Chapter 31
There is no winning in playing fair.
— Evyen Deyanira
Taryn
Later that evening, Taryn and Airess were escorted to meet Ismene at the Temple. Their conversation sure as hell wasn’t over, and they both needed to get to the bottom of what this prophecy was.
They walked into the temple room where he had almost died just a day ago.
It was beautiful, even more so than he remembered, since he was here last in Rune.
He had gone to the Temple occasionally when he lived with Ima, but after Ima’s death and his troubled adolescent years, he never bothered to go back.
The arched doors to the sanctuary were intricately painted with the colors of the elements: blue, red, green and white.
The depiction told the story of the elemental God, how she harnessed control of all four elements and created the world.
It was a story he could recite with ease, even after being away from Rune so long.
As they walked through the doors, they were immediately greeted by the rosy flames within the hearth–so pink they looked otherworldly, as if they were crafted from the Gods themselves.
And now he knew they were.
The Soulfyre. The flames that restored his spirit.
Ismene sat in the corner at her cramped desk, smiling as they walked in. The Priestess waved a hand for them to sit in front of the desk, a book open in her lap.
“Back so soon?” Ismene asked.
“What’s this prophecy talk the queen spoke of at breakfast?” Taryn asked as they sat down, getting straight to the point.
Ismene flipped page after page in her book as she spoke.
“How does one control a God?” she asked nonchalantly, ignoring his question.
Taryn arched his brows. “I’m sorry?”
“How does one control a God?” she repeated, as she stood up and moved toward the hearth, reaching her hand in and drawing out a bundle of flames.
“There are several ways, I suppose. You can drug them, take away their ability to think clearly and skew their perception of the world.” She began to guide the flames lazily in the air, weaving it in slow spirals.
“You can trick them, make them believe another holds power over them, so much so that they believe they don’t have power over themselves.” Ismene’s gaze was heavy on Taryn before she averted her eyes to Airess.
“You can take away their knowledge, erase their history, so that they don’t even know they exist. A God can’t act on their power if they don’t know they have power, can they?
” Ismene asked sharply. “That is how you control a God. And that, my children, is what the wretched country of Luciena has done to you.”
A silence fell over the room before Airess broke through it. “I suppose you may be correct in regard to Luciena numbing our powers with drugs, but we are no Gods.” Airess laughed casually.
“Perhaps not that strong of a term,” Ismene agreed. “But a step below it, to be sure.”
Taryn sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“You want to know of the prophecy and what it has to do with you, yes? We are just getting started.” Ismene chuckled, guiding the fyre fluidly back into the hearth.
“If you were regular people, Taryn wouldn’t be here right now. That Oathmark should have shattered his sanity, and Airess’ magick wouldn't have the strength to bring back his soul. But you are both not regular people. You both are Godlings.”
Taryn fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, he should have expected this from a priestess, taking her religious ideology a little too far.
“Godlings?” Taryn deadpanned.
“She tells the truth,” Airess blurted, her golden eyes set on Ismene, no doubt unveiling her Sight on Ismene to judge her. Taryn pressed his lips together in doubt, but listened to her continue on.
Ismene gave Airess a slight nod in approval.
“I’m sure speaking the plain truth that you have been deprived of for so long sounds ludicrous after so many years, so I will convey it in a way you can understand.
Each family House is a direct descendant of the Gods.
Each house began with Godlings, a God-Touched family deemed worthy of Godlike power.
“As a Godling, you are able to access Spirit–a heightened state of power that allows the Gods’ power to flow through you. Think of it this way, the Gods gave you a sliver of their soul when they Touched you at birth. You access their soul when you are Spirited.”
Spirited. The word hung in the air between them. Airess leaned forward, brows drawn together in concentration.
“That is the meaning of God Touched, of being a Godling. King Roznarr is Touched, an elemental Godling of Eileamaid. We suspect that you both are Godlings as well.”
Taryn’s eyes widened at the detail. If Godlings were as powerful as Ismene claimed, no wonder the energy at breakfast was permeating through the air like lightning.
He glanced over to Airess, her expression a mix of curiosity and belief.
He exhaled a steady breath and bit his tongue, listening carefully.
“And how does that tie in with us fulfilling a prophecy?” Airess asked, on the edge of her seat.
Ismene walked to her desk, sifting through the piles of books and papers until she found a singular piece of parchment and placed it in front of them.
“When The Obadiah came to Rune, we brought over many manuscripts of information, including this document written by a Seer hundreds of years ago. Read for yourself.”
Taryn leaned in and read the words handwritten in ink:
A stolen Death
A touch of Fyre
An earth rebirthed
To be made from desire
A soul of Mind
Brings forth the Storm
Is when the dawn of a new age
Shalt be born.
Taryn stilled at the familiarity of the words, his eyes flickering with recognition. A plethora of questions brewed in his mind– so many he could barely keep up.
“According to legend, only a Godling can fulfill this prophecy. Only a Godling can unite the world. And because we haven’t had a single Godling born for centuries, it would seem that you both, along with Roz and the others, have finally been born to fulfill it.”
“When Airess and I were traveling, I dreamwalked into a memory when we were traveling in The Twins,” Taryn started.
“I didn’t have much time to think about it then, but I saw something.
Two beings, one named Evyen and the other was named Tinyrah.
They were fighting, until eventually Evyen used some sort of Magick and split the ground with some…
crystal blade. It didn’t make sense then, but now I’m starting to think I–”
“Witnessed the The Division,” Ismene finished.
“Yes, that was the cataclysmic event that changed the world. They were your ancestors. They named the new world they created after themselves, the two lovers combining their names to title the other half of the world we know today. Tevye.” Ismene looked between him and Airess before speaking again, “You’re a dreamwalker? ” Ismene asked him.
“We both are,” Airess answered. “What do you know about dreamwalking?”
Ismene sat back in her chair. “It’s an ability some Tevyens have.
A Dreamwalker’s spirit can walk freely amongst space and time within their sleep, viewing memories, places or other worlds.
It’s quite an ability, and a rare occurrence indeed to have two sitting across from me.
” Ismene’s eyes shifted to him. “Even rarer for a Fae.”
“How so?” Taryn asked, his interest piqued. Finally, this woman was saying something that sounded semi-logical.
“The Fae only have control over elemental power, physical Magick. It’s not in the Fae’s genes to control energetic Magick, including the ability to dreamwalk.”
“Is it possible Taryn has some type of Elven descendant?” Airess asked.
Ismene laughed. “That would be doubtful. Your ancestors, Evyen and Tinyrah, never married or had any children together. They became… forbidden lovers.” Ismene looked between them.
“There is another theory, but perhaps we should save that for another lesson. We have discussed plenty for today.” Ismene stood up hastily, as if she were in a rush to leave.
“We still have so many questions–” Airess started, but Ismene already cut her off.
“And you will have your answers in due time. Now, I have much to attend to. Meet me back here tomorrow and we shall continue our lesson.”
With that, Ismene gathered her things and left the Temple.
They walked out onto the stone pathway that led to the city. The sun had completely set, leaving the sky stained a dark purple as the remnants of daylight faded into the horizon.
Airess was especially quiet, and Taryn couldn’t blame her. Despite already knowing about his lineage and the existence of Tevye, all this news about prophecies and dreamwalking was starting to take a toll on him. He didn’t know what to think or believe.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked her, the glow of the moon outlining her features. They trekked through the main street nestled by the ocean bustling with different vendors, the smells of food making his stomach grumble.
“Everything!” she said incredulously, waving her hands in exasperation. “First the truth about our lineage, the prophecy–not to mention our ancestors created Tevye. It’s all so much, I just can’t help but feel alone.”
Taryn didn’t hesitate as he grabbed her hand. “You are most certainly not alone.”
Airess looked up at him and smiled. It was a sight he imprinted in his memories for the rest of time.
If only she knew what she did to him.
“Good. Because you’re all I have,” she admitted as they walked forward. Her eyes widened, as if she didn’t mean for the words to slip out. Taryn chuckled and put an arm over her shoulder.
“You’re all I have too, Air.”