The week went by faster than Eve had anticipated. It was a blur of visits to Don, lunches with her friends, and going from brothel to bordello to tavern to pub looking for Lee. Nearly everyone had heard of him – the beautiful, tanned, slim but muscular courtesan with a penchant for expensive gifts – but no one had seen him since the night Eli had died. It was utterly frustrating to watch the days slip past while she made no progress.
Luckily, her training helped her work out that frustration.
Tarlough kept her busy, making her practice her breathing, meditation. But he also got her to train her body physically. She ran laps every morning and went through a number of exercises each evening. At the beginning her muscles had ached, but, as she got used to the movements, they became easier, smoother. The thundering of her heart as she exercised became an exhilarating and yet soothing feeling. It was the same feeling that washed over her when she summoned her golden power.
It had taken the most part of three days, between the lessons and her own attempts in the evening, to command that power again. But when she did, it felt like stepping into the sun after hours in the cool, damp dark. It felt like stepping into the embrace of an old but cherished friend. She trained alongside Ara, who was helpful and encouraging, always ready to offer a bright, cheery smile. She walked Eve through exercises when Tarlough rubbed her up the wrong way. He didn't do it intentionally – well, she hoped he didn't – but it didn't take much to aggravate her with his unending silence and constant watching.
Eve kept her eyes firmly shut, ignoring his piercing stare. Controlling her breathing had gotten easier. She could shake off her worries, at least temporarily. And that was when she could bring that shimmering light to her fingers. She had managed three times now to make a staff and she and Ara had started to spar for part of their lessons. It was strangely fun, even if the young girl was a master at bruising Eve's ego and body.
"Enough breathing," Tarlough said. "Time for listening. But keep those eyes closed."
Eve bit back a sigh, holding it inside her until she carefully let it out through her mouth. Ara laughed through her nose, as if she knew it was a sigh that Eve was expelling and not just a deep breath.
"Before there was light," Tarlough said, "there was dark. Darkness at the heart of all creation. The cradle of life. From the cradle of dark, light was born. Kernels of light began to grow – stars. Over millennia, lands rose and fell beneath the cradle, but the cradle remained.
"In time, a nation beneath the cradle learned to harness the dark between stars, aerdwyn. They grew powerful and mighty, claiming all lands they set their eyes on. This was the birth of aerdwyn, a power born for violence and killing."
Eve had never heard this story before, she opened her eyes, to ask a question, but Tarlough tutted. Eve gritted her teeth, but kept her mouth shut.
"The birth of aerfayl, however, came when the innocent needed protection."
"I know Eleen's story," Eve muttered, keeping her eyes firmly shut.
Silence greeted her and she sighed angrily.
"I apologise, Master Tarlough," she said, keeping her voice tempered.
"Eleen was a star, a being from the other side of the cradle. Her power was not the birth of aerfayl. The birth of aerfayl happened when the people of the Isle stood to defend their land. Years after Eleen had helped liberate the Isle."
Eve opened her eyes but closed them just as quickly. This was not a version of the story she had heard before. If she wanted to hear the rest, she needed to keep her questions to herself.
YOU ARE READING
A Dark and Starless Night
Fantasy***true first draft*** CW: physical violence and some scenes with potentially graphic violence, mentions of SW, depression A story of death and darkness. Magic and murder. Evelyn Mintarryl - duchess by adoption - has spent nearly eight years adaptin...