Smoldered Flames: Part I of the Edonia Series

Daxter

There was this darkness in the back of my mind. It clouded my vision. The days were blurred. My body grew weak. Fragile. I felt weightless, as if suspended in a void. The blood in my veins was like heavy lead.

“Do you accept me, Daxter? Despite what people say. Despite my sins?”

Valeri’s voice was like heavenly feathers that night. Light, but unsure. Soft, but full of strength. Goddess, she looked beautiful that night. Like an ethereal angel, or a fallen one. Valeri has this darkness about her that ensnares my soul. I ache for her domination. To relinquish control for a short time. Building my future as a doctor was all I cared about. But the pressure grows, and everyday stressors make me weary. It’s rather blissful to surrender oneself to a person you trust, to place you at the center of their world and give you everything you desire…

Now, hope fills that dark void. I have vigor in my steps. The meeting is to take place in a run-down building in Hy-Brasil for discretion. Queen Winona’s idea. She said it would be easier to place a protective barrier over it so that we won’t be overheard if someone were to chance upon it. Chancellor Barati summons a few acquaintances who he could trust. The Queen and King of Faelios have been caught in the loop as well.

The abandoned building is rather small, but comfortable enough to let your guard down. The windows are broken, allowing the chilly night air to swoop in. Winter isn’t too far off. There is this stillness that settles in the room. The kind of quiet that draws in anticipation for the unknown.

Queen Winona waves her hands into the air with regal elegance and chairs appear out of nowhere. Everyone tensely sinks into their chairs. Eros and Stanley sit in a chair on either side of me towards the main door. Oddly, Kamau and his mother decided to come along. You can be sure that Queen Esther did it to gain favor from the Faelios or expect something in return. Probably a mix of the two. I can only assume what Kamua’s angle is. The pain and guilt in those storm gray eyes speak volumes. He blames himself for Styliani’s death and Valeri offering herself up for the “greater good” triggered that memory.

What is disappointing, though, is Cassius not showing. I know that he has a certain… dislike of my mate. But she is still considered a member of our pod, and a student of SU. a burst of an unfamiliar emotion unfurls in my chest. It is a nasty and grotesque monster that leaves a foul taste in my mouth. Like poison that seeps into the Earth, rotting its core. Anger. Hate.

A hand settles on my thigh and I flinch. Vermillion orbs meet mine. I realized then that my leg has been bouncing a million miles a minute. “Easy, handsome. We’ll get her back soon.” he gives a small crooked smile. The touch helped still my thoughts for a little while, but the tense lines around his eyes tells me he’s just as worried, just as scared, as I am.

We’ve… gotten closer since Valeri’s been missing. Usually I’d be Eros’ personal blood bank. He would come into my room and take a mouthful of my lifesource and pleasure me in payment. Now that we have been shown by the Lion Oracle that she is our mate, we’ve filled her absence with a presence of our own. There is a delicate balance between us. An important dynamic we have established without words. Eros needs to feed on both lust and blood and I need a certain release, so it works out.

Chancellor Barati stands at the center of the room. He has a calm, commanding presence about him that swivels heads. An air of a warrior that would make the knees of an average man weaken. No one knows of his past, nor his age. But he has been at Sundancer University long before I was born.

“Thank you all for coming. I hope to make this brief,” he nods to Eros.

Eros pulls out the map of Edonia and hands it to Queen Winona. She crumbles it in her hands and it bursts into flames. The fire stretches and contorts before producing a holographic light. A live map of the entire world of Edonia is then shown. The Witch Queen curls her fingers a tad and the holographic map narrows down to the western side of the continent. A subtle gasp comes from the far left side of the room. Queen Camilla places a hand on her lips in shock as King Tobias’ eyes harden.

“We suspect the missing heir and her companion to be on this isle,” Eros begins. “I’ve gone through shipment documents of the past eleven years and found a few odd labels. It became a pattern overtime and we followed that lead.”

“And you think it led to a small inhabitable island?” Queen Esther asks skeptically.

“Yes. When my companions and I traveled to that location, we encountered a conundrum. No matter how close we seemed to get to the island, it appeared further, and further away.” He turns to Queen Winona. “And we need the assistance of your people to break the illusion.”

The Witch Queen settles on the floor, holding out her arm. “Let me contact Orisa. I require absolute silence.”

Her spring tulip gaze goes distant and begins to swirl with a dark hue. Soon, a low hiss fills the room. Black wings dive down from an open window and land on Queen Winona. She caresses the creature like a pet and says a few noncommittal words in its small ears. It preens its dark shiny feathers in response.

“Go and find her, Orisa. Fly the highest winds, ride the fastest thermals. Show me where she is.” The Witch Queen commanded. The dark-winged creature gives one last barking hiss before lifting away on silent wings.

“Before we begin, where are the other leaders? Shouldn’t they be summoned as well?” Queen Esther queries.

“From the eye of my Soulbound Cohort, we were able to get a glimpse of the cargo being shipped there. They carried hybrids and werewolves.”

Shocked yells of outrage ring throughout the small building. Eros speaks above the masses as he continues. “Tonitru was able to smell the scent of other werewolves with vampires among them. So it is safe to assume they are working together. Why? We don’t know, but that is the reason why King Broderick and Alpha John aren’t involved.”

“Then why are you?” someone asks.

“Valeri is a member of my pod at SU, therefore holds my loyalty more so than blood.” Eros snarls at the challenger.

King Tobias stands before the crowd. “I want to thank you all for your participation. Your endeavors will forever be remembered in Faelios. I would give a little background information on the Lost Isle. Many have been led to believe it is a place we dole out punishments of criminals who do the unthinkable. And others believe the Fae left due to overpopulation. While the second guess is close to the truth, it is far from it.”

He takes a deep breath, but Queen Camilla picks up where he left off. “Darkness encroached on the Lost Isle. Sickness entered the lungs of the Fae. Rot groped the very lands, forcing it to become a barren wasteland.” she snarls. “To this day, no one knows the reason for it, but we must remain vigilant when arriving at the Lost Isle.”

Cold settles deep in my bones at that sense of foreboding. “How do you think they have been able to survive for so long?” I couldn’t help but ask aloud.

In answer, the dark winged creature dives down on Queen Winona’s arm again. It ruffles its feathers before settling fitfully. Its beak touches her forehead and a dashing light flits between the two. After a few tense moments, she nods at Orisa and it flies away. She walks with a weariness that wasn’t present before.

“The best way to succeed is through disguise and deceit.” she advises

Chancellor Barati nods in agreement. “Some will need to become soldiers, and others will need to become prisoners.”

“That’s a perfectly sound plan. Except it is majorly flawed.” someone interrupts at the doorway.

Queen Esther stands, her body taut with wariness. “What is the meaning of this?”

Someone else in the room shouts. “How did you get in?”

The intruder in question is a ruggedly handsome blonde man, who leans against the doorway with his arms crossed, wearing an arrogant smirk on his face. His companion is the polar opposite. His hair is a stark contrast to his skin. Where there are glowing lavender tresses with equally glowing eyes, his skin is a dark sandy brown.

The blonde man looks over where the Queen shifter is. “I would like to ask the same thing, your highness. Did you seek permission to have this meeting with my Alpha? It is a matter of respect after all.”

“Alpha? What is the name of your pack?” Queen Winona asks, her face giving nothing away.

“Some of you may know us as The Lightfang Pack. After former Alpha Stanley’s passing, the pack decided Lady Helena was fit for the position. We are now known as…” he does a sweeping motion with his arms, “The Bloodvenom Warriors. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” It is so quiet that even a pin dropping would have been muffled.

I couldn’t help but ask, “How… you guys disappeared. Without a trace. How..?” my voice trembled.

The glowing eyed one cuts me a severe look. “A story for another time.” His eyes land on the Chancellor with respect. “You can’t just waltz right in undercover and think none will be the wiser.”

“There would’ve been charms placed by the witches and the fae.” King Tobias said.

“All fine and dandy, your highness. But how long can your kind hold the charms in place? You would have to be close by if it were to fail. No, you need actual hybrids and wolves.”

“And you can provide that?” Queen Esther sneered.

The rugged one smiles in a wicked way. “Yes. Yes we can.”

“Whatever the plan, we need to move quickly. Or darkness will fall.” Queen Winona says gravely.