“Darius mentioned that,” I added.
“And who was this Mr White?” Allandrea asked.
“A necromancer…” Candace hesitated, her voice growing soft.
I saw Lianthorn glance towards his waist, where he wore a sheathed blade. My muscles tensed.
“It is a brave thing to betray a mentor,” Allandrea said, glancing at Lianthorn. “Braver still to oppose the Conclave now. Do you think they could be involved in what is happening here?”
Candace was silent as she considered the question. She nodded.
“They could be. If there are places of magical power in New Sintar, and they cannot secure power in the government, they will use other powers as their puppets.”
“The Silver Star is incorruptible,” Lianthorn said, a hint of reverence in his voice. It was the first time he showed deference to the queen. They seemed to have an odd relationship. He criticised and disagreed with her vehemently, but there was an unmistakable respect there as well. “So, the Conclave will use Anzac as long as they cannot infiltrate our Courts?”
Candace nodded.
Lianthorn turned to Allandrea, looking triumphant.
“This is even more reason to attack the humans. We must secure the South Island and throw out these Conclave scum…”
“We will not be invading more human land, Lianthorn. Do not make me say this again. Too many lives have been lost already. We will not throw more souls into the void fighting a war we cannot win by force alone.”
Lianthorn looked close to arguing, but Allandrea turned away from him. Conversation done. The commander stayed silent, but there was barely hidden resentment just boiling underneath the surface. Perhaps, the reverence he held for his queen had its limits. Or worse, that resentment and reverence together made an even more toxic combination. Ari noticed her commander’s expression, and stood, her cheeks blushing almost as red as her hair.
The human driver spoke some elvish, and Allandrea stood.
“We have arrived. Welcome to the Star Palace. My home on your world.”
We all stood and turned to peer out the windows. No one spoke. Not even Treth, who was more awe-struck than even I was as we saw what a true elvish structure looked like.
“The rift that carried us here brought with us the entire Star Palace from Sintar,” Allandrea explained. “While I mourn being away from my world, at least my home and many members of my court followed.”
The dryad wood did not stop suddenly but seemed to blend right into the shockingly white walls of the palace. Spires rose above the treetops, topped by glowing orbs of blue magical fire. And, between it all was a domed building, seemingly crafted out of ancient tree trunks and quicksilver. It was as if the Haggia Sophia had been grown from a tree made of solid silver.
And, above it all, shone a silver star, hovering above the domed rooftop.
Elf soldiers, wearing even more medieval variants of the military clothes, and carrying long glaives with magically shimmering blades, formed two rows flanking the bus as it came to a stop. Ari and Lianthorn hastily left the bus, flanking the entrance and lowering their heads in reverence.
I looked to the queen, taking her lead so we wouldn’t violate any sort of custom. Allandrea smiled.
“You are my guests. Please, depart first. And do not be afraid of these conventions. The War Court are sticklers for tradition. Well, so is the Star Court, but I have always been unconventional.”
With that, she ushered us out. I ensured that Candace was okay and then looked to Brett for my own affirmation before leaving the bus. The elves didn’t seem angry at us exiting before their queen. Rather, they stood completely still. Like the guards at Buckingham Palace in the movies. Cindy thought they were also fae.
I glanced up at the dome, taking it all in, as a familiar face caught my eye. My breath caught in my throat.
Short, dark brown hair. An inquisitive glint contrasting with a dreaminess in her blue eyes. Shorter than me, but I got my height from my dad. This woman looked like her sister. And she was now the age that my mom had been when I’d lost her.
All thought of elves, convention or prudence flew out of my mind as I went running towards my aunt near the steps of the palace. Elf guards made way for me as I reached my smiling aunt.
Tears of joy started to fall as I slowed to a stop and enfolded my aunt in my arms.
“Kat! How has my favourite niece been? Oh, it’s been so long. I’ve got so much to tell you,” Mandy exclaimed excitedly.
Her arms didn’t hug back. All I felt was an awkward pat on the back. I let go and rubbed the tears from my eyes as I backed away a step to give her space.
“Mandy…I thought you were dead.” I stifled a sob.
Mandy looked confused. “Dead? Oh, really? Sorry about that. Well, I’m not.”
She grinned, as if to prove the point.
“Not that it may matter. Did you know that the Sintari are agnostic about death? They know about spirits in the In Between, but also know that not everyone becomes a spirit. But they don’t seem to worry about it. Isn’t that odd. They are long-lived, so I had hypothesised that they would consider death more a tragedy. But, instead, they seem to embrace it. Not like the Anubites, mind you. More accepting it as a part of nature. From nothing they were born, to nothing they return. Isn’t that beautiful?”
I mumbled a response, just as Mandy started chattering about something else.
I should have expected this. The last time we had spoken, she had sounded better. But the years stuck here had returned her to her old ways. Now that I was with her, I remembered.
Treth appeared, raising his eyebrow questioningly at Mandy’s display. My friends arrived, escorted by the elves and queen. Senegal and Ari were back to discussing their common interests. Lianthorn didn’t seem to like this fraternising but said nothing.
“Auntie…Mandy…” I interrupted, as Brett stopped by my side. I repeated myself and then Mandy stopped speaking about the architecture long enough to allow me to speak.
“This is Brett,” I said, slowly. “He’s my boyfriend.”
Mandy beamed. “Nice to meet you, Brett. I hope you’re treating my niece well…and wait…are those numbers on your arm? Can I take a look?”
Brett shifted, just so the digits were out of sight. “It’s nice to meet you. Um, they are numbers. My father’s date of birth.”
Mandy looked disappointed for a second but believed him and then turned to Trudie.
“Trudie? Is that you?”
Trudie smiled, but I saw the hesitation. Trudie had her own problems with my aunt.
“Yes, Aunt Mandy.”
Mandy opened her mouth to speak, just as Allandrea entered the circle, smiling. She looked at me, and I knew she could see my discomfort.
“The day is growing older. And I’m sure that you all wish for the refreshments and amenities that a ship cannot provide. Let’s enter.”
Mandy beamed. “Oh! Wait until you see elf plumbing.”
We started ascending the stairs as Mandy leaned down towards Candace, who was closest to her, and whispered conspiratorially.
“It’s magic!”
Chapter 23.
Training
I woke up with a fresh breeze upon my face. For the first time in an age, it did not smell of salt water and fish. Rather, it held the earthy and fresh scent of wind brushing against the dryad wood. Dew, moss and the fragrance of life. I opened my eyes, expecting to have somehow roused in the forests of Constantia. Back home. Instead, I woke up to the sight of a diamond sconce hanging from a roof of marbled white stone. With a start, I sat up, glancing around the room. I lay on a bed of wood, topped by more traditional soft linens and duvets. Leaves still grew from the wood. It hummed with a sort of energy. Living wood. My flaming coat glowed contentedly on a hook in the corner. Ithalen was sheathed next to my bed, in a spot made for swords of its design.
“Morning, Kat,” Treth said, manifesting at the foot of my bed. “You’re in New Sintar. Guest of th
e elf queen, Allandrea. Anything else I need to help you remember?”
I remembered and sighed in relief.
“If I needed to be reminded, I wouldn’t be able to tell you what it was,” I said, getting out of bed. I was wearing silver silk pyjamas. They felt like I was wearing nothing at all but were somehow still warm.
The sun shone through the open curtains, the white of the room resonating with the light letting it bounce around and illuminate everything evenly. I rubbed my eyes as I remembered last night.
We had had a feast in Allandrea’s hall. It was similar to what I imagined a Viking feast hall to look like but, instead of wooden long tables, this one was crafted of finely cut precious rock in various colourful hues. Elvish cuisine was served, alongside frost-wine and some more human soft drinks. While there were embargoes on the nation, many factories still operated. And magic helped produce some of the resources that they were missing on the island. Transmutation was a wonderful thing.
I frowned as more of the night’s activities came back to me. I had drunk a lot of frost-wine, to get my mind off the fact that I spoke more to Allandrea than my aunt. Mandy insisted on speaking more and more about elf customs and culture. Don’t get me wrong. What she was saying was interesting. But it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
Allandrea, on the other hand, inquired about my magic. Seeing no reason to lie to her, Treth and I explained what we knew. Candace and Pranish filled in the gaps.
“I have been to Avathor. I practiced magic there for a while,” Allandrea had said. “Perhaps, I could attempt to train you?”
I accepted wholeheartedly. The queen then offered to teach Candace and Pranish some more Sintari magic. They beamed with excitement.
Some more air wafted into the room and held the acrid stench of tobacco. While I didn’t like the smell, I smiled. I exited the room onto the balcony and was greeted by Brett standing shirtless in his elvish pyjama pants.
I kissed him on the cheek, and he smiled.
“You should start smoking,” he said. “Gives me something to do so I don’t get self-conscious.”
“Not going to damage my lungs just so you can feel better about yourself.”
Brett smiled at my retort, but then frowned.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“Why do you say that?” I thought I was the very image of contentedness.
“There wasn’t enough zest in that reply.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re gaining mentalist skills like Allandrea,” I groaned.
“Don’t need them. I pride myself on speaking Kat.”
“Alex must be pleased that he has someone to talk to.”
Brett grunted in reply. “You really should get a dog to avoid confusion.”
“Do you want to get a dog?” I asked.
“Me?”
“Us,” I replied, leaning back against the balcony railing and watching the dryad forest.
Brett looked taken aback. Score!
“Maybe…” he said. “But I haven’t owned a dog since…”
Since before the Corps, I guessed. Yet another thing the vampires had taken from him.
I sighed, distracting Brett from that train of thought. He approached and put his arm around me.
“What’s up?” he insisted, nuzzling my neck.
“It’s just…this feels odd. I came here expecting a war. But then we met the queen. And we see all this. And then…”
I reunited with my aunt. And remembered everything about her.
“Are you worried?”
I nodded. “I am. About what’s going on in Hope City, and what’s going to happen here. But, most of all…about my aunt.”
“I’m sure she was just nervous,” Brett explained, his grip tightening to comfort me.
“Yeah. She hasn’t seen you in years either,” Treth said, trying to explain something that I knew better than they ever could. “She’ll get better.”
“She won’t,” I replied. “She’s always been like this. Obsessed with her intellectual topics. Hyper-focused. My mom called her Little Professor. And she is smart. And still is…from what I can tell. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s now the world’s foremost human expert on Sintari culture.”
“But?”
I sighed. “Sometimes I don’t want to talk about elves.”
Brett squeezed tighter and I squeezed back. Our lips met and I forgot about my aunt for just a few moments, before the melancholy took me again.
“What’s the time?” I asked.
“Ten AM.”
My eyes widened. “I’m going to be late!”
“Training?”
I nodded, turning to leave before stopping.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked.
Brett smiled and nodded. “I’m also a monster hunter, Kat. I can handle some friendly elf servants. May order room service.”
“Boredom has slain many a strong hunter, Callahan.”
“I was in the Corps. Like the army, our motto was hurry up and wait. I’ll be fine! Enjoy training.”
I kissed him again, retrieved my coat and then made my way towards the room Allandrea had told me about last night. Inevitably, I got lost. The Star Palace was huge. A veritable town could reside within its walls. It didn’t help that I kept getting distracted by sculptures of elvish warriors and paintings of Sintari historical figures. The interior of the palace was just as alien and as splendid as its exterior. Finally, a butler wearing a flowing elvish tunic pointed me in the right direction.
Somehow, I managed to make it to the room with time to spare. As Brett had predicted, the queen and Pranish weren’t there yet. But Candace was.
The room was circular, bearing an engraved Sintari spell circle. Candace sat on a white wooden bench, holding one of her notebooks. It showed signs of water damage but had somehow survived the deluge. I was glad. A wizard’s notebook was close to everything to them. They could hold years, if not a lifetime, of painful research.
“Morning, Kat,” she said, smiling. I felt relief through our connection, but also a barely restrained anxiety.
“You shouldn’t be nervous,” I said, feeling her shock and then realisation as she remembered we shared a soul-bond. “You’re an arch-mage. You’ll do fine.”
“Ah…it’s not that,” she said, closing the book and clutching at the edge of her dress. It was dark green. Elvish in design. Sleek and almost whimsical. The elves liked to dress like fae, I realised. It looked cute on her.
She glanced around the room, as if avoiding eye contact.
“What is it?” I pressed, moving closer.
“I…I usually balance dark and light magic. It’s probably my signature technique. But there’s still darkness in me, and the light magic of this place is making it scream.”
I frowned. I didn’t feel this pain through our connection, thankfully. But I’d never felt Candace’s darkness properly. It was always this alien feeling, just on the periphery at most. For Candace, it must be ever present. Ever encroaching. If what Cindy had told me was right, Candace must struggle to feel human.
But what I felt from her was all too human. Angst, worry, sadness, and excitement. Perhaps, our soul-bound was truly important because it allowed me to remind Candace that she was human.
“Is it painful?” I asked, placing my hand on her forehead as if taking her temperature.
“No…well, yes. Kinda. But not like a headache. It doesn’t hurt, hurt. But it’s like…watching someone you love suffer.”
I stiffened. That was altogether a different kind of pain. Worse. And she had been living with it all this time.
“And it’s worse in the palace?”
“It’s fine. I need to be here.” Her unspoken question being: Where else would I go?
“We could ask Allandrea if there are any places we could stay with a more neutral weyline.”
Candace gave a weak smile and shook her head.
“These are my sins to bear, Kat. Thank you, but I must stay.�
�
Before I could argue, the door opened, revealing the shining figure of Allandrea, walking next to the more mundane Pranish. He wore an icy blue tunic. It suited him.
If I had anything to say to Candace, the sight of Allandrea made me forget it. I thought I had grown used to her visage but being away from her for a single sleep made her appearance a splendid novelty once again. It was like gazing onto a snow-capped peak, set against a blue sky. A vista that you could never grow tired of. A primal majesty that surpassed civilisation.
I blinked, attempting to come to my senses. The sight of Treth ogling the queen helped me break out of the reverie and I smiled at her and my friend.
“Good morning. Thank you for the hospitality, Your Maj…Allandrea.”
The queen smiled and inclined her head. “I hope your sleep was restful. Some newcomers do not adjust well to the living wood.”
“I slept like a log,” I insisted. And I truly had not had such a restful sleep in a long time.
“Lucky you,” Pranish interjected. “Trudie used my belt to tie her pillow around her head so she could drown out the infernal humming.”
“Did Senegal handle it?” I asked.
It was subtle, but Pranish glowered as I mentioned the Red Wolf’s name.
“We can arrange more mundane beds if you wish, Master Ahuja,” Allandrea offered.
“That will not be necessary. Thank you. Trudie has gone exploring the dryad wood today. She should be used to the tree-song by tonight.”
“Tree-song?” I asked. “Have you delved into the Sintari and dryad culture archives already?”
“Effectively, yes. Mandy explained the entire shebang about the dryad wood last night at dinner.”
Of course, she did! But Pranish didn’t seem overly perturbed. Of the three of us, Pranish had always gotten on with Mandy the best. Trudie didn’t mind her, but they didn’t have much in common. Which left me…
“Professor Caleb has done a lot of work archiving my people’s culture,” Allandrea explained. “I hope she can one day share it with the world.”
If she remembered that the world existed, of course.
I felt a pang from Candace and frowned, forgetting about my aunt for just a second. I glanced at her and she looked away, hiding her pain. But I knew she wouldn’t leave. So, best get this over with.
The Silver Star (Kat Drummond Book 11) Page 21
