Calm Before the Storm

by Cara Lake

  Not surprisingly, those saevici who had found their way to Earth were directly responsible for Native American beliefs in animal spirit guides as well as the obvious werewolf, shapeshifter stories. In fact Irina was shocked by just how many myths and legends of Earth had originated from those interstellar travelers who had made the initial journeys through starportals thousands of years ago.

  Tyr, as usual needed to get to the crux of matters, grilling Cassi on the how and why of everything.

  “How did this Eunomi-Discordant conflict start?” he asked one evening. They were sitting in the courtyard at Coronae’s while supper was being prepared. “Ah now, that’s open to interpretation depending on who you listen to,” replied Cassi quirking an eyebrow at him.

  “Well let’s hear your version. I enjoy a good bedtime story.” He threw her a skeptical glance, his tone indicating suspicion. Irina could sense the tension between them and tried to defuse the situation. “There are usually two sides to most stories, both with some elements of truth, Tyr. Often the real truth hides somewhere in the middle. Let Cassi tell hers and then it’s up to you to decide what you believe.”

  Tyr’s eyes met hers, black obsidian darkness that softened in the snare of her gaze. Her heart raced as she sensed those magnetic threads aiming in her direction, trying to reconnect. She had successfully blocked them for days, scared by the strength of emotion that had stirred between them in the swell of the vortex. She couldn’t open up. Not yet. She needed time to make sense of all they were learning, to understand her place in this new universe. His eyes still holding hers, he nodded for Cassi to continue.

  “You have seen the many shrines here on Lyra to Gaia. She is revered as the mother of The Balance but you may also have been surprised to see shrines to Chaos, although probably not as many. He is the opposite of her in all things and together they are pure yin and yang. Once upon a time millennia ago Gaia and Chaos resided in harmony, partners in all things and in all ways. Everything in the universe coexisted in equilibrium.” Cassi paused as Tyr snorted in disbelief.

  “I can’t believe there was ever equilibrium and if there was, I guess it didn’t last long.”

  “It lasted a while,” continued Cassi. “Gaia and Chaos had many children. Their descendants spread out across the universe and for countless time all things were balanced, ordered. Then Discord arrived. Discord spoke soft words in Chaos’ ear, turned him away from Gaia and supplanted her in his affections by cunning and stealth.”

  “There’s always a man-eating woman. Ouch!” Tyr held his arm where Irina had pinched him.

  “There’s always a cheating man,” she countered.

  “Gaia and Chaos began to bicker.” Cassi carried on ignoring them. “Conflict and disagreements spread amongst their children likewise. A great conflict erupted that nearly tore the universe apart. Those who followed Gaia were led by Eunomia, a child of hers bound to law and order. They called themselves the Eunomi, the children of the stars, and strove to restore The Balance. Chaos’s followers, encouraged by Discord, were enthralled by power and disorder; they called themselves Discordants, the children of the earth.

  “Eight hundred years after the first conflicts began, things had become so bad even for the Discordants that Gaia and Chaos reached a truce. They created the Esseni duality pairings to hold and realign essential elements that had become fractured and displaced so that The Balance could be restored. It worked for a while, but gradually the Discordants returned to their old ways. After another eight hundred years many of the Esseni dualities had fractured and needed to realign again.

  “Some Esseni had died, and there were only a few pairs left intact so the Eunomi implored Gaia to help them. New Esseni were created. Gaia promised that for every Esseni there would always be others with the potential to take their place if they should fall.

  “Chaos challenged this by decreeing that Esseni would not know who and what they were, and that they would be disparate, spread out across the galaxy forcing fate or destiny to decide whether Esseni potentials ever met.

  “Therefore he was able to bring disorder and confusion to the realignment process, ensuring a never-ending cycle of fracture and fusion that has continued for millennia after millennia.”

  “So Chaos and Gaia, are they still around? Seems to me they should be cleaning up the mess they’ve made,” said Tyr, his tone clearly that of a man listening to fairy stories.

  “They are entities beyond imagining. Earthani no doubt would label them gods and it is also said that there are other such beings out there. Life forms with infinite and unimaginable power. Whether they exist or not, who knows, but believers keep the faith and both Gaia and Chaos are worshipped by many species although known by different names. Ah! Here comes supper.” Cassi broke off as Coronae interrupted them with food and the company of Cerri, Tegid and the triplets all keen to know how Irina and Tyr were faring with training.

  Conscious of Tyr’s eyes regarding her steadily, Irina listened to the babble of noise around her with half an ear, knowing he wanted to talk to her alone, a situation she had determinedly avoided not knowing how to respond. She knew he was hurting, could feel his frustration through the muted connection, aware that he was waiting for her to come to him. And she would. In time. For now, her emotions raw, Irina evaded the draw of his gaze by turning to the triplets and directing her thoughts toward dissecting the various revelations thrown at her during the last few days.

  One of the most disconcerting experiences she had was meeting Ziad, a Lyrani sanguini. Irina was stunned by his appearance. He was tall, well over six feet with pale, pearlescent almost translucent skin as smooth as porcelain. White-blond hair hung long down his back, one solitary dark streak contrasting against the stark chalkiness of his cheek. Those cheeks were razor sharp and his eyes, luminescent chips of the most amazing jade green she had ever seen. He gave her a welcoming smile revealing sharp canines, not so shocking when she discovered that many Lyrani had the capacity to grow fangs if necessity dictated it.

  “So, Ziad,” said Cassi, greeting him warmly. “I was hoping you could give Irina some lessons of the voice.”

  “Ah. The power of the voice,” he mused, his own dripping with rich, mellifluous honey tones that belayed the fragility of his appearance. “What is that?” Irina asked, curious to know more.

  “It is a healing power that many sanguini have, but it is also innate in you because of who you are.”

  Irina realized she was unsurprised. People had always commented on her soothing voice. “What will I be able to do, send them to sleep? It doesn’t sound like such a great power.”

  Ziad smiled, his amazing eyes holding hers, intensely serious. “It is one of the greatest powers there is, the power to induce calm, to relax the mind and create serenity in others. When tempers rise, it is the one power that has the strength of a thousand swords.”

  Irina found Ziad intriguing. He had her mesmerised with his elegant gestures and slow movements that were feline in their execution. He was grace personified and she couldn’t help but warm to this particular “vampire”.

  “I don’t understand,” she said to Cassi. They were walking home from Ziad’s the following evening after a successful session in which she had learned to use the power of the voice to calm those in the grip of hysteria. “Ziad is what Earthani would call a vampire, yet he seems gentle and noble. He eats food yet he drinks blood—but I don’t get the impression he would ever kill. Why do sanguini get such a bad press?”

  “Long story,” Cassi replied. “Sanguini drink blood to heal others as well as sustain themselves and in the process are actually maintaining the strength of all creatures in the universe. They drink infections and disease out of others and are able to purge it. They are great healers, which is ironic as on Earth they are considered bloodthirsty savages.”

  “How did humans get it so wrong?”

  “Well there were a few bad incidents, incited by Discordants of course. Some sanguini do succumb to bloodt
hirst, taking it for their own benefit. Drakulus was a distant relative of Ziad and his exploits on Earth helped to spread the vampire myth.”

  “Whoa! Imagine having that little skeleton in the family closet. What about the other superstitions surrounding vampires? I mean Ziad’s not undead is he?”

  “No he’s not, but bizarrely sanguini hearts beat at a different frequency from Earthani, and Earthani hearing is so bad they can’t hear it. The Earth sun is a big no-no. Sanguini sizzle like bugs under a magnifying glass in Earth sunshine. Oh and Garlic! Mega allergic—total anaphylactic shock.”

  “Wow! It’s pretty amazing how things get twisted when you don’t have all the facts,” mused Irina. Turning to Cassi she caught a flash of unease flicker across her face. “Cassi,” she continued slowly, “is there something you need to tell me?”

  Cassi grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. “Well. There are a few things I haven’t mentioned yet.”

  “Go on,” prompted Irina. “I get the feeling this relates to Tyr and me being a duality pairing. We’ve been here two weeks now, learning different powers and how to fight and defend ourselves, but you haven’t really told us why. What exactly do we have to do?”

  “Tell you what,” said Cassi pushing her into the courtyard. “Let’s find Tyr and we can go through it together.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  For the last two weeks Tyr had seen very little of Irina and when they had crossed paths at the house, she remained aloof and detached, relating excerpts from her day but taking care never to be alone with him. He had fought several battles with himself and won. It had been a struggle but he had managed to resist knocking on her door again, nor would he. Tyr was playing a waiting game. Let her come to him. The thread that bound them together was still there, fizzing with muted energy, a perpetual hum of noise in the background. The ache in his sternum a steady throb that housed a growing darkness but he was playing to win.

  Tyr had other aches and pains to contend with, resulting injuries from intense training bouts with an elite warrior named Borealis, a huge hulking beast of a man, six foot eight, as broad as he was tall. Borealis had introduced him to swords, particularly the chemon, a broad blade straight out of myth and legend, forged from the metallic properties of a chemosh shell, one of hardest substances in the universe. Although inexperienced with weapons, Tyr had held his own, his innate fighting prowess coming to the fore. He had quickly grasped the mechanics and the subtleties of the art and was making excellent progress, according to Borealis.

  The Eunomi warriors he trained with had initially been suspicious, particularly as they knew he had been involved with Aamon Abrasax. It seemed that Abrasax was well known to them as a Discordant commander and many of the Eunomi had been pitted against him before. Gradually they began to respect his abilities but Tyr knew it would be a long time before they trusted his loyalties. He couldn’t blame them for their suspicions, particularly knowing that his mission on Lyra was being manipulated by the hidden agenda instigated by Abrasax and his own need to locate Sal’s girls.

  Endless drills and exercises in hand-to-hand combat, sparring bouts from which he emerged victorious hadn’t proved to be a complete distraction from his quarry. Irina was at the top of his campaign list and although he knew his mission for Abrasax was also a priority, he continually found himself watching her interactions with others, the craving for her touch an irrevocable burn, the loss of her warmth exacerbating the ache in his chest.

  In the meantime, Tyr responded to every challenge they threw his way, his determination to win every battle gaining him admirers but none he could call friend. Borealis seemed to enjoy thrusting Tyr into the deep end with seasoned campaigners.

  One named Antares, eyed him with particularly antagonistic venom. “So,” he drawled as they faced each other during a training bout. “You are the current Esseni of war. A mere Earthani.” Antares’ dark-brown eyes seethed with hostile intent. Tyr bristled at his tone but remained calm. “What do you have against Earthani?” he asked, their swords clashing together at the start of their workout.

  “Nothing in particular,” spat Antares, “save they are weak. But you are an Esseni and the essence you hold offends me.” Antares was driving him back with a steady stream of well-aimed lunges that Tyr barely managed to block. “As a warrior I would have thought my essence one that you revered,” he managed to counter.

  “The essence itself is not the problem, but the individuals who hold them. Esseni always seem to have pliable minds, easily corruptible. The last War was such a one, easily turned from his duty by the lies and false promises of the Discordants. Do you expect me to believe that you are any different?”

  “You can believe what you like.”

  “What I believe is that you are a danger to us all and in particular to that innocent girl. If you hurt one single hair on her head you will have me to answer to.”

  “She is not your concern.” Tyr growled, irritated at Antares’ reference to Irina. He would never hurt her. But then, he was going to have to, wasn’t he? By doing Abrasax’s bidding. His anger increased, directed mostly at his predicament rather than Antares, but if he couldn’t lash out at Abrasax then Antares would do.

  Tyr swung his sword wildly, failing to hold on to his usual cool demeanor, and consequently left himself open to Antares’ slashing response. His blade sliced the fabric of Tyr’s shirt and drew blood.

  “Antares!” Borealis’ loud shout thundered across the training pit. Tyr froze as the tip of Antares’ sword hovered against his skin a whisper away from his heart. “Antares, Tani has need of your advice for the mission she is planning. Go now!” Borealis loomed over them, Tyr’s eyes remaining fixed on Antares’ brown ones. He saw indecision there as Antares inched the blade deeper, a crimson drop of blood trailing down the center of his sternum. Hesitating for a second, Antares finally dropped the blade, turning around in disgust, throwing his sword to the ground.

  “What’s his problem?” Tyr asked Borealis, wiping the sweat from his brow and the blood from his chest,watching an angry Antares stalk away.

  “You.”

  “I get that much but why? He doesn’t know me.” Tyr swiveled to face Borealis.

  “No. but he knew the last Esseni to hold War. He was a close friend and in fact it was Antares who located him and introduced him to his sister.” Borealis was still staring after Antares as he disappeared into the changing area.

  “So his friend turned bad. We’ve all had friends who turned out to be snakes, and what’s his sister got to do with it?”

  Borealis turned to face him, his eyes regarding Tyr steadily as he spoke. “She was the last Esseni to hold Peace—like Irina.” Enlightenment struck and Tyr understood the level of Antares’ antagonism. The last Esseni of War had betrayed Peace to the Discordants. They had extracted her essence and in the process, Antares’ sister had died.

  Tyr knew that most of the other warriors held the same suspicions as Antares but he continued to train with them just the same. He would not back down if they challenged him and nothing like that had occurred again, although Tyr knew it was just a matter of time. Their trust was not easily won.

  Returning from an intense sparring session one evening about two weeks after their arrival, Tyr found that Merak Espenson had at last arrived on Lyra. Appearing at least twenty years younger than when Tyr had last seen him, the aging illusion gone, Merak appeared now as a virile male of thirty-five, his previously gray hair now a lush dark brown, his handsome face smiling intimately at something Irina had said. The sight of Irina curled next to him on the sofa, content in his warm familiar embrace did nothing but provoke Tyr’s possessive instincts where she was concerned. An irrational jealousy throbbed beneath his ribs, the dull ache in his chest expanding. He wanted that with Irina. Needed it.

  Merak’s expression turned serious when he focused on Tyr and although he reached out a hand to shake his in greeting, Tyr could see the distrust in his eyes. “It’s time to explain what is
needed from the two of you,” he said gravely, his gray eyes deadly serious, but then he softened for a moment motioning to Cassi to open the door. “But first, Cassi, I have a surprise for you.”

  A bemused expression on her face, Cassi turned the handle, opening the door and gave a small shriek as she disappeared from view. She emerged quickly, face flushed, in the arms of a beautiful tall blonde who looked so similar that Tyr thought it must be her sister. Behind the woman came an even taller man, whose handsome smile lit on Cassi with softness and warmth that caused a pang in his chest. Had anyone ever looked at him that way? Cassi was clearly elated. “Irina!” she cried, “I want you to meet my parents. I haven’t seen them for two hundred years!” Tyr couldn’t help smiling at Irina’s gasp of surprise. He could have almost sworn he heard her thoughts, so similar to his own, through the connection they shared. Parents? No way! The blonde is twenty-five if she’s a day and the man in his mid to late thirties! And did she say two hundred years?

  “This is my mother, Terra, and my father, Tellurus. They are both members of the Concordia, the Eunomi alliance council and so usually remain on Auriga.”

  A few minutes of excited chatter ensued and further introductions were made as they were joined not only by Coronae, Borealis, Tani, and Ziad but also by Cerri, Tegid and Alcina. Merak greeted them all as old friends and invited them to sit down.

  Once they were settled and everyone was comfortable, Merak turned to Tyr and Irina, his somber expression returning. “Tyr and Irina, I would like to formally welcome you here as the Esseni of War and Peace. You represent one of the most important dualities in the universe, one that it is imperative we realign.”

  He glanced around the room. “Everyone here knows that at the last Realignment, War and Peace failed to connect, so for the last eight hundred years, the balance of War and Peace has been skewed, distorted by the chaos created by the Discordants.