Page 22 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

Rising to his feet, Aramaz gently grasped my hands, the solid warmth of his touch enveloping my slender fingers.

“My love,” he said with a sincere smile.

“You are the most charming creature the Allfather ever made. I am sure if Belekoroz gets to know you better, you will be able to thaw his icy heart, even if just a little.”

I did not let the flattery sway me. “For what purpose?”

Aramaz’s pleasant expression did not waver. “To show him that not all of us despise him. That there is a place for him among us.”

A bitter laugh threatened to escape me. How could I succeed where even our Maker had despaired?

Unfazed by my hesitation, the king pressed on, his tone becoming more insistent.

“It may not seem so, but it would mean a lot to him if someone other than me gave him a chance.” His hands tightened around mine, his gaze distant.

“He spends too much time alone in the Other. Nursing dark thoughts and exploring even darker magic.”

The Other, the reality beyond our own, similar to the realm we hailed from and yet so different.

While Order and Light governed the heavens in which the Allfather dwelled, the Other was a place of Darkness and Chaos, dangerous even for the immortal.

No wonder our Maker had warned us not to venture there.

Belekoroz was the only one among us who deliberately sought the places where the Veil between the worlds was thin, stepping into the Other again and again in search of some mysterious knowledge. And in search of power.

Aramaz’s eyes returned to me. “It might help you too, Baradaz. My brother knows the ways of Darkness like no other. He might be able to help you find a way to create your guiding beacons.”

Oh, he knew exactly how to make a proposal more enticing, didn’t he, my golden king?

Dangling a solution in front of me for the one task the Allfather had given me that I had no idea how to accomplish yet: creating beacons in the night to guide the mortals under our care in our absence.

Every light I made burned out too quickly, consumed by the encroaching darkness.

I might have summoned the Flame, but I did not dare, my fear of losing control too great.

“Please,” Aramaz said, a rare show of vulnerability, even between us.

So, I answered, “Of course, my love,” in the most dulcet tone, causing his smile to deepen. “I will try my best to talk with your brother.”

For how could I not? Aramaz was the king destined for me.

The one who raised me up when I stumbled, the one who had been at my side every time my control over my powers faltered.

I had to shield him from the perils of his own benevolence and expose the darkness among us once and for all.

Surely he could not oppose banishing his brother from Aron-Lyr any longer if I brought him undeniable proof of Belekoroz’s misdeeds, of him being corrupted by Chaos beyond any hope for salvation.

I knew I would succeed. One thing about Belekoroz was certain: he always fell. I only had to ensure this time was the last. Even if I failed in so much else, I would not fail at freeing us all of his dark presence.

Seeing that Aramaz’s gaze had returned to the parchment in front of him, content with my agreement, I judged it prudent to voice a request of my own. “Are those the maps of the Outer Lands Ashur and Enlial created after their last excursion?”

I peered at the drawings with open curiosity. My fellow Aurea’s reports had filled me with a longing to see and experience the untamed lands at the edges of our realm.

The words slipped out before I could stop them. “I would love to accompany them on their next mission.”

Aramaz sighed, setting the parchment aside. This wasn’t the first time we had discussed this. “You know I need you here. With my brother stirring up trouble, and so much still to do…”

“Of course,” I replied, guilt washing over me for adding to his weariness. I shouldn’t have said anything. Why did I always struggle with my duty? “I just thought…”

That I could explore this world for a few days, fly free and unbound in my spirit form, leaving everything behind for a while.

“We will have time to indulge in our personal whims when we have accomplished everything the Allfather has tasked us with.”

The patient smile on Aramaz’s face only made me feel worse. So, like many times before, I turned away from the promise of adventure the maps held and buried my urge to explore the unknown deep inside.

The perfect servant.

Firmly brushing away the insidious hiss resounding in my mind, I steeled myself for the task ahead.

The self-proclaimed Lord of Darkness was not hard to find; as soon as I stepped out of the King’s Hall, I noticed the ominous cloud of his powers amid the light-filled green hills—a clear warning to anyone daring to approach.

Not that I was ever afraid of him. I refused to be.

Whenever the hairs on my nape rose at his proximity, I ruthlessly brought my weak, earthly body back into line with a reassuring flash of my magic.

Concealed in the shadows of the King’s Hall, I gazed at him, noting how his presence seemed to absorb the light around him. And then I began to plot.