Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (6 page)

“What is the age of consent on Shiral?” I
glance down, not wanting to reveal just how long I have been…
alone. He continues to stare at me and I find I must speak,
although he doesn't necessarily need to understand.

“At the beginning of the third trinity of
greater trinities.”

William elaborates, “In your terms, a bit
over eighteen, depending upon one's date of birth in relation to
Beltane.” I kick him. Lucian seems genuinely surprised and holds
William's gaze.

“Keep a very close eye on her.” Then,
glancing back at me, “You have aged well for one raised so far away
from the source.”

Something clicks within William and he asks
in excitement, “Does being near this 'source' strengthen one?”

Ignoring William, Lucian continues, “Ah,
here we are, Shi'ahn. Casanova was right about one thing – this has
indeed been an eventful day for you. Get some rest, and do not
stray without escort – there are many dangers here; you must learn
of them before you wander about.” He pats my arm kindly and I
suddenly realize he is right – I actually have to stifle a
yawn.

Chapter 4

Preparations and Formalities

My outer door opens, shocking me out of a
deep sleep. I silently race out of my room and take up a defensive
position, shield spell nearly cast. The intruder turns around and
stops dead in her tracks, heart thundering in her chest. Voice
quavering, she speaks,

“Good morning, Lady. I have brought you some
breakfast.”

Ah, Joanna. Why didn't I recognize her
sooner? After having only briefly looked at me, she quickly bends
to her task. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to startle you, Joanna. I’m
just not used to…” Servants waiting on me like this. Anyone
entering my home unannounced. Sleeping so deeply that my mind
doesn't fully awake with my body. And… where did that behavior come
from? I'm not like that.

She replies without looking up. “No need to
apologize, my Lady.” My apology seems to surprise her, yet she
still does not meet my gaze… do I look so terrible? I glance down
and understand; I’m wearing an extremely low cut nightgown that…
well, it might as well not be there. Why am I wearing such a thing?
As soon as she leaves I hurriedly shower and dress in case anyone
else should show up, then eat my breakfast. At least now I
understand why I have no kitchen.

William soon knocks on my door, and waits
for it to close before speaking.

“Well, that was an interesting dinner…”

“Interesting? It was horrible! We’ve only
just arrived and they already hate us!”

“Hate is too strong a term, I think. Better
to say that they don’t yet understand us.”

“Perhaps… Maybe I’m just being too
sensitive. I had so hoped to make a good impression and feel…
accepted. I want to be a part of a family so much.” He takes me up
in his arms,

“Shh… it’s alright. We may be a little
different, mysterious, but they will accept us into their family,
I’m sure of it.”

“Why? What makes you so certain?”

“It’s… a feeling I have, deep down in my
soul. This will all turn out well, trust me.”

I look deeply into his eyes, searching for…
I don’t know what. He truly seems convinced, that I cannot deny. “I
hope you're right.” I mentally shake my head, clearing it for more
important thoughts. “William, I’m curious, were you overly tired
after you reached your rooms last night?”

“Actually, yes… the last thing I remember I
was starting to undress, and then I woke up nearly naked on the
couch.”

“You did? I was at least in bed and dressed…
sort of. I have no memory of undressing, though, and I would not
have chosen the nightgown I woke up in, it was translucent!” At
first he smiles wickedly, but it turns quickly to a frown.

“No, you would not have chosen such a thing…
I can’t help but wonder who did.”

“Do you think they… did something to us?” He
thinks for a moment.

“I suppose it makes sense. I mean, here we
are, two children of this realm with no identifiable parents, no
decent explanation for why we were hidden for so long, and I
suspect that we displayed abilities during the feast beyond what
they had anticipated. If I were in their position, I’d do some
serious medical testing on such subjects. I imagine by now they
know exactly who our Lumina parent is, and they’ve probably also
tried to locate Shiral.”

“But… that’s invasive and…
disrespectful!”

“Come on, Shi'ahn, think of it this way. If
someone showed up at home claiming to be our long lost sibling,
wouldn’t you want to run some tests before accepting that person
into our family?”

“Yes, I suppose so, but I would not rob such
an individual of their dignity!”

“Perhaps you haven’t noticed, Sis, but we
aren’t on Shiral anymore. These people are very different from us,
they are used to being… like gods. Does a god concern himself with
the comfort and dignity of his subjects?”

“If she is a good god, yes! All life is
sacred and should be treated with respect – you know that!”

His voice drops in volume and tone, “This
place is different, Shi'ahn. We must adapt to their ways or
perish.”

His words and the manner in which he
delivers them give me pause. “I can see that this place has already
begun to change you, little brother. You have become… surprisingly
wise.”

“I’m not used to being the most powerful
individual in existence. Even being number two brings about a very
different perspective.”

“Alright, alright, perhaps I’m just being
too sensitive.” I try to push all the feelings of helplessness and
violation aside and concentrate on more important issues. There was
something we intended to discuss after the feast… ah yes. “So, to
business. I trust you observed everyone carefully during dinner
last night?”

“Of course. Ready?”

~~~

I nod and we join hands, then minds, melding
our memories and our thoughts. We relive the evening, but only pay
attention to our own interactions as a means of keeping track of
context. What interests us now is everyone else – all the things we
did not consciously discern last night. It doesn’t take long to
notice something strange – while everyone keeps busy with their own
conversations and seemingly ignore us, they also surreptitiously
observe our every word and action.

‘William, why would they do that, are they
attempting not to be rude? Do they not want us to know that they
are curious about us?’

‘Perhaps they do not wish to admit their
interest in us to each other?’

‘That doesn’t make sense, considering how
many apparently came out of stasis after we arrived.’

‘Look at them, though, many are observing
everyone else just as carefully as they are us… Perhaps not all of
them awoke because of us – what if they awoke because of
others?’

‘Maybe the mass awakening was in a way a
fluke? Focus…’

They all seem interested in the description
of Shiral, and many appear annoyed at the disruption caused by
Novanus’ entrance. For the first time we notice the woman Novanus
sits beside – she is remarkable. Almost unnaturally red hair falls
about her like curtains, she has bright green eyes that seem almost
lit from within. Her clothing is like a collection of vivid green,
blue and violet scarves that constantly shift with her movements.
She gives off a feeling of awe. She is truly beautiful; she must be
his sister, Aurora.

Just as I’m about to mention our not being
able to travel beyond our moons, the juggling match breaks out.
Where did it start? Back up… yes, a servant drops something, and
Novanus playfully bats it, sending it arcing up and to his right.
Aurora adds a small plate to the fray while furtively continuing
her observation of our conversation, and several others join in.
They all seem to be enjoying the effective way of disguising their
interest in us until I am distracted by it. They continue, of
course, but soon the Emperor conjures something that literally
sucks the objects up out of the air.

‘What was that, William? It seemed like…
incredibly massive nothingness.’

‘Whatever it was, it was far more powerful
than it needed to be in order to remove the objects.’

‘Could that have been his way of making a
point? What kind of people have we gotten involved with?’ I break
our melding momentarily. “William, did you see what he did? Those
objects were not just removed from the air – they were crushed -
destroyed! Can you imagine what he would be capable of if he was
really angry, as opposed to merely annoyed?” I shake with the
thought; William strokes my arms reassuringly.

“I saw, although I had not realized the
enormity of his action until now. I’d love to know how he did
that.”

“William, this isn’t a game – he could have
killed us all if he had let that continue… I can’t help but wonder
what other terrible things he is capable of – and how little it
would take to cause him to lash out.”

“Think it through, Shi'ahn. If he harmed
family members for minor infractions, there wouldn’t be very many
left by now. No, I think he was being excessive in order to impress
the others – let’s look again.”

We re-join our minds and return to earlier
in the feast, this time concentrating on the attitudes of those in
the highest tiers, those nearest the Emperor.

The Emperor’s tier is indeed the highest,
but is only long enough for those sitting with him. There is a
break about ten feet long, then another tier starts only a few
inches lower than the Emperor’s. These individuals seem… if
possible, even more amazing than the Emperor himself, but old… not
necessarily in body, but in soul. Past Emperors or other retired
high-ranking officials? One of them simply must be a past Emperor.
He sounds, well, I can’t describe it adequately. A deep, imposing,
powerful presence, far more so than anyone else I have heard except
Cailli. All of them have the feel of authority, or of past
authority. They look critically at nearly all those seated lower
than themselves, even, in some cases, at the Emperor. Aurora alone
seems to be held in respect by these individuals. We agree; they
are likely retired officials, probably all just arisen from stasis.
One would think they would be the least interested in us, but that
is not case.

We return our attention to the time just
after the Emperor displayed his terrible abilities. Many show
concern when I speak of Cailli projecting music as I do. As I
explain whom I mean, even more look worried, though the amazing
being in the second highest tier nods as if in confirmation.
Everyone turns their attention toward us the moment I alter the
tabletop to serve William as a percussion center. They seem more
interested in that than our song at first, until I split my voice
to harmonize with myself. Apparently they don’t normally do that
here. No one bothers to observe us covertly anymore, we are the
entertainment, so they watch, listen, and analyze. Some seem amused
by the lyrics, but most seem far more interested in our methods,
especially when William forces the light show on me. Some in the
highest tiers may have even heard the water whisper my name; I’m
certain the Emperor did. He looked quite displeased, or perhaps…
distrustful. Could he have thought we were going to attack him? Our
light show did fill much of the hall, rising above his tier… but we
would never do anything to harm anyone!

‘Not without just cause’, William
elaborates.

At the end of our song no one bothers to
pretend they aren’t listening to the answers we give Alma, though
many seem somewhat preoccupied, as though they are both listening
to us speak and reviewing something else in their minds. Some
whisper between themselves as I try to explain the
song
everything sings. We can’t make out all their words; some are
mouthed with hands blocking our view; not given voice. We catch a
few comments, “Without technological assistance? No one can do
that. No one we know of…”

'Oh dear, we really did do something they
didn’t understand.'

‘We? You mean you.’

Throughout the rest of our time in the hall
the amazing one in that high tier stares directly at us,
occasionally nodding in further confirmation. As we leave with
Casanova, Lucian and a few men around him obviously discuss me,
Lucian's expression rather predatory. He seems to disagree with the
others, then they all nod.

I pull away from William, breaking our meld.
He says “It looks like they just placed a wager on you.”

“Something tells me that can’t be good. I
wonder what it could have been about?” There is a knock on the
door, then a servant enters.

“Lady Shi'ahn, Princess Helen requests that
you join her for lunch in half-an-hour.”

“Ah, all right, where am I to meet her?”

“I will return and escort you to her.”

“Very well, I should expect you in…”

“Twenty minutes, Lady.” She turns and
leaves.

William smiles, “Well, that should be an
interesting meeting – Helen… Isn’t that the name of she who’s face
launched a thousand ships?”

“We should not judge the individual by their
echo, remember.”

William walks toward the door, but turns
just before leaving, “I don’t know, sis. In my experience, echo’s
ring pretty true.”

~~~

The servant returns as promised, and leads
me through many very impressive hallways to a very large suite of
rooms that appear to all belong to Helen. She sweeps in like a
queen; her hair falls in long golden curls, her body is slim yet
well rounded and perfect, and her face - she is astoundingly
beautiful. Not more so than my Mathair, but in a far different way.
She gives off waves of provocative… something. Even the music that
I project in her presence has a seductive quality to it. She
pauses, looking at me, and at first smiles warmly. Then her
expression turns to sorrow.