Chapter 41 #2
It’s beautiful. While the Court of Whispers had been impressive, and Azmeer an architectural feat, this was a place of wonder.
The room had countless chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, each made from a stunning shade of coral. The light offered from each reflected into the walls, which only reflected off the water, causing the light to glow. It was as if it were midday, and the sun was at full force.
“This place is incredible,” I found myself saying.
“It is.” A stern voice reverberated from a corner on the opposite end of the room, one of the few spots the light had not touched, as if it had been marred in shadows.
Striding from the corner was a tall, lithe woman. Her hair, a mix of copper and coral, shone as she made her way into the light. Her face was cold, but beautiful. Lines so sharp they could paralyze a man, and cut them if they weren’t careful.
She wore a dress made of pale blue, almost white. It was cut off at the sleeves as they cascaded over her shoulders, exposing her arms and wrists, both of which were covered in similar runes to the door.
“They told me it was you, and I simply didn’t believe them. How foolish of me.” Her voice was enchanting yet lined with threats.
“Melia…”
“Do not think you can address me by name, Marius. It’s been far too long for that.” The room shook as the woman spoke, the strength of her words forcing each of us to attention.
“I see you did not come alone, which, knowing you, was to be expected.” She continued her march towards us, each stride purposeful, authoritative. Moving closer, I was able to see what was woven into her hair, a crown made of plants from the sea and shells.
She stopped in front of me, staring down at me to meet my gaze. Her pale blue eyes were piercing and secretive. Lined with a ring of darker blue, they were the shades of the water. The shallow tide luring you in before sucking you into its depths with no means of escape.
She assessed me, staring me up and down. I hadn’t properly bathed, had been mentally tortured, and was now in a different realm. I can only imagine how terrible I look. What would Dainan think if he could see me now?
The woman scoffed, “So this is what you left me for.” She turned her head to face Marius, “I dare say, you could have done better.”
Left her for. Oh, Gods.
I glared at Marius. A look that said “you couldn’t have warned me that we were returning to your scorned lover before coming in here?”
He ignored me.
“She is not the reason I left, Melia. But she is the reason that I have returned.” Marius said, holding his own.
“Have you come to beg permission to wed then? Your track record for engagements has been poor in the past, but perhaps these centuries away have taught you something.”
“Gods…” I heard Marsh mutter under his breath, and I couldn’t have agreed more.
Marius took a few steps forward, making his way to Melia, the woman I assumed was queen of Quiala. “You know very well why I left, Melia. If you wish to have that conversation, we may do so in private.”
“If she is your lover, then she deserves to know.” Her smile grew wicked as she turned to face me once more. “You have no doubt reaped the rewards of my hard work. That little trick,” she lowered herself closer to me, “the one he does with his fingers. I taught him that.”
My father covered his mouth as mine gaped open.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Melia. She’s not my lover.”
“He’s right,” I said, bolstering my voice. “As a matter of fact, I’m repulsed by the idea.”
“How kind of you to say so, Brida.”
“Not the time, Marius.”
“Interesting.” Melia moved back to observe us as a collective. We were a disheveled group of outsiders. Fae, human, and whatever Marius was.
“Your Majesty, I apologize if that is the incorrect form of address, but Marius here,” I gestured with my head, “failed to inform me of proper decorum in this court. We didn’t know we would be traveling here until earlier… today? It may have been yesterday. I’m unaccustomed to how time works here.”
“I merely kept information from you that would have made this more difficult,” Marius said.
Melia’s laughter broke the tension that had mounted in the room.
“Oh Gods, you two really aren’t lovers. You squabble like siblings.
” With a snap of her fingers, the throne and the part of the floor on which it rested rose, three steps forming in front of it as it transformed into a dais upon which a ruler could look down on their subjects.
With a second snap, a table appeared next to the throne on which Melia placed her crown before seating herself. Melia crossed one of her legs atop the other. The slit that ran up her thigh was now in full display, Marius unable to cease his staring.
“For someone who seems to have run away from this woman, he can’t stop staring at her,” Marsh whispered, and I stifled a laugh.
Marius’s mouth gaped open, ready to defend himself. Before he could utter a word, Melia raised her hand, stopping him.
“Our world was closed off to Eldara for millennia. You know this—you were one of the last to traverse the causeway.” Melia said, “It took a great deal of magic to seal us here. You would therefore understand my surprise when word arrived to us of its shattering mere months ago.”
“But…” Marius stepped towards Melia’s throne, “Melia, I am the last. No others who went through have survived.”
Melia said nothing and snapped her fingers. The darkness in the corner from where she had emerged started to move, slithering towards her, the shadows hissed.
“How?” I whispered, taking a step forward, yearning to touch them in the way I had back in the House of Shadows.
“Brida…” Marius's tone darkened, his brow furrowing. Be cautious, his face read. While this was his home, we were not welcomed guests.
“Are those like the shadows in Azmeer?” My curiosity outweighed caution.
While the majority of the shadows made their way to Melia, a few diverted, slithering across the floor to me. Their hiss so familiar, yet foreign at the same time. These were not my shadows, but they came from the same entity.
Lowering myself to the floor, I extended my hand, allowing them to explore me, slowly making their way along my fingers. Raising my hand to my face, I whispered, “Find Dainan. Bring him to me. Please.”
As quickly as blinking, the shadows vanished, and Melia rose from her chair. “Marius.”
“Melia, I know, there is much to discuss, if we could, please…”
Melia’s shadows swarmed in front of her, rising as a pillar. She whispered something to them before they too disappeared.
“There are only three of us who are able to do as she just did, Marius.” Melia pointed to me, “It appears that woman was right.”
That woman? What woman would know of this?
Before I could give voice to my question, a portal of shadow formed in the center of the room.
“Stand back,” I said to my father, pushing him out of the way.
The hissing grew louder as two figures formed from the shadows.
I blinked, trying to focus on its shape.
The shadows skittered at first before forming legs, then a torso, and before long, two women stood in front of me.
The shadows slithered away, leaving the women in their wake—one woman more gaunt than I remembered her being, frailer than her normal stature, the other as fierce as the last time I’d seen her.
“Tamra… Asana…” I marched towards her and pulled her into an embrace.
Asana was rigid in my arms before relaxing, wrapping her arms around me.
I would never have thought to be embraced by the woman Alvar had chosen, but she held me as I cried.
Asana’s hand made its way to the back of my head, slowly caressing my hair. “I know.” She pulled back, cupping her hands on my face, and said, “He knows too.”
“What do you mean he knows?” I choked on the words.
“Let me in,” Tamra pushed in between the two of us. “You have quite a bit of explaining to do.”
I laughed into my friend’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you terribly. But, how, how are you here?” I pulled back to assess them both. “You’re not hurt; you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” Tamra assured me. “Been a bit lonely since we had to leave Amira at Mount Kaiver, but…” She looked to Asana, “the company has been decent.”
I turned to face Marius, who stood aghast.
“I’m not sure you remember Asana, Marius. She was little when you last saw her,” Melia said.
“Asana… I…” Marius's head shook. He looked more confused than the rest of us.
“She followed you when you made your escape. Did you know? She was a mere child, Marius, and you left her in that world unable to guard or protect herself.” Melia bellowed from her throne, the room shaking in response.
“Wait,” I turned to face Asana. “You’re from Quiala?”
A small smile tugged in the corners of her lips.
“But, you’re a court member, you…you partook in the Courting… How?”
“I had some help.” She whispered. “From a prince.”
Alvar.
“I will tell you the story later.” Asana held my hand in hers.
“Asana, I’m so sorry.” Marius strode toward us, tears cascading down his cheeks. “I had no idea. If I had known.” He fell to his knees before her.
Asana lowered herself to the floor, raising his chin to meet hers. “You did as you were meant to. And I did the same. You were not my keeper. But my father will no doubt have words with you.” She smiled.
Marius's weeping grew louder as he threw his arms around her, pulling her toward him. “He lives?”
As Asana opened her mouth to answer, a second portal of shadows formed in the room, except this one was more violent. Cracks of thunder emanated, and the wind was so strong it separated Marius from Asana.
I looked to Melia to see if she knew what was happening. Her expression told me that this was not part of her plan. Whoever this was, they were an unexpected guest.
Similar to Asana’s portal, shadows took shape, except this time they were not in the shape of a woman, but a door. A door made of darkness and storms. It swirled with the colors of the evening sky.
Stepping through came a man made of shadows and stars. A man whose eyes radiated fire, a man whose skin contained lightning. A Primal of smoke and storms. A Primal of endings.
“Hello, Ilia,” the man said.
“Dainan,” I gasped.