The Temple of Ardyn

by Tameri Etherton

  Lliandra stood in the doorway of the dining room, eyes wide with disbelief.

  “Never again use your ShantiMari against me. Are we agreed?” Lliandra gave the slightest of nods and Taryn swept from the rooms, her legs trembling beneath her full skirt.

  Her mother also had highly underestimated her.

  Chapter 39

  THE cavern was the same as when Taryn first entered through the portal. Time didn’t affect the crystals or sparkling expanse of water. She meandered through the forest of crystals, lost in thought. At the place where she and Brandt had fallen through the void, desperation tugged at her. Kaldaar dwelled beyond the jagged rock wall, between the worlds where he yearned for his freedom. She continued past the wall, careful not to touch it.

  At the lake’s edge, she slipped off her boots, delighting in the warm water soothing her feet. The same crystals she’d been enamored of when Brandt opened her eyes to the new world glittered with powerful ShantiMari. All around her, multi-hued threads laced between the rocks and walls. She wondered if the power was what she’d felt on that first day. A lifetime ago, but in truth, it had been only one season.

  Standing on the spot where Brandt died, she relived the pain of that moment. He’d not visited her in too long and she missed him. She sat on the ground with Ynyd Eirathnacht resting on her lap, while a season’s worth of sadness fell around her. By turns, she recounted the twists her life had taken since her first steps in the cavern.

  Some memories brought smiles while others, tears. She’d fled her mother’s palace after their argument to find solitude, but also she sought answers. No, she’d come to remember who she was.

  “The only problem with running away is, no matter where you run, there you are.” Nadra stood beside the water’s edge, her gown floating in a halo, stars blinking beneath her skin.

  “I didn’t see you arrive,” Taryn said, rising to stand before the goddess.

  “No, I do not suppose you did.” Nadra held out her arms and wrapped Taryn in a warm embrace. “You were far away in your thoughts.”

  “Everything’s a mess. I was hoping Grandfather would be here to help me sort through some things.”

  “He is always with you, young Taryn.” Nadra smiled. “You only have to ask.”

  “I thought he’d gone for good.”

  Brandt materialized and she stifled a cry. “I never left you. I kept my distance so that you could discover some truths on your own. You needed a chance to grow and learn without my interference.”

  “But you’ve always been there to guide me. I feel so lost. I’ve missed you so much.” When he put his arms around her, he was solid. She inhaled his scent of aftershave and tobacco, feeling at once safe.

  “And I you, my beautiful Taryn. You’ve done remarkably well considering all you’ve had to endure.” He gave her a sad little smile.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”

  Nadra floated nearer, reaching out to touch her cheek. Taryn leaned into the light of Nadra’s caress. “Life is rather complicated for you right now. Is there anything you need from us?”

  Taryn looked at her, surprised. “Are you allowed to help?”

  “We can advise, yes.”

  “Well, since you asked,” Taryn started. “Do you know who is behind the Shadow Assassin?”

  “I assure you, if I did, I would break all covenants and tell you straightaway.” Brandt glanced at Nadra. “I raised her as my own—certainly that counts for something.”

  Nadra gave him a disapproving look. “We do not know who controls the shadow soul. Whoever it is, they are very strong in the Black Arts to conceal themselves from us.”

  “What are you saying? You don’t know everything that happens?” Taryn asked, stunned.

  “No, darling. When we created this world, we decided it would be best to stay out of your affairs as much as possible. The best I can tell you is that we have an idea of what might happen,” Nadra explained.

  “I can’t believe this. I mean, you’re a goddess. If anyone would know what the future holds, it would be you.”

  “You must understand. Everyone has free will. The choices you make, they are yours alone. It would be irresponsible for me to predict the outcome of every single event. Think of it this way—for every decision someone makes, there are multiple choices. Now add to that the response of those affected by the decision. Compound this by how many living beings are on Aelinae. Why is it you think I should control every one of those choices and responses?” Nadra asked.

  “You shouldn’t. It’s just…I guess I’ve always assumed you know what’s going to happen. Is that why Daknys was so cryptic with me? Because she doesn’t know either?”

  “No one knows. It is for you to make your own future,” Brandt said softly.

  “Good one, Baba. You and I both know that’s not true. My future was decided the moment I set foot in this cavern.”

  “No, dear one, it wasn’t. Would you return to Earth?” Nadra asked. “Because if you choose that path, the doorway works both ways.”

  Taryn gawked, openmouthed, at the goddess. “But Brandt made me promise. He said I could never go back.”

  “I was frightened and doing what I thought was best for your safety.” He took her hand and led her to the unimposing wall. “The words you speak matter, my darling. Use intention. Know where it is you want to travel and command the void to do your bidding.”

  Unease traveled along her spine. “But isn’t Kaldaar in there?”

  “Kaldaar is elsewhere. What you sense in the void is his anguish,” Nadra explained.

  Taryn frowned, not quite understanding.

  “Would you like to return to London?” Brandt pressed his fingers against the rocky surface and mumbled the words he’d said in the cellar of the pub. An orange glow emanated from him to the wall, creating a doorway.

  “No. Stop, Baba.” Taryn removed his hand from the stone. “Not yet. Someday, maybe, but there is too much left unfinished here.” Just having the option to return relieved a chunk of her stress.

  “You’ve chosen wisely, child. There is much more to Aelinae than the three kingdoms you’ve visited. For you to bring balance to this world, you must discover the strengths and weaknesses within not only yourself, but all of the seven kingdoms as well.”

  Taryn returned to the shore and sat heavily on the sand, sifting it through her fingers. “I don’t think I can do that while at the Crystal Palace, but Mother…” Taryn sighed. “Let’s just say, she wouldn’t support an extended trip unless I was her trained monkey and reported everything to her.”

  Taryn glanced at Brandt. “She’s a peach, that one. I’ve done everything she’s asked and still she doesn’t love me. It kind of sucks.”

  Nadra and Brandt settled on the sand near her. “Dearest, your mother loves you very much. There is something you must understand about Lliandra,” Nadra explained. “She was born to be an empress. It is all she knows. She had children as was her duty, but mothering does not come naturally to her.”

  “Yeah, no kidding. She ignores me and then expects me to bow and scrape to Marissa, who treats her terribly. My sister is evil. Beyond evil.” Fresh rage welled inside her with an image of her smirking face beneath Rhoane’s. She shoved the image to the darkest, blackest region of her mind.

  “Lliandra’s bond with Marissa is complex and one I do not wish to examine too closely. The only advice I can offer is that perhaps you ask too much of your mother. She cannot give you what she doesn’t realize is missing in your life. If a mother’s love is what you crave, you have but to look elsewhere and you will see you’ve had it all along,” Brandt said.

  His energy embraced her as his hand stroked her hair.

  “You have surpassed all that I’d dreamed of for you.”

  “I’m glad you never told me who I was. I came here without any pretense or ego. I’ve learned as I grew. I think I’m better for it.”

  A tendril of Nadra’s light touched Taryn’s cheek. �
��Your heart is great and will be tested yet again. When you think there is no hope, remember there is no Light without Dark and no darkness without light.” She gathered them in an embrace, lifting them above the cavern until Taryn looked down on the clear waters of the lake far below. Nadra’s light filled her soul. “Farewell, daughter.”

  Brandt held her face close to his before the two of them drifted away, becoming nothing but a spark in the blackness beyond and then blinked out.

  She lowered to the sand, sitting for a long time by the edge of the lake, letting their words flow over her until she felt weighed down by all the thoughts and emotions that roiled through her. On impulse, she stripped off her clothes and ran naked into the water. She dove beneath the surface, frightening the tiny creatures that dwelled there. Her long hair glowed with a pale iridescence and she felt a giddy weightlessness. The Glamour under her skin shimmered in every color of the rainbow as she stretched her limbs, swimming around the lake.

  When she tired, she crawled on an island and made a fire with her ShantiMari. Her naked skin glistened in the firelight. She felt primal, one with the cavern and all the elements within it. Her hair fell around her in a damp mess, spreading on the soft sand when she lay back. With a fingertip, she traced the scar under her breast. When the poison inside her burned, she welcomed the pain as a reminder she was not omnipotent. The jagged welt was a caution to her frailty and humanity.

  She pressed harder, to the core of her being where the phantom’s stain coiled and hissed. Daknys had once told her to embrace the gift. To nurture it. Taryn closed her eyes and coaxed the stain to open. She imagined her favorite flower in Paderau’s garden, a night blooming rose. Delicate petals of the purest white unfurled to reveal not what the phantom had given her, but what he’d known was inside of her all along and unlocked.

  Black ShantiMari.

  Taryn shrieked and slammed both hands over her scar. She visualized the rose, still beautiful, but encased in a diamond shell, impenetrable. Fresh sobs wracked her body and she shook against the sand. She didn’t possess just the trinity, but all four powers. What did that mean for Aelinae? What did that mean for her?

  Rhoane.

  Did he know? Anger surged through the anguish. If any of them knew and didn’t tell her, there would be hell to pay. Her fingers dug into the sand as her breath blew out in huffs, making a little divot beneath her lips.

  Embrace the phantom’s gift. Nurture it.

  Daknys knew. All of the gods must know.Learn the words.Taryn traced symbols in the sand with her fingertips. “Embrace the phantom’s gift—yeah, right,” she whispered to the silent cavern. “Have you seen what a spaz I am with Dark Shanti? Baby steps, people.”

  Flames from her fire cast shadows across her pale skin, its warmth lulling her to dream. She fell asleep, safe in the knowledge that the cavern would protect her. That night, she dreamt of flying in her dragon form, a great silver beast as weightless in the air as she’d been in the water.

  She soared high above the mountains and out across the plains. A flutter of anxiety touched her dragon mind when she circled above the Temple of Ardyn. In its depths, she saw where Rykoto dwelled. He shrank from her when she roared a great flame into the air. She drifted above the Narthvier, her eyes drawn to the wall of ShantiMari. Her dragon heart raced as she neared it and for a moment the urge to break through overwhelmed her.

  With great effort, she denied the impulse, gliding over the Weirren. She inclined her head to the great tree and sped over the treetops. In the desert far to the east, she saw the colorful tents and buildings of the horse people and felt a longing to visit their lands.

  Beyond, the sea glittered in the moonlight like jewels from a king’s treasure. Pirate ships anchored in hidden coves waited to attack unsuspecting travelers. A familiar presence brushed against her mind as she dipped her wing into the cold water. Another dragon joined her and flew beside her over the islands of Sabina’s people.

  To the south, on the farthest edge of Aelinae, several islands hovered above larger landmasses. The Sitari women danced naked to the thumping of drums, their blue-skinned bodies glistening under the full moon. On a smaller island, high above the others, the elder Sitari cast their ShantiMari like a net over the islands. The pre-mating ritual was a tradition dating back to before the Great War. Taryn’s dragon heart beat in time to the drums.

  The other dragon led her farther to the west, across an archipelago with one large island in the center. The great fires of Haversham burned in their caves where Artagh crafted weapons for the gods. She joined her sword in song, a bittersweet melody of loss and love. That her sword missed the ore in the mountains amused Taryn’s dragon mind.

  They banked west and flew up the coast, along the shore over Caer Danuri, the ancestral home of Taryn’s friend Lord Aomori. When they neared Valterys’s castle, Taryn balked and turned to the east, but the other dragon flew on, and Taryn followed.

  They ghosted over Caer Idris, dark and silent in the night sky. Taryn’s dragon eyes saw into the castle to where Valterys stood facing Zakael, as if in argument. If she wished, she could hear them, but she turned away, toward the mountains.

  She glided over the tips of the highest peaks and into the valleys. She followed rivers between steep crags to where they emptied into mountain lakes. Finally, she saw the cavern deep within Mount Nadrene, and she longed to once more be among her family. The other dragon banked away from the cavern, his moss-colored scales shining in the moonlight.

  Awaken, Taryn. Awaken and remember.

  The cavern was still when Taryn opened her eyes. She lay naked and alone on the island, her mind grasping, trying to recall the dream she’d had. Fragments drifted through her thoughts but never settled enough that she could recall its entirety. Having no idea what time of day it was or how long she’d been away, she dressed with a sense of purpose and hurried through the tunnels.

  As she stood on the cliff’s edge, preparing to transform in the predawn light, something in the dirt stopped her breath. Like a jewel washed upon the shore, a small moss-green scale glittered against the sand.

  Chapter 40

  OVER the next several days, with Baehlon’s urging, Taryn spent much of her time in clandestine meetings. From her friends, she learned all they knew of the hunt for the Shadow Assassin. Taryn was more than a little surprised they’d been conducting their own investigation of not only him, but what was happening between the East and the rest of Aelinae. They all had their own spies, who reported on everything from pirate raids in the Summer Seas to the placement of Valterys’s army at Lliandra’s borders.

  Taryn knew of Iselt being aboard one of Adesh’s ships, but Denzil’s assistance surprised her. He and Baehlon put up a splendid performance of brotherly rivalry. She’d even believed they hated each other.

  Since her trip to the cavern, she worked hard each day, training with the soldiers. The physical exertion kept her focus away from Rhoane’s absence, and the time she spent with her sisters helped lift her mood. A dark depression had taken hold somewhere on the road from Caer Idris and she struggled to put herself back into good spirits. The only mar to her happiness was Sabina and Hayden’s continued quarrel. Neither would tell her why they were at odds, each believing it to be the other’s fault and not wanting to involve her in something trivial.

  They remained civil to each other, but Hayden did not share Sabina’s bed and when they met in Faelara’s or Taryn’s apartments for a meeting, they sat at opposite sides of the room. One early summer day, they met in her rooms to discuss a foray into the city to meet with Adesh. She’d not been to the docks or the marketplace since her return and she longed to visit both.

  “I don’t think you should go, Taryn,” Hayden argued. “You are too easily recognized and thus far, we’ve managed to keep our activities from your mother.”

  “If Sabina and I go together, we’re simply shopping. Surely no one can suspect us of wicked deeds then? We’ll bring Eliahnna and Tessa. I promised my l
ittle sister she could meet Sulein. It’ll be perfect.”

  “I don’t like it.” Hayden crossed his arms over his chest, his brows furrowed deep enough to be worrisome.

  “Yes, well, it’s a good thing for us you don’t have the final say in what we do with our time,” Sabina retorted hotly. Hayden’s glare chilled the warm room.

  “She’s right. You’re not the boss of me, so there.” Taryn stuck her tongue out at Hayden.

  “Nice, cousin. Very mature.”

  “Oh, and your behavior is?”

  His cheeks reddened with the reprimand, but he kept silent.

  “So anyway, I’ve asked Tarro to take me to see Armando. I’m pretty sure he thinks I want to visit in a professional way, which is just eww since he was Marissa’s favorite whore, and I’m not dissuading him. We agreed I needed to know if Armando has information and this was the only way to see him. At least with Tarro there, it won’t be totally awkward. Or it might. I don’t know.”

  “You’re babbling, dear sister.” Eliahnna placed a hand over Taryn’s. “He’s just a man who uses his body for pleasure. He won’t harm you.”

  “Says the pretty girl who will have tons of lovers someday.”

  Eliahnna winked. “Or perhaps not.”

  Taryn bit her cheek to keep from giving away her sister’s secret. She and Eoghan continued to correspond despite Taryn’s warnings to the both of them. “Or perhaps not,” she teased.

  After the meeting had concluded, Taryn asked Hayden and Sabina to stay. Each looked at her as if she’d bitten them. “Oh for fuck’s sake, stop acting like idiots. What happened? One day you’re all swoony in love, the next you hate each other.”

  “We don’t hate each other,” Sabina insisted. “I love Hayden with all my heart, but he’s being rather stubborn about something important to me.”