The Tales of The Hollow (Enchantment Realm)

2. Kellian

CHAPTER 2

Kellian

“ W hy are you so fucking stubborn?” Aura's voice broke the pleasant silence of Kellian's observatory. He was hunched over piles of scattered papers on the ground surrounded by sketches of the stars and texts from the ancient libraries in the castle. White hair casted down in messy waves hitting below his shoulders, half pinned back and pulled into a bun. His angular jaw was flexed in concentration despite his sister's distraction.

“What could I possibly have done now, dear sister?” Kellian asked, not removing his eyes from his task at hand.

“Oh, stop dreaming about clouds or whatever it is you do.” Aura stood leaned against a large looking glass pointed to the sky. Kellian was still focused on his work, she was tapping her foot impatiently—her training boots still on from the sound they made on the floor.

“You know that is not what I am doing,” Kellian dismissed her with a sigh. He had been studying constellations for years all for a greater purpose than simply the stars in the sky. Aura knew this, but was choosing violence on this bright morning.

“What do you want, Aura?” He looked up, meeting her golden eyes, identical to his own. His sister was pure fire bottled up into a small physical form of a human. She threw her hand in their air.

“It is half-past sunrise, on the twelfth day, Kellian! We are needed in the temple in less than an hour!” She was fuming.

“And why, pray tell, are you yelling at me while you are in your training leathers?”

“You take longer than me,” she huffed.

“I do not,” Kellian’s expression softened, it was nearly impossible for him to actually hold any resentment for his sister. He pulled his head up from his journals, running a hand on his neck and letting his shoulders relax.

He had been up here for too long. It was too easy for him to get lost in his research and love for the stars. He could chart them for hours, logging information and sketching as much as he could from his travels and scouting. The morning light casting through the windows above was draped over in shadow as a Dragon flew over the castle.

“Shit,” Kellian murmured, clambering to his feet. “I’m going! Happy?” He scowled at his sister. Aura stayed leaned against his looking glass bigger than her body with a satisfied smirk on her pale features.

“Delighted,” she smirked and walked out the door.

By the time Kellian entered the outer room of the temple he could hear the clambering of villagers inside who were there to pay respects to the gods. Aura swept into the room after him. Training leathers and dirt were long gone, replaced with a long blue gown. She was every bit of grace and elegance as their mother had been. Kellian knew he was a mirror image of his own father, stern and iron faced but had the same winter hair of his mother and sister and golden eyes of his father and grandfather. But their parents were long past gone and it was just Aura and Kellian to head the temple offerings of twelfth day.

“Grandfather said a traveler is in the forest,” Aura whispered as advisors and other castle attendants filtered through the room. Kellian's sharp gaze narrowed on his sister. How was it possible for someone to get past the borders? Even more so, who could this person be for the magic of the borders to allow them to pass.

“Elaborate,” his voice was a low growl.

“A woman,” she shrugged, pausing before lowering her voice further, “ Fae.”

Kellian whipped his head to meet her eyes. Wide-eyed in shock, he wished to know more, he needed to know more. No one was allowed into the Ash Mountains—magic would stop any human. But Fae were not on this continent, not since the great war. When two of the biggest human kingdoms had won, they forced all Fae back to their islands. It was a death sentence to be on the continent and be Fae. Here in The Hollow, it was a little more complicated. Protected by the land and the magic of the Goddess Luna herself, his people were closer to Fae than human. Descendants of Ariella, the Goddess and warrior of the skies, touched this land with her magic many moons ago. Her children were the first Guardians, the first Dragon princess and prince, as Kellian and Aura were now. It was what they were born for, to continue the legacy of the Guardians of The Hollow. To keep the holy land safe and hidden.

“Grandfather,” Aura’s calm voice brought Kellian back to the present. “He said to meet her by the lakes.”

“Since when do we just agree to safe passage to The Hollow?” Kellian snapped, running a hand through his hair, disrupting the neatness of his tied back hair, freeing the long white strands to fall around his eyes.

“Hush now,” Aura scolded. “I will do this, you must go now.” And with that she turned, the skirts of her gown swinging as she pushed open the doors to the throne room. A quiet fell over the villagers as she entered.

Kellian admired his sister’s grace and how she commanded with such ease. He dreaded his duties as a Guardian at times, but Aura was different. She was kind and soft with the villagers, listening to concerns and finding solutions for the smallest of issues. Kellian would rather be anywhere but in grand rooms and making diplomatic appearances. He slipped out the door to his left and took a back path through the old gardens—his mothers’ gardens. Slowing his steps he breathed deep, taking in the lavender in bloom that reminded him of his late mother. Aura was so much like her it hurt sometimes to look at her too closely. He was sure his grandfather felt the same, after losing his only daughter.

The wind whipped against Kellian's skin and he looked up to find a grey elder Dragon flying low, landing in the field outside the gates. He picked up his pace and walked out of the gates to the Dragon. Bowing after he approached, he waited for the Dragon to speak first.

“There is a woman waiting by the Great Lake to speak with you. I have granted her passage to the village and safety here as long as she needs. She holds the hatchling egg of Venille’s last line.” The Elder Dragon’s words spoke in Kellian's mind. Kellian nodded and bowed his head again. The Venille line was thought long-lost, the last egg hatching when he was very young. Most Venille Dragons migrated and stayed in the west where there was permanent winter. The last to hatch never returned, as most did not, and the Guardians had thought the line was gone.

“Aura informed me to meet this woman by the lake,” Kellian replied and paused thinking over his words. “You feel she can be trusted?”

“Yes, she is a child of the trees. They speak fondly of her, and one of the sprites has become quite attached. She saved the egg from raiders on the east end of the mountains. She gave her life, only that of the holy water saved her. For this we owe her a life debt,” Fendiah, the elder, spoke with finality.

“As you wish.” Kellian bowed and Fendiah took off into the skies once more. Kellian steeled his feet to the ground bracing against the strong winds. He gathered supplies and strapped a sword to his back, and began the trek to the Great Lake.

By the time Kellian reached the lake, it was almost night. Kellian knew he and the strange woman would need to set up camp by the lakes before traveling back to the Hollow. A woman that had somehow fought off raiders and saved a Dragon egg, all on her own.

Kellian climbed the last part of his path before the lake revealed themselves, surrounded by rocky mountains and trees. The meadow grasses stretched long, wildflowers blooming boldly this season, and a few caves scattered, their mouths facing the lake. By the waterbank, in a slightly tattered white flowing dress draped over her shoulders, was a woman with striking red hair and pointed ears. She was barefooted, eyes closed and hands on the ground, as if rooting her in place. She turned quickly, as if suddenly aware of a presence and her green eyes collided with his. A sudden painful jolt ripped through him, and a wrinkle formed above her brow. Kellian let out a breath. He stopped at a nearby tree, keeping a distance between him and this fae woman.

“The Dragon spoke of you,” she said. Her voice was melodic, heavenly, dripping like honey. Kellian nodded, trying to shake himself out of his own personal haze.

“That was Fendiah, our Elder. He sent me to find you.”

“These are Dragon lands then?” she asked, a small glimmer of light floating near her shoulder. She leaned down to it and a small smile played on her lips.

“They are,” Kellian answered, still standing on the edge of the rocks by a grand oak tree, waiting and drinking in the sight of this stranger.

“And you are?” She tilted her head slowly to the side, she seemed to be analyzing him as well.

“They call me the Dragon prince,” Kellian smirked and pushed himself off the tree. She looked almost startled at the title. As was his intention. “And you are?”

“Kyeria.” She had a bit of a shy smile unfolded onto her lips, head still tilted and obviously listening to the whispers of a sprite who was concealing herself.

“Show yourself, sprite,” Kellian ordered. The glimmer of light solidified and fluttered over to him. His stern facade cracked when he saw Ember forming before his eyes as she let herself be seen.

“Ember,” he nodded. Ember glowed a little brighter in greeting. She, like other sprites, had worked as a messenger for the heirs and royal family.

Kellian turned back to Kyeria. “We need to stay the night here, it’s the safest option. I will escort you to the village at dawn,” he explained, walking towards the woman. Kyeria simply nodded, gathering her belongings into a worn bag, slung it over her shoulder and gathered a pile of branches and leaves, walking with confidence to the nearest small cave. Kellian was momentarily amused at her thinking this would be enough items to make a fire to keep them warm, but his eyes stayed trained on her as she continued. She settled on the cave floor, pressing her hands to the ground, producing a spark of fire and tossing it into the small pile of wood logs.

Kellian marveled at the small magical act. He had never seen anyone use magic so easily, let alone this type of earth-based magic. There had, of course, been witches in his village, healers and an oracle. All people in The Hollow had a type of magic flowing through their blood lines, but fae born of the island were much different. His grandfather had once explained that all Fae took their magic from the land, but only one type of magic took form the strongest during early development. Then the Fae were cast into their respective magical training—earth magic, fire magic, air magic, and healing magic.

“Ember says you were quite the hero,” Kellian broke the silence as they sat by the fire. He was trying to focus on the fire instead of her. But his eyes betrayed him and flicked up to her nonetheless. Kyeria shook her head, and reached into her bag. She ever so gently pulled out the Dragon egg. The scales of the Venille egg were dark, gleaming purple where the firelight caught.

“The magic of this little one called out to me,” she said, placing it on the ground between them. As she stared into the fire Kellian studied her features. Her hair was twisted and pulled back, but small fire-colored strands escaped and curled in different directions. Her eyebrows had a small crease in them, as if she was deep in thought.

“It is of a very rare line, sacred to us here in these lands,” Kellian offered her a small truth, laying a hand on the egg.

“It is powerful.” Kyeria turned from the fire and looked up to him. “I can hear and feel the magic humming off of it.”

“You can sense magic?” Kellian asked.

“My magic is that of the earth. In a way I can feel the magic this egg is putting off into the earth, because everything is connected. The wind, the soil, the water, the essence of Luna herself.” A far off look glazed over her eyes and Kellian wondered how long it had been since she had been home, in her lands. The great war was over a decade past. Kellian could not imagine what her life had looked like while surviving on this continent since the war ended.

“These mountains are teaming with it,” she said, looking at him again.

“With what?” Kellian asked dumbly.

“A strange magic,” she whispered back.

They sat for a time in silence. Kellian hesitated to offer up information to this new woman, though he found it surprisingly difficult to hold back his words. He realized he felt at ease around her, comfortable, more so than he had expected. Though it was impossible to tell if her intentions were good and honest after knowing her for mere minutes, something in his soul insisted they were

The sun had long since set and the only light was that of the fire burning lowly in the cave, encircled by dim embers. The stars were out, and Kellian was drawn to them, as he always was. He looked out to see Kyeria sitting just outside the cave on a ledge, looking out onto the lake.