Page 56 of Darkness Births the Stars #1
CHAPTER
THE GOLDEN DAYS OF LYRHEIM
Rada
I can’t believe I let you convince me to come here,” I grumbled toward my companion, using a wisp of Air magic to sweep the branches from our path as we stepped into a moonlit glade. “If Aramaz finds out about this…”
The shadows were deep here, the treetops so high that the silvery light barely reached the ground. Leaves rustled beneath the graceful train of my gown, my thin slippers sinking into the soft earth. I’d need more magic to clean the delicate fabric before returning to the feast.
Elodia had outdone herself with my attire tonight.
The gossamer-thin white silk clung to every contour of my body before flaring out behind me.
Bursts of golden thread concealed only what was necessary.
My back was almost entirely exposed by the low dip of the dress—hardly suitable for an excursion into the woods.
“Since when do you ask for Aramaz’s permission before doing things?
” Tanez asked, a spark of Light magic rising from her fingertips.
Her diaphanous skirts, in shades of green from juniper to seafoam, fluttered around her.
The outfit bared her midriff, revealing smooth, tawny skin, her breasts cupped by hammered gold held by delicate chains.
I supposed M’tar had enjoyed fitting those on her.
I ignored my friend’s provoking question, focusing on the dozen motionless forms sprawled across the forest floor, bathed in soft magical light. “We don’t make important decisions without consulting each other,” I said, stepping closer. “And this hasn’t been sanctioned by the Allfather.”
Tanez bent down, gently brushing back the burnished red locks of the figure at her feet, revealing small horns resembling those of a young buck.
“Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission,” she said, glancing at me.
“The Allfather has never forbidden you the use of your gift in every way you see fit, has he?”
“No,” I admitted. He had entrusted me with the power of the Flame of Creation, despite my endless struggle with control. It had been a long time since I had dared unleash it without Aramaz’s steadying presence to help me tame what lurked within me. And then it had ended in a catastrophe.
To distract myself from my doubts, I scrutinized the new beings my fellow Aurea had created.
The forest lived beneath their skin, which ranged from the dark bark of mahogany over reddish chestnut to the lighter shades of oak, sometimes tinged with a greenish shimmer.
Their hair echoed the leaves of the trees in autumn: bronze, red, brown, and yellow.
“You made them quite different from your Brownies,” I commented, noting their tall, lean bodies that looked ready to spring to life and dart through the woods.
“There are different sides to the powers of nature,” my friend replied, her lips curving into a secretive smile. “What nurtures one day might destroy the next.” Her smile turned menacing. “As my husband and those troublesome little nuisances he created will soon find out. ”
I suppressed a sigh. Tanez’s ongoing conflict with M’tar had disrupted nearly every Council meeting in recent moons. With the Kritak threat still looming, it was a distraction we could not afford. “Couldn’t you ask M’tar to stop his Dwarves from felling your trees for their forges?” I asked her.
The Aurea of Earth shook her head angrily.
“I’ve asked a dozen times. He had the audacity to say we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good.
And…” A dangerous gleam entered her green eyes, making her look like one of the great cats of the south on the prowl.
“That my trees would grow anew.” She shrugged, a self-satisfied laugh escaping her.
“He didn’t find it as funny when I asked if he’d mind losing any of his body parts to my knife, considering they’d grow back as well. ”
Well, I had tried. Appeasing my friend when she was on the warpath was never easy. Besides, I wasn’t entirely opposed to teaching stubborn M’tar a lesson. It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that the other person the Smith had recently quarreled with was the Aurea of Darkness.
“Fine,” I said, taking Tanez’s hands. “Show me what you need.”
A wild smile lit up her face. We summoned our power, magic swirling around us in waves of glittering green and gold.
This merging was far less violent than when Belekoroz and I clashed.
I felt Tanez’s presence brush against me, bringing the rich warmth of dark soil and the enticing scent of blooming flowers with her.
Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply. My friend immediately opened her thoughts to me.
For a moment, I struggled to adjust, getting lost in the pitter-patter of countless tiny insects beneath our feet, in the awareness of so much life around us.
“Can you feel the trees?” Tanez’s voice held the trill of melodious birdsong as it sounded in my mind, centering me once more. I concentrated on the giant trees around us. This forest was old—the first she had created—the steady pulse of her power living in every plant.
“You already made a connection,” I noted, seeing tendrils of Earth magic woven into a beautiful pattern between each tree and one of Tanez’s new children.
“Yes,” she answered, showing me the separate strands. “But it lacks the spark of creation, the Flame that will give it life.” She sighed. “I want my Dryads not only to sense this power, but to command it.”
“A mortal body is not suited to hold such power for long,” I pointed out.
“What if the power remained in the trees? If we forged a permanent connection?” Tanez asked.
“That would work, but it would also limit them.” The magic would only remain in the Dryads’ grasp as long as they stayed near the trees they were bound to.
Tanez tilted her head, pondering my words. “Perhaps that limit is wise,” she finally answered. “I want them to use this power solely for protection.”
“If you’re certain.” I tried to quell the worry rising inside me as I reached deep into the well of my magic.
The memory of how it had slipped my control in the training fight with Belekoroz was still vivid in my mind.
What if it happened again? What if I destroyed Tanez’s creation without meaning to?
Tanez caught on to my hesitation, our connection flooding with her calm reassurance. “I know you can do this. I trust you.”
Suddenly, it all felt so easy, so right.
The Flame burned bright and steady as it grew at my command, filling the clearing with an otherworldly golden glow.
Every strand of Tanez’s magic came alive, a spark awakening, fine filaments of Light weaving around the thicker strands of Earth, strengthening them.
An unbreakable bond formed between the Dryads and their trees, granting them access to the forest’s power.
I let the feeling of righteousness guide me, relieved joy washing through me as the magic sank into the Dryads’ skin, binding them to the trees forever. A smile lifted my lips.
I had done it.
“You can awaken them whenever you feel it is time,” I told Tanez, releasing her hands and dissolving our connection.
She moved gracefully among her children, tenderly touching a cheek here and there. “They are beautiful,” she exclaimed, meeting my gaze. “Thank you, Baradaz.”
She decided to wait until morning to awaken her Dryads.
After quickly erecting a protective barrier around them, she linked her arm with mine and we headed back to Lyrheim.
A short shift into our spirit forms later and we were near the King’s Hall once more, music and laughter drifting toward us.
Unsurprisingly, the feast was in full swing.
When Tanez had approached me earlier, the first guests had already started arriving. Our absence would have been noticed.
Not that Tanez seemed worried, a triumphant spring in her step.
She held me back as I headed toward the glow of the fire between the trees.
“Rebellion suits you well, my friend,” she commented, tucking a stray lock of my hair into the intricate hairdo of pearls and white jasmine flowers Elodia had created. “You look radiant.”
I smiled, realizing she had no clue how rebellious I had become.
Nervousness pulsed in my stomach as I wondered if Belekoroz would attend tonight.
It would be unusual, but he hadn’t missed a single Council meeting recently, making it nearly impossible to avoid him after our ill-advised kiss following the fight with the Kritak.
Tayshren hadn’t reported anything to Aramaz, yet I knew we could not afford to raise any more suspicion.
A group of giggling Brownies, clad in gold and brown, stopped short upon seeing Tanez and me. They bowed low with an awed “My ladies.” Their reddened cheeks and shining eyes indicated they had already partaken heartily of the freshly brewed mead poured generously by the Dwarves.
As we made our way through the crowd, respectful bows and hushed whispers followed us.
Since we had sent our children out into Aron-Lyr to populate all areas of the world, seeing one of the Aurea in the flesh had been rare for them.
I often longed for the simpler times when they had all dwelled here with us in Lyrheim, but the king had decreed it necessary to ensure they learned independence.
The Allfather had created us to be guardians, not rulers.