42. Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Two
Kya
R yker took me down to the bottom level of the palace. I hadn’t been to this part yet. The place was impeccable. Bright stone walls gave the space a warm feeling, so different from the darkened glass of Morah. And I loved it.
The open area of the hall was bustling with people, and I stopped to watch them.
I had felt them when we arrived here, but I had assumed they would leave at some point.
Families were gathered together, children playing on the floor next to piles of blankets and scarce belongings.
Older fae sat on chairs, conversing with one another and telling exaggerated stories about great adventures.
Tables lined one of the walls covered with food and pitchers of water.
They seemed content enough, but I could taste the mournfulness in the air. I could hear the weariness in their voices, smell their worry, feel their souls deflated and broken.
“Who are they?” I asked, still staring out at the people.
“Survivors.” His voice was filled with hurt. “They’re from Mirren, a town on the southeastern end of Oryn. Or at least it was. It was destroyed by the Glaev during the Trial, the one Vicria threatened about, and those that survived and had nowhere else to go came here. ”
“But that was weeks ago. Why haven’t they had homes erected for them? Why do they stay here?” I didn’t understand. I had never expected that a Lord would allow the common fae to reside in his home.
“Because they’re always welcome here. And those that remain haven’t decided where to go next. They lost everything. Lost their loved ones as well. They’re welcome to stay as long as they wish. They’re safe and cared for.”
“Is this what you wanted me to see?” I whispered, looking up to him to find that he was already looking at me.
He nodded and I felt a great sadness, for him and his people, wash over me—as well as shame.
“This is who we’re protecting. We’re fighting the Gods’ wills to keep them safe. I wanted you to see them.” His words caused a pang in my chest.
I thought of my people as well, and how I wouldn’t put them at risk if I could help it. He grabbed my hand and smiled sweetly. He kissed the back of it and tugged for me to follow.
“Come on. I want you to meet them too.”
I talked with nearly everyone. Ryker greeted every single one of them by name and introduced me. I tried my best to remember them all but that wasn’t my strong suit.
He went off to help someone and I continued to listen to the survivors’ stories.
They told me of the ones they lost, their torments and troubles, and I listened intently.
If I was able to help them in any way, I would.
I understood them, their pain of being torn from their home by the Glaev—not that I shared my story with them. It wasn’t about me.
I hadn’t paid attention to what Ryker was doing, but I was constantly aware of where he was.
I gathered blankets that needed to be washed with some of the women, held and read to a small child on my lap so that his mother could have a moment to herself.
Even though they had little to nothing, they smiled and laughed.
I swept and cleaned and gathered more food and water.
And it wasn’t enough. Not near enough. I needed to do more. My heart tore for them.
I stood back by the table, getting a drink of water and wiping the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve. I found Ryker in the bustle of people as I watched them.
I needed to stop this from ever happening again—to stop the torment from happening to any more of Oryn’s people. I needed to stop the Glaev.
Ryker and I made the trek alone to meet with the Sage, Deres.
I had attempted to bring Malina and Nikan with us, but Nikan only grumbled sleepily from behind the door saying that Malina didn’t come back the night before.
Ryker had gone to collect Mavris and Hakoa, but he returned alone as well with a smirk, saying that they were hungover from the night before and weren’t alone in their rooms. Since it was just the two of us, he lifted me into his arms and flew us to the temple on the southern end of Voara.
The temple was small in relation to other temples around the continent.
This one was simple and welcoming, cozy even.
Its taupe-colored stone exterior had faded after centuries of weather and the wooden doors creaked when we entered.
The walls, while worn from age, held a feeling of antiquity that was to be honored.
The air was heavy with the feeling of an otherworldly presence that was comforting.
It reminded me of Hylithria.
The dais, at the other end of the temple, held a table with several bowls and burning incense. I had never really understood what the Sages did or why—I had never really cared.
“Deres?” Ryker called out.
A few moments later, a male came through one of the inner doors, wearing the typical Sage robes with the sash across his waist. He was tall, very tall, at least a head taller than Ryker.
He had dark skin with matching brown eyes.
But it was his hair that caught my eye the most as he approached.
It was completely grayed, which was very rare among fae, and it indicated that he was exceedingly old.
“Kya,” Ryker’s voice brought me back and I snapped my mouth shut, not realizing it had fallen open as I rudely stared. “This is Deres. Deres, I’d like to introduce you to Kya, my—”
“Mate. And a Worthy, chosen by the elusive Kleio herself!” His deep booming voice echoed off the stone walls. He smiled widely.
I offered a smile in return before my brows scrunched together. I looked down at my arms, my skin hidden underneath my sleeves.
Deres chuckled. “I don’t need to see your marks to sense the strong bond between you. The Spirits have granted you great powers.” He looked at Ryker. “Possibly greater than yours even.”
“I have no doubt, Deres.” A look of pride crossed his face as he glanced down at me.
I smiled awkwardly at the comments, not really knowing what to say in response.
“So, what brings you all the way down from the palace? I’m sure you two are very busy. Well,” he paused, looking between us. “Not that busy.”
My eyes widened. “You can tell that we’re not mated? Without seeing our marks? ”
“Yes. Any Sage that is attuned to the spiritual balance can. We can feel the shift when mates seal the bond.”
“You were right then,” I said quietly, glancing at Ryker. “Vicria would know if it happened, if we completed our mating.”
“Yes. Vicria has a deep enough connection to the Spirits that she would be able to sense it. Specifically you two, though? I wouldn’t know about that. It’s possible. Your bond to each other is powerful.” He stepped forward and held out his hands in front of me. “May I?”
I glanced at Ryker and he gave a subtle nod.
I looked back to Deres and gave a tentative nod of my own.
He placed one hand on my head, his thumb pressed to the center of my forehead and the other over my heart and closed his eyes.
He stayed like that for several moments before he opened his eyes and removed his hands.
He took a step back, wide eyes sparkling with intrigue.
“Fascinating,” he whispered. He rubbed his chin and looked at me curiously. “Kya, how many other connections do you feel? Besides the ones to Odarum and Ryker, how many magical ones?”
I had so many questions, he wasn’t supposed to know about the bond to Odarum, or even his name. But I answered his question first.
“Like the orbs? I don’t know. A few. I haven’t counted them. There’s the one that gives me invisibility from Kleio, but the others are faint and I haven’t tried to hone them yet.”
“But there are more than two?” He pressed.
“Yeah,” I said slowly. Deres and Ryker looked at each other. “What? What does that mean?”
Ryker ran a hand down his face. “It means,” he breathed in disbelief. “That you have more than one magical ability gifted to you from Kleio. You only receive one from your Spirit.”
“They can do that? The Gods can give more than one gift? What about that balance? Has that ever happened before?” I asked, incredulous.
“They can. And they have before, just not in a very, very long time. They usually only grant the ability or abilities that you would require in order to fulfill their purpose for you.” Deres spoke knowingly.
His confidence made me believe him. “What was the task that Kleio gave you? Her exact words.”
I took a deep breath. “She said I was to serve her Nation.” My eyes went distant as I thought back to my conversation with the Goddess.
“That the Glaev is not as it seems. And her command for me to restore the balance, I asked her how, and she told me to listen. That I would learn, and to seek the truth. When I asked how to find it, she said that I already knew.” I shrugged my shoulders.
I didn’t already know. I had no idea what I was doing.
“Which brings us to why we’re here in the first place,” Ryker added. “Kya has some questions about the book you told me to find.”
A rueful smile crossed Deres’s lips. “You were successful.” Not a question, but a statement.
He gestured for us to follow him through one of the doors and we all sat in a small sitting area. Ryker and I sat with each other on a settee, our knees touching. Deres took the seat across from us.
“What did you want to ask?”
“What is the book?” I leaned forward.
“The book is ancient, a tome written in a language not of this realm, and rumored to have shown up just after Odes’s death thousands of years ago. It is said that the book is about dark magic and perhaps its origin.”
“But what is dark magic? Eamon mentioned it before but no one seems to know what it actually is.” I glanced at Ryker. He shook his head, not knowing either, and looked at Deres skeptically.
“Magic is energy. And, as I’m sure you know, having lived among Scholars, that energy has equal opposites in order to balance each other out. Light and dark. Day and night. Good and bad.”
“Like the Spirits,” Ryker offered.
I listened intently as Deres continued.
“Yes, exactly. The two are not so different, as you might think. It is why the Spirits intervened with the Gods in the first place. There was such an imbalance after Odes fell, that the world tore itself apart, threatening ultimate destruction. Such as it is again, now.”
“Wait,” I interrupted.
Is not what it seems.
The memory of Kleios voice rang through my head.
“Do you mean to tell me,” I said slowly. “That the Glaev is this dark magic? Magic not of this realm?”
Deres shook his head with a shrug. “I don’t know for certain.
I only know that it is disrupting the balance.
I can feel it every time it grows. Every time it kills a little more of our world, threatening to destroy the realm.
And I know that the book I told you to find might have something to do with it. ”
“It definitely will. Have you heard of Rolim Fawarin?” I smiled when Ryker gasped in understanding.
“An old friend. I was the one to originally tell him of the dark book that led him to his theory about the Glaev. But he died before he could complete his theory and his work was lost to time. Until it wasn’t.” Deres gave a sad smile.
“Do you understand its language? Obviously Rolim did.” Ryker asked. He reached over and laced my fingers through his.
“No. I never learned, and I’m not sure that Rolim did entirely either.”
I nodded and contemplated that information for a moment. Everything that Deres said matched what Eamon had heard as well. I needed to translate that book and figure out this dark magic.
“One last question, Deres.” He nodded for me to continue. “Did Rolim say how to control dark magic?”
If Vicria was somehow controlling it, she must have figured it out. Someone was controlling it.
“No. Unfortunately, I never learned that either, if he did. But perhaps his work will tell you.”
Ryker and I stood to leave. My head was a jumbled mess of thoughts.
I needed to go over Rolim’s notes and see if I could decipher the book myself.
And I wanted to find that Sage. It was most logical to think of Vicria as the dark magic wielder.
She knew about it. There was no other explanation.
She needed to be stopped and now that I knew she was using magic, as a Sage, her life had a death sentence on it.
We thanked Deres and began to leave before he stopped us. “Kya,” he began. Standing to approach. “Hone your gifts. They were given to you for a reason.”