Daegan (The Age of Alandria: A Companion Novella) (7 page)

Finally, he reached the edge of the camp where he had stood not far off in the trees the night before, watching and waiting for the opportune time to unleash his darkness. He took a deep breath, afraid to look up. He had closed his eyes but now had to see what he had done.

Daegan stilled. His breath caught in his chest. There before him, the little hut was standing fully intact. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Relief flooded through Daegan like a flood of water breaching a dam.
It WAS a dream.

He needed to see the family. He needed to see Katéri, to know she was all right. As he was about to move in closer to knock at the door, something stirred inside. The door opened and out came the Faerie woman—he couldn’t remember her name—talking animatedly with her shifter mate. Daegan was able to breathe easier... they were okay. If the little one did not come out soon, he would inquire about her.

But as it was, one of the other shifters walked by the parents and uttered a greeting to them. Daegan watched their interaction carefully. Something about the way they acknowledged the shifter felt strange. For all appearances, everything seemed normal, but Daegan had a sense about things even beyond his empathic gift. He realized he was not feeling anything! The image suddenly wavered, like seeing heat waves over pavement.
A glamour!
He had recently been distinguishing them more and more. Since he had reached maturity, his gifts had been growing.

Daegan fell to his knees. He couldn’t breathe. His chest felt like it was going to explode. 
I cannot place a glamour this elaborate!
Daegan’s blood ran cold. What had he done?

CHAPTER SIX

Needing to flee the camp, Daegan found himself moving swiftly down the backside of the hill of Elnye further into the forest that sat at the back of the castle separating it from the edge of the Gáraldrath Mountain. He was covered in the dark shadow casting off the side of the monstrous rock, just as he preferred it. He heard water a short distance away and purposely strode toward it. Kneeling down, he scooped water onto his face.

The sting of the cold water provided a brief respite from the burning plague of guilt and despair that forced a weight upon him even worse than the one that he already carried. Images of his parents’ faces flashed in his mind. His chest constricted with pain. He couldn’t breathe. As he stared at his reflection in the water in front of him, he watched the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. His vision blurred. He clenched his fist, pushing it against his head as he knelt by the waterside. Unable to be stopped, the emotional barriers that he had held in check for so long began to crumble. His control was unmanageable; he sobbed internally. He refused to let any more tears fall. It was a weakness and he had already allowed the darkness too much weakness.

After an indeterminate time of grieving, the pain that wracked his body began to subside. He sensed something shift in the air around him. Daegan took a deep breath and quickly regained full control of himself. He would not let this happen again. Out of instinct, out of fear, out of stubborn determination, he took his dagger and sliced the meaty flesh of his left hand, allowing blood to flow. The sting of the pain brought momentary relief through the distraction. He reached down to the dirt of the bank at the river, mixing the grains of the earth of Alandria into his blood. At the base of the Gáraldrath Mountains, he made an oath to himself and sealed it with the witness of Alandria. “In who I am as a Ferrishyn, with the grains of this land as my witness, I will not again allow the darkness of my soul released in harm of an innocent. I give of my life to protect the innocents of Alandria and only upon my death will it take purchase once more.” He felt something shift in him, rebuilding the internal defense that he believed to have been fortified before, but now even more solid than before.

Feeling strengthened at his regained purpose, he stripped off his shirt and his boots, then his pants—leaving only his daggers strapped to his legs—down to his purest state of being, confident no one was about. He waded, without flinching, into the icy crisp water that parted around his body as he moved into the deepest part of the small river. Immersing himself under the water, he cleansed himself of the remnants of the darkness that he felt clinging figuratively to his skin.

He stayed under too long, stretching his lungs to capacity. He tried to regain control of his thoughts as they strayed again to seeing what was beyond the glamour of the little cabin where he saw the specters of the family that was once there. He absently wondered if there was even a ghostly glamour of the little girl as she had not left a piece of her soul in that place. Daegan shook his head at where his thoughts had strayed once again. He refused to come up for air until he had his thoughts under control. Just when he was beginning to see the dark begin to creep in on the edges of his vision and felt the pressure and fuzziness in his head, he felt the lock of his thoughts click into place. Control.

Just before he hit the surface, he sensed a pull of magical energy on him. He rose out of the water, exhaling, and lunged for the shore. It was not the same darkness that he had felt before. This was different—it was an outside force drawing him, pulling him toward something. He stepped out of the water; however, there was nothing there when he quickly scanned the area, knife held ready to strike. Standing naked and soaking wet, but ready for a fight, Daegan slowly turned and walked to where his clothes were lying on the ground. Dagger in his mouth between his teeth, he quickly put his clothes back on without drying as he continued to keep watch. Still nothing. Daegan was confused. His extra
senses
were never wrong, but he was not seeing anything.

The feeling got stronger as he turned toward the mountain and its sheer cliff that loomed ominously before him. Daegan’s movement took him right up against the mountain. He leaned forward and pressed his hand flat against the rock. There was a heat emanating from it that pulsed straight into his body, commanding him to come closer.
It is the mountain. The magic... the energy... it is coming from the mountain itself.
Daegan pulled back his hand, shaking it out as if burned by its touch, but mostly from shock.

Whipping around, he sensed a different presence moving toward him—this one with scattered emotions and confused magical energies pulsating out haphazardly. Daegan held steady his dagger, awaiting what would move through the thick copse of trees just beyond where he had come through. He steadied his breathing, calmed his energy, and waited patiently. Who he saw amble through, undisciplined in an attempt at stealth, surprised him to say the least.

“Rheina? What are you doing here?” he asked skeptically.

Confused, Rheina paused, looking around, suddenly frightened. “I am not sure how I got here, Daegan. It has never been this strong before. You need to listen though...” Even before she finished what she was saying, her entire demeanor changed and her eyes turned from green to flat grey.

“Rheina?” Daegan approached slowly, unsure of what was happening.

“Daegan, you must listen. There is not much time. Rheina is still here, she is fine. I will not harm her, it is her destiny.” The voice that spoke using Rheina’s voice was also laced with another feminine voice. One that was soothing, but unfamiliar.

Daegan looked at the girl who, to him, was family. He stared intensely, unsure of what to say and not willing to let his guard down. Too much had happened. He would never harm his sister, but he held his dagger at his side as assurance nonetheless.

“Daegan, there is much going on here beyond your sight. You must look
through
what your eyes see. You are about to be a part of something much bigger than you imagined. This is
your
destiny. Follow it. Protect
her
with your life. She will lead you to your light.”

Daegan listened intently.

“See with your eyes, but
see
with your gift...
see
what you are not meant to see.” The voice trailed off as the grey eyes receded and the piercing green of Rheina’s eyes were brought to the forefront. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked quickly back at Daegan; her eyes were full of sadness and questions. 

Daegan began to step forward toward her to steady her, but she reached out to brace her weight on a nearby tree. “Don’t, Daegan. I am all right.” She held her hand out to warn him off. “Don’t ask. This is mine, it is my gift and my curse. Listen to what she said. I do not understand myself, or all that is happening, but you must not speak of this to anyone! Especially to Mother,” she pleaded. She turned to walk slowly back the way she came, having regained enough of her own strength to walk straight on her own. Soon her image grew so small that she blended into the thickness of the forest.

Daegan was left standing, rooted to the spot. He was speechless. A throbbing ache began in his upper left arm just as pain began to split his skull and he gripped his head. It began to subside almost as quickly as it came upon him. Taking a deep breath and running his hands through his dark mangled hair, he walked over to the mountain to try to feel the pulse of its magic once more, only to find it cold and lifeless to the touch.

CHAPTER SEVEN

As Daegan strode back up the hill toward the castle, he absent-mindedly rubbed his forehead where the pains had begun occurring as of late. He tried to think when they started, but could not remember it happening before he had reached his maturity as a Ferrishyn man. That must have something to do with it. He felt the troubled chaos growing within him.

Looking around at the beautiful land before him as he emerged from the forest near the mountain, he was never dulled to how captivating the scenery in Alandria was, especially this part of it. He had traveled extensively across borders, sometimes sent as a spy, sometimes as an ally, but always he went as himself and never as Maleina’s man—even though to many, that was what he was.

There was tragedy happening throughout Alandria, especially in the territory of Lumari and the city of Adettlyn. It had gone into ruin ever since King Ryek and his son had disappeared many years ago. He had never had the chance to meet the king—that he remembered—but from what he had heard whispered in the streets and the country, he had been a good man.

Alandria was broken into different territories with different rulers since its inception; however, its people were able to live wherever they had felt comfortable enough to call home. Some remained with others of their own kind, but some liked to be a part of the more diverse areas. Daegan enjoyed the diversity of the many races together even though, to others, he appeared to keep to himself. Maleina had taught him very young that others would not understand his position and would resent him for it. He was already a quiet lad, but she made sure he knew he was different. She reinforced his feelings that, as an orphan, people would not look favorably upon him. However, when he was out, he found most people were generous toward him and so he began quiet friendships with many of them.

As he walked, many faces flashed before his eyes, but when he looked up quickly out of the corner of his eye, the scenery shifted. He remained calm and kept walking not to give anything away. There was no preparing for what he was about to see.

Daegan looked back at the forest behind him, and gasped. The vibrant forest that he had just walked through was sickly and decaying. The leaves were brown and branches hung limply, while some of the trees didn’t even bother to try to remain upright. Confused, he turned slowly in a full circle. Up the hillside was more of what he had just seen... all desolate and sick, lifeless, dying and spreading to encase all of the lower areas of Feraánmar—everything but the top of Elnye where the castle and his home rested.

Then, as he turned back to the forest, it looked as it originally had: full of life, vibrant, green. Same with the lands of his territory that he could see... all normal, beautiful as ever. Daegan squinted, shaking his head, trying to get his vision right. What was he seeing? Was it all a glamour? It could not be. That would take an immense amount of magic and energy that no one he knew, not even Wren and Maleina together, could maintain. Was he seeing hallucinations? Suddenly, the words that came through Rheina echoed in his head about really
seeing
... could this be what she was saying? 

Raking both his hands through his hair, gripping the top of his head, and even tugging at his hair for clarity, Daegan took a deep breath. He needed to focus. There was much happening here and he needed to understand what it was in order to properly fight it. But, having just seen Feraánmar in such a state of death shook something deep inside him. This was his home and he could not let the darkness destroy it. Even if that darkness was from him.

Checking his vision once more to ensure he was seeing properly, he continued back up the hill toward the castle and the only home he remembered.

✠✠✠

Daegan took his time as he entered Elnye—they often commonly referred to the castle itself as “Elnye.” Growing up, Halister felt that their home should have a name but they could never agree on one. So they settled on simply calling it “Elnye.” It seemed most of those living in the village did as well.

Daegan spoke soft and simple greetings to those working in the kitchen, nodding to those coming and going quickly about their business. So much had happened since he had so abruptly left earlier that morning, but he did not want to disrupt the daily happenings around the castle to alert anyone yet of anything wrong. As he may, in fact, be the only thing
wrong
. It was his burden and he would bear it to whatever end necessary.

Walking purposely down the hall so not to draw attention to himself, he wandered the castle a bit before retiring to his own suite. One of the few places within the castle that he enjoyed spending time in was the library at the end of the lower level east wing. Part of that wing had begun to fall into ruin, but it was sealed off and mostly on the outside, so the family had simply left it.