Solace of dusk…?Like from the book of fairytales. Is it connected somehow?
From the beginning of time, Agryna and Ehlach, sister and brother deities, worked to maintain perfect balance. Day and night. Fire and shadow… Embers and dusk.
The Heirs of Dusk and Embers.
In ancient times, there were priests and priestesses of Agryna. They not only worshipped the goddess, but also possessed magical powers, gifts bestowed upon them by Agryna. Namely flamewielding and lightweaving. They spoke in the Ancient Tongue and documented many prophecies in sacred texts. Which… my moronic ancestor later destroyed when he sought to eradicate magic from the kingdom.
I suppose Enidwen’s tale isn’t fictional either.
I thumb through the book, skimming over texts of the Veil being forced open and the sun and moonfallingfrom the sky, setting off an eternal winter and never-ending darkness.
My hands slicken with perspiration, gooseflesh breaking out over my arms and the back of my neck. I roll my shoulders to loosen them, wipe my hands on my dress one at a time, then flip to the back of the book where there are handwritten notes. A list of references.
**The Song of Moonlight (prophecy). Banishment of Enidwen. The Beginning of the Purge. Lugda’s hells (and the secret prison). Caiolair’s Champion.
Then there is an underlined note scrawled on the bottom of the page:
Caiolair foretold the fall of the old gods in 1024 After Purge. It will begin with the rise?—
The corner of the page is ripped out along with the rest of the text. How convenient.
My entire body goes cold. 1024 After Purge. That’s… next year. And…fall of the gods? No one’s seen proof of the gods in ages. The nameCaiolairdoesn’t ring a bell to me, not from any fairytales nor word of mouth. Yet it’s here twice on one page.
“Carys?” Callum calls. I jump so hard that I nearly fall out of the chair.
“Yes, Callum?” I ask, an edge to my voice.
“Everything alright? You’ve been in here for a while.” He steps in, shutting the door behind him before approaching.
My head is light, my breath shallow as I pinch the bridge of my nose. I press my feet against the floor to keep myself rooted in this moment. Slowly, I loosen my grip on the book and gently set it on the table before lifting my face to Callum’s. “I need you to help me find something. Please.” I’m on my feet, already hurrying back toward the dusty shelves. “The Song of Moonlight.Banishment of Enidwen… Something about Caiolair.”
Callum’s quick footfalls trail me. “I don’t understand,” he whispers, closer than I’d expected. I spin to face him and my back hits the shelves, sending a pang through me. He grasps my upper arms and pulls me away from the shelves, closer to him.
It takes effort to inhale and release the breath. “I don’t understand either.”
Still holding me away from the shelves, he tilts his head slightly.
“I can’t explain, but I need to find these other books.Song of Moonlight.Enidwen’s—” All the titles flee my mind, my body unsure how to handle his proximity in the midst of this situation. “Ohfor…” I push my hand against his chest to put some space between us and point beyond the shelves with my free hand. “It’s in the book I set down on the table.The Book of Agryna.”
Callum leans in, his brows drawn together as he presses his hand over mine where it’s still against his chest. “Alright. I’ll get the book, and we’ll figure this out.” His tone is gentle and hushed.
My legs turn wobbly, and I sag against him for a moment. Pulling in a slow, tremulous breath, I stand upright again and clear my throat. “Thank you, Callum.”
Once Callum getsTheBook of Agrynafor our reference, we begin an intense search for the books listed. Shelf after shelf, book after book—we search and search until my head aches, until my vision begins to blur. When every book title has been checked, we collapse onto the armchairs.
There are a thousand questions written all over Callum’s face, none of which I can answer, because I’m equally befuddled, but I need to figure it out. Iywan wants to open the Veil… just as Enidwen had.Everyone’slife may be in danger.
CHAPTER 53
Durvla
A river windsand dips and eventually gives way to a trickling creek as the land levels out, and wide pastures stretch before us. We ride past a herd of fluffy cows, and Chiyo moos aggressively at them, forming horns atop her head with her fingers before waving as if they’d wave back. It tugs laughter from all of us. She is wildly unpredictable and couldn’t care less about keeping up appearances, much unlike her brother.
We stop by the river to fill our waterskins and allow the horses to drink again. Along the banks is an unruly growth of vibrant yellow flowers, though several patches are dull in color, the stems limp and hanging over the water. Still others are completely brown and withered. I move toward the plants, crouching. As soon as I touch one of the limp flowers, it falls off the stem. Another falls apart in the palm of my hand.
It’s similar to what I encountered in the greenhouse shortly before I was taken from Cluain Baile. Osheen crouches beside me, a question on his face. “What’s going on?”he asks.
I extend my hand with the dying petals and sign with my free hand, “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. The plants in our greenhouse were dying. Even though they’d had the best care. I hadn’t thought much of it then, but along the way, I’ve noticed some other foliage that appears… blighted.”
