LSRO: Chapter 362 - Type of Family

Okay so just making sure everyone knows that these are rough and will be slightly tweaked before publication. Nothing's going to change of course - story wise, but some of the prose and transitions will be smoother.

I'm on the tail end of the book. And then the read editing begins.

Now I can start sharing again!

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Chapter 25

Type of Family

Quinn followed Hal through the halls as they moved back out of the dungeons to the upper levels. Instead of going straight, he veered right, and the decor took on a different, calmer hue. Lava and igneous rock gave way to walls that appeared constructed and not moulded. She realized they’d walked into the center part of the palace where the interior walls were no longer rock. The transition to blue walls wasn’t immediate, and she wasn’t sure how it blended into it, but her eyes thought it did.

“I haven’t been in this wing before,” she murmured as she looked at the soothing tones around her. 

Hal chuckled. “No, you haven’t. Few people see this part of the castle. We keep it in the middle, away from everything else. We might specialize in extracting information, but sometimes we get cases like Adrito or Arnekai, where our prisoners become patients because their machinations were out of their own control. Literally. Though,” he looked thoughtful for a second, “we haven’t had cases as dire as these two, well, ever.”

Quinn wasn’t sure if it reassured her or not, but she knew it explained things.

Malakai walked on her other side, quiet and withdrawn. She knew why, though. He was going to see a great-aunt he’d never met before, or at least didn’t recall meeting, and she was sick. Neither of them knew what she’d been through or what state she’d be in. Quinn reached out and grabbed his hand, gave it a squeeze and kept a hold.

His shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, and the pinch between his brows softened. He squeezed back gently, as if withdrawing strength from her presence.

Hal ushered them into the room. It was massive, and even after all of them entered - Her Milaro, Nishpa, Malakai, and Hal — they’d barely made a dent in the amount of space around them. Eugea remained back with Adrito, getting him ready for transport to the patient’s wing. 

The room stretched out in front of Quinn. Pale blue walls, beige carpet, and accents. She’d never thought those two colors belonged together, but it wasn’t a bad aesthetic. In fact, she could feel the calm spreading to her from it. “Enchanted walls?” She whispered, noticing the faint aura emanating from them.

Hal nodded and moved toward the singular large bed in the middle of the room.

Given the height of Malakai and the size of his mother, Quinn expected Ardenil to be imposing, whether or not she was sick. But as they approached, she could barely see a form in the bed. She’d sunk into the mattress so much she was barely visible.

Hal stood back, leaning against the far wall, an unreadable expression on his face, while Nishpa moved forward, fluttering gently until she came to rest on one side of the bed, which is when Quinn realized Malakai had moved to the opposite side of the bed with his grandfather. Quinn stood with Hal, out of the way of family and friends. Lynx ended up joining them, a thoughtful look on his face. She didn’t know this woman and didn’t want to intrude where she might exacerbate the current discomfort.

As soon as Malakai stopped, Ardenil’s eyes opened. She blinked several times before trying to push herself up into a sitting position. Nishpa helped her, wordlessly adjusting the pillows and making her comfortable. It took about half a minute, and Ardenil’s gaze never left Malakai’s. His breathing shallow, Quinn felt his aura brush against panic before Milaro laid a hand on his shoulder, exuding calm to help his grandson overwrite the immediate flight response.

“You are so much your father’s son,” Ardenil’s voice held a melodic edge. Something that hadn’t been clear in the memories Quinn witnessed. “Only wisps of your mother,” she said, a melancholy note to her voice.

Malakai frowned. “I’m my own person,” he said, his conviction quiet and confident. 

Ardenil’s expression softened into a sad smile. “That you are. And yet, are any of us?”

Quinn blinked at the cryptic remark, unsure how to interpret it. A brief smile broke through Hal’s facade before he could hide it and Quinn immediately wished she knew how to read him better.

Milaro spoke up, and even though he fought valiantly, Quinn could still hear the sliver of guilt in his words. He felt as if he owed her something, and his words sat heavy in the room. “I am so sorry it took us this long to find you.”

Ardenil pondered her in-law of some sort for several seconds. Her white hair fell in wisps about her face, blending with the white bedding when it reached it. She seemed so gentle, so otherworldly, it was difficult to imagine her the same being who’d fought with Korradine. The steel in her gaze overrode that though. She was tough as nails if one knew where to look.

“You didn’t place me here. My need for control, for believing I knew better, for thinking myself and my powers invincible — that was my downfall. Nothing else. Nothing you, or anyone else I care about, did.” Her tone brooked no argument, even though she whispered her words. The words floated through them all like a melody meant to soothe and calm the nerves. Malakai’s tension dropped, his shoulders relaxed, and he nodded.

Milaro regarded her for several seconds before replying. “Thank you. And yet, I fear there is more you wish to say?”

“Always knew you were sharp, Milaro. Both in wit and tongue when needed.” Ardenil chuckled to herself. 

Quinn narrowed her eyes. The woman was frailer than she let on. Her aura stuttered frequently, and the light in her eyes flickered more than Lynx when he communicated with the core. Quinn didn’t know what to say, or how to share with everyone that Ardenil probably didn’t have long, especially by Elven standards.

Hal placed his hand on her arm in caution and shook his head. With that one action, he conveyed to her not to say anything. At least not yet. Let them have this small reunion without the overhanging thoughts of death. She understood and nodded, returning her gaze to the bed in front of them, a strange sadness gripping her mood, despite never having met this woman in her life before.

Ardenil seemed hesitant to speak now, as if she wasn’t sure how to say the words she had to. “I never meant for any of this to happen. It got out of hand, and I wasn’t myself anymore even before I realized.” She sighed and wiggled slightly, making her position more comfortable. Nishpa didn’t stop the scans and murmurs she performed to the side, her magic dancing around the patient, lending strength, assessing the current status. 

Hal clicked his fingers softly, providing two comfortable chairs for Milaro and Malakai to sit on. 

“I’m willing to answer any questions you might have, though I should warn you. I worry my answers may not satisfy you, and I suspect they didn’t keep me informed enough to be helpful to you. At least recently anyway.”

From the look of mild confusion on her face, Quinn could tell Ardenil was probably not sure how much time had passed.

Milaro glanced back at Hal and received a subtle nod in return. It left the Elven King in charge of the questions. Which was fine with Quinn.

Several seconds passed before Milaro began. “Can you tell us why you tried to subvert the Library?”

Ardenil chuckled, but the sound turned into an eventual cough that wracked her frail frame. It took a moment for her to regain enough control to right herself and answer the question. “I never meant to or thought of it as subverting the Library, but I see what you mean now I have distance and clarity. It makes sense.” She sighed; her aura flickered more before it turned warm and certain. “I’ve known Sarila for longer than I can remember, and I was always a huge proponent of Drevi...”

“No!” Malakai shouted as he stood up, hearing the full name and panicking. “It’s a taboo - he’ll know where you are!”

Ardenil seemed mildly surprised and glanced over at Hal, who shook his head and spoke up. “I’m glad you remembered Malakai, but here, in these halls, none of his magic can penetrate. It’s why Halschius is such a fortress. Not even cosmicisodracus power can enter here unless I’ve already explicitly allowed it. Carry on, Ardenil.”

Mal sat down, his face flushed, relief flooding his expression. 

Ardenil gave him a soft smile and continued. “I knew Kajaro, and all of his friends, Adrito... the list goes on. Drevicia spoke to me one day about how she’d prefer to extend control over the responsibility of monitoring chaos to more than just herself and her Librarian. It was strange for her to say, but the more she explained it, the more I came to understand what she meant. After all, she had a lot on her shoulders. She was not only running the Library but also ensuring the knowledge reached its destinations. It had to be so much for her. It made a bit of sense to me, even though when I tried to speak to her about it again, she acted like she had no idea what I meant.”

“She really didn’t...” Lynx said, but stopped himself from elaborating. “But I’ll explain that later.”

Ardenil held the manifestation’s gaze briefly before continuing. “We met, all of us. Sarila, myself, I do believe I took Arnekai with me once, and I do recall Kajaro being there at some stage, but not quite how or when.” She sounded so apologetic. “Our goal, with the help of people we agreed to reach out to, was to diversify the control of the Library with several of us acting as the controlling body. It would give us more power over how chaotic energy was managed, filtered, and distributed.” Arnekai frowned, as if she’d just thought of something. “I’m not quite sure anymore why we thought it would be a good idea. It seemed like it at the time. But now...” She shrugged.

“What about Korradine?” Milaro asked gently. 

“Ah, there’s a piece of work.” Ardenil’s gaze grew harder. “Insidious is what I’d call her. Whenever she spoke to me, she made it seem like she was doing me a favor, seeing things no one else saw. She was invasive and insistent and wanted to take things a step farther. Her whole idea, the concept she pitched me, was based around controlling chaos energy directly. Being able to mould it to do what we wanted, to harness it and guide creation with it after first letting it rampage. At first, I thought she was talking about a similar idea to what we’d already come up with. It didn’t take me long to realize she wasn’t on the same page.”

“How so?” Lynx had moved forward, slowly so as not to alarm anyone. Now he stood next to her, his purple eyes a whirl of static and runes. “Just what was her purpose?”

Ardenil frowned and shook her head. “I can’t tell you exactly. I thought she wasn’t the leader, so this wasn’t her idea; someone had brought her into it a long time ago. She believed what she said to me fervently, so much that her minimal mental powers pushed it into me, and for a while it led me to believe too. Just a fraction.”

“What did she lead you to believe?” Nishpa guided her gently back on track.

“That the Library was a mistake. One we should rectify, and the only way she...” Ardenil frowned again, her eyes growing distant like she was trying to locate something she’d forgotten. Her expression brightened for a second, and she continued, her voice stronger. “The only way she and her cohorts could gain control of chaos was to remove the Library’s control completely. She sounded like it was a given thing. As if it was something she already knew how to do, this harnessing chaos and twisting it to do what she wanted. I wasn’t sure how much I should believe. But all the same, somehow, it became entwined with my original drive and just... took over for a while. At least until I was strong enough to fight back, and Kajaro didn’t take that well.” She grimaced.

“Thank you.” Lynx responded.

Quinn wasn’t entirely sure what he was thankful for, given they had learned little new. It was something, though.

“I’m sorry not to be more help. But whatever Korradine did to me, it’s worn off over millennia, gradually. I always had strong mental affinities, so I’m unsure why she picked me and how she overpowered my defenses..” She sounded so sad, and the weakness in her aura, while slightly restored, still wouldn’t be enough. “Could you ask Arnekai to visit?” She asked hopefully.

“I will ask,” Milaro said, Malakai, silent at his side.

Quinn was paying attention when a soft ping sounded in the back of her mind. Briefly bringing up her console, she noticed a personal information message from Carafax. It seemed to hold an attachment. She almost groaned. Just more things for her to deal with when they made it back to the Library. 

“Do you think this is something else we can add to the information pool?” Quinn whispered to Hal.

He shrugged and then looked down at her. “I think it’s more useful than nothing, and that we’ll replay the memory for Drevicia. She’ll know what to do from there. After all, her splintered personality is whole again. She should have some of these memories too.”

Quinn watched Malakai as he spoke softly to his great-aunt. Or great-great aunt? She’d never been good at the whole familial connection thing. Even though now she’d found a type of family, she didn’t understand connections like that. Aradie continued to perch quietly on her shoulder, refusing to leave her side ever again in Halschius after Quinn had been poisoned the first time.

For a few moments, Quinn allowed herself to reminisce. She had to see Carafax, deal with Betty’s questions, see where they were at when it came to opening the branches, and maybe even sleep. Or eat.

Remembering, she grabbed the bag out of her storage, reached into the bag and brought out a sub sandwich with a grin. At least she had the eating covered.

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I'm actually super excited for this whole book lol

Much love

KT