Grace for The Fallen

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Ariston Nox

   Ok, that had not been cool. At all. I mean, sure, it had been kind of funny once I had figured out what had been going on, but at the moment? Nope. Totally uncool. But I suppose I had done some pretty terrible things to Tay as well, so… fair’s fair.

   The Skrul, on the other hand, was not what I was expecting. At all. I think in the back of my mind I was expecting some old, wrinkled man in nothing but sackcloth or a really old cloak. But nope, he had turned out to be almost the complete opposite. I never really notice appearances, but even I knew that he was incredibly good-looking. He had an extremely intimidating and powerful aura, but when he talked to Tay he seemed… vulnerable. Almost happy, which was also something that I hadn’t been expecting. I had been told that he was unpleasant at best, so this was new. I had also thought that he hated humans, due to Theron’s earlier comment.

   “I do not hate humans,” the Skrul’s voice interrupted my inner musings, and I gaped at him.

   “H-how…” I looked to Daetheia, who just grinned, and then back to the Skrul, “Was I mumbling?”

   “Oh, perhaps I should have mentioned, I can read minds.”

   “You can…” I wheezed slightly, “Yeah, maybe you should have mentioned that.” The Skrul’s smile was a s***h of whiteness in the dim light emitting from him. “So you… don’t hate humans?”

   “No, I do not. It is a common misconception. People think that because I tell Elves the truth about what the humans did, I am making them hate the humans as I do. But that is wrong. I merely tell the Elves the truth, it is their decision to do with it as they please. If I truly did hate humans, I would have made more of an effort with Daetheia here, and I probably would have killed you when you first entered The Valley.”

   “You could do that?” I asked, intrigued and slightly terrified.

   “Of course. I had considered killing you, as you may have posed a threat to The Valley whether you wanted to or not, but decided that I would refrain.”

   “Oh. Um… thanks?” The Skrul nodded agreeably, and I saw Daetheia trying and failing to keep herself from laughing.

   “So, are we going to the same place as last time?” Daetheia asked, and the Skrul nodded again. I frowned in confusion but followed anyway. The Skrul led us along harrowing paths that I was very glad to be able to see thanks to the Skrul. Daetheia fell back beside me and whispered in my ear.

   “Be glad that the Skrul is letting you see. When he led me along here for the first time, it was completely dark.”

   “Wait, really?” I asked, slightly hysterical. She nodded seriously and pulled ahead again, leaving me to contemplate the sanity of both the Skrul and Daetheia.

   Eventually, I became aware of a buttery glow coming from the tunnel up ahead. It slowly grew until I was almost blinded by it when we finally emerged into a large cavern. I gasped as I took in the small ecosystem in the cave, an ethereal white tree as its focal point and a clear stream cutting through its centre. The Skrul gave me a moment to take the scenery in before leading us to a cushy, moss-covered corner of the cave.

   “What do you think?” Daetheia asked, smiling slightly at the look of awe I knew was on my face.

   “It’s amazing,” I breathed out in reverence and saw the Skrul nod in agreement.

   “It truly is. Interesting how beauty can flourish in even the darkest of places.” His dark eyes turned even darker as a shadow seemed to cross his face. Tay seemed to notice because she frowned, moving to put her hand over his but quickly pulling back. I frowned. Wonder what that’s about.

   “Oh, I don’t know, I can’t be that dark. It’s got you in it, you oversized glowstick.” I let out a short laugh, more out of surprise than anything else. The Skrul stared at Daetheia for a few seconds before answering.

   “Thank you,” he murmured, then frowned, “I think.” Tay smirked but nodded, her eyes seeming to convey more to him than I was picking up. I sighed. Oh, to have mind-reading powers.

   “So,” the Skrul clapped his hands together and seemed to brighten up, “Ariston, I see you’ve taken on that spying mission that Lefal assigned to you.” I was briefly perplexed, but then my brain just… gave up trying to think about it and accepted the Skrul’s abnormalities.

   “Um, yes, I did.”

   “Good. It was a decision. Obviously not the safest one or probably even the wisest one but it was a smart one.”

   “Oh, thanks.”

   “Hmm. You must be strong in your beliefs if you are to go down that path. The road will not be a kind one and you must adjust to meet its demands. The last time Daetheia was here I told her that she must never let the world change her, but I do not think the same is true for you. If you do not let the world change you just a little bit – outwardly, at least – you will not survive this path you have chosen. You must be strong but, more importantly, you must be ruthless. Just remember that sometimes death can be a mercy too. I have a feeling you will need to recall that in the hard days to come.”

   I gritted my teeth and nodded. Despite his words, I would not change my mind. I knew why I was doing this – who I was doing this for – and I wouldn’t let his ominous warnings sway me. I would take them to heart, but I would let them strengthen me instead of frightening me.

   “Thank you,” I nodded to him in respect, “I’ll keep that in mind.” The Skrul c****d his head to the side curiously, studying me for a few long seconds before finally speaking again.

   “You have steel in you, Ariston Nox. A fire that I failed to notice the first time we met. It will serve you well in the days to come.” He turned towards Daetheia and started speaking to her, “I know that you will worry about him, and nothing I say will stop that. But remember that he does not need you at his side to be strong, just as you do not need him. It is true that you are stronger together, but that does not mean that you can’t be strong apart. I know that it is only natural to worry about each other, but you both have important tasks set in front of you. It will not do to worry so much about each other that you do not give your full attention to your own task.”

   We turned to look at each other and then back at the Skrul, nodding sheepishly. Daetheia had been right. The Skrul wasn’t a bad guy. I suspect Tay may have had something to do with that.

   “Good,” the Skrul nodded in satisfaction. “Now, Daetheia, how are your gifts coming along.”

   “I’ve only had time to practice the telepathy. I noticed that if I don’t keep a hold of myself, I get swept up in others’ opinions and so on.”

   “Very good. Yes, that is a common problem with mind-related gifts. I believe that your new trainer, Theron Kynig, could help you out with that. He has an unusually good hold on all of his many gifts. I think you can learn a lot from him. And remember to not hold back on him. He will not appreciate it, and he is about as powerful as you are despite you having a greater number of gifts due to him having longer to train and six stronger gifts with only one being a weaker gift.”

   Daetheia nodded in determination, and the Skrul smiled slightly. He lifted his head to the ceiling, and I followed his gaze. The sun had moved past the large hole in the roof and the sky was getting pink.

   “I think you must be going,” the Skrul announced, standing up and smirking, “I don’t think that you want to have to make your way down the mountain in the dark.” With that, he offered his hand out to Daetheia. I had expected her to just take it and pull herself up but instead, she just stared at the Skrul.

   “Are you sure…?” She asked quietly, and I had the feeling I was intruding on a private moment. The Skrul breathed in shakily, a picture of vulnerability that I had never expected to see, but then nodded determinedly.

   “I trust you,” he whispered, and I saw Daetheia’s eyes gleam with a sheen of tears. She gently took a hold of his hand, and he seemed to tense for a moment before forcing himself to relax. He wrapped his fingers around hers and lightly pulled her up. As soon as she was standing, he quickly let go of her hand.

   “Sorry, I…” His voice trailed off as he winced. Daetheia simply smiled softly at him and shook her head.

   “Thank you,” she whispered. He nodded and smiled slightly before turning around and heading back towards the entrance of the cave. We walked the narrow path in silence, the only sound being my footsteps on the stone. Before long we got to a place in which we could see the faint light coming from outside, and the Skrul stopped.

   “I will leave you here,” he murmured, his voice sounding quieter than I had ever heard it, “Thank you both for your company. I will not see you again before you leave tomorrow, Ariston Nox, so good luck. Remember all I have told you.” I nodded and smiled at him and, to my delight, he smiled back. He turned to Daetheia next.

   “Thank you, for coming back.” He whispered, and I once again felt out of place, “Good luck with the start of your training tomorrow. And next time you come… I will tell you the full story. I promise.” His voice sounded strained at the last part. Daetheia simply smiled and nodded.

   “Thank you.” She said again, and her eyes seemed to convey more than her words ever could. He nodded and, without another word, he vanished into the darkness. Tay breathed out a sigh and turned to the entrance of the cave. I followed, not saying anything and thinking only one thing;

   I am so confused.

-Rebecca Underwood