Sunshine
Chapter Eight

Lianna could feel everyone’s eyes on her. A sweat broke out on her brow and her pulse began to throb in her ears, her fire boiled up to defend her and she could feel it push to the surface trying to break free. Glancing around, she tried to replace an exit so she would not combust in front of them all, maybe she would take them all with her.

Someone squeezed her hand and her eyes flew to his. A storm brewed in his eyes, the silvers and blues glowing and swirling. She felt the coolness of his aura slide over her clammy skin, soothing the heat that wanted out. She remembered to breathe. She pushed the flames back, imagining the iron cage containing it. Lianna reached for her wine glass and downed it in one swig.

Everyone at the table let out a collective sigh. She glanced back at Eris and gave him a tight smile, returning the squeeze he had offered her. A tether to the outside is what he had offered, grounding her before she floated away on that rising tide of untamed power. He looked back towards his father, who was staring at his son with a hint of pride and definitely appreciation. The temperature of the room had dropped drastically, and everyone’s breath made little puffs of condensation.

Varise was still looking at her like she was an insect she wasn’t sure if she should squish or not. Lianna cleared her throat.

“I can not control it. I have no idea..” She swallowed. “Can you help me?” Eris’s mother looked as if she would sooner jump naked from the cliffs towering over the valley. She would not meet her eyes no matter how Lianna’s own pleaded for help, for understanding.

“I will not ever use this power. I only need to know how to stop myself.” Lianna hated the tone of her voice that sounded as if she were begging the woman.

“I can not teach you.” Varise hissed. “How am I to teach you to control yourself? Self-control comes from years of practice. Only one man has that power, and I will not invite him into my home.” Gone was the sweet smile, the appreciation for saving her son. The woman before her did not want anything to do with her. Wanted her gone.

“I am sorry.” Lianna bit out. She felt the anger well in her at the unfairness of it. How could she change what she was? If only she could understand it, then maybe she could control it. She jerked her hand from Eris’s cool touch and stood quickly. The chair scraped against the stone floor with a loud screech before it toppled over behind her and some of the servants gasped.

“I will not frighten any of you with my presence for a moment longer. Thank you for your hospitality.” She gave Eris one last look and turned on her heel. Servants skittered out of her way, many of them kissing their fingers and raising them to the heavens in prayer as if she would break their minds with a single glance.

Lianna remembered the way back to her room. Varese’s room. Turning right in the main hall she half-ran through the den. She skirted around the pillar in the center of the entryway, ignoring the startled glances of the fae she passed. She could hear their whispers. Feel their pointed looks. She was glad that they feared her, maybe they would stay out of her way. She had made it to her chamber door before Eris caught up to her. He ran into a serving girl carrying a tray, she watched as he apologized profusely, before continuing towards her. His eyes were wary but not afraid. His long strides echoing loudly in the tense quiet of the hallway.

“You must forgive my mother. She loves us all very much and the thought of someone being able to control our minds in our own home is not something she was prepared to deal with.” The words tumbled from his mouth, naked in their honesty.

“I can not change who or what I am. How is it fair for me to be ostracized for something I cannot control?!” Lianna was nearly shouting at this point. Eris grabbed her arm and ushered her into the room before slamming the door. She felt him throw up a wall of power at the entrance, but her anger would not be diminished. The prying eyes and ears be damned!

“It scares the hell out of me too! I just woke up four days ago and fire lashed out of my fingertips for Mother’s sake! All this has happened so damn fast, and I have no one! No one.” Lianna had begun to pace back and forth before him.

“My mother knew! And instead of helping me, she poisoned me and lied to me! Then she left me. “ A sob escaped with the last sentence. She fell to her knees and let the tears fall. There was no room for shame in her heart right now, not when the overwhelming isolation closed in on her. Would she never be accepted for who she was?

“I am not your responsibility, and I will not endanger your people. Your mother is right, only I can learn how to control myself, and being in a strange environment surrounded by people who hate and fear me will no doubt make it harder.” She admitted to him. His heart twisted in his chest as he heard the raw emotion in her voice. The simple fact that she was able to admit that much to him, proved the worth of her character. At least it did in his eyes.

“I will replace my own way. I will not be afraid.” Her head snapped up and she looked him in the eyes. A dangerous gleam appeared there. She had always been on her own, she could take care of herself. Her power rumbled its agreeance. He felt it and took a step back.

“I am not afraid of you.“ He lied. She could taste the lie in the air. Feel his shame as he knew she knew.

“Where will you go?” He asked quietly, before continuing, an urgency in his voice that almost made her believe he cared. “You must know, people will hunt you down, fae and human alike. For what you can do. They will all fear you.” He sounded remorseful like he truly regretted the truth in the words he spoke. Eris let her digest his words before he plunged ahead.

“Your father, his name is Errewyn. King Errewyn, and if he knew of your existence you would not be here. He will protect you if you choose to replace him.” Lianna felt the blood drain from her face.

Her father was a king? King Errewyn? The same king that claimed to have killed the last dragon? She almost laughed at the look of ire that rose on Eris’s face at her total lack of belief in his claim.

“You are telling me that my father is a king? Does this .. percipience,” She hesitated. “ It comes from him? Is that why he is king?” The look on his face told her all she needed to know.

“If you hate him, why would you send me to him? And if he did kill the last dragon, what is to stop him from killing me once he learns that I have this power?” She tried to understand his reasoning.

She watched him glance to the door as if worried someone might overhear.

“No one hates him. He is the king. But Kings come to power in ominous ways, and your father is no exception. A plague sweeps the land and Errewyn sits garrisoned in his castle, safe from it all. People are rioting in the cities. The land is dying and still, he does nothing. He will not kill you because you are his daughter. ” Eris’s passionate speech pulled at something inside of her. Her flame coiled around it, protecting the feeling that wrenched through her gut as if it were precious, pulling it down deep inside of her and keeping it there safe.

“Could you come with me? Help me replace him?” Lianna asked without thinking.

Eris looked at her for a long moment. Held her gaze as if searching for some truth.

“I can not leave without my alpha’s permission.” Lianna felt the disappointment down to her bones.

“I will speak to him tonight, and you will have my answer in the morning.” He said quickly.

Lianna nodded her head and watched him turn and leave the room.

“Eris, wait.” He turned and her breath caught at the sheer beauty of his face. “Thank you. For helping me earlier. And for not hating me.” His answering smile was soft and genuine.

“I could not hate you, Lianna. You are untrained and dangerous, but not cruel. Any fool can see that.” And he turned to leave.

She followed behind him to shut the door then turned around, surveying the room with unseeing eyes. She was the daughter of a king. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought such a thing. What would the king do when he found out she existed? Would he hide her away as her mother had? Or would he accept her for what she was? Trust her to be who she was? What if he turned out to be as horrible as Eris had claimed? What if he did indeed try to kill her? Her mothers’ stories had said that he had dragons’ blood but not enough to give him the percipient abilities that she had inherited.

Her mind raced with unanswered questions. She would stay the night here and leave in the morning. With or without the wolf pup. She did not know where she would go, but she damn sure was not going to hide anymore. She would not be afraid anymore. She would prove them all wrong by learning to control her beast and then she would return to her valley and live in peace.

She stepped away from the walls and rugs. She held her arms up and looked at the dress that fit her so well. The beautiful cloth that had made her feel stunning and feminine as she had strode into the dining hall earlier. She remembered Varise’s offer to help, her kindness and benevolence that had disappeared as soon as she knew what Lianna was.

Lianna felt her fire roar to life, enraged at the injustice of it all, it clawed and scraped for release as she gasped for breath.

“I will not be afraid.” She whispered, and let the flame consume her. Fire jumped from her fingertips and raced up her arms. It did not burn her. She felt the power flow through and over her skin like slipping into a warm bathing tub on a frozen night. She gloried in the release. Had never felt anything like it. As if all her anger and fear and shame came pouring out of her in a burst of wildfire.

When the emotion had run its course and she once again felt the cool air against her skin, she opened her eyes and looked down at herself. The flames had burnt away the dress completely and she stood naked in the middle of the room. A small smile tugged at her lips at that little act of rebellion. She strode to the bed and pulled back the deep purple blanket. She crawled up to the pillows naked as the day she was born and drew the covering up to her neck as she snuggled in for the night. The mattress felt like a cloud and her exhausted mind succumbed to darkness.

Eris’s mind was in turmoil. He felt drawn to this girl, and honor-bound to help her replace what she was looking for. He wondered if she even knew what she was looking for. His gut clenched as he remembered the look on his mother’s face when she had found out what Lianna was capable of. The fear and anger she had displayed were so uncharacteristic of her.

He admitted to himself that he knew next to nothing about this girl, but her innocence was genuine. Her circumstances had not been of her own doing and she would be a pawn on a chessboard to anyone who had the balls to use her as the weapon she could be. He just had to convince his father. He was just as sure that Lianna would not let anyone dictate to her or make her do anything she did not wish to.

He found them in their sitting room. He hadn’t bothered to knock and strode into the tense environment ready to fight. His father looked at him as if he already knew what he would say.

He said it anyway: “You can’t just let her leave unprotected. She has nowhere to go. No one to turn to.”

His mother cut in. “You can not be serious! Has she taken hold of your mind boy? She could kill you without even blinking. As untrained as she is, she would not know how to stop herself. Her lack of control was evident at dinner, her flames almost exploded around us! She is too dangerous!”

“She did not lose control. She needs a friend. Someone to help her understand what she is capable of and guide her in the right direction. If the wrong person were to replace her..” Eris could not let himself finish the thought.

“She did not lose control because you stepped in. If you had not been there, who knows what she might have done? She is wild and uncontrollable. We have too much to worry about right now, without adding an unpredictable, wildly powerful child to look after.”

“You do not know her! Her mother poisoned her! Her entire life, she has had no idea of her heritage, of why her mother left her alone in the woods. She had to survive. Even the villagers scorned her existence and did not give her aid. For ten years, she has suffered in silence alone.” His heart broke for her. Not from pity, but from human decency.

“Would you have abandoned one of your own?” The silence that greeted his words gave him hope.

“Let me take her to the King. He will protect ..”

“Absolutely not!” His mother commanded. “I will not allow you anywhere near him. He decimated entire armies with but a single thought. If you think for one second that I will allow you to traipse about the kingdom with his spawn from hell…” She spat the last word, trembling with emotion.

Erin walked over to her and put an arm over her shoulder. He held her in his embrace until her emotions had calmed down.

“ What you say has never been proven. They are just stories made up by men whose pride could not handle losing a war to someone they think of as inferior. I can help her. I can teach her how to control her mind, fight the fear that could overpower her, and cause her to make those mistakes.” Eris looked to his father, his gaze pleading.

“Father, I don’t have to take her to the King. I will take her to a temple, where she can learn peace and love. She is a healer; her mother is a healer to the human king. Maybe she can help..” He trailed off. The look on his mother’s face broke no argument. Her blue eyes were like shards of glass as she faced him.

“You are the future of this pack. We can not let you throw away our future on a foolish bit of misplaced chivalry.” The words coming from her mouth made him want to howl in defiance. He turned to his father once again, praying he would step in and override his mother’s decision.

But Erin shook his head.

“Your mother speaks the truth Eris. The girl will bring doom upon us if we let her stay, and you cannot leave with her. There are things you do not understand. If Errewyn replaces her here and thinks we have hidden her from him or turned her against him, there will be hell to pay. If we bring her to him, he could demand we stay. The land is in upheaval right now and we are relatively safe, here in the forest. We cannot risk leaving, and we cannot risk letting her stay. The pack needs you here.”

Eris looked at his mother, then his father, knowing they would not change their minds. A snarl tore from his throat as he turned to leave. He shifted mid-stride and bounded out of the study and down the long hall. His canine form wanted to attack the first thing he saw, but Eris leashed his temper and tried to go over his options. He felt Lupin’s silent question down the bond and let out an angry bark in response. There had to be something he could do to help her. He would not abandon her as everyone else had. They were a bunch of cowards, all of them!

He needed to run. The ice inside his veins demanded release. It rose within him and raged out before him; the grass freezing with each lunge forward. He ran until the trees were a blur of shadows and silver moonlight. His muscles began to burn, and his lungs begged him to stop. He shot out of the tree line into the clearing that surrounded the source of the river. The giant spring was a sacred place, it fed the great river that was the main source of water for much of the Northern half of the continent. A temple had been built on the far side by the dragons long ago for the Mother Goddess whose gave up her immortality to start its flow and give life to the land.

Finally slowing his pace, he looked around and saw that he had come to the river. He dropped to the bank and began to lap at the water. When his belly went taught with fulness he sat and watched the night sky. The stars overhead winked at him as if they knew something he did not. He let out a low grumble.

He thought of the fiery girl back in the burrow. He could not just abandon her. But he could not take her to the king either. He thought briefly of breaking his bond to the pack and taking her anyway, but his instincts told him that was not the wisest course of action. Maybe he could just take her back to her cabin in the woods where he had found her. She had made it so long on her own, Eris was certain that she could continue to do so.

He hated to admit it, but his father was right, leaving the protection of the mountains now was a fool’s errand. He had heard of the strange disappearances, and the lack of food and water outside the mountains was bordering on crises. Some of the packs closer to the borders had been hit very hard with the sickness, and the animals were showing signs of suffering as well. Only the heart of the forest was safe from whatever it was. How could he send Lianna out there to face that alone?

He lay there, debating his course for several hours until the rosy light of dawn radiated through the forest, and the birds began to sing their good mornings to each other. It was dawn, and the only option that was even remotely viable was for him to take her back to her home. He stood and began heading back towards his burrow, to the girl that had plagued his thoughts since he first felt her presence almost a week ago.

As he neared the edge of the tree line something caught his eye. Eris felt the magic in the air; he slowed his pace and lifted his head to scent the wind. There was something odd, ancient, and powerful about the aura that emanated from the shiny object, nestled against the giant root of a tree. As he drew closer, he knew that whatever had left it was long gone but had wanted him to replace this...

All thoughts left his head as he came close enough to discern what it was. A carving, beautifully rendered, about the size of a dinner plate. It was painted in vibrant reds and golds. In a flash, he shifted and knelt before the gift. He looked around. The little people had left this for him to replace. The tiny beings that were the heart of the forests and mountains were as ancient as the mountains themselves. Eris gently picked up the miniature dragon and studied it in awe. It was bright red, from its snout to its tail, the scales tiny and expertly carved. Beneath its mouth and along its neck and underbelly, the scales were like golden sunshine. The dragons’ wings were tucked in, and the head was angled down as if the dragon was watching, and waiting, It had a serene expression that belied the danger the beast represented, but its eyes were bright green with golden flames dancing around the pupils.

Eris dropped the tiny sculpture and looked to the Northeast. Lianna. She was a true dragon. The little people knew and wanted him to know too. And they were sending her to her death if they let her go to Errewyn alone. The thought broke through his awe-filled brain and sent him into a dead run. He had to figure out a way to help her. He could bring her to the dragon’s keep. They would know what to do. Maybe the feline had known, and that’s what had drawn him out into her valley.

His howl of desperation pierced the chill morning, silencing the birds for a moment. He was bound by the bond to his family. His honor demanded no less than to obey his alpha’s command. It was as if a piece of his soul demanded that he help the girl. He would have to tell his parents everything. Then they would agree to help. The entrance to the den came into view and a thousand thoughts raced through his brain.

Eris shifted mid-stride and raced through the halls to her room. Laena met him in the passageway outside of her chambers, a look of sorrow on her face. His heart stuttered in his chest and he knew without having to be told that she was gone.

“She is gone My Lord.” The serving maid held out a scrap of paper that had been singed around the edges. Eris took it from her with shaky fingers and read the words written on it in a beautiful sprawling script.

Laena,

Thank you for your kindness.

Your friend, Lianna

P.S.

Please tell your Lord Eris that I will replace my own way,

and I am not afraid.