29. Dan’thiel

twenty-nine

Dan'thiel

Before me, the seven High Guardians of the Otherworld sit in session atop a gilded dais that would make the knees of most kings' buckle. The intricate carvings span from the floor to the dome ceiling. A small circle at the pinnacle of the dome remains open to the elements, allowing a singular line of sunlight inside to mark the hours.

Five.

That's how many hours I've stood motionless, unable to speak and often unable to hear their debate. Only when they ask me direct questions do they unplug the air from my ears and allow me to respond.

My teeth ache from clenching my jaw for too long. In the corner of my vision, Rynlin peaks his head through an open-air doorway. No indication he can hear anything or even acknowledge my presence.

He warned me not to bring this to the council. He told me there would be consequences. Punishment. And yet watching the living world is not a crime, just frowned upon. Of course, I didn't mention all the times I subtly influenced the living. A gust of wind here to carry a scent. To release a tree branch. A Dreamshare or two. Nothing egregious.

Well, mostly nothing egregious. I still don't understand how I was able to channel through Mira. With her maybe. It was like watching a movie as she screamed under Yurghen's torture. As the First Shard bled to death at her feet. I just reached out and suddenly I was there. I was with her, working through her.

And then there was the issue with that other woman. Lisa, she's called. She circled the area where the portal was found for days, searching long after the authorities of her world had given up. Something about her passion, her dedication, pulled to me.

The most interesting part was that she wasn't even that close to the portal entrance when she was sucked inside. She strolled along the banks, looking out over the water, missing her friend. My heart twisted, just slightly, at her predicament and then she was hurtling into Illuemera.

Both of these instances were purely by accident. There was no intention behind either. Surely that must count for something should this council discover them.

A muffled cough comes into sharp focus. A sudden intake of breath surprises me, as my ears are freed from their prison of stagnant air. I blink, still a bit startled as the Head Councilor addresses me.

"Prince Dan'thiel, you've admitted to watching the living. Your warnings of this Yurghen and his plan to break open the Great River did not fall on deaf ears. This is a grave threat to all that we know. However, this is not the purpose of our world. The Otherworld and its inhabitants must never interfere with the living. We remove this temptation by not observing. Your situation, however, is unique among us."

I shift my weight from foot to foot, the anticipation building in my chest as the man looks down at the notes laid before him on his desk. Rynlin stands taller with his back against the wall. Maybe this is a good sign. He clears his throat before continuing.

"We, the council, have decided to overlook this transgression of yours. The observation, that is. The meddling, however, cannot be forgiven unfortunately."

"Meddling?" I ask. There's no way for them to know. My eyes dart to Rynlin's and for the first time our eyes meet. A flash of guilt spreads across his face.

"Do you deny touching the living world since you arrived here?"

I square my shoulders as I lift my chin. In my mind's eye, I see Eyveriel's sweet, smiling face. My big sister now looks like a mere child in my adult mind. An ache rips through me. Her soul floats in the Great River, waiting to be returned to the living when the Gods deem appropriate. Should Yurghen succeed, she'll be lost forever.

And for a moment, another face slams against the barrier of my mind, bouncing around the edges of my awareness. A face that surprises me more than anything. Cor'than.

My only brother, the one who took everything from me.

One by one, the faces of friends whip into view and out again, those I've lost. Those I hope to find again one day. In another life.

"I'm not ashamed of what I've done. Of what I'm fighting for. I understand it is forbidden, but saving the souls of everyone who has or ever will be among the living is a cause I will fight for until my last breath."

"And yet you influenced the living before you even discovered this threat."

The comment hits me like a sucker punch to the gut. "It's true. Initially, my intentions were purely selfish. I wanted revenge. I wanted to live again and take back what I believed belonged to me. But those goals seem childish now, silly to worry about with such greater stakes."

The Head Councilman merely nods his head as if that is the correct answer. "Prince Dan'thiel, the council and I have deliberated and come to a decision. There can be no rule of law if there are not consequences. Your time here is running out. Your fragmented Soul Shards will either merge-" his tone makes it clear how likely he thinks that will be. "Or they will live out a maximum lifespan of another 50 years. At that time, your presence here will fade away. As such, you will live out the remainder of your time in our world, in the dungeons."

A murmur of surprise ripples across those who in the room I hadn't even realized were there. Rynlin's head drops into his hands as two guards come to take my arms.

As the visceral shock ripples through me, my mind jumps into another familiar body. I'm no longer standing before the dais in a pseudo courtroom. I'm no longer even in the Otherworld. Two realities are split before me.

In one, the Otherworld. Time is moving at a snail's pace. Everything looks foggy, like a pane of frosted glass has been set atop it. In the other sits Yurghen, now fully formed and presiding over his captured faelings like an evil king.

I'm in his mind, but he doesn't seem to know. Can't detect me. His face is scarred beyond recognition from the burns, but I'd know that rotten soul anywhere.

In a flash of images so clear, I understand what he's searching for. Memories flood into my mind. His memories.

A young, handsome Yurghen stands prominently among world leaders, guiding their Chromatic journeys. A beautiful woman dressed in a traditional wedding gown, beaming at him. Disappointment as the mating bond fails to snap into place time and time again. An illness. Incurable. The woman withers away before his eyes. Emptiness. Darkness. Nothing but Yurghen alone as he walks into the forest and buries her with his hands. Research. So much research. Binding souls, Fae-led resurrection. But How? Malicryn seeks his help to punish her lover. Mira bound before me, screaming as I kill her mate. He sees me, Dan'thiel, reaching through her, channeling through her. Understanding floods him. The last piece to his puzzle.

The memories fade, and I'm back in my own body. The fog lifts in the Otherworld. Time resumes and the world beneath my feet shifts and shakes.

I pull away from the guards, who now wrap my arms in their grip, running to the dais. Gasps and shocked curses roar around me.

"Please! You have to help them. I know what he's searching for. He has everything he needs. You can't allow him to-"

"Enough!" The Head Councilman rises to his feet, clearly affronted by my break in decorum. The room hushes in unison.

"Our ruling is clear, concise, fair, and final. Remove him from my sight."

A blast of air clamps my mouth and ears closed as I'm dragged through the room by the ethereal guards of the Otherworld. Around me, hateful glares from some and curious wonder from others follow me. The last pair of eyes I see before I'm dragged down to the eternal darkness beneath are pale blue and so very sad. I glimpse the fragmented light bouncing off a single tear running down Rynlin's face.