Brux, Daisy, Paley, and Kopius followed Fynn.
Van watched as the door closed behind them. She felt tired and wished she could go too.
Uxa turned to Van. “We need to talk.”
Van sighed, resigned to this one last task. “Yes, we do. I have more to tell you.”
“Where is the Coin?” Uxa asked.
She told Uxa the story of her and Ferox, Thalassa, and Zurial’s memory engrams.
“Zurial was warning you not to get involved with a Bale,” Uxa said, barely able to control her angry tone.
“No, she warned me not to misuse the Cup.” Van crossed her arms. “Zurial and Manik had a great relationship. Other people ruined it. That’s what she showed me.”
“You let the Balish prince take the Coin of Creation?” Uxa’s nostrils flared. “Do you realize what you have done? You put your tribe in jeopardy, gave the Balish the power to engage in a war with us.”
“Ferox isn’t like that!”
“Do you hear how naive you sound? Like a lovesick little girl.”
Van jutted her chin. “You’re wrong about him. And me.”
Uxa took a deep breath. “Well.” She visibly relaxed her facial muscles. “We will see, won’t we.” She moved back behind her desk as if she needed to put space between herself and Van.
“You retrieved the Cup of Life although it was not your mission.”
“The Cup happened to be near the second seal,” Van said, defensively. “Are you sure that was a coincidence?”
“Sending you to check the seal was set in motion by the illness. Your instinct led you to the Cup for a reason.”
“Oh, what reason was that? Because you wanted it?”
Uxa stood so fast, her chair flew behind her and hit the wall.
Van flinched, thinking Uxa was about to leap over the desk and throttle her.
Instead, Uxa said, “Take the Cup and follow me.”
She led Van out of her office and down a long, marble hallway.
“We must work together in harmony.” Uxa’s sky-blue cape fluttered from her brisk pace. “Demons have touched our soil by way of the illness. The Escalation has begun. It’s beyond anyone’s control now. Destiny has taken hold.”
They went up the familiar stairway with one-thousand one-hundred and twenty-two steps that led to the Celestial Tower.
“We weren’t able to search any ancient documents,” Van said. “And didn’t hear any folklore about the master demon.”
Uxa remained stoic as she climbed the stairs.
“But Solana’s not dead,” Van said, point-blank. “She’s back.”
Uxa paused. “Excuse me?”
“I never killed her—the Coin, it didn’t kill her.”
A worried look clouded Uxa’s face.
“She’s working with her dark master, plotting something,” Van said.
Uxa began moving up the stairs again, this time slower as to not distract from her deep thoughts. “Yes, I believe they are.”
“I still don’t think he…it’s here, in the Living World, though,” Van said. “At least, I didn’t see her dark master.”
“Solana’s return has put Prince Ferox’s ascension to the throne in jeopardy,” Uxa said. “He would do well to be worried for his life. Is that why you gave him the Coin?”
Van shook her head as her stomach clenched over Uxa’s belief that Ferox’s life was in danger. “I didn’t know Solana was alive at that time. I was only thinking of balance between our tribes.”
A strong instinct to protect Ferox burned inside her heart, but Van didn’t think Solana would show her face around Balefire. “Solana’s not interested in ruling the Balish kingdom. She’s after something bigger—like taking over the worlds.”
“A good way for her to start is by taking over the majority of the Living World by sitting on the Balish throne.”
“She won’t be accepted back into the royal court.” Van refused to believe Ferox’s life was in danger against such a formidable enemy. His father had correctly assessed him. Ferox was too compassionate, too kind. No matter how he claimed to feel about Solana, Van doubted he would ever be able to kill his sister.
“Solana is a dark sorceress,” Van continued. “Anyone who uses that kind of magic will never be accepted by Balish society, never mind the Balish Council.”
“Perhaps you are right.” Uxa turned to Van as they reached the top of the stairs. “Did you happen to find your mother’s necklace?”
Van’s internal alarm went off again. Why is Uxa so interested in my mother’s necklace? When Van did find it, she made a mental note to keep it far away from Uxa.
Van shook her head.
They entered the Celestial Tower.
The cylindrical room hadn’t changed since Van had last seen it. The elongated, elaborately braced windows lined the grand, funnel-like ceiling. Four statues in various poses—two women and two men, dressed in togas and sweeping robes—were arranged facing outward, evenly spaced around a mosaic floor. The small, colored floor tiles depicted two serpents forming a figure eight by swallowing each other’s tails.
A moonbeam highlighted one of the statues, of a woman sitting on a throne carved entirely of seashells. She wore a toga with seven flowing skirts that wrapped tightly around her legs, giving the illusion of being a mermaid. The fabric on her upper toga had been sculpted to look like scallop shells clasping her breasts. On her head, she wore a crown made with starfish that had an upside-down triangle in its center.
“Who is she?” Van asked.
“Yemaya, the Guardian of All Water,” Uxa said.
The woman sat with one hand resting on her lap. In the crook of her elbow, she cradled a peacock. She held her other hand raised with her fingers curled, ready for the Cup to be placed there.
“I can’t give her the Cup, not yet.” Van turned to face Uxa. “I need to make the healing potion—the orange liquid—now. Before more people get sick.”
“It’s okay for you to give Yemaya the Cup. She will keep it safe,” Uxa said. “Get some rest. I’ll work with the Consilium to decide the best way to distribute the healing potion to the masses.”
“No—what? Only I can make the potion.”
“Anyone who possesses the Cup can make the healing liquid,” Uxa said. “But they must have royal blood so not to become corrupted. The ancient scrolls have the spell. If I recall correctly, we cannot make any until the next full moon.”
“We don’t have to wait,” Van said. “I can make it right now. I have the power of the moon in my veins.”
“Ah,” Uxa said, not as surprised as Van would have figured.
“We can put it in the water supply, as much as we need,” Van said. “The orange liquid will heal everyone.”
“Two water systems fed the entire Living World.” Uxa pondered Van’s idea. “One is here at Lodestar, the other at Balefire. I’ll ask the Lodian Consilium for approval. Then our ambassador will seek approval of the Balish Council. The problem being, we don’t want to give them control of the Cup.” Uxa flexed her jaw. “Especially since they now have the Coin.”
“You can trust Ferox,” Van said. “Maybe I can talk to him. It’s more important than ever that we work with the Balish.”
“We do need to get back the Coin.” Uxa stared at Van with a curious glint to her eyes. Van could tell Uxa was formulating a plan in her mind. Probably figuring out how to use Van’s romantic interest in the Balish prince to her advantage. If it meant Van got to see Ferox again, she was all for it.
“You can rest for now,” Uxa said. “I will need to get approval from the Consilium before anything is done.”
Van felt weary, and there would be no arguing with the woman. Uxa probably figured it best not to use Van’s abilities for something that could be done by another royal, and there were plenty in the Lodian Consilium. She envisioned Uxa slaving away, making a thousand cups of the orange liquid herself rather than risk Van’s corruption, or, perhaps, to keep the control of the Cup un
der her command.
“So, the two other statues,” Van said. “Am I looking at my next two missions? I mean, besides getting back the Coin.”
“The next cycle of creation draws ever nearer,” Uxa said. “It takes four years to retrieve all four items due to—”
“Yeah, I know,” Van said, cutting her off. “Manik and the Elementals designed it that way. The window to retrieve the items only opens during the Alignment.”
“To give you time to absorb your Elemental lessons and grow your power before going for the next one. Also, you have not yet battled the real Quasher,” Uxa warned. “What you encountered was Thalassa. As long the Anchoress light shines, the Quasher will be there as your balancing force.”
Uxa placed her hand on Van’s shoulder. “You are still too important to our people to return here outside the Alignment. There is no need to be reckless, for you to come back here before your time, no matter how strongly you want to see Ferox again—or how badly I want the Coin.”
Van furrowed her brow as she eyed the statues. “If there are only four items, why does the Escalation to Dishora—and Solmor—take seven years?”
“It gives you, the Anchoress, time to build your strength and hone your powers, to prepare for the seventh stage, the end stage. The year of destruction.” Uxa gave Van a stern look. “During the seventh year, a great war will take place, Dishora. Demons will attempt to take control of the worlds. If humanity loses, all light is extinguished, and everything good is lost.”
Van felt the last bit of her carefree childhood crumble away. She knew she had a right to feel sad that the things she used to love—petty things, like hair ribbons, school dances, being popular—were no longer important.
“I need to see Ferox. We need to work together, if not then I need to get the Coin back from him,” Van said with urgency. “That can’t wait until next year.”
“I will handle the Moors, and look after the Coin,” Uxa said. “Go back to Providence Island, continue to sharpen your skills, embrace your Anchoress powers, and prepare to get another item during next year’s Alignment.”
Van nodded.
She fully embraced her role as the Anchoress and accepted the responsibilities of being a warrior of the light.
If that meant waiting, then she would wait.
Chapter 58
Van laid on her back, stretched out on her surfboard. She hadn’t put it in the water—she’d had enough of the ocean to last a lifetime—but on top of the sand at Whitecap beach.
She felt the rays of the sun warm her skin. Instead of gazing at the clear blue sky, she turned her head to the side so she could watch Wiglaf having the time of his life digging in the beach sand. Her heart filled with joy seeing him play.
Through her peripheral vision, she glimpsed the others playing alphacrosse, Kopius and Brux on a team against Paley and Daisy. It was basically a combat sport taught in their special classes. The objective was to prevent each team from capturing the other’s flag located at opposing goal posts as they hopped around on one leg trying to knock each other down. However, they modified the rules to involve less bashing and more wrapping their arms around members of the opposite team, making it an ideal sport for people wanting intimate contact with their opponents. All four laughed and goofed around, thoroughly enjoying the game and each other’s company.
Their lighthearted banter caused Van to think of Ferox, and her heart ached. She longed for him to be there. The two of them making a third team, playing and laughing along with the others. She wondered where he was, and what he was doing right now.
Is he thinking about me, too?
She relaxed and breathed in the salty sea air. She was so grateful for her friends, her furry animal companion, for meeting Ferox—and for being allowed to feel. Integrating her emotions made her life so much more enriching and worthwhile.
The Anchoress wasn’t made of stone, like the statues in the park and the one in the House of Lacus. She wasn’t a mythical creature only brought to life in the writings of ancient scrolls but a living, breathing person.
As time moved on, Van continued to process her father and mother’s deaths. She had a right to feel heartbroken about her losses. It didn’t benefit her to block her emotions and live a miserable half-life, dwelling on the guilt of being alive while they were gone. Her parents would have wanted Van to live her life to the fullest. For her to feel a full range of emotions, including joy, gratitude, and love.
She felt her parents’ presence around her all the time. She knew their souls still existed and were back in the arms of the Creator. Their memory kept alive in Van’s heart and mind.
A burning desire to find her mother’s necklace filled Van. To her, the necklace represented a piece of her mother in physical form, proof that her mother had not been forgotten. Her father’s memory would also endure as Van carried on his quest to find a way to break the Anchoress curse.
Van’s contentment became clouded as Solana entered her thoughts. She felt relief for not having killed the Balish princess, but she had tried to end Solana’s life by using the power of the Coin. This didn’t give Van a spiritual strike against her for causing the death of a fellow human—she used the term loosely—but she believed wielding the Coin in that way counted as an incorrect use, still damaging her soul but to a lesser degree.
However, it was no secret Solana had answered the dark call. The Balish princess was doing everything in her power to begin the war of darkness against humanity before Van had a chance to gain her full Anchoress powers. With the help of her dark master, Solana provoked Van into retrieving two of the Items of Creation, weapons powerful enough to defeat the demons during Dishora.
So far, that part of Solana’s plan had worked, but not entirely. Solana wanted Van to retrieve items so she and her dark master could destroy them. But Van would die before letting them get their hands on any of the items. Solana and her dark master could keep concocting plans to give their demons power. Van would always be around to foil their plans.
Like with the healing potion. Uxa had allowed Van to use her powers to make the orange liquid. After much debate, and at Van’s insistence, the Lodian Consilium finally authorized the potion to be distributed in the water supply. But to be safe, they also had the cure poured into ampules.
Van had heard that King Nequus, influenced by Ferox’s encouragement, allowed the potion to be put in their water supply and also permitted Lodian ambassadors to go out-of-bounds to help distribute the cure. Ampules with the orange liquid were being shipped everywhere in the Living World.
As far as Van knew, the Coin still remained with the Balish. She had asked Uxa about it several times and was told not to worry, everything was under control.
Van accepted that she was destined to retrieve all four Items of Creation. Her fate had been set in motion the moment her father had stolen Manik’s text from Balefire Palace last year. But, she couldn’t safely go back into the Living World until the next Alignment.
That was fine with her. She had made the right choice by saving Wiglaf’s life rather than drinking Thalassa’s potion, even though the liquid would have given Van year-round protection from the Quasher along with immortality.
Van thought it ironic that, in the end, it was the little thing that reached her, that cracked her emotional shield enough for the light to enter. Not her attraction to Brux or Ferox. Not Daisy and Paley’s illness. Or Pernilla and Thyra’s deaths. But, Wiglaf.
Cute, little, fluffy Wiglaf.
But, her newfound feelings for Ferox weren’t something she could ignore.
Their relationship would be different from Manik and Zurial’s. Van and Ferox wouldn’t experience the same tragedies as did their ancestors, who had endured two wars—the Great War between the Lodians and Balish that morphed into the Dark War, humanity against demons. Van didn’t plan on becoming obsessed with any Item of Creation, and Ferox didn’t have a brother that would cause a secret rebellion.
Van and Ferox would work
together to embrace the differences between their tribes and to find a solution to their problems, ensuring there were no underlying problems so everyone could live in peace.
She simply needed to take care of his sister Solana and her dark master first. Those two were the only things standing in the way of—not only her bright future with Ferox—but the future of her people, of humanity.
Solana had returned from the dead, along with her unrelenting desire to kill Van and most likely Ferox, too. Both of them annoying thorns in her battle to destroy all that was good.
Van sighed. Now that she accepted having feelings for Ferox, she faced losing him. Vulnerability was a steep price to pay for having emotions.
Then, a darker thought nagged at her.
Despite what Solana had done, Van knew Ferox’s family bonds remained strong, and that he had feelings for both Van and his sister.
If it came down to it, would Ferox choose romantic love and Van, or would he yield to family love and Solana along with her access to great power?
Van pushed the question away. That answer, she would face later.
Right now, it was imperative she and Ferox set aside their differences. The Escalation had begun. Both tribes needed to be prepared.
Dishora was coming.
Dedication
In loving memory of my brother
Dean R. Armillei.
You live on in my heart.
Afterword
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