The Light of Asteria (37 page)

The Ancient One lived up to his name. His
small frame was hunched over in a dark chair. Shocking white hair
and pale skin that seemed to drip off his face told of an
impossibly long life. I breathed through my mouth, but I could
still taste the strong scent of him. Trying to squash that thought,
I concentrated on his features. His skin held the same smooth
qualities as my clan, and his nose was thin and straight. His
faceted diamond eyes were his most distinguishing feature. The
clear jewel quality of the iris made the outer white appear
slightly blue. They narrowed, as if he were trying to solve a
puzzle.

“I wanted to thank you for all you have done
for me.” I started the conversation, getting right to the point. I
explained about the tree going into more detail for him. His stare
never wavered. We then talked about the lake, and his smile
increased when I told him of my improvements.

“Can you tell me why you think the lake
changed you, Nora?” the old voice inquired.

“Because it felt my intent and because I
didn’t ask.”

He laughed with a joy that pulsed through my
heart. “You are exactly right. I see you have spoken to the
mountain. Have you opened up to it?” Gavin’s creature roared. I had
been so intent on talking with this wonderful person, I’d almost
forgotten Gavin was in the room.

“I would prefer not to as it upsets my future
mate. My essence is meant only for him. He understands the
necessity on the other side of the portal, but I fear it would
weaken him or cause him pain.” I said bluntly.

“The mountain does not know of essence, only
of intent. If you open up to it, only the intent will be revealed.
Surely you knew that?” He chastised me, and I beamed.

“Instinct had told me such, but not knowing
for sure I didn’t want to betray my love.” His diamonds danced in
the light.

“Always know what your love’s intent is,” he
said rather cryptically. Gavin’s creature growled.

“His intent is pure,” I said with conviction,
and the Ancient One’s brow lowered in thought.

“Please come see me again, Nora of Light. If
you wish, I shall teach you things you will appreciate and possibly
be able to use.”

“That would be an honor … thank you.”

He turned to Gavin; his expression lost its
warmth and became neutral.

“You have chosen well, young prince. She is
of old lineage not seen in this land since before the days of the
ancients. Cherish her with honor, and value her more than your own
life,” he commanded. Gavin’s eyes focused on the Ancient One.

“I vow to you, as in the way of our people, I
will keep her safe, happy, and loved. It has now become my greatest
purpose to assure she has joy and is content every day of her
existence. I will be the source she deserves.” Gavin bowed, and the
Ancient One slowly smiled.

I wanted so desperately to ask him what he
meant about my lineage, but the intent of this visit was to thank
him and not to gain knowledge or understanding. I kept my purpose
true and held my tongue.

“I will come back to seek knowledge when it
is convenient for you, my new friend,” I said, as we walked to the
door.

“It is convenient tomorrow morning.”

I smiled, as Gavin’s surprise sliced through
me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 23—The Two
Gardens

Nestled in the protection of the mountain’s
base, the garden Gavin spoke of was celestial. The mosaic wall that
cordoned off the space held precious stones of rubies, emeralds,
sapphires, and garnets. Pure rich flora of russet, teal, and
goldenrod peeked over the wall’s protection, and vibrant green
foliage covered the ground. The leaves held geometric shapes that
seemed to be a common trait of all life throughout Kailmeyra.

Gavin’s hand squeezed mine; he pointed to a
place high on the mountainside. Colorful winged creatures flitted
in and out of a distinct round fissure.

“Are those butterflies?” I whispered, as they
floated to the flowers below. They made earth’s counterpart seem
primitive.

“These are the only creatures in the land
that are truly immortal. They are extremely rare, and have lived in
this garden since before the ancients were in power. They do not
reproduce, and so they have the greatest protection we can offer,”
he murmured. This fascinated me. Butterflies’ lives were unusually
short back home, and to think these creatures could have lived
since the beginning of creation was astounding.

“Have you ever asked them to share their
history with you?” My mind couldn’t wrap around the concept of
living forever. Gavin smiled.

“They share knowledge only for education.
They will not answer any question if the intent is for gain.” I
drained my thoughts for a moment, but kept the fog up.
Instinctively, I knew the butterflies were extremely important to
the ancient power; they were connected in some way.

We continued to walk on the rounded stone
path, and I stood still for a moment, observing a few fan their
wings on the taller crimson blooms. Colors of cobalt, indigo, and
fuchsia adorned their bodies. Their wings had a jewel quality
similar to the elves, but the combinations of colors were like
stained glass. Their bodies were not quite as defined as the
sprites, but were definitely more human than insect. I glanced back
to the crevice high in the mountain and realized they must live
within the protection of the ancient power.

Gavin, I’ve never seen health shine in
such a lovely pink … isn’t that amazing?
He shook his head,
avoiding my gaze. His emotions seemed stilted.

The largest of all of the butterflies
fluttered down and landed on my palm. His wingspan must have been
over eight inches wide, and was bigger than the giant silk moths
from home. His head bowed and lighted antennas tickled the center
of my palm. I held him out a bit, and paid him the same
respect.

“Thank you for honoring us with your presence
and your beauty.” My voice rang softly throughout the garden.

“He thanks you as well for honoring them with
your devotion to the Keeper of the Mountain. He wants you to know
that he has not seen me this beautiful since I was a child.” My
eyes crinkled as I envisioned a smaller version of Gavin.

“Nora, may I present to you the King of the
Immortal Butterflies. He is delighted that purity once again is in
the kingdom, and he welcomes you to his home. He asks that I relay
his desire for you to visit often, for he wishes to educate you
about the land of Kailmeyra.” My heart warmed.

The butterfly flitted above my hand, his head
bowed once more, and then he gracefully flew up to the crevice,
followed by several others. Only two butterflies remained, and I
giggled thinking that must be their versions of Tark and Rena. I
turned to smile at Gavin, knowing he had heard my thoughts; he
still did not meet my gaze.

Gavin?

His emotions were steeped in curiosity
mingled with loneliness. We were alone, but I knew he wouldn’t want
the butterflies to feel my essence, and so I didn’t ask if I could
open our circle. Instead, I concentrated on the beauty of this
place and how much I loved it and asked if we could come back every
day. He smiled at that.

“As you wish,” he said again with a tinge of
sadness. I sighed and placed my hand over his heart.

“You’re all I wish for, Gavin … what is it
you wish for?” I had to know what was bothering him. He looked
away.

“I wish I could experience how you see
things. Your purity of thought sometimes exceeds me. I wish I could
be your equal,” he finally admitted. I smiled in understanding.

“I’ve wished to be your equal since the first
day I met you.” His eyes found mine. “It’s odd you don’t see
yourself clearly today.” His expression warmed, but the sadness
remained.

We watched the last of the butterflies flit
to their home, and then we made our way to the other side of the
courtyard. The arched wrought iron gate guarding the pebbled path
spoke that this was a private home. Gavin’s broad shoulders tensed;
trepidation ran through me.

“If you would rather, you may stay here with
Rena and Tark.” His voice was so low I almost couldn’t distinguish
the words. He was giving me the option, but I searched his
emotions, and his need was apparent.

“I’ll go with you,” I whispered back. The
walkway to the cottage veered toward the mountain to assure
privacy. As we rounded the corner, I became wary. Large, dark green
plants grew wild, imprisoning the ground below. Sharp thorns jutted
through the overburdened trellis surrounding the dark, wooden door.
The plants crowding the small space fought for light, creating an
ominous canopy overhead. The hair on the back of my neck stood; I
cleared my mind. Now was not the time to share with Gavin that this
reaction had only happened twice before, and both times had
involved a Dokkalfar.

We walked further along the path; the door
loomed before us. Adrenaline kicked in. For the first time since I
stepped foot in Kailmeyra, I felt fear. Gavin’s emotions spiked,
but I smiled and shook my head. He studied my expression for a
moment, and then knocked.

“Come in, Gavin.” A feeble voice cried out. I
could hear the hope of it. He had finally come back to see her.

Tears of compassion flooded my vision. This
was the first time in my life that I understood pity. I resisted
it, but my initial feeling for this elf was exactly that—pity. The
familiar smell of dirt bothered me. My shield flew up, as I
squelched that thought.

The living room was so full of plants it
seemed as if we were still outdoors. The floor was scarcely visible
beneath the vines and pots, and a small path wound through the dark
foliage and led to a sitting area. Mia’s shock whirred around her
when she saw Gavin wasn’t alone. Her coloring was pasty white, as
if she had been ill for a long time. Her long, black hair fell to
her waist in a straight sheet. It would be stunning, but, at the
moment, it looked like it hadn’t seen a brush in days. Those
one-dimensional light blue eyes were now shallow and threatening.
It was a disturbing combination of the dark and light, conflicting
in nature.

The silence in the room rang; despair,
stronger than any I had seen in the land, shrieked. Her features
sharpened with fury, but her flat eyes held that haunting look of
desperation that was depicted in Gavin’s painting. His emotions
grew in frustration as he tried to explain.

Mia revolted my survivor’s instinct. Where
was her dignity? She had more than most people in this kingdom. I
wished for the opportunity to teach her my favorite philosophy. Be
grateful for what he could give you; forgive him for what he
couldn’t. Gavin’s words rang in my ears …
Mia is weak
. I now
understood what he meant.

“I will not have you speak of my future mate
in that way, Mia,” Gavin thundered, startling me. She glared with
hatred. I knew this was going south, and so I took a deep,
cleansing breath and spoke from the heart.

“Mia, I’m Nora. I came today to try and
explain. Gavin and I met under the most extreme circumstances, and
then the Dokkalfar tried to kill him … I saved him.” The air grew
colder.

“We didn’t intend for this to happen.
Everyone is concerned for you, and I’m sorry for your despair. I
wish for nothing more than to try to help in some way.” I had my
shield at fog level, willing her to understand my intent was to
save Gavin, not to try to make him love me. I lightened the shield
until I could feel her distress. This wasn’t the same struggle as
with our clan. They resisted the energy—Mia’s blame aggressively
blocked it. Her hatred poured out to me.

“You want him for yourself. You want the
power of a queen, but you’re nothing more than a simple human
rejected by her own.” She turned and spit at my feet.

Gavin pulled me behind him in a defensive
stance, his fury spiked in both of us.

“You have given great offense this day, Mia,
daughter of Troy. I will not allow you to treat the future queen in
such a manner. I have tried to tell you for months now that had I
not met Nora, I still would not have mated with you. You were a
friend, and I hoped we could keep that relationship. I now see you
will not open your heart to understanding.” He paused, she was
pleading for something, but he refused to listen, his fury raging.
Gavin rose to his full height, his chest barreled out.

“You may stay in this dwelling, but I banish
you from the personal quarters of the kingdom and the main
corridors of the castle. You will not be allowed within one
thousand feet of my princess. So let it be written, so let it be
heard.” Gavin’s rich voice held such authority that my skin tingled
with its power.

The air grew colder still. There was no
remorse, only dark emotions wailed. Loathing and jealousy swirled
around her, glaring at me. Gavin turned, nudging me back to the
front door.

Rena and Tark fell into step as we made our
way out of the dark undergrowth in the house. Gavin had posted
other guards outside the front entrance and the gate. My thoughts
tried to soothe him, but he was angrier than I’d ever seen him.

Be mindful of your emotions, my
love
.

He started breathing deeply, but was having
great difficulty. We finally made it to his quarters. I opened our
circle; the fury coursing was hot and painful.

“If that would have been a man, I would have
torn him limb from limb. How dare she!” he roared.

Calmly, I placed my hand over his heart.
Instinct cried out that if I tried to defend Mia it would only make
things worse. I stood on my toes to kiss him. He relented, and the
fury dissipated to anger. I pressed my body close and wrapped my
arms around him, concentrating on the feel of his warmth seeping
through my clothes. His anger swirled to desire. I smiled, as my
lips found his once more.