A Time of Darkness (The Circle of Talia)

by Lister, Dionne

  Why can’t we help? asked Fang.

  It must be those four. Anyone else and the energies would not be balanced. They would risk failure, answered Flux.

  How do you know? Fang licked his tummy, a nervous habit.

  He’s right, Fang, said Sinjenasta. I lived with Drakon for centuries. He looked down at the brown and white rat. I spent my time there wisely.

  Do you think they’ll do it? Fang asked.

  I don’t know, but we’ll soon find out. Look: they’re starting. Flux wished he could do more to help.

  Avruellen stepped out the perimeter of the ward and took her place at the eastern point of their square, opposite Arcon. Blayke stood at the south point opposite his sister—a balance of blood on every corner. Through the ages, their family had borne the burden of The Circle, and now they were the last hope for Talia. Avruellen had sometimes wondered why, but knowing she would likely never find out, she accepted it and moved on. Although the moving on was harder now: the lives of her niece and nephew stood in offering before her. Talia’s fate walked a precarious road, and tonight, if the amulets didn’t undergo their second activations, Talia would be headed for an inevitable end—at the mouths of hungry gormons.

  “Take off your amulets and hold them,” instructed Arcon.

  Blayke fumbled his fingers into his shirt and pulled the necklace over his head. He looked up to the stars and squinted at the brightness of the moon. The quartz in his open hand absorbed the hoary light and glowed, the sweat on his palm sparkling like a scattering of gold dust in the sun. Blayke raised his head and met Bronwyn’s eyes. His closed-mouth smile was meant to be reassuring. We can do this, Bronny, he said mind-to-mind. She returned his tempered smile and nodded.

  As Avruellen began the incantation, Blayke swallowed against his fear. He focused on the crystal in his hand and searched for the Second Realm. Bronwyn whispered, “Mum and Dad, wherever you are, I love you”—before she stared at her amulet and sent her thoughts through the darkness. Both young realmists were vaguely aware that Avruellen and Arcon now spoke in unison: a different incantation to the first activation, their voices rising and falling, gathering power as Blayke and Bronwyn, their energies side by side, seeking the corridor.

  Bronwyn felt her brother’s energy as a warmth and a subtle tug—similar to the awareness she had of Sinjenasta. It reminded her of the day they bonded. When she had climbed out of the lake, she knew where he was with her eyes closed. Now she could see the mouth of the tunnel as a darkness blacker than their black surroundings. Just as they approached, Avruellen and Arcon spoke into their minds, Stop!

  What? What’s wrong? Blayke asked, halting, his awareness floating next to his sister’s.

  Wait a moment. When Arcon and I have finished what we’re doing, another tunnel will open. This is the one through which you must travel. The connection cut off.

  Where are they sending us?

  You know as much as I do, Bronny. I don’t want to be negative, but if we don’t make it through this, I want you to know I’m glad we found each other. If I have to have a sister, I’m glad it’s you.

  Um, thanks, I think. I’m sorry if I’ve been cranky. I want you to know that finding you has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I wish we could’ve met our parents, but….

  You never know. If we do survive, I’ll help you find them, okay? Blayke felt Bronwyn’s energy pulse with happiness for a moment before it changed to fear.

  What’s that? Bronwyn watched as a small dot of white light turned into a circle, growing larger and larger until it was all they could see. Engulfed by the incandescence, they felt themselves sucked farther in. In the distance, Bronwyn saw another dot—a dark spec, which expanded as they neared. This must be the other tunnel, she reasoned. Forgetting she was in spirit form, she tried to reach out and grab Blayke’s hand, but there was nothing to grab. Struggling not to panic as the darkness coalesced into moving shapes, Bronwyn reached her awareness towards her brother’s. Reassured he was there, she focused on what she wanted: to get through this and whatever was coming. I am a realmist. We have to save Talia. I want to live to meet my parents.

  The shadowed vista jumped forward until it was all they could see. A rush of warm, dusty air pushed into their faces. Blayke grunted as they were spat onto the hard, red ground. Bronwyn, on her stomach, lifted her face to look around, spitting dirt out of her mouth. She saw Blayke lying dazed next to a boulder. Tufts of silver-green grass interrupted the otherwise desolate soil, and white-barked trees stood at intervals, their crowning domes of jade-green leaves ignoring the midday sun.

  She rolled over, sat up, and clamped her hand over her mouth to stop from screaming: Bronwyn was staring at a leather-clad pair of muscled legs. She looked up, past the sword that sat in the scabbard at the man’s waist, past the arrow in his strong, brown hand, past the fitted white shirt and into a sun-bronzed, black-bearded face. The wrinkles around his dark eyes were not earned from laughing. He spoke to someone behind him, someone Bronwyn couldn’t see. “Well, Sandar, it looks like our prayers have been answered. Although, call me skeptical, but I have no idea how these two children are going to defeat Devorum.”

  The man who must be Sandar walked around his comrade to get a better look at Bronwyn. Bronwyn gasped when she saw his face. It can’t be. Not again. He spoke in a familiar, soothing voice that caused her heart to race. It was the young man from the realm she had been to when bonding with Sinjenasta. She was torn between staring into his blue-green eyes and looking away—she didn’t want him to know the effect he had on her.

  “Princess! Is it really you?” He held out a hand to help her up, but she ignored him, standing by herself and slapping the dust off her clothes. She finished by wiping a forearm across her mouth to clear the last of the dirt.

  “I told you before: I’m not a princess. My name is Bronwyn, and that’s my brother, Blayke.” She walked over to help him up and whispered in his ear, “Are you okay? I don’t know what we’ve gotten ourselves into, but we need to be careful.”

  Blayke leaned on her as he rose. “I’m okay. I headbutted that damn rock when I came through. I don’t think anything’s permanently damaged.” He rubbed his head. “Where the hell are we?” The two men had followed Bronwyn over, and the older one spoke.

  “Sorry to interrupt. I’m Korden, and this is my cousin, Sander. You’re in the Sacred Realm. Please forgive me, Bronwyn, but you do look like Princess Tawin.”

  Bronwyn rolled her eyes. “Okay, Korden, great. Now that’s settled, what do you want from us? We must be here for a reason, and whatever it is, I’d like to know as soon as possible.” She looked around. “Oh, bugger, the corridor’s gone. How are we going to get back?” When she had found herself here the first time, she knew the lake was her way home. Were they going to have to find the lake again? Even if they did, they would end up back in Vellonia, not where they needed to be.

  “You’re right.” Blayke turned in a circle, hoping to see the hole in the air from which they had dropped. He faced the men. “Where in the Third Realm are we? Where exactly, or what exactly, is the Sacred Realm?”

  Sander answered, “It’s the realm from where all other realms come, the perfect realm that gods plunder from to create other, inferior versions. It is said there are mirrors of our realm, although I’ve never seen them.”

  “So,” Blayke asked, “if the First Realm, where we come from, is a mirror of this one, then there should be another one of me here and one of you there?”

  “I don’t know if it works exactly like that, but it is possible. Maybe that’s why Bronwyn looks like the princess.”

  “Oh, for the gods’ sakes, can we please just get on with what we have to do and stop talking nonsense? In case you haven’t forgotten, Blayke, if we don’t activate the amulets properly, there won’t be any First Realm to worry about.” Bronwyn turned to Korden. “What do you want us to do?”

  “We’ve been ordered by our king to capture Devorum. But we can
’t kill him; we need him alive.”

  “Who, or what, is Devorum?” Blayke asked.

  “Devorum is a dragon: an enormous, black dragon—the most feared creature in this realm.”

  “Why does he want to catch this dragon, and why would you think we could help? Surely you have realmists here who can do the job?” Bronwyn didn’t want to die fighting someone else’s battles when she had enough of her own.

  “What’s a realmist?”

  Blayke and Bronwyn looked at Sander, their mouths open in disbelief. “You don’t know?” Both men shook their heads, so Blayke continued, “Bronwyn and I are realmists—we can draw power from the Second Realm to do things. Although I don’t know if we can get access from here. Hang on a minute.”

  Blayke concentrated and searched for the corridor.

  “What’s the Second Realm?” Sander asked.

  Bronwyn, sensing that Blayke was busy, answered, “It’s a place where you can’t physically go, but you can send your spirit there, to gather power. It reminds me of the night sky. You do have a night sky, don’t you?”

  Sander looked at Bronwyn, cocking his head to one side. “Ha, ha, very funny. Yes, we have a night sky.”

  “Thank the gods; I was beginning to worry for a minute there.” Bronwyn grinned.

  “Yep, Bronny, we can get to the Second Realm.” Bronwyn let out a relieved breath. Blayke turned to Korden. “So, why do you need us to catch this dragon?”

  Korden and Sander exchanged glances, the younger man giving a small nod. Korden answered, “The gods have spoken to our king. Even though other realms mirror ours, we know nothing about them: we are not permitted to see. But, if any other realms are threatened, the balance here is affected. There is an island in the Verren Sea; well, there was an island. It is now a whirlpool of black—nothing comes in, nothing goes out, but the island—and all its people—were sucked into that black hole when it formed. The gods have told us it’s because of an imbalance that occurred fifty years ago, and the next one will have a much greater impact.”

  “Where did it go?” asked Bronwyn.

  “We don’t know. Please tell us you’ll help us?” Sander stared into Bronwyn’s eyes, hoping she liked him enough to agree.

  Blayke stepped between Bronwyn and Sander. “My sister and I need to discuss this … in private. We’ll be back when we’re ready.” Blayke grabbed Bronwyn’s arm and dragged her out of hearing range of the men. “What do you think?”

  “I have no idea how we’re supposed to catch a dragon without killing him, but maybe we don’t have a choice. Maybe this is what we’ve been sent here to do. This could be what activates the amulets. I mean, think about it: there’s a threat because of another realm. Do you really think it’s a coincidence that Talia’s about to be overrun by gormons?”

  Blayke sighed. “No. No, I don’t. But we need a plan if we have any chance of doing what they’re asking. I’m not feeling too confident.”

  “Neither am I, but think of it this way: if we’re the future of Talia and The Circle and we can’t do this, who in the Third Realm can? Let’s go and get this over with.”

  Chapter 27

  Sarah finished braiding her queen’s hair and stood back, assessing the result. “I think you’re ready for the day, Queen Gabrielle.”

  “Thank you, Sarah. I wonder if we’ll hear from Edmund today. They’ve all been too quiet for too long. I’m worried.”

  Sarah looked at Gabrielle, her eyebrow raised. “I never would have guessed.” She shook her head. “I think you have every right to be. I do hope they’re on their way back with Verity.”

  “But why haven’t we heard anything? Maybe Leon killed them all.”

  “Surely he would have sent a gloating message to us if he had.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. If this goes on much longer, I’m going to grab a horse and go and find out for myself. I can’t stand it.” Smoothing her violet skirts with impatient hands, Gabrielle opened the door. On the other side was a guard, his hand raised, about to knock. Gabrielle startled, her hand clapping on her heart. “Oh, my goodness. Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What is it?”

  The young guard blushed and bowed. “Sorry, Your Majesty. I’ve been ordered to tell you that two dragons have been seen flying towards the castle. Astra thinks it is Prince Zimapholous Accorterroza.”

  Gabrielle paled and swayed with a sudden rush of dizziness. Sarah held her arm. “Are you okay, Your Majesty?”

  The queen swallowed, drew a deep breath, and nodded. Her eyes swam in waiting tears. Not trusting herself to speak, she hurried down the hallway, stairs, and into the front courtyard. The rising sun shone in her eyes: she shielded her face with her hand. Two dragons stood, backlit in the morning light, but she couldn’t make out who they were. Wanting to vomit, scared to ask what news they carried, fearing her world was about to end if they told her Verity was dead, she stood silent, and waiting.

  “Mother!” And then Verity was in her mother’s arms, trembling, crying, trying to talk through grief and happiness—so much to say, but so much she didn’t want to remember. Gabrielle breathed in, smelling Verity’s windswept hair, convincing herself this wasn’t a dream. Sarah clapped her arms around them, the three staying so for a time before Zim approached.

  He bowed, not that anyone noticed. “Queen Gabrielle.” He waited for her acknowledgement. “There is much to tell you. Can we retire somewhere private?”

  Gabrielle looked at the dragon over Verity’s shoulder. Reluctantly disengaging from her daughter, she hugged Zim, managing to reach her arms around part of the front of his belly. “Thank you, Zimapholous. You’ve brought my baby home. We owe you much. Anything you or your sister need, just ask.”

  He patted her back gently, awkwardly, and when Gabrielle was ready, they walked inside to Edmund’s private meeting room. They arranged themselves around the table, the dragons sitting on the floor. “I’m so sorry, Arcese and Zim. We should probably have permanent bench seats installed; these meetings are becoming rather frequent. Before we start, you might want to call Warrimonious to join us. He arrived a few days ago.”

  Arcese sat up straight and set her jaw, giving Gabrielle the impression she was bracing for a confrontation. She hoped she was wrong: two dragons fighting in the meeting room would likely end in the destruction of said meeting room. Zim sent a mind message, and within minutes, Warrimonious and Astra arrived, Warrimonious rushing over to rub noses with his wife before embracing her.

  Gabrielle took a seat next to Verity and held her hand. The princess would not usually sit in on sensitive meetings; however, she had information to give, and as painful as it would be, Gabrielle knew it was important: her daughter was becoming an adult before her time. There was nothing she could do to stop it now. She clenched her teeth and wished Leon was here so she could make him pay. “I’m afraid to ask, but where are Agmunsten, Arie, and Boy?”

  Zim hesitated before replying. Gabrielle tensed, dreading the answer. “We left Agmunsten and Arie with Edmund and the army. We thought it best they fill Edmund in on everything we know. They should be here in a couple of days.”

  Gabrielle shut her eyes. “Oh, thank the gods.” She opened them again. “And?” She heard Verity’s sobs behind her, felt the sudden warmth in her own eyes.

  Zim’s eyes held a depth of sadness Gabrielle had never seen on a dragon, and it surprised her that a human’s life could elicit that reaction. “Boy was slain while saving Verity. He died a hero. His bravery, on more than one occasion, was something many grown men lack. I’m sorry we couldn’t save him. Please forgive us, Your Majesty.”

  Zim knelt on one knee, his head bowed.

  Gabrielle shook her head, mouthing, “No, no, no. Not sweet Boy.” Rising, she approached Zim and placed a hand on his snout. She spoke through tears. “There is nothing to forgive. I know you did your best. I will never forget him: such a tragic life for such a beautiful boy. I’m sorry we all failed him.”

  She knelt too and sobb
ed, leaning against the dragon until Astra whispered in her ear and led her back to her chair.

  Astra took the lead. “I’m Astra. Pleased to meet you, Prince Zimapholous and Princess Arcese.” Astra gave an elegant half curtsey. “It is clear we have a lot to get through, and I know Edmund and Agmunsten would appreciate it if we formulated some plans before they return. The gormons will break through soon, and Talia is still a world divided. We all know the consequences of that. We need to act now.” She turned violet eyes on Verity. “I know this may not be easy on you, but we need to know everything that happened while you were with Leon. Don’t leave anything out, no matter how unimportant it seems.”

  Brushing her sleeve across her nose, she stopped crying. Leon used to be her uncle, but no more. He had killed her friend and turned into the physical form of what he was inside: a monster. The vehemence in her voice surprised her. She did as instructed, and left nothing out. When she finished, it was clear: if it were up to all those in the room, Leon would not survive for another second.

  Gabrielle called Sarah in to take Verity to bathe and eat. When she left, Gabrielle shared Karin’s story and her own plan. By the time the meeting ended, they felt hope. They weren’t done for yet.

  Chapter 28

  After agreeing to help, Korden led Bronwyn and Blayke to where two horses were tethered. Blayke mounted behind Korden, and Bronwyn rode with Sander. She sat behind him, too shy to touch him, even though she wanted nothing more than to snuggle against his back. Oh, for goodness sake, you’re not here to meet men: you’re here to save Talia. Focus. She hoped talking to herself would be enough of a distraction to stop her mind wandering where she didn’t want it to go.

  Sander laughed. “I won’t bite, you know. You can hold on to my waist. I would hate for you to fall off.”

  “But my hands are all dirty. I don’t want to ruin your lovely white shirt.”

  He turned in the saddle, looking at Bronwyn out of the corner of his eye. Setting the reins on the horse’s neck, he reached behind and grabbed both of her hands, setting them on his waist. “Don’t worry—I have plenty of shirts, but there’s only one Bronwyn, and I really don’t want anything to happen to her: she has to help me save the Sacred Realm.”