Chapter 23

23

A rryn | The Kinnari Temple | Early 2000s

She had left him. There was no note, no explanation, only the feeling of inadequacy. Why would such a woman, a woman of power and beauty, stay around to take care of him? He was nothing, no one. He offered her only a life of pain and sadness. Any child that she would birth would share that same fate.

Arryn paced the great room of the temple, the firelight low and burning out, but now he welcomed the cold. He found himself falling into the familiar pattern of wallowing in the despair of his love life, wondering how best he could torture himself. Today, his mind seethed in a new direction, one more sinister. Today, he wondered how to welcome death best, for there was no life without his love, his Allienna.

They had returned that day from their encounter with the gods, with their lives still belonging to themselves. There were looks of gratitude and relief on the faces of his chosen family, the Kinnari he grew up with.

"She has never done this before. Allienna wouldn't have left without a word. There must have been foul play!" Arryn's rage was building while Amis, Reign, Roksana, Djoser, and Precession stood around him, watching.

"Allienna would be concerned for your child; she couldn't have gone far." Reign jumped up, putting a comforting arm on his shoulder. "We will find her, Arryn. No one goes truly missing in this world."

They searched all of Earth after that. Arryn found himself flying through all seven continents, looking for clues, but finding none. The search had concluded with everyone returning home. Djoser went back to Egypt, the twins to their private home in France, Reign to the United States, and Amis to his village in New Zealand.

Almost twenty years had passed, and Arynn did the only thing he knew he could do successfully: he waited at home for her to return. This day, however, felt different. He could no longer wait, pine, and hurt over something that did not exist. Today, he needed to let his anger out. The world was a terrible place; yes, he could endlessly put himself in tortuous situations, but what would be the point? He had done nothing wrong.

He considered going back to the Life Gifter briefly, to beg to be eradicated, even be a martyr, taking any future retaliation meant for either Reign or Allienna. Instead, he walked out of the temple door to the Earth realm to stir up a new storm.

His boots crunched through the snow as the wind danced around him. Arryn lifted his face to the sky and closed his eyes, letting a tear freeze on his eyelashes before raising his arms to push the darkness into the sky.

The fire underneath his skin flew through him, giving him instant relief while black clouds swirled for miles. Lighting struck three, now four, now five times, followed by a continuous roar of thunder.

"I will never be enough for you," he said to the sky, hoping that somehow, somewhere, Allienna could hear him. She was smart and cunning. Arryn knew now that there was no foul play in her disappearance. She simply did not wish to be found. She had left him.

Arryn dropped down, his bottom sitting on the snow below him, the waterproof coat working hard to keep up with the demand as moisture did its best to climb through any thread that would receive it. With the storm still roaring, Arryn picked up a handful of snow and brought it in front of his mouth.

The storm did not make him feel better on this day, but maybe true, organic creation would.

He blew into his hands gently as particles of snow and ice flew out before him. Instead of falling, they continued to swirl as Arryn added more and more to it. Eventually, the swirl of snow took a new shape. A shape with four legs, a head, and wings.

Whenever Arryn created life, there was always the threat of an imbalance, war, and famine. Even one being, one tree, one rock, would completely change the future tapestry that Karmakara would weave. He had experienced it firsthand as a child and swore off anything that might fulfill the purpose he was created for.

However, at this moment, he wanted to feel something other than alone. He needed something other than to disappear. He would be giving life as a promise to himself, a promise to be responsible for the creature that otherwise had no reason to exist.

Arryn let the storm calm and fade away as he focused on the soft swirl that outlined his new pet. He inhaled and, with a casual flutter of his eyelashes, pulled in the atoms surrounding him, making up snow, earth, and rock. The swirl had solidified, and a trembling, freezing baby dragon stood where air once was.

The power surging through Arryn's veins made him feel incredible. He could taste the air around him, the loose particles that begged him to create more and more. There could be forty new pets and companions in front of him in the blink of an eye, and he struggled momentarily to find a reason not to make it so.

The dragon pup was no bigger than a full-grown Labrador, its smooth and scaly skin a deep burgundy-tinted brown. It had large cartoon-like eyes, black as coal, that were filled with terror and uncertainty.

Arryn exhaled and unclenched his fists, letting the desire to bring more atoms together pass while staring at the creature before him.

"You were snow and air; now, you are named Kismet, my new friend." Arryn leaned his hand out to the dragon, who accepted her new name and rubbed her head against his hand.

Arryn's hand slid behind the animal's ears, close together on the top of its head and then down the back of its neck to its light red feathered-covered wings. Arryn wasn't a monster. The creature needed something to stay warm in this harsh environment.

Kismet let out a screech and a small cloud of smoke. The faint smell of embers filled Arryn's nostrils, and he smiled.

"I guess we all have our special talents, don't we, girl?" With that, he picked up the dragon and walked back toward the temple door, which was enveloped by snow from the storm.

"Got any fire to melt that away?" he asked Kismet with a smile and watched approvingly as a small shot of embers escaped from her open, toothless jaw, melting snow and exposing the door latch.

"I don't know what's going on here," a familiar woman's voice sounded behind him in tandem with boots landing in the snow. "But it's weird."

Arryn turned to see Reign, her wings retracting into her shoulder blades as she stood in the snow in attire more fitting for the beach. She shivered, covering her arms with her hands, and walked straight towards the door, unlatching it, raising her eyebrow at the dragon in Arryn's arms. She then walked inside to find warmth.

Arryn hadn't seen his friend since the day Allienna had disappeared. She had promised to search, and while he believed she did, she never told him about it. He had been grieving all this time, alone, and he was a bit pissed off about it. Reign had supported him through lesser traumas, but with something real like this, she kept a distance.

He walked behind her through the hallway, her black leather boots matching the rest of her attire, leaving sloppy, wet puddles on the floor with every step. Kismet started to thrash lightly in Arryn's arms, the poor creature feeling threatened in the new surroundings.

They all entered the common room, Reign whirling around to confront him. Arryn could tell that she sensed his irritation as her face hardened when their gazes met.

"Please state your purpose here," Arryn instructed with a coldness that made it seem like the temple door was left open.

"Here you stand, holding and stroking a dragon like an evil villain . . ." Regin scoffed and smiled.

"You left me. You all left me," he said, putting the dragon on the floor. The little creature snorted a few times before wandering away. Arryn twitched his head and a lush velvet blue dog bed and a plate of raw steak appeared near the stove.

"It's only been twenty years. If we were human, I'd say that would be a couple of months equivalent," Reign said, watching Kismet find the plate of food and cautiously pick at it.

"My wife, who was carrying my child, disappeared. You all left to find her and never came back. I searched, too, but mostly, I sat here abandoned. I even considered seeking out the Life Gifter?—"

"Oh, Arryn," Reign cut him off, "you are such a man-child. You, the most powerful being in this realm, must be constantly coddled. Allienna spoiled you fiercely."

"How dare you say that name," Arryn snapped.

"She was my dearest friend, too." Reign's face changed. Arryn saw a sadness there that he hadn't caught before. Silence fell between them as Kismet gnashed and growled while working through her first meal.

"I'm thrilled to see that you are allowing yourself to use your magic," Reign finally broke the silence, taking a few steps to close the distance between them.

"Just say it, whatever news you have that brought you here," Arryn whispered, praying that whatever she knew, had nothing to do with what he feared .

"I don't know where Allienna is. I have very little information there," she started while looking down at her feet. "But I feel confident enough in this to bring it to you. I think I found your daughter."

Arryn just stared at her, processing their entire interaction. He was hurt and still so impossibly alone. He had so much loss, an endless void of nothingness in an existence meant for abundance. Everywhere he turned, he only saw darkness, but here, the Kinnari in front of him told him something he had thought impossible. Allienna made it to full term. He had a living, breathing daughter.

He had many questions, making him pace back and forth for a few minutes while Kismet jumped playfully up and nipped at his boots. He let the dragon nudge against his leg before it was satisfied and returned to its area near the stove.

"So, that just lives here now?" Reign asked, pointing to Kismet. "Is it supposed to get full-sized? I remember those terrorizing the Earth once. They weren't exactly cute when full-grown."

"How do you know? How do you know it's her—my child?" Arryn asked, ignoring Reign's attempt to smooth their conversation over.

"She has the Kinnari mark and looks a lot like you," Reign said. "She lives in the city I reside in, which in retrospect could make sense; her mother was hiding her in plain sight."

Arryn sat there in silence, thinking of what this could mean for him. If Allienna was alive and refused to see him, then his daughter would likely not want anything to do with him. Other than Tristan, Arryn had never seen a kinnari die, but if the Life Gifter took her without any of them knowing, then his daughter was alone.

"Does she know who she is?" He managed to find a question that seemed appropriate to ask out loud.

"I really can't tell. This girl thinks her mother is dead. She seems lost. Again, the female version of you." Reign smiled at him, her eyes gleaming.

"Can you bring her here? Can you bring her to me?" Arryn asked.

"You can come back with me and meet her yourself."

"No, I cannot," Arryn said. "I have a different trip ahead." Arryn tripled the available food for Kismet before turning back towards the hallway, ready to walk back out into the snow, Reign a few paces ahead.

"Thank you for coming out here to tell me," he said.

"You really should get a phone," Reign teased as she walked past him. Arryn watched her spread her sharp-edged wings, contrasting dramatically with the snow, and fly into the sky, falling out of view.

The news she had brought inspired Arryn to leave his home, his place of safety, finally. He had finally given up on waiting for Allienna to return to him. It was an impossible dream. She didn't want him. She didn't love him—or maybe it was worse. Maybe there was reason to believe she was gone forever.

He followed Reign's footsteps into the snow, locking the latch behind him to keep Kismet from wandering into a world that did not know of her species. Minutes later, he was airborne, too.

Arryn flew slowly, allowing his mind to wander and form a plan. He didn't quite know why his wings were taking him there or what questions he could ask, but once his feet touched down on French soil, he began seeking out the most knowing of all beings in this realm.

He landed in a field outside a small town with cobblestone paths and buildings made of beige bricks. A cathedral was in the distance, the spire tall and defined against the skyline like a mother watching down on her children.

Arryn walked into the town and crossed a small footbridge connecting the town across a flowing river. Dusk had settled over the town while families were returning to their townhomes and young lovers were strolling the beautiful, clean walking paths.

He didn't know where he was going. He had never been to the twins' chateau but knew that it existed somewhere near here. He wandered for over an hour, looking for any sign pointing him in the right direction, but found nothing.

Maybe I should get a phone.

He promised himself that he wouldn't ever reveal that need to Reign. She would hold that over him for the rest of eternity. He was old-fashioned and preferred his contact face to face. She accused him of not evolving with the times.

Arryn noticed a commotion up ahead, two gentlemen throwing each other out of a tavern, ready to engage in a fight. They rolled around the walkway, doing minimal damage to each other, clumsy and drunk, when Arryn sighed in relief.

In the doorframe of the tavern, a woman with fire-red hair leaned, watching the two men roll around and looked quite uninterested. She wore a tight beige dress, a small jean jacket, and suede boots. Neither her wings nor her sister were anywhere in sight.

"Roksana." Arryn walked right up to her, doing his best to hide any friendliness in his voice. She was just simply a bitch.

Roksana looked up at him. Surprise flickered in her eyes briefly before she turned her head away from him.

"It's a pity you didn't come a week or two later. This town comes alive when the Christmas market gets set up," she said, shrugging her shoulders, the sound of fists hitting noses distracting.

"Do you know these two?" Arryn asked as casually as ever, while Roksana scoffed at the question.

"You know me, I have a single drink, and every man in the damn town goes wild with jealousy or whatnot." She crossed her arms, looking down at her feet, and Arryn understood. He understood that her gifts of amplifying emotion were often not something she controlled. It was something that just happened when she walked near you.

"I just needed to get out of the house. My damn sister has been driving me crazy with all of her wild rantings. It makes sense now that you're here. I imagine that everything that she's been saying is all about you."

Arryn perked up at that as the sound of a crunch signified the winner in the fight. One of the men was now bent over, holding his face in his hands and moaning. The other walked right up to Roksana, looking at her like she was his prize.

"Let's go," she said to Arryn, leaving the heartsick human gaping at her as they walked down the path and onto the road to hail a cab, a car pulling up within a minute.

Roksana gave the driver, a middle-aged man, some paper bills and driving directions, speaking French. The vehicle started to move.

"I've never been in one of these," Arryn said.

"In a taxicab?" Roksana blinked at him.

"In a car."

Roksana let a few minutes pass of silence between the two of them before she looked back over at him, her expression one of annoyance.

"God, you're boring." She rolled her eyes and relaxed low in her seat for the next fifteen minutes.

Arryn noticed they were back in the countryside, passing estates with family homes protected by large, soft green trees. The cab turned into a driveway and stopped moments later, letting them out at a home that seemed opulent for just two women to live there alone.

The gravel crunched beneath his boots as they approached the large, arched front door. It opened, groaning from its own weight, and revealing a cavernous foyer bathed in the moonlight. Gothic glass chandeliers were suspended from the high ceiling—Arryn counted four of them.

"I'm going to bed," Roksana said, her boots echoing on the shiny stone flooring. "Find yourself a room. There are plenty of them. I'm sure you'll find what you need."

She ascended the staircase in front of them and began walking down the upper hall as her twin sister came into view, walking right up to Arryn with a smile.

"Don't let her fool you—she loves you dearly," Precession said.

"I heard that," Arryn chucked at the distant sound of Roksana's threatening voice.

Precession was always so warm, so frail. She was the complete opposite of her sister. Roksana spent most of her life and energy protecting the Kinnari that stood in front of him, the very Kinnari that he came there to see. She was dressed in dark blue silk pajamas, her hair long and wild flowing down her back .

"I'm glad you came," Precession said, her eyes beginning to glaze over as her powers were continuously in use, constantly draining her energy to keep the world as it was.

"Let me show you to your room. We have some things to discuss." She slumped, unable to carry her weight as she put one foot in front of the other, leading Arryn out of the foyer.

Once down a wide-open hallway on the first floor, Precession stopped at the door and opened it to present to Arryn. Before entering, he turned to her, offering his arm in support. She took it without hesitation, steadying herself and regaining any strength she had available. Arryn struggled to imagine her flying when she was in this state, tethering the moon to the Earth.

"We will talk tomorrow," she instructed, sensing Arryn's impatience. "Now, we both must rest."

Arryn awoke the following day in a single bed that he was too big for, but damn, was the mattress comfortable. His body sank into it, and his skin caressed the gentlest cotton quilt. The room was charming, quaint, and far more simple than the exterior of this small palace. He appreciated that about the French; it was nothing too outrageous, yet pride in family, history, and the quality of materials shone through.

He had slept in only underwear, having arrived here in his heavy snow attire and nothing else. A vintage wicker chair sat in the far southwest corner of the room underneath a large, stained glass window. Flickers of red and blue danced along the corner from the morning's dazzling sun, and in the chair sat a simple change of clothes.

Arryn sighed in relief. To be taken care of again lifted the world's weight off of his chest. The feeling of warmth, care, and love was something he had been missing. Even when he went through his bouts of depression and sold himself into servitude, he often made friends and formed relationships. This portion of his life had been entirely alone.

He kicked his feet out of the blankets, stood, toes cold against a blue tile floor, and moved to get dressed. Today, he wanted answers, so he knew what to do next. He was done waiting. Allienna would not return to him, but maybe he could find her now if his child had been discovered.

Arryn put the long-sleeved knitted wool sweater on. It was the lightest of grays, which contrasted against the charcoal thin-cut pants made out of a flexible, waterproof fabric. He then walked out of the room, moving through the large hallways as if he were a ghost haunting the space.

It was empty and quiet. Large portraits of child ballerinas and lush green, ethereal landscapes decorated the walls between the panes of glass, showcasing the gardens outside.

"If you are looking for breakfast, it's this way." Roksana's cold words bounced down the hallway to meet him. She was standing at the edge of the hall in a looser, thick sweater dress and high boots.

"What do you think of our home?" she asked as he filled the space between them, following her lead towards a bright open dining room where Precession awaited them.

"I see the appeal," he admitted. Precession sat at a dark mahogany oval table, surrounded by seven other chairs. Small plates of pasties decorated the table as the lady before them sipped on a cup of tea that spilled small puffs of steam into the air.

"I never understood how you and Allienna could stay in the temple. It is little more than a dungeon," Rokasana added as she joined her sister, pulling an empty cup towards her and filling it with water from a porcelain teapot.

"Because it's home," Arryn said simply, eying the delicacies before him. Buttery scones and fresh chocolate-filled croissants looked as perfect as a painting.

"Oh, sit down and eat." Rokasna rolled her eyes, grabbing a croissant. "This one has ham and cheese stuffed inside. It's divine."

Though he could create any food he desired for his consumption at any time, these items were cared for and crafted by hand and heart. They were far more appetizing. He obeyed gratefully and loaded up an empty plate with berries and scones.

"My dear sister here," Roksana continued, "has been yelling in her sleep these past few months. Sometimes, there are nights where she mumbles about the true villain, and there are other nights where she awakes in a panic shouting about wings made of glass."

"Neither of those seem related to Allienna," Arryn countered with a mouth filled with food. "So I'm not sure why that would make you expect my arrival."

"Because," Precession airily interrupted, "my dearest Arryn, I often dream of a girl. A girl who is in so much danger. A girl who has your nose and your chin."

Arryn bit into a chocolate scone, trying not to groan in delight.

"Reign came to see me. She said she thinks she has located my child. A daughter."

Precession and Roksana eyed each other, their expressions unreadable. For once, he'd love it if the people around him could just say what was on their minds instead of making him play some ridiculous guessing game.

"What of Allienna?" he asked. "Do you dream about her?"

"I see nothing of her. It's as if she no longer exists," Precession said. "Maybe once you save your child's life, she will have some insight."

Arryn's ears perked up, having missed any mention of danger in their conversation.

"Save her life? Save her from who?" he asked, confused.

"Where does your mind go when you're being talked to?" Roksana demanded, a look of utter disbelief dancing across her brow.

"My dreams are dark and filled with blue blood on a bright red carpet. There is a whisper behind me about a villain, the one true villain. Your daughter is on a path, and I think she might be alone. The blood I see on the carpet, there is no doubt that it is hers." Precession rolled her head around in a circle, letting out air that vocalized between a sigh and a hum. "I have exhausted myself and must go lie down."

Roksana jumped up and put her sister's arm around her neck, helping her stand. She shot a look at Arryn, one of disgust.

"You may stay for two weeks to form your next move, Arryn, not a minute longer," she said, aiding Precession out of the dining room. "And no, we will not be traveling to help you this time."