The Exiled King

Chapter 26 - The Motive

Can you hear me, sister? Pelos' voice echoed in Aeliyas' mind.

I can, She replied, then said to both of her brothers, We meet in Esover.

Aeliyas heard their mental affirmation, then began to inspect her surroundings.

She stood in a forest of green and gold hues. Winter was around the corner and the tree leaves were beginning to turn shades of orange and red and the weather was grayer and chillier, though the true winter chill had yet to set in.

It is quite a beautiful forest, I suppose, Aeliyas mused, Though it cannot compare to ours.

If she had to guess, Aeliyas estimated it to be around Frostleaf, though she'd never paid close attention to the mortals' efforts to name seasons and times.

Without another look, Aeliyas mustered up her mana, pleasantly surprised by how responsive her vessel was, and teleported to Esover.

She stood on the slanted roof of the Peloan temple of Esover and overlooked the remnants of the battlefield distantly outside Esover. Though the weather was blisteringly hot compared to the cool climates of Silvardor, a thin layer of mana around her vessel protected her from the elements.

I am on top of the temple in Esover, brothers, Aeliyas said to Pelos and Gialan.

In an instant, she felt brief ripples of mana and two figures appeared beside her, which she assumed were her brothers' vessels.

"A child? And a human, no less..." She muttered as she took in their forms.

The child shrugged and said quietly, "This vessel can hold extraordinary amounts of my mana, sister. And it was a devout follower too."

"If I didn't recognize you by your mana, I'd hardly have thought that was you, Pelos," Aeliyas replied with a light chuckle.

It was more of a courtesy chuckle than anything of true amusement, for Aeliyas had long since forgotten what that was like.

She turned to Gialan and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you managed to get the elven king to agree to becoming your vessel, Gialan," She remarked.

The elven king directed his gaze at hers and replied, "I think he knew... that this was important."

"So what's the plan?" Pelos asked, "Do we kill Garyth?"

"Are we strong enough to kill Garyth?" Gialan asked.

Aeliyas frowned. The idea that a mere mortal could be stronger than them left an unpleasant feeling within her. Though Garyth would be no match for the gods in their true forms, when trapped in their vessels they were at a fraction of their power and that gave Garyth the upper hand.

Out of nowhere, they all flinched as their mana sensitive senses caught an erratic blast of mana that jarred them to the core.

"The mad druid?!" Aeliyas gasped.

She grimaced and tried to block out the mana as her senses reeled. They'd known of the mad druid, but when they were in their true forms, the mad druid's mana had not affected them.

Gialan groaned and held his head as he muttered, "Can we just kill it?"

Pelos' head immediately snapped over to look at Gialan with a fierce glare.

"No! You may not! That druid is also a descendant of the blessed! They all went a little crazy... it's just an overreaction!"

Gialan frowned, but didn't press the matter further. Truth be told, the thought had crossed Aeliyas' mind as well, but she'd kept those thoughts to herself. She knew how overprotective Pelos was of the mortals. The only mortal Pelos would not protect was Garyth after the incident that had ignited Pelos' hatred for the wizard.

"It's fine," She said quietly, "Just channel more of your mana into a protective layer around your vessel and endure it for a bit. Everything will be solved when the keyguard is found."

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The shimmering white palace stood gloriously, overlooking a bland and uninteresting green-tinged landscape and sky. Though the landscape was flat and empty, structures in all colours and sizes dotted the horizon and the cold landscape was brimming with life. It was a peaceful and idyllic place.

Garyth stood in one of the long columned hallways and observed the ground below him. He watched as a gust of wind blew through some trees, rustling the leaves. However, not a single leaf moved by the palace—every tree and bush was motionless even as Garyth felt another gust of wind tug at his hair.

A light tap on his shoulder alerted him to a presence behind him and he turned to see a beautiful woman with fiery locks of long wavy hair, scattered freckles on her face and eyes that sparkled. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

His face melted into a soft smile and he called her name quietly, "Ariane..."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly and whispered, "What worries you so, my dear?"

For a moment, he allowed himself to melt into her embrace. Allowed himself to forget his goal, his worries and his present. For just a small moment, he let himself live in the past.

Then, he sighed and pulled away slightly, resting his hands on her shoulders, and admitted, "I'm so close, but the closer I get, the more doubts plague me. What if it doesn't work out? What if, in the end, nothing changes? Hundreds of years of preparations will have been wasted!"

And everything I've done would have been pointless, He added silently.

"I don't know half of what you're going through, but just know that I'm here for you no matter what," Ariane said reassuringly.

Garyth's face hurt from the smile that stayed on his face, but he couldn't help it when it came to her.

I don't deserve her, He thought, I've never deserved her.

"I'm doing everything for you, Ariane. I've had to make a lot of unexpected sacrifices, but I know that this is what you would have wanted."

Garyth pulled her into a tight hug, conveying more than words alone could express.

Gods, I wish I could stay here forever, He thought.

Out loud, he said, "Soon, everything will be over. And I'll be with you forever."

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Who do you think Ariane is?

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