by Kealohilani
Drakne laughed even harder as the last of these tiny spells hit Raoul’s dance partner, who, at the moment— luckily for Raoul— was one of Rezarahn’s guests and not one of the rebels. The spell made her believe that Raoul had done something inappropriate— so she slapped him, hard, and walked away. Stunned, Raoul stood there— blinking— wondering what he had done wrong.
Drakne sighed to quell his laughter and went through a door in the corner— near the entrance of the ballroom— into the kitchen, to see what he might accomplish there. The fire was still going in the massive fireplace and meat was turning on the spit.
One green spell ball later and the main fire blazed into a sudden inferno. Dishes went crashing everywhere and several additional unintentional fires ignited— sending the servants into a frenzy. Drakne returned to the ballroom laughing so hard his sides ached.
This time, there was so much noise that Drakne allowed himself to let his laughter run its course. Once finished, he regained his normal composure with several deep breaths. He would have caused more mischief, but figured too much interference might eventually call attention to himself.
However, when a waiter came in carrying a tray— full of sparkling water— Drakne was unable to resist. He tripped the waiter with his invisible foot and watched as the crystal glasses crashed spectacularly to the floor. Drakne chuckled briefly and told himself that this had to be the last one— for now.
True Identity
Rezarahn led Lani back toward the front of the manor— to the archways they had passed originally on their way to the dining room. He chose the archway on the left and guided her all the way down another large hallway to an already-open, ornately carved double doorway— and into a darkened room.
“Excuse me for just a moment.”
Rezarahn kissed her hand and disappeared into the shadows. Lani stayed where she was, peering into the dark room, feeling her curiosity growing with every second. She was surprised by how calm and safe she felt with Rezarahn. This same circumstance would be very creepy with a man who couldn’t be trusted.
She stared intently in the direction he had vanished— and when he turned the gas lighting on, his smiling face was the first thing she saw. He swept his hand dramatically— as if presenting the room to her on a stage. She followed the line of his arm with her eyes as she looked at what he wanted to show her— and gasped in delight as she beheld the magnificent library in which she was now standing.
Her gaze darted excitedly from corner to corner— scanning the leather-bound books on hundreds of shelves around the perimeter of a room— which was nearly as large as the ballroom. Ladders with wheels on the main floor made the higher shelves accessible.
Two spiral staircases led up to railed walkways that surrounded the entire room— with more wheeled ladders, to reach the uppermost shelves on the second floor.
Lani had always dreamed of a library like this!
“You are a woman with a remarkably keen mind and so I thought you might appreciate my library.”
“It’s breathtaking! Thank you so much for bringing me here!”
Rezarahn walked until he stood directly behind her. He ran his hands slowly down her arms and leaned his lips close to her ear.
“What are you waiting for? Go. Look at anything you desire.”
Lani felt shivers flow down her arms as he touched them— and the way his breath warmed her ear— she closed her eyes briefly to soak it in. The sparks and thrills he had been giving her all night flooded through her body once again. With a gentle push in the right direction from Rezarahn, she remembered where she was.
She lit up and rushed to start thumbing through the books before her. The fatigue she had been feeling fled from her body as she dashed around like a kid in a candy store looking at book after book— unsure of which one she would like to read first.
She was surprised to find that they were all in English. She concluded that the same spell— which translated spoken languages here in Alamea— must be what allowed her to read these materials as well. Come to think of it— she should have noticed that the labels in the elven bathing room had been in English! However, she only felt foolish for a second before the excitement of racing through her dream library returned.
But where was she to start?! She had never been in a room in which there was literally zero chance that she had read even one of the books on the shelves. Should she start with history? Literature? Poetry?
There was so much she didn’t know about Alamea! It was such an unparalleled opportunity to learn about everything— and yet there was no time. Most likely she had only this moment right here, right now. She needed to hurry.
Rezarahn laughed delightedly as he watched her lose herself in the books. He chose a book of poetry and sat in an over-sized burgundy-velvet wingback chair to read, with one of his black-leather-boot-clad legs draped over one of its arms. He turned several pages and settled into his chair as he found what he wanted to read.
As Lani ran halfway up one of the staircases, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. There on a stand a little ways from the back of the cushy chair Rezarahn was lounging in, was a sizable leather-bound book.
The light directly above it seemed to get brighter for an instant. She blinked and the brighter light was gone. She ran back down the stairs and approached the stand.
Its aged pages and musty smell indicated that it was quite ancient. However, it was very well preserved. She opened it and a puff of white sparkling dust flew out in a small swirling cloud. Lani reviewed the first page— her eyes widening as she read.
We, the highest order of the Mountain Elves create this book in the year fifteen hundred and four. Therefore it is written in the language of our ancestors, in Elven script.
It is a complete history of the seven Kingdoms of Alamea. This book carries the enchantment of continuance— therefore the book itself will add to these carefully crafted pages whenever it deems something worthy of being recorded therein— from now until the end of time.
This book carries knowledge— knowledge that is both important and enlightening. The destruction of any portion of this book will bring a dire curse upon the hand that defiled it. With that final warning we bid the reader welcome to this tome.
Lani turned the pages as her heart beat with excitement. The elaborate hand-drawn illustrations had such rich use of color and meticulous attention to detail that it could compare with the illuminated manuscripts of the monasteries on Earth.
She felt privileged and honored to be standing here looking through this historical masterpiece. With great care, she continued to turn through the pages— with no particular purpose in mind— until she suddenly felt compelled to stop and read.
The fair Kingdom of Lanas was last ruled by King Lazeka and Queen Lassaria Arvanatasi. King Lazeka came from a long and proud line of extraordinary rulers. Lazeka and his queen ruled in peace until the day that Vranah plotted to overthrow their kingdom.
They fought valiantly for years— but in the end, they were unable to defend against the ever-growing army of evil. Lanas fell. Both the King and the Queen were put to death for treason against The Master of all Darkness.
Perhaps the greatest mystery associated with the Arvanatasi family is that of the fate of their twin daughters— Adrienne Brielle and Alena Brichette. Adrienne, being the eldest, was The Heiress Apparent to the once great Kingdom of Lanas.
Adrienne and Alena disappeared one year before the fall of their kingdom. No bodies were found and no trace of their continued existence was ever discovered.
Lani touched the book unconsciously with her hand. Her eyes closed. When she opened them again her surroundings had changed.
She had no idea where she was. It was extremely dark, with only a few torches burning on the walls. Lani squinted to see better and realized she was standing in a throne room.
A purple banner with a golden embroidered crest hung on the wall. She tried to get a closer look at the crest to see what
it represented but was distracted by a familiar voice whispering intently behind her.
Lani turned and saw Jharate’s mother speaking with a king and queen Lani did not recognize.
“Lazeka, Lassaria— I know I am asking a great deal of you. However, you must trust me. I have had a vision that if they remain with you, they will die. If I leave now under the cover of this moonless night— I can take them so far away that Vranah will never find them. You must believe me. I can save their lives. There is no time to lose.”
“You know I trust you implicitly, Karsenia. If I did not, my husband and I would be asleep in our chambers— not here in our throne room listening to you at this ghostly hour. But these are our only children.
“For ten years I thought I was barren. Conceiving was a miracle and now they are everything to us! Our daughters… they are not even yet one year of age! There is so much we wanted to share with them. They are destined to inherit our kingdom!”
“Yes I know, Lassaria. I am deeply and truly sorry to be the bearer of this sorrowful news. I can scarcely imagine how I would feel in your same situation. However, it is precisely because they are everything to you that you must let me take them.”
When neither Lassaria nor Lazeka answered, Karsenia continued.
“As you know, I have two young children of my own— Jharate and Keanu. I love them more than life itself. However, if I knew they would die if they stayed with me, I would let them go in the time it takes for one beat of my heart. You know I would not ask you to do something so devastatingly painful if there were any other way.”
“Can you guarantee their safety?” Lazeka asked firmly.
“Yes— until the day of their twenty-first birthday. Past then, their future is unclear.”
Lani thought Lassaria couldn’t be more than thirty years old and Lazeka not much older than that. Lani’s hand moved to her heart as she looked at the forlorn faces of this couple. What an awful choice!
Lani didn’t know what she would do in that same situation but she dearly hoped that she would never have to find out. Lazeka turned to his lovely wife and knelt before her.
“That is at least twenty more years than if they stay with us, my darling. We have both witnessed the fulfillment of Karsenia’s visions before. She is never wrong. I fear we must let her take them.”
“Very well,” Lassaria relented, as tears formed quickly and spilled from her blue eyes.
Lassaria held her sleeping children close to her for the last time and kissed them both. Lazeka joined her. They carefully handed their most prized treasures over to Karsenia— hands still outstretched toward their daughters even after letting go.
“Take care of my children,” Lassaria pleaded.
“I will,” Karsenia promised solemnly.
Lassaria threw herself into Lazeka’s arms and sobbed whilst he held her close, as Karsenia stole carefully away. Lazeka and Lassaria faded away into the distance as Lani’s vision pulled Lani away from the throne room to follow Karsenia to a large banyan tree grove outside of the royal couple’s castle.
Lani wiped the tears from her eyes and returned her attention to the vision. Karsenia looked over her shoulder every few seconds— and walked with hurried but careful steps.
Once assured that no one could see her, Karsenia stopped and closed her eyes for a brief moment. There was a great flash of light and a noise like a clap of thunder. Lani jolted back a little in surprise.
Lani blinked to adjust to the new scenery. Karsenia was now outside of a very, very familiar structure. Of course! It was her house! It had been brand new then— and none of the landscaping had been planted yet— but it was definitely her home.
Lani’s eyes widened as she followed Karsenia and watched her knock on the door. Lani’s parents answered, looking very young and extremely sleepy.
“It’s three in the morning,” Mr. Thomas complained.
“I apologize for the lateness of the hour. Here is the eldest daughter— the one you agreed to take in. Here is her birth certificate and all the necessary papers. I cannot thank you enough. You may never know how important what you are doing is.”
Karsenia quickly handed Adrienne to Mrs. Thomas and walked away— disappearing into the darkness with the other child still in her arms.
“What shall we call her?” Mr. Thomas asked.
“I’ve always liked the name Lani,” Mrs. Thomas answered.
“Lani? I like that. Lani it is,” Mr. Thomas declared with a yawn.
Lani gasped! This is how she had come into her family? She would have never guessed what a daring thing it had been for her mom and dad to adopt her— nor what a horrible sacrifice her biological parents had been forced to make in order to save her life. Lani felt a wave of emotions sweep over her so fast and so hard that she wasn’t even sure what half of them were.
She didn’t have time to figure them out though, because apparently the vision wasn’t over yet. Lani watched as Karsenia repeated the same procedure outside of another home that she identified quickly. It was Kendra’s house! What?!
Kendra’s mother came to the door with two of her young sons clinging to her nightdress. Mrs. Sanchez took the baby girl in her arms as Karsenia handed her over. Lani barely heard any of the words Karsenia said as she thanked Mrs. Sanchez, handed her the paperwork, and repeated the instructions she had given to the Thomas family— before once again disappearing into the night.
Lani shook her head a little as she saw the second to oldest brother tugging at his mother’s nightdress.
“What’s her name, Mama?”
“Her name is Kendra. Would you like to see her, Luke?”
“Yes!”
“Me too, Mama! Me too!” exclaimed the smaller of the two boys.
Lani’s mouth fell open. She was completely dumfounded. Kendra was her sister! Not just her sister— her twin! She had no idea how to even begin to process all of this.
She suddenly wondered where the oldest brother was— probably asleep. Wait, if Kendra was her sister— that would make all of Kendra’s brothers kind of like stepbrothers. She knew that Luke was no relation to her— but her previous crush on him during her freshman and sophomore years of high school suddenly felt a little weird. One more reason it was a good thing that never worked out.
Snap out of it, Lani, she thought to herself. She wasn’t sure why her mind was trying to answer all of the silly questions when there were so many legitimate ones to be asked.
The vision ended abruptly. Lani jumped slightly as she realized Rezarahn was standing directly in front of her— staring at her with a worried expression on his gorgeous face.
“I did not mean to startle you, dear lady. When I saw you standing here with your eyes closed, I feared that something might be amiss. Are you quite all right?”
Lani blinked at him blankly and thought for a moment. She wasn’t really sure what she could tell him. Another moment passed in silence before she realized she still hadn’t answered him.
“Oh… yes. Yes, I’m alright… Thank you. Sorry. I am very tired though. Will you please be kind enough to escort me to where I am to sleep?”
“Yes, of course! Right this way.”
Rezarahn took her hand, led her back down the hallway, and turned into the main entryway of his château. He carefully guided her up one side of the grand double staircase. To Lani’s great relief, Rezarahn stopped in front of the first door of the right wing of the second floor. She didn’t think she could have managed another step.
At the same time, she suddenly felt a sinking feeling. The night was really over. But what a night it had been! Lani let her hand linger in Rezarahn’s and smiled sweetly at him.
“Thank you. For everything. You have been such a gentleman— not to mention an enthralling conversationalist! And so generous with us all! I have enjoyed every moment with you— and you have given me one of the best nights of my life at a time when I didn’t expect something wonderful to happen.”
“Again— you deserve e
ven more than I can give, dear lady. And the joy I receive through my humble attempts to be gallant, render my actions entirely selfish.”
“Ohhh!” Lani cooed.
“I mean every word.”
He kissed her hand again in his sensual seductive way. Her blood began to race again, on cue. Her voice deserted her for a moment and when it returned, it was very soft.
“I’m very lucky to have met you, Prince Rezarahn.”
“I am the fortunate one. And please, dearest Lani— do me the honor of calling me Rezarahn. I do not wish for any title to stand between the two of us.”
“Rezarahn it is then… I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can put off saying goodnight any longer.”
“Very well, my lovely lady. The pleasure has truly been all mine. May angels sing you to your sleep and may your dreams be filled with all that your heart desires.”
Rezarahn bowed, kissed her hand briefly once more, and turned to go. Lani unconsciously cradled the hand he had just kissed as she watched him walk away. He stopped on the top stair and looked back at her with his dashing smile. She giggled.
When she noticed he wasn’t leaving, she realized he must be waiting to make sure she got in safely. She fumbled for the doorknob and waved goodnight with the other hand as she bit her lip gently and opened the door. She walked inside, closed the door behind her, and leaned against it with a happy sigh, looking up at the ceiling with a smile that radiated from within.
“I know you had fun!” Kendra declared with a giggle. “I approve! I give you permission to like him! You have liked much worse…”
“He’s handsome!” Arante added. “Excellent choice.”
“I agree,” Tierza chimed in. “I told you I knew a good man in this town.”
Arante shot Tierza a look that very clearly said, Nobody asked you.
