by Mary Duke
“What I saw that night, what I told our elders, what I warned the high council could come to be, has. What I saw surrounds us. What I warned would be has been and is. That night, the Goddess told me my friends, my mentors, the men and women we all looked to had an agenda.
“In secret, the Fayen Counsel was plotting. Behind our backs, they were plotting. We without this truth, we without the knowledge we needed, stood up to protect them. We defended those who represented us, and it was a mistake.
“When behind closed doors, those who represented us took advantage of our faith in them.
“The Demons did not start this war. The Demons did not deliver the first blow. We did.”
I turned to Kegan. His face was stone, his eyes fixed on Itheus, and his jaw clenched.
Itheus continued, “I prophesied that a new order was coming, though it was unclear who would be on the top… Within that same prophecy, I saw a Demon attacking a Fayen child. What I didn’t see in this prophecy was the truth.
“The truth is the child I saw was the piece of the puzzle we were missing; the piece that when added, pulled everything together. Liddie was a ploy. A child saved from death by the ancestors shielded away from all of us by the council and trained in the dark arts by our elders. Liddie was a weapon, nothing more. She was not the girl her parents lost, not the girl her friends remembered; she was a weapon created by her own.
“I will admit my knowledge of Liddie is limited. What they actually did to her still remains a mystery to me. What I do know was her purpose…and I know that because she fulfilled it.
“It was a summer’s eve party called together by the Elders. They had invited anyone in the realm who mattered. One of the demon families who attended were Mr. and Mrs. Frayer and their twin daughters.
“This was not their first trip to our city, and when Liddie came to their girls and asked for them to play they didn’t think twice when they let their daughters join all the other Faye and Halfling children.
“Liddie though, led their girls away from the other children as she was told to do.” Itheus’ voice cracked, and he paused to wipe the tears that had fallen down his cheeks.
“By the time I foresaw what was to come, it was too late to stop it. With hundreds in attendance at the party, and only a small handful of them Demons, it was easy for the Elders to cast the blame where they wanted it to fall.
“Moments after the Frayer children were found dead, Liddie barely alive, chaos released upon our city. The elders accused the demon children of attacking Liddie, their gift from the Gods.
“It was then Liddie’s father attacked the Frayer’s for what he believed their daughters had done. As the Frayer’s protected each other, Liddie’s father was killed, and the drunken partygoers rioted in retaliation.
“That night, that one summer eve, twenty-three demons were slaughtered on our streets. They would become the first twenty-three killed in this war, the basis on which our hatred in demons would be built upon.
“Now let us take a step back. Let me explain to you everything that happened that no one else had seen. Let me tell you the truth.
“The Gods did not cause Liddie’s body to rise from the grave, nor was it Liddie herself. Liddie’s soul had already passed on to be with her ancestors, her body rose with the soul of a fallen Elder.
“Liddie was not attacked by the Frayer’s children, instead she suffered the repercussions of the dark curse she cast on them, the body of the young girl too weak to withstand the power.” Itheus raised his hand as if to stop someone.
“But wait, that would have been obvious, anyone would have been able to see that…” Itheus’ voice changed again.
“A fog filled the air that night, the same one that kept me from seeing the truth in the beginning. The fog was unnatural, cast upon our city by the very ones that ruled over it. The fog served a purpose, within it contained magic that clouded one’s judgment, making it easy for the masses to be directed.”
Murmurs swirled around the crowd, as some simply shook their heads.
Itheus walked to the front of the stage and took a seat, his legs dangling over the edge. “I confronted them that night and was given a choice. Stay in line and support them, or join their enemies and perish in the new order. For me, there was no choice.
“I made it known that I would stand against them. I made sure they knew that for as long as I lived, I would do everything in my power to stop them. To educate people on what actually occurred that night.
“That, however, was easier said than done, for I had dug myself a hole.
“Using the little magic I was capable of, I pulled myself from that room and into my study in a flash of light. When I got there, I wasn’t alone. Ayana was there…
“‘I had warned you of this,’ she said to me.
“‘And I was a fool to not listen,’ I replied to her.
“She picked up a book from my desk. ‘Do they know about them? Do they know the true fate of Sno and Zavery?’
“‘There is much in this room they do not know,’ I assured her. ‘You and I are all those who know of their true fate.’
“‘Good. It is time now for those in your world to face their chosen fate and live with the choices they’ve made.’
“For the next ten years I wandered this realm in darkness, the light the goddess had granted me gone. One night, just as before, that changed… A full moon rose into the night sky, and Ayana’s voice rang in my ears.
“‘It is time,’ she said to me. ‘Go back into the Fayen lands, where the mountains touch the moon, and you will find him, venture deep into the Lakeita forest, and she will find you. Nurture them, instill in them the power of light magic. Convince their parents to teach their children of both light and dark magic, in time it will be their knowledge that will guide them down the right path. Wisdom will in time keep their curiosity at bay.’
“I remember asking her when they would be ready, when this war would end.
“‘You will know when the time has come, though it will not be for some time. Sno and Zavery must choose their own paths, only then will their fates bring them together.’”
Itheus lifted his head, and I swear his eyes connected with my own, as he continued. “That time is now,” he said rising to his feet. “Tonight we are joined by the two most powerful Faye’s to be born in this realm, and I ask Sno and Zavery to join me now on the stage.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I immediately turned and walked away from the crowd. I hated being put on the spot, and I wasn’t about to stand before a crowd of people I’ve never met. I wasn’t stupid. A crowd of people that for all I knew still blamed me for the downfall.
“Sno,” Itheus called.
I ignored him and the eyes glued to my back.
“Where are you going?” Kegan asked, grabbing my shoulder.
“I need air,” I replied.
“We are outside.”
I rolled my eyes and looked back at the stage. Itheus was no longer alone, a young man now stood with him.
“They need you,” Kegan said, trying his best to lure me back towards the crowd.
“Come on, Sno,” Zavery called to me from Itheus’ side.
“I am not going anywhere near that stage with him,” I said under my breath.
Kegan reached out to me. “It’s not important anymore. Just join them. Listen to what Itheus has to say.”
“He’s the Prince,” I said aloud to Kegan. “He can handle it on his own.”
“What happened wasn’t his fault…he too was only a child, he had no say in the matter.”
A sarcastic laugh escaped my lips and I shook my head, turning from him and heading for the woods. I could barely breathe.
I followed the path we took to get here, returning to the large opening where the dragons had landed. This time I heard something I didn’t before, the sound of waves crashing against rock.
The thought of the seashore brought back a flood of memories, and it took everything I had to
keep the tears from running down my cheeks.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to steady my breathing so I could listen for the direction of the shore rather than my own heartbeat.
I didn’t have a clue as to where I was going or what awaited me within the woods, and I didn’t care, at least not in this moment.
My mind was racing, and my heart was pounding. I had kept the horrible memories of my early childhood buried under the facade my parents had created, but last night’s episode with the nightshade brought them back to the surface.
Though I knew the truth, I remembered every word that was said between my father and the king, I let my parents believe otherwise, especially my mother. There were so many questions I had for them, so many things I wish I could hear from their mouths, but it will never happen… and for that, I blame Zavery and his family.
The trees began to thin and the thunderous crash of the waves grew more intense, drowning out my every thought as I walked aimlessly towards the coast.
Though I had no expectations of what I would find beyond the trees, I was still shocked by the view that unfolded before me.
The rocky beach was simply beautiful. Pure white sand filled the gaps between the wet rocks and boulders, soaked by the thrashing waves.
In the distance a storm brewed. The clouds rolling over one another, illuminated by hundreds of lightning bolts that streaked across the sky.
I walked towards the ocean and stood just out of the water’s reach. I screamed, “What in the hell do you expect from me? Why did you choose me? What makes me so special?”
Of course, like every other time I had asked in the past, I received no answer from Ayana, nor from any of the other goddesses or gods.
I sat on one of the boulders and let my feet drag through the passing waves. The memories once again played in my head. I could hear the King’s voice as though he stood above my head again. “You know the prophecy as well as I do Gregor,” he said to my dad. “There would be two children born with the full marks of Ayana. One of them would be responsible for destroying what we believe, and the other will save us.”
My father argued, “She is only a child and all children can be taught.”
“She is evil,” the King said coldly.
“The prophecy did not state which child would bare dark magic, Theod.”
“How dare you speak my name,” he roared in retaliation. “And how dare you insinuate that the Prince, future ruler of this realm, YOUR FUTURE KING, a boy born upon the mountain of light under a clear moon, bares dark magic.”
My dad chuckled sarcastically, as he tended to do before he lost his temper. “Well, if you raise him to be the self-centered ass you’ve become since wealth and power landed in your lap, then what I say is more than insinuation, it’s a premonition.”
I remember my mother squeezing me tighter, as we hid beneath the floor.
The King acted as though he was going to leave, but as he reached the doorway he stopped, turning back towards my father. “Gregor,” he said softly, his tone having lost its rigidness. “I came here as your friend and as a fellow father. My wife, your Queen, will be placing a bounty on your daughter’s head at sunrise.” He lingered another moment in the doorway, before he left, the door slamming behind him.
I remember clinging to my mother, as she climbed back through the trap door and back into our one-room home. My father now sat in his chair at the table, unmoving as his mind became consumed in his childhood friend’s words.
A crack of thunder pulled me from my memories, as lighting hit just feet from where I sat.
“It seems as though the Gods are at odds tonight,” Zavery said behind me.
“Let’s not do this right now, Zavery,” I replied rising to my feet.
“Do what?” he replied, his voice smug, as it had always been.
I didn’t give him an answer.
“Listen, I know there is bad blood between our families, but that doesn’t mean there has to be bad blood between us. Let’s leave the past in the past. Leave the problems of the past generations with them.”
“So I should just forget that your mother ran me and my family from our home…” I said turning to him. “I should just forgive them for murdering my parents… attempting to murder me on more than one occasion, right?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s not what I meant…”
“Then what did you mean?” I asked, studying his face as another bolt of lightning struck close behind me.
He stood in silence for a moment, and I began to walk away.
“The past does not define the future…” Zavery called to me, as I stepped onto the next rock that lined the shore. “No more than my parents’ choices should define who I am.”
I hesitated.
“I am not them, Sno. I did not give the order. I am not to blame for the life you were thrown into. I didn’t know you existed till after their deaths… There was so much that was kept from me.”
I laughed, turning back to face him, as he climbed up on the rock behind me. “What do you know of my life? You know nothing,” I answered for him before any words could escape his lips.
“You’re probably right. What I have heard is more than likely the same strewn truth that you were told of mine. Even at that, I know the lives we’ve led aren’t as different as you believe them to be; our paths have again crossed.”
“Are you honestly comparing your life to mine? Your posh life as a Prince, where you were waited on hand and foot, to mine…alone, without my parents, without a family, with nothing other than what I could steal and carry?”
Zavery smirked and bit his tongue.
I rolled my eyes and started to turn away again.
“It would seem you too are a fool. You do not know the truth of my life,” he said as took a step to follow me before he lost his footing on the wet moss.
I reached for him by instinct, his hand and mine interlocking as I pulled him back onto the rock.
Everything around us faded as a blinding white light radiated around us. Magic, in its most pure and raw form, pulsed between us.
This was the most intense and electrifying experience in my life. It was as if I was back in the first moment I discovered my true power, aside from simple tricks and spells.
A smile stretched from ear to ear across Zavery’s face, and in the moment our differences didn’t matter.
The boulder on which we stood split in two, sending us both onto the wet sandy shore.
I joined in Zavery’s laughter, as I leaned back against the rock behind me, every inch of my body electrified. Even though I had just fallen on my ass and was now sitting in the wet sand, I had never felt happier, a joy I haven’t felt since I was a child.
“So much for a secret island,” Talin scolded walking towards us.
“What do you mean?” Zavery asked.
Talin raised his hands to the sky, and our eyes followed.
A pure white aura danced across the sky to the north, replacing the lightning from the thunderstorm.
“Did we do that?” I asked, amazed by its beauty.
“Ye did,” Talin replied.
“Does that mean…” Zavery started to ask.
“It does,” Talin said, finishing his sentence.
“What?” I asked, “What does it mean?”
“It means we are out of time,” Zavery said solemnly, the smile gone from his face.
Kegan exited the tree line. “What the hell did you let them do?” He yelled walking towards Talin.
Talin turned towards him without responding.
“Now cannot be the time. You know she is not ready,” he yelled pointing his finger in Talin’s face. “She just got here.
“Calm yourself brother,” a man said walking up behind him.
“You know this mortal could not have done this,” he said pulling his brother’s hand out of their friend’s face.
“He knew the risks,” Kegan stated.
“As did you when you allowed her
to come here.”
“You’re right, I did. It was a mistake, and we need to leave.”
“Whoa there,” Talin said placing his hand on Kegan’s chest. “I can’t let you do that.”
Kegan laughed. “And you think you’re going to stop me?”
My eyes were wide, and my mouth may have been hanging open. I was stunned. I have never heard Kegan speak like this before, with such arrogance and attitude.
Kegan grabbed a hold of Talin’s hand and squeezed, bringing the old man to his knees. “You have no say in the matter.”
Kegan’s brother squeezed his shoulders and urged him to let go. “We’re wasting time, brother.”
“Tork,” Kegan said studying his tone. “Let go of me, before you get hurt.”
“What is going on here?” one of the men who were with Talin earlier, questioned.
“Nothing, everything’s fine,” Talin said returning to his feet. “Just a misunderstanding,” he said casting his eyes over Kegan and Tork.
“Itheus is requesting the five of you to join him in his chambers,” the man said, his eyes locked on Kegan. “He says that it is urgent.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
After a few silent and tense moments, Talin led the four of us back into the woods. Instead of leading us back towards the fire, he led us up the mountain. The higher we climbed the harder the ground got beneath our feet, and the more the trees thinned.
A small stone cottage sat just below the mountain's peak, candles burning bright on both sides of the door.
Talin reached for the door, but before he could knock Itheus swung it open. “It’s some view tonight, isn’t it?” he said, bracing himself in the doorway.
“You could say once in a lifetime opportunity,” Talin said taking Itheus’ hand in his own.
Realizing I hadn’t looked back since we left the trees, I turned around.
The view was unreal, completely breathtaking. The forest lay just below us, smoke from the campfire streamed into the darkened night sky; beyond the forest stretched the ocean for as far as I could see. Its dark blue waters illuminated by the aura that stretched beyond our sight and reflecting the silver beams of the moon, as the aura we created danced high into the sky.