The man approached me. I could smell the odor of death around him. He was a half-necromancer half-sorcerer. There was more to him. A werewolf as well?
After prodding my side with his high boot, his gaze locked on Kirman.
“My employer assured me she’ll be unconscious, beaten and injured.”
Kirman looked away. “We made—” a gurgling sound came from Kirman’s mouth. The man in black whirled about…
“Mental blade,” said a voice that sent a shiver down my spine. A translucent blade went through the man’s head leaving no trace of blood or a wound. None the less, the man dropped on the ground like a sack.
“Flare.”
“YOU! You’re behind all of this. I knew it.”
I shook with anger. I knew it all along. Selene was behind the attacks.
“Some of this, yes. It was my work. You see, the day Dramer brought you into the city and claimed that he couldn’t breach your mental defenses… it was unheard of. I delved into your mind that day to see for myself and… I was repelled by a power that should not be there. A unicorn’s magic shoved me out of your mind that day. It sealed itself. That was why you couldn’t use a part of your strength. Then came the Dual Mind spell. In the moments I was destroying Elleria’s construct, I found it there. I think, Elleria with the use of the Green Eye noticed the same inside you. I believe she suspected the truth of who you might be. It destroyed her. If you didn’t know, her mind had been wiped out. And there is also my mother who walked inside your head and while her powers are of a different magnitude to mine, she couldn’t breach the seal. I think she’d suspected me at first, then realized you could be genuine. All the demi-dragons cling to you must make Atrax aware of who you might be. That is why Dramer was sent to bring his oldest brother – Bastiel – a demi-dragon whose the other half is not human. Atrax prepares for a confrontation. Fortunately, without confirmation, there is a stand-off. No one wants to make the first move… oh, well. My mother and sister already had. These two here were hired by Esiane to bring you to her, as well as Children of Entropy who believed they are going to deliver you to your death. Good for you that these primitives are easy to manipulate. I only hope you didn’t hurt Lunares too much. He’s a lost soul.”
“Get this thing off me,” I grunted.
“Not so quick. I, for one, must know if this is true. There’s a prophecy of Trinity. A person who will overthrow the Usurpators in the Heavens. See, there is too much coincidence, for me to ignore. Eight years ago, a powerful being came down on Earth in search of something… or someone. That year you lost your mother Sol. I don’t know details, Flare. But I have to know if you’re the one the prophecy speaks of. My mother or Atrax, they won’t stop until they know. But unlike me. They couldn’t care less about your life.”
“Get off—”
The old chamber winked out of existence and an even older place appeared in its stead. I felt the breath of antiquity. This chamber, made of silver and rare exotic stone, was thousands of years old.
Steep stairs led to an altar. This entire place must be larger than the Academy itself. Many of the alcoves and niches hid in the darkness. Some of the old football stadiums which have survived the Titan War would be dwarfed by the size of this place.
The floor resembled a chessboard with softly shining gems in every second square.
“I see you can already see the true beauty of this temple.”
“I’ll tell you nothing until…” my words faltered. I planned to say that she needed to explain everything, but hadn’t she done that already? The implication of her words slowly settled down. But there was one thing that cut through all accumulated information.
The fifth demi-dragon.
Bastiel.
He was coming with Dramer.
Selene’s perfect silhouette seemed to be part of this place. She looked up at the altar. Behind it stood the building that quivered in and out of reality. It almost seemed to be a figment of my imagination. Black windowless holes watched me. The enormous double door stood closed.
“There is nothing to fear, Flare.”
“Then get the web off me,” I snapped.
“This, I cannot do,” Selene admitted with almost a regretful note in her voice. “This spell is attuned to you and the altar there.”
Selene’s hand flickered and an invisible hand lifted me. Selene went ahead. I levitated behind her, unable to move, unable to get my power out. It was infuriating. Selene reached the bottom of the silver stairs. Power burst out of her into the stairs. I felt tremors. The temple welcomed her. It somehow became alive.
I couldn’t say what the stairs were made of, but from much closer, they looked immaterial. Selene’s steps were leaving afterglow on their thin surface. I knew there was something important, something I was missing here. What is it?
At first, I instinctively reached out to Lotian, but in this chamber, such connections were forbidden. Somehow I knew this. If I wanted to speak to my boyfriend, then the only way was through the altar.
“Don’t delve into this place too deeply. The amount of knowledge will overwhelm you.”
What the hell she was talking about? Delving into that place?
We reached the platform with the altar on it. It was made of many mishappen white granite slabs interconnected by the veins of pink and violet crystals. The top of the altar didn’t even have space for me to lay.
What is she planning…?
“Flare, I won’t lie to you. It’s a dangerous ritual. On Alicorn they call it the Ritual of Tears. Only unicorns can pass it.
“What do you mean? I’m not a unicorn! I’m a dragoness… Selene! What the hell are you talking about?”
“The prophecy talks about the first half-unicorn half-dragon, Flare. The line goes like this: born out of fire and time, raised in the enemy’s shadow. Chains will herald… sorry, but we don’t have time to go over the entire prophecy.”
Parkale. Parahzim. Parad.
All of sudden, the web ensnaring me, shuddered and the little gleaming threads shot toward the altar.
“Good luck, Flare.”
*
Before I could scream in terror, Selene, the altar and the chamber disappeared. Muted smokes spread everywhere in sight. Fear gripped my heart as I realized how close this resembled the Shard of Delirium. I whirled searching for the way out.
Grayness in every direction I looked. Except above. I wished I didn’t glance up. Darkness boiled there. I was back in the Wastelands. Instead of expected relief, I felt… empty inside. No matter how much I hated the Academy, I didn’t want to leave it.
“Halo?” I called out hoping for a response.
“Don’t stand there, girl, follow me. We have only a short window before the Tainted come down to the river.”
I spun as something tickled my memory, but the true blow came when I saw her.
Sol.
My legs turned to jelly.
She was wearing her stupid gladiator’s armor, her dark hair was pinned together. Scars all over her muscular body held their own history, which she hadn’t ever shared with me. Did she?
“Move,” she hissed. Sol wasn’t the most patient of parents.
I glanced at the sides expecting to find a younger version of me there because the place seemed so familiar as if I really had been there. But there was no one here except us.
She turned at last.
“Flarisa.”
Oh, how I’ve hated this name. She used it to rile me up. Every time.
“Don’t call me that!” I snapped before I had a chance to remind myself that it was only a vision. And here she surprised me.
“Then move your sorry arse. We have at best a quarter of an hour before the Tainted come.”
In her eyes, I saw my reflection. My uniform was gone, replaced by the beast furs she’d hunted earlier. The normal
clothes existed in the Wastelands, but Sol was never feeling compelled to steal them. She has often spoken of how important it was to stay close to nature.
“What is this?” I asked lamely.
The smokes and mists dispersed completely then, revealing the Old Valley where had used to be a lively river, now remained a dried-up riverbed.
“Are you okay, Flare? You look shaken.” She called me by my normal name. It was a bad sign. Sol has tormented me with all those stupid names for a reason.
I felt the tears pooling in my eyes. I stopped them. This couldn’t be. It wasn’t real. This place. Her.
“I’m okay, mother. Let’s get to the river,” a drilled response came out of me before I could stop it.
Her eyes stayed on me for a couple of seconds, judging, then she nodded and set off toward the decline between boulders. Ruins that have given testament of the past lay scattered in every direction. They were a reminder of the Titan War and how it has erased everything mankind had achieved. I’d given a little thought about this then, but now, after seeing the Great York City, I knew better than remaining ignorant.
“Mother, can you tell me who am I?”
I’ve never asked her that question and this couldn’t be real. This must be a vision no matter how real it felt.
“I’ve waited for this,” my mother replied without breaking her stride. “No matter what do you think is happening to you now, my daughter, the truth is, you’re on the verge of becoming you. The real you. The Daugther of Fire and Time. I don’t know from how far in the future you came and I don’t care. It only assures me that my days on this plane are coming to an end. I can’t say by whom hand I’ll die. The Titan God, or the unified forces of Atrax and Mirenne, or maybe angels decided to make their move at last. It doesn’t matter, Flare…”
“Sol, stop! I can’t lose you again. I don’t understand anything of this, but it feels real. You… you’re real, aren’t you?”
Sol stopped, she didn’t look back. Her back straightened.
“Fate can be cruel. It cannot be changed. I know my fate. I’ve always known it since your real mother left you under my care.”
I gasped, my hand closed my mouth as I wanted to scream. This couldn’t be real. Sol wasn’t my real mother? Why? How?
I dropped to my knees. Pain that flared was a distant thing.
“You aren’t…” The words couldn’t come through my parched throat.
“I’m not,” replied Sol. “But fear not. My power played a crucial role at the moment that gave you life. Dragons and unicorns cannot have children. But the King of Dragons, the Queen of Unicorns and I, Gaia, the Mother of Earth, found a way to make it happen. I am your parent as much as they are.”
“Gaia… but… but Gaia is a titan and titans were enemies.”
Sol-Gaia squinted with a grin at me. Her smiles were always sad. Not this time. I saw the sunshine and hope blooming in her dusty eyes.
“Some of us joined the fight against Tartaros.”
“What happened?” I asked and suddenly my voice sounded distance.
Sol watched me closely… not me. The flame-haired girl clad in furs in front of me. Then she said. “Nothing, Flarisa. Let’s go before the Tainted get there before us.”
Suddenly, I understood and remembered this moment. This exact moment in my past. A force shoved me back. The Wastelands, Sol and younger me turned to smoke. In a blink of an eye, I was back, laying by the altar. Tears didn’t pool any longer they flowed liberally. A quiet sob turned into loud crying.
I didn’t care that the web wasn’t hindering me any longer. Sol had known she was going to die and she did nothing to save her life. I was truly there. I really talked to her. Oh, Sol. I’m sorry for thinking that you abandoned me. I am so stupid, so naïve. I wish I could tell you that I’m sorry, I wish we had more time… wait.
“Return me there! Return me to her!”
Selene stood a few feet from the altar. Her silhouette unmoving, her unicorn’s power at all high. If I didn’t know better I’d think she was showing off. But I knew better. She was ready to strike me down.
“Impossible. This isn’t the way this all works,” she admitted without turning. “Your own power took your consciousness somewhere into the past or the future. Showed you something that made your unicorn’s tears flow. You can’t use the altar anymore. It was built for only one purpose. It confirms your unicorn’s heritage. No one is permitted to hold this much power over time.”
So I moved my consciousness into the past with the use of this altar? If this was possible then there should be a way to make this trip again. Whoever built this altar must have a different goal in mind. I needed to return and save Sol. She should never sacrifice for me.
“We should hurry up. My mother and sister can be occupied only for so much time. They’ll realize that both Children of Entropy and Red Marks failed and will know why. We don’t want them coming here.”
Selene extended her hand. “Touch it.”
Anger pulsed inside me in so many different forms. I wanted to strike her down, call her names, but in the end, I understood how stupid and childish such behavior was. If Selene wanted me dead, I’d be dead by now. She’s had so many occasions and here I was. The problem was, I knew all of this, I consciously tried to stay calm and be nice to her, but my hatred came from my heart. As long as she has had Dramer we were going to be on bad terms.
“Flare. Time is of utmost importance. Grab my hand. We must leave this place.”
I braced myself and did it.
Chapter 20
Nix
The report from lieutenant Finnks came too late. The director of the Academy used a bulk of old laws and regulations to get the Dragon Soldiers out of the building. Her arguments were silly and easy to overthrow, but that was meaningless. She required only a few hours where the Law Court would need a day or two to reject her reasoning. It was the bad timing to leave the Academy now. Mirenne knew I’d have to attend the First Day of Light ceremony.
Lotian’s last message two days ago sounded negative. The attempt to kidnap Flare was on us. The Dragon Soldiers should never allow a wilding inside the Academy. Unfortunately, the first interrogation gave us nothing. After the situation with Elleria, this should be expected. Someone badly wanted her and their tentacles could reach far enough to deal with the loose ends.
Still, it made no sense. The werewolf would never leave the building with Flare. It looked that whoever wanted him inside, did it only to put us in the bad light.
Dramer is going to be pissed off when he hears about all the mess in the Academy. He may go on a rampage that will see that place torn apart. How will I play it out? If I won’t act as captain of Dragon Corps, then my carrier will be as good as gone. If I try to stop my brother, it’d mean betrayal.
“Demi-dragon Nix,” lieutenant Simmons kneeled. “Soldiers are in positions. Every street is secured and watched. The procession should not face any issues.”
I waved him away, distracted by the thoughts of Flare and my brother. What will he do, if he learns about me and her? Gods above. This is bad.
An emergency call came from Lotian. We never had a direct line before. Our shared time with Flare has changed much.
“Nix, where the fuck are you? Flare’s gone! I can’t find a single Dragon Soldier here. Send them… or fuck that, come here yourself!”
My breath caught. Some of the closest of my soldiers who stayed with me at the backstage of the ceremonial platform noticed a sudden nervousness on my face.
“I’m coming. Where are you?”
“Commons between fairies’ and supernatural’s sections. The same we used for pranks.”
Among all the common rooms this had the worst reputation. It was set in the spot with the least safety in place. Many shady deals have gone there.
“Simmons, you’re in cha
rge of the parade now.” Not waiting for his shocked response. I teleported to the garage. The Academy had locked all its direct teleportation ports. It’d be meaningless to lure me out only to allow me back at the first moment I heard about Flare. Clearly, the board of the Academy was behind this. Saaron didn’t possess enough authority to do so. The interrogation and the vote was a sham. They haven’t given up on her. Why couldn’t they leave her alone?
I got to my car and froze. The smell of a dark spell sank down. I whirled in time to avoid the explosion. Tendrils of thick blackness shot in all directions, dissolving anything they touched. My SUV disappeared in the cloud of choking fumes. They were toxic as hell.
Spells began flying then. Forbidden curses and sorcery blackest than the sky outside this city.
A shied gave me a second to think. The attackers weren’t small fries one would expect. They all were at least level six supernaturals, dragons, fairies and maybe a unicorn.
“Kill that fucker!” shouted someone. They were idiots to think they could overpower a demi-dragon. The underground garage filled with smoke as soon as I rose to face them. I sent a beam of dragon fire toward the supernatural who has been sending deadly curses at me all this time. The beam dispersed the smoke around it. The shocked face and a short scream of terror were the last things the supernatural left on this plane.
Angry yells followed his death. One dragon of level six came at me out of the smoke. I dropped him with one punch. Are they for real? While the dark spell-bomb beneath my SUV was a threat, this bunch of clowns wasn’t.
I dropped dead another two, and yet the onslaught on their part didn’t diminish. The building shook as explosive charges went off in the distance. The concrete pillars were turned into the shower of pebbles. This place was going to fall apart. Instinctively, I concentrated on teleporting outside, but it failed. Something blocked me. Not a spell, not that. None of the attackers was capable of conjuring such magic. I knew of one artifact that could stop me from escaping. The Broken Will of Sammer. That thing should be in the city vault as should have been the Shard of Delirium.
The Tears of Unicorns Page 15