Her mood lightened a little, but the responsibility of being queen hadn’t been all that had been bothering her. She still felt so deeply for all the lives that had been lost to pave the way for freedom.
“Remember too,” I said, squeezing her hands. “You didn’t want this war. You fought only to save people, to free them. And you won. We did the best we could and saved thousands of lives by ending the war when we did.Valneais responsible for the war, the death.”
Izzy gave a soft smile, but it was forced. My words had helped, but my tender-hearted mate still claimed some responsibility for those who’d died.
I tried one last approach.
“Your compassion makes you stronger, better, a far more capable ruler than any elf that ever lived. Use what you’re feeling now to drive you to make this world better, as you’d hoped. So that no one else has to die in a conflict like this.”
She nodded. “You’re right, thank you, Myel. I love you. I need you so damned much.” She kissed me again, then whispered. “Whatever role you want in the new government, just don’t rush into it, okay? I may need you around reminding me of everything you just said… for a while.”
“Deal,” I said. “I want you to be happy, and luckily, even if I’m not there, you’ve got others who want the same thing.” And that made me happy. I didn’t worry about the other guys anymore. I didn’t compare myself to them, didn’t fear I might lose something because of them. I felt only gratitude that they loved this wonderful woman too and would help her and take care of her like I would, if I wasn’t there.
“Thank you, you’re right… again,” she said.
Then we cuddled close, laying in the grass, listening to the sound of the surf below us, calm and even. Izzy let my presence sooth her until her fears and concerns faded away. Only then, did we head back inside.
VYNSIEL
I hadn’t expectedto be back in Elysial so soon. It had been a week since the battle with Valnea’s forces and I’d recovered well. During that time, some of the sylphim who’d surrendered had revealed an alarming and disturbing plot among their kind. Though sylphim were strong in mind, direct mind control was expressly forbidden. Valnea had obviously gotten them to overlook that, but as it turned out… they’d been inside Valnea’s head first.
Some time ago, perhaps a couple hundred years, a group of sylphim high nobles, the elite of Elysial, had hatched a plan. They’d find a gullible high elf and start whispering in her ear, slowly gaining her trust. They’d be her spies and build up her power until she trusted them as her inner circle, then they’d begin the long process of corrupting her mind. Their target had been Valnea. They’d twisted her thoughts till she’d betrayed her own kind, inviting the titans in to assassinate the royal family. By that point, these sylphim had spies lurking in the titan realm, using their powers to remain unseen, while bending the minds of the titan king and queen, till they saw the world as Valnea did.
Valnea’s insanity, her plot to destroy all the prime races, it had all been the doing of the sylphim.
Everyone had been dumbstruck to learn this. Luckily the bulk of the sylphim forces hadn’t been involved in this plot. They went along because they had no choice; their leaders had dictated a course and whether they liked it or not the other sylphim followed.
Now, the lesser sylphim were repentant and remorseful, confessing this horrific plan. They even helped us track their leaders back to Elysial to be brought to justice. They crafted items to protect the minds of the seraphim and dragons who went with them, and we’d tracked the rogue sylphim to a castle of cloud, where they were now cornered.
We expected heavy resistance… but there was none at all, an ominous sign. Creeping through eerily quiet corridors, we kept on guard, but we needn’t have bothered, for when we found the group in the large main hall, they were all dead, but for one.
High Lord Andulus Eyrial was known to be the strongest of the sylphim, their leader. He’d spent most of his life in the elven court serving the elves. His mental prowess was unparalleled as witnessed by the dozens of dead sylphim around him, all bleeding from the ears and nose and eyes, their minds… crushed.
He waited with a dagger in hand, sitting on the lord’s throne at the far end of the hall. When he saw us, he said, “We simply wished to free ourselves. How were we to know the tyranny of the elves would one day end?” Then he slid the long dagger into his chest and ended himself.
I shook my head.
Such a waste.
The sylphim had been elevated in status by the elves, yet they’d craved even more power. They’d resented their elvenmasters. Perhaps they’d thought they were using their powers for good, to overthrow the elves, but given the grand scale of genocide Valnea had planned, somewhere along the line, their idealism had been corrupted.
I almost felt bad for those sylphim who remained. It was going to be a long time before anyone trusted them again.
Our force returned to Seial, a somber lot.
Izzy met me outside as I approached her residence.
“What’s wrong? Did you not find them?” she asked, concerned. She must have misread the dismay and discomfiture in my spirit. She ran to me and embraced me tightly. My arms went around her reflexively, but I was still a little lost.
“No, we found them, but they’ll never see justice. They were all dead,” I said, shaking my head. “I just… can’t understand how they could do all of this, cause so much destruction and death and claim it was in the name of freedom or a better world.”
Izzy hugged me tighter. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “What do you need?”
I had to laugh.
“You’re the one being coronated in three weeks, swamped with work trying to set up a new government for a bunch of well-meaning but unruly races. And here you are asking whatIneed?”
She pulled back so she could look me in the eye. “I’ve recently realized something.Thisis how things change, not with big sweeping governmental laws, but by one person helping another.”
