Veiled Innocence (Book One, The Soul Cycle) (37 page)

Lian wrapped her fingers into knots around the chain of her necklace so tight they went numb. 

Something slithered within her
,
and she felt the being smile.
“They are going to die. Then you will truly be alone. Who will protect you then?”

Rowan raised the branch over his head, but the Dracor saw and swatted him out of the way. He flew several feet before landing. This time he lay still. Lian
gritted her teeth
and cover
ed her ears
as the being inside her laughed
. “No
!” she shouted.
“
Stop it
!”

The being’s dark laughter grew.

Vishka’s eyes followed Rowan, her hair whipping around as a series of wild emotions crossed
her flushed face. She blinked slowly, her face paling,
and turned to the Dracor with rage in her eyes. She rushed forward to meet it, crying out as she did. The Dracor’s beak opened around her neck as the tip of her saber pierced its chest. 

“See what you have cost your friends?”
shouted the being.
“You’re the reason they’ve all died!”

Lian closed her eyes.
“
S
top
it
right
now!”

Something was burning her hands. She opened her eyes and cried out as blinding white light radiated from the crystal. Lian gasped and dropped it, but the crystal remained suspended in the air. It glowed brighter and brighter until the entire clearing was enveloped in a blinding white light. 

There was a whoosh of sound, like time and space was closing in on itself, and then there was nothing. 

Lian waited with her arms still shielding her eyes, listening intently. There was something gurgling nearby and a soft chirping in the distance, almost like crickets and birds. The snarls and growls of the Dracor were missing from the peaceful silence that enveloped her, which seemed much too quiet against the pounding of her heart. 

Slowly, Lian lowered her arms and peeled her eyes open. What she saw took her breath away.

The clearing was gone, and the Dracor with it. Vishka was also observing the scenery, with her saber at the ready. The afternoon sun had been replaced by midnight sky. Stars twinkled above them. Lian had never seen so many stars in her life. The air was still
,
and it shimmered with the yellow glow of a hundred tiny fireflies. 

They were at the edge of a great lake. Its waters were perfectly still, and a line of lilac trees grew along its border, forming a circle. A large statue of a lovely woman rose from the center of the lake. Moss and vines crept up her arms and legs, and small pink flowers blossomed along the vine
s
. It was wild and beautiful. 

Beyond the grove, Lian saw a tangle of vines and plants that might at one time have been a beautiful garden. It was clear the keeper had not tended it in many years. 

“Where are we?” Lian asked.

Despite her tense posture, Vishka’s voice was calm. “Somewhere safe,” she said.

The lake was so peaceful and calm. Lian took a deep breath and collapsed onto the grass with a sigh, her nerves slowly easing. She knew she
should be worried, or at least
bewildered
,
at how they had suddenly appeared here, and yet she wasn’t. She felt an inner peace she had only tasted a handful of times throughout her life.

They were safe. She, Vishka, and –

Rowan.

Lian looked around but didn’t see him anywhere. He should be to her left, where he had fallen in the clearing, but there was only grass. He was gone.

Lian sat up too quickly, and stars fired before her eyes as she stumbled around, trying to find her footing. “Rowan’s gone!” she called to Vishka, who was suddenly at her side steadying her.

Vishka looked around and nodded. “So is the Dracor.”

Lian gaped at her. “Did you not hear me? I said Rowan’s gone. We have to find him! What if he’s still back in the clearing with the Dracor?”

Vishka’s face remain
ed placid. “You are safe. That is
all that matters.”

“Welcome, Asileans.”

The voice was a tenor, with a musical lilt to it. It had spoken from directly behind them. 

Lian gritted her teeth as the imposter hissed at the sound of the voice and withdrew, tucking itself away so that she couldn’t even feel it anymore. The stomachache was gone.

Confused, frightened, and relieved, she
turned to find a tall, slender man standing with his hands clasped in front of him. His gleaming hair was cropped short and white as the moon. A silver circlet with a blue gem sat on his brow. His skin was pale, as was his clothing, like he was made of ice and snow. But the expression on his young, handsome face was warm and welcoming. 

Vishka drew Lian behind her. “Who are you?”

The man smiled. “I have come at the request of my queen. She wishes me to assure you that your trio will be safe here.”

“Wait,” Lian said, “You said trio. There are only two of us.”

He raised a white brow. “There was a man with you, was there not?”

Lian gasped. “Rowan! Then he’s here?”

The man nodded.  “He… had some terrible wounds that needed to be cleansed and bound before the Darkness had a chance to roam free. But yes, he is safe.”

Lian didn’t miss the sparkle in Vishka’s dark eyes. She blinked
,
and it vanished, rendering her expression unreadable once more. 

“My queen also bids me to bring you to our Court,” the man said. “Come. There is much to discuss.”

Before they could ask questions, the pale man turned gracefully to the emaciated garden and waved his hand in a crescent moon arc in the air. The air shimmered, and the untended garden dissolved in a veil of gold and silver dust, revealing a radiant courtyard lit by gentle afternoon sunlight. 

The man beckoned for them to follow him. Then he stepped into the sunlight, his pallid robes lighting up in a blaze of white. He was beautiful, and the sight brought tears to Lian’s eyes. 

The garden was extraordinary, the most beautiful
she
had ever seen. Her breath caught in her chest as they followed the silver man down a walkway made of thousands of glittering crystals. The path wound around exquisite, fully blossomed flowers that had been no more than dried up plants a few moments before. Lush greenery spilled over the tops of tall pillars, and birds serenaded them from the limbs of the weeping willows and lilac trees that peppered the garden. It was warm, and the air smelled sweet and sharp with a myriad of scents Lian had never smelled before.

“I am sorry that our queen cannot be here to greet you herself,” the man said without turning. “She sends her apologies.”

Lian glanced at Vishka, whose expression still held a
hint of distrust, but otherwise
she looked as amazed as Lian felt. The garden was beyond lovely, and though it calmed her, it did not make her any less curious.

“Who is this queen you speak of?”

The silver man stole a glance at her over his shoulder. “She is Dreaka, oldest of the Immortals.”

Lian almost stopped walking. “Dreaka? As in, the Goddess of Light and Life? The one who controls destiny?”

The man looked at her strangely. “She has been called many things over the centuries, but I suppose a goddess is as good a name as any.”

Lian was
speechless. It couldn’t be real. S
he didn’t believe in the g
ods. “And what is your name, sir?”

The man smiled like he was hiding a secret. “I too have many names, but you may simply call me Lord Winter.”

A small gasp escaped Vishka, but when Lian looked at her, Vishka shook her head, as if saying, “Not now,” and so Lian kept her mouth shut.

They came to a set of l
ong, slender rose quartz steps, and
Lian lifted her tattered skirts to keep from tripping. Vishka hadn’t
taken her eyes off Lord Winter; s
he
studied
him with an expression Lian couldn’t place. 

When they reached the top of the stairs, Vishka spoke. “My Lord, where are we?”

Lord Winter’s smile broadened. “We are in the Court of Eternal Life. Nothing here grows old, nor does it ever die. And it is here –” his hand swept the expanse of the ornate arched oak doors that stood before them –“you will find the answers you seek.”

He took a step forward, and the doors opened for him of their own
accord. He stepped inside, followed by Lian and Vishka,
into a large oval room filled with tall windows and sunlight. Birds sang from the rafters, and the air smelled of honey and sugar. At first, Lian thought the domed ceiling had been painted to look like a nighttime sky,
but when she squinted her eyes
,
she n
oticed the stars were twinkling
and bright round objects were spinning in the heavens. Tapestries hung from the walls; Lian recognized some of the stories they told. One in particular caught her breath.

“This one.” She pointed to a girl with golden ringlets flanked by a fully armored knight and a woman with long dark hair with a crown on her head. “This is us, isn’t it?”

Lord Winter nodded. His sapphire blue eyes sparkled. “Very good, child. This tapestry has yet to be completed since your story is still unfolding.”

Lian noticed that parts of the fabric held no color, as if the weaver h
ad run out of ideas. “Our story,
” she murmured, running her fingers along the silky material. It rippled under her touch, like water, and she hastily withdrew her hand.   

“Come.” Lord Winter guided them to a dais carpeted by white velvety petals. 

Lian knew what they were the moment her bare feet treaded them. “Yeullises,” she exclaimed, picking up a petal and stroking it. “I haven’t seen one in years.” She remembered her first vision, of the yeullis that disintegrated in her hand. “Well, at least not a real one,” she muttered.

Three thrones sat atop the dais. The one on the far left looked like it had been carved from ice
,
and that
was
the one Lord Winter sat in. The one on the far right looked soft and golden, like it had been made from sunlight. The largest stood in the center, and
a vine of white yeullises
wound
around its tall crystalline frame. Lian stared at it, not quite believing her eyes. 

Lord Winter watched her. “The queen’s favored flower,” he said. “They bring her much joy. Do you know what ‘yeullis’ means?”

Lian
nodded. “‘Inner light.’ They are
named so because on the first eve of Summer, when daylight is at its longe
st, they glow a
s if lit from within.”

Lord Winter chuckled, reaching out to gently stroke one of the soft blossoms. “Yes… lit from within…” he repeated, turning his gaze to Lian.

Lian shifted uncomfortably.
He’s giving me the same look Vishka did at the campfire. Is there something wrong with me, something I
cannot
see?

She didn’t have
time to ask because
Lord Winter’s face turned more serious. “Now we must speak of the reason you have been brought here.
A great task lies before you.”

Vishka’s head snapped forward. “What do you know of this task?”

Lord Winter stroked the goatee on his chin. “Probably as much
as you do, my dear.
The queen is not allowed to speak of what she sees.” He held out a fist to Lian, palm up. “I believe I have something of yours.”

White light swirled around his fist
,
and when he opened his fingers, the teardrop sat in his palm. 

“My necklace!” Lian reached to her throat. Her throat felt so empty without it, she wondered how she didn’t notice it missing before. “I forgot about it.”

Lord Winter motioned her forward
,
and she ducked her head as he draped the necklace over her neck. Lian cupped the
gem in her hands
. Its fire-white glow was gone, and its chain glittered in the sunlig
ht, as if smiling up at her
. It looked pretty and innocent. 

“Do you know what that is?”

Lian’s head jerked up at Vishka’s quiet voice. She blinked. “It’s a necklace,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Just as I thought.” Vishka took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they flashed red. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?”

Orris’ voice echoed in her head.
“
Don’t pretend you didn’t see it yourself! The crystal is proof! She is the key to everything!
”
 

Li
an’s eyes darted to the crystal and
then back to Vishka, who was once again watching her with a peculiar, narrowed-eyed glare. “
You know what Orris meant, don’t you
?”