The Darkness

Spiris

"There it is!" Cage called, shifting back into flesh from behind me.

Jonas draped a silk robe over my shoulders in a fatherly way as I shifted back. My bare flesh toes dug into the damp soil under me.

I felt life pulsating in everything around us. I breathed in deeply as the grass tickled my feet and the trees swayed in the wind. I felt drunk with the feeling of the life forces around me, singing to me in a way I had never heard before.

I filled my lungs, enjoying the crisp air as we walked further into the forest. While it was still chilly in this part, it looked remarkably untouched by the winter that had been raging back at the High Wall. I shivered slightly under the robe, but only because my skin was bare underneath. I tugged it closed around my waist and tied the sash to keep my body heat in. I assumed the warmer temperature had something to do with plants and winter not necessarily going that well together. While the High Wall had periods of extreme cold and warm to accommodate a harvest and a resting period, this place seemed to be stuck in an eternal middle ground. I wondered if Braun would be warmer.

I couldn't help but touch everything. My fingers danced over leaves and branches as we passed them, a soft hum of happiness ringing through me. I wondered how often Keya came here; what her childhood was like. My heart pulled sadly at her memory. If my dear friend's soul was resting anywhere, it was here with her people.

"You look so happy here." Cage remarked, a happiness in his tone that I hadn't heard in a while. "You look like a flower child."

"She is in tune with her power." Jonas added, his tone sounding gentle.

The Earth sang to me, welcoming me. The trees and flowers around me seemed to bow to me, as if it recognized me. I felt my fingertips itch the same way it had when Paeris placed my hands to the trunk of the tree just a short time earlier when we were training. "Feel the life flowing around you." He had said. I smiled sadly at the memory.

"Whoa, look at that!" Cages excited voice rang through the tree covered path.

My eyes drifted to where he was pointing and a small breath escaped my lips in awe.

Towering over the trees, a short distance away, stood a large stone wall similar to our own, covered in patches of green vines. The building seemed to sing to me the same song of the nature around me.

"Spiris square. It is built much like the High Wall - the homes and gardens are inside." Jonas informed us, as if he had intimate memories of this place. I silently wondered how old Jonas was, knowing that his son was just over a century old. There were beginnings of wrinkles around his eyes and his skin was much rougher than Paeris', but there was a youth about him that was surprising. "The Leader here is very kind."

"I guess here goes nothing, then." I peeked at Cage, his previous excited gaze looked worried now as he seemed to be swallowing down anxiety. I didn't know if I could ever get used to seeing him nervous. I knew the incident had broken him, but in a different way from Paeris and myself. Cage would forever feel like he was an outsider looking in. He had asked me a few days afterward if he should have sacrificed himself - if the roles had been reversed, if he would have gone dark like Paeris had. I had tried to ask my father the same question, but he simply told me he didn't have enough experience with our kind and Darklings. While Paeris had horrific nightmares of darkness and danger, I simply couldn't sleep without seeing him cold and lifeless. I would never know what he had gone through. I knew my antsy nature was more to help him than anything else. Cage simply seemed more afraid - of everything. What would he have come back as if he had been killed? Would he have come back at all?

As we walked upon the large marble structure, I took in the two large guards who stood at the entrance. They both wore a light green color with gold markings along their sleeves much like Paeris' suit at the Naming Ceremony. I was surprised that they both were unarmed, but the way they gazed at me was enough to put me on edge. As I looked from one to the other in curiosity, they seemed frozen.

"Jonas, dear. It has been too long. Ah, and you must be Queen Alaray," a woman gushed from the stone entrance, causing me to jump. I hadn't seen her materialize in front of me as I studied her guards. "I have been expecting you." Jonas laughed at my reaction and offered a hand in greeting to the woman, which was returned with a grand hug. The two of them seemed like old friends.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the flowing red hair that hung around her shoulders in soft curls. Her hair wasn't just red, but not quite auburn or copper either. The loose curls around her shoulders were all shades of autumn. Her dress was a flowy green color that matched the guard's uniforms, but her golden swirls were laced through beautiful green gems. Her eyes were warm and there were soft brown speckles dusted across her cheeks that I originally thought may be mud, but upon further inspection realized it was a part of her complexion.

"I apologize, I'm sure you haven't seen many with hair as radiant as mine. I love the onyx in your hair! You will have to show me how you maintain those curls!" The woman gushed as if we were also old friends, running her fingers through her long mane. "My name is Fern. Please! Join us! You have much to learn. I hope to set the record straight." She chirped, extending her hand to mine with nearly as much friendliness as she had extended to Jonas.

Light sizzled through my fingertips as I extended mine to meet her. I jumped slightly and Fern laughed in a musical way.

"You are strong, dear! This will be fun!" She clapped her hands together in a way that reminded me of a child. "Where have you been hiding this one, Jonas?"

"What do you mean by 'set the record straight'?" I asked slowly as she cupped my hands in hers gently.

"Your letter, dear. You don't have all the information. You have so much to learn! I would love to teach you!"

I had assumed Jonas had sent her a letter as a formality. I recalled Paeris telling me that it was customary to send word of a visit and a gift or secret to earn favor of the leader for that specific Region. I assumed it was to explain intention - especially after the damage my mother had done as Queen.

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Spiris was easily the most beautiful place I had ever seen in my young life.

Jonas had disappeared to speak with a group of regal looking men as we walked into the topless stone structure. Everything around us seemed to be just as vibrant and full of life as the forest outside. Flowers scattered along the paths and other elves in greens and browns walked past us holding baskets of fruits and vegetables that looked freshly picked. Everyone seemed happy and curious as to who we were, but no one came close enough to speak to us directly. I wondered if anyone was curious or wary about outsiders, given the history Paeris had shared with me. A cluster of stone houses were further down the path that looked similar to the Spiris housing in the High Wall. I wondered if the housing had been based on the homes of the Regions each elemental came from because it was a part of their culture.

"Just ahead is our housing. If you take the path to the right here, there is a market. Our currency here is even trade and hard work." She smiled at me fondly. "We have noticed that exchange of goods tends to keep power equal without riches to sway anyone's opinions."

I nodded. I assumed the people who were holding baskets of food had come from the market. "Is the community generally close?"

"Oh yes. We are all family." She smiled at a few children who were giggling and throwing a ball back and forth. "My home is just up here, in the center of the square and also doubles as a meeting place. We hold festivals for the beginning and end of each harvest."

"Fern, if you don't mind my asking, why do you never come to the High Wall?"

"Well, I'm never invited, for one." She said in a way that made me feel guilty for asking. She smiled in a gentle way as if to say she understood that I was still new to the ways and customs. I wondered distantly if she placed any blame on me for the decisions Lorelei had made. "And two, there has been... creative differences between the past High Queens and most of the regions."

I nodded, knowing that she was hinting at my mother. It astonished me that she even allowed me inside of the walls of Spiris, knowing that I was the offspring of Lorelei.

"I know what you must be thinking." She said softly, turning to face us as we walked closer to a large stone structure that reminded me of a larger version of Keya's home. "We are here to mend the relationships that were broken in the past. I want to know who you are, Alaray."

"Please, call me Ray. Alaray is too formal."

Her twinkling laugh settled me. There was a kindness and understanding about her that reminded me so much of Nym.

"Alright, Ray. I have planned a feast tonight for your arrival." She turned, her warm eyes embracing me. "I have rooms set up for you and your friend in my home. I do plan to catch up with Jonas at some point, and I'm sure you both are looking forward to a warm bath and a change of clothes."

While I wanted to accept her generosity and a bath sounded wonderful after the long journey we had just made, I knew time was of the essence. Would four weeks be enough to find answers to save my loved ones and also master the training I so desperately needed?

"Unfortunately, our visit can't be long this time. I wanted to ask for your help with mastering my abilities and a dear friend of mine once told me you are the best." Fern's face lit up at the compliment. There was almost a knowing in her eyes.

"We also share a similar enemy." Cage spoke up for the first time since we had entered the city. I winced at his words.

"I have been made aware of some of the circumstances." She said sadly, wringing her hands in a way that made her look much older than her appearance. "Keya was a dear friend of mine. We haven't spoken in many years, but news of her passing was a great shock to all of us."

Tears threatened to spill over at the mention of Keya as I nodded. "She was a wonderful woman."

"Please, we will discuss all of this very soon. You look like you need rest." Her warm hand rested on my shoulder in a way that reminded me so much of Keya, it was almost too much. "Take a warm bath. Rest. I left a change of clothes for both of you in your rooms. I know how overwhelming all of this must be. You're safe here."

All at once, exhaustion weighed on me like a ton of bricks. "Thank you."