“Lina…?”
Dang it.
Keera blinked her little blue eyes several times, trying to wake up, one of her hands resting on the sheets where my body should have been next to hers. Then she gasped, reached over, and lit the lamp by the bed. “What do you think you’re doing? You have no idea what kind of danger you’re in!”
I sighed, “Keera, it’s fine. I just want to go home, I don’t have time for this.” I turned back to the door.
Before I knew it, Keera bounded up and latched herself around my shoulders. “You can’t go! I know more about this than you think I do!”
I merely stared at the twelve-year-old, her eyes level with mine. Sighing again, I let Keera push me back to the bed so that we were sitting next to each other. “How could you possibly know about this? I just figured it out, and I’m still having difficulty grasping it. Doesn’t the idea of me having magic scare you?”
The girl looked down, her hands still tight on mine as if I’d still get up and walk away, though one reached up to tousle her black bedhead. “Lina… I know about the Allyen, because I grew up with one.”
I looked at her confusedly, the little lamp still flickering in the corner of the room, sending strange shadows across the ceiling. Birdie now sat visibly outside on the windowsill, staring at us. “What do you mean you lived with one?”
“Remember when they told you that for the last three hundred years there’s only been one Allyen per generation? And that you’re the only generation that’s different?” Keera almost seemed to be pleading with me now, her only chance of keeping me safe at Grandma’s for the night. “The man who dropped me off at the stage stop in Stellan to see you was the other Allyen. He’s your twin, Lina.”
I blinked at her. “Now you’re just messing with me.” I stood, trying to leave.
“No, it’s true! He told me so! He told me everything! That he was sent to live with my mama because if you two were together, you’d be in even more danger! When Mama and Papa died, he took care of me for as long as he could, and then his training started. He felt like he was endangering me.” Keera’s full cheeks were becoming wet. “That’s why he sent me to Lunaka…because he knew you or Grandma could take better care of me than he could.”
As hard as it was to believe, it was difficult to ignore Keera’s heartfelt tears. After all, Rachel had mentioned something of a brother rather briefly. Although, I still thought it impossible. Keera had been so skeptical of me in the beginning, and now she was baring her soul to me. I sat down on the bed again. This was getting overwhelming, as if it hadn’t been already. I refused to think that my parents had lied to me, yet those tears… I would have to think through this later when I was emotionally capable.
My voice was quiet. “Okay. I believe you. What’s his name?” I tried to smile at her, to make her feel better, but I was failing at this whole mother figure thing.
She sniffed. “He shortened his name just like you did. Everyone calls him Evan, but one of the people who trains him always calls him ‘Evanarion’, which always makes him angry.” Keera chuckled a little bit, “Evanarion and Linaria. Pretty similar, y’know? That’s why I chose to come to you instead of Grandma. You look like him.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be reassured or stressed by the fact there was more proof for the existence of a twin brother. As Keera kept talking, I remembered back to just that morning when I’d picked her up, to the man standing on the platform with her. I’d thought he was a roaming bard, what with the violin strapped to his back and everything, but what really stuck in my mind was how short the poor fellow was. I was barely five feet tall. He couldn’t have been more than a couple inches taller, which meant this whole vertically challenged thing had to be genetic. Why did my mother never tell me about Evan? Or did she just never have the chance before she died?
Keera was mentioning something about Evan’s training again when I interrupted her. “So when did Evan figure out he was an Allyen?”
Keera became quiet. “I don’t really know. I was too little. He seemed to have known for a long time. I think when he started training with Prince Daniel, Evan told him he figured it out when he was around my size, like thirteen-ish. Did you know my father was murdered?”
I shook my head. My mother had only told me that my Uncle Jed had worked himself into his grave.
Tears were now visibly flowing down Keera’s freckled face. “Well, after the man killed Papa out in our rice paddy, he made his way to our house and tried to get Evan. I don’t remember much because I was too little, but Evan told Prince Daniel that suddenly there was a bunch of golden light and powerful wind, and it scared the evil man away. All I remember is my mama holding me really tight with Evan in front of us, trying to protect us. Mama died too. Ever since then I think he just played with the magic to figure it out on his own. I don’t know when Prince Daniel discovered him, I only saw them together once, but I think there were two others that helped lead Prince Daniel to train Evan although I never saw them. I have no idea how much he can do. But it was Prince Daniel that told Evan that the man who killed my father was one of Rhydin’s Followers. He was trying to kill all of us.”
I pulled the girl closer to me, my own heart aching for this brother I barely had any connection to. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I rocked her slightly. “I’m sorry this has brought you so much pain, Keera.”
She shook her head barely, and then spoke in a voice clouded with tears. “Do you believe it now? How much danger you’re in because you’re an Allyen?”
I took a deep breath, not sure if I really wanted to admit it or not. “Yes, Keera, I understand. Forgive me for being so stubborn. Do you have any idea where Evan is now? Why didn’t he just come with you?”
Birdie shuffled closer to the window outside in the darkness, as if eager to hear Keera’s response.
“No. He wouldn’t tell me where he was going. He probably went home to keep practicing with Prince Daniel. He made me promise not to tell you anything about him. But I thought you needed to know.” Keera began to sob a little bit, perhaps at the breaking of her word to someone so special to her. “But Evan was really upset when he told me not to tell because he really does want to meet you, Lina. He doesn’t have any family but me. He said that until you awaken your magic and learn how to use it, you’re not strong enough to be together yet. It had to do with some magical thing that I didn’t get… It’s too complicated.”
“Trust me, I understand that part. I wish I could make it easier.” I looked back up at the ceiling, kicked my boots off, and they thudded to the floor. “He seems like a nice guy.”
“He is when he wants to be. Most of the time he’s pretty quiet…watchful… On some days, he’s just plain boring!” Keera’s voice rose slightly and her arms crossed. “Just so ya know, never play hide and seek with him, he always wins every time!”
I stifled my laughter for fear of waking Grandma up. It was some much needed comic relief. I pushed Keera up from where she was halfway lounging in my lap. “C’mon, better get to sleep.”
“You’re sleeping too, right?” The black-haired girl looked at me quizzically, not budging. “I will sit on you all night if I have to.”
“Yes, I’m sleeping too, no need for all night sitting.” I chuckled as we pulled the covers back and jumped in. As soon as Keera situated herself, I leaned over her and blew her lantern out. The room fell into complete blackness now that the Lamp Master had completed his job. The street wouldn’t be relit until tomorrow evening.
We talked for a little while in that darkness, more about Evan and Prince Daniel. The only thing I found rather interesting was the fact that the Auklian heir had blue hair, and that just seemed strange to me. All the Auklians had strange hair colors, so it must have been part of their genealogy. Our family was Lunakan, which was why Keera had black hair. It came from her Lunakan father, but I was pretty sure Aunt Marie had bright green hair when she was alive.
While I lay there waiting for sleep, it occurred to me t
hat when and if I ever saw Prince Frederick again, I needed to tell him that Prince Daniel was indeed on the side of the Allyen. Now, it was only Prince Xavier we had to worry about.
There was one more tap at the window from Birdie’s beak and then nothing, so I assumed it had flown away. Strange little bird, it should have been back in its nest hours ago. I slid down under the covers, trying to figure out how I would sleep on such a fluffy mattress when I only had a stiff cot at home.
“Lina? Are you scared?” Keera asked, her voice filling with sleep.
I thought a little bit about my answer. “Kind of. Everything is still soaking in…”
“Are you going to tell Rosetta? And Sam?”
Silence.
“I don’t know.” I admitted.
As the last lamppost was snuffed, the capital city of Soläna plunged into complete darkness. The plains were quiet up above, the two brilliant moons beginning their descent toward the western horizon. The prairie grasses were still as the eternal Lunakan wind rested, only a breath remaining to twirl the fresh, green blades.
The mighty mountains stood tall in the distance, a barricade for keeping things out, a boundary for keeping things in. So, few people knew the magical secret of these ancient mountains, but the sorcerer knew and that was all that mattered.
A cloaked figure stood at the very southern point of the canyon housing Soläna, waiting patiently. His arms were crossed, merely out of habit. He had seen this scenery far too many times to be intrigued by it, for not much had changed in the last three hundred years. Only the construction of this canyon was different from the original town, though this had occurred within fifty years of his perfect rule of the continent.
The sorcerer glanced to the northeast where Lunaka Castle towered, the spires attempting to reach the heavens. Only one light remained flickering in the tallest tower, and the sorcerer could sense Lunaka’s king becoming edgy. He knew this man quite well after so many years. He tended to be rather temperamental, but the sorcerer knew that there was a different reason on this night.
A simple tweet shattered the silence, and Rhydin looked back down toward the canyon. One of his pale hands emerged from the dark cloak, palm upward, and in only a second a small flame appeared. The light revealed a small black bird approaching from down in the canyon, a bright red breast with its wings tipped in gold. The sorcerer said nothing, and the bird alighted onto the grassy knoll in front of him.
Instantly, its body changed size and shed its feathers. The beak shrank and turned into a nose, the long feathers turned into fingers, and the legs thickened and bent at the knee. Kneeling where the small bird had once been was now a man, if you could call it that. It looked up at the sorcerer, its eyes pure white with no pupil. A symbol was on the black shirt that once decorated its wings, a golden flame outline with a red sphere in the center, the same design that decorated Rhydin’s cloak.
The sorcerer grinned slightly, proud of his creation. These Einanhis were brilliant really, just empty shells of magic that followed every order. The perfect spy to use on the young Allyens.
The monotone voice of the Einanhi known as “Birdie” to young Linaria cracked as it spoke. “I have a report, Master.”
Rhydin beckoned the created being to stand with the hand not holding the flame, but he already knew what the report would be. “Linaria has discovered the existence of her power, and yet still cannot harness it.”
“Yes, Master.”
The sorcerer raised the flame a little higher to see his Einanhi and studied it. “I can sense her. She is with Allyen Saarah. Until her magic awakens, the locket is useless to me. When she was a child, I tried to take her and train her myself to encourage the awakening to occur earlier.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Yet, I was interrupted. My decision became to let her discover it herself. At that time, she will be too inexperienced to prevent me from stealing her locket successfully. With its strength, this continent will be on its knees within one revolution of the sun.” Rhydin’s voice filled with confidence and the flame in his hand grew larger.
The Einanhi remained static until its master finished speaking, and then raised its voice. “Master, I have one other report.”
Rhydin’s gaze returned to the Einanhi, his face still obscured by his dark cloak. “Continue.”
“The location of Evanarion has been confirmed. He has returned to Auklia.”
“Yes.” Rhydin’s pale hand touched his thin chin. “I have foreseen this. Something is hiding his presence from me. I still require his half of the locket as well, and he knows far more than Linaria.”
“Nothing can hide from you, Master.”
A memory invaded the sorcerer’s mind, ten years ago when he walked this very plain with Linaria, headed toward Evanarion. That night possessed the one instant when he could not sense the presence of someone standing directly in front of him. Magical beings could be sensed anywhere close by, but anything without magic could only be sensed when facing them head on. Those creatures had obvious control of magic, yet they were still unknowns. Rhydin’s power was so great, yet this was one thing that he did not understand.
“What are your orders, Master?” The Einanhi asked.
“Return to Linaria. Watch her every move. This time is critical more than any other. The instant her magic appears, summon me, and I will finish what I started three hundred years ago. We must reach her before those creatures can hide her from me.” Rhydin’s voice was hard, the flame becoming brighter in his hand with his determination. “I will send others to search for Evanarion, to find whatever abominations are harboring him, and to kill them all. The Allyen twins cannot escape forever.”
The Einanhi bowed deep, and began to morph once again. It shrunk to the size its humanoid foot had been, its entire body turning black, gold, and red. It tweeted for its master, hopped a couple of times, and then took off back down toward the canyon, where Linaria slept with her cousin. The light at the top of the castle tower disappeared.
The sorcerer watched for a few moments, the wind beginning to return to Lunaka’s plains. The moons were barely visible behind the western mountains, sinking toward where Mineraltir lay. The stars were bright overhead, patterns that had been traced so many times.
No, Rhydin thought, this place had not changed at all, even from so long ago. After so many centuries, his arduous task was finally coming to an end. Nora Soreta had thwarted Rhydin once, but once her descendants were vanquished and their power turned against them, Rhydin would finally reclaim his empire for eternity. He would let nothing get in his way.
Chapter Five
I awoke as soon as the sun’s rays were strong enough to break through to the bottom of the canyon. As I swung my feet over to the side of the bed, my back aching because I wasn’t used to such a soft mattress, I began to ardently hope that Sam hadn’t shown up only to find me missing. It took quite a bit more time for it to be daylight down here rather than up above on the farms.
I was lacing up my boots and looking out the glassy window when the sound of a door opening shattered the morning silence. I looked over to see Grandma absolutely beaming, her cheeks rosy, with a pan of golden brown circles that smelled divine. Her voice squealed with delight, “I made biscuits!”
“Oh, Grandma, you shouldn’t have.” I feigned gratefulness even though I was really balking at the idea of staying any longer than I needed to. Yet, one look at her lovely face was just far too much. I knew that it would crush her if I deprived her the opportunity of serving breakfast to two of her granddaughters. I sighed and stood, shaking the still sleeping Keera so she wouldn’t miss out.
It was nice really. To be able to sit at an actual clean table like the family that we were. To be able to eat Grandma’s to-die-for three layer biscuits. To simply talk about life as if the events of last night had never occurred. Maybe, I dreamed that I’d been told I had magic? And yet why would I be here still if it hadn’t been real? Besides, to have magic was no dream of mine
when I was growing up. Only a nightmare.
Grandma cleared her throat and set down her blue flowered teacup. She folded her hands slowly on her lap, and I could see her swallow. “Lina,” she said, “I just want you to know that if you ever have any questions, or need any help at all, you know I will always be here for you. I had to learn how to be the Allyen once too, and even though it’s different now, I will always do my best.”
It hit me like a brick. I was really truly hoping that it was still all a dream. I nodded, swallowing my last beautiful bite of biscuit. “I know, Grandma. You always have been there for me, Allyen or not.” The word was still completely foreign sitting on my tongue.
Grandma smiled a little bit and rose from her chair to grab the teakettle from the wood stove. “The Owenses reported to me this morning. Luke and James were able to find Terran and Eli, the two we suspect to be working for Rhydin, and they are keeping track of them now to make sure they do not try anything.”
Keera’s blue eyes found mine over her biscuit, which had been given a rare spoonful of honey. I knew she was still worried, but I asked Grandma anyway, “So does that mean we can go home now?”
“Yes. For now.” Grandma smiled sadly as she sat back down with us and filled our teacups.
We didn’t stay for much longer after that since I was biting at the bit to get back up to the Canyonlands so Sam and I could get to work. Keera and I walked through town quickly, straight through the heart of Soläna, seeing as I really didn’t want to run into any more strangers on side streets or alleyways.
The capital city was coming alive as it always did every morning, yet my eyes seemed clouded by what I had learned. Most of the dirty men in mud-colored overalls had already disappeared into the yawning mouth of the mines in the southern wall of the canyon. Now, only the women were about with their children. I could easily tell which ones were married to the miners of the southern part of town and which ones were married to the merchants and noblemen of the north.
The Allyen (The Story of the First Archimage Book 1) Page 6