by Jaime Marks
Byryn looked up in shock as Cymeryn cleared his throat. He turned studying the Fae who he’d once regarded so highly as Shade, his Grandsire, now his Fae in law.
“You do not remember, Byryn, because you were very young. It was a very odd occurrence, the Fae trying to claim one of our young. Back then there was assumed to be no other means and we had to be sure. I sensed you myself to ensure there was no Light present in your heart. You had a power to you even then.” Cymeryn met his eyes. “Trevyn took you under his wing to ensure if any presence of Light remained it would be Tainted, but you took well to your teachings and in truth the Darkness in you was strong enough that I had all but forgotten it…until I accepted my current form. I meant to discuss it with you but there has just not been time.”
“I don’t remember being so young though, Cymeryn. I swear I was closer to five when Trevyn took me.”
“Your earliest memories were blocked. It was thought best to erase your Mother’s presence to ensure your Darkness. I am sorry, Byryn. We can attempt to retrieve them, but you were so young they are likely lost,” Cymeryn replied.
Byryn just shrugged. He really didn’t appreciate the personal business of his past being thrown around like it was just some comic book story that was anyone’s business. Most of his past wasn’t even something he wanted to deal with. The only saving grace to this entire thing was that it proved that he and Staryana were always meant to be together against all odds. She turned in his arms meeting his eyes and he could feel her through their link, all the love in her heart. She took his face in her hands and he kissed her deeply, passionately in a way that he would never have allowed publically before. It didn’t matter who saw them this close now. She was fully awakened, they were mated, and no one could ever dictate the rules of their coupling again. Well, aside from the fact that if he didn’t complete the rituals timely, as was proper, they’d likely skin him alive.
“I apologize, Lord Byryn. I realize my information is not always timely nor pleasant to sort through. It is your truth however and it should serve to ease you.” He looked up to meet Alysse gaze’s pondering the title she kept throwing at him as he took in what she said. Some of the kids and Guardians addressed him as Lord on occasion but generally, especially amongst the upper ranking Fae, it was Liaison, never Lord. “You carry such doubt and shame over the guilt you hold from your actions to the point where you almost allowed them to come between you. It must end. You need to know that you are indeed meant to be here and in fact always were. The three sets of Sacred Borne mates represented in this room, more so than any others hold the highest import to the race’s future. There is great power amongst you all. You must trust in the Light and love in your hearts and the connections you feel between you to guide you in the coming days. You must trust in your instincts.”
Byryn’s head tilted taking note of the strange wording she chose to use and the way her eyes locked with his. It was almost as if the Priestess was asking him to read between the lines. He had no idea what she was trying to tell him. After everything he’d heard today, he wasn’t really sure he wanted to know.
Chapter 16
Mythos studied Alysse considering it all. Two of the three lost Lines of Lucerna were represented here in this room in a respect. They always took into account the Father’s blood, but as it was not part of their nomenclature, the maternal lines were often forgotten. They had not considered that in fact, the lost line of the Cerulyions lived on still through them. The strength of the race had not died but been secretly passed on in the blood through mated bonds and the mixing of the lines. With Byryn representing the Verthyrions he wondered if this were true of the other lost line as well. Alysse gave him a knowing smile but remained silent a moment studying him. The answer that came to him almost made him want to laugh at himself for forgetting his own lineage but the High Priestess simply bowed her head.
“Your majesty, I will be assisting you with your rule of the Kingdom of Light until the Lady Stephynia a Ceryn awakens. Her safety is of the utmost importance. There are keys to the future in the knowledge locked inside you, my lady. We must ensure you are protected.”
His brow rose. “Forgive the impertinence, but assisting in my rule how precisely?”
“Until communications between the realms are more readily handled, these absences are an issue. They are also, however, highly necessary. Without the presence of the Lines of Lucerna and the lack of a strong supporting body of rule it leave gaps that may be exploited. The Shade have been stretched thin as of late as they regroup but the new Kyndra will be coming into their own soon enough. We cannot afford to have gaps in our power structure once theirs have been filled. I shall provide the added support until you all come to some agreement amongst yourselves of how you wish to restructure. There was a time when the Lucerna Lines were full and numerous. Serving two realms would have been a simple task. Now, however, you are stretched thin and it is my place to ensure there is some manner of aide afforded.”
He nodded but could not help but feel a stab of failure pulse through him. He should have found some way to manage this by now. The difficulty had become far more obvious this past month but even before the strain of running the Kingdom had rested directly upon his shoulders and he had known he needed help. It had always been assumed though that Reyana and the rest of the Lines of Lucerna would be returning to the Realm of Light. He had thought if he could simply hold on a while longer the situation would rectify itself.
They could not have foreseen the truth of Reyana’s past as Lunya, the existence of her realm, or the invaluable security it provided. Without the ability to mist and walk with the wind it severely limited their enemies’ ability to sneak up on them and provided a predictability to minimize losses and protect the ones they loved. The battle today for example may well have been a completely different beast and a far more dangerous one if Alayne could have misted directly to Staryana and or Stephynia.
“It is not a failure, my lord,” Alysse spoke quietly. “The King of the Fae was never meant to rule on his own. If anything it is we who have failed you by not providing the guidance and support you very much needed. In truth, it was beneficial to keep you safe upon your throne until the time was upon us. You had almost died in the Battle of the Cerulyion, a battle you were never meant to take part in. You have always placed the value of those around you higher than that of yourself, but you, my lord, are of dire importance.”
He was unsure if he agreed with those statements. Although he did value the entirety of his family over himself and it had torn his heart out to watch the utter decimation of his people, he knew he had not been the King he should have been in his rule. There was so much he needed to make up for.
“I will ensure the delegation of Council elect as well as Devyn a Devyion arrive tomorrow and I will confer with Chandreyia and address the more minor needs of the Kingdom before conferring with you again.” She bowed to Reyana as they all bowed to her, then she was gone.
Stephynia sat quietly a moment, considering all that had been said. She looked up at him and he kissed her softly. “She didn’t actually say if I’m awakening or what’s happening to me.”
“I noticed that, Stephynia. We will just have to monitor the changes in you closely,” he offered running his hand through her hair. “I mean to keep you close, anyway.” It was the only soothing fact in the reprieve he had been given from his duties.
“Steph, I saw your shock when Alysse mentioned our Mother,” Marcus spoke softly looking to the ground.
“It is not that we purposefully withheld the information,” Cymeryn offered, likewise avoiding eye contact.
“It’s just a painful topic for us as she died on our birthing bed,” Marcus finished solemnly as he pulled Reyana closer. “We never knew our Mother. In truth, Queen Terysia, Reyana and Mythos Mother, aided our Father in raising us and she is really the only Mother we had known.”
“The dynamics of the Lucerna Lines are hard to wrap your head around in a respect
as the ages between siblings are sometimes as great as hundreds of years.” Cymeryn looked up meeting her eyes, the sadness in them clear. “Your Father was closer in age to us, and one of my closest friends, but he was also our uncle.”
Byryn studied them all a moment. “And the Lady Meridythia a Cerulyion? Who was she to you?”
Marcus smiled a moment, “Our Aunt, which means your Grandfather was also our cousin.” Byryn nodded and looked away.
“It is a simplistic, human way to explain it,” Cymeryn scoffed. “The blood in our lines does not dilute as easily as does that of humanity. If you possess the blood of the Cerulyion whether you are brothers, sisters, aunt, uncle, cousin or even second cousins you are simply Cerulyion. The namesake is always the Father’s however. We are Cymarcion and Cerulyion. Byryn is Cerulyion, Verthyrion and now Grifyion. Steph is Cerulyion and Grifyion.”
“Cymeryn is correct. We have forgotten the maternal lines in all our arrogance,” Mythos mused. “Reyana and I are also Terisyion by virtue of our Mother, as are you Staryana, and Devyn as well.”
Marcus shook his finger at him, “I had not considered that. All seven lines are still here, just perhaps not as obvious as we would hope.”
Cymeryn leaned over kissing Reyana gently and shifted her into his lap as he wrapped his arms around her. He was speaking quietly in her ear. She had taken their Mother’s death quite hard. To the point that she had run away for two days throwing the Kingdom into chaos. He knew now that she had been with Cymeryn the entire time. He watched as the Fae gently stroked her hair and kissed her head. The two of them together was still oddly foreign but watching them now, he could see how well they fit.
“Grifyn and Demytria’s Mother, Demaria, was Verthyrion was she not?” Marcus asked.
Mythos looked to Byryn. “Yes, Demaria was Verthyrion’s daughter. She would have been your aunt Byryn.”
Grifyn came in a moment later with Trina on his arm and Kylion on his back. “Excuse us, my lord, but the door was op…what it the realms!” His eyes peeled wide at the sight of the blood soaked sheets that Stephynia sat upon and he rushed to her side. “Are you alright, Steph? What happened?”
“She is fine now, Grifyn. I would have summoned you sooner but Alysse was here. She healed her,” Mythos offered to try to calm him.
“Yeah, but what exactly made it that she needed healing?” Byryn demanded.
Cymeryn measured Steph a moment before turning to him. “Kato and Demytria will be about in a moment. Let us allow the Lady Steph and our King a few moments and move this to the sitting room.” Byryn shot him a look but merely shrugged and guided Staryana from the room.
She looked amazing, Mythos thought. Every bit as lovely as her Mother. He had missed her entire childhood, but she was turning into a strong, grown female before him and he could not be prouder of who his niece had become.
“Are you sure you’re alright, Steph?” Grifyn asked her directly.
She nodded. “I am. Just a bit shaken, but I think I’m better now.”
He nodded. “Should I just have Haylia bring our meal here? We’re all a bit hungry…Hold still Kylion,” he admonished as the boy squirmed insistently on his back.
“I want to go see Mom and Dad, Grandpa,” he whined.
Mythos chuckled, “You will be with them in a moment, young one. Patience.” He pouted but stilled some which was a surprise. Then again the boy was beginning to become accustomed to their family. He glanced over to confer with Reyana but they had already misted from the room apparently. “Check with Reyana, but that would be more than agreeable.”
He watched them leave and close the door before he turned to her. She and Grifyn had had a rough start of things. He had overstepped the boundaries of their relationship trying to step into the role of Father with her, often treating her as a young with no ability to reason. She had not taken well to it. She had not tensed in the way she generally did with him just then, however, and he hoped that they had somehow come to an accord. Grifyn meant well. He was a Fae of honor. In truth he had only had her best interests at heart, but for some reason he was taking it beyond normal manner.
“You and Grifyn seemed to be more at ease.”
“Yeah, we kind of agreed to wipe the slate clean and start over. He was letting his guilt drive his decisions,” she replied simply. “Do you think I have time for a quick shower?”
“My lady, you are my Queen. You have time for whatever your heart desires,” he teased and she smiled coyly at him. “What do you mean his guilt?”
She slid down to the end of the bed and gingerly tested her leg, the muscle was apparently sore and he rose going to her side. She gasped in surprise when he lifted her in his arms.
“Let me help you, caria. I know how independent you are, and I mean you no disrespect, but please, there is no reason for you to suffer. The glass of the shower is opaque and there is a seat in there you may use.”
“Alright,” she relented, “but don’t get used to it. I don’t like being carried.”
He smiled mischievously but simply took her to the closet and held her as she chose her robing. He listened as she explained how Grifyn had known of her conception and the potential of her birth. He was shocked by the information, but in many ways it made Grifyn’s overbearing behavior and protectiveness of the girl far clearer. The Fae could be fiercely protective of his line but he was ever respectful and more than intelligent enough to know his actions would damage his relationship with not only Mythos but Stephynia herself. He had not been thinking clearly.
She handed him her clothing over the top of the shower door. “Can you just throw these out please?”
He grit his teeth thinking about the pain and fear she had endured. “As you wish, caria.”
Standing there silently as she bathed the temptation to join her was nearly overpowering but he forced himself to remain glued to the wall. It would be highly inappropriate for him to even see her fully disrobed. If this was going to work, having her stay here in his room, he was going to have to get used to such temptations and keep himself well controlled.
Byryn clung to Staryana as Marcus and Cymeryn explained the events of the evening to them. He couldn’t believe Alayne had been so close and they’d been oblivious. He knew John couldn’t be trusted. It was one thing for him to have attempted to collude with Alayne but he wanted to kill that prick for what he tried to do to Steph…again. They had no idea how he even made his way up to Steph’s room undetected and he wasn’t willing explain it. Cymeryn was arguing that applying a minute amount of torture might open the scumbag’s lips but everyfae else was trying to reason with him. Torture was not the way of the Fae.
“I’ll get it out of him,” Byryn spoke quietly. “He won’t dare deny me.”
Staryana rested a hand on his chest. She knew everything now including how badly he had beaten that unawakened piece of shit, twice. She could have easily said something to the others but she merely kissed him and let her essence flow over him. He rose a brow as she met his gaze and reached out over their connection. She agreed but only provided he allowed her to be present and promised not to kill him. After all the Fae couldn’t kill a human, but you would be surprised what you could live through. He smiled a moment and kissed her deeply amused at how well suited they were for one another. Neither of them intended to let John get away with his crap.
Kylion leaned against his side beaming and he reached down and tussled the kid’s hair. It was a gesture of affection that had always comforted him for some reason. The boy looked up and smiled broadly as Staryana leaned down and kissed his head. The way the three of them fit as a family still amazed him.
“I would be perfectly fine allowing Byryn to handle this,” Cymeryn shrugged meeting his gaze in understanding. “Provided I was able to be present to keep the boy in check, of course.”
Marcus looked past Reyana at him in suspicion. They had brought over the larger chaise lounge from the Queen’s sitting room and she lounged between them. Turning
towards Byryn he sighed, “Something tells me Cymeryn’s idea of in check and mine are somewhat different, but he is unawakened Shade which places him under you jurisdiction.” Marcus studied him closely, “I won’t deny he deserves a beating in the least for what he did to Steph, but can you be impartial? Can you refrain from torturing and killing the boy?”
Byryn met his gaze. “I haven’t killed him yet and there was a point when I was more than able and allowed to do so. John’s sireless, no one would’ve cared.” Actually he’d wondered why he hadn’t just killed the prick a few times. For whatever reason teaching him a lesson always seemed more important.
Grifyn glanced him over. “Indeed, though he took him to the brink of it he let him live and that was before the Light was manifest in him.”
“Alright,” Marcus conceded reluctantly.
“We should fill them in on the revelations of your blood, Byryn,” Cymeryn spoke cautiously as if he knew Byryn was still unsure how he felt about it all. “Would you like to explain your lineage yourself?”
He sighed and Staryana kissed him again giving him the strength he needed. “Apparently my Mother wasn’t merely human, she was dormant Fae,” he explained.
“Oh?” Grifyn, his Dad he reminded himself, studied him. “Through what lines?”
Byryn met his gaze. “She was the daughter of Verithyous a Verthyrion.”
His brow rose in shock. “Then you have always been of our lines. My mother was indeed your aunt, Byryn.”
He nodded but there was no real need to elaborate. He already felt that his Dad and their lines was where he was always supposed to be or he wouldn’t have allowed him to claim him as his son.
“In truth, if we take in the maternal lines, all of the Lucerna bloodlines are present in this room. We’ve just forgotten such things, especially as our parents are no longer here to remind us,” Marcus offered. “All of us are linked in some way to the Cerulyions aside from the Mythion line and it’s clear they will soon be linked as well.”
