He knocked me off him, breaking the spell. “That’s enough for today.”
I got back up as he picked up both swords and put them away in their usual home between his wings. “How old are you?” I asked with wonder.
He adjusted his wings. “I was two and a half decades when I died. I do not know how long ago that was. Centuries ago. Time doesn’t have meaning in Celestia’s realm.”
“You were once alive.” I tilted my head to the side.
“Yes.”
For some odd reason, that revelation made me feel closer to him. He’d been mortal, like me, once.
The guardian wouldn’t meet my eyes as he informed me, “You’re ready to use your magic. We will begin when I return.”
“Truly?”
He gave a curt nod, finally setting his sight on me.
I beamed at him. So serious. I wondered if he ever had any fun when he was alive.
He blinked out of my realm to end the awkwardness.
But not before I snatched a feather off his wing.
Chapter 14
Lying on my bed, I studied the feather, bigger than any birds, between my fingers as I twisted it back and forth. The pure white strands caught the little bit of light in my chamber, transforming into shades of green, blue, and purple. Not pure white; pearlescent.
I hummed softly to myself, admiring the feather.
The guardian was a mystery. My guardian. Sworn protector of the air element. Did he truly care whether I lived or died? Or was it only the power within me he cared about saving? I was afraid to know the answer. I found I wanted to see if there was still a heart inside that perfect chest. And if so, would it beat again?
I placed the feather on the table beside my bed. Foolish thoughts, I scolded myself. I’d save my realm, and then I’d never see him again.
Aslaug entered my chamber with my last meal of the day. “Tomorrow is Noctis, my lady,” she said as I slid off the bed to devour the food. Fighting left me famished.
“You will bring wine?” I asked through a mouthful of seasoned potatoes.
“I will.”
“Good. Wear you best gown.” I winked at her.
“If it pleases my lady.” She bowed her head. She’d been reserved since my father had visited me, saying few words when she attended me, either still feeling guilty or still worried… or both.
Tomorrow would be different. We’d celebrate our goddess, as we had previous springs, and then I’d light a candle for my mother at the end of the night.
I closed my eyes and sighed as Aslaug prepared me to thank Celestia by first washing my skin in the copper basin on the far side of my chamber. I breathed in the scent of lavender and let my muscles soak in the warm water.
My handmaiden worked silently until she deemed me clean.
I stepped out of the basin, water dripping from my hair, and held out my hand for the soft white robe.
Ramiel hadn’t come that day. Maybe he thought it wouldn’t be proper to train on the day dedicated to our goddess.
Once Aslaug had assisted me with my gown of diamonds and lavender lace and plaited my hair into a series of braids, she fetched our meal of freshly baked bread, marinated deer steak, cooked carrots, and Sanguis. The servants always allowed her to bring one decanter of the beverage to my chamber on Noctis.
I tried to spark up a conversation as we enjoyed our food, but she made it difficult with her one-word answers.
She’d worn the gown I’d given her the Noctis before at least.
I slid my empty plate away and refilled our goblets to the brim. “Aslaug,” I began, “you know I’m fine, yes? I’ve forgiven you for telling my father what I said about Star, about the queen.”
She drank deeply from her goblet before answering. “Yes, I know.”
“Then why are you acting like a sulking child punished by her parents for her misbehaviour?”
Her golden lashes fluttered, caught off guard by my question. “I worry, is all, my lady.”
I crossed my legs and sipped on my drink. “About what?”
Her words tumbled out then, the wine doing its job. “You’ve acted strange since your father came. Before that even. Since your birthday. I’ve seen the rips on your gowns, the mess you make in this chamber each day. I don’t know what you’re doing, but it frightens me—my lady.” She added the title as an afterthought, as though I’d punish her for not speaking it.
I reached across the table and clasped her hand. “You have nothing to worry about.” A lie. “Not from me.” Not a lie. “Do you understand?”
She nodded, but her gaze slid behind me and focused on something. She stilled. “What’s that?”
I twisted in my seat to see what she stared at, letting go of her hand.
Her chair scraped against the floor, but I beat her to the bedside table and snatched up the feather I’d left there. “A bird’s feather.”
“No, it’s not. It’s too big to be from any bird.”
I smirked, covering the silky feather with my hands. “Your eyes play tricks on you.”
“How did it get here?” she challenged.
I tried to come up with some excuse. Tried and failed. There was no reason for any new item to come into my chamber unless she brought it there. I uncovered the feather. Even in the low candlelight it shone iridescent. “You’re not going to believe this.”
A log in the hearth popped, the only sound while she waited for me to explain.
“Sit down.” I returned to the table and drank my wine before continuing. I set the feather on the table between us. Proof of what I was about to say. “On the night of my last birthday, an elemental guardian came to me.”
“Elemental guardian?” She frowned.
“Yes, as you know, I have magic. Air magic. This guardian has sworn to Celestia to protect my element. The feather is his. From one of his—wings.”
Aslaug stared at the feather. Stared, and stared, and stared, as if she couldn’t believe its existence. I gave her time to adjust to what I’d revealed.
She wrenched her eyes away from the feather and finished her wine before refilling her goblet. She swallowed and wiped her mouth. “Why? Why do you need a guardian?”
I folded my hands neatly in my lap. “Because...” I hesitated. There was no easy way to tell her the truth, but I’d already come this far. I sighed. “King Zaeden has found a way to let Vesirus into our realm. The guardian wants me to aid in sending the Dark Lord back to Mnyama.”
Glass smashed, scattering across the floor. “Bollocks!” Aslaug clamped a hand over her mouth and got up to clean up the broken goblet she’d dropped. When she finished, she placed a hand on the table to steady herself. “You’re jesting. You must be jesting.”
“I wish I were.”
She shook her head and turned away. “No. No. No, no, no, no. This cannot be! How are you supposed to help anyone locked up in here?”
I lifted one shoulder, amazed she believed me. “Apparently, that is yet to be determined.”
“How ridiculous. If what you say is true, you should be let out immediately. I should let you out.”
I cut her a wide grin. I couldn’t argue with that.
“No, you shouldn’t,” a masculine voice said from behind me. I knew that voice. And even if I didn’t, the look on my handmaid’s face told me exactly who’d appeared behind me.
I simply said into my goblet, “You weren’t invited,” and then filled my mouth with the red liquid.
“King Zaeden has conquered Terra. He’s opened a gate to Mnyama. Vesirus and his demons have a way into your realm now,” he stated with darkness in his voice.
It was my turn to be shocked. I set my wine down carefully and spun in my chair to face him. “I thought Vesirus already resided in this realm.”
“Only through King Zaeden. But now a gate to Mnyama is open, allowing Vesirus’s demons to enter this realm. With enough darkness here, the Dark Lord himself will be able to exist in your world.”
Aslaug breath
ed in long and deep as she fanned her face with her hand. I worried she might faint.
I placed my hand on the table to steady myself. “What does this mean?” I asked Ramiel.
“It means it’s time to learn to use your magic. I’ll return when the sun has risen. Happy Noctis, Auralina.” The sound of beating wings filled the chamber, and he was gone as quick as he’d appeared.
I sat back in my chair so that I faced Aslaug. She held her head between her knees. “I see you’re going to need some time,” I said.
Slowly, silently, she rose off her chair and drifted to the door.
“Don’t bother telling anyone about this. They’ll lock you up here with me if you do,” I called as she fumbled with the lock.
I was surprised she remembered to lock it behind her. She must have still had some of her senses with her. “She’ll be fine,” I said to myself, snatching up my goblet and draining it.
Chapter 15
My first meal was late the next morning, a simple meal of oats and tea. The tea was dark, as though it’d steeped too long… forgotten about. The oats were already cool by the time I spooned them into my mouth. And Aslaug, she hadn’t said a word when she’d set the tray down on my table. She walked out without so much as a ‘good morning, my lady.’ Last night’s information had shocked her to the core. She’d recover. Eventually.
I had managed, with difficulty, to undress myself from the tight-laced gown I’d worn for Noctis before hitting the bed last night. I could take care of myself if I needed to. My mother didn’t raise us to be incompetent. I didn’t forget to light a candle for her last night either. I prayed for her to give me strength, and for Celestia to guide me.
Ramiel appeared shortly after I’d eaten and changed into a simple violet dress, loose enough for fighting in. Right on time.
“You know,” I picked at one of my fingernails, “most women find it creepy to be watched by a man when they believe they’re alone.”
“I’m not an ordinary man, and I’m not watching you.”
I looked at him. “Then how do you explain your perfect timing last night? You appeared just as Aslaug was about to agree to let me out.”
“I can listen to you from my realm. I hear when you are distressed. Do you really believe I sit around and watch you all day?” His upper lip curled a bit.
I shrugged. “It seems like you have nothing better to do.”
He growled. “This is serious. Stop stalling.”
I bared my teeth at him. “Then tell me what to do.”
His silver and gold eyes narrowed to slits. “Fetch the feather you stole from me.”
“What feather?” I feigned innocence.
“Auralina.”
I continued to stare at him in silence.
“I know you took it,” he said. “I felt your little fingers pluck it from my wing.”
I sighed and slid to the drawer I’d placed it in and fished it out. I held it out to him. “Sorry.”
He didn’t take it from me. “Float it.”
“Pardon?”
“With your magic. Make it float.”
I blinked at the pearly feather, so soft between my fingertips. “How?”
He put his hand around my wrist and turned it upside down, so my palm faced upward. He pulled the feather from my fingers and laid it on the flat of my palm. “You’ve used your magic before. Call to that spark inside of you.”
I set my gaze on the feather; the chamber around me blurred. I shifted my energy down. Down, down, down inside myself. No spark answered, only emptiness. I looked back at Ramiel.
“You’re trying too hard,” he explained. “Feel it in your heart.”
“You’re not helping.” I fixed my gaze back on the feather. I took a deep breath, then another. I remembered the last time I’d used my power to create wind, the whisper of a gentle breeze touching my skin. I lost sense of reality.
The feather rose off my palm. It swirled as the wind picked up. Faster and faster. My hair tore loose from its braid. I couldn’t make it stop. The wind only picked up speed as I pleaded with it to stop, tearing through my chamber. Candles flew… chess pieces and paintings too.
The wind didn’t stop until the chamber was left a wreck. Ramiel stood there, arms crossed the whole time. Judging. Waiting. He didn’t flinch once as objects whipped past him.
I kneeled on the floor, covering my head with my arms when the wind settled, leaving us in an eerie silence.
I lifted my face, and I swear Ramiel smirked before blinking out of my realm.
I took in the wreckage around me and swore.
I barely noticed Aslaug whip open my door. She covered her mouth with her hands. “Dear Celestia! Look at this mess!” she cried.
“The prick left us to clean it up ourselves,” I muttered, getting to my feet.
“What happened?” She couldn’t stop gawking at the destruction.
“My magic is what happened.”
She shook herself and began collecting the chess pieces. “I don’t know whether to be relieved or terrified your magic is so strong.”
I moved to pick up a chair. One of the legs had broken off. It’d make for good firewood. I set it aside and righted another. “It wasn’t supposed to do this.” I indicated the mess around us. I re-hung the painting I’d made of frost covered trees. “I need to learn to control it.”
“Will you be able to defeat him? The Dark Lord?” She studied me, searching for the answer she hoped for.
“I don’t know, but I have to try. It’s what my mother would want.”
A shadow of a smile shifted her mouth. “She’d be proud of you.”
I looked to the window, to the grey sky beyond. “Thank you.”
We worked in silence until dusk, both of us somber. Darkness had invaded our world, and it was only a matter of time before I’d be tested. I had no choice but to trust in Ramiel. To trust the other elementals would find me. Once they did, it’d be us or Vesirus. I wasn’t afraid of death. Failure on the other hand…
Five days, it took us five days from sunrise to sunset to put my chamber back together. What couldn’t be salvaged, Aslaug did her best to replace, explaining I’d had a temper tantrum and destroyed some of my furniture. Easy enough to believe of a mad woman locked away in a tower.
Ramiel hadn’t returned since I’d tried to float the feather. Furious he’d left me with the disaster, I tried not to think of him. But the longer he stayed away, the harder I had to fight with myself to keep him from my mind. Where did he go when he disappeared? Why hadn’t he come back yet?
Aslaug tried to hide her worry from me, not wanting to burden me further, but I saw the way she wrung her hands… the bags under her eyes. She hadn’t slept well since she’d learned about the Dark Lord’s plans for our realm. I couldn’t blame her. I’d grown used to the idea Sarantoa could become the new Mnyama, but even I still tossed and turned in the dark of the night. Demons, Ramiel had said. Demons could come through the open gate. My subconscious created all kinds of horrible creatures with bloody faces and razor-sharp talons. They chased me through my nightmares. My magic never defended me. It abandoned me each night when I fell asleep. I awoke too scared to reach for it, too afraid it no longer resided in me. I told myself I didn’t want to risk another disaster. I refused to spend another five days cleaning my chamber.
Alone, staring out my tiny window, I finally heard the sound I’d been waiting for. The beating of wings.
“Nice of you to show yourself,” I said without turning around.
“You haven’t been practicing.” He ignored my jab.
I left the window and faced him. “I didn’t feel like cleaning up another mess. But you wouldn’t know what that’s like, would you?”
He leaned against the wall, arrogance dripping off him as he crossed his arms and pinned me with his usual hard stare. “I had important matters to tend to.”
“Tell me, where do you go when you’re not here?”
I thought he wouldn’
t bother to answer, but he replied, “To Celestia’s realm to meet with the other guardians.”
“Meet with them about what?” I pressed.
“About what to do about all of this. About how to get the others to you.”
So, that’s why I needed to stay put. “Why don’t the other guardians just tell the elementals where I am?”
“They have put the idea in their minds that you can be found here in Ventosa, but they’ve chosen to remain unseen. It’s not easy for us to be in this realm, to be reminded of what life was like.” He pushed off the wall and edged closer to me. “I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t need me. Your predicament is different than the others.”
I scoffed. Poor little princess locked in the tower.
He leaned in, reaching forward. So close I could see the ring of gold in his silver eyes. I thought he meant to embrace me. I closed my eyes.
But then he snatched up the feather from my bedside table and twirled it in front of me. Arrogant prick. “Make it float, Auralina.”
I bristled, but I snatched the feather from him and rested it in my open palm. I closed my eyes like before, remembering the way the cool morning breeze felt running its invisible fingers through my unbound hair.
I opened my eyes, and the feather lifted from my hand as the air moved and tugged at my hair.
“Easy now,” Ramiel’s voice cut through the wind.
I squinted against a gust, trying to hold back. I was losing control again. I tried to command it, but I couldn’t get a grip on the wild power I’d released.
Candlesticks rattled. The fire in my hearth blew out, filling the chamber with a hint of smoke.
“You’re panicking,” he shouted through the roar. “Stay calm.”
I inhaled. The wind wouldn’t slow.
Ramiel launched himself at me, knocking me to the floor. We fell with a thud. “Oomph.” My breath whooshed from my lungs.
Staring up, I could only see that finely armoured chest and the wings that draped over me, but the air had stilled.
The feather floated down and landed on the floor beside my face. I didn’t move to grab it. I didn’t move at all. My heart pounded. Ramiel trailed a finger across my lips as I studied his face. So much pain written in those ancient eyes.
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 81