Orion jumped up and down, clapping his little hands in excitement. He led them through the town of merry folk with bright cheeks. Everyone was drinking from small mugs. Ael could smell the scent of mead strongly in the air as the people cheered for Elco and Seda’s return, falling over themselves in drunken stupor.
Why were they here? How could these small, happy people help them?
Orion knocked on a small, rounded door. “Papa! Seda and Elco are back!”
Ael heard an older man’s voice grumble through the door, “You say this all the time, Orion. You know—” The door swung open, and a small, older man who looked familiar stared at them with wide eyes and a slack jaw.
“Hello, Chief Vidar,” Seda said to him with a smile. “It’s nice to see you again.”
They sat around a campfire.A small woman with rosy cheeks, like peaches, handed each of them a thick mug filled with mead.
Ael took a drink, and the rich taste exploded in his mouth, burning down his throat as he swallowed. The Vatte mead was much stronger than he was used to.
“It’s so nice to have you guys back. What did you need to talk with us about? I do so hope you know what happened to the sun,” the woman, named Lucja, asked as she sat down on a thick log covered with moss. She stared at Seda intently.
Elco had wandered off with the little boy, and they found other children who began to climb his stomach and jump off, attempting to fly, and pretending they had wings like Seda’s.
Seda took a deep drink from her mug and softly moaned after, licking her lips. Ael watched her tongue slide across her mouth, wanting to cherish the taste of her lips on his.
Kalon cleared his throat next to him, and he looked over at the asshole.
“Now isn’t the time, King Ael,” Kalon scolded, as if he were a child.
“Fuck you,” Ael replied. He hated that this intrusive prick could hear his thoughts.
Seda cleared her throat at them, and they both looked back at her.
“I know who’s responsible for the sun, and he’s in danger.” She paused. “Chief Vidar, your brother’s still alive,” Seda said as she looked at the small man.
He heard Lucja choke on her mead, her face becoming brighter than a cherry, but Vidar stood from his seat.
“Impossible,” he angrily said. “My brother is long gone from this world. I do not appreciate?—”
But Seda interrupted him, “He stole the Dark Stonefrom Supay and is now going by the title, the Monster King. His name is Tievel.”
The realization came tunneling into Ael like a storm. That’s why Vidar looked so familiar. He and Tievel were brothers. It explained so much, and how this Monster King had been around for so long. The Vatte could live for thousands of years.
Vidar sat back down onto the large stump with a loud thud. He pressed his hands to his shaking face, disbelieving what Seda was saying. “But my brother died when the war restarted. He’s the reason we left. He told us to come here. Why would he keep us safe, just to hurt others?”
“The Dark Stone’s powerful. It once belonged to the Mother Goddess, but when Supay stole it from her, he used his dark magic to turn the stone wicked. When Kalon and I—” Her eyes flicked to Kalon, before quickly looking away, and she cleared her throat. “When we cast Supay into a mortal soul, Tievel found the lost stone and used it for his own gain.”
A heavy silence followed. Ael could hear the wood crackling in the fire in front of them and the merry sounds of the Vatte behind, but the quiet around the campfire was so overwhelming that he felt like he could hear his own heartbeat.
“Your brother wants to collect all the stones and destroy the dome. If he succeeds and makes it to the Mother Goddess’s tree, he believes he’ll attain eternal life. It’s what he’s been working towards for millennia. He wants me to open the door to the Celestial Vault so that he can enter.” She looked at the chief with softened eyes. “The citizens of Joro were mistaken about its creation date. Today marks one thousand years. It will fall, Vidar. We need your help.”
“We cannot help—” Vidar started, vehemently shaking his head.
“Hobberwash!” Lucja stood from her seat and pointed a small finger at her father. “Abso-fucking-lutely-HOBBERWASH! We help these poor souls. It’swewho have created this imbalancein this world. It’s our own kind who banished us to live alone in these blasted mushrooms! I’m over it, Father!We help them!” Her chest heaved through every breath, and her eyes bore into her father’s.
“Um,” Vidar started, looking around at everyone in the campfire’s circle, eyes begging for help. When none came, he sighed. “Ugh,blasted. Okay. We help, Lucja. We help. Anything for you, my dear.”
Ael noticed the wide smile spreading across Seda’s face, and for the first time since hearing of her brother, it looked genuine.
She was stunning, flawless. She was strong and clever, more remarkable than anyone he had ever encountered.
I love her, he thought as pride welled within him.
Kalon bristled next to him.
