The Exiled King | ✔

Chapter 11 - A Promise Kept

Daytime arrived and with it, the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. It was a warm day, but the cold, stony castle walls had yet to warm up from the sunlight. As the sunlight filtered through the windows of the meeting room, the room filled with people. Adrian Blackrose had arrived first and long before the others. His siblings joined him later, then Aidan and the guardians showed up. Last to enter was Halian, who looked paler than usual and had red-rimmed eyes.

Adrian pushed aside his pile of parchment and straightened as Halian entered.

He looked at the guardians and said, "Given the... hectic nature of your arrival, I haven't had a chance to introduce you. You already know Aidan, I believe?"

Glancing around for confirmation, he was met with quiet nods and he continued, "Well, this is my cousin, Halian Whiterose. He's... uh, do you want them to know, Halian?"

Halian blinked, seemingly startled from his thoughts. He hesitated a moment, then shrugged, "It's fine. Just as a fair warning to you all, I am a vampire."

Leyon chimed in, "He keeps the instincts at bay, so there's no need to fear him attacking any of us."

The guardians had varying reactions from entirely disinterested to curious to skeptical. It was hard to fear a vampire when they had stood up against so many more dangerous things.

Halian... Whiterose, Lirya thought absently.

Her eyes widened and she looked at him quickly.

"Lord... Halian? I think I have something for you," She said quietly.

She held her hand out and closed her eyes, trying to remember the magic word, then whispered, "Niur."

Instantly, a pile of envelopes appeared in her hand, then slipped onto the floor.

I didn't realize there would be so many! She thought, stooping down to pick them up quickly.

Halian appeared beside her and he grabbed the last few and handed them back to her.

Lirya shook her head and held out the stack of envelopes to Halian, saying, "These are for you... from your... brother."

Halian gave a strangled gasp and clutched the letters to his chest, his eyes swimming with emotion.

"I-I thought he was dead..." Halian whispered, more to himself than anyone.

Halian excused himself and swiftly left the room, holding the letters tightly as if his life depended on them.

Adrian waited until the door was shut behind him, then cleared his throat and suggested that they begin the meeting.

"I know this is insensitive," Adrian began, "But I need to know what happened in the Ether. Did you kill the demons? Did you kill Garyth Herus?"

Lirya flinched as Adrian mentioned the wizard king, and similar conflicted expressions crossed the others' faces.

Jason hesitated, before stepping forward to explain what had occurred.

<--<< >>-->

A frown graced Adrian's face as he digested all of what Jason had explained.

He probably doesn't believe Jason, Lirya thought absently.

She picked at the hem of her dress, willing her mind to go elsewhere—anywhere else but that fateful day and that horrifying dream.

She kept glancing at the door, waiting for Taryn to arrive.

It's unusual for him to be this late to a meeting, Lirya thought, He's probably just recovering from the fight.

That's all.

He'll probably be arriving any moment... or maybe he's sleeping in. That's fine too.

I'll check up on him after this meeting.

She tuned back into the conversation, but regretted it as soon as she overheard Jason's vivid description of her battle and victory.

Oh wow, I never noticed this pattern in my tunic before, Lirya thought, tracing the embroidery with her fingers.

She was hyper focused on the smallest details. Had her tunic always been that shade of blue? All of a sudden, she was feeling peckish. Ah, that was right. She'd not had breakfast yet. That explained it.

What did she want for breakfast? Eggs? Toast? A light soup, perhaps? So many options.

Lirya didn't even realize that her finger was insistently tapping on her leather leggings.

Jason had said everything that could be said about that day in the Ether and Adrian seemed pleased to know what had occurred, if not at the implications of what was to come.

Finally, this boring meeting will probably be over soon, Lirya thought.

But for all her efforts to forget everything that happened that day, Adrian's quietly uttered words shattered the fragile veil of ignorance she had built up.

"And the silver guardian? Will there be a funeral?" He had asked softly.

"Funeral?! W-What are you talking about?! H-He's not dead!" Lirya cried out, her voice breaking at the last word.

No, no no... he's a Guardian. Guardians don't just... die! They must be mistaken.

"It doesn't make sense!" Lirya continued with a choking laugh as her voice rose in pitch, "I was there! We were all there! Jaron Aegivyl is buried! Oh, it's... it's a memorial or something, isn't it? Isn't it?!"

Leus looked at her with pain-filled, sympathetic eyes.

No, don't look at me with those eyes.

Don't.

Don't say it.

I don't want to hear it.

She raised her hands to cover her eyes, shaking her head as her eyes teared up.

"D-Don't say it," She whispered brokenly, "Don't say it. It's not true... it's not true!"

Leus hesitated, but then said quietly, "Taryn is gone, Lirya. He's dead."

His tone was even.

His face was neutral.

But she knew he blamed her.

Beneath that mask of nothing was a face probably seething with hatred. Maybe disgust.

Her gaze swept around the room and met similar faces.

They couldn't all just... be so blank about it.

It wasn't right!

This must be some kind of... practical joke.

Lirya burst into hollow maniacal laughter, then sank to the floor sobbing.

It's not true.

The floor tilted and the room distorted.

It's all my fault...

Black dots crowded her vision.

They're lying!

She clawed at the neck of her tunic, gasping for breath.

The air felt too thick to breathe.

I got him killed!

Darkness washed over her. There was the brief sensation of falling.

Then... nothingness swallowed her whole.