The Beast's Beloved

by Amber Burns

  Liandrya sighed. “I have dealings with anyone in Lehnos who is willing to pay for my skills and services. Lehnos has many dark elves living there because they wished to start new lives away from the murder and mayhem that plague the Under Realm. I didn’t think anything of a dark elf asking me for help retrieving what she claimed was a family heirloom.”

  “Lehnos,” Raeloun mused as old feelings of heartache began rising up from where he had buried them. “Is that where you have been these past seven years?”

  “Among other places, but yes...primarily,” Liandrya replied with a small shuffle of her feet before sighing. “I hardly think where I’ve been spending the past seven years matters in this instance, Raeloun. The bottom line is that this relic must be dealt with before the body count increases even more.”

  Raeloun sighed and uncrossed his arms. “Let me see the relic.”

  Liandrya blinked. “What? Why?”

  “Because I wish to see what is so dangerous that you would bring chaos into my realm,” Raeloun replied evenly before tapping the table with his index finger. “Let me see it, now.”

  Liandrya sighed and gave a small shale of her head before reluctantly pulling the box out of her satchel. “Alright, I’ll let you see the relic,” she said while closing the distance to the table and placing the box down atop it. “But you must promise me that you won’t touch it.”

  Raeloun arched an eyebrow.

  “Please, Raeloun,” Liandrya entreated softly. “I know you’re angry with me, and you have every right to be, but I beseech you to please trust me in this instance. Do not touch the relic.”

  Raeloun regarded Liandrya silently for several moments before giving her a silent nod. He then carefully opened the box and recoiled immediately as his eyes widened upon seeing the contents within. “Lymryn, hurry to the temple immediately and instruct the Lodestar to ready the purification ritual. Why are you still standing there? Go now!”

  Put it on.

  Liandrya looked to her former lover bemusedly as Lymryn scrambled from the room. “You know what it is?” Again, she felt the odd stirring within her that called to her to don the mask. It was stronger than before, but she once again resisted.

  Put it on.

  “Of course, I know what that atrocity is,” Raeloun replied while hurriedly slamming the box closed. “All Lords and Ladies know of the Mask of Essence. How else are we to ensure it can never harm those under our protection should it ever come to light?” He ran an agitated hand through his crimson locks. “Two eclipses in one month...I knew that couldn’t be a coincidence. We thought it to be a precursor to war, but this...this is much worse.”

  “But, the High Priestess of Dynol didn’t know what it was,” Liandrya remarked, even as dread settled in her stomach upon recalling that the moon had been blacked out as if by magic when she had unearthed the mask.

  “Unlike your mortal kin, the elves are not so quick to forget history, lest we be in danger of repeating it,” Raeloun retorted before sighing and gingerly rubbing his forehead. “Anfarwol’s mercy, what have you gotten yourself into, my little lark?”

  Liandrya reached up and lightly placed a hand upon Raeloun’s arm. “I didn’t know this would happen when I took the job, but even if I hadn’t taken it, then Morkessa would’ve found someone else to do her bidding...someone lacking in my moral compass.” She sighed. “The moment I opened the box and felt the evil emanating from the mask, I knew I couldn’t let Morkessa have it.”

  “And you have been running ever since?” Raeloun asked with concern while placing a hand over Liandrya’s.

  Liandrya nodded.

  Raeloun sighed and gave a small shake of his head. “Liandrya, my little lark, you have put yourself in incredible danger.”

  “I had no choice,” Liandrya replied. “Once I learned just what it was I had in my possession, I thought the best thing to do was to purify it at the temples. I thought that one temple would be enough, but…”

  Raeloun shook his head and sighed. “No, it wouldn’t be. It must be taken to each of the temples and cleansed before it can finally be destroyed. Unless…”

  “Unless what?” Liandrya asked.

  Raeloun frowned in thought. “I hesitate to even mention it, because there is no substantiated proof that it will even work, but, there is a section of text within the ancient script that declares that destruction of the mask would be possible if it was to be worn by a person who was the very antithesis of the mask. According to the text, the goodness and love in the heart of the person would nullify forever the hatred and evil sealed within the mask.”

  “Where’s the catch?” Liandrya asked cautiously. “There’s always a catch.”

  Raeloun sighed. “The text is not clear as to what happens to the person once the mask is destroyed. Some speculate that the person would serve as a sacrificial lamb and be destroyed with the mask, while others believe that the person who would so willingly risk themselves for the good of all would emerge unscathed.”

  Liandrya slowly exhaled while drawing her hand away from Raeloun’s arm so she could carefully place the box back into her satchel. “That’s a fairly large catch.”

  “Indeed,” Raeloun replied with a nod before sighing. “Come on. The ritual must be done as soon as possible.” He motioned for Liandrya to follow him as he began striding for the door.

  “Right behind you,” Liandrya said as she fell into step behind the man who had once meant so much to her. It did not take her long to realize that Raeloun had automatically shortened his stride so she could easily keep pace with him. She could not help but smile despite the direness of the situation as she and Raeloun moved at a quick clip outside and in the direction of the temple.

  After several moments of silence, Raeloun suddenly stopped in his tracks and gently pulled Liandrya to a halt beside him. “Why did you leave me?” he asked.

  Liandrya blinked and stared up at Raeloun in surprise. “Wha...Raeloun, this is hardly the time to discuss this.”

  “I believe it is the perfect time,” Raeloun replied.

  “Why?” Liandrya demanded.

  Raeloun narrowed his amber eyes. “Because seven years ago, you left me without any reason or explanation,” he said in a low voice. “I searched for you for weeks and found no trace. I assumed the worst, Liandrya. I thought you were dead.”

  Liandrya gulped and tried to ease her arm free, but Raeloun only tightened his grip. “I didn’t want you to find me.”

  “Clearly,” Raeloun scoffed. “But the tables are now turned. You have come to me. Now, if during the ritual, my realm happens to fall under the same attack as Dorlyn’s temple, then there is the increasingly real possibility that I might meet my end,” Raeloun hissed while tightening his grip. “If I am to die, then I would like to know why you left me the way you did.” His expression softened along with his grip. “Was it something I said? Something I did?”

  Liandrya shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “No, it wasn’t anything like that. You were wonderful,” she said while reaching up with her free hand and cupping Raeloun’s cheek.

  “Then why?” Raeloun asked in a whisper while leaning into Liandrya’s palm.

  “Self-preservation,” Liandrya answered. “I was protecting myself.”

  “From what?” Raeloun asked.

  “Having my heart broken,” Liandrya answered after several moments of silence. At Raeloun’s look of confusion, she sighed and slowly lowered her hand. “I was falling in love with you, Raeloun, and I knew that nothing would ever come of it, so I decided to spare you the inevitable and awkward conversation in which you would undoubtedly end things between us.”

  Raeloun slowly let go of Liandrya’s arm and dropped his hand. “What do you mean that you knew nothing would ever come of it?”

  “Raeloun...you’re the Lord of your own realm, and I’m a half-breed who can’t pick her birth parents out of a crowd...a bastard.” Liandrya smile ruefully. “I was hardly a suitable choice for anything more th
an what I really was for you...a distraction, a pleasant diversion until you found someone with whom you could bond and spend the rest of your days.”

  It was with a bemused expression that Raeloun regarded Liandrya. “Is that what you truly believed? Is that’s how you truly believed I thought of you?”

  “Wasn’t it?” Liandrya asked.

  Raeloun gazed deeply into Liandrya’s eyes while shaking his head. “Liandrya, I loved you,” he said fervently. “You were no mere diversion for me. You were the woman I wanted. Clever, brave, and beautiful...what else could I have wanted in a mate?” He raised a hand and gently brushed his knuckles over Liandrya’s cheek. “Had you not vanished from my side the way you did, I would have asked you to bond with me and be my lifemate. I would have pledged myself to you for the remainder of your days.”

  Confusion flooded Liandrya’s face. “But...but, you never said anything.”

  “Forgive me, but I thought I had more time,” Raeloun replied wryly while lowering his hand. “And I thought my actions spoke for me. The gifts and tokens of affection, my helping you in repairing the abandoned and ramshackled cabin you had claimed as your own because you refused to live within the gates of my realm, the fact that we would spend hours talking with each other in between our lovemaking...I thought you would know how I felt about you. Had I known that our last time together would truly be our last, I would have professed my love for you from the very treetops for all to hear.”

  “I…” Liandrya hung her head. “I am sorry, Raeloun. Can you ever forgive me?”

  Raeloun sighed and gently hooked a finger under Liandrya’s chin so he could tilt her face up towards his own. “I blame myself. If I had only said something, you and I could have been together all this time.” He glanced down at Liandrya’s flat belly with longing. “Perhaps even with a child.”

  “I honestly thought you would have moved on,” Liandrya uttered sadly. “The last thing I wanted was to cause you pain. I thought I was doing the right thing. After all, I didn’t think it was possible for someone like you to fall in love with someone like me.”

  “Do you really think so little of yourself?” Raeloun asked bemusedly. “Do you truly have so little self-worth?”

  “I did then,” Liandrya admitted. “But over the past seven years, I have become increasingly comfortable in my own skin.” It had of course been a direct result of her accomplishments as a mercenary and a treasure hunter, but a large portion of it had been a direct result of Dorlyn and Vylkur. “No longer am I filled with self-loathing and doubt,” she added with a smile.

  Raeloun smiled. “Then all is not lost, my lovely lark. You have come back to me, and now we can begin anew. Once the mask has been dealt with, we can be together at last.” He took both of Liandrya’s hands in his own. “My feelings for you certainly have not changed, and I can see in your lovely eyes that you still care for me. I will pledge myself to you, Liandrya, and we will be bonded.” His smile grew, and he raised Liandrya’s hands to his lips and kissed them both. “Oh, Liandrya dearest, think of how happy we will be by each other’s sides.”

  Liandrya’s smile faltered, her heart sank down to the very earth, and her eyes welled up with tears with the knowledge that she was about to break Raeloun’s heart yet again. “You can’t still want me after all this time, Raeloun,” she protested softly. “Surely, there is someone else?”

  Raeloun slowly shook his head. “You are hardly easy to forget, little lark,” he murmured as his own smile melted away at the sight of Liandrya’s sorrow. “There’s someone else for you, isn’t there?” he asked softly while letting go of Liandrya’s hands.

  Liandrya could manage no words, so she simply nodded.

  “I see,” Raeloun mused softly. “How long?”.

  “Two years,” Liandrya answered.

  Raeloun slowly nodded. “Is he good to you? Does he treat you well?”

  Liandrya smiled. “Yes,” she answered fervently. They both are.

  Raeloun fell silent for a few moments. “Are you happy? Do you love him?”

  “Yes,” Liandrya answered with a nod. “And yes, very much.” The both of them.

  Raeloun closed his eyes and slowly exhaled before opening his eyes once more. “I would be lying if I said I was not envious of him,” he began before sighing softly. “But, I cannot fault you for finding happiness, my lark. At least, I can take comfort in the fact that I lost you to someone worthy of you...however small that comfort might be.”

  “You were my first love, Raeloun,” Liandrya murmured while reaching up and cupping the elf’s cheek in her palm.

  Raeloun gently rested a hand upon Liandrya’s and gazed sadly down into her eyes. “I simply wasn’t meant to be your last.” Sighing, he turned his head and pressed a tender kiss to Liandrya’s palm before reluctantly moving her hand away from his face. “Come,” he said after clearing his throat. “The ritual awaits.”

  Liandrya nodded and began preceding Raeloun towards the temple.

  “Keep alert,” Raeloun ordered the guards who had been watching him and Liandrya curiously up until that point. “I want all guards within the gates to close ranks around the temple. Protect the temple at all costs. Understand?”

  “It shall be as you command, My Lord.”

  “No one gets in,” Raeloun reiterated. “It is of the utmost importance that the ritual not be interrupted.”

  “Understood, My Lord. It shall be as you command.”

  12

  If it had not been for the urgency of the moment, Liandrya would have taken the time to fully appreciate the utter beauty of Anfarwol’s temple. The marble columns situated throughout were inlaid with gold and stretched up to the ceiling which was made of glass so perfectly clear that the sky was always visible, and all throughout the temple were crystals meant to capture and radiate light from the sun as well as the moon and stars.

  Because Anfarwol was the very antithesis of her twin, Tywyll, she was heralded as being the light in the darkness. As such, any and all light was believed to be representative of Anfarwol’s presence as she kept the darkness and shadows of her sister at bay. Light was sacred to the elven deity, and so her temple was designed to ensure that it was always filled with light.

  For the elves, any absence of light was a bad omen. While mortals viewed eclipses as curiosities to be celebrated, the elves regarded them with dread; for, it was during these times in which the dark and twisted races were more inclined to push back against the light and rise up under the banner of their fallen goddess. As such, eclipses were tracked and charted exceedingly closely by the Lodestar so the elven people would never be caught unawares by their dark counterparts.

  The Lodestar now stood behind the altar with his acolyte by his side. So, named because of his duty of being the guiding light on Anfarwol’s behalf, the Lodestar was a powerful cleric who devoted his entire life to the elven goddess. Not restricted by gender, the Lodestars and their acolytes were chosen by Anfarwol herself, and they spent the rest of their existences guiding their people and ensuring that Anfarwol’s light was never extinguished from the world. If the Lodestar happened to die, then their acolyte would be elevated to their position, and Anfarwol would select a new acolyte to replace them.

  “Lodestar Golau,” Raeloun greeted with a polite bow of his head. “Thank you for readying the ritual so quickly.

  Golau, who had been staring down at Liandrya openly from his statuesque height, blinked and cleared his throat before turning his attention to Raeloun. “Of course, My Lord.” He quickly turned his gaze back to Liandrya, and his long, ethereal, white-blond hair swayed with the movement of his head. “And, you are?”

  “Liandrya,” the half-elf replied with a respectful bow of her head.

  The corners of Golau’s mouth turned up into a small smile as something odd glimmered in his fathomless blue eyes. “Liandrya,” he repeated softly. “It is good to meet you...Liandrya.”

  Liandrya smiled uncertainly. She knew that she had never before m
et the highly revered man; and yet, he gazed at her now with what could only be described as recognition and pride. “Thank you,” she replied while taking the box out of her satchel and placing it upon the altar. “And thank you for what you’re about to do.”

  “Thank you for the part you played in getting it here, little Liandrya,” Golau said while opening the box.

  Put it on.

  Liandrya closed her eyes and tried to drown out the voice, which now spoke in her mind as clear as a bell in a resonate, feminine voice. The urge to grab the mask and put it upon her face clawed at her very being.

  Put it on, Liandrya.

  Liandrya gasped and shook her head. That was the first time the voice had called Liandrya by name, and she was highly unnerved by it.

  “Are you alright?”

  Feeling a hand upon her shoulder, Liandrya’s eyes snapped open to reveal Raeloun looking at her with evident concern. “Hmm? What?”