Page 75 of The Oracle of Dusk

“No. I wish it were that simple.”

He turned around, his gold eyes taking her measure, trying to puzzle her out. But no matter how penetrating his gaze, he would not uncover her secrets so easily. Aurora could ill afford it. For what kind of sane man would believe her full story? Orithyia hadn’t, and she had knowledge no one else in Trisia possessed. No, she needed his aid more than she needed to unburden her soul, more than she wished she could be fully honest.

“What aren’t you telling me?” he asked.

Her ears twitched as the attendant marched through the hallways. Aurora had never been more grateful for their presence.

“It’ll have to wait. We have company.”

He cupped the back of her neck, drawing her close.

“Youwilltell me.”

Aurora said nothing, returning his stare, refusing to be the first to flinch. The longer she held out, the more wicked his smile, and the more his gaze dipped to her lips.

Theron only released her when the attendant knocked on the door to deliver the stone, an opaque blue crystal the size of her fist with a copper colour band around it inscribed with ancient symbols. She’d never heard of such a device, though it bore some similarities with her artefact. Theron took the stone and sent the attendant out.

“I fear my words won’t do my kingdom justice, but I can picture it clearly in my mind. This device will allow me to share it with you.”

Theron closed his eyes, holding the stone in both hands. Images flashed before him, a magic wholly unknown to her, lost in time and never recovered. Her eyes widened, taking in the unexpected sight.

“We would cross The Colonnades Of The Colossus, a land bridge that soars over the Dragon’s Tongue River, and enter my eastern-most province, the Dragon’s Flank. The land is hilly, bordered by the Dragon’s Tail and Dragon’s Spine Mountain ranges, and gradually meets the sea in the south. In spring, the whole landscape is covered in colourful wildflowers. Small towns hug the rivers, and the largest city is the harbour.”

He was showing her what remained of Aureum’s habitable land in her time. She recognised the Colonnades, but the water was higher, faster, a series of rapids beneath. The landscape was shocking in its beauty and abundance, green and dotted with flowers in reds, pinks, yellows and whites, vast forests where she only knew arid wine country. The towns were of particular interest. So little remained of old towns, where the original buildings were buried under thousands of years of occupation. Their plans were strikingly orderly, the buildings taller than she would have thought possible. But if her day out in Boreas were any measure, just seeing more than the ankle-high walls was still surprising to her.

“But we wouldn’t stay there long, or travel south far enough to see it. We would travel the winding trade road through the canyons to Aureum proper, where Altanus lies. This time of year, it should be carpeted in grazing lands and fields of wheat…” He trailed off, a scowl on his face.

High, green cliffs soared overhead of a well-tended road that abutted a river along the same path, occasionally widening in places where waterfalls rained down from above to create small ponds of striking depths. It was a feast for her eyes, all the more so because of what she remembered. The old trade road had been as dry as a bone, the waterfalls as extinct as the river, the small, deep ponds turned into wells that had long gone dry. But when he brought her out of the mouth of the canyon and into the old Aureum-proper, she could barely stifle her gasp.

Gone were the arid plains and seemingly endless desert beyond. In their place, a land of vibrant green, sparkling rivers, an enormous lake at the foot of mountains capped with dazzling snow. The city itself was no less spectacular. Painted buildings, colourful roofs, a bustling market, tree-lined streets, tranquil parks and rising above it all, a palace more resplendent than even her wildest imaginings. She’d always thought the ancient Aureans lived less splendidly than the Viridians, their cities poorer, their architecture less advanced. Perhaps what she’d learned had been more fairy tale than truth, if what Theron was showing her was to be believed.

“But the cursed blight has devastated much. The once-mighty rivers are polluted streams and the fields have become arid and patchy. The lake at the foot of the Dragon’s Spine just north of the capital used to be crystal clear, but ever since Orithyia’s tower went up, angering the spirits, that picturesque place is now a shadow of itself.”

“A tower?”

He showed it to her then, an alien construction shooting out of the mountains, a white spire, darkening the snow that surrounded it. The rivers trickled through the land, the farmland suffered, the lake waters turned murky, and everywhere in his mind, there were people who were hungry, sick, their eyes hollow and hopeless.

“She constructed it in my kingdom without permission and angered the spirits. Ever since, my lands have been blighted. It fell not long ago, and I hope that will be the end of it.”

He dispelled the images, setting the stone aside.

Was it truly a blight brought on by angry spirits, or merely a drought? She’d gathered he had a contentious relationship with the Orithyia of this time. She sympathised, but was he putting the blame in the right place or merely placing it where it was most emotionally satisfying? She put a hand on his.

“Your kingdom is beautiful, Theron. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so full of life.”

“Did you miss the part about the blight?”

“Even so, it was stunning. You’re right to be proud of it.”

“Hmmm, I can’t tell if you’re being sincere, or if you’re buttering me up for something else.”

Aurora laughed. It felt good, cleansing after everything that had happened.

“Will you tell me about your kingdom’s myths and legends?”

“If you insist,” he grumbled. “I shall tell you of the dragon whose body became Aureum and Niveum.”

Aurora curled up against the pillows on the bed and listened, rapt by the stories Theron told of ancient heroes, the tales of giants and faeries, of the dragon who fell in love with a unicorn and gave her wings, and of the First Great Sundering. But as the sun rose in a cloudy sky, Aurora’s eyelids drooped, until sleep took her in its gentle embrace. Her last recollection was of Theron tucking her in and wishing her sweet dreams.

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