So it's almost been a year since the last update . . .
I know, I know. Don't set any Vraals on me, I have an explanation! (And notice I did not say "excuse," and therefore must have a reasonable . . . er . . . reason.)
Haha, yeah, right. You guys all know the story: Real Life happens, takes over, and FFN work is kicked out the door. T.T
BUT! If you haven't noticed already, I performed a massive repairing/editing operation on this fic. That took me . . . a long time. :3 (In which I realized how horrible my writing was before and in which I switched first-person POVs to third. Tell me if you catch any errors!)
And therefore (wow, my second therefore), I'd like to thank my readers/reviewers/lurkers / FFN people, because without you guys, this would definitely not be here. (And we wouldn't want that, would we!)
Now, without any more daddling . . .
Chapter Five
Lief
An eye blazed red at the top, a sliver-thin moon eclipsed by black on the bottom. The calligraphic writing never stood still, smoke words on a bone page; the letters rearranged themselves, over and over, slow and steady, a mirage in the quiet light of the setting moon.
What a horrible, awful loss. But really, am I to be at fault? Did you really think she was happy in that fortress of yours, kept prisoner? And you, you ignored her completely. You threw her in, locked the door, took the key, and said it was for the better. She waited and waited, but you hardly ever saw her. One year of that must have been torture! I simply freed her, don't you agree?
The letter was taunting him. Lief was sure of it.
Ah, but you thought everything was over. You thought it was all worth it, that your land was safe and you in it. Such foolishness!
And now she's gone. What a pity, King Lief. You should have seen this coming!
Lief wrenched his eyes away from the sloping words, rebelling against its gravity pull. Veritas's words rang through his mind— Stay strong, for your kingdom, brighten these dark times . . .
But what do I do? How can I possibly save her now? I don't even have any idea where she is. Lief groaned and put his head down on the desk, over his folded arms.
What he needed was a quest. A plan. Some definite, obvious path to journey—or, at the very least, a clear destination! But this time he had nothing. Everything was blurred and gray and obscured in smoke . . .
The kingdom was no better. The news of the ruined Dragon Night had probably reached the threshold of Shadowgate already. The wild girl snatched, the king hopeless, Deltora at risk, the dragons powerless . . .
Lief closed his eyes and let fatigue take over. He had not slept a wink; the disastrous Dragon Night resulted in a long conference with the dragons and his inner circle, then with his advisers, then with the shaken but ever faithful people who remained on the hills, unwilling to leave their king. He was grateful, of course—any king would be grateful for the loyalty his people were showing him—but the fear in their faces collapsed something inside him. These people had been through the tyranny of the Shadow Lord and braved the terrors of its rule, and they were scared.
And I am no better. . . .
"Lief, is that you?"
Soft footsteps. Candlelight on walls. A window of stars and the palace hill. No moon or clouds.
"Mother!" Surprise and shock, tinged with fear. "I—"
"Shh. Fear not, Lief. This stays between us." Sharn smiles. Candlelight gone with a gust of breath.
"So what are you doing awake at such an hour?"
"I . . . I could not sleep."
"And why is that?"
Embarrassment. Shame. Look down at the floor, keep it to yourself. No one needs to know.
"It is nothing. . . . I just need to—need to think."
"The truth, Lief." Familiarity gone. Different voice—Veritas's voice. Command, obey, or else.
Terror. Fear—but still, embarrassment.
Then,
"I had nightmares."
Floor gone. Displacement, confusion. So much green. Look up, quick—
Where . . . ?
Sunlight through leaves. Dappled shadows, green and gold. Age and history . . . and yet, something new.
"Lief!"
He feels himself smile. This voice he does not mind.
"Jasmine . . ."
"Look at the Lilies!" Excitement, joy, shining emerald eyes. "They have grown so much." A soft smile. "Are they not beautiful?"
Lightness, brightness, glowing. Seeing her so happy in so long.
"They are." A smile to match hers. Warmth as he takes her hand. "But their beauty is nothing compared to yours."
Laughter, tinted with red. "Lief, I—"
A scream. Sharp, ripping the air. Warmth gone, ice in his hand. Light goes dark. Fear and fury. Blinding.
Gray, gray everywhere—
Lief woke gasping for breath.
Dawn had long risen. Light streamed in through the window, glinting everything gold. The room was still empty, save for the leering letter's last words.
Lief closed his eyes and took a deep breath, putting his face in his hands. The dream was still clear behind his eyes, that last feeling of terror and anger still fluttering against his skull.
He waited until it died away before standing up and wincing at the pains up and down his back and neck. For a moment Lief wondered why no one had woken him, but he reasoned that they were all as tired as he was and decided to sleep a little longer than usual as well.
Good. That left him some time alone.
Greetings, King Lief. I see you have woken.
He winced. Evidently, he had thought too soon.
Greetings, Fidelis, he replied. To what do I have the honor of hearing today?
Lief felt the Topaz dragon's amusement at his words, but it was quickly replaced by foreboding and dread. I bear grave news, I am afraid.
What news, Fidelis?
It is Honora. She . . . She has disappeared.
Shock flooded through Lief and he froze. Honora? Gone?
We fear it is the Shadow Lord's doing— Ah, forgive me, King Lief. He sensed urgency and embarrassment behind the new voice. I did not mean to intrude, but I am with Fidelis and I could overhear. But we are all worried and fear for Honora. We . . . we cannot feel her presence anymore.
You have every reason to intrude, Fortuna, Lief replied, doing his best to sound calm. If Honora has disappeared, etiquette is the last thing on my mind.
A brief silence fell over the mind-speak, and he could sense Fidelis shifting uncomfortably. But even over that, Lief felt the dragons' worry.
He gritted his teeth. Fear was stealing through him even more quickly than the dragons, and he could feel his mind numbing. But there was anger, rousing deep inside as well—anger that anyone, anything, could turn the fierce protectors of Deltora into creatures filled with fear and terror.
Are there any clues as to where she's gone? asked Lief at last. Where did you last see her?
That is precisely what worries us, King Lief, said Fidelis, his thought-voice a whisper. She left after we returned to the Os-Mine Hills, and she told us that she was going to the Shadowlands.
Jasmine
"I just want to make clear," Jasmine called, folding her arms beneath her cloak as a gust of wind blew by. "These are not the Barrier Mountains."
Dain turned among the twisted, gnarled ghosts of trees and placed a hand on her mouth, effectively silencing her. "Keep quiet," he muttered. "That wind will carry your words to the Shadow Lord. If he discovers I am helping you, we are both doomed."
Jasmine shook her head free and glared at him. "And just why should I take your word for it?"
"Because I am a local here," replied Dain, simply. "Born and raised in the Shadowlands. I know this place and its master like you know your Forests."
Jasmine's breath caught.
"Who are you? You are not Dain, yet you take his appearance. And even Dain did not know of my knowledge of the Forests," she hissed.
"I told you. It is not safe to speak of such things until the wind dies down."
Jasmine huffed and started after him as Dain began walking again. At least the wind was keeping her awake, and alive.
Who knew the Shadowlands had a shore?
Cliffs extended to one side, and the other boasted sands of midnight. The foaming sea whispered with the voice of a serpent and the skies paled towards blue as the sun struggled awake. There was a strange absence of wind and a stillness to the beach.
"What happened here?" whispered Jasmine.
"The Shadow Lord," answered Dain, his voice empty. "He came and transformed life to death."
Jasmine's eyes widened. That was why the place felt so still; no birds dove from the cliffs, nothing scuttled across the black sands, no seaweed sprawled on the shore.
Nothing lived here.
And that is what will happen to Deltora if the Shadow Lord wins, she thought numbly. A barren land of death, with not even the glimmer of a ghost. No spirit would dwell here.
"Tell me," said Jasmine abruptly. "Tell me what you dragged me here to say." She whirled on Dain, her eyes burning. "Tell me now!"
"The Shadow Lord wants to lure Lief here," he said quietly, meeting her fire with calm. "He doesn't want either of you dead; he wants you to watch as he poisons your land with the darkness every light carries."
"This is no time for riddles!" Jasmine snapped.
"It's no riddle, Jasmine." And this time she flinched at the pity in his eyes and his voice, the helplessness and the dread.
"Everything that casts light casts a shadow, and people are no different. The Shadow Lord's allied with a Power, and that Power can change people so that they never have light inside them again."
Sanguis, the One Power
She was very pleasantly surprised by how much there was to work with.
I mean, look at that thing! It's got all these spines and teeth and, my stars and garters, it's got poison spray! Why do they let these things run around if they're trying to keep themselves safe? Twist a few motives and half that territory is obliterated!
Sanguis smirked and waved Her hand over the glass. She turned away from the table and, with a few choice words, brought Her ash-dragon into existence.
"Esemeli. How goes the girl?"
It snorted, eyes flashing red. "I thought you promised you wouldn't summon me out of empty air again, Sanguis."
"Silence with you. The air here is perfectly fine. Now,—"
"Not to a huohlohn, it's not!" The dragon hissed and flapped its wings, shuddering. "Eurgh, the elements are completely wrong."
"The. Girl."
"Fine, fine. She's fine! At that beach with the boy. The one with volcanic sand. Now let me go back—"
Sanguis narrowed Her eyes. "What boy?"
Esemeli tilted its head. "Ah . . ." It coughed, spewing a tiny black flame. "I thought you knew. There's a boy with her."
"Malverlain!" Sanguis shouted. "Did you forget to tell Me something?!"
The sorcerer appeared in front of her with a cold look and a swirl of air. Sanguis merely raised an eyebrow and motioned with Her hand. "Esemeli here tells Me there's a boy with the girl."
Malverlain scoffed. "The Ol? You should know better, Sanguis. You and Your pet." He gave Esemeli a scornful look and the huohlohn snarled, snapping its teeth. "I sent him there with a purpose. Not that it should concern You."
"I have every right to have concern, Malverlain," Sanguis said icily. "You are using My power, and I refuse to let it go to waste."
"'Waste'?" Malverlain repeated, his eyes widening. "Oh no, I would not dare. Such power is precious. To waste it would be a horrible pity."
"Tell me," Sanguis replied calmly, "What, exactly, is your goal here? You won't get anywhere killing the girl or the king. The land will remain protected. You have servants in Deltora, yes, but to what purpose? They don't have a goal either. And the Belt reverses whatever power they had. Right now, wasting My power is exactly what it looks like!"
Malverlain laughed lightly and turned around so Sanguis could only see his cloak and the hand that rested on his scepter.
"But why should I tell You?"
"Esemeli."
"Yes?"
"Tell me right now: what does this look like to you?"
"Hmmmm." A pause as the huohlohn considered, savoring the thought. "Besides stupidity and a manifestation of how naive he is? . . . Greed. Revenge. Ah! Don't forget self-indulgence."
Sanguis raised Her eyebrows, but a wicked smile was already creeping across Her face. "Explain, dear Esemeli."
"Obviously, as You said, he'll get nowhere killing anyone. But torture the king? Torture the land by watching him torture their king? You have to admit, he's onto something."
Sanguis scowled, the leer gone. "But it's not enough for Me."
Suddenly, the huohlohn ooooed and flapped its wings excitedly. Its eyes were alight when it turned to its master and said, "Sanguis?"
"Yes?"
Esemeli grinned, teeth glinting despite the lack of light.
"I've got a plan."
The Belt of Deltora
It was the watcher.
It felt the ripples of fear that tore their way through its people. It felt the despair and the agony of the one it chose.
It knew all within its land.
But what could it do, besides defend? What power did it have to dispel the shadows that still crept hidden under the light?
It could only warn.
It was the watcher, and the defender, but it was the heart of the land.
It knew pain, and terror. It knew darkness, and light.
But it did not know what lay in between.
At last!
So, two-thousand-some-odd words for you guys. Hope that'll do for a while, since I have no clue when I'll be updating next (as winter break ends today). D8
Now, responses to reviews!:
.: naturegirl11432: Thanks so much! :D Lol, sorry, I may have updated just a little later than you hoped for . . . Yeeeahhh . . . {runs away before Vraals start attacking}
.: Mad Alice 07: Thanks heaps! :D Honestly, I have no clue. The writer's mind is a black box that leaks spontaneously and does not take kindly to intruders . . . Well, here ya go!
Anyone who's reading this and followed this story till now: HUGE THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GRATEFUL I AM TO YOU GUYS. Don't ever stop being epic! 8DDDD
So by now I understand that there are at least a couple users who like reading my stories, and probably despise me for keeping them hanging for so long with no updates.
I have a solution!
I've recently joined Tumblr as acrystalraeoflight (and don't worry, that's not a typo) and I am posting samples of my writing on there. So if I don't update for a long time, drop by my account! I might have a couple hundred words for ya to read. ;) (And for the people who'd rather skip past all the excessive fangirly all-over-the-place posts that are Me, you can go under the Menu bar and hit "Fic Samples," which will filter out everything except the, well, fic samples.) Enjoy!
Oh, and: Please do review, my pretties. :D You guys are my favorite . . .