Chapter 7
Therian Palace, Friday, January 11, 2013, Morning
Benji Sciathian had always been a patient man. He knew the value of letting people work through things in their own time and was content to allow King Lucaindrion a few days to deal with the latest uproar in his kingdom. The reason for his visit could wait.
He’d wandered around the enormous palace since his arrival, hoping to stay out of the way and perhaps stumble upon a library to pass the time. Benji missed the comforting embrace of books and the familiar surroundings of home. He was a tall, thin man with a fragile-looking frame that gave him a birdlike appearance and disguised his wiry strength. He typically thought his unruly sandy blonde hair and large yellow eyes reinforced the avian impression he gave, but he rather liked the association. Not all the owl Therians carried animalistic traits over to their human forms, but it was considered attractive among his people.
While owls weren’t the only Therian species to lay eggs, that was where his people’s similarities to others ended. Owls were born in their animal forms and didn’t shift to human until they were thirty years old. The owls had a much closer relationship with their animalistic sides. They spent most of their time in owl form and were often ungainly when they finally assumed human shape.
The owl’s city provided a haven for their people in either form, far from the rest of the world. Benji had changed for the first time when he was only twenty, and his parents had been very proud of him. Early change often indicated a strong Therian bloodline and the potential for extraordinary abilities, but that had been long ago.
As he strode through a long stone corridor lined with tall windows, Benji tried to ignore the stab of longing he felt for the freedom of the sky. His human skin felt awkward and uncomfortable. Benji’s owl shape was glorious, and he knew it. His Therian form was over six feet tall and had a twenty-foot wingspan. His strong body was covered in sand-colored feathers that blended perfectly with the hills of his homeland in Mexico. The owl form also had razor-sharp talons and could use them with deadly efficiency.
After the ancient war almost decimated their peaceful people, they learned to defend themselves. Never again would they suffer losses of such magnitude, not that they often had to fight when they kept themselves so insular.
Benji missed his home and the life he’d left behind, but this mission was important. If he could complete the task he’d taken on, it would be worth all the sacrifices he’d made. He was confident that the new Therian king was the right one to approach for assistance, but the timing was crucial.
He’d been grateful to miss the old king. From what he’d seen since his arrival and the many stories he’d heard about Luca, Benji believed he fought to do what was best for the world, human and Therian alike. The trouble he brought to the king’s door would require an open mind and a cooperative attitude.
The previous day, as the king made plans with his mate, Benji paused in his wanderings to test a door and gasped in delight when the handle shifted, and the door swung wide to allow the comforting scents of ink, paper, and leather to flood his senses. While the room lacked the layered scents of an older building, the books held on to the environments they’d visited over the years.
Bright sunlight streamed into the room through tall stained glass windows depicting many Therian species and illuminating a spectacular store of books. Elaborately carved wooden shelves lined the room from floor to ceiling, and comfortable reading areas were scattered around.
Benji thought the library was warm and welcoming and was delighted to have found such a treasure trove of knowledge. He had made yet another request for a personal audience with the king, but there were so many urgent situations going on that he was still waiting.
Benji relaxed for the first time since he left his nest. He trailed a hand reverently over the books, examining one title after another. With so much knowledge at his fingertips, the lifelong scholar didn’t know where to start. Back home, this horde of books would have been a prize above all else.
The owls believed knowledge was the ultimate power, but they’d kept themselves so isolated and cut off from the rest of the world that they had crippled their knowledge of everything outside their domain. Benji knew the history of his people and everything they had known before the Rending, when they withdrew from the rest of the planet. The owls knew little of what had occurred outside their community for the past six thousand years. They had only reestablished tentative connections with the Therian empire in the past century. The youngest dragon prince had been in negotiations to study with the owls before his unfortunate death.
He’d found a section of books covering historical events and chosen three with anticipation. The tomes were a collective history of Theriankind, and Benji had carried them to one of the reading tables with the reverence he felt they deserved. He dove into the first volume, eager to learn what the rest of the Therian world knew about their shared history.
In his hundreds of years of study, Benji had become an avid historian, though most of his information ended with the fall of Atlantis and the terrible destruction wrought by the Abyssian invasion. One thing he had studied at length was the origins of Therian bloodlines.
These books focused on the major events of the past ten thousand years. At first, Benji was shocked to see little about the Rending in the official history, but he knew from the firsthand accounts that few of the dragons who’d fought in that battle had lived to talk about it. He hadn’t found anything about the true origin of Therians or what had brought magic into their world. Benji was disappointed that he hadn’t discovered a new tidbit about the beginning but wasn’t surprised.
These archives would keep him busy for years, but they weren’t likely to tell him anything he didn’t know about Maerlin. Benji had been chasing her through art and literature for centuries, but he’d yet to make contact with the enigmatic creature who was, for all intents and purposes, a goddess.
A century ago, on one of the owl’s rare sanctioned archaeological expeditions, Benji had discovered the ancient journal of a young girl who had escaped the fall of Atlantis with her family. Hers was one of only twelve families to survive, and it changed everything he knew about their origins.
The earliest Therians had appeared millions of years ago, but Benji was confident he was the only one who knew or even had an inkling of the truth. The more modern Therians had developed two hundred thousand years ago, but recorded history on the subject didn’t begin until much later. Therians evolved into the forms and abilities they had today fifty thousand years ago.
Benji found the books fascinating and spent several hours absorbed in stories of long-dead Therians. The sky darkened by increments, but Benji didn’t notice. He had no trouble seeing in the dark. He eventually grew stiff at the reading table and carried the books back to his room, then sought something to soothe his grumbling stomach. After sweet-talking a cook for a quick meal in the kitchen, Benji returned to his room, where he read through the night, catching up on Therian history.
A knock on the door made Benji jerk his head up, and he woke to see the morning sun streaming through the window. He was stiff, having fallen asleep in an awkward position while reading in bed.
“Enter,” he croaked, reaching for a glass of water on the nightstand.
A tall, thin man with one vivid green eye and one turquoise eye, both with vertical pupils and a neatly trimmed forked beard, stepped through the door and smiled at Benji as he bowed. “Good morning, sir. My name is Remington, or Remy if you prefer. I am King Lucaindrion’s personal assistant. He thanks you for your patience and has requested that you honor him with your company in his private study at noon for a meal and conversation.”
“Fantastic! Thank you. Please tell the king I gratefully accept,” Benji replied enthusiastically.
Remy nodded. “I shall do so.” He gave Benji directions to Luca’s study before leaving.
Benji dressed quickly and gathered up the tomes, reading as he walked through the halls toward the kitchens. He gratefully accepted breakfast from the servants preparing food for the palace’s inhabitants and took a seat at one of the small tables out of their way.
He continued reading as he ate, barely aware of the world around him as he read about Therian history from an entirely new perspective. He planned to spend the morning in the library until it was time for his meeting with the king.
Benji couldn’t deny his fascination with this history he hadn’t known. He hated seeing his people”s lack of representation in the archives, but his studies had prepared him for that. The Rending had changed everything for the owls.
Knowing how he was around books, Benji set an alarm and read until the chime jarred him out of his concentration. He packed the books into his bag and set off for Luca’s study. As he followed Remy”s directions, the words he’d practiced whirled through his mind. Two guards stood watch outside the king’s study, and Benji approached them cautiously.
“Halt,” the guard on the left said. Both men were enormous and heavily muscled. He stopped immediately, holding his hands up.
“State your business,” the other added.
“I am Benjamin Sciathian. I’m here for an appointment with King Lucaindrion.” Benji focused on keeping his demeanor calm and his tone relaxed. He’d heard about how volatile and easily offended the dragons were. He also understood that the palace was flooded with thousands of new people, and the guards were rightfully protective of the king.
“He’s expecting you, sir,” the first guard replied.
Benji nodded and stepped forward to knock on the door. “Thank you, gentlemen.”
The guards didn’t respond, but he did receive a brief smile and a nod. Benji thought they weren’t used to being thanked and found the experience a novelty since the regime change.
“Enter,” Luca called through the door.
Benji smiled as he stepped into the room, delighted that it was like a miniature version of the library where he’d spent the last two days. Instead of reading tables, the center of this room featured an enormous desk set for an elaborate lunch. Instead of the intricate stained glass windows, the outer wall had large windows and double doors that led to a balcony. Luca smiled and rose to extend a welcoming hand toward Benji.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Your Highness,” Benji started as they shook hands. The custom seemed strange, but then, he spent most of his time having talons instead of hands. “I’m Benjamin?—”
Luca held up a hand. “I remember who you are, Benji, and I greatly appreciate your patience. Please call me Luca, at least in informal settings. I’m still adjusting to the title.”
Benji nodded. “Yes, Your…er, Luca.” His voice trailed off, and he was unsure of where to start his story. There was much he needed to tell the king.
“Please, sit.” Luca gestured at one of the comfortable-looking visitor chairs at the desk. “Join me for a meal, and let’s get to know one another before we get into the reason for your visit. I must admit I’m curious about your people. I have never met an owl, and the legends are quite mysterious.”
Benji could sense the king’s unspoken question and grinned. He understood curiosity. “Would you like to see?”
Luca grinned with the enthusiasm of a young boy. “I’d be lying if I said no. I know many eagle shifters, and they are smaller than their human forms, only four or five times the size of their wild cousins. I’ve heard that owls are different. Do you mind?”
The thin, sandy-haired man enjoyed the opportunity to show off for his king. “Not at all, Sire.” Benji’s Therian form was spectacular, especially if the king had never seen an owl Therian shift. “Do you mind if we step out on the balcony?” He set the bag containing the historical books he’d borrowed on the floor. “I prefer the open air.”
Luca nodded and stood. “So do I, and we would have to anyway. It’s one of the few places in the palace you can shift without activating the defensive wards.”
Benji’s eyes widened in surprise as he followed Luca outside. “You have witches here? I’ve heard about them and have always been curious about the magic they wield and their ties to Therian bloodlines. I should very much like to meet one if the opportunity presents itself,” he requested as he stripped.
“It’s not a problem. I will ask Remy to introduce you. He’s been out of the country arranging crucial appointments and making travel arrangements for the next few weeks, but you met him this morning. I highly recommend speaking with him. The man is a veritable font of information.”
Therians weren’t bothered by nudity. It was a fact of life. He closed his eyes and centered his mind. His owl form felt more natural, so the shift was fast.
In place of a tall, gangly man with large yellow eyes, Luca saw an owl larger than Benji’s human form. The bird turned his head to stare at him with the same eyes. He spread his wings and shook out sand-colored feathers before settling down and looking longingly at the sky. Luca stared at the magnificent creature, astonished. Benji took a few hopping steps toward the balcony’s rail, spread his wings, and leaped into the air.
I’m sorry, Sire. Since my arrival, I have not taken my true shape, and I can’t resist a quick breeze through my feathers.
Luca couldn’t blame him, and if his schedule hadn’t been so tight, he would have changed forms and joined the owl for a leisurely flight. He contented himself with watching Benji’s aerial acrobatics.
The owl rose to dizzying heights before executing a perfect twist that sent him rocketing back toward the ground at breakneck speed. He stopped short of slamming into the balcony with another mid-air roll. Benji changed as his body spun and finished the roll on human feet, grinning at his king.
“That was outstanding!” Luca exclaimed. “I’ve never seen a Therian who could match your precision flying. Dragons are far too large to make such tight turns.”
Benji donned his clothes. “Your Majesty, it’s all physics. Your size prevents some of the special maneuvers I can perform, but if you hit the right speed and angle, you could fly as precisely. It is an art among my people, and I would consider it an honor to teach you.”
“Absolutely,” Luca agreed. “I’m not sure when I will have time, but Remy and Niletean know every second of my schedule, and between the two of them, I’m sure they will make it happen. For now, let’s go back inside and eat. I’d love to hear more about your people.”
The palace’s cooks had prepared an impressive lunch. Benji ate with gusto, enjoying the foreign flavors. Luca watched in amusement as his guest tried some of everything.
“I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I asked for a wide selection.”
Benji swallowed his current mouthful and smiled during the pause before another bite. “Everything is excellent, Your Majesty. Food is the one area where my people are not brilliant. Give us any technology, and we will master and improve it in short order. Present an unsolvable problem, and we will deliver a solution, but we never developed spice and flavor combinations like the humans in our territory. This is delicious.”
Luca sat back in his chair and watched the other man. “How is it that we know so little about your people?”
“That, Sire, is a very long story. I suppose I should begin now. What do you know about the origins of Therians, witches, and magic?”
Luca was quiet as he considered the question, then shook his head. “Virtually nothing, I’m ashamed to say. Navigating life in the present under Nikoli’s rule was hard enough. I didn’t have much opportunity to examine our origins. Recent events have given me cause to wonder about them, though.”
Benji understood the sentiment, even if he had no frame of reference to relate to it. Curiosity was one of his fundamental traits. He always wanted to know more and couldn’t imagine letting anything stand in the way of knowledge. He had to learn how and why things were the way they were and welcomed any chance to share that information.
“For many of our kind, we have simply always been, so the origin of our various species was never questioned,” Benji continued. He removed the books from the shoulder bag and laid them on the desk. “I’ve been reading Therian history for a full day now, hoping to reconcile what my people know of the early years of our evolution with the more recent information in your archives. When we retreated from the world after the Rending, we never imagined the knowledge would be lost.”
Luca focused his intense blue gaze on Benji. “You’ve got my attention. Please continue.”
“It would take days to impart the details, but I can summarize the most important facts. There are other universes and other dimensions, Sire. I don’t speak of other planets with life, though those also exist. To put a visual to it, imagine bubbles floating in a void. Each universe has its path, and they infrequently collide. When that occurs, a metaphysical link forms between the two dimensions, sometimes with disastrous results.”
He paused to make sure the king was following the explanation and continued after Luca’s nod of understanding. “One such link was created between our world and another called the Abyss billions of years ago—a seabed rift off the coast of what is now Chile.”
Luca froze. Benji noticed, but he continued with the tale. “It is impossible to know how many times it has opened in the past. However, we have firsthand evidence that the portal between Earth and the Abyss opened approximately six thousand years ago.”
The king was enthralled. “What happened?”
Benji’s expression sobered. “It almost destroyed the world. Something came through that rift from the Abyss. Or multiple somethings. The records are spotty. Whatever came through caused terrible mutations in the life it touched. The histories also indicate mind control abilities.”
Luca looked appalled. “Six thousand years ago? How did they fight it?”
“The Therians sent soldiers, and they fought a long and brutal war. During that fight, our allies abandoned us, and my people were decimated. When the fighting finally stopped, the few surviving owls instituted the Rending, and the remnants of our society left the world almost overnight.”
The owl reached into his bag and removed a glass cylinder. Opening the cylinder, Benji pulled out a well-worn scroll and passed it to the king. “The rift is going to open again, Sire, and probably soon. Long ago, one of our seers made a prophecy, and that is what brought me to you.”
“Well, fuck. I was not expecting that.” He carefully spread the scroll across his desk and read the text, which was written in an ancient Spanish dialect with an English translation on a separate sheet.
In the age of Earth’s new era, ancient knowledge will be revealed.
Evil will return from the depths of the sea to spread its savage hunger.
As battles rage and the world’s balance shifts, the harbinger will emerge.
When the king of light and fire is crowned, and night withstands the day,
The world must stand united, or it will fall in pieces when the Abyss opens again.
Her spark holds back the darkness, but it will falter without his flame.
“Shit. That’s not ominous at all,” Luca sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
Benji grimaced. “That was how I reacted when I found it. I won’t waste time with trivialities. I need your help to make sure this doesn’t destroy the world. The last great Therian king laid down his life in defense of the entire world, human and Therian alike, and all is in danger again. We shall fight the same formidable enemy, and we will lose without your help.”
Luca raised an eyebrow and stared at his guest. His ally, now. “You’re the harbinger, aren’t you?”
Benji nodded and held up his hands. “Please don’t shoot the messenger.”
Luca laughed, grateful for the moment of levity amid the doom and gloom. “You’re safe from me, I promise. Thank all the gods that I’m on the throne, not Nikoli.”
“You weren’t when I left my nest, but it was an acceptable risk, Your Majesty. How could I live with myself if I didn’t?” Benji’s tone and expression were serene. “It was the right thing to do. I like what I’ve seen of the world, and I don’t want to see it destroyed. I want to protect all of it, not just my little piece.”
“That’s an attitude I can support. The reference to Ash seems clear to me. Is that how you’re reading it, too?”
Benji smirked. “As a daywalking vampire with the most powerful spark our world has ever seen, there can be no doubt.”
“Thank you for bringing this to me, Benji. What is the next step? We need to get involved and help, but I don’t know enough about the situation to decide what to do first. We will need your guidance.”
Benji breathed a sigh of relief that he felt throughout his entire being. The king would help, so all was not lost. He’d heard enough stories about Luca to understand that he was unique among dragons. The king had inherited his draconic abilities from both parents, so he had both light and fire. “Gathering more information is the first step. If I’m not mistaken, you reacted when I told you about the rift.”
Luca nodded. “I have a friend, a geologist, who is studying some strange structures found at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Chile after an underwater earthquake.”
“I expected something of the kind. It was only a matter of time before humanity discovered the ruins of Atlantis. If you value your friend, keep him out of the water,” Benji warned.
“We need resources and protection to go see the remains firsthand. I’d like you to send a team with me to scout the area. We need to find the best human and Therian scientific minds in the world and try to get ahead of this. I’ll try to keep it quiet, but we might face challenges since you’ve already heard reports of activity in the area. If the strange attacks and grotesque mutations start, it’s too late.”
“Can you make a list of the people you need?” Luca asked. “I’ll do everything in my power to help.”
“It’s impossible to know right now, but I would guess geologists and oceanographers to start. We also need to secure access to a submersible capable of reaching the ocean floor. If you send an emissary to treat with my people, it will smooth the process a great deal. From what I’ve seen, our technology outpaces what you have available, but they are reluctant to get involved.”
Luca nodded. “Unfortunately, I can’t go. There is far too much for me to attend to here. War is still looming, and since humans are now aware of our existence, I must remain and lead our people. I will send my best, and I already have a few in mind. How do you feel about including humans on your team? My friend and his son would help. I’d stake my life on it, and you won’t find a better geologist.”
“All I require is your trust in their discretion and abilities.”
“You mentioned protection. Would you be willing to include vampires?”
Benji blinked, looking very much like an owl. “V-vampires? Is that what they’re called? That sounds exciting!”
Luca laughed. “How have you been here for two days and not heard that word?”
Benji’s cheeks flushed. “I was in the library.”
“You must not have gotten that far into the histories yet, then. When you do, please remember that not all of them are as the books say. My mate Ash sacrificed her humanity and became a vampire to save my life. She slew the vampire queen and is now working to establish a position of power. She and her human sister have extensively studied history and archaeology. They will be interested in assisting your expedition.”
Benji smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I would very much like to meet your vampire mate and her human sister. I can learn much from the diverse species on our planet. I have always disagreed with the Rending.”
Luca rose to retrieve a bottle of bourbon and two glasses from a small bar set into the wall. “It’s settled, then. We will ask Ash and Dani what they think when she comes back. In the meantime, let’s have a drink and figure out who’s the best suited for your team.”
Benji accepted. He’d expected to have to convince the king to believe him, let alone help, and he was beyond grateful for the response. Perhaps the world had a chance after all. Now that he had hope, Benji was eager to get started.
The pair worked into the night. Luca called Remy an hour into the process and asked him to cancel all his appointments for the day. Benji stumbled back to his chambers around dawn the next morning, satisfied that they’d done everything they could at this point. They wouldn’t know what needed to be done without seeing the rift, much less how to do it.