by K. G. Reuss
“And then what happened?” I pressed, thinking about how that was exactly how Calix had seemed to me. I recalled the way his lips curled up into a smile the moment he laid his eyes on me in our chemistry class only months ago.
“Well, perhaps I’d better explain it the way it happened from the beginning.” Soran licked his lips before continuing, “Zaros requested a meeting with father to discuss the incidence of the hidden kingdom of Ascaria attempting to invade his borders. Ascarians are neutrals. They are neither Seelie or Unseelie. They haven’t yet chosen, but they’ll tip the scales when they do, and I’d imagine, cause unimaginable chaos because one group would then be more than the other and the balance would be upended.” Soran cleared his throat. “You see, Xalvador, Zaros’s eldest son, the one you were meant to marry, was supposedly murdered by the Ascarians.”
“What do you mean supposedly?” I pressed, trying to absorb all the information.
“His body was burned so badly it was unrecognizable from what I’ve heard. The only distinguishing factor was the ring he wore on his finger which symbolized his house, his kingdom, his court. The story seems odd simply because the Ascarians are a secret, hidden kingdom seeped in magic. No one knows of its exact location, and no one has ever seen its king. It supposedly lies beyond the great forest. No one has dared traveling through there to find out though because of the old lore of it being wrapped in so much magic a man could go mad by just stepping foot within its shadows. In fact, not many people have ever seen an Ascarian. They tend to like their privacy, which is another reason they cause concern. Whatever side they decide to join, if they decide to join, could be one hell of a fight.”
“How do you even know they exist?” I questioned, watching as Soran thought about his answer.
“They exist. Some people claim it’s a load of fantasy, and the kingdom died out years ago after their last king passed. Those people say the people who remained assimilated to life in other kingdoms and courts. I don’t believe that. I know they’re out there, hidden, waiting for whatever it is they wait for. Besides, who else would kill a prince of Lor’Lak? It’s said that Zaros stole the Ascarian princess and made her his bride, and she gave him his two sons. She eventually died under suspicious circumstances. If I had to guess, I’d say the entire feud between Ascaria and Lor’Lak had something to do with that. Perhaps they didn’t want their beloved princess to have children with Zaros. It doesn’t explain why they killed Xalvador yet allowed Calixto to live.” Soran shrugged. “But, like I said, they’re mysterious. We may never know.”
“That is odd,” I murmured. “Do you think maybe they knew wh-what Calix would become? Maybe they supported it?”
“No,” Soran replied thoughtfully. “I don’t think they supported Calixto. If they’re even involved in any of this. We don’t know because we have no proof of their interference. We’ve sent Sentries to find answers, and they’ve heard stories of a small army approaching the place where Xalvador was camping. There was a skirmish, and the small group of Lor’Lakians executed. But it could’ve simply been a band of rogues and unfortunate timing. When Zaros came to us, begging for us to help him take out the Ascarians, the stories were too suspicious. A kingdom no one ever hears from randomly attacks? It didn’t make sense, and Zaros didn’t seem to want to offer further details. How do you find a hidden kingdom, especially one beyond the great forest where no man dares to tread? It would be a waste of time and energy to wage war with a place you cannot find. Besides, the Ascarians are shifters. Even if it was their army who took out Xalvador at his post, we’d never be able to tell because the story goes that the Ascarians can change how they look. They’re changelings. So what might appear as a fourteen-year-old girl with flowers in her hand, might actually be something else entirely.”
“They can change how they look?” I squeaked, amazed at how crazy this world seemed to be. It was like living out a SyFy Channel movie.
“So go the stories.” Soran nodded, his blue eyes focused on a Citera as it fluttered its wings nearby. “I’ve never met one, at least not that I know of.”
“This is insane,” I whispered, shaking my head.
“It may seem extraordinary, but don’t dwell on it too much. This is merely a mixture of speculation and stories, Analia. Who’s to say what all is true and what isn’t?” Soran replied, pulling his attention away from the small bird and giving me a gentle smile. “I got sidetracked. I was telling you about Zaros coming to Dar’ish.”
I sat forward, waiting for him to continue his story.
“As you may have noticed, Father tends to be an accommodating man. He’s generous when he needs to be but don’t underestimate him. He’s a true warrior,” Soran sounded proud as he spoke of our father. “When Zaros requested to be seen, Father welcomed him to our table where they feasted together. Father knew of Zaros’s feelings for our mother and how they’d once been in love. Wanting to let the past go and strengthen our world by uniting the two courts, Father was more than willing to hear Zaros out. Of course, much like me, Father didn’t buy into Zaros’s story of the Ascarians. When Zaros requested to see you, our parents reluctantly allowed it to happen. You were brought out to meet Calixto and Zaros. You reached your tiny hand out to the prince. The moment your hands touched, there was a brilliant flame. There were so many colors to it. I’d never seen anything like it. I didn’t know what to do. None of us did. Mother snatched you away from him the moment she got her wits about her.”
“What happened next?” I pressed, desperately wanting to know the whole story, especially from him since he was there. “Tell me everything.”
“Father verbally broke off the contract to marry you to Calixto. This set both Zaros and Calixto off. The guards came rushing into the room, and Father had Zaros and Calixto escorted out. It helped that Father had already been suspicious of Zaros. There was a struggle in which Calixto tried to get past the guards to get to you. He had a maddening look in his eyes. It was quite frightening. Like he’d stop at nothing to obtain you. It was Zaros who calmed him and got him to leave. I contacted Kellin, and he was there within hours, ready to do as I asked.”
“And you asked for him to take me to Earth Realm,” I finished sadly.
“I did. It was the only thing we could think of. I still believe it was the best decision. We trusted Kellin. We still trust him. I’d leave my life in his hands. He has done nothing but been there this whole time, without question. Our fathers met to discuss it in further detail, and it took Kellin a few days to prepare himself for the task, but he did so like the soldier he is.”
Soran sounded proud of Kellin. I knew they had a very deep, lasting friendship, and it was easy to see why—Kellin was a stand-up guy. He’d been one of my closest friends in Earth Realm.
“Do you know who it is I’m supposed to marry?” I asked after a moment of thoughtful silence.
“I don’t, but I have my suspicions,” Soran replied delicately. “I know this place isn’t really your home, Analia, but you are loved here more than you realize, and we need you. I understand you’re brokenhearted over Calix. I only wish you could know what sort of person he was. The things he did ...” Soran shuddered and looked down at his hands.
“I knew a different person,” I answered softly. “He was kind, sweet, and gentle. The Calix I knew never hurt anyone.”
“Are you so sure he never hurt anyone?” Soran asked gently, his voice barely above a whisper. I opened my mouth to interject, but he held his hand up to stop me. “You saw him kill in visions, Analia. You saw what he tried to do to me.”
“That wasn’t him. That was him being controlled by Zaros—” I snarled heatedly.
“Analia, Kellin told me of the girl you set on fire. I’m not convinced it was you who did it,” Soran interrupted. “Think about this—you saw what he was capable of in your visions. Now, consider for a moment that perhaps he made you believe you set her on fire. That perhaps, it was really him who did it in an effort to upset you, to shove you to h
im so he could take you away. Has that ever crossed your mind?”
“No,” I answered, a wave of nausea hitting me. Why couldn’t it have been possible? Soran was right—Calix had done bad things, terrible things. But ... would he do that? To me?
I frowned as I rolled everything over in my mind, suddenly, for the first time, not certain if he was who I thought he was. He did have the entire cabin stocked for us, though. I shook it off. He was Calix. My Calix. He would’ve never done that. Not to me.
“Maybe it’s time you start considering the possibilities, Analia,” Soran murmured. “You of all people should know anything is possible.”
“I’m having a really hard time with all of this. I-I’m hurting, and now I’m confused. I just… I don’t know anymore. Everything I thought was one thing has turned out to be something else entirely. Is it possible he did that? Of course it is. Do I want to believe it of the man I loved? Absolutely not. Th-this just hurts me so much. I miss him with every ounce of my soul.”
“I wish I could take away the hurt for you, but I cannot,” Soran said sadly. “Your pain may stem from him actually being the other half of what you are. He may have even compelled you to feel for him—”
“No.” I shook my head firmly. “What I feel is real—”
“But how real, Analia? If I controlled your mind and made you believe something, then that lie is as real as the truth because you believe it.”
I wiped at my eyes, my throat burning from trying to hold as much of my heartbreak in as I could. I didn’t even want to explore the possibility of what Soran was suggesting. It was far too painful.
“Tell me how I got here,” I managed to whisper, not wanting to argue about Calix any longer.
“Kellin had been tracking you. He’s a Sentry. I’m sure he’s told you that. You sent him a message, and the moment you arrived at the cliff, he was able to locate you. We rushed there as fast as we could.”
“You were there?” I asked, surprised at the news.
“Of course I was,” Soran scoffed. “If my baby sister says she’s going to kill herself, you’d be crazy to think I wouldn’t be there to prevent it.”
“But I did die, Soran. Calix saved me. He brought me back.”
“Wait. What?” He snapped his gaze to me and fixed me with his bright blue eyes. “What do you mean you died?”
“I mean, I jumped off that cliff. I died. I was in the darkness, wandering. Calix sacrificed himself to bring me back. He found me in the darkness and pushed me to the surface. He wouldn’t come with me. I tried to get him to,” I sobbed as I remembered the blurry memory.
“Analia,” Soran breathed, his eyes wide. “Do you remember Calix saying anything to you? Anything at all?”
“He said words I didn’t understand.” I frowned, trying to recall them. “It was a different language. I saw them through a vision.”
Soran paled and licked his lips.
“Tas musa en primo, non finnas,” he whispered.
I nodded my head slowly, recognizing the words slip from his tongue.
“Yes,” I said. “Yes, that’s it.”
“Analia,” Soran said carefully, turning to face me. “I need you to be honest with me, OK?”
“Of course.” I nodded, wondering where this could possibly be going.
“Did you give yourself to Calix?”
“What?” I asked surprised and embarrassed.
“You heard me. Did you?”
“We-we slept together, but only once,” I mumbled, ducking my head.
“Oh, dear God, no,” Soran choked, his face paling further at the news.
“What? What’s wrong? I loved him, Soran—”
“You two gave yourselves to one another before each of you made a sacrifice. Do you know what this means?.”
“No,” I said, shaking at his sudden anger.
“It means, dear sister, that you are bound to him. I thought it all ended when Calix died, but he got to you before we could. I wondered why your powers were so strong when you awoke. This is not good.”
“What do you mean?” I stared fearfully at him, my heartrate picking up.
“Isn’t it obvious, Analia? We didn’t stop anything from happening. You knew, didn’t you? You knew you started the binding to Calixto. Why didn’t you say something?” Soran demanded, anger and something that sounded like fear biting his words. “You were the Oracle on your eighteenth birthday. All you needed was to begin the binding, and you did.”
“I-I knew,” I admitted softly. “I made a terrible mistake. Calix told me not to do it, and I didn’t listen. Now he’s dead, and I’m this Oracle. To make matters worse, I’m stuck in this world I can’t escape from, from a future I can’t run from, can’t hide from. I’m sorry. I didn’t want any of this.”
“I know you didn’t,” Soran sighed and rubbed his forehead roughly. “It doesn’t change what has happened though, Analia. You can’t change the past. All you can do is try to make a better future.”
I grunted a response, not wanting to argue with him.
“We’re all still in danger. I thought we might have some time, but I fear we don’t,” Soran continued fiercely. “Zaros will be looking for you. He’s angry he lost his last heir and his weapon, that much we’re sure of. We anticipated a retaliatory attack, but this? It’ll be much grander. He’s going to want you, Analia. Still, he’ll want you.”
“Oh, no,” I breathed, covering my mouth with my hand. “But what good am I? Without Calix, I’m nothing.”
“You’re still something. The Oracle controls Void, Analia. The fifth element. That’s where Calixto is. He dwells there, waiting to be released. If Zaros gets you, he gets the Mortae back. I can’t believe this,” Soran fumed again, his cheeks rosy with his anger.
I didn’t say anything as he chewed his lip in frustration. It felt like eons before he finally spoke, “We didn’t recover his body.”
“What?” I asked, bile rising in my throat.
“Calixto. We didn’t take his body. We left him. Kellin wanted to bring him back, but I told him no. I-I only wanted his body to rot where it lay. He’d done so many awful things to so many innocent people. Kellin insisted we bring it back, though. I finally agreed, but only once you were safe within the palace walls. We went back for it, but it was already gone. Zaros must have claimed it before we could. I-I didn’t know you were bound. I thought he’d taken his life, or that you’d overcome him. I never dreamed this was the case.”
“Are you certain he was dead?” I asked quietly.
“Yes,” Soran replied keenly. “He was very much dead.”
“Then what are you afraid of? Take Zaros out before he hurts more people. I’ll do it myself,” I said defiantly. He’d hurt Calix, and that was all the motivation I needed.
“You’ll do no such thing.” Soran answered sternly, rising to his feet and bringing me with him. “Didn’t you just hear what I said? If Zaros gets you, we’re all doomed. Yes, Calix is dead in a sense, but he could return if Zaros gets to you.”
“Then what do you propose we do?” I asked, exasperated. My frustration warred with the excitement sparking in my heart over the prospect of getting my Calix back.
“We begin with your training. You must be able to defend yourself in the event something happens. You must learn how to use your gifts. You’re the Oracle, and you’re unprepared. We cannot have that. I’ll speak to Father, and we’ll begin immediately.”
“I’ve already trained with Calix—” I started, but Soran held up his hand to silence me.
“You trained with someone intent on weakening you,” he snapped, causing me to back away from him. “You’ll train with those intent on strengthening you.”
Soran was silent for a moment, on his feet, pacing. He stopped abruptly and turned to me, his blue eyes flashing.
“There’s a story. Of a way to break the binding for the Oracle.”
“How?” I asked, my brow furrowing.
“It’s called altera. In
Winterset, when you’re betrothed to one and he dies, you’re passed down the line. For example, you became Calixto’s bride-to-be simply because Xalvador perished. If we can get blood, Shadowmoore blood, to accept you as theirs, you might be able to break the binding.”
“How is that even possible?” I asked. “Xalvador is dead. Calix is dead. There are no other sons. Shouldn’t I be free since both are-are gone? Plus, I’d-I’d have to give myself to this new blood? I-I can’t—” The thought of lying with someone else twisted my stomach into knots. And who was to say this would even work? I’d just end up married and bound to someone else.
“No.” Soran shook his head. “Technically, Calix is caught between life and death in the Void. He’s both dead and alive. You’re bound to him by your breath. You’re what keeps him in the Void. Likewise, you’re what can take him out. He’s both living and dead. That being said, you’re free to be claimed by altera. The part of him being dead allows it to be. And this altera could bind with you since he’d share the same blood as the Mortae. Together, you and altera could become powerful enough to overtake Zaros and end his madness. We need Shadowmoore blood.”
“Like Zaros’s?” I nearly choked on the words.
“No, he isn’t in line. It’s difficult to explain if you don’t understand how our laws work.”
“Soran, if both brothers are dead, then there’s nothing we can do about it. Unless you know how to raise Xalvador from the dead, I’d say we’re pretty much screwed. Also, you said Father broke off the arrangement for my marriage to Calix.”
“Father broke it off, yes. The High Council of Winterset, the Elders, didn’t approve it. It has to go to the Elders for approval. They would’ve if Zaros hadn’t fled. Both parties must be present for a ruling. No one had any time to do it what with squirrelling you away and all. We just figured we’d hide you, take care of Zaros and his new war, and that’d be the end of it. As you can see, that didn’t work out the way we planned. Besides, we’re talking about breaking the binding between you and Calix. The betrothal isn’t the concern at this point. Not really.”