A Time of Darkness (The Circle of Talia)

by Lister, Dionne

  Chapter 13

  After travelling for five days, Bronwyn was tired and grateful to be eating a dinner of stewed vegetables and slightly-stale bread. She looked around the camp, first at Sinjenasta who shielded their symbols, then at Blayke and Arcon as they ate a dinner consisting of vegetable stew and dried beef.

  “How come you eat meat? I didn’t think any realmists would eat meat.” This was a point she wanted to bring up before, but felt she hadn’t known them well enough.

  “It tastes good,” Blayke replied.

  “But what about the animal? Surely after bonding with Fang, you can see animals have feelings and thoughts, just like us? Would you eat a person?”

  “Of course not. What do you think I am?”

  “My brother.” She couldn’t resist—after so long with no sibling, it felt good to use the word.

  He grinned. “Ha, so I am. I’m still not used to it. I’m kind of sorry we didn’t get the chance to grow up together; it would have been fun to have someone to tease.”

  “I’m sure I would have won most of the arguments.” Bronwyn beamed.

  “Nah, I would.”

  “No, I would.”

  “Stop it, children!” Arcon laughed. “If you want to make up for lost time, do it when I’m not around—I’m too old to listen to children arguing.” It had been an awkward couple of days after telling them his secret, but eventually both teens had forgiven him. Arcon had been so relieved when he was certain Blayke still loved him that he had quietly cried. His old heart was not as impervious as he thought. He soaked up the feeling of familial camaraderie like a cat sunning himself on a sun-bleached porch.

  Blayke, who was sitting next to his uncle, put a hesitant hand on his shoulder—open affection was something they didn’t regularly practice. “I want you to know that even when I meet my father, I’ll still think of you like a dad. You’ve been more than an uncle to me. I know it wasn’t my dad’s fault he didn’t bring me up, but I know you love me. And even if I am still a bit angry when I think about what happened, it would kill me to lose you.” A crooked smile and a pat on the back was all Arcon could manage without crying. Blayke knew his Uncle was sad and looked away.

  “That was beautiful.” Bronwyn smiled and leaned against Sinjenasta. The panther nuzzled her arm, and Bronwyn sneezed.

  “Gee, Bronwyn, since I’ve known you, you’ve had a cold,” Blayke observed.

  “I have, haven’t I?” She thought for a while. “The first time I remember sneezing and sniffling was in Vellonia, right before, well, you know.” She thought that killing Symbothial would forever be a painful memory.

  Arcon spoke. “So it started just after you met Sinjenasta?”

  “Yes.”

  “Bury your face in Sinjenasta’s fur.”

  “What?”

  “Rub your nose and face in his fur,” Arcon instructed. Bronwyn turned around, placed her arms around her creatura and sunk her nose into his shiny, black fur. After a moment, she sat up, and a barrage of sneezes assaulted her. She wiped watering eyes.

  “Well, that settles it,” said Arcon.

  “Settles what? Achooo!”

  “You’re allergic to Sinjenasta.”

  “What? That can’t be right; he’s my creatura.” Sinjenasta sat up, blinking, and Bronwyn wore a horrified expression.

  Blayke laughed until he, too, had tears in his eyes. “Dragons’ balls! Who’s ever heard of anyone being allergic to their creatura.”

  Bronwyn sniffed. “It’s not funny. That means I can’t go near him unless I want to have watering eyes and a red nose all the time.”

  “And sneezing is not conducive to sneaking,” said Sinjenasta.

  “No, it’s not,” Fang agreed.

  “So what in the Third Realm am I supposed to do?”

  “I’ll see what I can come up with. If I don’t have any remedies, your aunt might know what will help—she’s always been better than me with herbs.”

  “Don’t worry, Bronny. You can still love me from afar.” Sinjenasta winked.

  “Ha, ha. Very funny. Why can’t you be allergic to me? Why is it that people are allergic to animals, yet you’re not allergic to us?”

  “Just lucky, I guess.” Sinjenasta licked a giant paw and cleaned his face.

  “I think Drakon should help; he’s the one who made us bond.”

  Blayke’s voice held bitterness Arcon had never before heard, “Drakon’s help comes with a high price—avoid asking him for anything.”

  “That’s a bit harsh.”

  “He’s right, Bronwyn. Sometimes it’s better living with the gormon you know.” Sinjenasta’s mind voice sounded resigned.

  “Hmph. All the sneezing’s made me tired. I think I’ll turn in.” She felt sorry for herself that she couldn't snuggle up to Sinjenasta whenever she wanted—he’d become a comfort since she’d been separated from her aunt and best friend, Corrille. She burrowed farther into her bedroll, her back to the small fire, and shut her eyes. The sooner she fell asleep, the sooner it would be time to start on the last leg of their trip. She would see Corrille and Avruellen again tomorrow afternoon—a time she longed for, and dreaded. Arcon hadn’t told Avruellen their secret was out, and Bronwyn had no idea how her aunt would react. Bronwyn had many questions to ask and would be angry if they weren’t answered. As much as she would be happy to see her aunt, she was also ready for a battle of wills, which up to now was something she had never won against her aunt. She fell asleep listening to the soft murmur of Arcon and Blayke’s conversation—whatever happened tomorrow, she was finally part of a family. No one was going to take that away from her again.

  ***

  Avruellen woke happy—well, as happy as one could be when gormons were skulking around Talia. Today she would see her niece again. She couldn’t scry for Arcon and Bronny—Agmunsten had warned her they would be shielding on the way, so she had to wait the old-fashioned way. It would be a relief to see them. Even though Carpus was a quaint enough town, she couldn’t shield herself for so long without dying from the effort, and creaturas didn’t have the skills to shield—that seemed to be a gift given from the gods to humans—so Flux couldn’t help. As a result, she felt like the lone gozzleberry pie at a culinary festival for hungry people—it was only a matter of time before the gormons, or whoever had been watching her, would stick their claws in. Her one consolation was the true dream she’d had last night. She dreamt of Bronwyn rubbing her face into the giant panther, which was odd. The image only lasted for a minute—long enough for her to see Bronwyn sneezing uncontrollably; she hoped she wasn't getting a cold. Avruellen knew they were due sometime today, so she dressed with an enthusiasm she hadn’t felt in a while.

  She strolled the length of the town and back again, trying to project an air of calm, but when she’d finished, not only was she not tired, she was bored. Even though it was dangerous, Avruellen decided to walk towards where her niece would be coming from and meet them on the way. She called to Flux, telling him to meet her one mile from Carpus.

  As Avruellen walked the well-worn dirt path, the ferocious winds that, on her arrival, had raked the yellowing shafts of grass until they lay flat upon the ground, had dissipated to a steady breeze that bent the long blades to a sighing crescent. The overnight change in the weather had come as a surprise after the constant thrashing upon the coast—how fortuitous, she thought. The captain she had spoken to previously would be ready to sail in the morning, then. Avruellen and Arcon would have one day to catch up before they sailed. She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought about the news she had to share—just thinking about it made the hairs on her arms stand on end.

  A high-pitched squeal broke her thoughts. She turned to see Flux trotting towards her, his orange-and-white muzzle peeking above the flax-colored stems. He howled again.

  When he reached Avruellen, she crouched and embraced him. “What’s all the noise about?”

  I felt like howling. I’m restless. It’s nice to howl once in a wh
ile. He twitched his ears a few times—a sign to Avruellen he was happy. I can smell Bronny. They’re not that far away. He led the way.

  Flux’s not far away was farther than Avruellen anticipated. After walking almost two miles, from the top of a rise they saw three horses in the distance and a black outline that was half as big as the horses; it was a shape Avruellen remembered well. She resisted the urge to run, but it seemed Bronwyn didn’t have the same discipline—one of the horses broke away from the group and galloped towards Avruellen. “It’s her,” Flux confirmed after sniffing the air. Avruellen clasped her hands in front of her and bit the inside of her cheek again. When the horse neared, she could see it was Prince. Bronwyn, confident and glorious, sat in the saddle, dark hair streaming out behind. Avruellen hadn’t smiled that wide for a long time.

  In one fluid motion, Bronwyn reined in Prince and dismounted, running into Avruellen’s arms. Avruellen hugged her close and kissed her forehead, breathing in the fragrance that was Bronny mixed with horse. “Ah, my child. When you were taken from me, I thought I’d never see you again.”

  Bronwyn squeezed her aunt then stepped back. “I thought I’d never see you either. I have so much to tell you and…” Her smile evaporated. “And you have a lot to tell me, I suspect.”

  The older realmist knew, then, what Bronwyn meant. “How did you find out?” Arcon and Blayke reached them. Avruellen looked at Arcon, “Did he tell you?” There was no malice, only weary acceptance and a letting go of tension as the rope binding all her secrets slid undone. “It seems we have much to talk about.”

  Arcon swung his leg over and jumped down. “So many aches and pains. These old bones aren’t what they used to be.”

  “You look okay to me,” said Avruellen as she stepped towards him, and they embraced; she was careful not to dislodge Phantom, who slept on Arcon’s shoulder, his face burrowed beneath a wing. “It’s been too long. And this must be Blayke.” Blayke gave a short bow and grinned.

  “Pleased to meet you, Auntie.”

  “What a handsome young man.” Avruellen nodded, pleased. “And this must be Fang.” She took his paw between her fingertips and gently shook it in greeting, after which she turned to Sinjenasta. The realmist matched gazes with the giant cat before speaking. “So, this is Drakon’s beast. I hope you’ve been taking good care of my niece?”

  I think I’ve done a good job, although she is stubborn. How did you cope all those years?

  Avruellen laughed, a sound she hadn’t made in weeks. “So, you feel my pain. Hmm, I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”

  Bronwyn rose from hugging Flux. “Okay, I know I’m so wonderful you just can’t stop talking about me, but I’m hungry. I’m sure you can take us somewhere nice to eat and finish the conversation. Let’s go.” She linked her arm with her aunt’s while Arcon led her mount. The lament of the breeze as it played amongst the grass and gnarled bushes gave a whispered accompaniment as they strolled towards Carpus. In the excitement of the reunion, Arcon forgot to mask their symbols in the Second Realm. By the time he realized, it was already too late.

  Chapter 14

  After reassuring the owner of the Seafarers Inn that the giant black panther with her was tame, Avruellen settled everyone in their rooms. The humans had a chance to freshen up before eating, and now the group took lunch in the timber-paneled, private dining room of the inn, except for Phantom, who slept in a room upstairs. Sinjenasta lay on the floor under the table, shielding their symbols while everyone ate. In order to shield properly, the realmist doing the shielding had to be close enough that their energy could reach the people whom he was shielding, because the symbols in the Second Realm had to be close together. Instead of the realmist taking the energy from the Second Realm to use in the First Realm, their symbol was acting in the Second Realm. It was almost like hiding everyone with one blanket—the realmist could only channel so much power through his or her symbol, and the power to cover so many symbols was not easy to hold onto. The smaller the area they had to cover, the easier it was.

  “I thought creaturas couldn’t shield?” Bronwyn just realized Sinjenasta should not have been able to do what he had been doing for the last few days.

  “He’s a special case, because he has the connection to Drakon.” Arcon lied—he wasn’t ready to tell Bronwyn that her panther actually started life as a human and was eagerly waiting the day he could return to his original form. They had enough trust issues to deal with.

  Blayke changed the subject, speaking around a mouthful of baked fish. “Nice cutlery; is it silver?” Everyone stared at him.

  “What? Since when have you taken an interest in cutlery?” Arcon asked, and Bronwyn laughed.

  Blayke blushed. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just nice to be eating somewhere civilized for a change. Remind me never to appreciate anything in front of you again.”

  “I understand you, even though I have no interest in cutlery,” said Fang, his whiskers twitching in a ratty giggle.

  Bronwyn leaned over and gave Blayke a quick hug. When he looked at her, surprise on his face, she smiled. “Hey, big bro, I can do that now. I’m the annoying little sister you never had.”

  “How do you know I’m older?” Blayke turned to Arcon. “So, who did come out first: me or Bronwyn?”

  “You don’t expect me to pay attention to stuff like that. I wasn’t even in the room.”

  “It was Bronwyn.” Avruellen answered, her voice tight with emotion. Bronwyn looked at her, all the hurt she had pushed down gushing upwards, stinging her throat with its acid.

  Her gray eyes darkened, like an approaching storm. “How could you hide that from me for all these years? Every time I asked a question, you knew, but you let me think I had no one, that my parents didn’t love me, that I was no one. How could you? Do you even have a heart?”

  She was standing, looking down at Avruellen, who sat across from her, fork frozen halfway to her mouth. The only sound in the room was muffled laughter from the common room downstairs.

  Avruellen placed her fork on the table, letting both hands rest on either side of her plate. For the first time in her life, Bronwyn looked into her aunt’s eyes and saw not anger or guardedness, but sorrow and apology. Avruellen held her gaze. “I know you didn’t mean that last comment.”

  Bronwyn swallowed. “No, I’m just angry. Sorry. But why can’t you just answer my question? Arcon explained why you had to do it, but that doesn’t stop me feeling hurt. Do you know how many times I asked myself over and over who my parents were? I would have given anything to see them, even once. I never really knew who I was, and you saw that, but you said nothing. Surely when I was a bit older you could have explained it to me; I would have understood. And now, when you have the opportunity to explain, you can’t even admit that what you did has hurt me.”

  Avruellen stood and left without saying anything. Bronwyn looked at Arcon who frowned at her. “What? Why are looking at me like that?”

  “I know you have questions you need your aunt to answer, but you’ve had a few days to adjust. We’ve dropped this on her today. Give her time to adapt.”

  “Oh, great, so I have to give in as usual because you’re both older and are out to save the world. It’s for my own good and I should just shut up and be thankful I don’t even know my own parents. Well, not anymore.” Bronwyn thrust her chair back, the tempest in her eyes showering Arcon with rage before she stormed out.

  Bronwyn ran down one flight of stairs to the ground floor and out the front door. She sprinted blindly down the main street, anger driving her onward. As she ran, shopfronts turned to houses, which eventually turned to scrub. The street shrunk into a narrower, sandy road that gradually descended as it led north. Bronwyn, puffing, slowed to a walk. Her surroundings came into focus. She noticed she wasn’t far above the harbor.

  She found a flat rock and sat down, staring out to sea—a view she hadn’t seen before. Avruellen’s home was inland, and they had never travelled anywhere th
at Bronwyn could remember. Gulls coasted high above the water—occasionally she would see one dive, hurtling beak-first into the ocean, to appear soon with a mouthful of what she assumed was fish. She breathed in the briny air and delighted in the tang that filled her nostrils.

  “Nice view, isn’t it?” Bronwyn turned. A well-dressed man wearing polished black boots and a brown vest smiled down at her. As he reached for her, the sleeve of his white shirt slid up, and she noticed an unusual symbol that appeared to be burnt into the skin on the underside of his wrist. She didn’t know what it was, but the symbol made her shiver. It was the last thing she saw before her vision shrunk to a pinhole, and darkness called her home.

  ***

  Sinjenasta’s eyes snapped open. He crawled out from under the table and turned his yellow orbs on Arcon. He spoke into Arcon’s mind. What in Drakon’s name just happened? Bronwyn’s symbol pulled out of the shielding and now it’s gone.

  Arcon’s face drained of color. “Blayke, go and tell Avruellen that Bronwyn’s gone missing. I want you to go to the south end of town and look for her. Sinjenasta and I will go north. Hurry.”

  Sinjenasta sat and raised a paw. Wait. Let me pick up the scent. There’s no point wasting time and energy when I can pinpoint which direction she went. The panther trotted out of the inn and turned left. She’s gone north. Blayke, stay with Avruellen; we don’t want anyone else to go missing.

  Sinjenasta jogged down the street, Arcon at his side. When they reached the rock where Bronwyn had stopped, the trail turned west, towards the water.

  Arcon noticed blood on the ground and tested it between his fingers. “It’s still wet. Is it hers?”

  Sinjenasta sniffed. Yes. But it’s not much. Maybe they hit her over the head?” He started in the direction of her trail. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve taken to sea. We may have to hire a boat. I’ll need you to do the talking.