Echoes of Fae: Book One of the Divine (5 page)

              Andover shook his head as he replied, “No, my first wife was the last to inherit the items. Unfortunately she never had the chance to change the hiding place for the volumes, as she had not found them until she had no time to change their location.”

              “So, she knew all of the secrets?” Melody wondered. Andover nodded sadly.

              “She was given the books when she touched the staff, which I thought would mean she could use it all to fight the war. I was wrong. She never explained how, and the books do not say,” Andover explained fully. He paused to drink a bit of water before he could continue, “She claimed she could have easily used the staff to win. She refused with the explanation that her own inner strength and the power of her army would fight the war and end it without the addition of an unchecked source of Ether.”

              “She was right, was she not, Father?” Melody replied evenly.

              “She was right, Melody. She was the only person I have ever met who would have denied the use of such power. I just wish she had not have been as right as she was. It was that indomitable will of hers, her determination and power which took her away from me,” Andover replied, his voice quaked with emotion. For the first time Melody had seen her father mourn his late wife.

              Genewen had taken the throne before she had become Andover’s wife. No one protested because a Pacretine had to have a Macretine or risk challenging the balance of power. That was why the first Pacretine, Andover’s father, had hardly any control over the world. His wife died of an illness shortly after giving birth to her only child. Melody felt a sinking in her stomach.

              “Father?” Melody asked hesitantly. The Pacretine looked at her inquisitively. Melody struggled to find the correct words, “I am afraid to die. I am not like Serendipity. I am not brave, strong or selfless the way she was. I am afraid to give up my life and Ether for the world and every day I live it becomes harder to conceive of it as a fair trade.”

              “Why is that, Melody?” He asked with genuine curiosity.

              “The people, although I love so many of them, they doom themselves and they make every sacrifice meaningless. I am afraid if I die for people to live, they will not. I am afraid if I die to end the madness and chaos that evil renders, it will not. I am afraid if I spill my blood to end the spilling of blood, it will not,” Melody said emphatically. Andover took in the sight of his young daughter, fractured by her people and marked by her destiny. He felt a pang of guilt and wished he could trade places with her. Upon his guilt rode, the pride of a father for having a daughter made perfect by the universe.

              “There are many fears in life even without the trials in which you have been so cruelly placed. My daughter, my joy - you will walk your path, and I will support you in every way. Unfortunately, you cannot share any of this information. These items, they are hidden for their inheritor to find and there are dangers to their accidental discovery. I do not even know what these dangers are.

              “You must be wary with what you tell your friends whom you have and will gather throughout your life. You are not the one to divulge the information about the staff. Many know you are the Divine, so you may use your own discretion in divulging the information. Remember the dangers of someone finding out, however. The Eyes of Life is a dangerous secret. It will be revealed when it is time and only to the chosen Healer,” Andover spoke gently to preserve the young Pramacretine from falling apart. She nodded; her movements stiffened by the anxiety of knowing secrets. The Pacretine dismissed his daughter, encouraging her to retire for the night.

Crime and Punishment

              Melody sprawled out on the floor of the study, books surrounding her. Thane knelt beside her to see what she had spent the night doing. He saw beside her books about the Prophecy of the Divine. He wondered if the rumors had all been true. He shook his head and attempted to wake her. Her eyes opened slightly, and a small smile graced her lips. She was young, but Thane noticed a drastic alteration in her youth which had been absent before he left. Indeed, she had aged.

              “Good morning, Melly,” Thane rolled her over. She let herself roll lethargically, her limbs landing dead on the ground around her.

              “Oh yes, a great morning indeed. I slept in the floor on books. She lifted her tunic to find the raised letters from the cover of
A Scientific Look into the Serare
imprinted onto her stomach. Thane laughed heartily and helped her up.

              “So, Sister tell me about the Callfah lad - the one ogling you in the banquet hall - Do you like him?” Thane asked. Melody blushed and shrugged.

              “I do not really know him,” Melody spoke as she felt her face redden. Thane looked at her sideways. Melody’s eyes widened. “I do not know him!” Melody cried and threw a book at him. Her brother dodged the tome with ease.  Thane laughed and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Melody had not the time to react before Thane had put her onto the banister and pushed her down.

              “Do not be afraid, I will catch you!” Thane called back at her heroically. His long legs carried him down three stairs at a time. He reached the end grasping his chest dramatically, holding up his index finger. Jax had just entered the palace from the outside and very conveniently happened to be in the lower hall. Thane indicated to Jax that he should catch the Pramacretine for him, since he could not catch his breath in time. The Conjurer youth laughed at Thane's less than impressive miming.

              Though Jax was blushing furiously he stood at the same spot he happened to be the last time Melody flew into his arms. Melody brushed the end with her eyes closed and landed lightly in Jax's arms, laughing. The Pramacretine opened her eyes and was startled to find herself in Jax's arms. She flushed immediately, but smiled to cover her emotions.

              Thane was on the ground by the stairs, grinning. Melody looked at Jax and felt the same tingling run through her body as it had before. She wondered what he was thinking. She felt a warm rush of blood flood over her face, neck and hands. The muscles of his arms flexed as they curved around her, and the look on his face was perplexing. He looked confused and elated. Jax carefully put her down and she stood in front of him hiding her face behind a curtain of hair. Suddenly she looked up at him and smiled, then ran straight at Thane and tackled him. Jax heard a loud, airy “OOF.”

              Jax stood awkwardly in the middle of the hall, staring at his own hands. He felt her body warm in his fingers. The Conjurer thought about how many women he had met in his travels through Agoura and wondered why he had never seen any like Melody. He knew C'ghalie women were always tall and thin with liquid movements, and pointed features - though their angles were softer than the males. Melody did not have those features. She had sharpness, but it was vague, hidden behind substance. She had lush curves to all of her. Her hair was very long, falling in loose, maple colored curls down to her knees.

              Her diminutive height had been the most surprising attribute he found in her. She was compact, which was certainly not a C'ghalie characteristic. Jax estimated that she was at least a hand shorter than he was. Conjurers usually compared to Humans, as they were average in size and shape. He had heard she was only half C'ghalie, which he thought was perhaps not as true. Melody did not hold many attributes of her projected race.

              Jax caught himself staring. He looked up and saw Melody looking at him. Despite his discomfort, he smiled at her. She looked a little shocked, but smiled back. Thane stood and walked up to Jax.

              “Jaxon Callfah, would you be so grand to assist us with your presence as we perform our regal duties in the dungeon?” Thane petitioned while performing a stately bow. The Healer peered through his eyebrows at Jax while sporting a lopsided grin. Jax laughed at Thane's odd proposal.

              “Please call me Jax,” Jax requested. Thane put his arm over Jax's shoulders and led him away. Melody walked in front of them.

              “What do you have to do in the dungeons?” Jax asked, taken aback by such a duty on Agouran royalty.

              “Well, technically it is my duty in the dungeon, but Melody has taken a lot of the work on in my absence. Of course, she also cleans down there which I never had to do. She rids them of the rats, because they chew on the prisoner’s flesh until they become infected and die,” Thane explained. Melody stood by the stairs, plaiting her hair over her shoulder, and then tucking it beneath her cloak. She looked very serious.

              “Okay. What will I do?” Jax asked, still staring at Melody.

              “I am unsure. You are a Conjurer, do what you can to help,” Thane suggested lamely as they descended the stairs. He had not really intended to make the Conjurer help, only to allow Jax to get to know Melody. The Pramacretine walked up to the two of them.

              “Many of the prisoners we have should not be incarcerated. We have a Sararen woman imprisoned for killing her husband. He killed her baby; but by the law, the murder of a guard faces death. The only thing I could save her from was execution. There are many cases such as this. Moreover, the dungeons stay filthy, so Thane and I try our best to keep it up for their health. At least until I can find a way to get the innocents out,” Melody looked at Thane. Her face was hard and angry.

              “The Sararen woman used to be one of Melody’s caregivers,” Thane offered. Melody did not stay to listen, but made her way to the cells. Thane and Jax followed closely behind. Thane explained to Jax some of the overlooked cases, and some of the unfairly prosecuted.

              A very sleepy guard barred them from the entrance of the dungeon. Behind him were rows of what appeared to be evenly spaced cages. The guard looked up at them and stood to open the door. He greeted Thane as someone who had not seen him in quite some time and was friendly to Melody. He escorted them into the holding areas and after handing them the keys, he made his way back to his post, assuring them that he would assist them if they needed.

              The cells were small and smelled terrible. There was a plain cloth mat for the prisoners to sleep on, and hardly anything else. Jax saw the chamber pots in the corner and a bolt of panic struck him. Jax quickly shook himself from his anxiety and paid attention to his surroundings. For the most part, the cells were clean. He wondered how often the Agouran royal children cleaned the cages.

              “How often do you clean these?” Jax asked Thane.

              “I do not clean them as often as I used to, since I have been living away from home. Melly cleans them every other day and takes responsibility for ensuring the health of the prisoners. She even comes down to spend time with each of them,” Thane replied. Jax gaped at the Healer incredulously.

              “I am no Healer,” Melody added to her brother's statement. “Acacia helps me heal when I cannot.” Melody then walked ahead of them, leaving them to talk.

              Thane watched her walk away as he continued, “She found the way down here one day when she was very young and it affected her. Since that day, she has fought with our father to take responsibility for them. She fights with him over their punishments, but she does not yet understand the real reason we must have a dungeon.”

              “What is the real reason?” Jax asked, looking at Melody ahead of them. She was in a cell taking the pulse of the inhabitant.

              “We are a monarchy established to prevent war,” Thane explained. He continued as he checked the inmates, “Before the war of Fae, the Fae in Kensman Wood ruled only themselves. Sometimes they made governments in their own races, but those were small. We had no common ground, so when we broke into war, everyone fought everyone. It was chaos and destruction. The sheer ugliness ended the whole conflict. There was never any victory, nor any real reason to fight in the first place - only a massive amount of prejudice. The newly appointed 'Lord of Fae' has actually had a huge impact on this situation.”

              “So why keep prisoners? The war is over,” Jax queried.

              “That is just it, though, Jax. The war ended, but not for the right resolution. They surrendered to survive, but the hatred in their hearts remained. We must show authority, we must uphold a standard of justice to ensure chaos prevention. If we can prove ourselves as leaders, leaders willing to preserve justice, then maybe the hatred will fade and Fae will support us and join us in peace,” Thane explained.

              “I think I understand,” Jax replied.

              Thane looked up at Jax from one of the prisoners. She was very young, but she looked wild. The Healer continued as he worked, “It is complex, I know. The simple answer is like parenting. A child must learn good behavior through consequences. The consequences must be equal to the importance of learning not to have certain behaviors. You might be more severe if a child was in danger than if they simply did not want to go to bed, for example. The goal is the same with these punishments, only we are working on a much larger scale, with adult crimes.”

              Jax nodded. He thought through his question before he asked, “So, Melody is against this?”