by Jaime Marks
“I don’t have the ability to wind walk, but I can follow your essence and I can handle my bike at 70 miles an hour with a passenger.”
He nodded. “It will have to do, but hurry. Time is short.”
Byryn climbed onto the bike and handed Star a helmet before starting the thing up. She climbed on behind him.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Ryo muttered. “That is the King’s niece and Marcus feels for her as if she were his own.”
He gripped the Fae on the shoulder nodding. “You two will mist to the hotel we set up earlier and make sure the location is still secure. Reinforce those shields. We aren’t just hiding unawakened Fae. We are also masking an unawakened Shade now. I’m sure Cymeryn will involve Trevyn once he realizes the boy betrayed him. I’ll run alongside them and call to you if there is an issue.” They looked at him with uncertainty but misted away.
He turned to the young. “Ready?” When the boy nodded he simply stated, “Let’s go” and took off with the speed of the wind, careful not to allow the motorcycle to fall behind.
He didn’t know if this were the right move, but at the moment their options where limited. Their time was short. It was the only move he could manage. In his heart, he felt it was right.
Cymeryn paced in the darkened bedroom of Reyn’s home. Syneous sat silently, still looking worn out as he adjusted to his new reality. Rage boiled through him. The girl should have been here by now. If that unawakened had betrayed him he would pay dearly. In truth he had only tasked the boy because he needed to get her here without distressing her to the point her essence spiked again. He did not want the Fae to realize he planned on using the girl. They would prevent Reyn from acting of her own accord. He knew if he took her daughter she would submit to him of her own free will despite what she did or did not know at this point. If his brother and Mythos knew he had Staryana then they would guard Reyn heavily to prevent her from surrendering to him while they came for her themselves but if they remained unaware he should be able to use the bond he still felt between them to speak unto her mind, despite its weakness.
Byryn had seemed the perfect solution. As he was Trevyn’s progeny he had little doubt his orders would be followed. Trevyn’s progeny feared the fury of their sire more than any. He was capable of ruthless acts of depravity when betrayed and any progeny who dared to betray or disgrace him would bear the worst punishment of any to serve as an example to the others. They were very reliable when tasked even prior to the awakening as the Shade preferred to take them young and began molding them even as humans. In a respect he had cultivated his own small militia to complete the tasks he saw as beneath him. He knew their limitations and abilities well and they were more efficient than many Shade as they sought to ingratiate themselves to his favor. Cymeryn knew much of Byryn, he was Trevyn’s most favored progeny. He had never failed at a task and the depths of evil he had committed under his sire’s guidance were impressive for one still human. In fact they were so impressive he commanded Trevyn’s brood, having bested most of them in battle.
He reached out with his essence trying to sense either the girl or Byryn but could feel neither. Disgusted he turned grabbing the bookcase and sending it and its contents flying. He called Trevyn to him.
Trevyn took form in front of him, his Dark essence swirling around him. “It is an honor, my sire.” He bowed slightly, “What would you like me to kill?” The Shade’s eyes glinted.
“At the moment Trevyn, I am tempted to say your son.” Cymeryn sneered, his anger palpable.
Trevyn’s face turned serious. “Which one, Cymeryn? In truth I have many. I take great pleasure in breaking the human females….” He trailed of a wicked grin briefly laced his lips.
“I tasked Byryn to deliver an unawakened female unto me and he has failed. Both he and the girl are masked so I may only assume he has betrayed me.”
Now the Shade grimaced. “If it were not you, sire, I would think it lies and destroy the one who uttered it. The rest of my progeny may be useless, but Byryn? He has always been strong with the Darkness, he revels in it. The control the young has of his essence far surpasses that of any unawakened I have chanced upon, let alone the newly awakened. This is a great disappointment. He knows our ways…He might challenge a lesser Shade at times, he has no real fear of them. But you? He knows you are not only to be revered and feared, but that you are mine own sire. Further he knows well the repercussions of his actions. This truly dishonors me. If you ask it shall be done my lord, by mine own hand.”
Cymeryn studied the Shade before him. “It is truly a shame. I expected great things from this one, Trevyn. Such a waste of power.” He paced once more as he mused. “Perhaps he is taken with the girl so much so that he has lost his way. He seemed to have formed some connection with her. Reach out to him, teach him what happens to those who step out of line.” He met Trevyn in the eyes, “Make him bleed for it Trevyn, but do not break him, take him to the edge of it. If his human form lives through it he may yet prove useful. We have brought the boy around once before. When he has learned his lesson, have him bring me the girl. If he indeed delivers the girl unto me she will be his once she has served her purpose. She can be used to keep him in line until the awakening takes him. If he is as strong as you say I may even choose to awaken him myself, but make no mistake. If that girl is not in my possession by the morn not only will I kill him, but I will take out my fury on your flesh.”
“As you wish Supryn.” The Shade bowed once and was gone.
Cymeryn punched his hand through the wall. His patience was thinning. He had to find Star. She was the key to Reyn. Sunfall was coming quickly and he had hoped to have her cornered by now. He had intended to finish this early enough in the eve that he would have the time to enjoy her. He wanted to enter her in every way, owning her, breaking her. He wanted to take her as he awakened her, making her his. He wanted to be in her now. Time was short and he was losing ground. If he had to kill every human, destroy every building, she would be his. He would unleash a fury this Earth had not born witness to in a millennia, but he would be the one to awaken her this time.
Chapter 10
Mythos stared at Alysse as she addressed his sister. His sister reborn as a human at any rate. He tried to fathom what was happening but he did not have the slightest inkling. Of course, Alysse was the keeper of the knowledge and history of the Fae. There were many things she was privy to that even he as King did not know. Marcus seemed likewise confused. He wanted to address the High Priestess, but rarely did she answer questions that were posed to her. Questioning her in fact sometimes led to the end of her revelations. In his time as King he had learned that the best way to get the information you wanted was to remain silent and let her provide the details in her own time.
“Many ages ago,” Alysse began slowly as she seemingly drifted around the room, “When the realms were new. The Divine Being pondered the world he had created and all who were in it. He did not rule this world with an iron fist or lay out strict guidelines of existence. He wanted his creations to be free of the kind of manipulation in their lives that omnipotence brings. He wanted them to live freely of their own wills and be allowed to choose the lives they would lead without his interference. He grew tired of having to rebalance this world so he studied his creation and began to see that while the Darkness had a purpose and valuable qualities, they had long been eclipsed by the evil it comprised. It was no longer serving its purpose. The Light was so taxed with trying to pull the Darkness into balance that it was caving under its weight and likewise its purpose had gone unfulfilled as well.
“The Divine Being realized he had made an error of judgment so he reached into Lazurys, knowing him for the corruption in his heart, and he took the best parts of the Darkness, ripping them from his soul, leaving him in a purely evil state. He then looked to Lucerna and drew any of the negative aspects that comprised the Light from her are made her pure and good. He took the Light and the Dark he had drawn from them adding
a balance to it and sculpted them together creating the ethereal being Lunya.
“Lunya was both Dark and Light, and yet neither. She became the Gray. She was the balance that had been missing. The Divine Being gave her dominion over both deities and gifted her with the power to tease out both the Light and the Dark in any being and bring a balance to them. He also gave her more strength than both Lazurys and Lucerna, hoping it would bring an end to the strife and imbalance. For a time, it did.” She seemed lost in thought a moment as she studied Reyana to gage a reaction, but then merely continued.
“Lazurys envied the power of Lunya, despised the dominion she possessed over him. He despised the fact that she was part of him and yet he could not possess her. In his mind he owned the piece of her that was his and he saw a Dark potential in her powers. In his mind they were a weapon he coveted to use to end the war with the Fae, destroying them and his sister once and for all. He tried to sway her but she would not be fooled. He tried to win her heart, but she knew his pure evil could not love. His rage at her rejections grew. If he could not persuade her to give him what he coveted, he would take it.
“He invited Lunya to partake in a feast to discuss some actions she had asked him to reconsider before she was forced to intervene. He laced her food with a sleeping poison he had cultivated from his being that would dim her essence for a time and when she succumbed to its potency he bound her in Shadows and stole her away to the Realm of Darkness.
“He forced his essence into her continuing to try to shift her to Darkness. It weakened her so she could not fight him and he violated her in all manner of ways as he took her being to the brink of existence. If he could not own her, he would break her and if need be, he would destroy her.
“The balance shifted quickly and the Divine Being sought out Lunya, searching every part of the realms. He was enraged when he found her, beside himself with grief for the wrongs that had been wrought upon her. He cleansed her. He brought her into balance, returning her to her original state and wiped her memories. To keep her safe from Lazurys she was reborn as Fae. He placed her among the regal bloodlines, never to know of what had happened to her or bear the burden of who she was. None save the Divine Being knew who or what she was. As she was born Fae, the Darkness in her was to be forever masked.”
Mythos swallowed the lump in his throat and stared at Reyana. Was Alysse implying that she was Lunya? Marcus looked pale. He pulled Reyana close to him caressing her arm.
“Are you saying,” Reyana choked on her words. “Are you saying you think this Lunya…is me?”
“You are one in the same.” Alysse replied in the tone she used when she spoke nothing but fact and Mythos’ heart dropped to his feet. What did this all mean? He wanted so badly to go to her and make this alright, but there was no way to change it.
Reyn stared at the woman, no Fae, in utter disbelief as Marcus squeezed her tightly. She took her in for a moment, her white and silver hair floating around her in waves, her whited robing draped elegantly covering her to her feet. Those eerie white eyes all but piercing her own. This had to be a nightmare. One she was really wishing she could wake up from.
She struggled to wrap her mind around the massive amounts of information they had given her. This last tidbit though? It just wouldn’t compute in her brain. “I’m sorry, Alysse is it?” The strange Fae nodded. “How is that even possible? I’m not Fae, not yet anyway. I mean I assume from all you have told me that this illness no one can diagnose and the glowing light, bright skin thing means I’m unawakened or something and I will be Fae, but I certainly wasn’t born Fae.”
“That is correct. In this incarnation you were born of human blood and your awakening is quite near.”
This incarnation. The words bounced around her head. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Marcus interjected, “If I may, Alysse, how is that possible though when both her parents were human? I had assumed as her mother had died before my presence that she had been awakened, but she seems quite sure this is not the case.”
“There have been instances where the gene of the Fae remains dormant in the human and carries through the generations. In the rarest of cases, future descendants have been born unawakened where the original young did not.”
Marcus mused, “So she became one of these rare cases in an attempt to keep her hidden from Lazurys?”
Alysse only nodded. She appeared to be awaiting a response from Reyana. She was almost afraid to ask the question on her lips and her voice was a whisper, “What do you mean, this incarnation?”
“You were born, Princess Reyana, the blooded daughter of King Mythion, over a century ago. For a while, you remained hidden among the Fae. In time however, Lazurys began to devise a plan to find you. He started to walk the fronts, finding those Fae who were isolated and on the brink of death, claiming them. He would feed them his essence in small amounts until he had a hold of them, very much as he had mine blooded twin, Alayne. Lazurys turned them to Tainted, they were not Shade, and then he returned them to the fronts. They were still Fae and capable of walking amongst the others unnoticed. He used them to sense the Darkness in you.
“When he found one he could get close enough to you, he struck. Causing a disturbance, he attacked the Palace directly as a distraction, his Tainted paving the way. The one he had implanted closest amongst the great families was tasked to bring you to him, gifting him incredible power for his success. He had meant to turn you, but he could not resist the temptation of breaking you first. He opened the doors to the memories you had long forgotten. He wanted you to know him. To know he was a part of you, but he had underestimated your will and determination. You knew how he meant to use you and what he would do to you once he had complete control. Refusing to be his weapon or his slave you grabbed a blade and fell upon it, releasing you from that existence, and his grasp.”
Reyn looked to Marcus, who had a grip of steal on her hand and looked about as pale as Alysse’s robing, but he remained immobile. Mythos looked as if as if someone had punched him in the gut and he was about to vomit as a result. Reyn didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know what to think. She was oddly numb which probably meant everything was catching up with her. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Which was why when her lips started to move again she was surprised to hear that sound actually came out. “What else? Is there anything else?”
Alysse looked at her almost apologetically and then began to speak once more, “The Divine Being was most outraged and tired of Lazurys insolence. Only through your sacrifice was the waning balance maintained. He grew tired of having to step in and right the world and so the prophecy was born. ‘The Gray would be reborn a human child of unknown origins, possessing in her the balance of Light and Dark. Upon her rests the burden of choice, as she shall be the one to bring an end to the wars. Should she choose Darkness its forever night will reign free across the land, but should she choose Light an end would come to pain and fright.’
“The Divine Being had decided to isolate this world from his other creations and leave it to its devises. He would return once balance was restored. If it never restores, he will simply leave the Earth to the fate of the ethereal beings; Lunya, Lucerna and Lazurys. Being that as it was Lunya who had suffered the greatest, it would be she and only she would have the power to end the struggle as she saw fit. A power to sense out both Dark and Light and affect it in some way was hidden within you and a hundred years were allotted to prepare for your return. No one knows how this power will be wielded or what the affect is, only that in one respect or another, an end of an era will occur. It is simply said that you are she who will be the savior of her race.”
Reyn looked from Marcus to Mythos. They both wore grave, pained expressions. Neither spoke. Although, she didn’t know what exactly she expected them to say.
“I have finished the task that was bade of me. It was prescribed that you were to know of your history only as you began your awakening. Unless you have furthe
r need from me, Princess, I shall take my leave.”
Reyn shrank back at being called a princess, but after everything else she had been call in this wonderful little mind fuck session that really wasn’t a big deal was it. “No I think I have had enough enlightenment for the moment.” She turned to Marcus. “Is there some place I can lay down, alone? I really need some time to process all this.”
Marcus rose and scooped her up in his arms causing her to gasp. “I think you have had quite enough strain today. I hope you don’t mind if I pamper you a bit.”
She didn’t bother to argue with him as he carried her through the only door aside from the exit and shut them in. He walked over and lay her down on a bed pulling covers that felt silky and warm up around her. She knew there were a thousand other questions to ask and way too many things to deal with. Glancing at her watch she realized she only had about an hour until school let out and cheering ended an hour after that.
“Worried about Star?” He murmured brushing the hair out of her eyes.
Her lids started to droop. She was so tired, and that dull ache in her muscles and bones wasn’t helping. “Yeah I have to be home for her in a couple hours.”
“I’ll go back and make arrangements for her to be brought here. It’s safer that way.” He spoke softly, caressing her back as she rolled on her side. It eased some of her tension. “Do you feel safe enough here with Mythos, if I go? I would send him but he may not be able to find the way back and I want to ensure your daughter makes it here safely to you.”
“I should go with you, then. She won’t go with just anyone.”
“No, love that’s not the best idea. Cymeryn will sense you and it will place you both at risk.” He continued his gentle caress and she blinked slowly. “I promise you with my life, I’ll see to her safety.”
