Violissa rose from the bed and looked across the floor through the window once again. Daylight was receding, leaving a blush across the horizon. She needed to talk with her Council before the day was over. There were still too many things to say and do before the ascension, time was running short. Smoothing her hands along the skirt of her dress, she took one last big breath then walked toward the door.
Her Council was waiting for her in the front hall as she walked down the massive staircase. Some were pacing, most were standing, but all were looking at her with anticipation.
“Gentleman,” she said nonchalantly, “I expect you are waiting on me. I must say I don’t appreciate your talking with the king without my knowledge…no, it’s not quite that, it’s really the idea of you making decisions without me that bothers me.”
“To our defense, we left the decision in your hands. We merely started the process,” Kembal said as he followed her down the long hall that led to their planning room. This room was used any time they met officially as a Council. Since it was so rarely used, the fact that she was heading that direction told each of them that she meant business.
For the most part, their meetings were informal, taken around the breakfast table, while walking on the lawn or at times, anywhere they happened to be. It was also rare that they all met at one time unless an urgent or impactful decision had to be made. Mostly they spoke as a collective with enaigne, their ability to talk mentally to each other. This allowed them to continue attending to their many duties within the realm and still be able to discuss matters that needed to be addressed by all of them. It was rare for them all to be in the same vicinity; it was only the impending ascension that had brought them all to her today.
“Thank you, Kembal. I understand that.” She waved a hand, and the room was lit by crystal balls of light that appeared in each corner. The room was massive in both width and breadth. Rich tapestries depicting the history of their people draped the stone walls. Plush burgundy carpets covered the stone floor in most places where Violissa’s feet would walk. An oak table encompassing most of the room stood in the center, engulfed by ten large oak chairs, five on each side. A throne style chair stood at the head of the table, ornamental engravings of flowers running along its borders. It was in this chair that Violissa sat as she waited for the Council to be seated.
She looked out on the ten faces that had literally raised her. They were her family, the only family she had, which is why she knew they held her best interest at heart.
“I understand that your intentions regarding the invitation to Prince Sinow and myself to each other’s ascensions are noble ones. For that matter, all actions surrounding the prophecy that have occurred have been only in the best intentions, I’m sure. I know you want the best for the kingdom and for me. Understand that I have no doubt of that fact. With that said, it’s time for you all to step back and let me lead as I want to, let me fail if I fail, succeed when I succeed and learn my own lessons. Have faith that the training you have given me the last thousand years has prepared me for my duties. As well, understand that I am not the same as any of you, I am going to think and act very differently.”
She stopped and leaned back in her chair, trying to read their reactions. From the looks on most of their faces she’d driven home her point. She would be their queen in a mere day, and for the majority of them, it would be a relief. Councils were not meant to rule, they were meant to advise, to protect, to be an extension of the throne. That’s why she knew her speech would be accepted and taken as a precursor to their step down from power on the morrow.
“Now, as for our visitors, I have agreed with your suggestion. The Prince as well as one of his Council will be here to witness my ascension. We will need at least one Council at the border to perform the spell that will give them access. I suspect you’ve already given them the spell so that they may perform it on their side of the boundary. I expect that two of you will greet them when they arrive and accompany them until the ceremony begins. They are then to be under the close eye of at least two guards. I know,” she put her hand up as they all began to talk, “no guard could go up against either the prince or one of his Council, it is simply for show. We mustn’t have the people concerned about Darkbearers running about unaccompanied in our realm. It will be alarming enough for them to be seen here, let alone without an escort.”
“I’ll escort them,” Daneele offered. “As Keeper, it should be me who performs the spell and greets them.”
“Agreed. Cyric you shall accompany Daneele. As elder of the Council, you should be part of this historic event.”
“Yes, my Lady,” he replied with a slight nod.
“Then that’s settled. Anwell shall accompany me to the prince’s ascension. We will leave at nightfall. From my understanding, their event begins an hour following sunset.” Anwell nodded as she looked around the table. “One last thing before we move on, although I’ve agreed to this exchange, it by no means should be seen as an acceptance by me of a union between myself and Sinow. It is merely a development of a working relationship between the two thrones in an effort to fortify the treaty. The prince and I will not marry at this time. In the future, the prospect of a union will be discussed upon this throne’s readiness.” She waited, knowing the response would be swift. Kembal was the first to rise.
“Begging your pardon, Violissa, but I must protest. It disturbs many of us on the Council that you treat the prophecy and Fates with such disrespect. We have spent our lives protecting you and the prophecy. To see you destroying all our hard work is very disturbing. Have you even thought about the consequences you’ve brought upon yourself and our people?” His face was red, and she could see he was visibly shaken. As one of the eldest, she knew he felt he had more at stake for what he saw as her bad decisions.
“Yes, I have, which is why I’ve only said I won’t wed Sinow now. I have not ruled it out and have said it will be an option for the future. He has agreed with my thoughts and will wait.”
“Wait? Dark kings don’t wait, Violissa. They are not known for their patience. How long do you think he’ll be patient? What happens when he tires of waiting? Have you thought about that? Will he fight you? I doubt it. He’ll go after our people. With his powers, he’ll find a way to bring the border down, and there will be war.”
“It won’t come to that, and if it does, we’ll protect them.”
“Ha!” Jar stood up, slamming his hand on the table. “You’ve obviously never seen war. We’ll be too drained from fending off the attacks of Sinow and his Council to protect against his army of mortals who will enter our lands and slaughter our people. What you’re doing, Violissa, is sentencing them all to death.” They all looked from him to Violissa as they watched and waited for her response. She was slightly irritated that no one spoke in her defense.
“Really, Jar, I believe you’re being a bit dramatic. I do, however, respect and appreciate your opinion as well as the others, those of you who have spoken. I did not say there would be no union, and I certainly won’t let it come to war. I know my limitations.” She paused, acknowledging the relieved look on their faces. Jar sat back down, rubbing his beard with his hand as he listened to her. She stood, placing both hands on the smooth oak table. Feeling the texture of the tree who had given its life for the table underneath the smooth varnish, she could feel the many hundreds of years it had lived coursing through it.
“I need time, time to adjust to my new role, time for the people to see me as their queen, independent from all of you. I need to make my place in the history of our people before I can allow someone else to become part of my life, my realm, and my legacy. Do you understand? This is not about challenging the Fates or prophecy. It’s about me and my duty to the people outside of the prophecy.” She was relieved to see most of their heads nodding. “Please know that I do this not to spite you but for you. If I am remembered as a great queen who did wonderful things for he
r people, it will be a reflection of all of you for I am who you’ve shaped me to be.”
She stopped, the ducts of her eyes feeling the pressure of the tears behind them. Daneele stood and addressed the Council in her silence.
“As Council to the throne, our job is to advise, not rule. We no longer make the decisions for this throne, so I say now as I will formally tomorrow,” he turned and faced Violissa, “you have my oath to support and protect you as I vowed I would when I first came here. As my queen and the most powerful being in this realm or this world, for that matter, I am forever in your service. So, I will support your decision to delay union to the Darkbearer throne as I hope you will support and respect my advice to you regarding that decision going forward.” He nodded in deference to her, and she returned the nod with a smile. At that, the remaining Council stood one by one and added their vow of support as well.
Violissa felt the worries and stress of her decision fade away replaced with a realization that tomorrow she would truly be the power of this realm.
“Well then,” she said with assertion, “we have an ascension to prepare for. Shall we, gentlemen?”
They responded with a resounding, “Aye!”
That night Violissa wove a spell to protect her from any dream invasions she might experience. It was the first night she slept peacefully, the first night that led to the first morning on which she awoke missing Sinow.
Ten
When Sinow awoke the next morning, the first thoughts he had were of Violissa. While it was nice to awaken without finding himself drenched in sweat or slowly healing from her claw marks, he had an odd sensation of emptiness in his chest. He shrugged it off and got out of bed. It was just before dawn, and he wasn’t sure why he’d woken so early. He supposed it was the anticipation of today’s events, or he’d simply gotten used to rising this early over the past few weeks. He thought back on his conversation with Violissa. It had taken every ounce of his power and self-control not to have gathered her in his arms against her will, although he had his suspicions now that she would be more than obliging. Somehow, he knew that if their lips were ever to meet, they’d both succumb to that overwhelming need for one another. This was the only reason he stood for the nonsense she was subjecting them all to with her refusal to follow the course of the prophecy. He could feel the heat of her desire when he came close to her, knew she’d give in to it soon. It was too powerful for her to ignore for long.
He pulled a black shirt over his head and smoothed the material over his chest, emphasizing the muscles below. Running his hands through his deep black locks, he closed his eyes, the image of her flooding before them. She was too incredibly beautiful, it was inconceivable that even the Fates could create something so magnificent. The shimmering green eyes that took his breath away, the locks of hair that appeared star touched, a color he couldn’t put into words as he’d never seen it on anyone before. It was not quite white, yet not truly yellow; it reminded him of the shimmer of a star at nightfall. He’d never been so taken by a woman before; in fact, there had never been one to which he’d ever had any remote interest. It wasn’t only the breathtaking uniqueness of Violissa’s appearance or the entrancing lilac smell that lingered about her, the same scent he could still smell on his skin as he walked across the room, but something more, something intangible yet extremely powerful. A force he could only credit to the Fates. It was the power of the prophecy that was driving them to each other or was trying to if she would just get past her fear of losing control. It was that need that he felt and the tightness in his chest when their eyes met, he had no doubt it was a power well beyond his and Violissa’s control.
A knock at his door broke his trance. He shook his head as if it would clear all the thoughts from it.
“Enter,” he said with force. The door opened and his half-brother entered. “Tynan,” he addressed him tersely.
“Sinow,” Tynan replied with a slight nod. “I’ve come to find out who you’ll be taking with you to Cirillia. You gave us no knowledge of your intention upon your return yesterday.”
Sinow gazed upon his brother. Upon first glance, he bore no resemblance to Sinow. Tynan was a head shorter, much of it due to the slouched stance he always took; his looks were not nearly as striking as Sinow’s. Where Sinow was terrifyingly handsome, his brother was often referred to as simply nice looking. In truth, Sinow found him quite plain to look upon, a reflection of his mother, no doubt. Sinow often wondered what his father had seen in her. She never held up to the beauty of Sinow’s mother, so dull in comparison, and Tynan had inherited that dullness. Tynan’s brown eyes were flat; they lacked the depth of Sinow’s, that never ending abyss that Sinow’s eyes held. It was haunting to look upon Sinow at times, and when standing next to each other, the darkness of his elder brother overshadowed Tynan. Sinow wondered how hard it must be to have been born in his shadow. There were some moments when he thought he sensed jealousy or discontent from his brother, but it usually disappeared before he gave it much thought.
Mostly Sinow felt sorry for his brother. He was a misfit, an anomaly never meant to exist but somehow defying the odds. No one knew what to do with him. He had no claim to the throne, and with the lack of power he possessed, Sinow never thought of him as a threat. The Council didn’t know what to do with him, but since he did have some powers, he couldn’t be loosed on the streets to torment the people. So, Sinow had taken him under his wing in an advisory role. The title was completely unofficial, but Tynan didn’t know it, and it made Tynan feel needed; at least that’s how Sinow looked at it. He did listen to his brother’s suggestions and in some cases, a few of them had even been useful. Although he didn’t admit that to the Council as they considered his brother to be more of a joke than anything.
“I came to find out who you’ll be taking to Violissa’s ascension as you failed to announce it yesterday,” Tynan repeated, breaking the silence as Sinow realized he’d been deep in thought for some time. He sighed; this would be difficult for Tynan as he knew how much his brother wanted to go. His curiosity around Violissa and anything to do with the prophecy leaned on the obsessive. But Tynan would just have to get over it, a Council needed to attend as it was an official visit. Sinow usually let Tynan attend any meetings the Council attended, but in this case, as only one could be chosen, Tynan would remain behind.
“I’ll be taking Keary as he is our strategic advisor. It will be an opportunity for him to gather information about the Light while being directly on their soil. He’ll also be able to witness the amount of power Violissa receives with the ascension. He’s the best and obvious choice.” He waited for an upset response from Tynan but was surprised when it didn’t come.
“Sounds like a wise choice. You’ve been making many lately.”
“How so?” Sinow replied cautiously. He anticipated something turning with the conversation.
“Well, with regard to Violissa.” Sinow noted there was a tone of distaste in his brother’s voice but didn’t have time to think about it. “This wait and see idea you’ve had is brilliant. Who wants to be tied down to a woman when he’s taking on such an important duty as king, especially a Cirillian, there could be no worse thing. This prophecy, it doesn’t feel like a blessing…it’s more like a curse the Lightbearers created to enslave our throne to theirs and then take control of our people.”
Sinow snorted. “You really have no idea what you’re talking about, do you? You really think the Lightbearers could or would even want to control our people? And, seriously, Violissa does not have the power to enslave me, though the thought creates quite an interesting fantasy.” He stopped as thoughts of their Dream Realm encounters entered his mind. His brother’s throat clearing brought him back to reality.
“Honestly, brother, how you can stomach even the thought of touching her is beyond me. The stench of a Lightbearer would be too overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, she definitely looks tasty…” He didn’t have tim
e to finish. Instinctively, Sinow growled. He didn’t know where it had come from, but he felt protective of Violissa and didn’t like where this was going. He was across the room and had Tynan pinned against the wall before the growl stopped.
“Hold your tongue, brother, you walk a fine line.”
Tynan stared defiantly back at Sinow then quickly masked it with a questioning expression. “Did I say something offensive, Sinow?” he managed through the pressure of Sinow’s hand against his throat. “I didn’t realize you had such strong feelings for the girl.”
Sinow released his hand from Tynan’s throat. “I don’t have strong feelings,” he said defensively, running his hand through his hair. “I’m not sure what came over me. Just don’t be so disrespectful about her in the future. She is to be my queen one day, and your comments are not welcome. Next time you might not come out so unscathed.” He turned his back on Tynan and walked across the room, rubbing his fingers across his temples as he puzzled over the instinctive reaction he had just experienced.
“Lesson learned,” Tynan muttered, rubbing his neck. “I guess maybe there’s something to that prophecy after all.”
“Hmmmm” was Sinow’s only response followed by a short silence. “How did you know I was awake this early, Tynan? Everyone knows I don’t rise early in the morn.” He crossed his arms and eyed his brother suspiciously, the hackles on his neck upright.
Tynan gave him a crooked smile. “I always know when you’re about Sinow. It’s a brotherly thing.”
“Funny, I don’t have the same awareness of you,” Sinow replied.
“So, I finally found an ability that you don’t have. Come now, Sinow, let’s not dwell on this. I simply have different views on the Light Queen and her prophecy from you and your Council. You often seek out my advice on issues, but on this, you only hear your Council. So, without being asked, I will voice my opinion that delaying this union as you’ve chosen is to your advantage. Giving you time to assess this new queen and how she handles her realm as well as her Council. If you are fated to unite with the enemy, an understanding of who and what she is will help you rule her and ensure she does not rule you or our realm.” He scratched the stubble on his chin and not waiting for a response from Sinow, nodded, and said, “Someone needs to remain loyal to the realm, brother. Your Council doesn’t seem to be concerned, but I am. Good day, Sinow.”
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