the Maiden

chapter nine

she came to speak of dahlias

Sapphira Testa came to visit me. We sat on the back patio that overlooked the lake and drank tea. The wind cast the sweet scent of wisterias and bergamot our way, and I smiled happily as I drank my tea. So far, we had only said our hellos and gone on to drink our tea. I was waiting for her to speak first.

"Such lovely weather you have here in Celestia," she remarked finally, glancing over at me. "Are you enjoying it?"

I nodded as I reached for a tea biscuit. "Yeah. Celestia is beautiful."

A silence fell. Then:

"You were born in Celestia, yes?"

"Yes, in Eris—in the Mountain."

More silence. Then:

"Searii is your mother—?"

"Are you just going to continue asking me questions you already know the answer to?" I interrupted. "If so, I can tell you that you're wasting your time. I've not come to kill everyone like Searii originally thought—so do remain aware that throughout all the bloodshed, my mother stayed by my side and tried to get Xaedri to understand why this was happening,"

Sapphira nodded. Finally, she turned her violet eyes to mine and sighed. "The Testas and the Selvaggios have been close since the events of the Cosmic War and the Cleanse—our knowledge of astral and light magic has been very useful."

I took a sip of my tea and nodded. "I've never heard of such magic before."

"Nor had I of chaos magic, then you appeared."

And so I lifted my head, and I truly looked at her—at the rich blue eyes that appeared violet when the light hit it just right, and the cascading white hair down her back. Light magic. Astral magic.

"You know—" I began.

"I know—" she began.

"—about Elysian," we finished together. Surely everything had to click in that moment—only for the puzzle to morph into something bigger, deeper, and more complex than we were yet to know.

I expelled a deep breath. "How?"

"It's a long-known secret among the Testas, passed down from Emperor Ilsegh after the Cleanse. Geiya wants us to explore more of her world, so she shared with Ilsegh the secret of Elysian—and shared with us a place for those who have risen Beyond."

"And you said nothing to no one for over a millennia."

She was silent in response.

I couldn't help but sigh again. "I can understand the role Emperor Ilsegh wanted to play during the war—he needed to protect his realm. Still...he only did it because of Xaedri."

Sapphira mulled over it. "Yes, perhaps—or there were bigger plans set in motion long before you set eyes on the world Xaedri corrupted. What matters now is that you are here, and you can help us. We can now share these secrets—we can create a new world and guide everyone towards the path of Beyond."

I laughed bitterly. "How? By removing the Void? By somehow convincing the Councils to let me create my own pack of feywolves—when there are none? They were all killed off during the Cleanse. Like we are some disease that Geiya needed to be rid of. Your people will never be accepting of me, even if I do help you."

"That is true," she remarked. "But all healing takes time, and the Void is our wound that we're yet to heal from. Please, Coralie. Help us."

Damn you, Sapphira. You chose your battle wisely. "What was it you were saying about creating a new world?"