Page 99 of The Awakening of Essensia

She put it from her mind and turned back to the book. She skimmed a few more pages, vainly hoping there would be anything that could help them with the summonings. There wasn’t.

She closed the book, and as she lifted it to the shelves, a loose sheet of parchment slipped free and floated to the floor. She bent and picked it up. The parchment was different, lighter than those bound into the book, but the scrawl was hurried.

Veyrakh is no demon, but a mage. He longs to unleash the horrors of the Abyss. We know not the reason. We began the search for his Veritas this very evening in hope of using it to destroy him, but time has run out. This library is no longer safe for us. The seven will bind him at the three peaks. The Crown will carry this weight for an eternity. May they remember the sacrifice when they burn our kin.

Veyrakh’s Praen - Maerin Vireldane.

She read it again, but the words refused to make sense. Her mind fought them, rejected them for the history she’d been taught, that the Greater Demon Veyrakh called forth the Great Fire but was defeated by the mages in the end. He was a demon, not a man. Not a mage.

Stiffly, she moved towards the table, book and parchment held between her hands. She dropped into the seat opposite Galfri. Her fingers were numb as she slid the parchment towards him.

He scanned the page and seemed to stop breathing altogether.

“No,” he said, the word no more than a rush of air. “This can’t be.”

Neither of them spoke for a long moment. Finally, Vaelira drew a shaky breath and broke the silence. “Bound,” she whispered. The demon’s words echoed in her mind. Break the lock… unbind the chains.

Galfri was looking at the map now, but she didn’t miss the slight tremble in his hands. He gave a slow nod and his eyes met hers. They held a kind of sorrow she didn’t want to understand, but she did. He shut them, seeming to steady himself for a moment. When they opened again, they were solid amber, fierce and determined.

“The binding is failing,” he said, with terrifying certainty. “The demons are growing bolder. Their numbers are rising. This is what the summoners are preparing for. The return of their master.” He hesitated. “If it fails completely, Veyrakh won’t just return. He’ll tear open the gate between our world and the Abyss. He’ll bring a flood of horrors with him.”

Vaelira sat back in her chair, the realisation washing over her like a tide she couldn’t outswim.

Two mages. One half-trained, one nearly spent. What could they do against the hordes of the Abyss?

Their only hope lay in smudged ink on parchment. A name that had never meant to survive the Great Fire.

Maerin Vireldane.

23

A Bad Taste

Spring crept over Caerthalyn like a warm breath over cool glass, soft and slow as it blurred the edges of winter. The thick blanket of snow covering the northern mountain had begun its retreat towards the peak, birds filled the morning skies with song, underpinning the hush of dawn, and swallows swooped low overhead at dusk. Life had returned to the city like a balm to the stinging bite of winter.

Vaelira stepped into Old Town, breathing deep lungsful of sweet evening air. Thick clumps of violet buds clung to the stone buildings, patiently waiting to bloom. Garlands stretched high above the street, tiny metal flowers in every colour tinkling in the gentle breeze.

Spring Equinox. She had completely forgotten the holiday until a message had arrived from Elijah that afternoon. With the hours she’d spent fruitlessly searching for any mention of Maerin Vireldane, the days had caught up to her. She had hardly noticed when Winter Solstice had passed and had only remembered when Ressa and Fang had dragged her to the refectory, insisting she had to try to the roasted duck and blackberry sauce. The barracks even loosened the curfew for the night, but she had gone to the library instead of celebrating with the others. It didn’t feel right when her last memories of the solstice were with Jon. When they had been children, their father had explained that while Winter Solstice was the longest night of the year, and therefore the most dangerous, it was a celebration of the days growing longer moving forward, and a reminder to keep your focus ahead, rather than stuck in the past. It was a lesson she never seemed able to learn.

She would be at the library now if Galfri hadn’t adamantly refused. He had said she needed a break and that she was looking worse than a pauper scribes nib. She’d tried not to take it as an insult.

The Seven Squids was alive with chatter when she arrived. Heartviolets had been hung from the beams and propped in clay jars atop each table, and some people had braided tiny flowers into their hair, others wearing them in long chains around their necks. The clink of cups and peals of laughter suggested some patrons had a head start on the festivities.

She scanned the usual corner, finding Axel and Willem sitting side by side, Orphi sprawled on the floor warming his thick fur by the hearth. As she approached, she counted four empty plates. Taking a quick look towards the bar, she spotted a familiar crop of blonde hair, and her stomach twisted.

After finding out about Vaelira’s power, Erryn hadn’t spoken to her. Their patrols had been a little more than uncomfortable, and Vaelira had wondered if their friendship was over before it ever really begun. It had taken some work, but Erryn had loosened up a little these past few weeks, at least enough to have a civil conversation.

“Pleased you could make it,” Axel said, waving her over. “You’ve eaten?”

“I grabbed something before heading out,” she said, sliding in beside Willem. Orphi lifted his head, and she scratched behind his ears.

Willem sighed, placing a hand over his chest and giving her a grin. “I must remember to thank the gods for sending you,” He leaned in conspiratorially, producing a delicate white flower from inside his jacket. “Your beauty is a cherished relief from his old mug.”

“I heard that,” Axel grumbled.

“You were meant to,” Willem said sweetly, tucking the flower behind her ear.

“Will you two stop bickering,” Erryn cut in, sliding a tankard towards Vaelira. “We’re here to have fun. Let’s not start at each other’s throats.”