She pushed herself away from Taien and raised her hands. She needed all her strength but knew there was a bigger battle to come, she could not exhaust herself, she had to carefully gauge her energy and use as much as she dared. With what felt like a desperate final effort she sent her magic straight at the creatures, intent to do good before she died, for she would surely die. Never before had she been so tired, she had not the energy to shake, though her limbs wished for it, she could hardly even breathe, for it required the movement of her lungs and that was so tiring, yes she would die this day. She did not see the creatures scream in agony as her magic struck them, scorching their skin, ripping them apart. They died slowly; their beaks open in silent agony. The students and professors watched the scene warily, unsure that it was not another trick.
Wynn was oblivious to it all; everything now was a blur for she had slipped from consciousness into a silent darkness. Not the darkness that controlled her, no this was peaceful, merely black in colour with no intent behind it. She was glad to be here, where she did not have to think or feel or face what she had done. She wondered if she had died, it had been so easy. No pain and no sadness, just a simple slip and she had gone. Beside her Taien was wondering the same thing, he watched her face noting how translucent it was, dark bags juxtaposed against her chalky complexion and he could not see her chest move with breath. He pressed his fingers to her forehead and the skin was ice cold. He felt her pulse and almost cried in relief when he felt it, faint and irregular, but there.
Just then, as though to reassure him she moaned softly. Taien brushed her hair from her face and took off his cloak and placed it over her. She began to cry, tears spilling from her eyes, though he was unsure why and did not know how best to help her. He hoped it was just a dream and that she was not in pain.
Behind him Irik and the professors were disposing of the creature’s bodies, cremating them so that nothing was left but piles of black ash. Taien was unsure how long it took, he did not move from Wynn’s side, but soon Irik was ordering the injured back inside the Seminary, the students along with them. Not that there was much left of the castle, it was nearly completely destroyed, but would offer protection for the time being. Irik walked over to Taien, placing his hand on Taien’s shoulder. Taien glanced at Irik’s tired face, they did not need to speak. The enormity of what had happened was plain to see. Irik squeezed Taien’s shoulder then retreated inside, leaving them completely alone.
Taien placed his palm on Wynn’s forehead and allowed himself to feel. Immediately he sensed two entities struggling inside her, it was clear one was Wynn, the quiet, innocent and pure being, and it was also obvious it was losing. The darkness was choking Wynn, physically and he realised she was in a great deal of different pain, all pain that he had no idea how to ease. He silently cursed himself that he had not acted sooner. Biting his lip he unsheathed his dagger and he watched Wynn writhe in her sleep, giving her his strength and kept guard until dawn.
***
Braelyn twitched on the chair she had been given nervously. Beside her Laken bit his fingernails anxiously, chewing them until he tasted warm metallically blood. At its taste he retracted his fingers and sighed to break the silence. Braelyn looked at him and smiled weakly and he returned it, feeling as weak as Braelyn looked. They were sat in a large room on two hard wooden seats. It seemed that the room had once been used for entertaining, for plush seats were piled messily in a corner and a broken lyre had been flung on top. Dust had settled many years ago over the broken furniture.
“Stop fidgeting!” Laken snapped at Braelyn, when her agitation had gone on for so long that he was worked into the same frenzy. She jumped at his voice but could not stop moving. She had too much pent up excitement and nothing would distil it. Laken sighed and grabbed her hand to help her nerves. She smiled and squeezed it back, just as the door opened loudly, hitting into the wall as it swung. A woman with blonde hair strode into the room, her black cloak flowing behind her. Braelyn unconsciously cowed away from the woman for her face was painted with anger. Laken stiffened but continued to hold Braelyn’s hand, as though letting Braelyn go would cause them both harm. The woman turned her head and the King entered, smiling, at once the woman’s face became serene and Laken noticed that she was indeed quite beautiful; but he would not forget that look of anger as she had entered the room, he would not be swayed by a pretty face.
“This is my cousin, Aerona,” the King said merrily and at once Braelyn stiffened, her pale face drained of colour so that she looked grey and ill. Laken shook her hand but she could not move. Aerona. Could it just be chance? Was Aerona a popular name? But of course it was not just a coincidence; Arabella had told her countless times that Aerona had fabricated a story of her kinship to the King, to gain legitimate control over the lands. She was wheedling her way into Terra’s royalty any way she could. This was Aerona, the sorceress who had murdered Wynn’s mother, and countless others, distorted the lands and made rebels of them all, and who was slowly killing her father. The King, oblivious to his daughter’s distress, introduced Braelyn and Laken to the beautiful woman.
“I am pleased to meet you Braelyn,” Aerona said sweetly, her smile wide and inviting, but Braelyn could not be fooled. She had been around Wynn and Arabella long enough to know the tang of magic, and how it could manipulate. She glanced at Laken and saw he was frowning, clearly not fooled. The King continued to look between them happily, obliviously.
“Thank you madam,” Braelyn replied stiffly, her voice hoarse, “may I be so bold and ask how you are related to my father again, my memory is hazy.”
Aerona scowled at her, her beautiful face twisting, “I am your father’s cousin.”
“Oh good, you will definitely be able to clear up that I am in fact his daughter,” Braelyn said boldly, “you will have seen my birth and been with him when I was kidnapped.”
Braelyn did not know where the confidence had come from, her brain told her to be terrified, to be humble and not provoke the evil that was Aerona. Of course she could not let herself be afraid, she needed to be strong for her father. She held Aerona’s steely gaze and refused to blink. Aerona could not hide a scowl, as she sensed Braelyn’s emotions and realised that this young girl knew Wynn and was indeed the Kings long lost daughter. Aerona had only one option.
“My King,” Aerona said slowly, “I regret to inform you that this girl is nothing but an imposter.” Aerona’s face was painted with exaggerated sadness as was appropriate.
Braelyn stood up in shock, knocking her chair over violently. The frail King looked to Braelyn and Aerona, his poor face confused. Braelyn looked so much like his wife, identical except for her nose which looked uncannily like his, but Aerona was his cousin and had known his wife when she was alive, she would truly know. The King battled with his heart and the strong magic that was bewitching him as he thought, his body was frail and his mind befuddled, but his heart was strong, he could feel instinctively something drawing him to the young girl.
“I think you are mistaken Aerona,” he said slowly, considering his words for if pressed he could not explain why he felt so connected to Braelyn, it was nothing but a foolish whim.
Aerona bristled and turned to him, shocked he had an opinion when for so long he had been nothing but a shell, hers to command and use, “Sire, this is not your daughter.”
Aerona held back her anger, it would not do to lose her temper, she had to remain calm and act as the saddened cousin of the King, bearing bad news. She sent out magic to Braelyn, quickly and easily, for she was of course perfectly practised after centuries of use, and could use magic at will. The magic wrapped around Braelyn and before she could even realise what was happening it forced her to launch herself at the King. She slammed straight into him, knocking him to the ground. It was meant to make her look mentally unstable, a crazy girl making up lies to upset the fragile King. Laken stood and rushed over to help Braelyn up. Aerona smiled sadly, helping the King to stand up again and clutched him tightly as though to protect him.
“She is after your wealth and wants to cause you more distress.”
Braelyn shook with anger. The King frowned and Braelyn could see his confusion, she wanted to run to him, to cradle him in her arms but she knew it was too late. Aerona had woven her magic around the King and was poisoning his judgement.
“Shall I have them removed?” Aerona said sweetly but her eyes flashing malevolently. The King opened his mouth to answer but Aerona had already stridden from the room and was screaming for guards. Braelyn started and ran towards the King whispering frantically.
“I shall make you better again father, no matter what she does remember my face, for it is the face of your daughter. I have dreamt of you since I was a little girl, I will make my way back to your side.”
The King’s guards strode into the room and grabbed Braelyn and Laken roughly, almost throwing them to the ground. The King reached out to Braelyn, his eyes clouded, Braelyn screamed at the guards but they dragged her and Laken from the room mercilessly.
Aerona appeared in front of the guards, “Take them to the cellar,” she commanded and the guards nodded, dragging the prisoners over the rough stone ground, scraping the skin from their knees.
14
Wynn tossed and turned on the hard earth. Her eyes twitched and tears streamed from her closed eyes as she struggled to wake. The blackness was heavy and insistent and she could open her eyes however much she wished it. She could feel someone place a cloak over her, and a cool, soft palm on her forehead. It was clear from these sensations she was not dead, and disappointment flooded through her. It would have been so easy to die and not have to worry about facing Irik and the inhabitants of the Seminary, to not have to worry about the Foreseeing and defeating Aerona, but now feeling was returning. The coldness of the air, the hardness of the ground and she knew eventually she would have to waken and face them and the pain of her body... but for the moment she was trapped in the blackness. Slowly she began to dream, it started in the same way it had for eighteen summers, but something had changed. It was not Woodstone’s New Year celebrations that rung in Wynn’s ears. It was screaming from a voice she knew, female and young. The voice was crying, screaming, pleading and sounded so desperate that Wynn felt her heart clench in pity. She willed the owner of the voice to appear in the darkness of her closed eyes, she must see the face of the voice that was so sad.
In that moment Braelyn appeared, tear stained, dirty, and bruised. Wynn opened her mouth in her dreams to cry out to her but Braelyn could not see her, her eyes looked through Wynn’s and behind her, she was locked somewhere, shaking bars on a door more violently and desperately than Wynn had ever seen a person before.
“Let me out! You do not have to follow her, she is a fraud!” Braelyn cried between sobs. A young man appeared beside Braelyn and placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and he whispered something which encouraged her to let go of the bars. Wynn tried desperately to make sense of where they were and what had happened to them but the scene quickly dissolved. Instead it was replaced with a scene of utter desolation. Men and women shackled together raising mallets and striking the ground in a seemingly random pattern. The rock cracked slightly under the force but it was evident it would take days to creature a fissure in the surface. Wynn’s heart tugged at their plight and she raised her eyes and caught sight of the sky. It was ebony with slashes of blood red; it disturbed Wynn more than anything in her life. She knew then instantly and unquestionably that she was watching The Rune. The prisoners forced to labour until they died; the ones that survived were deemed acceptable and were recruited into the army, their will broken by the arduous labour.
Wynn tossed and turned and felt her stomach churn at the thought of her beautiful Braelyn in such a place. And what of Byron? Was he among the ranks of The Rune?
The darkness inside her suddenly cackled and erased all of the pictures from her mind, “
You cling to love and hope, but it will falter in the end. Braelyn will face the same fate as those you saw. They will be recruited, those too weak will be killed and added to the ranks of the Fallen
.”
“
No
!” Wynn cried back at the voice, inside her mind. Physically her body shook with anger and exhaustion. Taien, unaware of the battle raging inside Wynn held her shoulders down, for fear she would injure herself. Her face was contorted in so many emotions that his heart almost broke at the sight. Sadness and fear, mixed with anger and nausea played across her frail and pale face.
Inside herself Wynn fought with the darkness, she could feel its cold touch seeping through her muscles down to her fingertips until Wynn felt as though she was drowning. Death seemed so inviting, to end this dull, aching, unstoppable pain. The darkness was destroying the peace the blackness had brought and now it was time to face it once again, she had not the strength. The voice laughed, “
No, you will not die today, the man who watches over you on the other hand, his magic would greatly increase your strength
.”
Wynn knew only one man would be with her, after everything that had happened. Taien. “
I will not kill Taien,”
Wynn wept back mentally at the voice, “
you can harm me all you like, cut me and force me to bleed but I will not murder him
.”
“
You had no problem sacrificing Rueben for your life,
” the voice mocked, finding one of her many shames and forcing her to relive the memory. Wynn was silent as she relived the memory and for a long while after, as it reverberated through her mind. She could not even begin to deal with what the voice had said and forced her to watch. She knew it was trying to break her, the weaker in soul she was the easier it would be for the darkness to completely control her, but she was not used to this kind of abuse. Physical pain she could control, live through, endure, but this emotional assault was too much to bear. How could she live through the shame, that Rueben’s death was blood on her hands?
“
That is something I will never forgive myself for
,” Wynn hissed, however hard it was, however much it hurt, like a wound to her heart that gushed blood, she could not let the darkness manipulate her this way. If death was not an option then she would live and defeat this evil, “
it was also the hardest decision of my life. You will never win against me, do what you will, you are weak.
”
The darkness inside her suddenly wrapped itself around her heart and squeezed it like a child playing with a toy. The breath was knocked from Wynn’s lungs in shock and her heart felt tight. Taien, as he was watching her intently, saw the colour drain from Wynn’s face and knew then that she was fighting, and she was losing. He placed his palm onto her forehead and noted that it was cold as ice. He tentatively sent his magic out and searched inside her; using the basic skills he had learnt of Healing, but could not find anything malevolent.
The darkness in Wynn suddenly stopped squeezing her heart and spoke to her, “
That man, he is searching for me.
”
Wynn continued to weep, but this time it was for joy. Taien would save her from this torture. She felt his palm on her forehead and wondered how she could ever have disliked that touch. She felt his magic inside her, searching for the darkness. Find it Taien, she willed with everything she had, find it and save me. Taien suddenly sensed something so dark that bile rose in his throat. It had wrapped itself around Wynn’s organs, knowing it would be more difficult to destroy that way. He felt Wynn’s life force wavering and knew he must act quickly. It had not been enough, the strength he had given her during the night.
If the darkness had a face, capable of human expressions, it would have snarled in anger. The darkness forced itself into Wynn’s brain and forced her eyes open. The shock of seeing Wynn awake caused Taien to jump and he removed his hand from her forehead. Her eyes still possessed the unnatural creamy appearance and Taien again mourned the loss of her beautiful eyes. Wynn smiled and Taien knew at once that the darkness had nearly won. Wynn leant over and stroked his cheek, feeling stubble across her knuckles.
“Wynn, you must fight, harder than you ever have fought in your life,” Taien urged, removing her hand from his face. Wynn’s face scowled at the rejection. Inside, fighting the blur that was threatening to overwhelm her, Wynn dug deep into her magic, draining it, and sent it to her brain. Instantly Taien, sensing Wynn’s intention, touched her and again sent his strength to her. The battle began. Wynn fought with no energy, she was running on will and she wondered that her loyal heart could still be beating. Surely it would give up soon? Wynn’s golden magic merged with the darkness in an ugly way, the colour became a strange messy green and it suddenly reminded Wynn of a forest. She followed the thought, her tired brain searching for comforting thoughts to lose herself in.
Taien’s strength flowed into her and she was forced from her idle thoughts. With it she was able to attack the darkness properly. They began by trying to force the darkness to one part of Wynn’s body, but it was like smoke and smoke was something that could not be moved at will. It slipped from their grasp and Wynn felt it run though her body like cold water. It raised goose bumps on her limbs. Instead they tried to trickle the magic through every part of her, and sterilise her with it. It worked for a while, the magic had nowhere to hide, and Wynn felt some strength return to her limbs, but soon the smoky darkness was swirling away and they had to quickly think of another tactic.
They settled on sending as much magic as they dared into her so that Wynn was sure she glowed with its intensity. There was no way the darkness could escape and surely enough she felt its agitation as it realised it was trapped. What was needed now was brute strength. Just one moment longer, just long enough to gain the upper hand, she had to hold on, focus. It was like trying to move a mountain with her bare hands. It seemed impossible and the darkness revelled in her pessimism.
But Taien’s touch reminded her that she was not alone in her strength, by herself she would have died but Taien was the soft touch on the edge of her conscious, giving her life. They pushed it, the darkness and forced it to curl into a ball to avoid the pure gold of Wynn’s magic. With everything she had, and what Taien had given her, she willed it to die, to leave her. She did not want to die this way, death was easier but her pride would not let the darkness take her. She forced herself onwards.
Taien watched Wynn’s face become grey under the strain, he could feel the battle through his contact and for longer than he cared to think they stayed in that position, Wynn flopped on the floor, Taien’s hand on her arm. His knees ached but it was nothing compared to what he knew Wynn felt, she would be in agony when she awoke. It was just morning when he saw Wynn’s face relax and knew at once she had won. Her breathing became regular and her eyelids fluttered, she murmured something which Taien could not make out but it sounded strangely like, “Thank you.”