Page 25 of Mountains of Mist and Magic (A World of Sun and Shadow #4)

P hillippe sat in the great hall, his leg jiggling. He'd been idle for far too long, and he was itching to get outside the city walls. The Sun Realm was nice, but the city was far too urbane for him. He preferred his landscapes wild, with hills instead of houses, trees instead of townspeople. There were only a few patches of natural land within the city, and even outside its walls...it was all desert. He didn't know how Grayden could ever manage to live here permanently. The only thing that bugged him about the Snow Lands was that he'd pretty much explored every single bit of it–during both his youth and as a soldier.

A gentle touch on his thigh brought his gaze down. Esmeralda was looking up at him, her face lovely, although her eyes seemed a bit red. He figured it must be the dust and sand from the desert aggravating her eyes. She was wearing a peach gown that hugged her curves, and he had to admit he had missed her Tidal Kingdom wardrobe during her time in the Snow Lands. Her hair was braided, but a tiny piece had fallen free, and–

“Phillippe...pay attention,” she whispered, somewhat harshly, much unlike her usual tone. Grayden had been going on for a half hour about another book they found that would ultimately lead them to another book. It was far too much reading, in his opinion.

“...so, we have to decide, where do we go from here? Thoughts?”

“I vote whatever gets us out of here and into the wild,” Phillippe said, his fingers twitching, eager to grab his sword.

Grayden gave him a glare. Then, Sion spoke up.

“I'm willing to go to this mountain.” The second Sion uttered the words, Selenia echoed his sentiments. “If Sion is going, then so am I.”

Grayden frowned. “Selenia, I don't think...” he trailed off, a concentrated look coming over his face. Phillippe looked at Renya, noticing a similar expression.

“Fine.” Grayden said, and Selenia looked pleased, and then flashed a grateful smile at Renya. Phillippe wasn't sure how he missed it, but it appeared as if Renya and Grayden shared some special insight into each other through their bond. He'd have to ask Grayden about it sometime. Although the second he thought about his brother's bond, he felt a surge of jealousy go through his veins. How was it that his brother got so lucky to have a fated mate? He would give anything to be fated to Esmeralda.

It was a strange feeling. Never had he given a thought about having a fated mate. It just...didn't concern him. He was happy with his own lot in life, happy with his liaisons with willing girls in the village or those he met on his travels. But now...he imagined a life with her...having to work inside the lodge didn't seem so bad if Esmeralda was there with him. Something he could tolerate.

“I'm going for sure, and I'm taking Esmeralda with me,” he said. To his surprise, Esmeralda looked a bit hesitant at his suggestion.

Grayden frowned again. “I'm not sure if–”

“Grayden, I swear if you try and say that Esmeralda can't come because she's female, I will kick your backside from here to the human realm.” Renya's eyes flashed dangerously.

Phillippe chuckled. In all honesty, he was glad Esmeralda was going to be beside him. The more time they spent together, the better.

“While everyone is making announcements and while we are all here together, I have news to share too,” Selenia said, her smile bright. “Sion and I are getting married.” She held out her finger proudly.

Phillippe recognized the ring instantly as his mother's. A funny feeling started in the pit of his stomach, but he wasn't sure what it was. Something bothered him. He watched as Esmeralda fawned over the ring, congratulating Sion and Selenia.

That was it. Grayden was giving out his mother's jewelry right and left. He pushed out of his chair and nodded towards Grayden. “Can we talk outside for a minute?”

Grayden looked confused, but nodded, and he headed for the side door off the dining room.

“Phillippe, what's wrong? Sion asked my permission, and I thought it was fitting that I gave it to him. I'm sorry if you thought I should have told you—”

“It's not that,” Phillippe said, rubbing his jaw. “It's...the ring.”

“Oh, did you fancy it?” Grayden teased. “I never took you as a fan of rubies—”

Grayden stopped as soon as he saw Phillippe's face.

“I'm sorry. I never thought—I just—is it that serious with Esmeralda?”

“Not yet,” Phillippe said, hanging his head. “I just—when the time comes—”

“There are several pieces left. Selenia already has her fair share of Mother's jewelry, and Renya isn't that big on jewelry at all. If the time comes...the rest is Esmeralda's.”

Phillippe nodded as a lump formed in his throat as Grayden walked away. He wanted to thank his brother, but he had trouble vocalizing his complex thoughts at that moment. He considered himself a relatively simple man. He just did what was required of him, tended not to worry, and went with the flow. He usually preferred actions over thoughts. He despised anything complicated, both in battles and in life. But seeing the joy on Selenia's face as she showed off her ring made him realize that perhaps complicating life wasn't always such a bad thing.

He joined his brother back in the dining hall where they were all continuing to plan their next adventure.

“So we go to this mountain, do a ritual, and bam, magic is back?” Sion asked.

“That's essentially it,” Renya answered. “But we don't know anything about the mountains, how to get there, or anything about a ritual.”

“I do.” Esmeralda's soft voice rang through the room. “I mean, I know some. Triston will know more.”

The room fell into silence. No one spoke. Finally, Cyrus rose. “Is that what your parents were searching for?”

Esmeralda's fingers knotted the fabric of her gown. Phillippe could tell she was nervous, so he laced her fingers in his. She seemed to freeze for a split second, but didn't pull her hand away. “I think so. I wasn't with them. But Triston—he was.”

Everyone began talking at once.

“We must summon Triston immediately—”

“This is huge—”

“...leave at once—”

“We'll need to research...”

“Quiet, everyone,” Cyrus commanded, standing up from his chair. “This is very valuable news indeed. We need to send word to Triston immediately and summon him from the Twilight Kingdom—”

“That won't be necessary.”

Everyone turned towards the new voice in the room. There stood Triston and Julietta, dirty and disheveled.

“Julietta!” Selenia squealed instantly, running over to greet her friend. The pair embraced jovially. Phillippe watched as Selenia showed off her ring proudly. He imagined Esmeralda doing the same and it made him oddly happy.

Triston continued to move into the room, shaking hands with Grayden and Cyrus, then coming over to Phillippe and extending his hand and grabbing Phillippe's upper arm. Triston then moved to an empty seat at the table, and Julietta settled into a spot on the other side of Selenia. Julietta kept giving Triston tiny, fleeting glances, which seemed odd, but it didn't concern him, so Phillippe ignored it.

“So,” Cyrus continued. “Triston, your sister says you have information about the mountains.”

Triston gulped, looking uncomfortable. He glanced around the table, and his gaze lingered a bit on Julietta. Did she know what he was about to say? Perhaps she learned some information from him on their way here? But then she gave him a reassuring nod, and he started.

“When I was eight years old, my parents...my father, really, heard there was a place, almost like a portal, but not—where my magic could be restored. Some kind of mythical mountain, said to be the last place the Gods resided. Full of trials and tribulations, only the most cunning and deserving could ever reach it. Obviously, we didn't make it. My parents were lost, and I was nearly killed as well. That's really all I know. There could be some record of it in our libraries, but I haven't had any desire to find out. I honestly thought it was nothing but a myth.”

“It's hardly a myth,” Renya said, looking around at the table. “Agatha, Libera and I think it's a real place. We've spent some time in the library researching it, and there are records of such a sacred place across all the kingdoms and realms. The only thing that is missing seems to be the exact location—which you might be in possession of.”

Triston frowned. Phillippe couldn't tell what was going on, but whatever Triston was thinking, he didn't like the idea of the mountain.

But Phillippe didn't care. He just wanted to get outside. “Triston, just go to the Tidal Kingdom and get the information. Enough is enough. I'm tired of standing in one place with no directive.”

Triston stood up, his eyes darting around the room, and then he stormed out, with Julietta chasing after him.

Esmeralda gave Phillippe a sharp glare.

“What the hell did I do wrong?”