MALACHI II

Once she left, I headed into my forest. Hunting didn’t give me the same sort of peace it usually did. The foliage around me reminded me too much of her. She had become a piece of it. I remembered every leaf she had shown me, or every rock she had found among the twigs. It aggravated me. I had let her permeate into every part of my life. My once peaceful sanctuary that was only mine was now ours. My own room wasn’t mine anymore. It was ours. I only wanted my mind to be blank, to push away all the negative things that churned up inside because of this. But my escapes were gone.

I had given up on finding game. I hadn’t even managed to shoot an arrow yet. I was clumsy today. I couldn’t focus. My mind kept coming back to her. I let myself fall to the ground, my back resting against a tree. It was rough and jagged, pressing into me like claws. I was surprised it didn’t rip my shirt. I let my arrows spill out in front of me and I picked one up. I tested the head with my thumb. It was sharp, cutting through my skin like it had ripped through paper.

I knew it was foolish for me to think she didn’t have someone before. She was at the perfect age to take a spouse. Not to mention how beautiful she was. Even here, people whispered how pretty her face was, how lucky I was to have a wife with such looks. Even in a small village, there was bound to be at least one man to grab her attention. I wasn’t free from this either. I knew from a young age that I was to marry someone. Despite that, I had formed relationships before. Way more than I’d like to admit. Iara had never known she was already sworn to someone. If what she said was true, there was no affair to even worry about.

I was only being a jealous fool. I gritted my teeth, my chest constricting at the thought of her loving someone else. I wanted her to feel that way about me. The shameful thought made me blush. I covered my face with one hand. I reminded myself that my emotions came second to serving my kingdom. My mother told me before that she didn’t love Father in the beginning. Their relationship was strained so much that she didn’t even blood bond with him for years after their wedding. She eventually swallowed her pride and did it to serve her people. Our marriages weren’t for love. They were to strengthen our nation. And Bloodtide needed it more than ever.

I threw the arrow I had to the ground. I let my head lull back and hit the trunk behind me. My eyes went to the sky. Daylight broke through the trees. I had to go back soon. Tomorrow my normal duties would resume. I was kind of thankful for it too. Iara would be just as busy with her classes. She had to learn a lot. It would give us ample time apart. Plenty of time for me to sort through my thoughts.

Even though days did start to pass again, and I saw less and less of her, my thoughts remained as jumbled. I tried to pour myself into my work for the first time in my life. It distracted me for a time. It was the only thing that she hadn’t taken over. As soon as I would retire for the day though, loneliness would set in. Iara had taken back to sleeping across the hall. I knew I had asked to be left alone. It was my wish and she was respecting it. It didn’t stop me from feeling isolated.

I only saw Iara when we both had time to attend meals together, usually with my father, brother, and whoever else happened to be around. I felt like it had been ages since we spoke. We had friendly enough small talk and kind greetings in the halls. Nothing more though. I had grown to miss our talks, the way we teased each other. I couldn’t bring myself to talk to her though. I was weak, scared. What if it had been too long now? I would have to come up with a damned good excuse to spend time with her again.

When I would have free time throughout my day, I would ask about Princess Alys. Someone was bound to know something. Even though the people who lived here were immortal, I got very little information. I heard more of the same that Elisif had said, or nothing at all. Most of the people I asked were completely silent on the matter. I knew it meant more. But what? I found it hard to believe the night goddess herself would curse someone for running away with their daughter. There was some piece of the puzzle clearly missing. Eventually I stopped asking people in the palace. No one had new information for me. Instead I went straight to the Sanctuary of Leda we had on the palace grounds.

It was a building just as old and magnificent as the palace. It wasn’t nearly as big, but it held much more importance to us. It was the place of worship we erected for our night goddess. Stained glass adorned every window, moon stones and precious metals melded into the panes. The entryway of the sanctuary always took my breath away every time I came. The first thing you see upon entering was the great statue of Leda. It towered above me, her stone face cast up to the large rotunda that was built for her. Her eyes were jeweled and glittered in the light of the moon. She wore a loose robe that hung off her womanly figure. At her feet was a softly bubbling fountain. Beneath her was where we would pray to her if we felt the need. I knew Mother and Father came once a week to pray at her base. After I was old enough, I chose to stop. I believed the gods existed. How could I not? Evidence was all around me. But I didn’t believe any god cared enough about me to listen when I prayed.

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I pulled my face away from my patron and scanned the room. I would ask the first priestess I saw about Princess Alys Sherwoods. If the goddess did curse her, they would lead me in the right direction. The first vampire priestess I came across was honestly the only one I didn’t want to see.

She was one of the strongest women in the Order. She held much power in places of worship. No one knew exactly how old she was, but I had my suspicions. Her skin was dark, like the Ledan robes she wore. Her hair was braided into long ropes down her back, moon stones and silver medallions weaved into them. Her name was even a mystery. My mother told me she preferred to go by Uzza, but it somehow didn’t feel proper. I didn’t dislike the woman. She was one of the people my mother trusted the most in the Order. I, however, was intimidated by her. I couldn’t tell if her words had hidden meanings. She was almost as cryptic as Lady Rey.

She took notice of me quickly, giving me a large smile. “Prince Malachi. You have not visited for some time. What brings you here?” Her voice was kind. It was the kind of sweetness you smothered into words when you didn’t want to sound irritated.

“I came to ask about a rumor I’ve been trying to confirm or disprove,” I said. I made sure my voice was even, my face flat.

“About your wife’s mother?”

Word travels fast. I only answered in a nod.

She started to glide to one of the doors that blended into the walls around us. I wasn’t sure if I should follow, so I stood still. When she turned and waved for me to come, I furrowed my brows. I had never even been in the other rooms of this place. It felt strange that I was being offered to see any part of the sanctuary. I followed anyway. She took me down a narrow hall and into what I could only call a work space. Papers were neatly stacked on a writing desk and bookshelves lined every wall. The Priestess went over to one of the bookshelves and ran her fingers along the spines.

“I can’t tell you if Alys was cursed by the Night Mother or not,” The Priestess said. She pulled out a thin book, bound in purple dyed leather. The face of it had the moon phases pressed into it. It was plated with thin silver to give it a delicate shine. She ran her fingertips along the metal as she turned to me. “But this will tell you more about making deals with the gods and what happens when you break them.”

I couldn’t help the frown that pulled my lips down as I reached for the book. “Deals with the gods?” I asked. “Did Princess Alys break a deal with Leda?”

The Priestess closed her eyes and nodded slowly. “A deal that not many people know about. Alys had come to me with a request. She wanted to make a deal with a god.”

“For what?” I asked after a moment. Her pause was long enough I wondered if she would even continue with the story.

“Alys wanted to be a witch. When she was very young she started a quest for power. She went to almost every patronage asking to commune with their gods. None answered. But when Alys came to me, our goddess appeared.” Her hand went to cover her heart. She sighed in recalling the event. “I had never seen such a magnificent sight. To be before a god,” she breathed.

“Deals have a price,” I said, interrupting her fond memory. “What kind of price did Alys pay for such power?”

The Priestess shook her head. “That was between Alys and the Night Mother. But that book will hopefully help Iara with what she needs. The gods favor her, but if she steps too close to them she may feel their wrath just the same.”

The statement sent a chill down my spine. The wrath of the gods was nothing to scoff at. I’ve heard plenty of stories about acts of rage they can perform. If Alys truly did break the deal she made with Leda, she was long gone. I brought my eyes back to the book. I swallowed dryly as my mind raced. “Thank you,” I said to the Priestess. “I’ll be sure to give this to the Princess.”

Her hand shot out to grab my arm. I jumped at the sudden movement. Her eyes bore into me and she smiled. Her long fangs exposing themselves almost felt threatening to me. “Before I forget,” she muttered. “Give Iara my regards. She’s very important to all the gods.”

She released me as quickly as she grabbed me. “Thank you,” I grumbled, holding up the book. I tried not to rush out, but I did. I didn’t want to be alone with the Priestess any more than I had to be. She was worse than that old elf. Was this just my future? Instead of aging, the immortal races would go mad? That frightened me more than vengeful gods.

After that, I headed to my lonely room. I paused at my door. I looked over my shoulder at the room just behind me. The door was shut tight, sunlight just peeking out from the crack at the bottom. I looked down at the book in my hands once more. I should tell Iara about what I found out today. I felt my hand twist my doorknob before I could think about it though. I wasn’t ready to see her yet. Shame filled my chest, but I couldn’t find the courage to knock on her door.