Page 60 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

T he itchy tulle of my dress suffocated me, encasing me in a violet tomb as I sat in the armchair in my room. Too exhausted to rip it from my body, I instead tore off the long white gloves that went along with it and threw them onto the floor.

Between breakfasts and luncheons with the king, rigorous training of my physical strength and dynamis with the captains, and nights of researching in the library for more information about the Light Phoenix, my candle was almost depleted.

It was becoming harder to mask indifference during these events, especially after all that had happened a week and half ago. I’d learned how truly evil Alaric and Alastor were and how long Declan had been suffering under the curse.

All I wanted to do was sleep, but I needed to meet Nayla in the queen’s garden to work on my Terran dynamis. Groaning, I pulled myself out of the chair and peeled off the endless layers of the atrocious dress. As I laced up my boots, my mind stewed over today’s luncheon.

Alaric had pushed for updates on my Light Phoenix dynamis. Truthfully, I hadn’t asked to train that part of my dynamis because it still terrified me.

Today, I could tell he had finally met his breaking point.

If I hadn’t produced some showing of progress, I’d feared he would start to become curious.

That curiosity could lead him towards discovering what we were really doing.

Like controlling multiple forms of elemental dynamis, which was a truth that needed to remain hidden.

To appease the king and perhaps show myself that I still had a sliver of control over it, I’d made my hand glow just as I had in the library. Several guests stood in awe at the sight, but Alaric just growled and walked away. Alastor, on the other hand, seemed to be eerily fascinated.

Chills spread through my back at the thought of him.

Every time we met, his gray eyes followed me like snakes studied their prey before they struck.

The strange thing about it was that something about him was beginning to feel familiar.

Not in the same way that it felt when I was around Declan, but a strong feeling like we had disliked each other for longer than a few weeks.

Resentment so strong, it lingered between us like a cobweb we couldn’t break free from.

Lacing a knot on the top of my boot, I shook the thoughts from my head. If I was going to access my Terran dynamis today, I needed to be as calm as possible.

L ast night, Nayla had told me to meet her in the garden, underneath the tree of the gods.

The wooden door creaked beneath my fingertips as I pressed it open.

As always, the aroma of flowers and herbs wafted throughout my senses, each time reminding me of home.

Meandering through the maze of flora and trees, I finally spotted Nayla lost in thought sitting on one of the five roots of the gods tree.

So as to not interrupt her thoughts, I lowered myself next to her. Her eyes remained closed as she lifted a stem of lavender to her nose. Inhaling deeply, she sighed, tossing the stem behind her.

“Evening, Light Phoenix.” She smiled towards me.

“Good evening, Nayla.” I smiled back. “Where were your thoughts wandering just now?”

Her eyes lowered to her palms, and I wondered if maybe I had intruded too much.

“Today is my little sister’s birthday,” she said. “It’s days like this that I’m reminded of the heavy weight of my choice to leave and join the guard.”

“I’m so sorry, Nayla. I know my situation is entirely different, but I understand the pain of not being around family.”

Producing a weak smile, she rose. “Well, that’s why we all have each other, right? Shall we get to training?”

Her face shifted back to calm and collected. I understood—I was no stranger to keeping the darkest parts of you locked away deep down inside. Maybe, with time, I’d finally let my walls fall too.

The wet soil felt cold beneath my fingers. Both of my hands were immersed in the ground, as Nayla had prompted me to.

“This is the best way to connect with your Terran dynamis for the first time. It’s how my mother taught me after my Ascension.”

Nayla’s words faded like the light from her face, her eyes focused on the distance. I knew I should be concentrating on coaxing out my Terran dynamis, but she was obviously having a hard day.

“Your mother…She was also a Terran?”

Though Nayla’s ward was up, her solemn nod and blank stare that lingered on a distant memory told me there was a story there. Before I could ask another question, she began to talk.

“She’s incredibly powerful, beautiful, and full of compassion. Kind of reminds me of you, Light Phoenix.” A flash of warmth flooded her face before it turned somber once more. “I miss her and my sister every hour, every day, every moment. Always.” Her voice broke, eyes no longer blank but glossy.

“It wasn’t them you were running away from…was it?”

Honey eyes rose from the ground, landing on mine. I waited patiently, removing my fingers from the ground and sitting back on my heels.

“I ran from my father, and the life that he had planned out for me…for all of us.” Her shoulders slumped as she let out a long exhale.

It was almost as if this was the first time that she had been able to do so.

Nayla’s hands fidgeted inside her lap. I’ve never seen her this vulnerable.

The guard in front of me was no longer shielded.

“My father—has never been a pleasant man. All my life, I’ve been a constant disappointment to him, which he made me aware of during every interaction we had. I was too vocal for my own good, not the respectful little lady that he wanted me to be.

“At the first chance he got, he arranged for me to marry a man from the upper class of the City of Ash. My father is a Flame, so he felt strongly that I should marry one as well. He made this arrangement when I was seven. Seven years old, and he already planned to get rid of me.” She paused, swallowing deeply before she continued, “Things got worse once my little sister was born.

She was everything I was not—beautiful, kind, respectful—and my father swooned over her.

Little did he know, behind our closed bedroom door she would release all the hatred she held against the man we called our father.

She told me of the terrible acts she had witnessed him do under the guise of ‘teaching her the ropes.’

“Together we cried over the way he treated our poor mother, doing horrible things that we couldn’t stop no matter how much we wanted to.

The walls were closing in as I got closer to my Ascension, because I was to be married shortly after.

Things got worse once my dynamis proved to be stronger than my mother’s. ”

“This was all before the first rebellions?” I asked quietly.

“Yes.” A weak smile lifted her lips. “I’m old, Lena.”

I snorted, and a smirk cracked through her solemn mood.

“I knew I couldn’t marry the man my father wanted me to.

His vision of my life was not aligned with mine.

One day, when intruders masquerading as the rebellion attacked, I knew this was my chance…

a way to be free. I told my mom and sister about my plans to escape and begged them to join me.

When they wouldn’t, I found them a place to hide, and I made a run for it. ”

“Nayla…” Reaching out, I took her hand and squeezed tight.

“I made it almost to the city gates when I saw the Royal Guard beginning to flood in to help fight.

I had every intention of running right past them, that is until I heard the screams. Behind me, a building had fallen, and there were people still trapped inside.

Without a thought, I pulled my dynamis, everything I had in me, and I lifted the debris as they fled for safety.

It was the first time that I had used that much dynamis, and I drained myself dangerously low, so much so that I passed out.

“When I woke up, I was staring back at Declan, Liam and Killian. They had witnessed what I had done and offered me a position in the Royal Guard on the spot. I accepted, of course, and from that day on I’ve been here.

I write to my mother and sister all the time, but I’ve never received a response. ”

Her eyes fluttered shut, my own heart aching over a shared loss of family.

Countless letters to my own father sat inside the desk in my room.

Letters I hadn’t been able to send because of the king’s orders.

Isolation seemed to be Alaric’s favorite tactic.

Little did he know, even after cutting us off from our own, we’d found family in each other.

“Declan promised me that one day we would get them out of there to a place where we can all be safe. For now, I’m just waiting for the day that I will get to see them again.”

Squeezing my palm, she placed it back into the soil, then picked up the other to do the same. That was my sign that conversation time was over and it was time to refocus on training. Before I did, I added one more thing.

“Thank you, Nayla … for trusting me with your story. I know that wasn’t an easy thing to do.”

She rubbed the back of her neck with her palm, rolling it around to release the tension within. “Something about you, Lena, makes it easy for me to talk to you. Perhaps, one day, you’ll feel comfortable enough to share all your secrets as well.”

I winced. If only she knew the secrets I had locked away.

“My friend, you’re not as good at hiding your secrets as you think.” She stood. “One day when you’re ready, I’ll be here to listen.”

Before I could respond, she swatted me on the head.

“Ouch!” I laughed. “What was that for?”

“That was for distracting me from your training. Now, let’s get back to concentrating.”

With a snort and a shake of my head, I saluted. “Yes, Captain.”