Divine Blood

by Beck Michaels

  Lorian crossed his arms. “And where is this powerful magic you claim?”

  Dyna swallowed the lump in her throat. “The island.”

  The councilmen gaped at her before bursting into mocking laughter.

  She stood. “You don’t understand. I can save the village!”

  They dismissed her as she predicted and turned away to discuss among themselves, shooting her contemptuous looks. They didn’t believe her. How could they when they thought of that place as only a story?

  Her hope was sand slipping through her fingers.

  “I did not listen to your father when he warned me …” Lady Samira muttered, her eyes drooping heavily. “It was to my greatest regret what befell your family … An apology will never be enough, but you have my blessings. And with it, may your father forgive me. Councilor Pavin?”

  “Yes?” The heavy-set councilman readily came forward.

  “Bring me paper and ink … I have chosen my successor.”

  All the council members stood straight and confident, righting the front of their robes.

  “I will leave my seat to Dynalya …”

  The councilor’s expressions varied from bulging eyes to gaping mouths. Dyna might have found their reactions amusing if she had not been equally speechless. To take Lady Samira’s place meant she would have the high seat and with it, the power to make decisions on village matters. It gave her the power to save Lyra.

  “Hurry, man, I am dying,” Lady Samira snapped.

  Councilor Pavin balked and hurried out of the room.

  Lorian caught Dyna’s eye and motioned for her to come out to the hall with him while the others gathered to say their farewells to the councilwoman.

  Once they were alone, he cornered her against the wall, leaning over her until his rank breath blew in her face. “You are cruel to fill her head with dreams and fairy tales on her deathbed.”

  Dyna glared at him and clenched her shaking fists so he wouldn’t see how much he intimidated her. “I am telling the truth. I can help—”

  “You will help us by staying here and not exposing us to the Archmage. If we are discovered, all of Magos will descend upon us.”

  “Lady Samira has given me her blessings.”

  “Her seat, you mean. A seat that should go to one of us.”

  “To you if you had any say in it.”

  “It is mine. I earned it and I’ll not let some girl take it from me.”

  “I don’t care about that seat, I care about saving the children,” she exasperated. “The Shadow is coming and I know how to stop it. If you will not help me then I will do this on my own.”

  Lorian sneered and leaned down until their noses touched. “Go on, leave if you’re so brave. But do give your loved ones a farewell. It will be the last time they ever see you, Dynalya, for you will fail.”

  His words echoed in the cavern of her thoughts. The floor was quicksand, pulling her under, slipping over her mouth and nose until she was blinded in the cold dark.

  You will fail.

  “What were you doing to my granddaughter?”

  Councilor Lorian jumped away. Grandmother Leyla stood at the end of the hall with her bag, glaring daggers at him.

  “Come now, madam. You wound me,” he chuckled airily. “We were merely discussing Lady Samira’s condition.”

  Grandmother Leyla’s eyes narrowed. She went to Dyna, searching her face. “How is she?”

  Dyna shook her head and her grandmother sighed.

  Councilor Pavin rushed past them with a sheet of paper and a well of ink. They followed him into the hushed room. Councilor Mathis covered Lady Samira’s face with a blanket as they approached the settee.

  “She’s passed,” Councilor Xibil announced somberly. Cario laid a comforting hand on his father’s shoulder.

  “Oh …” Grandmother Leyla covered her face.

  Dyna dropped into the chair beside Lady Samira and lowered her head. Her bitterness against this woman had been with her for so long it had rooted itself deep within her. But it served no purpose. It would only keep her in the past when it was the future she needed to face.

  Dyna gently took Lady Samira’s hand and recited the prayer for the dead, “May you leave the Mortal Gate with no burden to bind you. May you cross Death’s Gate with all faults forgiven.” Her tears came freely, and she felt each one wash away her resentment. “May you pass through the Time Gate with the wisdom of the age. May you pass through the expanse of the Spatial Gate’s wonder. May you pass through Life’s Gate as you did at the beginning. May you arrive at Heaven’s Gate at the end. May the God of Urn receive your soul.” In a whisper, she added, “I will save them. I promise you.”

  “Lady Samira has departed before she could officially leave a successor,” Lorian said coolly. “The laws are clear on this. We must vote for a new Head Councilor. Who shall it be? Someone among us? Or will the village’s fate rest on the whims of an inexperienced girl?”

  The council members looked to her unsurely, Lorian’s mouth twisting with mockery.

  Dyna didn’t bother staying to hear the obvious result of the vote. She took her confused grandmother’s arm and walked out of the room with as much dignity as she could muster.

  When first discovering the map, Dyna knew she would have to leave, but she had put the journey off, lacking the courage to take the first step away from the comforts of her home. The small sliver of hope that the council would be of any help died with Lady Samira.

  She had no choice but to do this herself.

  The thought was as frightening as jumping into a pitch-black pit not knowing when she would hit the ground. There was no telling what awaited her out in the world, and there was the danger of attracting a mage. Great risk outweighed her success.

  Dyna looked up from the letter she had been writing at her desk. The dark sky was lightening. She had stayed awake into the late hour, thinking and planning, but soon it would be morning. She groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

  Winter was coming and soon the gorge entrance to the village would seal with snow until late spring. If she didn’t leave now, she would not have enough time to cross Urn and return home before the fourth coming.

  Time slipped past her, drawing the Shadow nearer.

  She had to go. There was no question. She had to leave today, at this moment, before it was too late.

  Fear caught her in a snare, reminding her she couldn’t sleep by herself, let alone in the dark. She also had dire responsibilities. Zev needed her help or he would …

  Her spiral of thoughts stopped and she broke into a grin. Zev could come with her. She didn’t have to do this alone.

  Dyna peeked at Lyra, who slept soundly on the bed under a mound of blankets. She picked up the journal where it had been resting behind a stack of books, opened it to the blank page, and whispered the passphrase. Once the map appeared, she tapped on the Kingdom of Azure, and the dance of magic rippled across the surface. The continent swirled and expanded until the eastern quadrant filled the page.

  She studied the land past the Zafiro Mountains. Zev lived in Lykos Peak, werewolf territory. It was located in a dense region of woods, bordered by coastline cliffs. It lay about thirty miles east of her village, but a thick forest separated them. The villagers called it the Forbidden Woods.

  On the map, it was identified as Hilos.

  Wander in there about and you will never come out, as the saying went. A dire rhyme they were all made to learn as children. No one outside of the council knew what lurked in there. But how dangerous could it be if Zev trekked through those woods when he came to visit her each month?

  He never spoke of anything frightening prowling within it. That couldn’t mean much. Most found him to be equally frightening, considering his origin.

  Regardless, Dyna was curious.

  “What’s in there?” she had often asked him. “What’s it like?”

  Zev would always shrug as though it was a silly question. “It’s a forest.”r />
  “Then why is it forbidden?”

  “You must obey the rules, even if you don’t understand them.”

  Her cousin was not of North Star so the rules didn’t apply to him, but the forest mustn’t be so terrible if he went in. The rumors had to be mere superstition.

  Or perhaps not.

  Her aunt had gone through those woods years ago. She did not return.

  Dyna shook off the ominous feeling the reminder brought. She had no choice but to go through the Forbidden Woods if she was to reach Lykos Peak before nightfall. If she went around it, the detour would deviate her by three days. She wasn’t capable of withstanding so many nights—alone—in the dark. Nor could she stomach it.

  Dyna glanced at her father’s enchanted cloak draped on her chair. Among the many runes was the rune for concealment. If the magic was strong, it would hide her well enough from whatever made the Forbidden Woods … forbidden.

  Lyra mumbled in her sleep, smiling from what could only be a nice dream. She was so innocent and sweet, without a care in the world. Dyna would march through any darkness to protect that.

  She rushed to her wardrobe and chose a simple kirtle dress in the color of sage with long bell sleeves. Pulling it on over her chemise, she cinched the laces in the front that stretched along her bosom to her waist until it hugged her slim frame.

  Dyna tossed the journal inside the leather satchel hanging from an iron hook on her bedroom door. She slung it on her shoulder and went for the rucksack hidden beneath her bed. It already carried some food and water. She added a few more articles of clothing before securing it on her shoulders.

  The floorboards creaked as she flitted to her desk. She slipped on her cloak and grabbed the sheathed, three-inch knife beside a pile of dried stalks, tucking it into her corset

  In a clay bowl set on top a pile of books, lay the five Waning Amulets her father had made. Dyna ran her fingers over the smooth wooden pendants. Four would go with the letter she had addressed to her grandmother.

  It explained where she had gone and why. In the case she didn’t return, Grandmother Leyla would need to decide which children would receive the amulets. It was unfair to leave such a burden behind, but it was a last resort.

  Dyna placed the fifth amulet in Lyra’s palm and closed her small fingers around it. No matter what happened on this journey, she would leave knowing her sister was safe.

  Dyna kissed Lyra’s forehead and whispered a soft prayer to the God of Urn to watch over her. She carefully pushed open the window and slinked out, landing on frost-coated grass that crunched beneath her shoes. Her breath clouded in the air, the early morning chill prickling her cheeks. The darkness above tinged a pale blue and pink as the hint of the sunrise approached.

  She took in her home, wanting to memorize its worn stone walls, the thatch roof, and the wooden door with a small round window. She could almost hear her mother humming as she tended to the garden, Thane’s laughter as he ran through the yard, and an echo of her father’s voice. A dull ache filled her chest.

  He did all he could to save North Star until the last moment. That duty fell to her now.

  With one last glance at her bedroom window, Dyna whispered goodbye. She walked away, forcing herself not to look back as she crossed the rickety fence bordered by the stonewalling surrounding her land. Her direction was due east for the valley gorge and the dark stretch of trees that lay beyond it. With each step taking her further and further away, her apprehension grew.

  Dyna laid a shaking hand over the journal in her satchel and its gentle energy responded, filling her with strength.

  Chapter 4

  Dynalya

  Dyna hiked through the day, her steady pace taking her deep into the Forbidden Woods. Nothing slinked out from the trees to confront her. All was still and quiet. Evening had arrived if the low light was any sign. Apprehension crept over her nerves.

  The thought of finding herself in the dark terrified her, especially in the forest, and this forest was strange. Zev had not been honest with her.

  The trees were peculiar, ancient giants. Their thick, white trunks bore massive indigo leaf canopies that cast a wide blanket of shade. The undergrowth of massive iridescent flowers in vibrant purple, teal, and pink coated her surroundings in an eerie hue. There were no roads or trails of any kind to walk on in the dense woodland.

  No other but she dared come here.

  Dyna shivered, not sure if the chilly air or the notion caused it. She adjusted her hood against the cold and tightened the cloak around her shoulders, letting its enchantments reassure her. The runes did well to conceal her presence as long as she didn’t make a sound. And she had the strange sense to be quiet.

  Hilos. She turned the land’s name in her head, trying to recall where she had heard it. It must have surfaced in her studies.

  Her aching feet begged for rest, but Lykos Peak shouldn’t be too far now. Dyna stopped mid-step, hearing a new sound not belonging to nature. She strained to listen past the rustling of the leaves in the breeze.

  Music.

  It was such a beautiful and heartrending melody that could only come from a flute. Something about the tune was familiar, drawing from her a memory of her mother singing a similar song. The tune became clearer as she followed it, forming a deep calling she had to answer. But then the melody reached its end and faded among the trees.

  She paused, waiting for another song but none came. The longer she stood there, the more she wondered if she had truly heard it. Was this a trick of the forest?

  Dyna backed up a step at the thought. What would have happened if she had located the minstrel?

  She turned to go back the way she came only to realize she didn’t know which way that was. She spun in place, trying to retrace her steps. The forest floor was too thick to leave behind any footprints. Every course looked the same. The identical trees offered no direction. There were no visible hills, rivers, or trails to guide her.

  She was lost.

  The long shadows grew as the sun lowered. Dyna’s heart raced, her breathing growing erratic. The darkening surroundings spun in a blur. The feeling left her legs. She fell onto her knees and wrapped her shaking arms around herself. Air wouldn’t enter her lungs. The forest closed in around her. She was falling through the cracks of the earth, turning to rubble and dust.

  Lyra.

  Dyna gasped for air. Her sister’s name was a rope, and she used it to scale up the walls of her panic.

  She forced a mouthful of cold air down her throat over and over until she could think. Once the world stopped spinning, Dyna closed her eyes. As her breathing quieted, she heard distant waves beating against what must be the cliffs separating Hilos and Lykos Peak.

  She picked herself up off the ground and ran toward it. Her footfalls carried through the forest, the shrubs rattling in her wake as she barreled past.

  She stopped in a pocket of buttery light and listened for the sea again. Unnatural silence hung in the air. The wind halted, the birds no longer sang, and every chatter of life disappeared as though the forest itself held its breath. A reminder that she should not have made a sound came too late. Goosebumps raced over her skin at the sensation of being watched. She whirled around, anxiously searching the greenery.

  No one was there.

  It stirred memories of the past, of molten red eyes hunting her in the darkness. Dyna inhaled several deep breaths and leaned against a tree, reining in her fear. She gazed up at the delicate rays of sunlight slipping in through the tree’s long, swooping branches, shimmering on wide, gossamer leaves, appearing of glass. There was another Hyalus tree in these woods?

  Dyna stepped back to admire the tranquil giant. The tree stood taller than the rest, reigning over all in its wake. It was much bigger than the one outside of her village. The girth of the silver trunk was as large as her cottage. The peculiarity of the tree was not the beauty of its transparent leaves, but that they glowed a luminous white once night fell.

  A passage
from the journal came to mind: Magic is in all life. It is within the sun, the moon, and the earth. Reverence is due, for such a majestic entity has been here since the dawn of the beginning and it will be here long after our end.

  Dyna smiled and patted the tree. If night fell before she reached Zev, she would return to the Hyalus for shelter. It would keep her safe. For now, if she could find a fresh leaf, it would provide light without her having to make it herself.

  She searched through the plush bed of fallen leaves scattered over the roots when she spotted a long black feather. It was glossy, almost glimmering in the shade. What kind of bird did this belong to?

  She picked it up, and abrupt energy collided against her Essence. Gold light sparked at the tip of the feather and spread throughout its profile as a flourish of unexpected power filled her, pumping heat through her veins.

  Awed, she brandished the feather around, creating glowing streaks of light. This was new magic, well, unknown to her. She’d have to study it later.

  Turning to go, she heard a snap. Rope lashed out from under the leaves, snatching her ankle out from under her. Dyna screamed as it wrenched her into the air and she lost hold of the world again. She swung erratically from her leg, trapped in a pendulum above the ground.

  Once the movement slowed, it took a moment to make sense of her situation. She hung upside down. Her cloak and dress had fallen over her face, leaving her legs bare. She quickly tucked her hem between her thighs and inspected her surroundings. The rope fastened around her ankle was fixed to a branch of the Hyalus.

  Coming through here must have triggered a hunting trap, but she had met no others in the forest. What kind of animal were they hunting? A large one by the makes of it.

  Dyna grunted as she reached up to take the rope when the leaves rustled. She whipped her head around to see a man step out onto a thick branch from another tree across from her. Long, blond hair framed the planes of his striking face. More like him emerged from the surrounding trees. They were all men, all golden-haired, and incredibly stunning—but it was their pure-white wings that caught her breath.