Calm Before the Storm (15 page)

Grateful that the portal hall had been
deserted and there were no other witnesses to her loss of control, Irina
followed Cassi and Tyr out the exit to glimpse her first impressions of the
planet Lyra and its capital city Vega. Cassi hustled them out and into the
streets ignoring their embarrassment and if anything, Irina could have sworn
there was a twinkle of satisfaction in Cassi’s eyes. Too wrapped up in her own
thoughts of Tyr and the mess of sensations he was unleashing inside her, Irina
tried to quench the fire and take stock of their surroundings.

The city was a revelation. The golden green
light of the two Lyrani suns setting, bathed a wash of gentle glowing
translucence over the buildings spread out before them. Most of these were
small, smoothly plastered structures, some with domes and arches, rather like
those on a Greek island. In fact the city stretching along the side of a
mountain reminded Irina very much of pictures she had seen of Santorini. And
down below the cliffs, a jade sea sparkled, reflecting the color of the sky as
lazy waves lapped against a rocky shore.

Interspersed between the small structures
were larger, more formal buildings like the portal hall, which was situated
atop a high ridge. Some of these were circular, containing columns and arches,
like mini coliseums but also layered, like a wedding cake, each layer smaller
than the next. The tallest one was at least six layers high. The streets were
cobbled, winding downward and there were trees everywhere. Trees very similar
to those on earth except that the trunks were brown tinged with purple and
pink, the leaves a richer variety of green threaded with silvery veins. Irina
realized there was no traffic and very few people were out in the evening air.
Cassi explained that sunset was a time of rest and that Vega livened up at
night. She told them the Lyrani had little use for science and technology like
those pursued on Earth because theirs was a culture that could wield magick
drawn from the forces of nature and the elements. They even employed no
currency but used bartering to trade for goods and services, wealth being of
little importance.

Those people they did pass appeared tall
and elegant, the males dressed casually in combat-style trousers and t-shirts,
the females mainly wearing shorts or jeans. Irina noted with surprise that
their clothing seemed remarkably similar to that of Earth.

Their appearance, however, was more
startling and varied. The alien quality of the inhabitants stemmed from the
color of their skin and hair, which it appeared Lyrani liked to dye. Irina
could not believe the rich greens, oranges and purples were natural. Their
skin-tones graduated from humanlike creams and browns to surprising pale
yellows and forest greens and Irina noticed eyes of startling amethyst and
turquoise in among the more earth-like browns and blues.

They were a colorful people. Most wore their
hair loose or in mixture of loose and braids, beaded or threaded through with
small jewels of pale crystal. The thought that Irina was half Lyrani herself
made it hard not to stare as she tripped along at Cassi’s heels and the thought
struck her that some of these people could be actual relations. She was not so
entranced that she forgot to peek at Tyr’s expression from time to time,
wondering if he felt the same shock and awe as she did.

Eventually Cassi turned in to a large
courtyard, which they entered through an arched portico. At the far end, a
large wooden door opened automatically as they approached, and they passed
through into a semicircular hall with two more doors on each side and a large
staircase in the center. The door on the left opened and a tall red-haired man
appeared, breaking into a huge grin on recognizing Cassi.

“Cassiopeia! It’s been so long. Are these
your current assignments?” He gathered her into a hug, kissing both cheeks, and
then turned to Irina and Tyr, a twinkling appraisal in his startling
violet-gray eyes.

He took Irina’s hands, smiling down at her.
“My name is Coronae. Welcome. We shall endeavour to make you as comfortable as
possible during your stay. Would you like some refreshment?”

“That would be lovely.” Irina realized it
had been hours since her last meal. “Do you have any tea?”

He grinned. “Earth tea? Yes we do. Earl
Grey or Assam? We also have some fruit flavors if you wish.”

“Assam would be fantastic.” She smiled
back. His enthusiasm was so infectious. Coronae turned to Tyr, who was shooting
daggers with his eyes as if annoyed at him for eliciting those smiles from her.

“And you?” he asked. “We have coffee also
or perhaps something stronger? The current Earth fad is for alcopops, but you
look more like a bourbon kind of guy.” Tyr looked impressed as if surprised
Coronae knew his stuff.

“Bourbon it is then,” said Tyr, “with ice.”

“Of course.” Coronae grasped Tyr’s hand
shaking it violently. “Please make yourselves at home.” He gestured them to a
sitting area that opened out into another small courtyard garden with a tree
growing in the center. They took seats. Irina, trying to settle her rampant
emotions by keeping a distance from the cause of them, chose a single chair
rather than a sofa, forcing Tyr to sit across from her rather than next to her.
He scowled but didn’t force the issue and instead turned to Cassi. “So what
now?” he asked as Coronae disappeared to rustle up some food.

“We stay here. This is a training house.
Coronae is a guardian, used to caring for Esseni. You will be given lessons
that will enable you to survive attacks by Discordants. Your role as an Esseni
will become clear and you may even decide to train as a warrior and join the
Eunomi cause to fight against our enemies.”

“So we don’t have to stay here forever?”

“No. it’s up to you. The Eunomi don’t take
away your freewill. Your actions are your own. It is our task to make sure you
are not in ignorance of your options.”

“I still don’t really understand this
Esseni thing, Cassi,” said Irina. “You said Tyr is the essence of War, but not
what I am.”

“Can’t you guess?” Cassi shook her head.
“And I thought you were the clever one. Tyr knows, don’t you, Tyr?”

Irina focused on Tyr with enquiring look.
Perhaps she was stupid then. How was she supposed to know? He fixed his black
eyes on hers. “You are Peace, Irina.” His deep voice thrummed with unspoken
emotion as if that statement was meant entirely for him and her alone.

“Oh.” She was so stupid.

Totally.

Utterly.

So obvious!

“Tea up!” announced Coronae bursting into
the room, carrying a tray of drinks, closely followed by a maid pushing a
trolley of dishes whose aroma made Irina’s stomach lurch. Hunger or shock? She
wasn’t sure which. Perhaps she should just focus on eating for now and then
come back to that juicy little revelation when her brain was fed, because
clearly it wasn’t functioning properly. Of course she was Peace. He was War.
Should’ve
guessed!

Pushing her thoughts of Tyr firmly to the
back of her mind, she gave in to the hunger. Coronae had provided a feast of
familiar Earth goodies as well as samples of Lyrani fare. This mainly seemed to
consist of very sweet sticky morsels that looked like sushi but tasted like
pure sugar. Tyr glanced her way once or twice but she endeavored to keep a cool
distance, listening to Coronae’s enthusiastic chatter and infectious views on
Earth culture. It seemed he had access to
Big Brother
and was a fan of
the latest glut of reality shows, although he understood very little as many of
the regional accents bewildered him completely.

She was relieved when Cassi finally showed
them to their rooms on the second floor, although her anxiety increased when
Tyr was given the one next door. However, her room was beautiful, an airy light
space with a balcony open to the courtyard below and she found she was too
tired to think of anything other than sleep. Cassi had opened the closet to
reveal a selection of clothing straight from the pages of
Vogue
. Irina
had showered, chosen a soft jersey tank and boxer shorts and was eyeing the
large bed with relief when there came a light tap on the door.

“Irina.” A low voice. She rested her
forehead against the door closing her eyes. “Irina. Can we talk?” If she
answered, they would have to talk. If she answered, it might lead to other
things. “Irina. Just for a moment?” Her mind was filled with indecision as her
hand reached for the doorknob. She paused, fingers hovering. It was too soon.
He was a whisper away. “Later then.” She felt his absence in the coldness of
the air around her. He should have waited.
A second longer
.

Tyr had been restless all through the
evening, feeling at a loss when Irina set herself apart. He ate but he had no
idea what he’d tasted. He talked but he couldn’t remember what he’d said. He
listened but he would never be able to repeat what he’d heard. All his focus
was on Irina. Her eyes held him spellbound. The liquid-gold sparkling fire, her
lips like lush raspberries stole his attention and her voice a melody that
enslaved his soul. The revelation from the portal had him reeling, punch drunk
from the aftereffects of an elation so intense he was on a high that would keep
him floating for eternity.

He knew Irina was keeping her distance.
Perhaps she hadn’t felt it as intensely as he had. He didn’t care.
She. Is.
Mine
.

He knew this attraction to her was
dangerous, would affect his dealings with Abrasax and his ability to help
Melanie and Delora, but at this precise second she was all he could think
about.

To hold her. To kiss her. To be inside her.
That need drove him to her door. He could feel her presence on the other side
when he knocked but he immediately sensed her hesitation. He would not beg. She
still needed space. Sometimes, retreat was the best option. He would give her
time. Frustration sprang to life in his chest and a hard pebble of darkness
settled in his heart. Why would she not open the door? He loved her!

The darkness sat heavily as he tried to
wash it away. He wouldn’t force her. Love meant putting her wishes first. Yes.
But he wouldn’t be walked over. Ignored. He would have to breach her defenses,
wear her down. By any means.

The next few days passed in a whirlwind of
activity and introductions. Irina found herself bouncing from one group of
Lyrani to another all keen to meet her. It was during one of these sessions
that Irina discovered she did indeed have living relations on Lyra. It was as
much a surprise to Cassi as it was to her. The revelation came at a meeting
with Tegid, a wiccani with immense magickal power who had been brought in to
give Irina instruction that would help develop any innate wiccani powers she
might have inherited. Tegid arrived with his wife, Cerri, who took one look at
Irina and gasped in shock. “Gaia in heaven! You are the spitting image of my
sister Kiki!”

It transpired that she was indeed Irina’s
aunt, Irina recognizing her mother in pictures that Cerri shared with her.
Cerri had shaken her head sadly, tears in her eyes when she spoke of Kiki. They
hadn’t known about Irina and her sister. It seemed that Kiki had cut ties with
her family on Lyra although no one was sure why. Cassi suggested that Kiki may
have thought Earth was safer for a potential Esseni like Irina as they were
less likely to be sought by Discordants there. Whatever her reasons, her mother
had used strong shielding magick to hide them, so strong that Cerri was at a
loss to understand how that shielding could have been breached.

The floodgates opened and Irina had soon
met a number of her mother’s friends and family, all willing to share memories
of her mother. Knowing she had people tied to her by blood gave her an
equilibrium she had rarely felt on Earth.

She learned through Alcina, her mother’s
childhood friend, that her mother had indeed been a very powerful wiccani whose
magick and abilities were tied to nature. It seemed that Kiki had been drawn to
Earth because of her fascination with the native fauna and flora and there she
had met Irina’s father, an Italian marine biologist, fallen in love and then
disappeared. Remembrances of her mother were bittersweet and Cerri and Alcina
indulged her with stories of Kiki the dreamer and adventurer.

Irina was also excited to meet Cerri’s
daughters, her cousins, Jeze, Cate and Lili, triplets who reminded her of her
older sister Frida. She spent much of her time with them when being instructed
by Tegid. He was a good teacher and although her main power seemed to lie in
her voice, Irina very quickly learned that with practice she would be able to
cast simple illusions such as masking her appearance.

It seemed that like many other species in
the universe Lyrani had incredibly long lifespans, living for hundreds of
years. Her shock at Cassi’s revelation that she was rather ancient and
practically immortal left her speechless for a good ten minutes. When Irina had
first met her, Cassi had appeared to be a teenager only a couple of years older
than she was herself. Once she realized that both Cassi and Merak had been
casting aging illusions, it all began to make sense. Luc was right. She kept on
expecting to wake up and find herself in the middle of a science fiction TV
series.

The triplets were also keen to introduce
her to many of their friends and one in particular, Tanith Laska, a stunning
redhead with the most beautiful amethyst eyes Irina had ever seen. She was
interested to learn that Tani, as she was known to her friends, was also an
Esseni and Irina had plans to corner her and find out exactly what it meant.

Over the next few days both Tyr and Irina
met with other members of the Eunomi Alliance, both protectors and warriors
like Cassi, some who were wiccani and others who were saevici with the ability
to transform into another creature. Lyrani saevici could only change into one
specific type of animal. Shortly after birth, if identified as housing an
animal spirit, a saevici would be trained and unified with that animal to carry
its soul as well as their own. This enabled them to shapeshift at will and gave
them heightened characteristics of their animal spirit.

Not surprisingly, those saevici who had
found their way to Earth were directly responsible for Native American beliefs
in animal spirit guides as well as the obvious werewolf, shapeshifter stories.
In fact Irina was shocked by just how many myths and legends of Earth had
originated from those interstellar travelers who had made the initial journeys
through starportals thousands of years ago.

Tyr, as usual needed to get to the crux of matters, grilling
Cassi on the how and why of everything.

“How did this Eunomi-Discordant conflict start?” he asked
one evening. They were sitting in the courtyard at Coronae’s while supper was
being prepared. “Ah now, that’s open to interpretation depending on who you
listen to,” replied Cassi quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Well let’s hear your version. I enjoy a good bedtime
story.” He threw her a skeptical glance, his tone indicating suspicion. Irina
could sense the tension between them and tried to defuse the situation. “There
are usually two sides to most stories, both with some elements of truth, Tyr.
Often the real truth hides somewhere in the middle. Let Cassi tell hers and
then it’s up to you to decide what you believe.”

Tyr’s eyes met hers, black obsidian darkness that softened
in the snare of her gaze. Her heart raced as she sensed those magnetic threads
aiming in her direction, trying to reconnect. She had successfully blocked them
for days, scared by the strength of emotion that had stirred between them in
the swell of the vortex. She couldn’t open up. Not yet. She needed time to make
sense of all they were learning, to understand her place in this new universe.
His eyes still holding hers, he nodded for Cassi to continue.

“You have seen the many shrines here on Lyra to Gaia. She is
revered as the mother of The Balance but you may also have been surprised to
see shrines to Chaos, although probably not as many. He is the opposite of her
in all things and together they are pure yin and yang. Once upon a time
millennia ago Gaia and Chaos resided in harmony, partners in all things and in
all ways. Everything in the universe coexisted in equilibrium.” Cassi paused as
Tyr snorted in disbelief.

“I can’t believe there was ever equilibrium and if there
was, I guess it didn’t last long.”

“It lasted a while,” continued Cassi. “Gaia and Chaos had
many children. Their descendants spread out across the universe and for
countless time all things were balanced, ordered. Then Discord arrived. Discord
spoke soft words in Chaos’ ear, turned him away from Gaia and supplanted her in
his affections by cunning and stealth.”

“There’s always a man-eating woman. Ouch!” Tyr held his arm
where Irina had pinched him.

“There’s always a cheating man,” she countered.

“Gaia and Chaos began to bicker.” Cassi carried on ignoring
them. “Conflict and disagreements spread amongst their children likewise. A
great conflict erupted that nearly tore the universe apart. Those who followed
Gaia were led by Eunomia, a child of hers bound to law and order. They called
themselves the Eunomi, the children of the stars, and strove to restore The
Balance. Chaos’s followers, encouraged by Discord, were enthralled by power and
disorder; they called themselves Discordants, the children of the earth.

“Eight hundred years after the first conflicts began, things
had become so bad even for the Discordants that Gaia and Chaos reached a truce.
They created the Esseni duality pairings to hold and realign essential elements
that had become fractured and displaced so that The Balance could be restored.
It worked for a while, but gradually the Discordants returned to their old
ways. After another eight hundred years many of the Esseni dualities had
fractured and needed to realign again.

“Some Esseni had died, and there were only a few pairs left
intact so the Eunomi implored Gaia to help them. New Esseni were created. Gaia
promised that for every Esseni there would always be others with the potential
to take their place if they should fall.

“Chaos challenged this by decreeing that Esseni would not
know who and what they were, and that they would be disparate, spread out
across the galaxy forcing fate or destiny to decide whether Esseni potentials
ever met.

“Therefore he was able to bring disorder and confusion to
the realignment process, ensuring a never-ending cycle of fracture and fusion
that has continued for millennia after millennia.”

“So Chaos and Gaia, are they still around? Seems to me they
should be cleaning up the mess they’ve made,” said Tyr, his tone clearly that
of a man listening to fairy stories.

“They are entities beyond imagining. Earthani no doubt would
label them gods and it is also said that there are other such beings out there.
Life forms with infinite and unimaginable power. Whether they exist or not, who
knows, but believers keep the faith and both Gaia and Chaos are worshipped by
many species although known by different names. Ah! Here comes supper.” Cassi
broke off as Coronae interrupted them with food and the company of Cerri, Tegid
and the triplets all keen to know how Irina and Tyr were faring with training.

Conscious of Tyr’s eyes regarding her steadily, Irina
listened to the babble of noise around her with half an ear, knowing he wanted
to talk to her alone, a situation she had determinedly avoided not knowing how
to respond. She knew he was hurting, could feel his frustration through the
muted connection, aware that he was waiting for her to come to him. And she
would. In time. For now, her emotions raw, Irina evaded the draw of his gaze by
turning to the triplets and directing her thoughts toward dissecting the
various revelations thrown at her during the last few days.

One of the most disconcerting experiences
she had was meeting Ziad, a Lyrani sanguini. Irina was stunned by his appearance.
He was tall, well over six feet with pale, pearlescent almost translucent skin
as smooth as porcelain. White-blond hair hung long down his back, one solitary
dark streak contrasting against the stark chalkiness of his cheek. Those cheeks
were razor sharp and his eyes, luminescent chips of the most amazing jade green
she had ever seen. He gave her a welcoming smile revealing sharp canines, not
so shocking when she discovered that many Lyrani had the capacity to grow fangs
if necessity dictated it.

“So, Ziad,” said Cassi, greeting him
warmly. “I was hoping you could give Irina some lessons of the voice.”

“Ah. The power of the voice,” he mused, his
own dripping with rich, mellifluous honey tones that belayed the fragility of
his appearance. “What is that?” Irina asked, curious to know more.

“It is a healing power that many sanguini
have, but it is also innate in you because of who you are.”

Irina realized she was unsurprised. People
had always commented on her soothing voice. “What will I be able to do, send
them to sleep? It doesn’t sound like such a great power.”

Ziad smiled, his amazing eyes holding hers,
intensely serious. “It is one of the greatest powers there is, the power to
induce calm, to relax the mind and create serenity in others. When tempers
rise, it is the one power that has the strength of a thousand swords.”

Irina found Ziad intriguing. He had her
mesmerised with his elegant gestures and slow movements that were feline in
their execution. He was grace personified and she couldn’t help but warm to
this particular “vampire”.

“I don’t understand,” she said to Cassi.
They were walking home from Ziad’s the following evening after a successful
session in which she had learned to use the power of the voice to calm those in
the grip of hysteria. “Ziad is what Earthani would call a vampire, yet he seems
gentle and noble. He eats food yet he drinks blood—but I don’t get the
impression he would ever kill. Why do sanguini get such a bad press?”

“Long story,” Cassi replied. “Sanguini
drink blood to heal others as well as sustain themselves and in the process are
actually maintaining the strength of all creatures in the universe. They drink
infections and disease out of others and are able to purge it. They are great
healers, which is ironic as on Earth they are considered bloodthirsty savages.”

“How did humans get it so wrong?”

“Well there were a few bad incidents,
incited by Discordants of course. Some sanguini do succumb to bloodthirst,
taking it for their own benefit. Drakulus was a distant relative of Ziad and
his exploits on Earth helped to spread the vampire myth.”

“Whoa! Imagine having that little skeleton
in the family closet. What about the other superstitions surrounding vampires?
I mean Ziad’s not undead is he?”

“No he’s not, but bizarrely sanguini hearts
beat at a different frequency from Earthani, and Earthani hearing is so bad
they can’t hear it. The Earth sun is a big no-no. Sanguini sizzle like bugs
under a magnifying glass in Earth sunshine. Oh and Garlic! Mega allergic—total
anaphylactic shock.”

“Wow! It’s pretty amazing how things get
twisted when you don’t have all the facts,” mused Irina. Turning to Cassi she
caught a flash of unease flicker across her face. “Cassi,” she continued
slowly, “is there something you need to tell me?”

Cassi grimaced and shifted uncomfortably.
“Well. There are a few things I haven’t mentioned yet.”

“Go on,” prompted Irina. “I get the feeling
this relates to Tyr and me being a duality pairing. We’ve been here two weeks
now, learning different powers and how to fight and defend ourselves, but you
haven’t really told us why. What
exactly
do we have to do?”

“Tell you what,” said Cassi pushing her
into the courtyard. “Let’s find Tyr and we can go through it together.”