The Atheil Chronicles: A Call to Fire

Chapter 24

Ariana lay in bed that night in a bittersweet mood. On the one hand, her sword training had gone incredibly well that evening, with both Ryonen and Lamis confident that she could hold her own until help came. On the other hand, they would be leaving the next day at noon and she would have to say goodbye to not only her safe haven, but to her friend. Her heart felt strangely heavy at the thought of leaving Lamis behind. She had really grown quite fond of him over the past few days of them being there. In that time, he had taken a genuine interest in getting to know her, spending time talking with her and worrying about her well being. She had begun to look up to him like she supposed she would to a father.
The thought made her sad. She would no longer have him to talk to in the mornings or to confide her worries and fears in. He had, time and time again, comforted her in a way that even Ryonen could not. She wished half-heartedly that he could come with them, but she knew that he would never leave this place. This castle held too many memories for him; it was the place where he had once spent every waking moment with his wife, where he was the happiest. Ariana could understand that, maybe better than almost anyone else could. She missed her mom with a fierceness that sometimes overwhelmed her. She found herself thinking, if she could just go back in time and complain less, stay home with her mom more and not always retreat into the forest when things got rough. Maybe she never would have run off and started the chain of events that led to all of this if she had spent more time with her mom rather than live with her head in the clouds. Maybe she'd be off at college, studying for some job she'd fall in love with, the way her mom wanted her to. There was so much she wished she could do differently, but maybe that wasn't what it was meant to be like.
That night for Ariana had been a particularly solemn one. After sword training she had come back to the castle for dinner, her mind conflicted with what Lamis had asked her to do. The whole time she was parrying blows and dodging Ryonen's sword, she kept wondering if what she was doing was right. At one point, she had even been able to attack Ryonen after a particularly good dodge, tapping him with her sword and surprising him. He had reached for her, spinning her around in the air before kissing her with such a frenzied passion that it seemed to stop her very heart.
When he pulled away, eyes shining with pride, she had felt like a traitor. Her Ryonen was gentle, he was kind; she couldn't think of a world in which he betrayed her to the King and Queen. As she stared down into his jade green eyes, there had been a split second where she contemplated telling him everything, but then she had stopped herself. Lamis had been adamant that she didn't understand his obligations to the Eastern Kingdom and she thought there was something to that. In that instant, she was transported back to that night they had spent under the stars surrounded by Luna flos'. He was twirling that silver ring he wore on his hand and, after some prodding, had told her that his father gave it to him to remind him of where he came from. She knew his parents wanted him to follow in their footsteps and advise the King and Queen. She thought, in that moment she looked into Ryonen's happy face, that maybe Lamis had good reason to think she should keep this one thing to herself.
So she had kept her secret, smiling through the lesson and trying not to let the weight of her dishonesty bring her down. Dinner had once again been quiet, all 3 of them seemingly lost in their own thoughts. When they all headed to bed for the night, Ariana had stopped Ryonen outside her door to talk to him.
"We should try to get some rest tonight." She said, her hand grazing the trim of the door as she looked up at Ryonen. For more than one reason, she was adverse to the idea of spending all night alone with him. She knew her resolve was already shaky when it came to hiding her newfound power, she didn't want to push it while the decision was still so fresh.
He was standing right in front of her, his body leaning toward hers in an almost subconscious manner. His arm was up and folded behind his head as he leaned against the wall there. He reached up his free hand to push back a few loose hairs. "You're probably right." He said, though he sounded slightly disappointed.
Ariana had kissed him softly, her lips only lingering briefly before she pulled away, saying goodnight and shutting the door on him. She had changed quickly before crawling into bed, her mind immediately running away from her as she tried to make herself sleep. There was so much that could go wrong for them in Orlac, so much for her to worry about and obsess over. Having read several books on Orlac, she felt an uneasiness at the idea of venturing there, even though she knew in her heart that it was the right choice. The creatures there were formidable, the danger very real. They would be constantly looking over their shoulders the whole way and she knew it would be exhausting.
A flicker of light caught her eye and she sat up in bed, turning toward the window and the black sky beyond. She kept her eyes peeled there on the darkness, searching for any indication of what she might have seen, though nothing appeared. She waited a few minutes before finally laying back onto her pillows, convinced she was just making herself paranoid by obsessing over everything that could go wrong. She closed her eyes tightly, willing her whirring mind to silence itself. Though it took some time, in the din of her own thoughts, she was somehow able to slip away into a restless sleep.
* * * * *
Ariana didn't wake up right away. When the soft golden rays of sunlight hit her face, she resisted the urge to open her eyes to it. Instead, she kept them firmly shut, her thoughts becoming more clear as the seconds ticked by. She had been dreaming again, though the only image she had left in her mind was of a mountain in the distance. It was as black as the night sky framing it, the ground scorched by fire. She strained herself to try to remember more, but it was resistant to come back. Resigning herself to its loss, she started on her morning routine. She took extra time in the bath that morning as she worked the perfume into her hair and skin, the water warm and comforting, knowing it may be her last for a long time.
When she made it to the next room, she had already dried herself off and braided her hair back, tieing off the end while she walked along the racks of dresses. She had kept most of what she originally packed in her satchel, only throwing out the jeans. She kept a pair of leggings and the shirts, thinking it might be nice to have something to put on if she needed to wash her dress. Thinking this, she scanned the hangers, her eyes roaming over the array of colors and designs there.
After spending a considerable amount of time searching for anything that she would be willing to wear on their trek, Ariana finally settled on a stretchy satin periwinkle blue dress. It was a floor length peplum dress with a cowl neckline and three quarter length sleeves. Dragons soared along the hemline, their great wings spread out as they took flight while swirling golden flames were embroidered with jewels into the end of the sleeves and between the dragons. She twirled in the dress, watching as it flared around her before settling back into place. The hem fell a few inches above her ankles, which she had clad in a pair of sturdy boots that she had found near the window.
When Ariana finally made her way into the kitchen that morning, Ryonen was, unsurprisingly, nowhere to be seen. Lamis, however, was present as always, several rolled scrolls sitting in front of him as he ate an apple thoughtfully. He acknowledged her with a nod in her direction, his eyes trained down on a scroll that was unfurled, his own scrawled handwriting visible there.
"Morning." She said, reaching for her favorite bread and jam as she settled into her chair. There was a heavy silence in the air as she made her breakfast. She didn't speak for a long time as she chewed her food contemplatively, her eyes drawn down on her plate. She wondered if she could bring some of this bread and jam with them when they left, if it would stay good on their journey.
"I want to show you something." Lamis said, startling her out of thoughts. He had his hands folded in front of him and was watching her, his face suddenly serious. There was something like resolve in his eyes, the blue seeming darker than usual.
Ariana set down her bread, looking at him closely. "Sure," she said, "what is it, Lamis?"
He bit his lip before indicating she should follow him. She did, throwing the last bite of her breakfast in her mouth and rushing after his disappearing figure. He was walking briskly, the sound of his steps echoing off the stone walls as he hurried forward. It wasn't until they turned right at the top of the stairs that she began to wonder where they were going. Paintings blurred past as they continued to hurry along the hallway and, when they passed by the Library, Ariana had a sudden moment of realization wash over her as to where they were headed. Before she even had time to process, though, they were passing into Lamis' room.
Ariana lingered back by the door, watching as Lamis crossed the room to the windows. The silver satin curtains were drawn back, the sunlight streaming in through them in thick beams that glinted off of the many faceted surfaces of the trinkets and statues.
Lamis beckoned for her to come closer. "Here it is." He said as she approached. Her eyes followed his hand until they fell upon the sword leaning against the wall there next to the window.
Ariana looked up at him quickly, wondering if he knew she'd come in there the other day. His face was relaxed, though, and she swallowed back her guilt before speaking. "What about it?" She asked him.
He reached down and picked up the sword with two hands, his fingers curling lightly over the silky rose fabric covering it. He brought a hand up and pulled on the golden chord that bound it, letting it fall to the ground lightly. The rosy silk fabric collapsed around his hands like flowing water as soon as it sensed freedom, revealing the wickedly sharp blade beneath.
Markings were etched into the brilliant silver surface down the middle of the blade. She ran her hand along them before getting to the bottom and seeing a dragon with its head reared back, its mouth spouting flames that ran up the middle to meet with the etchings ¼ of the way up. She looked back up to Lamis, who's eyes were watching her carefully.
"It's beautiful." She said, at a loss for words.
He nodded. "Another family heirloom. I'm sure you already figured that out from the dragon."
Ariana smiled. "Yeah," she said, amused. The thought had certainly crossed her mind. These people loved their dragons, that was undeniable.
Lamis pushed it toward her, nodding at it. "It's yours." He said, maneuvering it so the hilt faced her.
She looked at him quickly, her face drawn tight with shock. "What?"
He moved the sword toward her again. "It's yours." He repeated, his voice level. "It used to be my wife's but I have no use for it anymore."
"I can't take this, Lamis." She said, putting her hand to her heart and shaking her head vehemently.
"You can." He said firmly. "Please, she would have wanted me to give it to someone who needed it and you're certainly going to need a sword where you're going."
Ariana didn't know what to say. She put out her hand and lightly ran her fingers over the blade again before hovering over the hilt. She turned her gaze to him. "Are you sure?" She asked him.
"I am." He said, and she saw a flicker of sadness flash in his eyes briefly before disappearing.
She hesitated, but then dropped her hand to grasp the leather firmly in her grip. As soon as her hand gripped the handle, the end of the sword glowed brilliantly and the blue waves sprayed across the room like an explosion of light. She looked down at the jewel settled in the pommel and watched as it pulsated before fading back to a faint glow.
"What was that?" She asked Lamis. She was holding the sword a little ways away from her body, nervous at the sudden light show that had come from it.
"This is a special sword." He replied, folding the silk fabric and tucking it under his arm. "It's been enchanted to only serve one master at a time. If anyone besides that person were to try to handle it, they would be killed." He paused and looked at her seriously. "You need to make sure that those you strike with this blade are truly your enemies, though." He warned her. "Wounds made by this sword are cursed to never heal. There is no power left in this world that could reverse it."
Ariana looked down at the sword again, her heart pounding in her chest. "This is too much." She said, trying to give the sword back to him. "There's no way I could ever pay you for such a gift."
Lamis held up his hands to her as if to fend her off. "No, I cannot take it back. It knows you now, it will not answer to anyone else until the day you die."
She swallowed and brought her other hand up to lay the blade on the flat surface of her palm. It radiated with an inner shine, the silver looking like it held the dim glow of the sun in it. "I don't know how to thank you." She said finally, her voice full of emotion.
He reached down, picking up a dark black leather scabbard she hadn't noticed was leaning against the wall next to the sword. He handed it to her and then met her gaze. "You don't have to thank me." He said, then looked down at his hands. He had pulled the silk fabric out and was running his thumb over it. "You gave me more than you will ever know. You reminded me what it was like to be happy again. I've been alone here for so long that I think I forgot that there was still a reason to keep fighting."
She didn't know what to say. She swallowed against the lump in her throat and tried to speak. When that failed, she tried again. "I'm going to miss you." She said in a timorous voice.
Lamis blue eyes turned upward to pierce her. There were hints of tears present in the corners there. "And I, you." He replied, reaching out to grip her forearm.
They looked at each other, Ariana's heart wrenching. She didn't want to go, she felt this conflicting urge to stay here with him in the safety of the castle grounds. "Can't you come with us?" She asked him meekly.
He dropped her arm and looked around at the room, his eyes taking in the collection of items there. "I don't think it's time for me to leave yet." He said, and then he turned to her with a small smile. "Perhaps one day I might finally venture out past these walls, but not now."
She nodded, though she had expected him to say that. A comfortable silence fell between them and, after Ariana had successfully strapped the scabbard at her waist and put the sword in it,  they headed back downstairs. She felt sad to know that he was staying there, that she may never see him again. She didn't even know what would happen to her once she left these grounds; it was all up in the air. Things could either go really well or they could be an unmitigated disaster, there was no in between with her. The thought almost made her smile.
When they got back to the kitchen, Ryonen was eating at the table, his black hair slicked back, wet from his bath. He was dressed in his outfit that Vulcan had given him, the fabric looking fresh and clean again. She, of course, had to throw her dress away once they got to Lamis'. It was so caked in her own blood and Moregerans that the satin had been permanently ruined.
Lamis strode past the table and into the room beyond, not even looking at Ryonen as he walked by him. Ryonen looked after him with a strange expression on his face. When he turned to her, though, it was happy and relaxed.
"All packed and ready to go?" He asked her, his voice unusually cheerful.
She gave him a searching look. "Yeah, I packed last night after we said goodnight." She was still watching him, not sure why, but feeling like something was up. "Is everything okay?" She asked him, her voice quiet.
Ryonen seemed taken aback by the question. "Of course." He said quickly. "Why wouldn't it be?"
She was about to question him further when Lamis came back into the room carrying a basket in each hand. He set them down next to Ryonen. Ariana got up from her spot and wandered over to them, staring down at their contents. One basket was filled with some small leather pouches, their ends tied off with different colored strings and tiny tags hanging from them. The other basket had small loaves of bread wrapped in wax paper, some fruits, and a jar of her favorite jam.
Ariana looked up at Lamis, smiling. "You're sending me with the jam." She said, stating it instead of asking.
Lamis, too, smiled. "You've eaten a whole jar since you've been here, I think it's pretty obvious that it's your favorite."
Picking up the bread, Lamis handed it to her. "This is a special recipe for long trips. I've used honey from a rare type of bee that I keep here. It helps prevent it from going bad for longer. It should last you until you get to the Eastern Kingdom in 5 days. The others will last even longer than that if you don't break the seal." She nodded and set the bread back down in the basket. Lamis turned toward Ryonen. "I'll leave this here so you can come back with your satchel and pack it."
Ryonen nodded stiffly and Ariana got the impression that there was something she was missing. She looked between the two, who were pointedly looking in opposite directions. "Lamis-" She started to say, but Ryonen cut her off, grabbing her hand.
"Come on, Ariana, let's grab our satchels so we can leave." He said, pushing away from the table.
She started walking toward the doors when he let go of her hand, lingering behind. She looked at him questioningly.
"You go ahead, I'll catch up to you. I want to ask Lamis about getting more of an herb."
She hesitated, seeing the frown forming on Lamis' face behind Ryonens turned back. However, after another moment of watching them, she decided to just let them figure out whatever was going on between them, heading toward her room.
By the time she had made the bed and thrown her satchel around her shoulders, Ryonen was knocking on her door. He had his own satchel settled on his waist, his cheeks colored with fading red. She looked at him closely, noting how his back was stiff as he stood waiting for her.
"What happened back there?" She asked him. "And don't try to tell me nothing. I'm not stupid, I could tell you guys were being weird."
Ryonen gave an annoyed face. "He's just trying to micromanage, that's all. I was clarifying whether we needed to go a certain way and he wasn't happy with my suggestion. End of story." He shrugged.
Ariana looked at him hard. "You promise?" She asked.
"Of course." He said without hesitation. "I swear I wouldn't lie to you, Ariana."
She let out a breath. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure." She had thrown on her newly cleaned cloak and reached down to straighten the fabric when Ryonen caught sight of her sword.
"What's that?" He asked, surprise in his voice.
She looked down at the hilt sticking out of the dark scabbard at her waist. "Oh yeah, Lamis gave me this this morning."
"You have to give it back." He said quickly, then looked at her apologetically. "What I mean is, you don't want to accept something like that from him. It's probably expensive."
"He practically insisted I take it." She admitted. "I tried to give it back but I can't, it's imprinted on me, apparently."
"What are you talking about?" He sounded- She stopped, trying to decipher exactly what he seemed to be acting like. Angry, maybe?
"It's a family heirloom of his wife's." She explained, watching him. "It's been enchanted in some way to only accept one user at a time. He said the blade is cursed to inflict unhealable wounds."
Ryonen definitely looked upset now. "And he just gave this to you? Did he say why?"
"Why are you getting so mad?" She asked him. She was obviously missing something here.
"I just don't understand why he feels the need to interfere like this." He said. His fist was clenched as he looked down the hallway to where the stairs lay.
Ariana felt herself growing irritated. "Look, I didn't particularly want him to gift me a family heirloom, but he did and it's done." She gave him a stern look. "I needed a sword to protect myself and Lamis gave me one. What's the problem?"
He shifted uneasily. "There's no problem." He said, drawing the last word. "I just don't understand his motives."
"His motives," she said testily, "are to help keep me alive while we travel through one of the most dangerous places in Atheil. I thought," she said, emphasizing, "that that was what you wanted, too."
He looked ashamed. "I do." He said, reaching down to rub her arms with his hands. "You know what, it's fine. Seriously." He gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Not wanting to continue the argument, Ariana just sighed. "Let's just go." She said, closing the door behind her.
Ryonen reached down and laced his hand with hers, eyeing her sideways. "Are we okay?" He asked timidly.
She turned to him as they descended the stairs. After a moment, she said, "Yeah, Ryonen, we're okay."
Lamis was waiting for them by the open door, a maroon traveling cloak thrown over his shoulders, his chestnut brown hair pulled back at his neck. He surveyed them as they took the last few steps down the stairs and stopped in front of him.
"It's a bit of a ways into the forest." He explained as they started walking. They veered right in the opposite direction they had originally come, heading to the backside of the castle. They were all somber as they walked, Ryonen squeezing Ariana's hand as they passed by the last of the beds of Luna Flos'. She reached down just before they were fully past them, her finger grazing one of the silky petals lightly as it drifted away into the other direction. The smell followed them on the breeze until they were to the line of trees.
They were on the other side of the grounds from the path that led to the pond, diving into the darkness as they crossed into the trees. The utter silence of the forest was startling, not even a bird or squirrel sounding as they walked. She noticed the trees grew more twisted and dark as they went further in, the landscape changing from the ethereal green glow of the sun-dripped trees to a shadowy, cold path with barely any light streaming in through the leaves.
She looked around, pulling her cloak closer to her to keep out the chill. Lamis must have seen the movement because he glanced over at her. "The forest grows darker the closer we get to Orlac." He explained. "It reflects whatever is on the other side of the border. It's grown more dark and sinister over the past few years."
Ariana could see what looked like a mountainside in the distance, the great rock wall rising into the sky above them. Lamis strode ahead of them, reaching the wall and running his hands over the cold, rough surface as he walked along it. Finally, he stopped.
"It's here." He said, turning to them.
Ariana stepped toward him. "Do we run at it like last time?"
He shook his head. "I couldn't leave it open like the other one. Too many dangerous creatures lie on the other side of this wall. I couldn't risk anything wandering in."
He put out his right hand, his fingers curling as he rotated it in a circle facing the wall. A spark of blue light cascaded down from the rock, then more and more followed as a swirling blue hole appeared there. His hand began rotating faster as the hole grew larger. Once it was the size of an archway, he stopped, holding his hand steady with his fingers clenched tight. A loud sound was emitting from the archway like wind through a tunnel.
Lamis turned his head toward them. "Go ahead, Ryonen, you first." He said calmly over the noise.
Ryonen gave him a curt nod, stepping through the archway quickly. As soon as he crossed the barrier, he disappeared.
She walked forward, stopping at Lamis' side. "Goodbye, Lamis." She said, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for us, for me." She reached down and ran her hand along the hilt of her sword. "I'll take good care of this for you." She said. She started toward the archway and was just about to cross through when she felt Lamis' left hand reach out to grip her wrist.
"Wait." He said, his voice urgent. She turned around. Lamis looked conflicted, his face going through so many emotions that she couldn't seem to pinpoint a single one. Finally, he leaned forward, his face close to hers. His blue eyes, so bright, pierced her hazel ones. "Don't trust him, Ariana. He isn't who he says he is. Trouble will only follow you if you stay with him."
She pulled back, her eyes widening in shock. "What are you talking about?" She asked him, her voice pitching.
Lamis shook his head, his hand still gripping her wrist. He let go of it suddenly, pulling his hand back and turning it toward the wall to help keep the archway open. It was sparking around the edges, growing smaller as it tried to close. The strain was showing on his face, now, and she knew they didn't have much time. "Ask him about it, Ariana. You deserve to know the truth."
Before she could respond, she felt Ryonens hand reaching through the archway and gripping her arm, pulling her backward through it as she tried to reach out to Lamis. The last image she had of him was his bright blue eyes watching her as she stumbled through the archway, his eyebrows drawn together in anguish as the world flashed before her eyes like an exploding sun all around her.