Land of Light and Shadows

Chapter 55

Chapter 55

He didn't know where he was.

But there was no more pain, no more terror, just a feeling of warmth and love and peace.

Jai opened his eyes as stared at the wide expanse around him, taking in the view of the rolling green hills, the snowcapped mountains in the distance, the rushing river that flowed into a crystal-clear lake.

Taking in a deep breath, Jai knew where he was then.

The land of light and shadows.

His feet were bare, toes curling into the bright green grass. He looked down, seeing there was no wound in his chest, his tunic unmarred as if it had never been gashed and soaked through with blood. His entire body felt whole, new, like nothing he'd ever felt before.

And his magic...his magic was still there, though currently resting peacefully inside him.

Just his light magic. The darkness was completely gone, destroyed, cast into oblivion.

The wind whistled through the trees, bird sang, the river bubbled and flowed. It curled around him almost like a hug, then pulled him backward, twisting him around.

And there, in the distance, was a city. A city filled with life and love and bright splashes of color everywhere. A city with homes and shops and cafés.

But it wasn't the city Jai was making his way toward then. No, that gentle breeze was pushing him in the direction of a large, two-story home made from white marble just outside it, surrounded by lush land and gardens in full bloom. As soon as it pushed him down the cobblestone pathway and stopped him at the bottom of the steps, the tall wooden doors opened.

Though he had never met the human female who stepped out first, he had a feeling he knew exactly who she was. Just as Bence had described her before, everything about her was golden – her hair, her skin, her eyes. She was even in a loose-fitting, cream-colored dress threaded with golden stitching that made her look ethereal. And even though Jai was staring at the face of a girl who was barely twenty years old, the Seer wisdom in her eyes made her seem so much older.

Lenora took another step outside, smiling as Jai slowly started up the steps.

Others followed her out to welcome him.

The guardsman Balian dressed in his Escarrali guardsman uniform, blond hair slicked back, a welcoming smile on his face.

Kalla's wife Faraine, her dark brown skin glowing in the sunlight, her tightly curled black hair a halo around her head.

A young Fae couple, both with dark olive complexions and dark hair, the male with deep blue eyes, ones Jai instantly recognized as the same color as Elys's.

And then a sorcerer Jai had met a hundred years previous, his light blond hair brushing his shoulders, dressed in riding leathers as if he were ready to take off on a dragon. Corliss's mate, Cleo and Adeena's father. Meron.

They all stepped back then, letting one last person through. A man who stared at Jai, staring in disbelief, who he himself looked as if he'd aged backward into the man in his earlier thirties. The Crown Prince of Escarral who'd snuck into his camp to talk to him, not the King of Escarral he became.

Bence met Jai just as he stopped at the top step, held out his arms without even having to think about it, and brought him in for a fierce hug.

"It's good to see you again," Jai managed to choke out through his tears.

Bence nodded and didn't move to let him go. "It's good to see you, too. And Lyv?"

"Alive...perfectly fine, though I know she won't be when she finds out I'm..."

His father-in-law nodded, then leaned back to take Jai's face in his hands. "Then we'll wait for her here together, no matter how long it takes. All of us. It's time you got some rest, Jai. You more than deserve it."

***Oh, don't mind me.  I'll just be over here sobbing like the rest of you! 

The next chapter is going to be even more difficult for me to write.  Lyv's got to find out what happened sooner or later, right? 

What did you guys think?  Comment and vote!

Happy reading!

- Ansley***