“How can that be, the adepts said there was power in everything. It existed in everything.” I answered.
“There are so many of our kind here, you would be hard pressed to find a single thread of magic in Sinnendor, though it exists in Calandry because of the Denai. Think of it like an unbalanced level or a magnetic pull that pushes all power away from us. It’s here, but just beyond our reach and that drives us…just a little mad. But for you it may be different, if we can fully break the seal around you.”
Gideon looked to Portia who nodded slowly, encouraging him to go on. The large Elite warrior paused as he tried to gather his thoughts. “First, you must understand, we are on the brink of war.”
“Everyone is always on the brink of war,” I answered back. “There’s really no surprise there.”
He looked irritated but only gave me a disapproving look before he went on. “Let me clarify. Wars, plural. We can’t keep it contained.”
That I didn’t know. So I decided to wait and hear answers.
“Do you know the history of the Denai race? How they were banished from their ancestral home and came down to live among the humans of Calandry?”
“Yes.”
“What you don’t know is that they weren’t the only race banished. The Denai’s constant feuding with their more powerful brethren led them both to what we call the Fall.
“Because their brethren’s powers were so great, their powers were sealed within them and they were forced to live as humans. The Denai were the favored race, the blessed. Allowed to keep their gifts. It is no great wonder to see that the battle followed them here into these lands. One of the Fallen became King of Sinnendor and, even on this earth, he wanted to destroy the Denai. He didn’t realize how that would affect them in the end—how it was almost his undoing.”
“King Branncynall?” I whispered in awe. “Why isn’t there a record of this? Didn’t the Denai know that their enemy was among them?”
Gideon shook his head, “No, they were as human looking as…well, a human. Listen up.”
“What does that have to do with the Raven and the Septori?”
“Everything.” Portia’s voice quivered with anger. “It’s a balance, Thalia. Just like the sun needs the moon, light needs shadow. They are both magic races.” Her eyes flashed. “The Denai are dying out, because we are dying out.”
Chapter 24
“Who are you?” I asked warily. If what she said was true, it involved me.
“Long ago we had many names: demons, Djinn, angels,” Gideon spoke. “Here in this land, we’ve chosen to be called Sirens.”
The name consumed my mind and I tested it on my tongue.
“But how is it possible? How can one race affect the other so? The adepts said there’s a balance. That the thread of energy is in everything,” I argued. “Can’t you create a balance?”
“We are the balance. We have nothing. No power, no magic. While the Denai have it all. Our power is locked away, Thalia. But if the seal on our power were broken, we’d be free to use it. If there weren’t so many of us here canceling each other out. The lack of magic starts to drive those with the strongest Siren bloodlines mad. It’s the reason Denai aren’t allowed in Sinnendor. Fear of discovery. Our race is at the weakest we’ve ever been.”
“That’s why Sinnendor wanted the SwordBrothers, to protect themselves from the Denai,” I spoke aloud, the sudden realization dawning on me.
“Not just that, but for a while, it seemed being bonded to a SwordBrother stabilized the royals. Still, it wasn’t fool proof, which led to the mass destruction of most of the SwordBrothers. Since then, only the Sirens that are the most stable have become a part of the Elite.”
“But you said your kind are dying? And that’s why the Denai are dying out as well?”
“The hand we’ve been dealt is unfair—our gifts sealed away within us. Knowing they’re there but being unable to touch them is like being deprived of air. It slowly drives the strongest mad.”
“What about before the Fall?”
Gideon smiled wanly. “It’s said that the Sirens’ power came from our fury. Death and destruction were once our greatest gifts and we were unstoppable. There were no physical limits, because we could take at will.”
Gideon’s words chilled me to the bone. “And now?” I asked, uncomfortable.
The smile slid from his face. “We’re nothing.” He held his hands out palms open. But you’re not. Your clan came from the strongest Siren blood. Your father is descended from King Branccynal, which means you are too. Your mother is from the second strongest Siren line after the war. You, child, have been blessed because you are a Siren like us, yet born and raised outside of Sinnendor. The seal around your core, around your powers, have started to break open.”
“It wasn’t with my consent,” I accused. “It must have been the Septori. They must have found a way to do it.”
“But you are the first Siren since the Fall to show signs of regaining their power,” Portia spoke up quickly, hoping to encourage me with the news.
“This gift you keep telling me about came at a great cost, and with a lot of pain,” I clenched my fists together in anger. “And it is not wholly my own.”
“It’s a lot for you to take in, but we would like you to understand you are free to leave. We only ask that you give us time to help you learn who you really are—your heritage, your destiny. Then when you are fully satisfied, you can go.” Portia, for the first time, looked vulnerable. Scared that I might take her up on her offer. She abruptly added, “But might I remind you, you are safer within the walls and borders of Sinnendor than you have ever been in Calandry.” She moved as if to touch my shoulder but pulled her hand back at the last minute.
“So I can leave? Walk out that door right now and you won’t stop me? Tieren won’t stop me?” It seemed too good to be true.
Both Gideon and Portia shot each other worried glances as if reassuring themselves. Gideon shuffled his weight and cleared his throat. “Um, well you do have to wait for a time when Tieren is more…in the present than in the past.”
Portia rushed in, “He’s really much more himself in the morning compared to evening when his mind starts to tire. You arrived here late at night and he couldn’t remember you, so you were placed in the dungeon until we could change his mind.”
“I’m sure I should understand, but I don’t. More reasons to leave. What about Sevril and Tomac?” I asked. “Neither of them seem like they want to harm me…yet.”
“Sevril understands why you’re here. He knows that our future depends on you. Even though it depresses him, he works tirelessly for our cause. He has been showing great progress. Tomac is another story. Keep your distance from your youngest cousin. He is quite mad, more so than Tieren. And he is not safe.”
“Not the most reassuring news.” I moved around Gideon and Portia and walked to the door.
“It would be wise to wait,” Gideon answered.
I paused in thought, my hand on the doorknob.
There were still so many answered questions, and I was the first in my clan to get back into Sinnendor. Did my father know about the madness that would have plagued him if he had come back? I thought back to the dinner table and imagined me in Tomac’s place. Talking incoherently, throwing food. How long could I stay before I started to show signs of madness?