“Upper Adlivun?” Aazuria asked in confusion.
“Oh, sure! You know that fancy ice palace on top of the glacier.”
“Yes… yes, of course.” This was finally some useful information.
Aazuria had mixed herself in with the catering help in order to gain access to Upper Adlivun before the party began. She had snuck Varia in, and reserved two excellent spots for them in the shadows of a ballroom balcony. She intended to hang back unseen with her daughter, remaining a spectator for the event.
“Mama, why don’t you just reveal yourself?”
“I need to be careful, Varia. We just escaped from a frozen version of hell, and the world I used to know has turned all upside down. Nothing makes sense anymore. If I just dive right in without testing the temperature with my toes, I will surely be scalded.”
“I understand,” Varia said.
“Oh. Oh!” Aazuria felt her heart burst with joy when she saw the tall, muscular redhead enter the room. “Viso,” she whispered. She wanted to run from the shadows and jump on her old friend. There had never been a sight more welcome to her eyes.
“Is she the woman I am named after?” Varia asked.
Aazuria nodded. “Yes, darling. She’s my best friend. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known.”
“Why don’t you go to her, Mother?” Varia asked again.
Aazuria was asking herself the same question. What could possibly be stopping her from revealing herself to Visola? Surely the warrior would be thrilled to know of her survival. Aazuria watched as Vachlan moved to her friend’s side, and placed a hand on her lower back. Vachlan whispered something surely salacious into Visola’s ear, and the woman reacted by spitting out the sip of her drink she had taken and stomping violently on Vachlan’s foot.
As a smile came to Aazuria’s lips, she began to understand the reason that she wanted to remain in the shadows. Everyone was happy. Everyone seemed well-adjusted and comfortable in their new rhythm without her. She did not want to disrupt that. Aazuria felt a warmth envelop her insides when she saw her beloved sister enter the room. She placed both of her hands on her chest as emotion swelled in her, and tears of love filled her eyes. She knew that she would be reunited with her family soon.
“That’s my sister,” she told Varia gently. “Your Aunt Elandria.”
“The one who sings beautifully?”
“Yes,” Aazuria said, looking at her sister with adoration. She noticed that something was different. Elandria’s hair was not braided, and the expression on her face was not guarded and serious as before. There was a relaxed smile on the younger woman’s visage, and she showed no apprehension or misgivings in her motions. She was sure about herself. Then… Aazuria frowned and squinted to make sure she saw the truth.
Was Elandria speaking?
Yes, the quiet girl was now laughing and chatting with Visola. She was conversing openly and easily, as Aazuria had not seen her do in hundreds of years. It was miraculous to see this change—what had occurred to break her out of her shell? What manner of catalyst had forced Elandria to release her inhibitions? Aazuria had not expected this, and her heart swelled with pride. Was it something about her being away that had helped Elandria to grow stronger? Had she been standing in the girl’s way with her protective nature? Perhaps if she had not spent so much time shielding Elandria’s eyes from the harsh light of the world, her eyes would have grown stronger and adjusted sooner.
Aazuria’s breath caught in her throat. Trevain had entered the room. She found herself craning her neck and leaning too far out of the shadows on the balcony to better see his face. She had already been in Adlivun for three weeks, and this was the first glimpse of him she had caught. He looked exactly the same. He had been living at least partly, perhaps mostly under the water, and it had done wonders for his complexion and demeanor. He looked like he had not aged a day—in fact he looked years younger for having been in the comfort of his ancestral home and submersed in his natural element.
He was more handsome than the day she had first met him. More radiant than the day she had married him. Life had been good to him, and this made her feel jubilant. She squeezed Varia’s hand as she laughed softly at the sight of how healthy and happy her husband looked on his sixtieth birthday.
“Is that him, mama? Is that my father?”
Aazuria turned to look at Varia through her blurry vision.
“Darling—!” She was about to respond when she noticed a strange movement out of the corner of her eye. At first, her mind denied what it was seeing, and she would have believed she was hallucinating. She was extremely far away from the stage, and her eyes might be playing tricks on her. She squinted to better study what was happening beneath the balcony.
“I’d like to say a few words,” Visola said with a laugh as she moved to the microphone. “A toast, to my grandson! Today he goes from being an infant to a toddler. Be not afraid to let go of that rattle, young man! A new dynasty of teething rings and sippy cups awaits you! Go forth and soil your bib all you like, for we will think no less of you. Bravely climb the jungle gym and…”
“Okay, my wife is obviously drunk again,” Vachlan said, interrupting her. “All of her ramblings were proverbial—and Trevain, my boy. Even though I’m old enough to be your grandfather, and incidentally am your grandfather, I just wanted to say that you’re the kind of man I wish I could be. In another life. A much less fun life. The point is, I admire you. You’ve done a great job, kid.” He lifted his glass, amidst a chorus of sentimental murmurs from women. “To the captain!”
“To the captain!” echoed everyone in the room before drinking from their glasses.
Trevain moved to the microphone then, and tapped it to get everyone’s attention. He smiled when there was a bit of feedback. Everyone dear to him was present—Callder and Brynne had entered the room, along with Queen Amabie’s family and various other people of importance.
“I need to say a few words too,” he began. “I guess I’ll mostly say the same thing I say on every birthday and every special event and every day, so please forgive me for boring you fine folks—but I owe it all to Aazuria. I would never have known of the existence of this country if it weren’t for her taking me by the hands and teaching me about my heritage, and about myself.” He paused for a moment to gather his emotions. “So let us never forget what a true heroine she was, and how she inspired all of us.”
Varia was peering excitedly over the balcony at her father.
“Mother, he’s so wonderful! I love him already,” Varia said. “You should go tell him you’re here! It will be the best birthday gift ever! He will be so happy,” Varia was saying.
But Aazuria continued to focus on Trevain’s next words.
“Which is why I would like to thank my lovely wife for being there for me in my darkest moments after I lost Aazuria.” Trevain extended his arm to Elandria who quickly moved to his side to accept his embrace. “Thank you for nurturing me with your kindness when I lost my mother, and thank you for forgiving me for the pain I caused you. Thank you for trusting me enough to share your voice with me, and for mending my broken heart. I love you, Elan, and what makes me feel the happiest and most fulfilled in my life right now is that I have you by my side.”
Trevain bent down to give Elandria a tender, loving kiss, and everyone in the room clapped and cheered.
Aazuria could not speak. She could not move. She felt rooted to the ground as though her limbs had become metal as she watched her husband and her sister embrace with the familiarity of a couple who had been together for an eternity. She could see from the way they touched each other that they knew each other’s bodies more intimately than they knew their own.
“Mother?” Varia was asking frantically, tugging her sleeve.
The years of struggling to get back to him—they had all been for nothing. The years of loneliness and imagining his face, praying for the day when he would hold her again—it had all been for nothing. When she had been lying i
n the snow and calling his name when she thought that she had killed her daughter trying to get back to him…
“Mama? Doesn’t he love you anymore?”
“Yes,” Aazuria said in a low voice. She lifted a hand to press it against her chest. She needed to be steady, now more than ever. She needed to be a pillar of strength for her daughter. She could not afford to crumble, although she felt her very foundation quaking. “He does love me, but he thinks I’m dead.”
“Does he love me?” Varia asked.
“Oh, sweetie,” Aazuria said, her eyes filling with tears. She slipped an arm around her daughter’s back tenderly. “I know he does.”
“Can’t you fix it? Can’t you tell them you’re not dead?”
“No, darling. They spent years building their love. It’s very precious to them. I will never break it down. I would never seek to hurt them.”
“Should we have stayed in Lake Vostok?” Varia asked.
Aazuria turned to her daughter in shock. “No!” she said instantly and vehemently, but then she had to think about it. Had she been better off there, protected from this ruthless reality? Was life as an innocent prisoner preferable to having to face the truth? The one dream and desire she had clung to for a decade had decayed irrevocably in her absence. Had she intuitively known that Trevain had given his heart away? Was that why she had not revealed herself to her family?
Had she known that there was no longer any place for her in Adlivun?
Varia put her arms around Aazuria’s waist, burying her face into her mother’s chest. “I’m sorry, Mama. I am so sorry.”
Aazuria hugged her daughter against her gently. She was reminded by the innocent, loving touch of the child that although seeing her husband and sister together was a great blow, seeing them at all was a much greater gift.
She would never lose sight of her priorities—she cared more about the fact that her sister and Trevain were both safe and happy than the fact that they had betrayed her. Logically, if she tried her utmost to be logical while her heart disintegrated, their actions were understandable and even acceptable. She had been gone for a very long time. They had believed her dead, and they had found comfort and healing in each other. Trevain had somehow finally gotten Elandria to come out of her shell and speak. They seemed like a perfect match; almost meant for each other. It had all been for the best. She should find the strength within her to feel happy for them.
She did feel happy for them. Underneath the pain, or perhaps above it, was pure, unadulterated gladness for the new love of her sister. Love between two good people was never a negative thing. She would cope with this. She would search the debris of her soul’s wreckage until she found the decency and grace to push her own selfish desires aside, and appreciate this. After all, Aazuria was not alone; she had her daughter to care for. There were untold millions of things to teach Varia now that she had access to the books and resources she had been desperately craving. She would resign herself—perhaps she could even do more to keep them safe from a distance. She would resign herself to being their bodyguard, and continue on with her life as an unknown commoner.
I love you both, she thought as she watched them from where she hid in the ballroom balcony.
“Mama, you’re hurting my hand,” Varia complained.
Aazuria turned to her daughter, and the wounds inside her were instantly scraped raw as she vividly saw the echoes of Trevain in the child’s expression. She understood Visola’s pain now more than ever.
She could see why Visola had loved Alcyone almost more than it was natural for a mother to love a daughter. Alcyone had been the last piece of Vachlan to which Visola had been able to hold on. Now, almost ironically, the tables had turned. Visola had lost her daughter and regained her husband, while Aazuria had lost her husband and gained a daughter. So there was still balance after all; a balance so perfect that it could have almost been designed, except for the innate cruelty of it all. That was nature’s work. Aazuria reached out and touched her daughter’s hair tenderly.
“Mama?” Varia whispered. “Why? Why didn’t he wait for you?”
“I was gone too long.”
“Is it my fault? Because I was too weak to escape with you when I was younger…”
“No! No, Varia.” Aazuria fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around the girl. She held her daughter more tightly than she had ever held her before, submerging her face in the child’s hair. “Nothing is your fault. There was nothing to be done.”
“Are you going to be okay, Mother?” Varia asked in a voice filled with sadness. The young girl seemed to be able to feel her mother’s broken heart.
“Yes, darling,” Aazuria forced herself to say. “Everything is better than ever.”
Varia twitched, as if recognizing that her mother was lying. “It doesn’t feel that way.”
“But it is. We’re finally safe, and we’re finally home.” Aazuria closed her eyes tightly. “The people I love are happy, and I have you. What more could I ask for? It really is better than ever.”
The story continues…
Abyssal Zone
Book Four of the Sacred Breath Series
By Nadia Scrieva
Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
- Benjamin Franklin
Chapter 1: Pretense of Pleasure
“Ten years is a long time to take deciding if you’re going to go out on a simple date with a fellow.”
“Maybe to you land-dwellers,” the redhead responded, staring down at the food on her plate in disappointment. “I have spent fifty years pondering over whether I should share a meal with a man, and I still regretted those decisions. My mind is usually too occupied with more important issues. Do they have oysters here?”
The bald man’s lips curled upwards. “Oysters are an aphrodisiac, you know.”
“I’m currently more interested in the zinc and selenium,” she muttered. With a sigh, Sionna pressed the tips of her fingernails into her forehead. “Marshal Landou, you know I’m only doing this because my sister forced me to, right?”
“She said you lost a bet.”
“An unhappy married woman can never stand to see a happy single woman get away unscathed—she must try to compromise her liberty at every chance.” Sionna finally relented to the meal before her and used her utensils to deftly deposit a piece of swordfish against her tongue. She closed her eyes at the flavor. Acutely aware that she was being observed by her dinner companion, she lifted her eyelids to reveal sharp jade irises. “Visola shamelessly conned me into this, even though she knows that I find your character and your face both hideous.”
“Did she also tell you how irresistible I find a difficult woman?” Marshal Landou asked casually, picking up his wine glass.
“No,” Sionna said, lifting a condescending crimson brow, “or I would have been acting easy and accommodating.”
“Come now, Dr. Ramaris,” Marshal Landou said with a smirk. He took a generous draft of wine as he considered her smugly. “We both know that for all of Visola’s schemes, you can hold your own. You wouldn’t be here unless it suited your personal purposes. This evening may be strictly about business for you, but since you have lured me here under the pretense of pleasure, I intend to have some. Let’s be direct: tell me what I can do for you.”
Sionna sliced the spiky head off a spear of asparagus before inserting it between her lips. She stared thoughtfully at the man as she chewed. “So you think you know me,” she observed.
“No,” he answered, ignoring the bloody steak before him as he gazed hungrily at her face, “but I recognize that mischievous glint in your eye. Everyone thinks that you and your twin sister are so different, but in addition to your identical bodies, you have identical body language. I can read you like a book, Sio. You have the same tells.”
Sionna snorted at this, grasping her fork a little too firmly as she pointed it at the man across the dining table. “Visola has
no tells. She is the most unpredictable phenomenon on this planet, and any man who presumes to think he can read her will surely end up crushed under a pickup truck.”
“And you, Dr. Ramaris? What of the men who underestimate you?”
She lowered her eyes and her fork, realizing how aggressive and threatening she must appear to the American man. Inhaling the warm air of the restaurant to produce a soothing effect on her body, she stabbed a spear of asparagus before slicing it in half. “I generally don’t provide anyone with the opportunity to underestimate me,” she answered softly, “but you will find that my methods are much more subtle and much more effective than a pickup truck.”
“I have heard of your methods,” Marshal Landou said with a smile. He swirled the dark liquid in his glass briefly before inhaling the scent of the contents. “You intrigue me, Dr. Ramaris. Tell me what you want and how I can help you. Then I will tell you how you can help me.”
Sionna tried to conceal her grimace. “Actually, I have a business proposal. I have developed a serum which I am currently testing on Homo sapiens sapiens…”
“A serum?” he asked with a frown. “Your country doesn’t have to be concerned with science and research any longer. Adlivun is in the free market now. Relax and let the big boys deal with the pharmaceuticals, little lady.”
The knife in Sionna’s hand twitched before descending to dissect the unsuspecting asparagus. “I came to you first before going commercial with this product because I believe it can be very beneficial to your military. I thought you might consider using government funding to help test and tweak my product so that it can be FDA approved. Are you interested or not, Landou?”
“What does the serum do?” he asked curiously. “I’m guessing it’s not an aphrodisiac.”
Sacred Breath Series (Books 1-4) Page 85
