Chapter 5 The Journal

Aura's POV

“I was hoping you’d tell me, that night in your village. You did something . I’ve never felt that way in my hundred years of living ”

A chill crawled down my spine.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about “ I deflected

he gestured for me to follow him.

We moved through several corridors deeper within the citadel. Guards bowed as Xarion passed, their silver armor glinting beneath candlelight.

Eventually we stopped before massive double doors carved with crescent moons and suns split apart by jagged cracks.

The doors opened instantly.

A herald standing nearby struck the floor with a silver staff.

“His Highness, Prince Xarion Dravenor of Sol Diminium.”

The room beyond fell silent.

I froze slightly at the sheer number of eyes suddenly fixed on me.

Several vampires occupied the chamber, seated around a long obsidian table covered with fruits and wine, my mouth watered at the sight.

Valenna stood near the far end with Rhais beside her.

And resting at the center of the table was Maevah’s journal.

My pulse quickened instantly.

An older vampire rose slowly from his seat.

Unlike Xarion’s sharp elegance, this man looked ancient in a terrifying way. Long silver streaks threaded through his dark hair and deep scars lined one side of his throat.

His pale eyes settled on me calmly.

“So,” he murmured. “You’re the mystery witch the prince dragged all the way to Sol Diminium.”

I stiffened immediately.

The older vampire placed one hand atop the journal.

“Let’s be seated”

I sit beside Xarion as he passes me a plate of bread and grapes. I look at him but he was not looking at me anymore. I nibble on the grapes as Valenna stands. The journal floats in the air and open. Light energy reflects the contents of the journal on the wall like a screen

“The free witches prayed to Arthurion long before the First War,” she began.

The room remained deathly silent.

“They prayed to the God of Gods to stop the destruction created by Solis and Lunara.”

Arthurion.

I had only heard that name once before in childhood stories.

A deity older than creation itself, A god even the others answered to.

“They begged for peace,” the witch  continued “For salvation from monsters and divine cruelty alike.”

The pages of the journal flipped under her magic

Impressive 

Yellowed pages filled with ancient writing revealed themselves beneath candlelight.

“For generations,” she  continued reading , “the bloodline of the oldest free witches waited for Arthurion’s promised gift.”

My chest tightened.

“Until the night of a heavenly event 19 years ago .”

The room suddenly felt too small.

“Maevah recorded that something miraculous occurred that night,” he continued. “Something powerful enough to end the war itself.”

My heartbeat pounded painfully now. The page turned and it was blank, another page blank as well 

Every remaining page was empty.

Murmurs spread instantly through the chamber.

“No continuation?”

“That’s impossible.”

“She hid the final writings.”

Frustration darkened several faces around the table. Valenna dropped the journal and it slid to across the table to me, I stared at the opened page. Something flashed across the paper. White markings that were very faint. My breath hitched

The words shimmered for half a second, I blinked hard but they were gone. Chill spread through my body the pages were not empty. The room around me faded beneath the ringing of my ears

Maevah knew

gods 

She knew about the day I was born. She recorded it. 

A page flipped revealing the white markings that were. They were a bit clearer now

“The hybrid eclipse gave us Arthurions answer, a child untouched by both gods”

Fear gripped me i nearly stumbled backwards. The vampires continued to argue around me 

One vampire slammed his hand against the obsidian surface angrily.

“All this for nothing.. I was hoping we’d find a map to the essence” 

Their voices sounded distant to me now

I stared at the empty pages in disbelief then slowly understanding began creeping over me.

The Eclipse, the death of my mother, the way magic broke around me and that night back at the village. It was slowly making sense now not fully but enough to terrify me. Something was wrong with me. I need to leave because Xarion was smart. It wouldn’t be long before he piece two and two together.

The meeting dissolved into frustrated conversation while Xarion remained strangely quiet beside me.

Too quiet like he was watching me think. I forced myself to stay calm.Do not panic, I need to be expressionless 

Panic makes people notice things.

Eventually the meeting ended.

I followed Xarion silently through the corridors back toward my chambers, every step louder than the last in my ears.

By the time we reached the doors, my pulse was thundering even as I tried not to show 

“You’re pale,” Xarion observed quietly.

“I’m tired.”

A lie.

He knew it too.

But he simply nodded once.

“What exactly were you hoping to find in that journal” I asked 

"what we've always wanted to find"