Erynion followed her instructions.
"Picture yourself at the top of a staircase in the middle of an empty field. Your goal is to reach the bottom."
The demon lord imagined the black field he had awoken in after his first purge. The stairs were plain and wooden, as was the bannister.
"Slowly, take your first step."
Erynion visualized his foot shuffling off the plank and dropping down one stair.
"With each step you take, you descend deeper into the recesses of your mind. As you take the next step, you begin to feel tired. When you're ready, take another step. As both of your feet land on that stair, your mind is letting go of this world. You feel it drifting away as you go deeper and deeper."
As the demon lord envisioned his descent, his surroundings melted away, and he crossed out of reality. The sensation was no different from the other times he had been inside a dream. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he removed his hand from the bannister. When he looked back, the stairs had vanished. He was standing on a small patch of grass in the middle of a black desert while the sun gleamed radiantly overhead.
"Deeper. Deeper. Deeper." The echo faded with each repetition until there was only silence.
"I'm here." Erynion searched for a clue as to what to do next. He threw his hands in the air. "Now what?"
"Where are you? What do you see?" The voice of the red wolf sounded like it was right beside him, but there was nothing there.
"I'm at Nesinu after I destroyed it. All I see are empty black fields in every direction."
"Where you are now is what we call the staging ground. It acts as a nexus to different areas of your mind. Now, remember your goal and the spells you wish to learn. Without concentrating too hard, pick one."
Erynion felt a strong urge to discover what his weapon was, but he tried to push past it. Eyzora was right. There were more useful abilities to learn. He blinked and a stone path materialized. It extended out from the patch of grass and led to a lonely door with no structure around it. The demon lord scouted the area. "I see a door. I'm going to go through it."
There was no response from the red wolf, and so Erynion followed the path. The sun dimmed, and a bright light illuminated the cracks around the door. When he reached the barrier, Erynion pushed it open and stepped through. He glanced over his shoulder in time to see the green grass and black field fade away, and the door slammed shut.
Erynion took in his new surroundings. He had entered some sort of smithing shop. Racks of swords lined the walls. Erynion observed his reflection in one of the pristine blades. He was human and young. His clothing was extravagant and clean.
"Wait. I remember this place. It's the royal smith. We weren't allowed in here as children, though. I wonder if this is a real memory."
"Mixing of memories is possible as we don't always remember the past exactly as it happened. However, truth or not is somewhat irrelevant here. Your mind is trying to show you something, so go along with it."
A sawing noise caught Erynion's attention. He slinked along the sword racks in an effort to stay hidden. "Someone's here," he whispered.
"If you're trying to stay quiet on account of the person in your memory, don't bother. You can't alter those events. Do you see who it is?"
Erynion peered out and spotted a young boy with his back to him, making a sawing motion. "I think I remember this. Batar's in the royal smith, but we aren't supposed to be in here. For the past few days, he's been running off and claiming to play with Mekken."
Anger welled up within the demon lord as he crept forward. "He's lying, though. I saw Mekken earlier in the day, and he hadn't seen Batar the whole week. I have to figure out what my brother is up to."
"Do you remember what he's doing there?"
"Not exactly. Some sort of gift, I think." Erynion was inches from his brother. Despite being daytime outside, the workshop was dark from the lack of windows. Only the nearby fire shed light on the area where Batar was diligently working. Erynion's heart pounded as he stretched his neck to peek over his brother's shoulder.
The young boy whirled around and wildly waved his arms. "Go away! Don’t look! You're going to ruin everything!"
The demon lord stumbled backward and tripped. As he struck the ground, his vision lost focus, and the details of the shop disappeared.
"No!" Erynion shouted as he reached out to the distorted image of his brother.
"What happened?"
"I fell down and everything went blurry. I can't see a thing."
"Don't panic. Your mind is ready to move on to another memory. Try to relax and stay focused."
But the instructions were harder than they sounded. Erynion tried to think back to the different spells he needed to learn, but all he could seem to concentrate on was his brother. What was Batar doing in the smith? He was never very good at making things, at least, not until he took Verago's seeds. Batar made gifts for the Prima all the time while he courted her. He was in love with Mashira from the first moment he laid eyes on her.
The colors shifted and swirled about. "Something's happening," Erynion said.
"You're probably moving to your next memory. Pay close attention. Talk to me if it helps."
When the scenery stopped spinning and came into focus, Erynion was no longer on the floor, but rather sitting in a padded chair. He was within a great hall surrounded by many people. Individual conversations meshed together to create a cacophony of noise. Sitting beside him in a row was his family. King Cato and Queen Zenda sat up straight, looking every part the regal couple. Sereyna couldn't touch the floor, so she vigorously swung her feet back and forth. Batar, a teenager in this memory, was slouched over.
"It's some sort of gathering in a large building. It's definitely not the castle." Erynion noticed six priests seated in front of the crowd. The five wearing black were advisors, and the one in white was Primus Ayristark. Another figure dressed in white appeared and approached the Primus.
"This is the Sanctuary," Erynion said. "This must be Mashira's Illumination ceremony."
"Is anything worth noting?"
"Not that I can tell, except that Batar's staring at Mashira like a Dardan fool. Love at first sight. He didn't stand a chance."
"Don Mashira, you are called here today…" Ayristark shouted as he began his speech.
"What significance could this memory have regarding the abilities locked in your head?"
"I don't know." Erynion thought for a moment. "But if this is Mashira's Illumination, that means it's also the day the demons attacked Light's Haven."
"Try not to let your mind wander."
The Sanctuary crumbled and exposed the void behind it. All the people inside vanished, except for Erynion's family.
"It's changing again."
"So soon? Then I fear it may be too late."
"What do you mean 'too late'?"
"It sounds like you're on a runaway. Instead of focusing on your goal, you're allowing your thoughts during one memory to trigger another. Don't be discouraged, though. It's common for beginners of meditation, but I was hoping my guidance would keep you clear for a while."
"Are you saying this whole session is a waste then? Should we just start over?"
"It takes time to reset your brain. Simply starting over will land you back in the same spot, more or less. No, you should push forward and let the runaway go to completion. If we're lucky, it won't be much longer."
The king and queen stood and corralled the three children away from their chairs. The emptiness was replaced by a long hallway.
Erynion felt his father's hand on his back. "It's later in the day. Our parents are ushering us into our bedrooms."
"You're with your brother and sister?"
"Yes. Sereyna and Batar are scared, so they put them in my room. Two paladins are guarding the door."
"Whatever you do, you are not to leave this room," King Cato commanded.
"Father, is everything going to be all right?" Batar asked.
&
nbsp; The king's smile peeked out from behind his mustache. "Demons will never make it inside the city walls. Now, be good and wait here."
Once the king and queen left, Erynion sat on his bed and rested his head in his hands. "I hope I don't have to relive this. This is the worst day of my life. Well, not including when Verago captured me and every day since. But up until that point, this day was by far the worst."
"Because your sister died?"
"Well, that was part of it. The other part being that it was my fault."
"How so?"
"We were supposed to stay put. We should've, but we didn't. We had plans after the ceremony, and I saw no reason why we needed to deviate from them. Batar was hesitant, but our father had just said there was nothing to worry about. Light’s Haven was impenetrable. It wasn't difficult to convince Batar we should meet up with Mekken and Nila."
An image of his future wife flickered within his bedroom, but vanished when Eyzora interrupted. "So you left the castle?"
Erynion hopped off the bed and strolled to the window. The drop was about fifteen feet down. "If they had put us in Batar's room or Sereyna's room, we would've been stuck. But I'd been sneaking out at night to see Nila for nearly half a year. I already had the rope. So, I told Sereyna to stay and that Batar and I would be back soon."
The memory skipped forward, and Erynion recognized the street and the chaos of everyone running every which way. "We never made it to Mekken and Nila. My father was wrong. The demons had broken through."
A watcher captain approached the princes. "What are you two doing here?"
"I've experienced this sequence before," the demon lord said as pieces of the memory flashed before him. "The captain took us back to the castle. I thought I was going to die on Vask Bridge, but a priest with a shield saved us from the Marksman's arrows. After that, four paladins escorted us up to the castle when we were ambushed by the Shade. One of the bloodseekers was wounded, but the Shade ran off. Then we were safe with our parents."
"And that's the end?"
"The last time I was here, this is where the dream ended, but not this time." Erynion surveyed the room as it came to life. "My mother seems panicked. Sereyna's missing."
"You mentioned guilt over your sister's death. Perhaps this is where your runaway leads. What happened next?"
"How could you be so selfish?" King Cato shouted.
"My father blames me," Erynion explained. "He wanted to know how we ended up in the city, so I explained how we climbed out the window. Sereyna must've followed because she wasn't in the room when the guards went to get her." Erynion grasped his chest as it felt like his heart had turned to lead. "I honestly thought she'd be too scared to climb down so far, but I guess she was more afraid of being alone. Batar and I never saw her, though. She wouldn't know how to get past the guards, so it makes sense she stayed in the gardens. She loved playing there."
The walls of the room fell back to reveal the royal gardens where the three children used to play with Sir Bix. A dark cloud hung in the sky as Erynion and Batar were led past the small group of paladins and priests. There, on the same stones where they had saved their sister so many times from the clutches of the demon character played by Sir Bix, his mother bent over the lifeless body of Sereyna. Batar collapsed to the ground and wailed.
"It was my fault she was dead," Erynion murmured.
"The Seductress killed your sister. This is well known. You can't bear the burden for her death."
"It was still my fault. My father constantly lectured me on protecting my brother and sister. I was the oldest. I was the strongest. I was supposed to keep her safe, and I failed. Her death was my responsibility." Out of the corner of his eye, Erynion spotted an archdon on his knees, his face buried in his hands. "I wasn't the only one who felt that way, though."
"What do you mean?"
"There was a priest who tried to save her. He had confronted the Seductress." Erynion inched closer.
The archdon whimpered and repeated the same words over and over. "Too weak. Too weak."
"And?" Eyzora asked the demon lord.
"And he failed too."
✽✽✽
"Your Highness, I present Her Luminescence, Prima Mashira."
Mashira walked past the royal watcher who announced her arrival and into the side room. A long table divided the room in half, and King Batar and a guardian stood on the opposite side of it. The Prima bowed. "Your Highness."
"Your Luminescence," he answered. His expression was flat, and his tone lacked the affection Mashira had become accustomed to. "I apologize I was unable to meet with you yesterday. I did attend your speech at the Sanctuary. It was quite moving."
"Thank you. Will Sir Mekken be joining our meeting?"
The king placed his hand on the guardian's shoulder. "Yes. You see, I've decided to take your advice more seriously. So, in addition to my normal detail, Sir Mekken stays with me at all times now."
"Indeed. I don't mean any offense to the present company, but I meant more than just one bodyguard, and perhaps composed of champions?"
"While Sir Mekken is a relatively new paladin and does not carry the distinguished title of Champion of the Light, there is no one in this entire kingdom whom I trust more with my life."
Mashira quietly observed Batar. Something was off about him. His manner was cold, standoffish. It's not that she missed his constant attempts to win her back, but she was suspicious as to what had brought this change in attitude. Perhaps he finally accepted their romantic relationship had ended. Mashira approached the table. "Have you had a chance to review the letters I sent you?"
"To which letters are you referring?"
"There were only two. The first I sent the day after Royal Oak was attacked, and the second was only a couple of days ago."
"Ah, those letters. I remember them now."
"Well?"
Batar's eyes wandered around the room. "Well what?"
"Do you have any idea who Erynion is or how he might be connected to your sister or Sir Bix?"
"No."
Mashira expected more, but nothing came. "That's it? Just 'no'?"
"May I ask, how did you learn Bix was still alive?"
"As I explained in the letter, we've reestablished contact with the Death Gods."
Batar folded his arms. "And, who do they think Erynion is?"
"They haven't told us. In fact, we haven't learned anything valuable from them yet. They're willing to put the past behind them and help us completely, but not until we agree to their terms."
"Which are?"
Mashira sighed. "The same thing they've been requesting for the past decade. They want the Talisman of Zavi."
The king placed his hand over his chest. "What did you tell them?"
"The Talisman has to remain around your neck. And so, negotiations will continue until we can find something else they want. That's why we're going to send ambassadors. Archdons Kainol and Navi Laila will leave tomorrow."
"That's good. Was there something else you wanted to discuss?"
The Prima felt as if she wasn't welcome in the room. Batar normally found any excuse to see her and stay in her company, but now he was brushing her off. He was hiding something. She was sure of it. Perhaps her suspicions about Erynion's true identity were correct. "What's going on here?"
Batar appeared surprised. "What do you mean?"
"All of this. You're acting very strange. There's some connection between Sereyna, Sir Bix, and Erynion. I find it very hard to believe you don't have even the slightest idea."
"I don't know what you expect from me. Sereyna died sixteen years ago. How am I supposed to remember if she mentioned some name that had no meaning for me at the time?"
Mashira took a deep breath as she prepared to broach a sensitive subject. "Could Erynion have anything to do with Altheus?"
"My brother…" Batar glared at her and his jawbone became more pronounced. He clasped his hands together, and they began to quiver. "My brother is gone.
You know he sacrificed himself to save me. He died with no regrets, and he transcended. End of story."
"I know it's hard to consider, but I'm just trying to discover the truth."
"Well, cross Altheus off your list. He and Sereyna are both dead, and my soul is doomed. They're angels, and I'll never get to see them again."
The Prima leaned on the table. "Batar, you've always been able to talk to me. Please, just tell me what's going on."
"Fine. You want to know?" The king appeared stoic. "The reason I'm acting strange is because…because I'm officially ending our courtship."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Yes, I'm sorry if this upsets you, but it has to be done."
Mashira scoffed. "You must've known that our personal relationship ended after—"
"After I became king?" Batar blurted out. "Yes, I suppose that was the beginning of the end. I didn't want to believe it, but we were so busy. Our roles kept us apart, and so we drifted from each other."
The Prima shook her head. The night of Devil's Breach, Batar had confessed everything to her. The meeting with the Seductress, the deal with Verago, the seeds, everything. She'd given him the Talisman that night so he could remove the gate seeds from the royal gardens and undo some of his mistakes. But, she also realized the man she'd fallen in love with didn't actually exist. With the enhancement spell cleansed from Batar's body, all that remained was a sad, scared, spineless soul.
"Fine," she said matter-of-factly. "It's over."
Batar's lip quivered, and he turned his back on her. Mashira looked at Sir Mekken, who stepped in front of the king. The room was silent save a faint whimper, and the Prima considered if she had any desire to offer words of comfort.
A knock came at the door, but Batar didn't respond.
"Your Luminescence," a voice called through the door. "Are you in there? I have an urgent letter."
"Your Highness," Mashira said. "I'm going to leave now. Another matter requires my attention."
Still with his back to her, Batar waved his hand over his shoulder, and the Prima bolted for the exit.
When she opened the door, a scribe handed her a letter. "Advisor Ayristark said you'd be here. Three candles, Your Luminescence."
The Forgotten Queen Page 7