Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (28 page)

“There is a scarf. I did not feel that I
needed it tonight.”

“That is flattering Shi'ahn, but you are far
too trusting. It is true that we do not endanger you, but still it
is not wise to put complete trust in others. You never know when
something completely unexpected might happen. Terrible things often
happen when you let your guard down.”

Listening to her words, I realize she is
giving me more advice for coping with this strange new life I’ve
found myself thrust into than anyone else has freely offered.
“Lydia, there is so much I wish I could do. I wish I could somehow
go back and prevent your brother from being killed. I wish I could
keep hate from ever blossoming in your heart toward those of
Lumina. I wish… I wish none of this had happened.” Her eyes stare
intently into mine as I speak, then she smiles.

“You are different, Shi'ahn. You are, I
think, unlike anything the Universe has seen before.” Her smile
tells me that is a good thing. She nods to me then and fades
away.

This time when I try to sink into sleep, the
night welcomes me.

Chapter
16

Trial and Chaos

Breakfast is an entirely different affair
than dinner last night, our hosts are all very quiet, and Lydia
looks terribly pale. By contrast, Alma looks positively radiant,
but also in contrast to last night, she displays the good sense to
keep quiet about it. Nero, unfortunately, does not.

“I must admit, you people really know how to
party! The only thing that could possibly make this trip better is
some more sleep.”

Nothing a well-placed whack on the back of
his head wouldn’t solve. He looks around, apparently expecting
something other than what he receives – stony silence. I’d love to
tell him a bit more than he may want to know about his companion
last night, but that would probably only make his behavior worse.
Instead, I try to quell his boisterous conduct.

“Nero, there is a time for losing oneself in
revelry, and a time for quiet reflection. Having enjoyed the
former, it is now time to respect the latter.” William nods toward
me, silently approving of my statement, but the rest of my
relatives seem surprised that I would speak out. Nero replies
angrily.

“Who do you think you are to reprimand me?
You who, even when harlots roam the hallways, remain the reluctant
virgin? Remember your place, upstart.”

Though his words sting like salt in a wound,
I let them affect neither my response nor my music, which I have
silenced as Lydia recommended last night. I merely stare into his
eyes and as subtly as I can, surround him with
harmonies
of
calmness. I don’t usually use my abilities in such a manner, as it
is essentially cheating, but this is a special circumstance. His
expression slowly eases from outrage to dislike, and his voice
drops to a whisper.

“Bitch.”

Breakfast remains quiet after his last word.
I suspect, though, that I’ve just made a powerful enemy.

After everyone is finished eating, we’re
given a short time to dress, then we are taken to a room with an
arch in the far wall. Dominar Ultor approaches it solemnly and
touches an odd, shifty black thing embedded in its side. A scene
suddenly appears within the archway, there is an unbelievably long
line of creatures, ranging from demonic to, well, decidedly
non-human looking. Then Dominar Ultor begins to… change! He gets
larger, harrier, his hands sprout long claws and his clothing fades
away to nothing, revealing spines along his back and masses of
black and gray fur. He looks kind of like a bear, and yet… he looks
back our way - his eyes! They glow an unnatural green, he is
certainly not like any bear I have ever heard of. Is that really
the same man who greeted us so nicely when we first arrived? He
raises a very dangerous looking claw, the same hand that ever so
gently turned mine over for his kiss, and beckons us to follow.
Then he turns and steps through the portal.

I had realized the implications last night
with the way those footsteps altered between rooms… these people
shift form with the ease of, well, of walking – and yet it’s
different, knowing what is going on with others and having a
personal example. I’m glad I didn’t say anything about it to Nero.
My mind comes back to the present; we’re all walking toward the
portal, unconsciously falling into the order that has been imposed
on us since we began this journey. Our remaining hosts flank us,
and they too have transformed into beast-like creatures, Cas Darius
alone remains unchanged. He stands to the side of the archway and
directs us to approach. He gives me a small, encouraging smile as I
step up to the archway, then moves to follow me – apparently he is
our rear guard. As soon as we appear in the new place, we are shown
to our place in the procession, which, unsurprisingly, is at the
very back. We walk for a very long time, giving each of us plenty
of time to become lost in our own thoughts. The procession does not
follow a straight path, and so we often get a view of massive
numbers of… beings. I can’t help but wonder at how many there are
in this strange realm.

Eventually we come up to an impossibly
large, improbable looking castle. I guess the laws of physics, like
sound, don’t work the same here. I cross the largest doorway I’ve
ever seen into a huge amphitheater with an amazing vaulted ceiling.
The acoustics are… not at all natural. It feels as though the very
walls are… anxious… thirsty for sound… listening somehow, but on a
level that I can’t quite grasp. It’s fascinating.

~~~

As we are the last to arrive, we see and are
seen by all those who arrived before us as we walk the full length
of the hall to reach our seats. We are placed very near the front,
though there is some kind of magical or otherwise powered boundary
between us and the crown; it makes things not quite as distinct as
they should be, on many levels. Magni Dominar Ra Ab Val Al Draconae
sits on a raised dais with a few others; he is in the form of a
well-built older man. He wears a crown with dragon ornamentation
and a strange dark… thing held in the dragon’s grasp. It is
disturbing; it seems as though it never stops moving. I sense
tremendous, ominous power, tightly controlled by something I do not
understand. I could swear the dark thing sings, but I have never
heard the like of its song before. It’s difficult to tear my
attention away from it, but my curiosity finally overpowers its
song. Those closest to the Magni Dominar are also in human form,
and from what I can see they are really quite impressive – one
especially, a tremendously handsome man. He looks like a god of
light, blond curly hair cascades to his shoulders, and his eyes, I
can't be sure, but they may be amber? I wish I could see him
better. I wonder if he is the Primus Dominar? Even without being
able to see fine details, I can tell there is a tremendously noble
air to his presence, so unlike the Lumina heir. I suspect I should
be grateful for the strange barrier between us… otherwise I don’t
know if I would have the strength of will to force my eyes away
from him.

A new group begins forming a large broken
semi-circle behind the Magni Dominar. These individuals also seem
very powerful, but not noble. One in particular gives me the
impression that he is cruelty incarnate, I look away from him as
soon as I can. None of the others are that bad, though many seem
hostile. A woman also seems quite dangerous, as though she sees all
around her as unworthy of her presence. Another reminds me of a
hunter, constantly on the lookout for vulnerable prey. One in
particular seems far more curious than judgmental, yet there is a
strange tonality to his
harmonies
that seems at odds with
his true nature. I don’t understand.

Lydia and Alma are led to witness stands in
front of the Magni Dominar, though Alma is still behind the odd
shield that the rest of us ‘Luminarians’ sit behind.

The Magni Dominar raises his voice; it is
deep and sonorous. “This is the three thousand and seventy ninth
year of my reign, as time is observed here in the Royal Court. The
last High Court was held five hundred and twenty one of those years
ago. Here in the Chamber of Revelation we will hear what has
transpired. Then we will move to the Chamber of Answering to judge
the crime, and finally to the Hall of Justice, where any punishment
will be issued. The finding of this court will be absolute and
unquestionable.”

“Cas Lydia ni Uisnach is hereby charged with
kidnapping a high lady of Lumina, of harming this same lady, of
collusion in the kidnapping and torture of Prince Novanus, and of
violating both the spirit and the letter of the treaty between the
realms of Chaos and Order. She is finally charged with high treason
against this crown and our entire realm.” The hall is filled with
everything from mutterings of disbelief to cries for immediate
punishment, but a single crack of something hitting the floor - it
reminds me of the sound of… a breaking skull - brings the place to
complete silence. The Magni Dominar asks, “Lady Alma, do you agree
that the charges against Cas Lydia ni Uisnach are true and
fair?”

Her voice rings out boldly, “Yes, I do.”

“Very well, please step down.”

She bursts out, “What? I was told I would
testify against the bitch!” The Magni Dominar looks down on her
disapprovingly.

“You will indeed give testimony, but not
until a less biased account is heard.”

“Less biased? Who in Hades could give that?”
It’s easy to see that the Magni Dominar is learning to dislike
Alma.

“Her Lumina inquisitor, of course. Shi'ahn!
Take your place in the witness stand.” What? This can’t be
happening… guards approach and gesture for me to accompany them. I
look to the Magni Dominar, he must realize this is a mistake, but I
see only resolute expectation; I take the place I am led to. “State
your full name and title for the record.”

“I have no titles in Lumina…”

“State your name and title on your
homeworld.”

“Shi'ahn, leader of the High Council of
Shiral.”

“Very well, Shi'ahn of Shiral; you have been
brought before us as likely the least partial witness to this
crime.”

“I knew nothing of Alma’s abduction until I
had been rescued from my imprisonment - the two matters were
entirely unrelated.” Surely he must understand I don’t belong up
here.

“Were you not her inquisitor during her
imprisonment in Lumina?”

“I… I was brought in to assist, but…”

“Did you not give final judgment on her
‘testimony’, so to speak?”

I would almost rather die than admit it, but
that isn’t an option. “Yes, I did.”

He turns toward Lydia. “Cas Lydia, do you
feel that Shi'ahn should be trusted to give true and fairly
unbiased testimony to the facts of this case of which she is
aware?”

“I do, your Majesty.”

He returns his gaze to me, “Shi'ahn of
Shiral, your questioning will be in two parts. First, since you are
a complete unknown, we will attempt to determine who and what you
are in your heart. Then we will question you on the specifics of
the case. Do you agree to these terms?”

What can I say… it sounds reasonable. “Yes,
I do.”

His voice becomes harsh. “Shi'ahn of Shiral,
you come before us gilt in dragon regalia… are these trophies you
stole from dragons you or others have slain?”

Words burst from me without thought,
“Absolutely not! I would never raise my hand against dragons!” I
stop myself just short of accusing him of blasphemhy, though my
heart screams to lash out at him. I must submerge the Leader of the
High Council and remember that I am now in a most foreign land, and
I have just spoken disrespectfully to their greatest leader. He
says nothing at first, but seems to wait for something. I hear…
it’s odd; my words echo in the chamber and ring… unquestionably
true.

“Then how did you come by the fire diamonds
and dragon-heart scale gown?”

“Zah-Ha’Gor, my dragon friend, gave me the
diamonds years ago. She likes me to wear them when we fly.” I can’t
help my mind wandering to our moments flying together; to the joy
they bring me. I pull myself back and continue, “The dress she gave
me just before this trip – she was concerned for my safety. She
said, ‘If they revere dragons at all, they will understand.’”
Nothing is said in response at first, I have time to hear the quiet
echoes of truth resound throughout the chamber.

“Very well. Shi'ahn, we would know who your
parents are.”

“So would I! I was only five when Mathair
was taken away, I would give anything to find her.”

“What of your father, who was he?”

I can’t help but look down, “I never knew
him.” I raise my gaze and see disbelief in his eyes; for some
reason it makes me angry. “Listen, I don't know who he was and I
don't care! He was never there for us – why doesn't anyone
understand?”

The calmness of his reply is like a splash
of cool water, “Who took your mother away?”

“I don’t know… he was just some man… I
didn’t pay much attention to him, my heart was drowning in tears.”
My soul fills with the desolation I felt then… it’s hard to fight
my way back from that memory. When I master myself and look up
again, the Magni Dominar is conferring with those around him, then
he returns his steely eyes to me.

“Tell us how you made your way to
Lumina.”

“We didn’t, really. Zah-Ha’Gor had found
something that she felt William and I should investigate, so she
and Puff took us to it: a strange obelisk. It took us to another,
and that one sent us to the Citadel. It seemed an impossible place,
like the world set on its side, but almost immediately we were
whisked inside, and then… well, that was that.”

“And you say that none of them claim you as
their own?

No, none of them claim us. Many don’t even
seem to like us. Well…they don’t like me. The Emperor in particular
seems unhappy with me, though I do not understand why… I’ve done
nothing offensive that I know of.”