by Jaime Marks
She took a deep breath and turned gesturing to the structure. “This, is the Palace Lunya of the Realm of Gray and it is seriously huge. I opened it.”
Marcus walked forward scanning the grounds. Byryn looked up at the large stone castle that could easily house all of the kids they’d brought with them. It had to be at least five stories
“Did you know this was here, Marcus?” Mythos asked studying the palace curiously.
“No but it’s in Reyana’s memory. The ones that Alysse had mentioned she may have.”
Mythos nodded silently before speaking. “If this was Lunya’s Realm, her domain, that would explain why it cannot so easily be obtained, but it does not explain how you stumbled upon it.”
Marcus looked down at Reyana, then studied the plaque. “Actually, I may know how that happened but I want to attend to her first. This place in so many ways solves all our issues.”
“I drew up a floor plan and schematic of the grounds, Praetor Marcus. I thought it would be useful.” Ryo offered.
“Very good, Ryo, it’ll be very helpful. Will you and Tryxia meet Grifyn outside the cave and assist with relocating the unawakened. We will be having about six hundred young guests joining us. See if the two of you can assist in arranging quarters for them. Once they’re settled we need to try to ascertain the lines of the Fae and contact their parents.”
“Yes, Praetor Marcus,” He bowed to Marcus and turned to Kato. “It is good to have you back, Praetor Kato.”
“Just Kato will suffice Ryo, and it is good to be back.” Kato bowed his head.
“Star, will you show us to the primary quarters so we can get them sorted and tend to your Mother?” Marcus asked warmly.
“Sure. You are, of course, going to tell me why I felt like I was drawn to this place and how my blood opened the gates at some point, right?” She challenged.
Marcus hesitated, “Your blood?”
“Relax Marcus it was just a little cut to the tip of my finger, barely worse than a paper cut.” Staryana rolled her eyes. “Come on Kylion, you get the grand tour.”
She scooped him up in her arms resting his weight on her hip and Byryn had to smile. Having the two of them together with him completed something for him that he wasn’t quite sure he understood yet. He wrapped his arm around her waist. It was good to see her happy. If only it wasn’t a bit too happy.
She made her way up the stairs and through the halls as their footsteps echoed around her. Kylion squirmed on her hip and she tweaked his nose. “Sit still or I’ll be forced to tickle you.” She teased.
“Here,” Byryn placed his hands on her hips stilling her and lifted Kylion from her arms. “He’s too heavy for you to be carrying up these stairs, Brightness. I’ve got him.” He pulled her close and leaned next to her ear. “And I’ve got you.” He whispered sending shivers through her.
She smiled resting her head on his shoulder a moment before continuing up the stairs. She needed him right now. The strain in her was driving her crazy. Her face ached from forcing a smile so long and holding up these walls was exhausting.
They reached the top of the stairs and she headed down the left corridor. “I think the suite at the end of this hall is meant to be for my Mom, assuming this Palace actually belongs to her anyway.”
Marcus stepped up beside them. She could see the tension in him but he was trying to come across as relaxed and confident. He didn’t know what was wrong with her Mom and he didn’t want to worry her. Something told her that he knew more than he was going to tell her though.
“From what I learned in your Mother’s memories,” he bowed his head towards the symbol on the large door they were approaching, “that is the symbol of Lunya. I remember her here, or rather she does.”
“Then my Mom was Lunya?” She asked studying him. After finding this place and opening the gates she already knew the answer but she wanted them to admit it. She needed someone to say it because it was more than she could handle on her own.
“Yes, she was originally born the ethereal being Lunya, before she was Fae.” He explained watching her cautiously. “The Divine Being created her from the essence of both Lucerna and Lazurys to maintain balance in the realms. That is why Lazurys wants her so and why she has been gifted the powers that she has.” He turned to her. “And why you have the abilities you will learn you also possess.”
Byryn held her tighter as she sighed. “It’s a bit much.”
A firm hand squeezed her shoulder. “We will guide you through it, Staryana. You will never be alone in this.” Her uncle reassured her.
She smiled at him and opened the door for Marcus then pulled away from Byryn so she could get around him. He stood glancing around the spacious room. There was a fireplace along one wall with a mantle resting over it. A small red couch sat opposite of it. A matching arm chair sat to its right and a chaise lounge sat angled on the left. As they took in the room she went to the other door and opened the way.
“The bedroom’s in here.” She offered.
“Bedroom?” Mythos asked in confusion.
“Chambers.” Byryn explained.
She stepped inside the soft silver white and gray tone decorated room. A large bed sat against the wall with the symbol of Lunya hung above it. Star went over to the window seat and looked over the plateau where groups of kids were starting to fill the courtyard they’d just left a few minutes ago.
“There are so many.” She murmured thinking of what things would’ve been like if she hadn’t found this place. “Cymeryn had all those Fae?”
“And Shade.” Byryn confirmed stepping up beside her. “There’s over six hundred of them. They’ll be here until either we find their families or they awaken and choose to leave. They can’t go back to Earth without some sort of protection.”
She looked at him, shocked at the number. “What are they going to do with them all?”
He set Kylion on the window seat and turned wrapping his arms around her. “We are going to help them find their way, Staryana. All of us have to work together to show them there’s a better way. I’ve already agreed to serve as Liaison of the unawakened Shade.”
“But…I thought you were my Personal Guard.”
“I am, but...” He hesitated glancing to Marcus who nodded subtly at him. “I think working with the unawakened Shade might be good for you. I need you to help me with this, Brightness.”
She stared at him in surprise. “Byryn, what the hell do I know about this world to even begin to try to help them.”
“Language Star.” Marcus corrected her as he continued to assess her Mother.
She rolled her eyes but Byryn distracted her from arguing by gently gripping her chin. “You don’t need to know this world, you just need to be you. All they need is to see that someone actually cares and is willing to give them a chance. I’m not asking you to do much, just help me out when you can. Right now you’re going to be focused mainly on your studies and training, but…we’re gonna be spending a lot of time together, Staryana. You’ll be around them anyway.”
She breathed deeply feeling like there was more to this than he was saying. Did he know? He was so nervous about this. If he was asking and it meant they could be together more often of course she’d agree but still, she wished he’d just tell her what was on his mind. Was he worried she was shifting? Did her Darkness bother him?
“Of course I’ll help you anyway I can, Byryn. I just don’t have the slightest idea of how I can.” She relented.
He kissed her head. “We’ll figure it out together. I’m not even sure what I’m doing yet either. I know what they need, but I’ve gotta sort out how things are going to work.”
“We will all work together to sort it out.” Mythos assured them both. “It is as it is meant to be. The Lucerna Lines rule the Kingdom…” He paused glancing around as he considered something. “Well, I suppose now it would be Kingdoms, but regardless. We rule and guide our subjects together. Neither of you will ever be forced to figure this out on
your own.”
Marcus nodded from where he sat on the bed. “Mythos, your Mother, myself, Grifyn, Demytria, their mates and now also both of you comprise the Lucerna Lines. We rule together.”
“Well that makes it a bit less daunting at least.” She admitted.
Byryn sighed glancing down at the chaos. “I need to get down there. I’m not sure how well they’ll behave for the Fae, but most of them won’t risk stepping out of line if I’m there.” He kissed her head again. “Do you want to sit here with your Mom? I’ll be back soon.”
She stared at her a few minutes. “I think I’ll come with you. Maybe I can help find them rooms or something.” She shrugged, not really ready to admit how unsettled seeing her Mom like that was making her. “Is that ok?”
Marcus looked up seeming surprised that she’d even asked him. “Of course, as long as Byryn is with you or approves the guard that accompanies you. From here out though, Star, I’m sorry but I’m going to have to insist you have a guard of some fashion. Byryn is the head of your Personal Guard. Ryo and Tryxia will now report to him, or they will once I have the chance to inform them of their posts.”
She nodded glancing back down to the kids below them. “You don’t trust them then?”
“It is not that we do not trust them Staryana,” Mythos interjected, “even in the Realm of Light when there was no threat of attack, the Lucerna Lines had their Personal Guard. It is just a precautionary measure. If it were just us here an exception could be made, but with others here in the realm with us it is better to be safe than sorry. Especially when we know the Fae can fall prey to the Taint and some of the unawakened are susceptible to their Darkness.”
“We just want to be sure you’re protected in the event an issue does occur.” Marcus offered.
“Yeah, ok.” She agreed.
Byryn took her hand and scooped up Kylion heading for the door. “It won’t be a big deal, Brightness.” He promised quietly. “I’ll make sure, unless it’s me, you won’t even know they’re there.”
She nodded absently but part of her wondered if the reason they wanted her to have a guard was because they didn’t trust her. She’d done a pretty good job of blocking them and she had stayed decently upbeat. Were they seeing through her front? God this was getting difficult, especially with Byryn. It was almost as if he saw right through her and she wasn’t really sure she’d be able to hide this from him for long. It didn’t matter. She needed him. She couldn’t let him and the others know what else she’d discovered while they were gone.
Chapter 15
Cymeryn rested his head back against the couch, her couch. Her scent flooded his senses and he groaned wanting her near. He could feel her. Her essence still coursed through him, tethering them to one another despite the distance. She was lost, trapped within her mind. He had known that it would happen, had seen it himself and blocked her memories to prevent it. She was so torn between them, unable to accept both halves of her soul that she had faded into herself, lost in turmoil as her essences vied for dominance.
Marcus would not know how to reach her and she would remain that way until someone helped her find her way out. Even if Demytria or Byryn were versed enough to walk him through it, it could takes days, even weeks to find her without the experience to sort through the amount of chaos that consumed her. She did not have that sort of time. If she slipped too deeply in, beyond the unconscious mind where her dreams took form, she would die.
Cymeryn knew he would be able to find her easily, especially with the amount of her essence that still coursed through his veins. Mental manipulations has always been one of his stronger abilities. Regardless of what had occurred he was not angry with her, despite the rage he should feel. She had gifted him the full knowledge of her mind and heart in the moment she flooded him with Light. It didn’t matter what world she walked in, he would always own half of her heart, and Marcus would always hold the other. She was Light and Dark. There was no true way to separate it. He was uncertain even Lazurys would be able to eradicate her Light and cement a dominance of Darkness in her.
That was part of her fear. She knew Lazurys would break her until there was nothing left, if he could not turn her. She could not see a safe path for her and her young to walk in this world of Darkness. He could have shown her the way, protected her as he had himself this last century, but her fear was too great. It would take time and patience to convince her, but if he did not free her from her mind, he would never have the chance.
He reached out following her essence over their connection until he was able to breach her being. The strengthened bond that now existed between them allowed him to easily flow within her. His consciousness formed in the swirling vortex of her mind. He found the essence he was looking for and rode it to the center of her thoughts. The chaos was extensive. She was tearing herself apart, so torn over the wounds she had inflicted on him and the vows she felt she had broken. Torn between what her heart felt and what she had always been taught was right.
She lay there curled in a ball, sobs racking through her body. There were gashes in the form her subconscious took and there were swirls of Dark and Light essence flowing violently out of them. Her hair whipped around her face but she made no move to brush it from her eyes. She simply lay there in her pain.
He went to her lifting her form into his lap and stroking her hair. Seeing her like this ripped open his heart. “Shhh, Reyn. Relax, my love. I am going to help you through this, but you need to hear me, to feel me.”
He tilted her chin up gently so he could look into her eyes. One was pitch black and the other brilliant gold. It was not good. If he could not pull her back together she could die. There was no sway, no dominance, only chaos. He suspected he would need to help her find a balance versus dominance to correct this but they would have to see how it played out.
“Reyn, come on love. I need you to feel me. I am not leaving until I see you through. If that means we both die here, so be it.”
If she died while he was there, if her mind silenced and faded into nothing, he too would die. Seeing this amount of turmoil in any other Fae, he would have left them to their fate, but he would not lose her. He knew if he could reach her, he could help her come to terms with all this. It was merely a matter of getting her to reach some level of acceptance.
Cymeryn brushed the hair from her face and leaned down kissing her. He let his essence and love flow through their connection. Pulling her body close to his, he caressed her gently as he spoke, trying to reach her with the only truth he had to offer her. “Do you remember Reyn, that day by the lake? When your Mother died? I saw it in you then, that you were different. I could feel the grief ripping you in two as you lay there crying in my lap while I stroked your hair. I promised I would not leave you, that I would stay with you until the pain was not quite so strong and you could breathe again.”
The tremors and sobs that shook her body eased and her breathing slowed. “There you are my, love. I am alright, both Marcus and I are fine. You are the one we worry over. We will sit here until you can handle facing the world outside again.” He murmured repeating the same phrase he had once said to her long ago.
“You held me for a day and a half.” She whispered, the memories of that time flowing through her. “You kept me hidden from the Guardians, my brother, my Father. They even called in your brother to find me and you kept me hidden until I was ready.”
He kissed her head. “And I will do it again.”
“Why?” She choked out.
“You know why.”
“I need you Cymeryn, but I can’t have you.” She sobbed.
“I am yours, Reyn, always. You have always had me, and you always will. Even when you had forgotten me, I never forgot you.” He kissed her softly and her nails lightly scored his skin.
“Is this real? Am I still with you?” She had stilled some but the vortex still swirled around them.
“No, love, Marcus has taken you. I do not know where you are in reality but you a
re lost in your mind. I was able to reach you here.”
“What now?”
“Now, we sit here together and you find your way out.”
“So you can gain control again?”
“I never had control Reyn, I only blocked out what you could not handle. I feared you could not accept the truth of the Darkness within you, my love. I did not want you to go through this.” He motioned his hand at the swirls of essences that slashed through the air around them.
“You took away the knowledge of who I am, Cymeryn, of what I had already promised. How could I have chosen anything but you if you were all I knew?” Her voice still echoed around them coming from everywhere but the form he held.
“No love, I may have manipulated you to get the chance, but I did not manipulate your will. I only blocked your memories after we made love, when you started to pull apart. I wanted to prevent this pain for you.” He kissed her head. “Search your heart love, the memories are there.” He brushed the hair out of her face once more as the vortex whipped it around. “You gave yourself to me willingly, Reyn. I may have tempted you, teased you. You may even say I coerced you.” He ran his finger over her form, “But I did not take you until you gave into your desire, to me.”
Reyn lay in his arms a moment and he could sense her reliving their time together. He felt her desire surging, her passion and love dominating her reasoning at different points. He allowed her the time she needed to know the truth of what had occurred. After a few moments she nearly whispered, “I didn’t expect it Cymeryn, the passion, the restraint you showed me. I wasn’t ready for how it would feel to be with you, to let you hold me, touch me.”
She turned to face him, looking up in his eyes. They still showed no true sign of dominance, although now that she was actively processing through all that happened he could see the essence warring. Her eyes were now both bright gold with darkness swirling through them and Gray flecks of essence scattered throughout. It seemed the more she processed and accepted the more her essence began to merge.
