The shadowed queen, p.21
The Shadowed Queen, page 21
Finally, I pull myself up over the platform, marveling at the view. We are even with the top of the castle. I can actually see into a few of the windows. One well lit window shows Tyron pacing, mumbling over paperwork. I point, and turn to Trenta, "Does he ever get anything done? I swear that's the same pile of papers he had earlier."
"The guys and I are convinced it's some kind of activity puzzle, or a color-by-number, and he forgot how to count."
He gives me a serious look, and I try to mimic it, then can't help but laugh. something about the twinkle in his eye, how close we're sitting, makes us both turn our eyes away quickly. I lay down on the cold wooden floor, he joins me, his armor hitting the wood with hollow thuds.
"I didn't just bring you here for the view of your father, watch." He points to the top of the ancient tree, "she's going to fly out from the top of there any minute now."
Eleni, Mors first creation, Annabelle said she controls the sun and moon rising and setting.
We lay for a while, waiting. Then suddenly, the sky darkens, and the wind shifts, a massive bird, a raven, glides down from the tree. She soars over the city, looking down at us, and I swear she winks at me. I wave, instantly feeling childish, as Trenta chuckles at me. Eleni pushes down hard with her wings, and in a blink, she's gone. The wind whips through the town, throwing leaves everywhere, then settles back to the gentle breeze.
"I love watching it do that," he says, putting an armor clad arm behind his head.
"Her," I correct, "Her name is Eleni."
"Oh, do you know her?"
"We've never met but Annabelle has told me about her. They're close."
"Ah, that makes sense. I saw them flying over town together a few times. Your sister was just a speck of a bird compared to her."
"What do you mean, flying? Annabelle was?"
"Oh yeah, her and Oberon used to go flying all over the Realm. A black raven and a white one, black-tipped wings and all."
"I knew she could shapeshift, but I didn't realize she did it so often."
"One time," he chuckles again, "One time we were sparring, and I managed to get through her defenses and wacked her shins with a wooden staff, pissed her off so much she turned into a fuckin' lion and pinned me. I thought she was gonna eat me. Oberon had to pull her off, snarling and all. It was hilarious."
I can see that. Her temper was always a bit hot and cold. She is prone to either snapping or having no reaction at all, there's no in-between.
"Your sister is a good person, a good leader," he adds, still staring at the sky, "She won't want to rule, when your father passes away. You know that right? It will fall to you."
"I hadn't considered that. I kind of hoped Oberon would take over."
"He wouldn't. The High Lords and Ladies of these lands are cursed. They can never leave. The only reason Lady Leanne got away was because they weren't married. Her family forbid it, and she held out hope that one day the lands would be reunited and she didn't want to be... well... stuck. They were married in the eyes of the Realm, but not technically."
"Yet you all call her 'Lady.'"
"Like I said, they were married, as far as we were concerned."
"It must have been hard."
"It was," he shifts in place, pulling armor off from his arms, throwing them at our feet, then getting comfortable again, "It was harder to lose her, to watch her whither away, to watch the light drain from Tyron's eyes as they realized what was to come."
I have no words. I was told about what happened. Our magic sapped her of her life force, and she died giving birth to us. It was all she could do to get us away from her family, somewhere safe.
"It was hard, growing up without a mother." I say softly.
He turns his head towards me, those green eyes piercing, watching, waiting for me to continue.
"Annabelle raised me. Made sure I was fed. Maybe she didn't want me to notice, but I did. There were many nights she would make sure my plate was full while she only ate a cracker, claiming to not feel well. She purposefully made herself a target for our abusing foster families to ensure I was never harmed. She... she took a lot of that burden. She's lost a lot of people. She lost me... for a time. She's been alone for a long time. Even though she was always there for me, it was still really hard growing up without a mom. I had Annabelle. Which was the best we could do, at the time. She would hold me, and brush my hair and sing to me."
Tears start to sting at my eyes. I feel like a damn has burst inside. I don't even know this man and I'm telling him all of our business. But I can't stop.
"It was hard. When I died, it was like the rug was ripped out from under me. I had to watch her struggle from afar. Her soul shattered that day. She was never the same, reserved, closed off, untrusting to a fault. And then when Aspen died... I don't know how she reacted, but she hasn't been the same sister since. She's distant. She tries, but she's just... she's not the same."
Trenta reaches over, wiping the tears from my cheeks, and I lean into his warm hand. My sister tries, I know she does. And this is the first time I'm admitting it out loud. But she's different. She's not the same sister I used to run in the woods with. I feel like I was frozen in time, while she grew up.
"She grew up without me. She left me behind." I mumble between sobs. "She let me die in those woods and never looked back."
"You know that's not true, Ophelia. Your death haunted her. I'm sure it still does, even with you back. Everything she did, she did for you."
"It doesn't feel that way, sometimes." Guilt and shame burn in my chest. I've kept these thoughts stuffed inside for so long, it feels good in a way, to let it out, even if I don't fully believe what I'm saying.
"I know, but you have to trust in her. She has always wanted what was best for you. That hasn't changed."
I drop the topic, but that small ember of anger still sits at the bottom of my stomach. Her priorities have shifted now. Maybe it makes me a bad person to be upset by that, maybe it's irrational. But I'm not her priority anymore. She doesn't care as much as she used to.
twelve
Tali
Since arriving in Asphelia, so much has happened it's been hard to keep up. I meet new people every day. I learn new things every day. I've grown decently close with most of the group. Oberon is a little quiet and closed off, as is Annabelle. But the others are extremely friendly. Most nights we eat dinner together at the tavern that sits in the center of town. A very nice family from the Winter Realm runs it, and the food is tremendous. I had grown especially close to Ivy. He seemed to be Annabelle's second in command, following her around and offering his advice. In his spare time he would lead me around town, pointing out certain people or places to go, and things to do.
When they decided at the meeting yesterday that he would be going to spy against the Mad King, a weight began to squeeze in my chest. As much as I focus and focus, my visions aren't showing me anything worthwhile. Maybe the feeling I have is guilt. If my powers were under my control, I could see what steps we need to take. I could have avoided a stressful situation. Moss keeps telling me that Ivy knows what he's doing, and will come back just fine. But I still have this... pressure.
"You still trying to see the future?" Ophelia asks, tossing herself on the ground next to me in a huff.
"Yeah, yeah, I just wish I could be more helpful."
Her brows furrow together, as she turns towards me, "You have been helpful enough, and will continue to do so."
"But I could be doing more."
"So could the rest of us. For now, we need to wait. Annabelle knows what she's doing. And when she doesn't, she'll wing it and it'll get figured out either way. Trust in my sister." She puts her hand on my shoulder and squeezes.
I nod in response. I've never had a bond like they do, so I am not one to question. But the blind faith is slightly worrisome. I do not think that the Goddesses would set us on this path just for us to fail. But I do not wish to see more lives lost for the sake of trust in one person. I need to find a way to channel my powers. I need the visions to send us in the right direction.
Ophelia watches as I stand from the warm grass and walk towards Annabelle's cabin. The rustling leaves and my feet shuffling through the streets creates plenty of energy waves around me that I can easily navigate the winding streets. It's early morning still, most of the townsfolk are still in bed. But the few who are awake go about their business, mulling around in relative silence.
I knock on the front door quietly, so as not to disturb them if they are sleeping. After a few seconds of silence, the sound of shuffling feet makes its way to the door. The door swings open silently, and Annabelle stands in the doorway, a cup in hand.
"To what do I owe the pleasure so early in the morning?" She asks me. Her voice as sharp as ever. The scent of freshly brewed coffee fills my senses, making me feel slightly guilty for making her answer the door, apparently so early in her morning.
"I wanted to try to go to Terra's temple. To see if I could meet with her. I want to learn how to harness my powers, especially the visions."
She stands silent for a moment, before swinging the door open wide for me, and gesturing her arm inside. I bow my head in thanks and make my way into the large room. The fireplace blazes and warms the space easily. With my abilities, I can see the layout of the furniture, all facing in a circle towards the fire. There's a hallway off to the right, I assume the bedroom and bathroom are that direction. And an open kitchen faces a small square table in the far corner of the space.
“So, do you know where the temple is?” She asks after a long silence, sipping on her coffee.
“Yes, yes, I've seen it in my visions. To get to the temple I need to open a tunnel through a bit of rock. It's not far from my home in the desert.”
“Would you like me to come?”
“Yes, if that is alright with you. I don't want to go alone. I am unsure if there are any dangers that I may not be able to see.”
“If it makes you feel better, I've never heard of the temple. I doubt others have even been to it. If Terra showed you a vision of the location, you may be the only one who will ever have seen it- er- well... have been there anyway.”
“That does relieve me slightly.”
We sit in silence for a few more minutes. The only sound filling the space is the crackling fire beside us, sending small waves of energy through the floor. The waves travel up the couches, up the walls, painting the space around us.
Annabelle is curled up in a round chair as close as you could get to the fire without becoming one with it. I wonder if she gets cold easily?
“We can leave after breakfast if you want. Obe will want to come.” She states plainly. It takes me a moment to process who “Obe” is.
“That is fine with me.”
Footsteps ripple through the room, as Oberon saunters in the room, throwing himself down on the couch near Annabelle and throwing his legs over the side.
“We can't just have one day off huh, another temple to visit, another Goddess to meet. Just another day.” He chuckles. The sound is rich, dark, the sound nearly foreign to me.
“You don't have to come-” Annabelle starts to say.
“I'm coming.” He cuts her off, patting her on the head and hopping back off the couch, “you like eggs, Tali?”
“Ah yes, yeah I do. Any way is okay. Thank you.”
Footsteps echo through the space as he pads over to the kitchen. Pans clang together sending lots of waves to scatter through the space. I can see plants and paintings on every surface possible. Cluttering the space with life. Books sit in a stack by a bookshelf near the couch I'm sitting on, waiting to be put back in their homes. Several swords rest against the wall near the door, quickly discarded.
An odd space for a Goddess and her consort. Cluttered and messy. But it feels homey. Like a good collection between the two people, I wonder which one is the cleaner one. Who drops their stuff at the door and leaves it, if not both of them?
Oberon starts to set plates down on the table, and Annabelle stands and gestures me to follow. We sit side by side at the table and I drum my fingers on the surface to get an idea of where everything is. Usually I cook for myself, throw it on a single plate and eat it all together. But Oberon has cooked up a variety of foods. From smell alone, I can tell there's at least eggs and bacon, but there are several plates of food that I have no idea what is on it. There's a loaf of bread in the center with a lump of butter next to it. Glasses of some kind of juice by each of our plates.
“Bacon, eggs, ham-” Annabelle starts to point out all the food on the table one by one. This man whipped up an entire feast for just the three of us?
“If you were worried, he always cooks like this,” Annabelle whispers in my ear.
“I heard that. I only do it because Anna eats like she's starved to death.”
“It uses a lot of energy to be this cool and powerful.” She replies in a mocking tone. He scoffs a response and sets a few more plates on the table. “Hash browns, waffles, and different kinds of toast toast.” She whispers still, pointing again. They begin to fill their plates and I follow suit. The room is quiet enough that the occasional scrape of a fork on a plate fills the room with waves, showing me where everything is. Annabelle digs in, indeed eating like she's never seen food before. Oberon shakes his head and cuts into something on his plate with a knife.
We eat together without chatting, while normally the silence would make me uncomfortable, here it feels... right. Like we're comfortable. A family. I can't remember the last time someone shared a proper meal with me like this, intimate. We've eaten at the tavern before but it's always boisterous and hectic. Here it's calming, a nice slow start to what will be an interesting day.
Oberon
After walking for what felt like forever in the blistering sun, Tali stops us at the base of a large cliff. Even the wind around us has stopped, seemingly in anticipation.
“This is it, I think.” She whispers, reaching a hand out to the rock.
The rock nearly sings in response, the high-pitched hum shakes the ground, and Annabelle and I watch with wide eyes and the wall crumbles and falls apart at her touch. Revealing a large, intricately carved archway. Tali leads the way, walking down a pitch black stairwell. With their abilities, both Tali and Annabelle can see. I have to resort to holding onto Anna's shoulders and following behind her. She weaves along the stairwell, avoiding what I assume to be tripping hazards. Why are there no torches down here? This place has been abandoned for Gods know how long, but they surely had access to fire back then.
My sense of direction is completely dulled. I can't tell if we've walked in a straight line, or turned at all. But as we walk down and down, the air grows cold, chillingly cold. But not stagnant and moldy like it was in the Autumn temple. The air here smells crisp, like the air above a cold stream in the middle of the woods.
Finally, we stop walking. No one says a word, but I hear Tali's footsteps continue forward for a little while, before the sudden whooshing of torches all flicker on at the same time. Every wall blazes brightly and I squint at the suddenness of it. The room finally comes into view.
Before us is a large dome-shaped room, much like the architecture of the other temples we've been to. In the center of the room is a large circular pool, like the others. Unlike the others, however, there is not much inside in terms of decoration. The other temples had paintings, carvings, statues. The only thing on the wall here is a single massive painting. Not a speck of dust or dirt marring its glistening surface. Four figures stand side by side, the four Goddesses. Annabelle squeezes my arm, seeing what I'm seeing. Unsurprisingly, the four women before us are identical to Tali and the others. This is the only painting I've seen of the women together. We've seen rough depictions, but they were generic women in dresses harnessing some kind of ability related to them. Paintings and statues made more in tribute than to a proper likeness.
This painting is damn near dripping with magic, keeping it pristine and healthy. Annabelle taps her fingers along the side of the frame, jiggling it. It comes away from the wall cleanly, like it was waiting for her to pick it up. She slides it into a shadow and I cock my head at her as I watch the frame disappear.
“It was calling to me. It needs to be put somewhere where everyone can appreciate it.” She says simply and turns on her heel, walking over to where Tali is kneeled before the pool. I follow closely behind, kneeling beside them.
Slowly, the feminine form ripples into view. Her hair is styled differently, her tight curls let loose and free, where Tali's are held down in braids, but other wise the likeness is identical. Right down to those milk-white eyes.
“Daughter.” She says in greeting to Tali, then turns to face us, “Niece, and nephew.”
“You knew we would come?” Annabelle asks softly.
“It was told in my prophecy.”
“But you knew me and Oberon would come down here with Tali?”
“Of course, Annabelle. Who else could see centuries into the future? Down to the last detail? That's the only reason the torches are here, for your powerless mate there.” She chuckles in a mocking way, her head rolling back.
“Mother, is there more to the prophecy? More that we haven't heard? You say, 'down to the last detail.' Are you referring to us coming here, or the prophecy as a whole?” Tali asks, bowing her head deeper.
“Yes, there is more to the prophecy. What you have heard was told to the world by design. To gather the 4 sisters once more. My vision also showed me that Margan would be released. He was never going to stay in Regnumors. Allow me to explain.” She waves a hand and the water ripples once again, her form disappears and a bustling city fills the space.
“After the war, when the decision to separate the realms was decided, we were crushed. All of our hard work... Gone.” She waves a hand again, showing the destroyed city, fires burning, bodies lay strewn around.
