“We can marry tomorrow, my love. Résalyn would gladly witness our union.”
“Then tomorrow I will no longer be Níkolína Rachéle Lucíano but Níkolína Rachéle Daesyn and most important of all your wife.”
“The only issue is with my age, I do risk leaving you alone much longer than I would wish to.”
“I will have Rahéla and the siblings we will give her. I will have the grandchildren we will have. I will have Kélinae and her family. I will never be alone. And if you have taught me anything about being Ilysian, it is that death is never the end. We will be together again in our next life.”
He leaned down and kissed her again. Tomorrow the woman who held his entire heart would be his wife. He would relish in these moments of happiness before he had to get back to his tasks relating to the coming war. For the next few days he could be just John, a man in love and a father. After that he would have to go back to the difficult work of finding out what the dark forces were up to and continuing to build the alliances. War was coming sooner than they could expect and he just wanted some time to enjoy the joyous moments that were filling his life right now before it did begin.
Katie walked into her husband’s office with Adelaide. They had spent a portion of the day working with the older teens on Ilysian history. She knew that Robert and James had a meeting with John earlier. James had scheduled it during the history lessons on purpose. He wanted John to listen to him regarding Zak’s request because their son had a right to know his true heritage. The only other thing he had told her about the meeting was that there was much that had to be discussed before they held another gathering of the resistance members they had recruited here in Gemaronica.
She took a seat at the table next to her husband as Adelaide and Robert took the seats across from them. They were four friends but two couples that had promised to stick together through everything because they knew that the time would come when it would be difficult on them all to go on. That’s why they made the vow they did to always stand by each other and keep each other from ever trying to give up on the goals they had for their lives and their homeland. She could tell that her husband and Robert were both bothered by the things they had to share with them. It was obvious that John did not bring them good news.
“By the looks on your faces it does not look like you are about to give Adelaide and me any good news,” Katie said breaking the silence that seemed to loom over them.
“The only good news is that John has agreed to meet with Zak and tell him the truth of his heritage,” James responded quickly.
“That is most certainly good news. When?”
“A fortnight from now in Ilysia.”
“I don’t like the idea of him going there alone.”
“Katie, you know that John won’t let anything happen to Zak. He will protect him just as well as we would.”
“I know and I trust James with my life. I just worry about our son being there without us.”
“We have no choice but to learn to let them start going to Ilysia now,” Robert remarked.
“What kind of reports did he give the two of you?” Adelaide inquired.
“The Empress’s forces are growing in Corinthia. They’re preparing for war sooner than we expect. There’s been a lot of dark activity going on in the disputed territories.”
“How bad?”
“Pretty bad. Werewolves and Vampires have been taking over a lot of those places. People of all races have been attacked, even elves.”
Katie gasped aloud at the last words Robert spoke. Elves were starting to be attacked. She might have been only half-Elven but they were still her people. The forces of the Empress have never attacked them before. If anything she knew that this might finally be enough for King Roanív to join the fight.
“I’m sorry, Katie,” James stated. “I expect your Uncle may finally get his way with the King and we will see the elves join us.”
“It was never supposed to be like this, James!” Katie exclaimed. “My father…”
“I called your mother earlier. She’s packing their things and booking the next train in from Helzingkan. They’re going to be staying with us until we are all back in Ilysia for good.”
“What about all of those they recruited in Finaltios?”
“They’re being informed that they need to start preparing to come to Gemaronica as close to Berdenheim as they can.”
“And the network that’s been built in Svelyatas?”
“Robert has already been in contact with Sylvia. She’s gathering her group and preparing them to make their way here as well.”
“Within the next month, Sylvia’s people should begin to arrive. She will be here within the fortnight,” Robert added.
“What about the Empress’s forces in Corinthia?” Adelaide questioned. “Are they still only in Rutania?”
“Possibly not anymore. He’s heard reports that possibly some from Gemaronica have joined or even defected out of our own ranks.”
Silence filled the air as Katie’s head sank. They were right about John bringing bad news. It could not get much worse than the thought of one of their own betraying them for the Empress. What if it was someone that knew about Addí? Just how much danger were they in now?
“Is this confirmed?” Katie asked. “Does he know without a doubt someone may have betrayed us?”
“No, not yet,” James quickly answered. “He told us that his right hand in his group is from Moserovo and she could easily make contact with some of those loyal to the Empress.”
“He would put his own spy at risk?”
“He says she would be at no risk as it’s her brothers who would never suspect her to be a spy for the resistance under Queen Résalyn’s protection.”
“How did he find someone like her?” Adelaide queried.
“He said he just happened to run into her the day she came to Ilysia for the first time nearly four years ago. They’ve been working together ever since.”
“He honestly talks like she’s more than just someone who works with him to spy on the Empress’s forces,” Robert remarked.
“Robert, you always think things like that!” Adelaide observed.
“You did not hear him talk about her. She’s clearly different from the others to him.”
“I never thought I would hear the day that someone would tell me that John Daesyn might have actually fallen in love. I thought he had sworn off any relationships,” Katie recalled.
“As did we all,” James concluded. “But Robert is right in the way he speaks about her.”
“What else did he tell you?”
“Kélinae is missing.”
Katie could not speak. She knew that few had contact with the heir to the white Fae court in seventeen years. She knew that Résalyn herself had not even seen her eldest daughter but John Daesyn had maintained contact with her. John was her father and the only one she had been known to regularly speak with. Kélinae was practically a ghost to everyone but John. Katie knew that if John said she was missing then something was wrong, very wrong.
“That is not good,” Adelaide announced.
“It’s far from not good,” Katie said in agreement. “It’s almost as bad as the news we may have been betrayed.”
“Is he sure she’s alive?”
“That’s all he’s sure of,” Robert informed them. “He just knows whatever has kept her from contacting him is not good.”
“It scares me as much as I can tell it scares all of you,” James declared.
“I’m glad to know that because I fear what would happen if the Empress got ahold of Résalyn’s heir and John’s only child. I would not want to be on the other side of that fury,” Katie replied.
“We can only hope that there is a reason she is not in contact with him and that it is not because the Empress has captured her.”
“I hope to all of the gods that she is safe and far away from the Empress.”
“As do we all,” Adelaide added.
They continued to discuss the things John had shared with heavy hearts. They had hoped there would be more time before they had to truly start preparing for war. Now it seemed that the time they hoped for would not be granted. They had to start making permanent arrangements in the days to come. Everything was changing much too fast and it was only going to continue to do so. All of their worlds had the potential to be torn into tiny pieces that bled freely. Katie never wanted to be a witness to the death and destruction war could bring. Now she would have no choice if she wanted to see her homeland completely free. This would be one of the sacrifices they were all going to have to make.
Chapter Ten
Shane followed Ísábella through the dark and dingy alleyways of Moserovo. His father was back in Berdenheim finalizing everything for their visas. The governments were not easy to work with but they knew that this was the right move to prove loyalty to the Empress. He had come here through the portal in Ilysia with his new leader and ally. By the laws of the governments in Corinthia he should not be where he was. The truth was that he did not care about Corinthian legalities. He was Ilysian and a servant of the Empress. He was exactly where he was supposed to be.
He kept following as she led them into the back of a townhouse. They entered into a kitchen that was far from empty, as there were four that seemed to be around his age sitting around a table. The only ones missing seemed to be Ísábella’s boyfriend and daughter. They all looked at him as if they were examining him. He was doing the same as he easily identified the girl that should be Ísábella’s younger sister Dalía. She had asked a favor of him when it came to her younger sister. She felt that Dalía was too meek and impressionable. He was needed to try to bring her to a more devoted state with their cause by any means necessary, something Shane was happy to do for his new ally.
“Who is this, Ísábella?” Julíus asked.
“He is our new ally, Juíus,” she quickly answered him. “Now go get Rafe.”
“I’m Shane Richards, if you must know,” Shane spoke aloud as Julíus stood from his seat and turned to walk from the room. “I’m also an Ilysian and will now be one of your group.”
“Where are you from?” Nóra questioned as Julíus exited the room.
“Berdenheim, Gemaronica actually.”
“How did you manage to get here? I can barely send my sister a letter!”
“Your sister is there and you’re here?”
“She’s a student at the Berdenheim Arts Academy, attending on scholarship for the past three years.”
“Stop whining about your sister, Nóra!” Ísábella practically ordered before Shane could respond. “He’s going to be in Moserovo now.”
He observed at how the girl Nóra reacted to where he was from. She was clearly upset that he was there when she could have little to no contact with her sister. Ísábella’s words only made her more visibly upset. She seemed uncomfortable by his presence. The entire room filled with silence after Ísábella’s words, a strange kind of silence.
“What is your power, Shane?” Dalía inquired to break the awkward silence that was forming.
“My element is light,” he responded with a smile. “You must be Ísábella’s sister, Dalía.”
“I am.”
“She says your element is earth.”
“The same as Julíus. Nóra also shares your power.”
“And mine is fire,” Líssi added quietly.
He smiled at the girls but made sure that it was brighter to Dalía. He was going to help bring her more into the fold as he had been asked to do. It was his second most important task. The first, however, would leave blood on his hands.
“I’m here, Ísábella,” Rafe announced as he entered the room with Julíus behind him. “Who is the company you brought.”
“Rafe, I would like you to meet Shane Richards,” she replied with a smile as she pointed at Shane. “He and his father Galen are our new allies. They have come to us from Gemaronica.”
Rafe gave him a shocked look. He could tell that the man was shocked to see someone from his home country there. Gemaronica and Rutania were known to be major rivals though they shared a border. The differences between not only their governments but the way people lived in them were quite drastic. Shane could tell that as he walked with Ísábella to her home. There was nothing in Berdenheim that looked the way parts of Moserovo did.
“Berdenheim, actually,” Shane offered. “The home of the Resistance forces.”
He watched as their faces all formed shocked expressions. They apparently had never met a defector before or even expected to meet one.
“You defected from the Resistance?” Rafe questioned in disbelief.
“As did my father,” Shane proclaimed. “We chose to fight for the true leader of Ilysia not Résalyn’s dogs. Besides they’re hiding someone very important to the Empress from her.”
“Who?”
“The very girl we have been seeking,” Ísábella blurted. “She’s been in Berdenheim with the Resistance all along.”
“What girl?” the four teenagers asked in unison.
“A girl more powerful than all of us can imagine with the power to manipulate all five of the elements.”
“Someone can do that?” Líssi queried.
“It hasn’t happened in nearly a thousand years but it’s possible,” Rafe replied.
“And I have witnessed her use this power,” Shane remarked. “It is a bit surreal to see her use those abilities.”
“What’s so important about her?” Julíus inquired.
“We need her own our side or we will never put an end to the rebellion that is the resistance,” Ísábella announced. “The Empress cannot solidify her rule over all in Ilysia without this girl’s help.”
“So we need her on our side?”
“Yes and that is where Shane can help us.”
“Does that mean he’s going to live here now?” Nóra asked with a concerned expression. “Space is already kind of tight.”
“No I’m not living with you,” Shane answered with a laugh. “My parents are also moving to Moserovo. My father is arranging us a house near the City Centre.”
There was a collective gasp from all but Ísábella. Shane could tell that they did not expect him to come from money. It was quite obvious that they were all poor and used to having little. The slum areas of this city that they lived in were the worst he had ever seen. He felt dirty just standing there. He hoped that once his parents were able to come there that they could meet at his family home from now on. He did not want to be associated with this type of place.
“I do need to escort him back to Ilysia before anyone else discovers he is here. He is one of us now and will be living with his family in Moserovo soon,” Ísábella said to put a final end to the silence.
“Welcome to our team, Shane. I look forward to meet your parents and getting to know you better,” Rafe added sincerely.
“It was nice meeting you all,” Shane remarked with a grin. “I look forward to getting to know you better once I have officially moved to your city.”
With those words, he turned and followed Ísábella out of the townhouse and back into the streets of Moserovo. He was silently grateful that his family did have enough money to not have to live in these slums. He would be talking to his father about ensuring that they would come to their home so he would not have to venture back to this area again. He was feeling the need for a long, hot shower and hoped it would be enough to rid him of the way this place made him feel.
He stood back as Ísábella opened the portal and followed her through. He had been spending a lot of time at Pétríval Castle among the ranks of the Empress’s court. He found it suited him much better than where he had been with the resistance. He belonged here.
“I apologize for having to take you to such a place,” Ísábella stated as they began to walk towards the castle.
“There is nothing to apologize for. Soon you will live in much better circumstances. Reme
mber that,” he responded.
“And you will help me with my sister?”
“Of course I will. Perhaps if I woo her romantically it will be easier.”
“It would be nice to see her stop pining over Julíus.”
“Then worry no more. I’ll be sure that Dalía will give you no worries about her loyalties in the future. It will be quite easy with how beautiful she is. She just will never be as beautiful as you.”
Ísábella smiled at him as they approached the gates. They waited as the guards ordered for it to be opened.
“You flatter me,” she assessed. “Be sure you do more than flatter Dalía.”
“I will be sure to,” he assured her.
“And when do you make your move?”
“In a little more than a fortnight.”
“Good. Have you decided who to target?”
“I’m not sure. I just know it will be either RJ or Zak. I may not make the decision until it happens.”
“Thank you for willing to get blood on your hands.”
“Someone has to and it’s personal for me.”
She raised an eyebrow at him before speaking, “One day you will have to explain just how personal this truly is.”
He looked at her with a crooked grin as the gate raised before them. They quietly walked through towards the main entrance of the castle. There was still much work to be done before the move can finally be played. This was more than a gamble or a game. This was the only way they were going to show the resistance that no one is safe.
Ísábella stayed another few days in Ilysia. She was working closely with Shane to finalize his plans. They had the location perfectly selected. It was well inside of territory controlled by the opposition. While it was an area that was usually ruled over by the human King but on the borders of the other Fae Queen Résalyn’s territory. This village also held the advantage of being close to the disputed territory in the Dílanyséa region that was currently under their control. It seemed to be a perfect spot that would allow them to ambush their targets very effectively. The village of Tordéalín would soon be the place where they would take first blood.
A Darkness Awakens Page 13