The Dawn of Wynter Ch. 05

Hello my lovelies! First and foremost, Happy New Year to you!! I hope you all have an amazing year! I apologize for the ridiculous amount of time it's taken to post a new chapter! I have been postponing it for far too long, but I finally got around to it, and I'm so glad to see you have been amazing and loyal readers. I want to thank each and every one of you for emailing me and commenting and asking about the Dawn series! It really makes me want to write more, and make each chapter even better than the last. My resolution this year is to write and post more frequently! With that said, please enjoy!

Chapter 5: The Source

The grounds of the Vyrkaryan council were dark and deserted for the night, the ancient building stood atop a cliff with the full moon shining down on its white walls and the large golden dome in the center. The effect was quite striking, the building shone like a beacon of light in the midnight sky, seemingly floating, and the cliff blending into its dark surroundings. The windows were black blankets puncturing the serene facade, reflecting the moon and stars save for the light that was on in the vast library housed on the west side of the building. It was a warm summer evening, but you wouldn't have known it standing inside this particular room. Inside Dymas sat at a large table that ran down the length of the aisle, a single table lamp glowing over the pages he was reading. Bookcases carrying some of the rarest texts in the world ran the height of the room, towering over him on each side. The smell of ink and paper was heavy in the hall.

The Vyrkaryan collected countless texts since their existence; some were originals dating thousands of years before Christ. So vast was the collection that they could not be housed in one area, but were kept directly underneath the standard library, protected in glass rooms keeping humidity and natural pollutants in the air away from delicate vellums and parchments. The newer, less delicate books and volumes were housed upstairs.

"Have you found it?" Dymas asked, not bothering to look up from the aged manuscript laid out on the desk in front of him. Its edges were withering away, the ink faded over the millennia.

"Yes, it took some digging but it's here," a cold voice said over his shoulder.

He turned in his chair and looked up at Iffret holding an old leather bound book. He smiled wickedly. Iffret was a magician he thought, seemingly able to find anything he required.

"It's remarkable, the drawing looks just like her," Iffret whispered, her eyes focusing over his shoulder on the manuscript that he had been reading. In the center of one page was a drawing of a woman with a heart shaped face, full pouty lips coloured red and eyes that shone in silver ink. The rest of the delicate vellum was covered in small cursive writing.

"How can that be? This document is older than her, from the Creation," she said in awe.

"Yes, proving that we have the right woman. I still cannot believe how you stumbled upon her purely by chance," he chuckled in delight.

"We would have found her sooner or later, but yes it is strange how she practically landed in our lap."

"Tell me, what did you find in the book?"

"Old tales of the gods and their quarrels, mostly garbage. It never ceases to amaze me how historians write history the way they wished it had occurred," she sighed, boredom heavy in her tone, "however, there was one woman that seemed to pop up in all these silly tales, always described as the mother of everything mystical. Carythia, Olyssia, Nüt, Layal, whatever you want to call her. She is in several different tales, under different names, but the essence is the same. It is as you predicted."

Dymas leaned back in his chair, looking down at the image of the woman before him. He had been searching for years, scouring the endless halls of books, thousands and thousands of them trying to find the key to it all. In three weeks time, the Alignment would begin. He had thought himself running out of time, had almost accepted that he would have to wait another three hundred years for the next occurrence. Luck had been on his side when Iffret had spotted eyes as silver as the ones described in the books he had been reading. It was as if the universe wanted him to succeed, he thought wryly.

Soon he would have everything he needed to begin the ritual. When he was done, he would be the most powerful creature to walk the earth, and would no longer need to pretend to care about the insignificant group of vampires who thought they held power. The council, he scoffed. It would become obsolete. Three weeks. That was all the time it would take to crush every single one of them, especially that arrogant pain in the ass Mavros. He would take great pleasure in watching him lose everything before he ended his time on this earth.

Iffret cut through his thoughts suddenly, "There is something else you should know..."

He turned once again, curiosity washing over him.

"What would that be?" he asked, his eyes narrowing

"The texts speak of another...a male counterpart. In all the scriptures he is her sworn protector...and lover."

"Another?" he asked, truly surprised at this new tidbit of information she had managed to dig up.

"Yes, like her, there are many names. Sanon, Pilan, Ra, Sachiel."

"Well, this is quite unexpected. Perhaps that is what we have been missing this whole time!" he said excitedly, moving to the scripture he had just been reading, he searched for one particular paragraph, his finger running down the page, until he found it.

From the Creation, the universe was shaped by the Source. A delicate balance of cosmic forces, it is the power that gives existence to all. From it, we can see the universe in its purest form. The Source has often been described as light and dark, infinite and finite, the skies and the earth, the moon and sun. It is never singular, but always a balance of forces. The scribe to the ancient vampire King Mazdak wrote in his documentation of the kings rule, during the War of the Ten Kingdoms that "From whence came the earth, the sky covered it, from where the sun sets, the moon rises and so it was when the Source came to the king's aid. The Source holds a universal power to which all creatures will submit to. Thus is how our royal King Mazdak continued his rule upon the throne of Ibereya."

The scribe had taken the time to draw a picture too. It hadn't occurred to Dymas until now that some portions of his document could have gone missing...like another drawing of the protector.

"Yes, this is it Iffret, you have uncovered the most essential piece of the puzzle!" he said excitedly, standing to face her.

"It's all so perfect. The names tell me everything. Layal, the goddess said to be the creator of the sky, moon and stars. And Sachiel, the God whose light shone so bright it was said he created the sun and protected what lay under the sky. Don't you see Iffret? From whence came the earth, the sky covered it, from where the sun sets -- "

"The moon rises," she finished for him, reading from the old parchment on the table, "The Source isn't one person, it's two!"

"This whole time it was right there in front of me, why did I not see it? Every civilization in history talks of balance, the male and female, good and evil, light and dark, yin and yang. They are all the same concept! They are all a reference to the Source. We have found one piece; it is time to find the other."

"We have three weeks, Dymas. Frankly, the girl was a lucky discovery. How are we to find her other half without so much as a clue to what he looks like? Have you found some sketch referring to him?"

"Damn it" he growled, slamming his fist against the desk, "I've come too far to be set back again. We have time," he rationalized, "not very much, but it will have to be sufficient."

"Dymas, while it may be nice to stay so positive, it is a fool's errand to think we can find anything in three weeks time, when it took us three hundred years to find the texts needed to locate the girl. Even then, we were lucky."

"We will succeed," he said in a deadly tone, "Make no mistake about that."

His eyes locked on hers, the implication of what would happen if they failed was clear enough for her to see. Failure was not an option.

"Go back down to the catacombs; look through every damn book, tablet, and piece of rotting paper until you find something! I refuse to believe that everything concerning the Source has been lost. And when you're done there, follow the girl. If her counterpart is meant to be her protector, then he will most likely be close by."

"As you wish," she replied, bowing out of the room to begin the impossible task he had set her on.

Dymas turned back to his desk, leaning his fists into the table as he stared down at the image before him.

"I hope you're ready, beautiful. I'm coming to take what is mine..." he whispered into the air.

--

Philippe was slouched in a plush arm chair; his head tilted back, eyes closed as he slept. It had been twelve days since Zara collapsed in the bathroom. Twelve days since he had heard that blood curdling scream. Twelve days of him unable to get it out of his head, the sound of her pain, the image of her weak and helpless. He hadn't slept easily, never leaving her side. He refused to leave her room, refused to feed. While he was an Ancient, and could months before feeding, twelve days combined with the stress and lack of sleep had taken their toll on him regardless.

"Philippe," a voice whispered, shaking him awake, "Philippe, get up."

Philippe snapped his eyes open, jumping from the chair, "What is it? Is she awake? What's happened?" he asked looking around wildly.

"Philippe, calm down," Kai urged, his hands resting on Philippe's shoulders, "nothing has changed. She is still unconscious. I just thought to get you out of here, to feed and shower."

"No, I must remain here, in case there are any changes," he growled, running his hands through his shiny hair, sitting back down on the edge of the arm chair.

He looked across from him, at Zara lying peacefully on the bed. Her face was calm, the complete opposite of the woman who had collapsed almost two weeks ago. She looked exactly the same, save for the writing that covered her back. While it wasn't visible now, they had examined her after she had lost consciousness. They watched in horror and fascination as a mixture of ancient languages and symbols scrawled themselves on her back, from the tips of her shoulders all the way down to her dimples of Venus.

The writing shimmered in the light, changing as it hit her skin from different angles. None of them could explain what had caused it, what it all meant and why Zara lay unconscious for so long -- none except Philippe. He had seen those symbols before but why they appeared on her, now of all times, he couldn't be sure. It set him on edge, knowing he was missing something. It felt like he should know why all this was happening, and yet he had no clue. All he knew was Zara had more in common with him than he initially thought, and now she lay unconscious.

The more time passed, the more anxious they all grew. They had all sat next to her, just as Philippe was now, until Antoinette yelled at them to get up and do something useful. Zara wouldn't be going anywhere, they would be of better use researching and trying to find out what had caused this. She also reminded them they needed to prepare for the Vyrkaryan visit. It took some convincing but after three days of sitting idly by her bed, Kai surrendered to Toni's demands, followed shortly by Stefâne. Philippe, however, had been a different story.

Kai stood above Philippe now, sighing. He didn't have any other choice; Philippe was being stubborn and unreasonable. He pulled his hand back and with a loud swoosh his hand came down and slapped Philippe with a thunderous crack, leaving a red print on his cheek. For a moment they both stared at each other, Philippe with rage in his eyes and Kai with an air of ennui.

"Did you...just...slap me?"

"Good, you are still in there. And yes I did, because you are acting like an idiot."

"You realize you just slapped a six thousand year old vampire and called him an idiot?"

"Yes, because said vampire is in fact an idiot. You've been moping around, and it's not of any use to us or to Zara. The Vyrkaryan meeting is in two days time. Once they arrive here, they will ask why Zara isn't present for the interview. And seeing as you are one of them, you have more insight into how to deal with this situation. We need you Philippe, my sister needs you," his voice pleading slightly at the last words.

Philippe had been close to attacking Kai, but sense kicked in and he realized his friend was right. He was being foolish. It didn't seem like Zara was going to wake up any time soon and this posed a serious problem. The Vyrkaryan were required to meet the members of family of any candidate, and if they arrived and saw Zara unconscious, with the strange text burned into her back, they would surely take her away, and there would be a very high possibility no one would ever see her again. In his worry and grief, he hadn't thought about any of the consequences this entire situation would cause. He could see now how this was quite a serious issue. Damn the timing, he thought angrily. Once again it seemed the cards were stacked against their favour.

"Forgive me Kailan, I've been so blinded with worry I did not stop to see the bigger picture. You're absolutely right; we need to figure out how to approach these difficult circumstances."

Immediately he thought of Xander. Shit, he hadn't told him about this. How could he have been so foolish? He should have contacted him right away, yet here he was with two days to go before the entire Vyrkaryan council was at their doorstep and they were all walking in the dark. He'd have to make do, two days had to be enough time to figure out what to do, and there was no other option.

"So where shall we start?" Kai asked.

Philippe was already one step ahead of him. The night Zara had gone unconscious, Toni had said something strange. He had been dreaming about it, his mind replaying that night on a loop every time he slept, trying to tell him something. He finally realized just now that the person who could help them most was Antoinette.

"Call Toni to your study in an hour. I will go get cleaned up, feed and meet you there. Stefâne too."

"Ok...what are you thinking? Toni has already tried every spell she knows to wake Zara, I don't think she can do much for her."

"Au contraire, mon ami. I believe she can do more than you realize. One hour," he reminded him, clapping him on the shoulder and leaving the room.

Kai turned from the door Philippe had just left through and made his way to his sister's massive bed. She lay in the centre, her hands resting on her stomach. Her hair was fanned all around her, another reminder of what had happened to her. Not only had symbols tattooed themselves on her skin, but her hair had changed to the glowing silver silk that he had pranked her with a few months ago. Only this was nothing in comparison. It shone so bright it hurt his eyes if he stared too long.

Running the back of his hand against her cheek he whispered to her, "Wake up little sis...I can't lose you, so you have to wake up okay?"

--

Zara was standing atop the crest of a mountain, the sea was laid out before her with the sun shining down on it casting its light in every direction like an endless sheet of diamonds. Behind her was a large building, so ancient she could not place the time or place. She gasped as she looked up -- how could this be? The moon shone on the other side, its white, pearly opulence casting silver light on one side of the structure, while the sun cast its glowing rays on the opposite end. The result was spectacular, as if two worlds were colliding. Stars, galaxies, and milky ways were clear as ever. She didn't know how long she stood there, it could have been seconds, hours or days, but once she got her fill of the stunning sight laid out before her she realized she was alone in this place.

She looked around, but there was no one. She realized then that it was also eerily quiet, no sound of wind or animals, or even her feet as they crunched into the gravel beneath her. Just as she thought that, there was a muffled noise, as if someone were calling her from a distance. She strained to hear what they were saying. "...sis...lose...wake..." She looked around once more, trying to place the voice, to see where it was coming from, but it was no use. It seemed to come at her from all directions.

She turned in her spot, looking around her, taking in her surroundings before she stopped facing the temple once more. The only difference was this time, there was a tall woman standing at the top of the hundred or so steps leading to the entrance of the gold domed sanctuary. She was so far, Zara could scarcely make out any features, and the steps were so many, it seemed the woman was standing atop another mountain. Without saying anything, or making any gestures, the woman turned and walked into the building, her figure being swallowed up by the dark silhouette of the entryway.

Instinctively Zara knew she wanted her to follow, to enter the building that towered in front of her, so bright and beautiful. This place was special, she knew it. It was a place that not many ventured to, not many were privileged to glance upon its magnificence and splendor. Zara looked around her once more before breathing deeply and stepping forward, with one foot slowly in front of the other, making her way towards the endless flight of stairs.

She reached the first step and looked up; there was no sign of the woman. She hesitated only a millisecond before beginning her ascent up the steps, each one bringing her closer to the peak. Once she reached the top, she glanced back and was once again taken aback by the sight of the sun shining over the sea. From this vantage point, it seemed to be larger than before, and to burn brighter. Was that even possible? She turned and noticed the moon seemed to have undergone similar enhancements. Well, that's interesting, she thought. What was this place?

"Come child, I will answer your questions," a voice called from behind her.

She turned startled and stood facing the entry way to the inside of the building. Its door way was bordered with a mosaic, intricate text painted on each tile. It was the only break in the white marble that encased the structure. She couldn't see very far past the doorway, it remained dark making it difficult to make out what lay beyond the threshold.

"Who are you?" she whispered, although she didn't know why. The woman had spoken in a perfectly normal tone. But for some reason the strangeness of the place, the beauty of it and the feeling that it was somewhere few ventured, made her feel as though to speak loudly would be blasphemous.

"Come," the voice said simply. After sensing her hesitation, it added, "We mean you no harm Layal. You must enter of your free will. Only then can the world be made clear to you."

Layal? Why did she call her that? Why did the name sound...familiar somehow? She threw caution to the wind and stepped forward. The moment her foot crossed the threshold, the darkness was gone, and she was in a vast room, light shining through it in every direction, silver and gold, rays from the sun and moon filling it with their magnificent light. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in everything. While looking in from the outside it seemed that it was just solid blocks, walls with no windows, but from here she could see clearly where she had come from, as if there were no walls in the first place. The floor was smooth stone, almost gold in colour. In the center there was a recessed area, steps leading down to it from all sides, forming a large rectangle. Inside sat a large pool, the water glimmering silver. At least she thought it was water. The way it glimmered, it seemed to be liquid but somehow denser.