Taryn’s jaw clenched as he looked at the king slowly. “Yes, we couldn’t thank you enough for taking us in so expeditiously.” His tone was biting, unfriendly. Internally, Airess winced. This was not how Taryn should be acting.
Roz dropped her hand and motioned towards his mother. “This is the Queen Dowager, Rumi Tozya.”
The Queen Dowager nodded as she looked to Taryn, and then Airess. She turned towards Roz after her inspection and spoke in Runean, “Sotheseare the individuals you say might be the prophesied.”
Her voice was neutral, but her gaze was unreadable, speculative eyes lingering on Taryn and Airess.
Roz coughed, replying in Mrkynian, “Mother, let us eat our meal before we dive into such a discussion. Please, sit. Enjoy this meal.”
Taryn and Airess shared a glance before sitting down on the plush cushions. What the hell was going on?
Airess blinked her Sight forward, her ability coming easy to her now that the donstenyte poison had worn off. The first aura she noticed was Roz’s, his energy a striking blue that swirled beautifully around him, matching the same royal azure as his pupils. Ismene’s aura was the color of lilac. The same color of Esper Crawn’s power.Interesting.
The Queen Dowager’s aura was relatively normal, but the energy flowed slower than the others, as if it were not able to travel freely within and around her. Airess knew this was a sign of a mental blockage.
Airess blinked her Sight away when she noticed Ismene eyeing her wearily and busied herself with a glass of water.
Their food was brought out to them, the scent of heavy spices wafting up to her nose. Plates of diced potatoes, rice, various meats, and fruits were placed all around the table.
They began to dine quietly, partaking in small talk about Airess’ upbringing and eventual move to the capitol. She made sure to give them the short version of her backstory, and spared them the details of her being taken forcefully.
Taryn relayed how he came to live in Luciena, leaving out key details that he was a trained assassin for an illegal Guild. Eventually, the topic steered towards plans for the future.
“We have a wonderful university in the city–” Ismene began, but was interrupted by the queen Dowager clearing her throat. Everyone’s attention shifted to Rumi, who took a sip of her wine with a small smile.
Ismene side-eyed the Queen Dowager before speaking again. “But I would like to take you two on personally, to train you in the art of your power.”
Airess perked up at the opportunity to finally mention the Obadiah. She squeezed her skirts as she gathered the courage to speak. “If I may, Ismene,” Airess began. “When I escaped Luciena’s capitol, it was with the help of Priestess Esper Crawn. She was the one who set me on this path–to travel to Rune and find The Obadiah so I can learn more about my power and how to wield it. I would be honored to train with you.”
“Andwewould love to train with the both of you.” Ismene’s eyes darted from Airess to Taryn, and then to the Queen Dowager and Roz. They nodded to Ismene in approval. Airess creased her brows.
“In fact,” Ismene added, “We have all been patiently awaiting both of your arrivals for quite some time.”
Whatever Airess had expected her to say, it wasn’t that.
“What did you mean forquite some time?”Taryn interjected, his face laced with doubt. Airess tightened the grip on her skirt at Taryn’s boldness.
“Thirty years ago, one of our Obadiah members saw a vision of a young male and female arriving on our shores. Our Seer couldn’t see the faces of the individuals, but she was able to gather the names of who would arrive to Rune and fulfill the prophecy. Those names were Deyanira and Kazimyr.”
Taryn stiffened as Ismene let the words linger, sinking in. Airess immediately recognized the name from her locket, her hand already going to her heart to touch it.
“I know that name. It’s engraved on my mother’s locket.”
Ismene nodded in confirmation, letting Airess put the pieces together.
“But… that’s not my name. My name is AiressHaeleth.”
Again, Ismene shared a look with King Roz.
Finally, the king spoke up. “Taryn, Airess, have you both ever heard of Tevye?”
“Yes,” Airess answered. “I’m aware of the… tales.”
She didn’t want to mention her dreamwalking abilities and how she may or may not have stumbled into Tevye by accident. Airess noticed Taryn’s silence as Roz chuckled, sipping his wine, “They are more than just tales.”
The king put down his glass and looked her directly in the eyes. “This world, these continents, are not all there is to this planet. It is not by natural design. The world was made this way, divided in half by our ancestors.
“Before The Division, our world was grand. Large, even. We had several continents, several nations. Then, The Division occurred a thousand years ago, and the world has been altered ever since. We are what has remained in this half. The other half of the world, lost to us, is called Tevye. It exists in a higher dimension.”
