Nectar of War: The Song of Verity and Serenity (The Nectar of War Series Book 1)

LAVEN HEPHAESTUS ARVENALDI, II

VAIGON CITADEL

STRAVAN SETTLES INTO THE chaise before the fire. “He said all of this?”

“Yes, I can only suspect he can see things similarly to Agivath, he spoke of people as if he already knew them like Agivath does, but he did so freely. He asked for nothing, he said he would speak the story of Ivella all night if he could. Behind those doors when they are shut and only he can hear himself, I am sure he does.”

“It is natural for women to have stalkers,” Amias contemplates as he closes his book. “He could be one.”

“A stalker that far away? He said his home is Galitan,” I continue. “But I refuse to believe him.”

“Galitan would have mentioned if Yaro’s mutation reached their land, if anything, Galitan would be capable of ridding the disease the moment it would spread through their nation.” Roaner says in addition. “My mother still goes back to Galitan often to teach and she has said nothing of the mutation being there.”

“He is fabricating the truth,” Morano stands in the doorway as he tosses a bronze coin in the air. “It is easy for one to say one thing and mean another. I say take all he says with a grain of salt.”

“Also,” Levora speaks next to me. “It is not as if Ivella is an unknown individual. I knew of her in the papers all those years ago as the girl who never lost The Games, that is a huge statement on its own. Those papers are not only printed in our realm, the daily papers here are sent to every realm just as papers in Galitan or Ramana are sent here. She is the first born female to a General, she has just become the Right Hand to Provas, she holds placement in three Houses, well, soon to be three Houses. She is well known to say the least.”

“Someone, anyone, can take her name, story, whatever they learn and turn it into anything.” I add. “Though I will not ignore the fact that he is correct that self-destruction is possible. I have spoken with Ivella in the past of her powers, and I gave her a book on her abilities and it states that her powers can destroy her.”

“If what he says is true about her being made, that book will be no use and Laven will need to speak with her soon.” Phyv says as he sits next to Stravan and Nyt comes rushing over to him.

Hua scoffs. “That bastard is always speaking nonsense whenever food is taken to his cell.” She sits in my chair at my bureau and eats the copious amount of food on her plate.

“It is true, in a sense,” I tilt my head. “She was stillborn, brought back to life through Dyena, and we do not know if Dyena is the only person Artemis took power from to bring Ivella back.”

“I did not contemplate that.” Stravan scratches his chin as he looks at me.

“That means one thing,” Levora looks up at me warily with large hazel eyes. “You and Ivella must ask Artemis yourselves.”

“If Artemis will tell the truth,” Morano crosses the study and sits at his bureau by the corner window. “I am better off going to Unalave and discovering where this rogue got his information from.”

With Morano being a Mind Bender it will be possible for him to get any information needed, but if the prisoner is a Mind Bender as well, this could end badly. Plenty of Mind Benders have gone against one another in the past and have been crippled in their head and have found no return from it. I cannot let that happen to Morano, nor will I put him in the danger of it.

“No,” I deny. “Not unless we know exactly what this prisoner’s powers are. Ivella and I will call upon Artemis and speak with her. She created Ivella, she will tell us what exactly she crafted.”

“When was Artemis last here?” Stravan asks and Salem takes a leap on to the chaise between him and Phyv.

“Summer Solstice when we tied our Blood Bond.” I wave between my brothers and I.

Stravan’s eyebrows knit together. “There was a blessing she placed upon you four, correct?”

We nod.

“Do not call on her until I have trained you four to bring forward the gifts she gave you. There may be a reason she has not returned here since.” He stands. “I must find Dyena. After the events in New Quamfasi tonight, speak with Ivella of this, she needs to know immediately.”

XENATHI — QUAMFASI CITADEL

The sun is setting, we are exactly on time for the events tonight in New Quamfasi. Passing over the boundary line that used to exist between our lands I lead us past a row of trees and stop where Kaden, Ethel’s mate, waits with two carriages with four Pegasi in front of each.

There are stables lined down to the woods where horses and Pegasi are kept to travel into Xenathi and a small headquarters where I see people inside laughing over something the other said. These are the guards of New Quamfasi that will be on patrol after we are gone.

“Welcome back,” Kaden greets.

“What exactly will be happening tonight?” Levora wonders.

“Tonight is Iysha’s blessing, Ivella and Ira’s little brother and my cousin by marriage. At the age of seven every child is prayed over under the Tree of Gods for hope of prosperity and health. We have not done a blessing in years. After the wars and our people being taken, those who were still here did not see it right to continue them. So, blessings occurred privately until recently. Now that all of our people have returned home, this will be the first spiritual celebration New Quamfasi has seen in years.”

When Quamfasi reigned before Lorsius, my family was high in society and part of the Circle that ruled the West which is now known as Gordanta. There was not much I remembered about spirituality as a child. As I got older, the wars transpired, and I was never taught anything more. This will be the first celebration like this that I have attended.

“Aunt Stelina informed me that you all did not have the opportunity to be taken through the Hashthyna Forest when you came to overlook The Quamfasian Games?”

“We did not, there was not enough time between our arrival and making it to the next Game.” I inform.

Kaden nods. “Well, let us go now. The sun is setting and it will still be light enough for you to see the magnificence of the Hashthyna Forest. Come, let us go.” He motions to the carriages and I take Levora to the first and secure her in.

Next Phyv enters and behind him Hua follows.

“These fucking carriages makes my anxiety flare.” I hear Morano mumble as he walks away.

In the next carriage now sit my brothers, but Kaden does not join either carriage.

“You will not be joining us?”

“I will be leading the Pegasi.” He shifts into his Wolf and his black fur shakes out before he nods for me to enter as he trots to the front.

The moment I enter the carriage it shakes and Morano grips the door.

“For the love of the Gods,” he stresses. “Amias, Roaner, switch so the weight is even and this damned thing does not tip over.”

Roaner stares him in the eye and aggressively shakes the carriage with his body.

Just as Morano reaches out to grab him by the neck, the door of Levora’s carriage forces open and Hua is sticking her head out.

“I will snatch one of you from that carriage if you do not stop. We need to leave.”

“We need to leave,” Morano mocks her.

Quickly, Hua barely appears in our carriage through ascension and smacks him before leaving.

Kaden’s eyes are playful as he watches us, then, he begins to jog forward and the Pegasi follow.

“Oh Gods,” Morano breathes as he grips the handles.

Amias rolls his eyes before holding his hand out to him, Morano urgently takes it and Amias winces at his grip.

“All it takes is one rock,” he whispers. “Over we go.”

“Morano, please, I am begging that you shut your mouth.” Roaner pleads.

“No, you just tried to shake me out of this hell box.”

“Maybe it needs to topple over so you can grow past this fear and realize you will be fine.” I laugh.

“I am not like you, Laven.” He slowly breathes. “It will just get worse and prove me correct.”

We make a wide turn towards the woods that grow more expansive the farther we are carried through them. The trees here stand taller than those in Vaigon and wider, the Pegasi tighten their wings to their bodies as we are pulled through the more narrow paths.

As the sun sets, the golden hues beam through the trees and into our carriage as we pick up speed and the Pegasi begin to run through the ever expanding woods.

There is gradual change in the trees as we progress through the path. The trees appear finer, vines begin to sprawl from tree to tree, and just as the atmosphere grows more ethereal, so do the animals we surpass.

The carriage shakes as a strong gust of wind soars above.

I think Morano may cry.

“A Norpheyen.” Amias points as we see what it was that shook the carriage.

One of the majestic animals that Yaro had taken just nights ago.

The Norpheyen lands on a tree next to another Norpheyen and they intently watch as we rush by.

Then, we cross paths with the land animals that are nearly as large as us in Wolf form, some even larger.

“Valgeners.” Roaner lifts his chin.

Valgeners, possibly the largest land animal in this world.

Their bodies are great and firm with the silkiest short coat. Under the light of the rising sun, the iridescence of their dark coat gleams.

“Oh, it is chasing a little Norpheyen!” Amias leans to watch.

The small Norpheyen is a brindle of shades of green, just as every Norpheyen is born to blend in with its environment, and over time they develop their own colors. By the looks of it, this one has already started to develop his colors as I see a stripe of orange along its long head. This would be why it was seen by the Valgener, it is developing its adult features while still small enough for an attack.

Just as the Valgener stealthily chases the young Norpheyen up the tree, its mother swiftly soars through the forest and the young escapes. Her large mouth opens, revealing teeth near the size of my legs, as she attempts to latch on to the Valgener, whose claws protrude from its expansive paws to catch her long blue face, and a fight between the two breaks as we continue by.

Nature, the circle of life stops for no one.

The forest begins to clear and, in following, the Pegasi race across the water of the Vaisenya River behind Kaden.

“Oh my days,” I mumble.

There is no bridge, by the grace of magic or more so the blessing of these grounds, we cross the water as if crossing along land. When we reach the ends of the river there is a waterfall that cascades between two large walls of rigid stone.

The water is clear enough to see the movement of the tall grass beneath it flowing like multiple tiny waves with the motion of the river. The waterfall is bright and clear and within the rush of falling water, I recognize the speckles of sparkling blue that lie in piles beneath the water. On the other side of this wall lies the Tree of Gods.

These waters dare to bring fairytales to life, nonetheless, I can only imagine the prayers these waters have heard. It gives it a history of not being the fairytale-filled dream it looks, but visuals that are fabrications of the worst, just as we are. Beauty may reside on the outside, but on the inside, there is terror we pray to rid.

Kaden disappears through the waterfall first, then each carriage one by one follows and the waterfall heavily cascades over us before we are taken on an upward hill through a wet and dark tunnel. The tunnel is wide enough to pull us through, but with an easy reach of my hand, I could touch the walls.

“This is never ending,” Morano says in the darkness. He lays his head back against the seat with firmly shut eyes.

“Tighten your grip again and you will be holding Laven’s hand.” Amias speaks.

“He will break my hands, I need them.” I chuckle within my angst to be out of the tunnel and see the tree that Ivella used to save my life from being in the hands of Yaro.

“He needs his hands to touch Ivella.” Morano peeks an eye open at me and I gently shake the carriage again.

“These poor Pegasi.” Roaner mumbles, and quietly, all four of us fall into a fit of laughter and the light at the end of the tunnel begins to appear.

The Pegasi take a turn to the right and gradually it is like everything appears at once. The people who sit around the roots of the tree talking amongst one another, others on the opposite end praying, the children who run freely through the forest.

The tree stands hundreds of feet tall and wide.

Many vines of moss hang from its branches as it glows in its radiant blue and white.

It is hard not to recognize that small sliver inside of me that pulls toward the tree.

Ever since the day that Ivella used this to save my life it has lived in me as it does now.

Then the carriage comes to a stop and Morano darts out first and the rest of us follow.

It is horrid to believe that the rogues were remotely close to here, but given the sacredness of this land, the Vaisenya River and the Tree of Gods are monitored so heavily that the moment they would have come closer, they would have been killed.

As I walk farther away from my family and closer toward the tree, I reach out, just craving a touch of what brings life to this forest and has brought life to me.

The hanging moss is soft yet durable in my hand, but as I release it, it leaves behind the bright blue and white particles on my hand.

“Enchanting, is it not?”

I turn to Stravan as he touches the tree. “What is even more riveting is the feeling of the actual bark of the tree against your hand, some say they can even feel the heartbeat of the land within it.”

“It is much larger than I imagined.” I mumble.

“It is, I am always taken back whenever I come here. Every time I see it, it is like seeing it for the first time.”

Vaughn and Nina, the Leaders of Ethivon, appear not far from me and gently cut pieces of the tree and place it in a wooden bowl, then, I watch as each Leader uses the moss to mark their people down the middle of their forehead. The moss is further drawn over the eyebrow and down their bare arms. They begin to glow in the dark, moving like fireflies as they all move to stand around the tree and slowly everyone goes silent.

“They are being painted with the moss as a way of truly embodying the Tree of Gods, some consume it, but not all. Mostly, you are just painted with it.”

The people begin to move to create space for Naius and Stelina who carry a sleeping Iysha in their arms.

He is laid under the hanging moss and over his body he is encompassed with markings of the tree.

“Each mark on his body is done by a family member and it is only placed upon him after they have put a blessing over him.” Iysha’s entire body is sketched in blessings, he is loved and cared for by many.

After Naius and Stelina sit back on their heels next to him, Ivella and Ira proceed down the open path toward their family.

Ivella’s dress is wrapped intricately around her body and on some of the parts revealing her skin lie small markings from the tree over her.

“We must move back,” Stravan says and we find the distant area where the rest of my family stands.

I look at the small hundreds of people before us. They are now set apart, but close enough to reach their arms out to meet; each gripping the forearm next to them. They sit against their heels before bowing, all of them are in a curved row of people falling forwards like a game of dominoes, still holding on to one another. There is a deep vibration from the tree and the ground below us, it is not disturbing, it is calming and tranquil as they sing.

“They are asking for safety, love, strength, patience, agility,” Stravan whispers to us. “All things needed for a future Leader of their nation.”

Where Iysha lies before his family, roots push from the ground and wrap around him from the tips of his toes to the strands in his hair. Some of the roots glow in the blue and silver from the tree and some in their natural brown, completely concealing him.

Their singing strengthens and they all sit up and move in a circular motion as their heads direct to the sky.

There is a bright light that glimmers and Ivella smiles as the roots wrapped around Iysha shine before desiccating into dust against his skin; laying in a thick layer over him and through his hair. Their singing slowly turns into a harmonic hum before ending completely. They fall down into the bow they started in; never releasing one another until Iysha’s hazel eyes appear.

Iysha wakes in slight confusion, he does not move but his eyes flow around from the people and then to his family. He grins as his eyes settle on Naius and Stelina before slowly sitting up and the layer of dirt over his body falls away.

Looking at the five of them, I notice how each of Naius’s children take after him in features. Though, his two eldest are darker in complexion and hair than him and Iysha, who has lighter skin and brown curls that have their own mind.

The moment Iysha sees Ivella, he leaps into her arms and her head buries into his curls as she breathes in deeply and her smile grows.

Leaders throughout New Quamfasi herd around Naius and Stelina to greet them after and within the crowds, I see Ivella step away. Her smile begins to fade and she is gone unnoticed.