The Traveler: Bella's Tale

Kitty’s golden brown eyes clouded.  “Why would she do that?  She was willing to sacrifice herself to save him, even after all this time.  How did she even know what had happened?  That was nearly a week ago, long before Tristan had time to put pen to paper.”

The countess’s eyes took on a faraway look.  “She has known every move he’s made since she fled from him.  His soul speaks to hers as hers speaks to his.  It’s the Qvaishini bond that allows them to do this.  It was the only thing keeping Bella afloat since he left.  She knew one day he would realize his mistake and return.  He left more than his heart in her keeping.”

By now Kitty was thoroughly confused.  “What more could he have left behind?  Your heart is a pretty big thing to lose.”

The Dowager’s smile was soft as she continued.  “There is still much you don’t understand about the Darkkin, Kitty.  You haven’t encountered the dark song of the stars or the burning need to lift free of those that surround you.  Your Darkkin side is buried deep, having yet to make its existence known.  You have known nothing but peace and contentment all your life.  You have never felt the urge to mist, nor have you encountered the touch of the ancient darkness that has stalked Bella her entire life.”

“You and Bella are as different as night and day, which is probably why you get on so well together.  The trauma she suffered at the hands of her parents’ killer brought out her draconic side too soon.  She nearly misted on me that night.  Had that happened, we never would have been able to get her back.  It has been hovering just below the surface ever since.  She is the youngest Darkkin in history to complete a Misting.”

Sudden understanding buffeted Kitty’s innocent mind as she recalled the blindfold her aunt had placed over Bella’s eyes the night her screams shattered the household.  “You blinded her so she couldn’t transform.  How long has she been able to do this?”

Lady Emmaline shrugged.  “I’m not really sure, but what I do know is that she has been doing it regularly since Tristan left.  She takes to the skies to escape the pain of her bleeding bond, searching for any hint of the song that will complete hers.”

Kitty sank into the chair facing Lady Emmaline’s still finding it hard to believe her ears.  The words in Tristan’s letter suddenly took on a whole new meaning.  “You mean to tell me that my best friend is a shapeshifter?  That Tristan’s words weren’t just figurative?”

The countess’s expression struggled between laughter at the look of incredulity on her niece’s face and exasperation with Kitty’s brother Andrew for keeping the truth from his sister all this time.  “It looks like we are going to have to start from the beginning with you.  What do you know about the Darkkin?”

Kitty’s smile was wan as she replied, “Little more than the whispers of demons that shredded the skies and made the mountains bleed centuries ago.”

A sudden laugh from the bed drew the attention of all three women gathered around the fire.  A frail voice spoke for the first time in more than a week.  “Andrew is an even bigger fool than I thought.  He didn’t tell you, did he?”

“Bella!”  Kitty nearly shrieked with relief as she leapt to her feet and raced to the bed.  “You’re back!”  Leaning down, she gently hugged her friend, who over the ensuing years had become a sister to her. 

Shakily she drew away, saying, “For a while we thought we were going to lose you.  Don’t ever do that to us again.  Next time I might not be so forgiving.”

“Worry is hard on a lady’s appearance, you know,” she added with a teasing smile.

Bella returned the smile with honest affection.  “On that note your mind may rest easy, I have no intention to returning to that sea of darkness, ever.  Besides I have a battle that need fighting right here.  I also have a bone to pick with your brother for not telling you the truth.  You have been more blind than I have the past few days.”  As she spoke, she pulled off the blindfold encircling her head.  Her rare silver eyes sparkled in the firelight, lit from within.

“Aunt Em is right when she told you I was a shapeshifter.  The rumors of monsters that destroyed the skies are naught but folklore.  The lines between demon and dragon have become blurred with the passing years, mainly because people fear what they don’t understand.  A winged beast able to shape the elements and breathe fire definitely counts as something they don’t understand for one simple reason.  We are not of this world.”

Kitty sank down on the bed beside Isabella, shaking her head in disbelief.  “Please tell me this is only something you dreamed while you were unconscious.”

Bella’s smile was savage and beautiful.  “It isn’t; it’s the truth.  Just ask Aunt Em or your brother, who should have told you this, years ago.  The legends are real, the skies were sundered and the mountains stained with blood and shadow, but it wasn’t from the Darkkin; it was from the demons our ancestors were summoned to combat.  They were the ones that brought the people of the black forests to their knees and it was only because of the Seer they were spared.  We bled and died to save this world only to be labeled as the monsters they revile.

Envy and blind hatred of our kin has grown since the passing of the Ladies and the breaking of the Gregorian.  All that remains of our once prosperous realms are the few estates held by the ancient families both here and across Europe, but even those are now under threat.  There are many, who hunt us purely for pleasure and an even greater number, who believe we are nothing but old wives tales created to frighten and entertain children.  Even if we revealed the truth to the world, they would declare us mad fools; we are entering into a battle against a foe, only we can sense and feel.  The rest of the world sees only what they want to see, disregarding the proof that’s staring them in the face.  My parents were the last victims of the Phantasm and the Stone Hag, and I intend to keep it that way.”

Kitty’s beautiful amber eyes grew round.  “Just how do you think you will be able to manage that when you barely made it through this week with your life?”

“The Assemblage needs to be called into counsel and the truth about the Gregorian and the Ladies needs to be told.  The broken bonds have been reforged with the decimation of the Darkkin lines, although the Mange hasn’t realized the fact yet.”  Bella stated matter-of-factly.

Lady Emmaline’s spine went poker stiff.  “You’ve seen much more than just the monsters that killed your parents in these nightmares of yours; haven’t you Bella?”

She shivered and nodded.  “The Ravenstalkers have made it to these shores.  They follow in the steps of the Phantasm and the Hag.  They hunt us with unparalleled fervor.  The Hag and the Phantasm kill only to obtain information.  The Ravenstalkers kill for pleasure, rending their victims’ limb from limb and consuming their flesh.  They are among the Mange’s most powerful and loyal followers.  They were the ones, who killed my father.”

“My god, Bella!” exclaimed the Countess.  “I had no idea.  You saw everything, didn’t you?”

Talon rose from his place before the fire and once again curled himself around Bella as she finally spoke about the horrors of that night.  “Yes.  The Hag was the one, who killed my mother, while the Ravenstalkers went after my father.  The Phantasm came for me, but they didn’t get what they were looking for before Talon drove them away.”

Her godmother was intrigued.  “And what might that have been?”

Bella’s smile was eerie as she replied.  “The rings of the Taboo.”

         With the words finally out of her mouth, both Kitty and Lady Emmaline could only stare before, the Dowager recovered enough of her wits to speak.  “You mean you know the location of the lost rings?”

         “Yes.” Came the reply.

         “All of them?”  Bella’s disarrayed curls bobbed from side to side.

“How many?”

“Only eight.”

“Do you have possession of any of them?”  Again, Bella nodded.

Again the Dowager pressed.  “How many?”

“Four.”

“Which pairs?”

“I only possess one complete pair, the others are familial rings.”

Understanding dawned in Lady Emmaline’s eyes.  “Tristan gave his into your keeping, but who do the others belong to?”

“One belongs to Andrew, who refuses to acknowledge the fact that he is a Darkkin and a member of the Gregorian.  The other I’m almost certain belongs to Kitty, but other than her fae glow and features I have never seen any other outward signs that she is one of the Ladies.  The ring belonged to her maternal grandmother, while Andrew’s is a relic from his paternal grandfather.  He gave them both into my keeping when he found out what I was.”  Bella said her voice bitter.

Kitty’s eyes had grown round and dark with shock.  She couldn’t contain her question.  “And just what are you?”

Her friend’s laughter was bone chilling as she rolled onto her side and lowered her damp nightgown, revealing the scarred mark stretching across her back.  “One of five Ladies blessed and cursed by the gifts of our kin to save a world that fears and reviles us.  I am the Traveler, the child born of ice and fire, seer of nightmares and guardian of dreams.”

Lady Emmaline had surged to her feet at Bella’s sudden announcement.  “You are much more than that, child.  You are the heart and eyes of a dying race, our hope for a brighter tomorrow.  You have seen things that would have driven lesser mortals mad, but you held on and fought.  Only now does your faith in yourself falter; you have embraced your wings and song and chased the stars.  What darkness eats at you?”

         “The fragmented songs of the Echo Stone; the shards have fallen into the wrong hands.  Most don’t know the power of the relics they carry because many are concealed within the hearts of larger gems shielding the true face of the treasure.  They need to be recovered if the Darkkin are to survive in this realm,” she said.

         As Bella spoke the Dowager caught Kitty’s speculative gaze, her resolved hardened as she made note to privately ream her nephew Andrew as soon as she got him alone.  Without a moment of hesitation she ordered Kitty from the room.  Kitty went, reluctantly, grumbling the entire time about being treated like a child; Maria went with her.  Once both women were out of earshot Lady Emmaline rounded on her goddaughter.

         “This is madness, Bella!” she exclaimed, beginning to pace.  “How can you possibly know about the broken stone?  No one, save the High Masters of the Counsel, knows about it.”

         Bella’s features were stony as she watched her godmother.  “There are many ways of learning things.  With our true faces revealed, instinct takes over and we learn to navigate using more than just sight, touch, and human voices.  The music of the ancient magic becomes a beacon that guides us through the skies and across the night.  The hidden wonders of this world are revealed for what they truly are, no matter what has been done to try and mask them.

         The voices of the earth’s treasures are lifted on the winds and we echo with the refrain that has been silent for more than two centuries.  Their songs give us power and feed the spirit that drives us to fly, fight, and survive.  Each element has its own symphony and unique place in this world.  They form a perfect balance of interwoven threads with each other, just as they do with our kin. 

The air whispers and caresses like a lover; it is the wine of the Taboo that makes us drunk with delight, yet it also keeps us far from harm, lifting us high above the reach of our foes.  While water flows along in an ever-changing course, deep and swift, reminding us of the hidden depths our kind possess; it is the icy shield that protects our mighty hearts from lesser mortals.  Fire is the warmth that heats our blood even in the frozen heights and is the spark the kindles the truemate bonds that bind us spirit and soul; it is the very essence of the Bloodsong.  Earth is the stone that anchors our restless wings and wild hearts; it is the foundation to which our weary bodies return when the winds can no longer support us.  It is the very soul of the mountains that have proved haven for us centuries.

These are the voices we learn to heed as we take to the skies, but they are not the only ones.  There are three others that are much more subtle, but far more powerful.  They are the songs of Spirit, the Echo, and the Void.  Spirit is the resonating pulse and beacon of strength that shines from our souls, thrumming in perfect harmony with the raw elements that surround it, giving the wilder magics a purpose to exist.  To safeguard and maintain the balance of the world.  The Echo is the ghost voice that speaks of the ancient wonders of a lost realm; it is the song of origins and the very heart of our kind.  The Void is the absence of all life, light, and song; it is the absolute dark that gave rise to the Hag and her like.  Its sole purpose is to destroy.”

Bella’s voice was soft, her accent pronounced as she spoke; her eyes wide, dark and ancient.  There was no possible way the Dowager could refute a single word she had said because, Lady Emmaline, even though she didn’t possess many Graces of the Darkkin, still felt the lure of the old melodies that surrounded them and was equipped with much keener senses than a normal human.  She knew when another of their kind was within a three mile radius and knew most of the mortal spirit pulse of their tribe in London.  She knew the pull of the bonds that tied their people together.  However, she had never known the wild, fiery abandon of chasing the stars, so thus it was that she never learned the songs and echoes of the world as Bella had done like the Darkkin of the legends.

The elderly countess’s brow furrowed as Bella concluded.  “I still don’t understand how you were able to find out about the Echo Stone.  No one but the High Masters knows of its existence.  We made sure that all mention of the Stone was eliminated.  There is only one book still in existence that carries the true story of our lost treasure.  It is the last written record of the Assemblage Masters after the passing of the Ladies and the Gregorian.  It’s written in the old tongue, so even we haven’t been able to decipher much of it.”

For a moment the fragile young lady the Countess had come to know disappeared behind the strong, assured face of the Darkkin Bella had kept under wraps all these years.  “The secret to locating the broken pieces lies within the second of the three non-elemental magics I spoke of.  The Echo.  The fragments are a reflection of my song in the Void that occupies the bodies of those in service of the Hag and her ilk.  It is a flicker of light in the darkness, begging to be rescued.  They are an aberration in the pattern of the weave of the world, which made finding them relatively simple.

I located them, shard by broken shard, tracing my way across the skies.  Each fragment had a piece of a forgotten story to tell.  No words were ever spoken, the legend was told in song, dream images, and emotion so dense it all but swallowed you.  The Echo knows the truth of my past and was splintered by the Ravenstalkers, who between them have more than two-thirds of the fifteen shards.  Only the Ladies and the Gregorian have the power to retrieve them.”

Lady Emmaline ceased her restless pacing and sank into the chair.  The truth ringing in her young charge’s voice was all the convincing she needed.  Although she was reluctant to admit defeat and call a meeting of the counsel, she knew she had no other choice.  “Very well, I’ll summon the Council, but secrecy is of the utmost importance.  If the Hag and her minions find out about the meeting, it could spell the end of the Darkkin.  We’ll need some sort of excuse for calling such a massive gathering.”

Bella’s smile returned, her keen mind working overtime, knowing she had made her case.  “That shouldn’t prove to be too much of a problem.  Kitty’s twentieth birthday is coming up in a few weeks; a ball giving in honor of the event should suffice.  We need to speak with Andrew about his secret keeping anyway; we can inform him of the plan then.  Kitty can find out everything she needs to know then.”

That had been nearly three weeks ago, now she was physically in attendance at a ball for the first time in almost three years.  Her pearl studded black velvet mask concealed her grimace as she moved deeper into the shadows, giving thanks that this affair was a masquerade ball.  If it had been just a regular ball she would have been besieged, having been a prime target for the wolves of the ton since Tristan’s departure.  It had taken weeks of careful planning to bring things to this point and now Tristan was finally here, separated from her by the mere length of the ballroom instead of an ocean and half of Europe.