Despite her being nude, she smiled, stepping over Evert and grabbing her garb from the stairs as she effortlessly moved past him. The light seeping in from the smoke-tarnished windows lit up her pale body, highlighting every curve. Feeling he was staring, Fallon shot his attention back to the scroll in his lap. His whole body on fire, he peered from the corner of his eye to watch her dress.
“I wouldn’t touch those,” she softly informed him. “He’s been mulling over them the whole month of Edatherin, when he is in Ionus anyway.” Fallon glanced at her. She was now fully dressed, running her hand through the curls of her hair. “I’m surprised he’s not put all of that away. Wouldn’t want someone finding what he found.” Fallon paused. He had only been reading ordinary scripture, passages from the words of Kothes.
“What has he found?” Fallon stammered, seeing that his brother now stirred. The maiden only smirked and opened the front door with one hand, the other holding a pair of slippers.
“Secrets,” came her reply before she disappeared, the door slamming behind her.
“Damn it, Lotus,” Evert groaned from the stairs. Fallon frowned as his brother stirred from his drunken stupor. It was not unusual for those on Vheria to indulge in wine or ale, to even use it heavily during their festivals. But with what Castien had said and Summer Set having passed, Fallon worried this was not uncommon for Evert.
“Lotus!” Evert yelled this time, slowly sitting up and rubbing his face with his hands. “I need water brought back!” He muttered something incoherent though Fallon made out a few more swear words followed by a guttural scream. Sliding down the stairs, Evert moved in a way that made him appear sickly. Evert took slow steps until he reached the dining table. Turning a chair around, he threw himself into it with a sigh. Muttering again, Evert said, “Why would she clean?”
Fallon cleared his throat. “That was not her.”
Evert jumped from his chair to face Fallon, blinking several times. Setting the scroll where he had found it, Fallon stood, unable to return the wide grin that spread across Evert’s face.
“Fallon!” Evert shouted, raising his hands to either side. The older brother expected a warm embrace, but Fallon had no such intention in his heart. A burst of courage mixed with pent up rage sent him forward. He slammed his fist into Evert’s face, knocking him back into the table. While his brother seemed to have pulled away some after realizing the oncoming attack, the force was still hard enough to hurt Fallon’s knuckles and turn them red. With dwindling anger, Fallon was thankful his taller and stronger brother had not fought back, despite how tense his arms and neck became.
“Where’ve you been?” Fallon demanded, rubbing his sore fist.
“I’ve been busy,” Evert replied, rubbing his jaw. Shaking his head once, he tilted his chin upwards and continued, “I arrived expecting to be on the streets and instead somehow landed a position within the king’s confines. Simple as that. Maybe you think I deserted you, but I had my reasons.” Evert wore a straight face as he spoke, but his tone was playful, something Fallon remembered well. Evert grinned, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth. “A better question. What are you doing here?”
Fallon shook his head, hands balling at his sides.
“It’s not important,” he answered at last. “Where is your wife, Unae? Who was the maiden that just left? Did you sleep with her?”
Evert shrugged, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Lotus is a friend. I understand your shock and curiosity, so I’ll indulge you. Yes, I slept with her. Well,” chuckling, Evert glanced towards the stairs, “I had her before apparently passing out.” He scratched the back of his head. “I swear I thought you were only a dream.”
“What about your wife?” Fallon demanded, taking a step towards Evert.
Raising his hands in defense, Evert answered, “Fallon, please. Who knows? We made our separate ways upon arrival. Neither one of us wanted to be bound, but we respected the Elders’ decision.” A sharp pain shot through his chest and he looked away, wishing he had not asked. Of course they had separated. He had heard his brother speaking about it. Fallon never thought Evert would have actually gone through with it though. He had a free spirit similar to Nara’s. However, when Evert bound himself to Unae, Fallon saw that Evert would honor the Elders’ authority.
“What about you, Fallon?”
Fallon couldn’t look at his brother directly with so much sorrow and anger weighing him down. “I made the decision to look for you, amongst other things.”
Evert sighed and shifted his body against the table. “What did Father have to say?”
With a huge knot in his forehead, Fallon replied in a low tone, “He told me to make a permanent decision at that moment. Not in those words, but that is what he meant. He proceeded to tell me not to come back; both of us are disowned.” With his last words, he gazed up at his brother. Evert stared into nothing while he sucked on his lower lip. Fallon looked on, wondering what his brother had been through in these short years. Fallon’s fist had caused the white line of Evert’s scar to redden. The skin puckered as though it had not been properly healed. Evert’s hands still held the scar on his palm that marked his binding to his wife and tiny scars marked him there as well. He looked more human than elf with the bulk he had acquired.
“If Father said you could not return and you know full well he would not want me back, what in all of Arlania could this other aspiration be?”
Fallon narrowed his eyes for a split second before they fell away ashamed. They had been apart for far too long for him to give such information just yet.
“It’s done then,” Evert said, sighing. “Your decision was foolish but…you are here, brother. Now there are two of us. I see no reason for regret or sadness when in the presence of some family. From now on I will keep you.” Evert leaned towards Fallon to ruffle his hair, causing him to smile a little at fond memories. “Try not to make me look the fool. I’ve made a reputation for myself here.” Evert slapped Fallon on the back before pulling him along. “First thing, you will need suitable clothing if you plan to move around here unnoticed. And trust me when I say that you will want to be unnoticed.”
ELONA
Pulling at the reins of her smoke-colored steed, the leather biting into her bare hand, Elona stopped at a hilltop and looked over her shoulder towards where their camp once stood. Fingers gently stroked the spotted white mane before traveling downwards and touching the shining grey coat at the side of its neck. The horse’s skin rippled beneath her hand, its uneasiness showing. While horses from other regions tended to fear the goddess and all she worked with, those bred in her company were unafraid. The uncertainty came from elsewhere; she had felt it the night before. Looking out towards Thaos’s men who wore long-horned, demonic helms, she understood the animal’s feelings all too well.
If Thaos were playing her, she would, in turn, play him.
All discussions from the night before had been brief and, without gaining much more information, very unsettling. After Drudan had fallen asleep, she had pulled out her bone carved idols and prayed through the night. They hadn’t answered her, and she knew they never would.
The sun began to rise, and from the Vale of Angels she could see Thanis. A city she longed to be a part of or at least make a treaty with. Free to come and go as she pleased. It was the closest thing to the home she once had, and she nearly wept at the sight of it. If Thaos were honest, she might have the chance for peace today. When she had lived with the gods Thena had looked at her union with Thaos with more kindness. The elder goddess pleaded their case when both Elona and Thaos were banished from the island.
The day Elona betrayed Thaos had been the day Thena had severed her from her heart forever, thinking Elona nothing more than deceitful.
Drudan trotted up the hill, stopping beside Elona and reaching out to take her hand. When his thumb passed over the back of hers, she no longer pulled away. Instead, she squeezed his hand for strength and comfort and smiled. Their expressed l
ove finally consoled her old and tired soul if only a little. Drudan appeared more at ease as well. But she still felt he did not completely trust her.
It made no difference. As long as he was compliant, pulling the others to follow suit, that would be all that mattered.
Thaos had set his camp up in one of the few passes to the valley, and Elona had allowed their camps to be situated close to one another. Through the night she had heard of only one incident between Maida and Craith. A brief meeting; nothing came of it. While there was a deep turmoil between the leaders of Chorias and Talamnar, those less wary in her group mingled well with the others for the night, carousing through until Drudan made sure they settled in for rest.
However, one leader followed her people’s lead. Arisa had not been present during the meetings between Thaos and Elona. None had seen her until that morning when all began to prepare. Elona smiled at the thought that at least two parties benefited from this interaction.
Thaos now stood at the edge of his forces with a hint of a smile and a flash of anger in his long strides to greet Elona again. Elona did not release Drudan’s hand; she held it even tighter, taking him for reassurance. Again and again she reminded herself she was her own person; Thaos had no control over her, and he had not for years. She held control over him, over the situation and their path. The day Elona gave in to Drudan’s advances it had been his words that started to break Thaos’s bonds. It was he who raped you, beat you, left you, and betrayed you, never the other way around.
Thaos and Elona’s children followed close behind their father. Elona’s eyes traveled over each of them, giving no indication of her pain for them. For how they acted, for how they appeared, for how they abandoned her. Her mother’s pain drove deep, deeper than any lover could go. Just knowing her children were in the wrong, knowing she had tried to correct them many times to no avail. Craith would do his father’s bidding, having gone so far as to help rape the woman he loved. And when Elona discovered Hathus had bed Eusa, she pleaded with Thaos to find Eusa a suitor. But their union had not lasted long.
Thaos had kept Karasim at his side for years and the youngest had somehow kept sanity. She knew of his affair with Arisa, and quite often she would talk to Arisa about it. Arisa had sensed Karasim’s fear and uncertainty during their blood bond. He would never admit that. With Thaos’s lot of demons, all spies that served him, it would be dangerous to. Blood meant nothing to Thaos.
Had he finally changed, had he finally given up the desire to be Arlania’s only god?
Drudan dismounted whilst she was in thought, offering to help her down from her steed. Bare hands that were strong enough to kill gently wrapped about her waist, setting her down until soft golden slippers met grass. She nodded to him, pulled her skirts up, and crossed to Thaos. She would not wear her battle armor just yet. Elona was prepared to meet the queen of Thanis, wearing gold and white, colors that mimicked their own. Her white bodice held her midsection in an embrace that never faded and turned downwards into a winged pattern. Pearls and hints of gold laid out in a wrapping design on her bodice, matching the same pattern on her skirt below. White fur lined the bottom and dragged across the ground, a display she hoped the queen liked.
Thaos nodded, and shot a striking glance to Drudan who, true to his word, stayed close to her side.
“My men are prepared to march,” Thaos said, eyes visibly drinking her in. “You look…” He would say no more, instead gesturing to their children. “We will ride alongside you, all leaders to the front as we agreed upon last night. We are sure to be a spectacle in Thanis, but this will lead to greater things. In the city, Queen Valia prepares her men and women to greet you. Shall we march at your word?”
Reality weighed heavily on her, causing a knot in her stomach as she once again took Drudan’s hand into her own. A foreboding thought said this had to be a trap of some kind. If not a trap, then Thena would only truly welcome Thaos back. Not only had Elona betrayed her people but she had also betrayed Thaos by telling his siblings when and where he planned on attacking them. Elona was the reason the elder gods were able to bring Thaos under control for a time. But they had deemed her untrustworthy, concerned only for herself.
“You may give word,” she said, relenting control, one hand pulling at the pearls sewn into her bodice. “My Chosen will ride with me.” Squeezing Drudan’s hand, she leaned towards him and lowered her voice. “Set formation and be ready to march with spell casters to the front so as to not frighten the people of Thanis. Even if we are…” She did not need to finish for Drudan to understand what she meant. Drudan nodded once to Elona before turning on his heel. He yelled out orders behind her as he walked away, his strong voice carrying across hundreds of troops.
Thaos narrowed his eyes for a moment, his lips parting as if to speak, though remaining silent.
Karasim stepped forward and stood before Elona. She could see the restraint across a fair face that held only a faint resemblance to his father. The youngest of her children, she loved him more than any other. She had carried him everywhere as a young one and the adoration for the bubbly child stayed with her, giving him all her attention whilst Thaos was in tirades. She remembered rocking him to sleep, worried what Thaos was doing but feeling the unconditional love and innocence that radiated from her child. Oh how she cried the day he weaned, taken in under his father’s training.
“Mother,” Karasim said, restraint gripped his voice and traveled across his face. She longed to hold him again but instead tilted her chin upwards, smiling compassionately to the grown god that stood before her. He held up a gailenia flower preserved in magic, the tips of its white petals dipped with gold while its stamens were the brightest red she had ever seen. Eyes widening, she reached out and touched its delicate petals. It had been so long since she’d seen one this close to life.
Gently she kissed his forehead and accepted the gift, placing it in her hair with the pin fixed to it. “Thank you, Karasim,” she said, and a hint of a smile formed on his lips before his eyes flashed to Arisa. There were many things she wanted to ask him, but the present time was not best.
While the raven Vari sat atop his shoulder and eyes everything, Craith looked past Elona with hard to read eyes as bright as Thaos’s. The discomfort of the one who stood close behind her radiated to Elona. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Maida take a step in towards her brother Marun. The eyes of all the Thrasons were dark, reflecting memories of the horrors Thaos had forced on them.
“Craith,” Elona murmured, reaching out. His attention broke from Maida to Elona. She shook her head, hoping to let him know to leave Maida be. Watching his face tense up, she sighed inwardly, knowing and understanding the strain between the two parties.
Shortly after, a man ran to Thaos’s side and whispered into his ear. Grinning, Thaos gestured to his children. “We ride.” He then gave Elona a deep bow. “My Lady, would it please you for me to assist you?” Elona bit the inside of her cheek, a mixture of feelings swelling up at such a simple gesture. He was being too polite, faint stirrings of who he had once been caught here and there between the anger and pride.
She nodded and took his hand, allowing him to hoist her onto her steed.
Thaos said nothing more, nor did she desire to say anything to him. Pulling on the reins, she moved towards her people. A proud smile overcame her face upon seeing how perfectly positioned they were. How beautiful they were. Even their constructs, flesh and parts held together with stitching, had a beauty about them. She had created all of this, and now she prayed she would be able to show the people of Thanis that she never meant harm, that even the ugliest creatures could be the most gentle.
Seeing that all were prepared, including those who belonged to Thaos, she nodded to Drudan who nodded to another. Thaos’s horn sounded before hers, long and loud. Downwards they marched. With each passing moment, her heart swelled. The closer she came, the more she could make out the beautiful details. To either side of the gates large, white, gold-lined angels
stood with pride. One wing of each angel rested against the gate while the other stretched out across the surrounding wall. She remembered when those same angels walked the land and flew over the city alongside the griffin guard.
The closer they came, the better she was able to see the men that lined the front. It was a larger army than she had. Their gilded armor gleamed against the morning sun. Smaller details showed the closer she came, wings spread out to either side of their helms, their armor made to mimic that which dwelled in the Aether Realm. Elona knew first hand their deadly precision nearly matched the angels.
However, despite her emotions of elation, instinct screamed at Elona that this felt wrong.
Pulling closer to her, only a little more than a hundred yards away from the city’s entrance, Drudan said in a low tone, “The gates are closed, and they appear to be blocking them.” His face grew tense while his voice grew in volume. “I do not think they mean to let us pass, Elona. We should pull back. You warned us of death, but that does not mean it has to happen.”
Elona knew he was right. Pulling on the reins of her horse to slow its march, she started to lean over to Drudan. Suddenly, flaming arrows rained down from the sky. One landed inches from her, causing her horse to rear backwards. Looking up, the angels of Thena flew alongside the griffin guard. So many flitted about and descended upon Thaos’s and Elona’s forces. Three sets of flaming bright gold and red wings beat fervently as the seraphim shouted orders. Their golden armor, more delicately designed than those soldiers on the ground, appeared to shine as stars.
Archangels, with wings and armor larger than any other, dropped down in front of the city’s soldiers. They were male and female with delicate faces and hair falling in different ways beneath small crowns of silver. While they were lesser angels, more delicate in their appearance, they held great strength.
Dryad's Touch Page 20