by C D Muller
“Who else knows that it’s me?”
“You have hidden allies, even if sometimes they may not act like they are,” they replied and walked away in laughter.
Selena made her way back to the barracks as the sun went down. She unlocked the door and inside, saw that Erik was writing on a piece of parchment while sitting up in his bed by candlelight.
“Hey,” she called out but Erik did not respond but kept his focus on what he wrote.
“I know that it’s been rough, but I was thinking maybe we can play a card game to help pass the time,” Selena offered again to try and lighten the mood.
He stopped for a moment and shook his head.
“No thank you,” he whispered, “I don’t typically like card games.”
The smile faded and she looked back at her bed, thinking of calling it an early night. Not a moment later, though, she heard three startling knocks on their door.
She spun around on her toes to see Silver pushing it open.
“Captain Altessa,” she said and immediately bowed. Erik did not respond, but followed suit.
“I know it is lights out but there is something important that I need to talk to you about, Liongod. It involves your training,” Silver attempted to say officially while secretly pointing out the door.
Selena knew what he meant and was hoping to get her questions answered without anyone eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Yes, sir. I will be back later, Erik,” she called out. Erik gave her a final gruff goodbye before going back to scratching on his paper.
The two walked together outside across the training field, heading straight for the Hinterlands.
“You’ll be fine, I promise,” Silver said.
The trees blocked the moonlight, but Silver held a small flickering flame that burned from his palm as if it were a candle.
“This is better. We don’t have to worry about anyone listening to us in here. Not even the Council or D want to deal with this forest. I’ve honestly been trying to figure out a way to meet you in secret since your first day. Ashur is always around and he ruins everything!” he said again with a slight chuckle.
“I still don’t understand how you were already in the Air Force. You never told me that,” Selena said.
“I wanted to surprise you. Why do you think I was so eager to help?”
“Other than you being excited that I can easily do magic,” Selena said with a roll of her eyes.
“Remember what I said before?” he asked her, “I said that I want to remain close to you so I can study you. You're part of my research now.”
“Explain to me what you mean and why I have your family crest engraved into my palm?” Selena asked again.
“I won’t lie to you, it is kind of complicated. Which is why I want to give this to you for later,” Silver said as he pulled out a leather-bound journal from his robes and handed it to her.
“What is this?” Selena asked.
“It’s a journal that’s been passed down my family line. It actually will tell you all that you need to know, including the symbol on your hand,” Silver said with a smile. “Not only that, but the fact that Thor is a Divinity Dragon as well! Fate is funny sometimes.”
Selena wanted to ask him more questions, but she knew that he would keep directing her to read the journal.
It seemed as though Silver read her mind.
“I don’t want to say too much, as I think Kain and D know where I am already. But! I will say this at least. You know and understand the basic rules about magic and how to channel life’s energy around you. There is only so much that you can do, however. I want you to remember that there is no such thing as the kind of magic that can artificially create another life, or to bring back the dead.”
“That just raises even more questions for me!” Selena said, but Silver held up his hand.
“I know and I’m sorry that it seems as though I am speaking nonsense, which I have the tendency to do by the way, but I have a point to all of this. I’ve done my share of research in magic and believe me when I say this. The basic elements and compounds that make up your body are nearly worthless, but you never see anyone being able to make another life or bringing back the dead. Think about that when you read this,” Silver said as he pointed to the journal.
Selena was confused, but Silver was gazing up at the stars yet again as if he were deep in thought. She wondered what he could possibly be thinking.
“I must bid you farewell for now,” Silver said after a moment of silence.
Selena nodded with a smile and they parted ways.
She turned around, but was surprised that she did not see Silver anywhere. Instead, her eyes were drawn to the evening sky and she saw what looked to be a magnificent white dragon that was smaller than Thor.
“Silver is a dragon?”
Chapter 21:
Selena held the blankets over her head with a small lit lantern beside her and the journal open on her lap. She wanted to be careful to not let Ashur catch her or else she would have to take over guard duty for the evening.
She began to read through the first few pages. Silver’s journal contained notations on some of the principles of magic and general alchemy that were much more advanced than she had ever read. She understood some of it, but most of the content was written more as a formula with written side notes.
“It sounds like mixing alchemy with human life,” she said to herself.
She had never heard of anything like that before. She knew that any human experimentation mixed with magic was illegal and could be punishable by death.
“That must be why Silver mentioned that magic could never be used to create a life or to bring back the dead, but then how is this leading to my assumption?”
She decided to keep reading.
The next page she read began to speak of foxes, demons, and other different creatures. What interested her most was that the book was stating that they can trace any magical essence from miles away. One of the paragraphs she skimmed over spoke of magical creatures that gave off an aura that attracted demonic and undead forces.
She turned a page and found a piece of parchment creased neatly within the book. She unfolded it and read out:
“Near the time of the One Hundred Years’ War, the Empress of Armageddon was said to have been with child,” she read. “The Emperor, however, to this day, still remains unknown due to secrecy. The child was stillborn and both the Empress and Emperor were stricken with grief. They tried everything to bring back their child but there were consequences. The Empress was taken ill after performing illegal magical arts and learned that she could no longer bear a child. I could not heal her sickness and it is silently killing her with no known cure, but I think I found a way to at least bring their daughter back.”
Selena swallowed hard and looked at the page that the document was attached to and her eyes widened after seeing the Altessa family crest printed on the bottom of the page. Next to it were more notations on the page about the formula she found earlier.
“After many long years of research, I have finally created the Well of Souls that will be able to bring back the dead! Then I will be able to keep the child safe with the Divinity Dragon that I recently discovered,” Selena read out loud, “I will first test it out to bring back the Empress’ dead child. I've already sent my research notes on the matter to Varathka Gundisalvus.
“The Empress had a name picked out for her daughter if my project works. She wanted to name her daughter Selena.”
“That’s not possible,” she whispered, “that can’t be… no! It can’t be!”
She quickly went to the next page.
“The experiment was a success! The child lives! She shall remain here and will be nurtured by magic to keep her stable. The dragon will keep her safe for now but it seems as though she is already carrying a developing egg. I will have to act fast.
“Another success,” Selena continued reading, “I was able to figure out how to safely
transfer the child into another incubating egg within the dragon! After she lays her two eggs, unfortunately she will die, but there has only ever been one Divinity Dragon in existence at a time. However, the offspring would continue to pass on their genetics. Such extraordinary creatures! I don’t know how long it will take before the eggs are laid. It can take months or even years!”
There was a two hundred year gap before the next entry.
“The den mother dragon has finally laid her small clutch. I can watch over her eggs safely. Unfortunately, the dragon departed to find her final resting place. May the Divines welcome her, for she brought forth the new Divinity Dragon into this world, along with the child. It could take a while before the dragon hatches, but the child’s egg already started cracking on its own! After picking her up in my arms to clean the membrane off, she opened her eyes and cried for the first time. At that point, I knew she would live, but there was something wrong. She was a human, unlike her parents who were elves. Also, for some reason, my family crest was etched into her left palm. I would need to take another look at my formulas to figure out why these mistakes happened, but for now, this child is a miracle. She was named Selena Enyalius Liongod.”
Selena read through a few more entries written in a different handwriting that documented more of her early life, including her development in using magic. She smiled a little and tears fell down her face as she saw that the newest entries were from her mother, the Empress. However, there was no mention of her father anywhere in the text. She re-read the entries several times before giving up and moving on to the last page. It was dated about a year ago.
“I lost everything! My research, my lab… the Lich ravaged and destroyed the Well of Souls that I spent several hundred years building! He stole its only success and the Divinity Dragon’s egg! I’ve failed… but I will help get them back, no matter the cost. The Empress is pleading with the Council to rescue the child at this very moment. We have not mentioned anything about the dragon’s egg to Vidar. They may never let us have it back, or worse, they may destroy the egg in fear that the Lich corrupted it. I pray that it’s not too late.”
She immediately closed the book and tossed it across her sheets as she cradled herself.
“I was his experiment all along, for a long time. It wasn’t passed down his family line, it was him the entire time. But… then that also means that he’s Genesis Altessa, the one who discovered the Divinity Dragons in the first place. That also means that Thor and I are half siblings. Does that mean that I also have the blood of a dragon?” Selena whispered to herself. “If the Empress is my mother, then why didn’t she tell me? Doesn’t she want me to come home?”
Her thoughts were disrupted when she heard ruffling from the top bunk. She thought that she may have accidentally awakened Erik. However, her heart sank when she heard the sound of shattering glass a few moments later.
Selena threw off her covers and saw that their window was broken and thought that they were under attack.
“Erik! Get up! Someone is trying to break in!” she shouted as she climbed up the ladder, but to her horror, he was not in his bed. Only a note was left where he once lay.
Selena immediately ran over to the window to see that his body lay unconscious on the ground.
“Erik!” she shouted and ran towards the door. Not a second later, the alarms shouted all over the facility. All of the soldiers quickly darted out of their rooms in battle ready gear and with their weapons drawn, except for her.
“No! How could I have let this happen? Erik, hold on!” Selena cried out as she pushed everyone aside.
She forced her way to the training grounds where Erik’s corpse lay in a pool of his own blood.
“Please, no!” When she saw that he was not breathing, she got down on her knees and attempted to do chest compressions and giving breaths.
“What is going on here?” Ashur called out but his face turned white when he saw the scene. Silver soon followed behind and quickly grabbed Selena’s arms to pull her back.
“No! I can still save him!”
“Liongod! It’s too late!” Silver cried out and turned to Ashur. “Get everyone out of here now! Where is Azrael?”
Selena’s face swelled with tears but she whipped her head around when she heard his name.
“No! Please, I can save him!” Selena cried out and attempted to break free again, but Silver had her locked in his grasp.
Ashur gestured for the others to go back to their rooms and to bed, but grabbed Azrael’s arm from the crowd and pulled him forward.
Selena continued to fight Silver’s hold and wanted desperately to push Azrael out of the way, but his face was blank and his demeanor was grim.
“Azrael, time of death please,” Silver pleaded as he tightened his arms around Selena.
He didn’t gaze up at the clock. Instead, he lifted his fingers and closed Erik’s eyes.
“Two minutes past midnight,” he whispered.
Selena’s eyes widened and she immediately looked to the Pyre. It read five minutes past. Azrael cited the immediate time when Erik committed suicide.
Later that evening as the higher-ranked officers and General Araneus conducted a proper burial, Selena sat alone in her bunk as all the grief and sadness washed over her like an ocean wave. This was the first time she had ever met someone who ended their life.
Eyes full of tears, she climbed back up to Erik’s bunk to grab the piece of paper he left behind. It was the letter he wrote earlier.
“To Liongod, who cared about me and has shown me kindness. Thank you for the last few weeks of your optimism and for putting up with my moodiness. Ever since the death of my brother, I lost everything that was dear to me. We had no home, no other family left since the Order destroyed our village in the Air Kingdom. We had hoped to have a better life here in Alfheim, but after the initiation, I lost all the will to live.
“All I ever saw was darkness but, even though I never said it, you were the light. I wanted to try to look at the world through your eyes, but I never got very far.
“I am sorry if this causes you any pain. I wish there was another option. I pray to the Divines that this letter explains why I had to do this and that you can at least forgive me. May the Divines rest my poor, broken soul.”
Selena’s hands trembled as she tried to fight back the tears but she couldn’t. The weight of the world rested on her shoulders as she attempted to fathom the fact that Erik was gone and there was nothing she could do to help him. She failed him like many of the other lost souls from Helshire.
The Council’s war preparations were already bringing pain and suffering throughout the Empire. At this point, Selena was not even sure if defeating the Lich would bring peace.
She did not stir from her spot when she heard knocking and the door swinging open.
“Liongod,” she heard General Araneus say, “I am sorry for what happened but I need to ask you some questions.”
“I’m not sure if I’ll have the answers you’re looking for, sir,” Selena answered quietly.
“Anything at all will help. What exactly happened before the incident?”
“We were both in bed. He was stirring a little bit but he wasn’t acting any different than normal,” she answered, “then, all of the sudden, I woke up when I heard a loud crash after he broke the window and that’s when I saw that he had already jumped to his death. He did leave this note but it doesn’t say anything else other than what he was feeling.”
Selena waved Erik’s final farewell for the general to take.
After scanning it over, Araneus nodded and folded it into his robes.
“We will need to keep it for our records. Sadly, this is more common than you think. However, I have already arranged a new bunker buddy for you.” Araneus turned around and Azrael appeared in the doorway with his bagged luggage thrown over his shoulder.
Selena’s eyes widened in anger as she sprang down to the floor.
“What? You expect me to be his
bunker buddy?” her lips trembled as she spoke out of term.
Araneus, surprisingly, did not respond to her outburst.
“I understand the circumstances of what you’re going through, but it is official. You two will be assigned together from this point on. Time for bed and lights out.”
The general turned sharply on his heels and closed the door, leaving both Azrael and Selena alone.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” Selena shot at him.
“I didn’t ask for this,” Azrael growled.
“Oh, of course you didn’t! I bet it’s so that you can finally capture me and take me back to the Lich! But you know what? I don’t care anymore so why don’t you just finally do it already? Your dark master has already caused enough pain and suffering for all of us and you want to help cause more?”
Selena wanted to scream and hit him so bad, but she couldn’t. Instead, she fell to her knees and started crying again.
“I’m sorry,” Azrael whispered, “but you’re not the only one who has been suffering from the Lich. And to answer your question, no, I’m not going to capture you and take you back. If it happens to you while we’re still here, it is not from my doing.”
Selena was confused by his answer.
“That never stopped you before,” she said through gritted teeth.
“I honor all of my bargains. I will keep my oath to you as long as you keep yours to me,” Azrael barked.
Selena wanted to argue with him some more but could not find the words to do so. How could a cold-blooded killer, a follower of the Lich, be honorable in any way? Then again, he has kept his word to her so far. As much as she knew, the Council did not suspect anything in regards to her disguise and she was almost finished with basic training.
Her mind then raced back to what the Oracles said to her before, about having allies in the most unlikely of places. It was possible that his actions were helping her in more ways than she could see.
“I still don’t trust you,” she finally grumbled.
“I never asked you to,” Azrael responded. He stopped for a moment before continuing. “Also, you shouldn’t blame yourself for Erik’s death. It was bound to happen sooner or later. If anything, it was probably finally his time.”
