Descent (Unbound Prophecy Book 2) Read online

  Sinow sat for a while thinking on what Keary had said. He ran his hands through his hair. Had he really been in here for that long? He thought back to that first day he’d locked himself away. Cyric had come to him, weariness mirrored on his face, and told him they’d run out of ideas. There was nothing left to try, no book left untouched, no spell left untapped. They were giving up he’d told him, leaving it to the Fates, just as Keary had said moments ago.

  Sinow had lost his temper, destroyed the room with his anger and stormed off to be alone, which was where he’d been since. He refused to give up whether they helped him or not. They didn’t know the pain he felt from losing her, the hole that remained. It was as if his soul had been ripped in half, leaving a void that could not be filled. No words could describe the emptiness. There was no sense to it, no rational reason he should feel this way, but he did.

  Keary was right. He’d lived without her for centuries before they’d met, but there had always been a constant there. He’d been able to exist simply knowing she was out there. The deep, unrelenting desire for her had not erupted until that day they had met in the grove. That day had been the tipping point, and the need had only grown from there. After their time in the Dream Realm, it had deepened until there wasn’t a minute, an hour, a day when he didn’t long for her. She was like a drug he craved and only with his ascension did that need get muted, buried under his Dark powers but still there, brought back to the surface every time she was near. If he’d still been lost in Darkness, then her loss would be easier to bear, but he wasn’t. She’d brought him out of it that day, balancing the powers in him, and now there was no escape from the constant feeling of pain that came from knowing she was beyond his reach. By releasing his true self, she had opened him to that pain, cursed him to feel the never-ending loss of her essence.

  Where the Dream Realm had given him a taste for her, had given him just enough hint of what they could be together, their kiss that last day had given him a mirror into her soul, into her true feelings for him. It had been her giving herself over to him completely in a way she hadn’t really done in the Dream Realm. There they had both been deceived by the Fates into believing the other was just a figment of imagination. There had been no emotion but lust involved. Their kiss that last day had been true, and to this day, he could still feel her lips on his, taste her skin, her mouth. It had filled him like nothing in life ever had, and he desperately longed to experience it again, to have her back in his arms so he could hold on to her for eternity. He hadn’t realized how much he needed her, how much he loved her until that day, and now she was gone, had been gone for so long. Too long.

  He worried about her. The questions were endless. The unknown terrifying. Was she safe? Was she lost out there somewhere in the universe trying to find her way home? Did she remember who she was, who he was? Did her power remain to help protect her? Was she hurt? Was she trying to get home to him? He wasn’t sure about any of it. He had replayed that day over in his head so many times over the years. There had been so much confusion in her; she had doubted him, and Tynan had only managed to feed that doubt. Did she think he was to blame? He wasn’t naïve; he remembered the look on her face, the doubt in her voice, remembered how she’d accused him of tricking her.

  Sinow ran his hand through his hair, feeling how long and unkempt it had become. Resting his head in his hands, he continued to think about what Keary had said. They were giving up, but could he ever give up on the hope of finding her? No, he couldn’t. He would find her, explain what had really happened, and bring her home. He knew she was still out there somewhere. He couldn’t feel her presence as he had throughout their lives, but something deep within him still sensed her spirit, as if it were connected to his. Every so often, he would lose the connection, and pain would tear through his heart but just as quickly as it was lost, the connection would return, as swift as the beat of his heart. He’d worked tirelessly trying to draw on that connection. Tried time and again after he had locked himself away, but nothing had worked. Eventually, he was content to simply sit and close his eyes, letting that small sense of her overtake him. That was how Keary had found him today.

  He lifted his head and looked out the window where Keary had drawn the blinds back. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to what remained of the sun as it completed its descent, giving way to the power of the moons. Was Keary right? Were they really losing daylight? The power of their world had been out of balance for so long that perhaps they had all adjusted to it. After Tynan had bound Violissa’s power, the shift in balance had been immediate. It had remained after her disappearance, and as the years went by, it had worsened. Bound to their queen’s power, her Council’s power was slowly weakening. Her magic had fed their own, and without it, theirs would continue to weaken. The world needed a balance of Light and Dark. He had been taught that when he was young, his father often reaffirming it as they had drawn closer to the day he was to finally meet Violissa. He had never fully realized just what those words had meant until now. The world was leaning too much to the Dark, and if the days were truly getting shorter, then that balance was being felt on a deeper level than any of them had imagined. The Fates only knew what would happen next.

  “The Fates only know,” he mumbled, standing up and stretching. “They know everything and see everything.”

  Slowly, he lowered his arms from the stretch, and then straightened to his full height. A change overcame him physically as realization dawned on him. He stood taller, his aura strengthening, his power swirling around him.

  He looked up and said, “And you’ve known all along. You know, don’t you? All this time and we’ve been looking in the wrong places.” The knowledge of what he needed to do became apparent.

  Moving across the room to a dresser that held a basin and mirror, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and laughed. “No wonder they’re concerned. They probably think I’ve lost it like grandfather.”

  He conjured some water in the basin and splashed his face. It was time to clean up, time to be a king again. He had negotiating to do. The time had come to rescue his queen.

  Keary!

  Keary jumped as Sinow’s voice boomed in his head. It had been a long time since his king had used enaigne, and he had almost forgotten how it felt. Now!

  This is different, he thought as he shifted back to Sinow’s chambers. Expecting to find his king still sitting in the chair, he was surprised to see him up and pacing the floor.

  “My liege?” he asked hesitantly, afraid of the response he’d get in return. He took in the now shaven face, and the tamed, shortened hair. In the brief time he’d been gone, Sinow had made a complete reversal. He again looked like the king he had once been. Seeing the formidable figure standing before him should have made him happy, but instead Keary worried about the reason for the sudden turnaround. His words hadn’t been that inspiring.

  “I’m going to find her,” Sinow stated adamantly.

  “I thought that was what we’ve been trying to do for the last two centuries,” Keary replied, hoping his tone didn’t sound too condescending.

  “We have been but in all the wrong ways. The spells, the books, the potions, the search for cracks in our world that might lead to another world, it’s all been wrong. I am the one who needs to find her. The Fates know exactly where she is, and they are going to lead me to her.”

  Keary stared at Sinow, trying to find the right response. “You’ve truly gone mad, haven’t you?”

  When Sinow didn’t answer him, he continued. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Dead serious, Keary. The Fates know where she is, and they’re going to send me there.”

  This was unbelievable. Sinow had gone over the edge, and now Keary needed to bring him back to reality. To think he actually believed he could summon the Fates.

  He couldn’t control his reaction. “Ha! You can’t just call for the Fates and expect them to answer, Sin
ow. Regardless of whether you’re king or not, they won’t do your bidding.”

  “I don’t expect them to do my bidding, Keary, don’t be ridiculous. But I will ask them to send me there no matter the cost.”

  Keary looked at him, concern blatant on his face. “And what if the cost is everything?”

  “Then they’ll get everything.”

  Alarmed, Keary responded, “Everything? Is she worth everything, Sinow?”

  Sinow looked at him for a long time as if contemplating what to say. After a long silence, Keary said, “Sinow, answer me. Is she worth it?”

  “You know the answer, Keary. You know what will happen if she never returns. This isn’t just about me.”

  “That’s not what it sounds like, Sinow. You’re willing to risk leaving your people, her people, our world without a ruler to go after her?”

  “The risk is the same whether I do or don’t, and you know that.”

  Keary stopped, his concern slowly changing to sadness. He knew, they all did. It was the unspoken fact to which no one wanted to put a voice. If she never returned, there would be no heir to either throne. The Light line would end as would the Dark. There was a constant to the life of every king. For each king, there was only one woman who was destined to bear the king a child. One mate, one child. The king knew his mate on sight; according to legend, they had a unique aura that could be detected by him. There were other women of course. Dark kings were notorious for their sexual needs, but those women would never marry the king. It was rare enough for a woman to survive a night with a Dark king. Dark power had a way of escaping during times like that, and the damage was irreversible. Only the king’s mate would have the strength to carry a child of power. It was a position of highest honor and saddest ending. Every one of them died in childbirth. This had been true for both the Dark and Light rulers. Although the children weren’t born with active powers, their magic was still formed while in the womb. The sheer force of magic in the core of the child was enough to kill the mother each time. If lucky, her heart would wear out from the strain and simply stop. That gentle of a death was reserved for the birth of a Light child. Mothers of Dark heirs were dealt a crueler hand. Only Kanine had been alive for Sinow’s birth, but his mother’s death was so violent the king had removed the entire wing of the castle in an effort to purge the memory from his head. There was nothing anyone could do to save her. It was the way of the Fates. Of course, Sinow had been unique; no other child had been born with powers like he had been with the exception of Violissa. Any mother of a Dark heir died cruelly, but Sinow’s mother had suffered the worst.

  As Violissa was Sinow’s mate, there would be no other; there never had been for him. He was different than his predecessors and had never had the desire for anyone other than her. She was the Fates’ choice for him. Even if he forced himself to take another woman, there would never be a child. With Violissa gone, their chance of an heir for either throne was gone as well. He was right; they had to get her back. Not only did Sinow’s sanity depend on it, but the fate of their world depended on it. Without the ruling powers, the Councils’ powers would fade, balance would turn to chaos, and their world would fall apart, or so they’d always learned. Looking over at the still open window, knowing the shortened day would end sooner than it had the day before; it was evident that the chaos had already begun.

  “What do you plan to do?” he asked Sinow.

  “Violissa is the only one with whom the Fates have spoken.” Keary noticed the slight cringe when Sinow spoke her name. “I’ll go somewhere that bears her essence, somewhere that only belonged to her with the hope that if I surround myself in it, I can then draw on what remains of her to call them.”

  “You’re going to her castle,” Keary stated.

  “Yes, but only to her room. The rest of her castle is filled with the essence of her Council, it’s contaminated. Her room, however,” he paused, and Keary saw the pain reflected in his eyes as a memory took hold. His eyes were distant for a moment then he looked down briefly and continued, “her room was hers and so holds no other essence but what remains of her.”

  Keary waited a moment to speak, not certain what to say. Sinow sounded like a mad man; there was no possible way he could think this would work. At the same time, the hope he was clinging to was enough for Keary to disregard the insanity of the idea and let him go. If it didn’t work, however, would it leave Sinow in worse shape? He didn’t have an answer, but he said a quick prayer to the Fates that they would help his king. They all needed this to work, no matter how insane the prospect of it was.

  “What do you need from me?” he asked Sinow.

  “I need you to inform the Council. There’s no need to tell the entire Light Council, but those who are here should know. If this works, then you can tell the others. They’ll be concerned when they feel the shift in power.”

  “Do you truly think it will work, Sinow?”

  “I have to believe that it will, Keary. It’s all I have left to hold on to.”

  Keary nodded. “Good luck, my friend.” He extended his arm and grasped his king’s in the familiar way of their people. Sinow grasped his back, acknowledging with a nod.

  Then, backing away, Sinow said, “Goodbye, Keary.”

  In a blink, he was gone with his shift. Nothing but the slight stir of air remained. Keary looked to the sky and said another quick prayer then quietly left the room, not knowing it would be the last time he’d see it.

  Two

  Sinow shifted quietly into Violissa’s room. He didn’t worry about her Council. Even if they felt his presence, he knew they’d leave him be. The two realms had been at peace since the day she had been taken. He had released them from the Banished Realm the very day they’d been cast there and forged an alliance with them that had grown deeper as the search for Violissa lengthened. With them, he’d ruled Cirillia, leaning on them to understand the differences between their two lands. He ruled fair and considered Violissa in any decision involving her realm, not wanting to disturb the natural ways of her people; the disruption her disappearance had caused was hard enough on them. He’d stayed out of Cirillia and ruled from a distance, knowing his presence would strike an unnecessary fear in them. His people had been raised on fear of their king and his Darkbearers, but that fear was unnatural in Cirillia, and truthfully, there was no need to rule that realm the same. The Council assured him that their people lived a life of peace and unbelievable innocence. So, he had kept his distance and ruled from afar, letting the Lightbearers be his voice. That being so, he had not set foot in her castle. The thought of entering it brought the reality of her disappearance to a point with which he had not been comfortable. Keeping himself away from anything that had to do with her, anything that remotely reminded him of her had made it easier to bear. Now as he stood in her room, the reality of it hit him along with the insanity of what he was doing. Did he really think the Fates would listen to his call? Better yet, listen to his demands? He ran his hand through his hair and wondered if he had lost his mind again. Well, I’m here, he thought. There’s no turning back now.

  He looked around. The last time he’d been here was the night that had started his descent into this never-ending nightmare. He breathed in deep, the smell of lilac still in the air after all these centuries. His heart quickened at the scent. He ambled about the room. He had ordered it to remain untouched, and her Council had obliged leaving it here to sit, frozen in time. Shafts of light from the full moons spilled through the drawn curtains, illuminating the specks of dust that danced around as he moved. He ran his hand across a vanity that held a silver backed brush, long golden strands of hair spreading from its teeth. Her hair. He picked one up gently, closing his hands in a tight grip around it, as if holding on tightly to it would bring her back. He continued on past the sitting chair that stood before the window. An image of her curled up in it, book in hand, flashed through his mind, bringing a sm
ile to his lips. At the opening of a long closet lay a lilac dress still piled where she must have slipped out of it, likely too distracted with the war to pick it up. A layer of dirt still clung to the hems that peeked from the bottom.

  He walked back toward the bed, thoughts of the last time he’d seen her in it running through his head, but this time no smile escaped. The memories of what he’d been forced to give up that night resurfacing instead.

  “You linger too long on memories, Dark Child,” a woman’s voice spoke behind him. He didn’t have to turn to know it was one of the Fates, likely the same who had visited Violissa.

  “We know what you seek. Tell us why we should oblige your wish,” a male’s voice added. He had drawn the attention of two Fates, and as he turned to face them, he hoped it was not an ill omen.

  Sinow regarded the two, both of whom took mortal form. The woman, with long white hair, straight as a mare’s mane, had the green eyes of the Elvin. There was no question the man was of his bloodline; Dark power swirled around him, his black eyes speaking of an ageless knowledge that suggested he may have been one of the earlier in Sinow’s line. Out of respect, Sinow bowed before responding.

  Standing straight and proud, he answered, “Because I need her.”

  The man stepped forward, anger seething from his eyes. “But you lost her. The two of you foolishly disregarded all we offered and you lost her. Just because you realize the error of your ways now is no reason we should change the course you have set for yourselves.”

  “This is not the course we chose. Tynan made that decision, and it was Tynan who brought us to this point.”

  “Blaming Tynan for your mistakes does not solve the problem, Sinow,” the woman said softly. “Violissa took the first step away from your destiny, and you chose to let her. Both too scared to trust the path ahead. Now you ask for our help, ask that we change the path that has been rewritten for you both.”