Chapter 26:
Aether and Shade
Lyra woke the following morning to the cold, empty space beside her in the bed. An indignant groan escaped her as she shoved the blankets aside. Her eyes narrowed at the bedroom door before she stalked out, expecting to find Kara and Haken entwined on the sofa. She was shocked, therefore, to discover a fully clothed Kara sitting alone in the kitchen, sipping from a mug that smelled strongly of coffee.
When Kara heard her approach, she glanced up with a wide smile. "Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty! I attempted to make coffee. It tastes like it, at least. Oh, and we have a meeting with Princess Calista in about ten minutes, so you'd better get dressed."
Lyra was left speechless by Haken's apparent disappearance. At the very least, she had expected her sister to spend the night cuddled up with him. With a dejected sigh, Lyra trudged back into the bedroom to get ready. The moment the door clicked shut, Haken emerged from the restroom. Kara laughed, smiling at him over the rim of her mug as she handed him one of his own.
"She is so predictable," Kara murmured, taking another gulp of her coffee.
Haken grinned. "I suppose it helps that you can read her mind."
Kara drained the last of her cup and rose to her feet. "Yeah, that's a bonus! Race you to the meeting room!" With that, the door slammed shut in Haken's face. He started to follow, only for Lyra to burst out of the bedroom.
"Aha! I knew it! She can't fool me!"
Smirking, Haken followed Kara down the corridor, leaving Lyra to revel in her momentary triumph.
When Lyra entered the meeting room, she found an already agitated Aden attempting to soothe a furious Anya.
"Well, why not?" the girl screamed, stomping her foot. Lyra winced, a pang of sympathy striking her for anyone who had ever been on the receiving end of her own tirades.
"Because, Anya, you'll just be bored," Aden remarked with strained patience. "Besides, the subject matter is highly confidential."
Anya let out a terrible wailing sound, and Lyra felt another wave of sympathy, this time for Kara. Just as Anya's tantrum reached its crescendo, Reya ascended the stairs behind Lyra. The young girl rushed over, threw her arms around the brunette Aqua Mage in a tight hug, and began to pour out her predicament. "Aden won't let me sit in on your meeting with the Princess, but I really want to, and I just want to do everything you guys are doing because we're a family now, right? And that's what families do—they stick together! I promise I won't even make a sound. Not a peep. I won't even listen, I just want to be there!"
As if on cue, Anya burst into fresh tears. As much as Lyra enjoyed a good drama, she felt this particular performance was best handled in private. She offered Aden a quick wink and a wiggle of her fingers as she passed, earning a frown in return. Holding the younger girl, Reya glanced at Aden, who could only shrug helplessly. Reya pondered for a moment, her expression softening as an idea sparked.
"I know! How about you, Viola, Aden, and I all have a picnic by the lake after the meeting? How does that sound? Much better than a boring old meeting with a bunch of stiffs, right?"
Anya sniffed, gazing up at Reya with adoration. "Really? You promise?"
Reya nodded, gently wiping the tears from Anya's lovely cheeks. "I promise."
Her mind already racing with picnic plans, Anya clapped her hands and danced backward. "Hooray! I'm going to the kitchen right now to have them prepare a basket!" She jumped down the first flight of stairs, then turned back to exclaim, "It'll be just like the old days!" before disappearing from sight.
Reya's smile faltered. She bit her lip, cursing her own tenderness for the girl's happiness. She felt Aden's arms slide around her waist, drawing her back against his chest. She didn't pull away, but a subtle tension seized her frame. Not quite yet. She inhaled his familiar scent—a mixture of clean soap, old books, and the crisp outdoors. He nuzzled her neck, his breath tickling her skin and sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. He sighed against her.
"Just like the old days," he whispered.
The words shattered the fragile moment. Reya pulled free from his embrace and looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears she refused to shed. "No, Aden. Things can never be like the old days. Not ever again."
Without waiting for a response, she pushed past him and entered the room. The agony in Aden's eyes was almost palpable as his expression crumbled. He took a sharp breath to compose himself, then slammed his fist against the nearest wall. With a muttered curse, he walked into the meeting room and silently pulled the door shut.
As Aden took his seat beside Kiro, Princess Calista cleared her throat, calling the room to order. "Now that we are all here, I would like to welcome you to Ravenhold. You have navigated many perils to arrive safely. Kiro has informed me that you were attacked by the malevolent spirits of Lake Verna. That must have been a harrowing experience. Congratulations on defeating those demons."
Haken shifted as if to speak, but a sharp glance from Kara silenced him.
The Princess laughed at her own jest. "On another note," she continued, "the capture and delivery of the traitor Kael Runo is another cause for celebration. My, but you Fated Mages have been busy." Everyone offered polite smiles, but only Kiro chuckled aloud.
Kara projected a single thought directly into his mind: Suck-up. He shot her a glare, his expression instantly somber.
At a gesture from the Princess, an advisor tossed a small, black sphere into the air. It projected an image onto the wall behind her, depicting Arak's mech in breathtaking, horrifying detail. None of the Fated could have anticipated how much more formidable it appeared up close.
"However, we are far from safe," Princess Calista stated solemnly. "In the two months you spent at Everwood, Arak has reportedly developed two new models of their mechanized warriors. We know little about them. Perhaps our double agent, Haken, can enlighten us."
Caught mid-yawn, Haken sheepishly rose and made his way to the front of the room. "Arak's two new models are their most advanced and deadly to date. One, the Draconis Invictus, is a flying model suited for both air and ground combat. Like its predecessors, it can channel the pilot's magic into its attacks. The more powerful the mage, the more powerful the mech." He paused, gathering his thoughts.
An elderly advisor probed, mistrust glimmering in his eyes, "And what of the second model?"
Haken's jaw tightened. He proceeded with caution, carefully shielding his thoughts. "Their second model is more terrifying. It was designed for someone with potentially limitless power: the Seraphim Fatale. This mech possesses far greater speed and mobility than the Draconis, but its power potential is, as I said, effectively limitless."
His eyes darted from the Princess to Lyra and back to Kara before he fell silent and returned to his seat. Kara shifted uneasily, unnerved by the sudden block he had placed on his thoughts. A tense stillness filled the room before the Princess continued.
"From what Haken has told us, we must act quickly and decisively. We have among us five of the six Fated Mages and one of the Sacred Beasts of Mynora. This gives us a considerable advantage over Queen Kyreth, regardless of her army's prowess. We must find the final Mage, and then we can easily locate the remaining Sacred Beasts." She nodded and stood, but Aden cleared his throat.
"I've been researching the Sacred Beasts and have made some interesting discoveries," Aden announced, his gaze serious. "In ancient times, the Beasts were protected by the Wardens—or the Fated Mages, as we call them today. Each Warden was assigned to a particular Beast. The Dragon of Might was guarded by the Pyre Mage and the Umbra Mage; the Phoenix of Renewal by the Terra Mage and the Gale Mage; and the Kirin of Virtue by the Lumen Mage and the Aqua Mage. Each Beast bestowed upon their protectors the power to locate them, no matter what form they took. As each Beast died and was reborn, so were the Wardens, who would seek out their charge and defend them."
Now lost in his lecture, Aden began to pace. His gaze fell lovingly on Reya, who frowned and flushed at the attention. "I also uncovered archaic texts in Ancient Elvish, which would have been nearly impossible to translate without my resident expert." Aden grinned. "These texts described how the last Wardens sealed the memories of all Mages before them in gems of incredible power. They are called the Warden Stones, and they are the key to fully tapping into the powers each of the Fated possess. Unfortunately, the passage ends with the Stones being scattered by the Sacred Beasts, their locations undisclosed." Snapped from his academic trance, Aden returned to his seat.
Another deep silence descended. Finally, Kiro spoke, outlining the strategy he had been formulating. "If I understand correctly, we can find the other two Sacred Beasts without searching for the final Mage yet. We have the Terra, Gale, Lumen, and Aqua Mages right here. While those four seek their Beasts, myself, Aden, Kara, and Lyra can search for the final Mage. We can split up to confuse the Arakians and complete both tasks quickly."
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