their vast existence.
Whatever it was he had to say, Airess found herself looking forward to his little lessons.
Tonight he pointed to the stars. “You see that one? Just a little to the left.”
“I see it. The stars that look like a half circle?”
“Yes.” Taryn nodded in Airess’ peripheral, his deep voice rich.
“But look closer. It’s not just a half circle, there are points on the top that resemble a crown.
Yuleon’s Crown, my grandmother called it.
Legend says it’s the crown of the five main Gods written in the stars, hence all five points of the crown.
Yuleon, the God of Gods, froze the Originals within time and space as a result of the five God’s catastrophic rule here on earth. ”
“I’ve never heard of that story or the God of Gods. Is that another part of unspoken lore within Luciena?”
Taryn turned his head to look at her, his silver eyes glowing in the night. “It’s unspoken in Luciena and Rune. My grandmother told me it is a long-forgotten history.”
Airess turned on her side, propping her head up with her hand. “You don’t mention your grandmother often.”
Taryn looked away. “She taught me everything I know about the constellations and the Gods, it’s where my fascination with them began,” he paused, lowering the tone of his voice. “She passed when I was thirteen.”
Airess swallowed, choosing her words carefully for her response.
It was the first personal bit of information Taryn had shared with her and she wanted to respond respectfully.
There was still so much about him she didn’t know, needed to know, about him.
Taryn was still very much a mystery, but had become…
dare she think a friend over the past few weeks of traveling.
“I’m sure she would be proud that you’ve kept your passion after all these years.” Airess finally replied.
Taryn frowned, his dark brows creasing in denial. “Not after what I’ve become.”
“Is this – is this a fair?” Airess asked with surprise in her tone. Taryn looked down at her, his face laced with amusement at the excitement brewing in her wide eyes. She grinned.
Her hair had been entirely pulled back and concealed in a scarf, only two strands left free to frame her face.
It was necessary to conceal her most distinct feature with wanted posters of her–of both of them–plastered around the town.
Taryn opted to wear the hood on his cloak to cover his Fae ears, though it wasn’t uncommon for Noborne Fae to walk amongst Zartown, a lower-income area.
Airess noticed the dark blue banners, a silver moon and golden stars stitched on the fabric.
The street was bustling with countless vendors, smells of cooked meats and sweet pastries wafting through the air.
A musician played nearby, a crowd of people around, singing along.
They stomped to the melody, and a certain intensity thrummed through Airess' body at the sight of it.
“What are they celebrating?” Airess asked.
They began to walk down the street. Taryn’s protective hand hovering behind her back didn’t go unnoticed.
She glanced at his arm, and when their eyes met, his arm dropped, as if he didn’t realize he was doing it.
She ignored the disappointment at the loss of his touch.
“The sun and the moon Gods, Ghrian and Gealach. It’s the year of the Salamoon. Each year they hold a different fair for each God.”
“I wasn’t aware people still worshiped the original Gods, much less have an entire celebration for them,” Airess replied.
“The capital may only worship Bas, but the rest of the country still worships all five of the original Gods.”
“That’s right,” Airess said. “The year of the Salamoon marks the year of Sun and Moon, only to recur every four years. Isn’t it a bit early though for a celebration? The Salamoon is only a month or so away.”
“I suppose it is. Though it is never too early to celebrate the upcoming new year,” Taryn contemplated.
Airess chuckled quietly to herself, causing Taryn to raise a brow. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. The Salamoon happens to be my birthday.”
Taryn stopped walking, gently gripping her elbow to stop her. “The Salamoon falls on your birthday this year?”
“Well, yes,” she said playfully, but her features melted as she noticed his doubtful look. “Why?”
Taryn shook his head. “That also happens to be… my birthday.”
“What?” she said with a surprised look. “You were born on the same day four years before me?”
“I… suppose I was,” Taryn said, scratching a nonexistent itch on the back of his neck. His gaze fell to the ground, a look Airess began to learn was deep contemplation.
“What are the odds?” Taryn asked her jokingly as they walked onward. Airess’ eyes slid to his as the sunset glow painted his features. She couldn’t deny it, he was a handsome Fae male –
“You there!” an old voice beckoned. Airess turned to the source. An elderly Human woman, draped in a vibrantly colored shawl, intensely stared at Airess. The woman’s long gray hair was in a braid that fell down her back, but it was her stark blue eyes that stood out to Airess the most.
The woman sat in front of a small stand amongst the vendors, her booth enclosed with a tent that encircled her. Intricately illustrated cards, glittering crystals and lit candles were scattered amongst the table. The title of her sign read:
Mara’s Fortunes and Prophecies!
“Can I interest you in a free reading, my dear?” Mara asked, a glint of mystery flashing within her gaze. Airess couldn’t place it, but there was something about the woman drawing her in–as if the universe was trying to push her in the right direction, urging her to listen.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Taryn roll his eyes. Airess smirked, grabbed his hand, and dragged him toward Mara.