Candlelit Shadows

Chapter 5

“Oh, look at the poor little puppy! Where did you find him, darling? Let’s clean him up, and I’ll see if I could get him something to eat. You do love dogs, don’t you?

      “There were some in the Tournament, too, you know. That’s what descendants called it. A bloody battle that claimed a lot of lives, amongst them some not unlike this one which you had just saved, dear.

      “Domestic dogs were way too tame to survive for long, but their wild cousin did surprisingly well for himself. Like the fox, he was quick and agile, but unlike the fox, he had power and brute strength at his side too. There wasn’t even a need for him to get any special ability, so he merely sharpened those he already had. He was a strong, able competitor, and made it to the very last three. But also like the fox, it wasn’t one of his final challengers that finished him off.

      “He was a lonely one, that wolf. No one ever got close enough to him to know what exactly was going on in his heart. Anyone who tried would die violently. Truth of the matter is, the only one that he could ever confide in was his worst enemy, back when the battle hadn’t started—the Lord of Darkness himself, Lonarr.

      “They used to sit quietly together in the night, enjoying each other’s silent company. Some have even gone to say those were the happiest times in the wolf’s quiet life. And he wouldn’t deny it. Maybe because it was true, or maybe he was simply too stubborn and arrogant to bother saying otherwise. Either way, it was because of that Solis began to challenge his loyalty, and disqualified him so tantalizingly close to the grand prize. But the predator wouldn’t go down without a fight, so Solis had no choice but to collar him like his tamed cousins, devoting him to his creator’s eternal servitude.

     “There, the little guy’s all clean and proper now! Hmm, he does seem to like you a lot…All right, we can keep him. Don’t let him end up like the poor old wolf now, darling. Touch a little bit of your warmth and light into his life. I know you have in mine.”

*

They had reached the gigantic double doors of the Grand Hall before Alopex suddenly spoke up again, just as Cera was about to fling them open.

      “Wait a second! Avian wanted to warn you of something.” She took a deep breath, looking around guardedly as though she was aware of someone eavesdropping. “The thrones. You are here as a replacement, Sister Rhopalocera. Of course, you are as much one of us as I am, or anyone else, but your clan was never expected to send a representative…” she paused. “…because the Rhopalocera clan never really made it into the final Twelve.”

      Cera nodded slowly, understanding thus far. The denizens of the world ranged from those born with magic, to those without—though in the middle there were those who got magic on their own, either by hard work or theft. Those aside, the world in general was divided into two: Sorcerers and human.

      After the epic war between Solis and Lonarr’s forces, the humans had persevered through sheer numbers despite their master’s loss. While the Sorcerers grieved for Solis, mortally wounded, the humans, ingrates just like their Creator, chose to forget but not forgive. The Sorcerers had been forced into seclusion, and made to never breathe a word about the war again.      Eventually, though, half the sorcerous clans who leaned heavily under Lonarr’s influence decided that they would forsake their pride as children of Solis and offered to live with the humans. Difference in opinion sparked an all-out civil war, but with the humans’ help the clans of the Night won. A treaty was signed, known as the Covenant, by the topshots of both sides. Two very different organizations were formed, one by the Night, one by the Dawn. Both required representatives from each house.