Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (4 page)

“Split the library, like old times?”

“I think that would be best. You started at
the beginning, so I’ll start at the end and we’ll work toward the
middle.”

He reaches up, then pauses, “Ah, Shi'ahn,
the books in your library are different from mine.”

I sigh, “I had suspected as much. For some
reason, my books are not as deeply technical as yours. In fact, the
introduction I read was rather insultingly simplistic.” I quote the
descriptions of the Forces and William doubles over in
laughter.

“That's kiddie physics!”

“I am well aware of that. I doubt you will
want to waste your time with these books.”

“Ah, what the heck – you still need to know
what is in them, and I'll admit I'm a bit curious.” He grabs a book
and plops happily into a chair. Every now and then he snickers.

~~~

Several books later, we are startled by a
knock at the door. A nicely dressed woman greets me, “Lady Shi'ahn,
I thought it prudent to warn you that Prince Lucian will be
stopping by to escort you to dinner in 15 minutes.”

“15 minutes! We forgot all about the passing
time!” Remembering my manners, I smile warmly at my timely
informant, “Thank you… excuse me, what is your name?”

My question seems to catch her off
guard.

She smiles, then. “I am Joanna, my
lady.”

What a beautiful name, my smile returns
unconsciously. “Thank you, Joanna, for your timely message. I’m
afraid I haven’t even thought of what to wear…” I glance down at my
leather riding clothes in concern. Her smile is warm and
comforting.

“Do not worry, there should be an excellent
selection of gowns for you to choose from, I’m sure you will be
fine.”

I feel her confidence wash into me. “Thank
you again, Joanna – I think I should go get ready now.”

“Do you wish assistance, my lady?”

Assistance? “Ah… no, thank you. I’ve been
dressing myself since I was a child; I’ll be fine.” She just smiles
and backs away. 15 minutes!

William stretches languidly “Well, I guess
I’ll leave you to panic on your own while I go throw on something
suitable myself. Call out if you need any help…” His eyes are
laughing; I do my best to sound stern.

“I’ll be fine; out!”

Well, I can’t control time itself as some do
here, but I can to an extent control the speed at which I interact
with my surroundings – I rush off to choose my ‘first impression’
clothing, this time looking at them more critically. Joanna wasn’t
kidding, the range of styles in gowns is astounding – I’ve never
had so many clothes before; but I wouldn’t ever wear most of these,
so many are far to… frilly, too brightly colored; too… pretentious.
There is a silk one, though, in a deep violet, it’s beautiful and
yet fairly simply cut; aside from the off the shoulder neckline,
and it feels silkier than anything I have ever touched before.

Oh no… I’ve been dragon riding – I should
bathe before donning such a fine dress! There isn’t time, though.
Hastening myself is useful for many things, but not for bathing.
There’s something about existing at a faster pace than one’s
surroundings that, among other oddities, makes water seem not very
wet. I guess I'll have to make do with a cleaning spell, one that
leaves the scent of an exotic flower garden should do.

I don my chosen dress, and then contemplate
the assorted jewelry that has been provided. Once again much of it
is far too extravagant, I decide to stick with my fire diamonds – I
like the way they pick up on the violet of my dress and refract out
complementary shades, and besides, wearing a gift from one who
loves me makes me feel less overwhelmed.

There is an authoritative knock at the door,
which certainly belongs to neither William nor Joanna.

Chapter 3

Meeting Family

I open the door, expecting to see Lucian as
he was dressed earlier; silly of me, I suppose. He too wears silk,
his shirt a shade of blue that reminds me of a sight only visible
from the Lunarium during alignment, that time when the evening sky
begins to turn dark, just before the stars become visible. The
first several buttons are undone, hinting at a most impressive
musculature; daring my eyes to drift lower. What am I doing? I snap
my attention back up as if stung; my eyes lock onto the black
depths of his and I realize he's looking me over just as avidly. My
face flushes.

He smiles, “I see you have fine taste,
though I expected to see you in something somewhat… more complex.”
His voice is no longer cold, instead it is oddly… amused? He
doesn't seem frightening anymore.

“Will this not do? There are far more
elaborate dresses, but they seemed a bit too…”

“You misunderstand. I simply hadn’t expected
you to have such a fine sense of style.”

A familiar voice suddenly makes me realize
that Lucian has already collected William. “Wow, Sis, you look
great. Nice neckline.”

“William! This happens to have been one of
the more modest options.” He smiles playfully.

“Really? Well gee, I’m famished – shouldn’t
we be going?”

Lucian glances at William with one of those
looks that men share when beautiful women are nearby… a look that I
have long wished I could inspire. “Yes, come now – I’m sure you
will enjoy the spectacle that awaits you.” He stretches his left
arm out toward me and I take it, which actually seems to surprise
him. William offers me his right, and so I walk with a double
escort to meet my new family.

I tentatively ask, “Just what kind of
spectacle awaits us?” I don’t really understand the odd glint
behind his smile.

“Why, many of the most impressive beings in
the universe, of course. Family. I must say I haven’t seen this
many emerge from stasis at once before… you’ve caused quite a
stir.”

Stasis? “Why would we cause a stir? If these
people are so impressive themselves, why would our presence
interest them so?”

“Well, you are somewhat of a curiosity, on
several levels. Children of the Imperial family don’t just show up
on the doorstep, we are generally raised here - by our Lumina
parent. You, however, were escorted into the Emperor’s presence by
she who created our realm, and claim to not even know who your
parents are. That’s highly irregular and somewhat suspicious.”

We stop and I ask, “That was only one
reason… why else would we pique such interest?” He doesn’t answer,
but instead looks forward. Following his gaze I see that we have
reached another impressive set of double doors.

“Ah, here we are.” He gently disengages my
hand from his arm. “You will want to appear as self assured as you
can. Smile, you are about to make your first impression on those
who will be the most important people in the rest of your
lives.”

If he’s trying to comfort us, he’s failing
miserably.

The doors open, and we find ourselves facing
scores of individuals. They are all looking at us as though we have
arrived exactly on cue. I gaze out at the amazing beings that
surround us… my family. There are many more in this surprisingly
large dining hall than I had expected. “Lucian, are all these
people truly family?” He smiles in amusement.

“Well, not the servants, of course, but all
others are, yes.” My heart floods with happiness.

“Isn’t it wonderful, William? We have
family!” He smiles playfully, but the timbre of his voice gives
evidence to restrained feelings.

“What am I now, chopped liver?”

“Of course not, silly! You’re my brother
–nothing will ever change the importance of that.” He smiles, then
his eyes flit out to our surroundings; it is time to direct our
attention to those around us.

Aside from our first few moments in the
royal throne room, I have never seen such individuals before; their
presences are astounding. They seem like… super-beings, like the
gods and goddesses of legend. In the eyes of those few who meet my
gaze I see great knowledge and experience, gained over life spans
that I can only imagine. Most, however, do not meet my gaze, though
they do look me over intensely. Their inspection is so cold and
analytically impersonal I feel like a curiosity under a
technologist’s microscope. There is one, in the highest tier aside
from the Emperor, who catches my eye, and for a fleeting moment it
seems as though something meaningful passes between us… then it is
over, leaving me to wonder if it was all just my imagination.
Lucian, sounding far less personable, says, “Well now, I think it’s
time to take our seats. Come, you will sit with the younger
generations.” He leads us to a table on the lowest level, and from
how the room is laid out, apparently the place for those of the
least standing here. “Shi'ahn, William, this is Gwenllian, daughter
of the long lost eldest son of the Emperor. She is the imperial
representative of the younger generations. Beside her is Alma,
Daughter of Prince Edward, who has been missing for quite some
time, and on this side is Celeste, the only daughter of Aurora to
walk among us for a very long time. Gwenllian, I leave these two
mystery relatives in your care.” The expression Gwenllian directs
toward him does not seem particularly pleased. She looks us over
quickly, then motions us to sit.

I’m still holding William’s arm, and think,
‘Watch each other’s backs?’

‘Of course.’ Then he smiles the way that
causes young women on Shiral to swoon as he absently disengages
from me and walks to the other side of the table. “May I? I have
never before been surrounded by such beauty.” Before either has a
chance to reply, an astoundingly attractive man does so for
them.

“On the contrary, I think you’re quite used
to exotically beautiful women.” He turns his darkly hypnotic eyes
to me then, “Excuse me, do you mind if I join you?” He reaches out
for my hand and kisses it, sending a shiver down my spine.

“No, not at all, please do.” I like his
smile; it is appreciative and definitely interested. His complexion
is moderately dark, his eyes almost black, and his hair looks like
deep brown, curly silk. He looks strong, and yet has a gentle aura,
alluringly warm and inviting.

“Thank you. Let me introduce myself, I’m
Alma’s brother, Casanova.” I can’t help but lean back slightly even
as I smile and he asks, “Does my name amuse you, for some
reason?”

“I’m sorry… it’s just that there is a legend
in my world of a man by that name.”

“Ah yes, that happens. There are often
echoes out in the Universe of those of us who have ascended the
Path of Enlightenment. Something of us seems to become etched upon
the fabric of the Universe; but you should never judge the man by
his echoes.” He smiles and glances at Alma and they share a look I
well know; it’s the same look William and I share when one of us is
up to something. As I try to formulate a reply, Gwenllian asks,

“So, as I understand it, you two have no
idea who your parents are?” Her voice gives proof to her
disbelief.

“Did you know your mother’s proper name when
you were a young child?”

“Of course I did – her equals used it
regularly, as did my father, of course.”

“Mathair did not have any equals, and we
have never known our father.”

“Did your mother know who he was?”

I can hardly believe the disrespect of such
a question. “Of course she did! My people knew of him as well… I
remember the highest priestess referring to Mathair’s husband as
the magnificent one. He was said to have regularly attended the
Beltane ritual with her.”

“Beltane ritual… interesting. So you are
saying that he would show up to take part in primitive celebrations
with his… wife, but did not see fit to visit his own children?”

I don’t know what to say… it does sound
rather odd, now that the concept has been voiced.

Celeste chimes in, “Tell me of your
homeworld, Shi'ahn, I imagine it is nothing like Lumina.”

Thinking of the wondrous nature of this
place, my smile returns, “No, Shiral is nothing like this, you are
right. It is beautiful, though, but in a natural way.”

Celeste smiles warmly, “I love natural
worlds. Can you describe yours for me?”

I hardly know where to begin. “Well, the
lands are heavily forested, we tend to live in harmony with our
surroundings, and keep our cities and villages open to nature; not
cleanly cut and manicured, as I briefly spied outside the citadel.
Animals and magical creatures abound, William is well known for his
close relationships with the local fauna. The waters near our home
are pure and sweet, and make beautiful music as their waves crash
upon the shore.”

Her gaze intensifies, “What of the sky… what
does it look like?”

“Mostly blue, although it sometimes turns
violet, depending upon the weather and the moons. And when you
stand within the Lunarium during an alignment the stars appear like
clouds; it is a wondrous sight.”

She looks concerned for some reason, “What
is this Lunarium?”

“It is a double circle of great, blue stones
that, when the inner stones are properly aligned with the visible
moons, allows us to see the night sky in all its natural glory. The
stones, interestingly, are actually moonstones.”

‘So you have records of its creation?”

“No, it has existed throughout recorded
history.”

“Interesting… now, you said moons? How many
does your world have?”

“Nine in all, though only four to five are
ever visible at once in any given land.”

“What do they look like?”

“Like moons… they are blue and quite
beautiful.”

“Do you know why they are blue? That sounds
rather unusual.”

“Is it? The stone itself is blue, and they
of course reflect the light of the sun, which intensifies their
color.

There is a disturbance from outside the
hall, “Open up! I may be late, but I have as much a right to be
here as anyone else! Ah, that’s better. Greetings, everyone!”