“You know what it means,” he said. Rionan took a step towards her, scanning her face, searching for the first sign that she wanted him to step away. “It means that I am yours, for as long as I live.”
Alianna felt herself sway on her feet. Instinctively, Rionan reached out, steadying her. Alianna tried to ignore the fact that the aching in her chest was starting to ease. Because if what he was saying was true, then what did that mean for them?
“But I’m human,” she whispered.
“I know,” Rionan agreed, stepping closer to her. His hand now rested on the small of her back, those intense blue eyes burrowing into her own. She reached up and skimmed herhand over his strangely hued skin. The fingers of her other hand grazed the point of his right ear. Alianna could feel him taking in slow, shuddering breaths. As if reading her thoughts, he opened his mouth, exposing his elongated canine teeth to her.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” Alianna asked. Rionan hesitated.
“Right now, you can do whatever you want to do with it.” As he spoke, Alianna felt a flicker in her chest of something she couldn’t identify. “I know this is a lot to take in,” he said, his voice soothing. “Please know that I have never used my powers to make you do anything, make you say anything,feelanything you did not want to feel.”
“The static in the air? That was you?”
“That was never intentional. You awaken something in me that I can’t ignore.”
Alianna stared at him for several moments, so deep in thought that she looked like she was in a trance. Finally, she shook her head, like she was clearing it, and stepped out of his arms.
“How am I supposed to know that any of what you’re saying is true?” As a child, she’d often been told bedtime stories about other worlds that existed outside of her own. She was told about the creatures that lived there, like humans in some ways – but so far from humans in others. She never dreamed that any of that could be real. “I have only your word to go on, and that hasn’t meant much so far.”
“I understand,” Rionan nodded. “The only true lie I told you was my name. And adjusting my appearance, although that is largely involuntary when arriving in another realm.”
“Don’t try to be smart,Max West,” Alianna snapped. “Give me a reason to believe anything you’re saying, or I will walk out of here, and you won’t see me again. Soul-bonded or not.”
Rionan studied her for a moment, as if contemplating his next move.
“I can show you,” he said, finally.
“Show me? Show me what?”
“Xanthia. Where I am from. Before the war began.”
Alianna nodded, but said nothing. Rionan stepped towards her. “May I touch you?”
“Yes,” she said, bracing herself for whatever was about to happen. He stepped towards her again, until he was mere inches from her. Rionan lifted his hands and placed them gently on either side of her face.
“Just breathe,” he requested. Alianna hadn’t realised that she was holding her breath. Letting it out in a long exhale, she took another deep breath in again. “That’s it. Slowly. Relax.”
After several deep breaths, Alianna felt a warmth spreading over her body. Rionan’s hands began to heat slightly. Not scalding, but soothing, like the feeling of lowering an aching body into a hot bath.
“This won’t hurt you. You will be able to see Xanthia. Hear it, smell it. I’ll be right here with you, and we won’t leave this suite. Please close your eyes when you are ready.”
Alianna allowed herself to relax her shoulders, still her mind, and closed her eyes.
Alianna found herself standing in a clearing of trees. The air smelled sweet, fresh, with a cool breeze caressing her skin. She could smell honeysuckle, jasmine, and the smell of earth after rain. Turning around, she could see a large castle of greying stone. No flags flew, and no banners were hung from the turrets, but it was clear people dwelled here. She could hear laughter from what she assumed was a courtyard. And there – an entry way. She moved through the trees, eyeing the castle in the near distance. People moved through it, laughing and smiling. They had the same not-quite-silver skin as Rionan. The same pointed ears. Some were older, with greying hairand fine lines across their face. Some were young. Families walked through, with children who ran towards her as if to enter the forest. As she began to worryabout them seeing her and began to move, she found herself in an entirely different environment all together.
Alianna felt her feet slipping on moss-covered rocks as she continued her steps, no longer moving through a forest, but instead walking along the edge of a lake. She steadied herself, trying her best to reorient herself somehow. Looking around the lake, she could see no castle. But that sound…she stopped moving and listened to the most unique, wonderful song. Bird song. Looking up to the trees around her, she could not see the birds, well hidden in their nests. Their song was a lullaby, a love song, a celebratory chorus, a symphony of everything and anything, all at once. She’d never heard such a comforting thing. Walking towards where the trees began to thicken, careful not to fall in the water, Alianna could hear the sound of water crashing. She spotted the source when she looked up. A waterfall. The water spilt down into the lake in majestic plumes, sending spray everywhere, a rainbow being cast through it as the sun blazed down on this piece of paradise.
Alianna considered dipping a toe in the water to see if it was warm. The water shimmered, as if welcoming her in. It was almost crystalline. Small fish swam about beneath her, unbothered by her presence. As she lowered her foot to the surface, she blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she found that her foot was making contact with solid rock.
Alianna stood on a mountain peak. It was cold, but not unpleasant. The view was like none she had ever seen. She looked down upon forests, glades, fields, villages, and in the distance, she could have sworn she could see a city. The sound of bells rang out from this place. Not bells of warning, but bells of celebration. The buildings were made of a light brown stone, although she could not pinpoint what exactly, was where. Turning on the spot, behind her stood more and more mountains, covered in fresh, powdery snow. As she stepped forward, moving towards the edge of the plateau she was on, she found that she was once again looking in to water.
The area around her was immediately much busier. Alianna could hear voices, moving feet, and the smell of freshly baked bread. Shelooked up from the water, finding herself in a small harbour. There were shops – bakeries, artisans, jewellery shops. A person – a Xanthian – walked along the street shouting about new metalwork statues being available by Invor Garlasson, for only the price of 100 Goldmarks. Goldmarks, she noted. Not Ironmarks, like they used in the human realm. She moved towards the direction the man was heading in, keen to see what the smith had been making, and stumbled over a cobblestone. Jerking towards the ground, her eyes snapped open.
Alianna could feel the heat from Rionan’s hands on each side of her face as she breathed heavily. Her eyes were lined with silver, although she didn’t remember crying. Her breathing was deep, even, and she felt a strange sense of peace washing over her.
“That,” Rionan explained, dropping his hands to his sides. “Was Xanthia. Some of it, anyway. A few of my favourite places. The first you saw was my palace in the West. It is surrounded by forests and is usually quite busy, with many people passing through all day. I keep to the upper levels and occasionally transport myself elsewhere in the territory, but once a week, I will visit the lower levels to speak with those who are visiting.”
“Your palace?” Alianna repeated.
