Secret Filled Stars

One hundred twenty years later and the sound of his laugh still haunted her.  Every time she closed her eyes, he was there and in the quiet moments she found, she could feel him around her.  Would it never end?  Would he never find his peace?  Was this her punishment?  Breezes stirred her curls when there was none, a warm brush against her cheek when she was alone and the smell of oil and leather surrounded her when she was feeling most alone.  He was still here.  Luukos wouldn't have taken his soul but when she'd spoken to a High Priestess of Gosaena, she said his soul had not passed through her Lady's gates. She was pouring over the text in front of her, her candle light growing dim, when a rush of wind swirled in her room.  Her curtains whipped in the air and the candle went out.  Slender fingers gripped the dagger at her side and her gaze snapped up, focusing in the dark.  A familiar chuckle, yet somehow different, echoed around her and she jumped to her feet, sending

I don't know how to explain this feeling inside.  My heart is in my throat and my stomach in knots.  I've done something, I know it, but he says I've done nothing.  If that were true, he wouldn't be so tense, he wouldn't slip inside himself.  He wouldn't distance himself from everything, would he? But then, he wouldn't lie to me either, would he?  I want to believe his words are true but something is off.  I can see it in his eyes, feel it in his muscles and sense it in his aura.  I know better than to push for answers, push for him to speak to me, but it's making me sick. Perhaps it's nothing I've done, after all.  Perhaps he's just realized my deepest fear.  Could it be that he no longer wishes to marry me?  That he no longer wishes to be by my side?  He would tell me if that were the case, I would hope.  I do hope he doesn't feel like he's obligated to be with me after everything. I would never want him to be with me if it caused h

Reading had always been one of her favorite past times in Elanthia and it hadn't changed in the hundred years she'd been here.  Now, instead, she chose to read the books left behind from a long forgotten species.  It had taken her a few months to make sense of all the squiggles and some of the sayings but it was well worth it.  In her studies, she'd found that eyes held great importance to them and they were found throughout literature, romanticized to no end, and she loved it. Eyes are captivatingly beautiful.  She had yet to find something that held her fascination as well as they did.  The molten gold orbs across from her were no different.  His eyes shone with a warm that seemed to say that everything would be alright.  She knew, rationally, that it would.  She was in charge of this giant mess and it would be wonderful in the end just like everything she did.  Meeting his gaze seemed to carry the gravity of her thoughts, however, and as she took her first bite, she aver

While it might be easy to think her question was solely to do with him, it wasn't.  There was no one she trusted, no one's motives she didn't question, and the High Lord Alise was no exception.  Too many times she'd been the pawn in someone else's game.  That had ended when she crossed through the portal.  She'd gained her life back and she'd promised herself, never again, would she be used to further someone else's dreams and Altheorn would be no different.  It was no secret he still worked for Luk and that was not something she wanted to get tangled up with again. Of course, she didn't have many options, did she?  She had to have amps and she had to have mages.  Without them, the Centennial would fail, or so she'd convinced herself.  Eyes narrowed as she mulled over the option in her head, trying desperately to figure out another way, another option but she was unable to.  As much as it pained her to admit it, he was right.  Cooperation and wor

I couldn’t find fault in you for being engaged.   What sort of person would I be if I did?   I was to blame for the pain I felt and I knew this.   Sometimes, I think, we make our own heartbreak through our expectations, our wants, and that’s what happened.   You moved forward and it was time I did the same.   Following Luukos’ instructions, I changed my profession, starting fresh as an empath.   I didn’t understand at the time why he’d wanted the change but I listened, unquestioningly.   I returned home to my father and was greeted with disgust and hostility but it was expected.   He laughed in my face, his arrogance overwhelming, his hatred warming the blood in my veins but I said nothing, I did nothing. I was permitted to stay there but I had conditions to follow and, although they were cruel, I listened as I always had.   Rarely was I allowed to be noticed and, when I was, I wasn’t allowed to speak unless spoken to.   The chateau had to be spotless at all times and, even thoug

I spent a short while lost in the darkness.  I was so far not even Luukos could reach me. Minutes stretched into hours, days stretched into the months and months seemed like years.  The darkness was so thick, so suffocating, that it was almost tangible.  Some days, I swear, I could feel it sinking into my skin, mixing with my blood and strengthening my bones.  I started losing memories, my mother's face, the smell of my grandmother and the sound of her voice.  The darkness was taking over and I was letting it.  Here, in the darkness, I didn't feel anything, I was forgetting the pain.  I could stay here forever, I'd reasoned, and be happy with the monsters that prowled in the shadows.  After all, I was one of them, wasn't I? It all changed suddenly. I was making my way through the gloom when my surroundings rippled like water on a pond.  When everything settled, you were there.  It couldn't be real, it wasn't real.  Logically, I knew this, but my heart still skip

Laying on the bedside table is a large book covered in a dark leather.   Embossed on the cover is a wolf and an owl, gazing at each other.   Elegant scrollwork frames the two, ancient runes mixed in with vines.   Inside are three hundred sheets of vellum, cream hued and filled with elegant words written in black ink.   Scented with vanilla, the author has taken care with the book, ensuring the finished product is in pristine condition. On the first page you read: When I was younger, my grandmother always told me to make a wish on a shooting star.   She believed that if you believed in it, wanted it, enough then it would come true.   I trusted her more than anyone else, so I did.   I wished for silly things at first: a new doll, the newest gown, for Lisandre to sprout warts overnight.   None of them ever came true and yet, as I grew older, I continued closing my eyes and wishing on the falling stars. When I fell ill, I continued wishing.   This time, I wished to get better, to

The Arkati were supposed to be their saving grace.  They were supposed to protect them and, in a way, they had.  They'd led them through the Portals but, in the end, that's all they did.  Elanthians made themselves, not the Gods.  What had the Gods done for them?  For her?  Anger slid through her veins, burning everything it touched, when she thought about Luukos and how little he'd done .  She watched in the days following as clerics were rendered useless, empaths too.  It wasn't just them it affected, though, was it?  The Arkati who had once been so fearsome, so holy, were nothing now.  She was free. Free was a funny word.  While she was able to do what she wished, when she wished, it had come at a cost.  She lost her family in the crossover. she lost most of her friends and, most importantly , she lost the one thing she could rely on.  It was only her and the thought scared her more than she'd like to admit.  Eyes never leaving the screen, she pul

The Black Wolf of Nalfein.  The Hero of Jang'kai Gap.  Lord Captain of the Blackguard.  High Lord of the Susserlin.  So many titles made it hard to separate the man from myth.  How could one man be so many things?  Countless times, her potential suitors had bowed at the waist and stammered over their praises of the man .  Something that had sealed their fate.  She needed a man confident in himself, confident in his abilities.  They were not.  Still, she found herself wondering if she'd made a mistake.  If she'd accepted one, she wouldn't be so utterly alone now. He spoke finally and he had her laughing, a smirk touching her lips.  "She's always been persistent.  Sets her eyes on something and that's it." she murmured, fingers brushing a loose tendril out of her face.  Another laugh and she shook her head.  "I doubt she'd devour you.  Not in one sitting, at least.  She's pined after you for centuries.  She'd faint if yo

Things were different now.  Few of them had slipped through, making it to safety.  Her brothers hardly spoke to her, only doing so when her father deemed it necessary.  Her father no longer tried controlling what she did, choosing instead to avoid her when he was able to.  People she had once considered friends had disappeared.  Left on her own, she'd muddled her way through the new world, carving out a niche, and a name, for herself.  The few friends that had stayed in touch were ones she wished wouldn't. It had taken her awhile to find a new purpose for herself.  No longer needing to serve Luukos, she moved aimlessly through her new life until she'd discovered event planning .  The rest, as they say, is history.  She was happy now, happier than she'd ever been, but still an emptiness lingered.  She was thankful for jobs like her current one that allowed her to throw herself into the work.  It seemed to help. With the smaller population, she

Tick, tock, tick, tock... The steady ticking of the clock echoed over the gentle hum of patrons' conversations.  Clinking of glasses and laughter drifted over to her booth from nearby tables.  The café was busier than usual this time of night.  The booth next to hers was the only available seating and she was thankful it wasn't taken yet.  She only had a few days left to finish the numbers for the centennial.  The last thing she needed was a group of drunken couples sitting next to her, shouting their love to the world.  Star speckled eyes swept the dining room as she lifted her coffee to her lips and took a sip, dark and bitter.  How nice it must be to not have a care in the world. The door chimed, warning another arrival.  A whispered breath lifts from her lips, narrowed gaze watching the door.  She prayed to all the Gods that it was someone getting take out so she would remain in her placidity.  A shadow of a man slipped across the threshold, pausing to le

The hardest thing, for her, was when her memories began fading into dreams.  The innocence of her youth seemed so far away in the midst of her immediate corruption. Boundaries of her history were clouded, the cruel sparkle of frost hiding them from view.  How she longed for her childhood when everything had been so pure and carefree. Time spent playing hide and seek with her brothers and chasing shades through the trees and dancing with faeries in the meadows. The fleeting memories she still held onto brought her joy like no other. Her heart filled until it felt as if it'd burst and, when they faded back into the recesses of her mind, she felt empty once more. They gifted her hope that the girl she once was still lingered somewhere in her soul, that everything she had once been hadn't been lost to the darkness.  It had been centuries since she'd last skipped along the paths, searching for her once beloved friends. Would they remember her?  Would they still accept her? The

Stand up straight, fix your hair. Smile but not too wide. Laugh but not too loud. Embody grace, personify perfection. Back straight as you dip low. Offer insults laced with the sweetest of words. Bring honor to your family, your name. Your life is for them, no one else. Hide your scars, cloak your pain. Choose your mask carefully. There's no escape in reality. Slip into your dreams. Scream it out, break the mirror. Shatter the faces that you hold dear. Silence the mocking, bind the fear. This is your kingdom, you are the Queen. They split your flesh, break your spirit. But here in the shadows, you'll find your worth. Take His hand and walk the darkened path. Follow his steps and embrace your destiny. The flash of fangs, the scent of blood. Whisper sweet nothings, hold them close. Give them their sweet release. As they stare into starlit eyes.

"You're an embarrassment!" the deep voice bellowed, echoing throughout the Manor.   "What did I do to deserve a disgrace like you?"  The tall figure loomed over her, blue eyes hardening into something sinister as he glared down at the crouched form at his feet. "I'm sorry, Father. I'll try harder next time, I promise." she whispered, words lifting as she gathered up the pieces of the shattered teapot. "It was an accident ." "We should have let you die." he hissed, leaning forward to grab her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I wish you died, I prayed for it; I still do."  Shoving her face away, he grabbed his glass and threw it on the floor.  The glass exploded, sending shards flying.  The man turned on his heel, leaving the room as he called over his shoulder. "Clean up this mess."  Once he was gone, she let out a shuddering breath and buried her face in her hands, trying to contain her emotions. Sh

"Do you need anything else, Lady Nyssia?" asked the young house elf, Marya, as she laid out the older woman's hooded bathrobe. "That will be all.  Leave now and don't let anyone enter." the brunette replied, waving a petite hand.  She waited until the girl was gone before stepping into the hot bath that had been poured for her.  The water soothed away her aches and pains, a soft groan leaving her lips.  Sinking in up to her neck, hair pulled up in a curled mess on the top of her head, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth for a moment. A blind hand reached for the crystal quartz laying next to her, placing it on her forehead. Allowing herself to relax slowly, Altheorn's face appeared in her mind's eye and a small smile curled on her lips.  The familiar cold wrapped around her clothed body and she opened her eyes, moving towards the wolf. The soft crunching screamed out against the silence as she walked quickly to the sleeping creature.  She s

"This is your fault, you little wench!" hissed Alynsa, gray eyes darkening as she glared at the brunette. "This is the last straw.  When Jeresh hears about this, he'll have you shipped off immediately."  She had been waiting for this, the moment her brother's wife found something they deemed worthy of sending her off to Ta'Nalfein. They had been threatening this for years but it seems her most recent adventures into the astral plane were her final undoing. Starry eyes gazed calmly back at the infuriated woman, pale pink lips pressed into a thin line. "My brother won't return for three days.  You know this as well as I do, Alynsa." she replied, head tilting and eyes flashing in the light. "However will you manage to survive?"  Her fingers twitched and the woman stumbled back, gasping softly. "You're a curse on this family, Nyssia.  You're worth more to them dead." the blonde hissed again, this time to hide her