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Solus by Delilah deSora [Reviews - 0] 
“My lord?” The thin writing stick flashed over the document, leaving behind great spidery trails of writing. Sharp and steeply angled the letters crowded together, slanting dangerously to the right. The man in the doorway could not make out the writing. Very few actually could. Unless the author took great care with his writing almost no one could decipher it except for the few young ones he took under wing and trained to recraft his scribbled notes and other writings. One such youngling sat at the corner of the great desk, staring at the paper in horror, though if it was because of the contents or because the writing seemed particularly impossible to decipher, he could not tell. With an angry flourish a signature was scrawled on the bottom of the page. The youngling at the end of the desk reached out but received a growl in response, quickly snatching back his hand as the white haired sire folded the document and sealed it. Tossing it aside as though he had lost all interest in it he finally looked up, folding his hands upon the desk and eyeing the intruder. Resisting the urge to swallow nervously, he came forward, clasping his hands behind his back. He hated how this office, with its haphazard piles of books and maps made him feel. He was no longer a child. Had not been one for many centuries. A full, great life lay in his past, filled with laughing children and a gentle mate. He had lived through great tragedy too, had spent years clawing his way free of the ennui that had filled him at his mate’s death. And still this man and his office made him feel like a nervous child being called to his parent’s knees for a talking to. “You wished to see me, Head Elder?” He inquired. “Yes, Leodin, I did.” Almost angrily Mardus waved his secretary away, watching with narrowed eyes as the youngling fled. Leodin found himself jostled away from the door as the younger sire fled, glancing back at the retreating form a moment before sighing and coming fully into the room. “Close the door.” Not particularly liking that order but unable to protest, Leodin did what was asked of him. The door, as he had already known, was heavy and closed with a thud that always made him shiver. Immediately the chaos in the great room beyond was shut out and silence buzzed in his ears. Mardus didn’t offer him a seat. Mardus never offered anyone a seat. Fortunately, Leodin already knew how this little game worked. Only those who weren’t afraid of Mardus took the seat. Which, he mused as he sat, was a load of crap. Everyone was afraid of Mardus. He was old and he was perpetually cranky. But, the trick was to pretend you weren’t afraid and sit down. Otherwise he would sneer at your fear and the meeting would generally go worse. It had taken him years to figure that out. They sat in silence for a moment, Mardus studying him as though trying to gauge what he was thinking. Leodin kept his mind carefully blank. No one had ever said anything about Mardus being able to read minds but Ledoin had sat at the Head Elder’s side in the council hall long enough to have realized that, while Mardus may not be able to read minds, he was very good at reading body language and eyes. Leodin put all of his thought into one mantra. I am not a threat. Mardus snorted as though he had heard the mantra and didn’t particularly believe it. However it did its job for the elder’s dark eyes pulled away from his face, flashing a deep blue as the Elder glanced up into the light for a moment and then looked back at him. “I trust you are keeping up with what is happening in the council.” Leodin frowned, studying the elder’s face. “I am . . . current on the sessions . . .” A dark smile tugged at the pale lips, and he knew it was no humor that caused it. “Not where others can see.” Leodin felt his brows draw down as he considered the other. It was a difficult situation he was being put in but . . . “Yes, I am aware of what is going on.” He murmured. He had expected a tirade, a snarl, something. Instead the elder simply nodded, his hand going to the note he had sealed. “Tymas is a fool. He just doesn’t know it yet.” This time when the smile plucked at the elder’s lips Leodin sensed humor there. “Ah well, it doesn’t matter. He will learn it in time. Now . . .” Lapis eyes flashed up and caught him, making Leodin still less he give away his unease, “I have called you here because there is a matter that will need to be attended to. One I think you are best suited for.” Leodin inclined his head, watching the other carefully. Mardus had never made any illusions that he thought the inclusion of two fathers on the council had been a silly demand, but their people had spoken and he had given in. As one of those two fathers Leodin had learned to pick his battles carefully. He and his comrade had learned when it was best to fight the others on an issue and when it was best to simply go with whatever was being proposed. Fangs flashed for a moment as Mardus grinned, his dark laugh soft. “Yes,” he mused, almost to himself, though Leodin suspected it was for his benefit as well, “I think you two will be most amusing when Tymas thinks no one will dare question his changes after he thinks me gone.” Immediately Leodin straightened, “What changes?” He demanded. The grin slid back into a dark, secretive smile as the sire rose. “Nevermind that . . . for now. Come along.” Leodin’s mouth snapped shut and he rose, following the other silently through the council hallways. He had expected Mardus to take him to the library or perhaps to one of the meeting rooms. Mardus did no such thing. Instead he found himself following the elder up the great stairs and out into the City. The stone trees with their crystal leaves sparkled merrily, casting rainbows across their path as they followed it away from the building. At the familiar intersection Leodin’s feet instinctively turned to the right but he caught himself as Mardus moved left. He paused, staring beyond the sire to the great walled area beyond him. His vision shifted as Mardus paused, glancing back at him. He saw the amusement in the dark eyes and bit back a scowl, hurrying to catch up to the other. He’d never been beyond the wall that was rapidly rising up before them. Indeed he had never even spoken to anyone who had been beyond that wall. It was considered one of their people’s great mysteries. Mardus had supposedly had it built so that he could have a place to retreat to, a place where others would not bother him. It had been considered a gift back then from their people to their leader. A sanctuary, dedicated to the man who dedicated so much of himself to their care. And Mardus kept it a very personal sanctuary. Leodin folded his hands in the great billowing sleeves of his robe as Mardus pushed open the gate, standing back to allow him to pass. Resisting the urge to take a deep breath, Leodin stepped passed him and almost gasped. He stood in a garden of trees and flowers as carefully crafted as those that surrounded the council hall. The craftsmanship that had gone into each tiny leaf, into each petal amazed him. Crystal vines circled up an obsidian tree trunk that burst into multicolored leaves that shimmered from silver branches. As they moved down the path Leodin caught sight of a creature and froze, staring at it for a long moment before realizing it was wooden carving in the likeness of a deer. He shook his head in amazement, his sharp eyes now catching sight of other carved creatures. There were fake birds in the trees and snakes that lay forever curled on rocks. But, as they crossed over a bridge, he was surprised to see there were real fish in the stream. There was also something else that was real by the stream. Leodin blinked in surprise as a young father, his robes gathered about his thighs splashed in the stream. He laughed, his silvery white hair loose about his shoulders as he chased the school of fish. The fish darted under the bridge and the father turned towards them, glancing up and gracing them with a brilliant grin before realizing that it wasn’t just Mardus who was there. The smile disappeared and the father shrank back. For the first time in his life Leodin found another staring at him abject fear. He saw Mardus move out of the corner of his eye but he didn’t see what he did. Whatever it was, though, it sent the father fleeing up the bank of the stream to disappear around the side of the great building that stood at the end of their path. Frowning Leodin glanced at the elder. Mardus laughed softly, turning away from him. “I hadn’t realized you had any children.” Leodin commented, eyeing the other. “Or a mate.” Mardus shrugged. “Avelyn is not my child. Nor is he my mate.” And that, it seemed, was all he was going to get out of the sire on that subject. They mounted the stairs to the building and Leodin peered around Mardus’s shoulder to try to get a better view of what lay inside as he pushed opened the door. He had expected something exotic after the garden but he was pleasantly surprised to find the interior warm and inviting. He peered curiously at the murals that had been painted upon the walls, surprised to find them images of real forests and plains. He turned to ask the elder about them when another caught his attention. This one, like the father that had fled before them possessed Mardus’s white hair. He was watching them with decidedly unfriendly eyes. Leodin felt his lips peeling back away from his teeth as the other father turned his gaze fully to him, matching the movement. Unlike the other father they had encountered in the gardens this father was old. Leodin could feel the others age weighing against his own. Absently he wondered which of them was stronger. It seemed he was not destined to find out for Mardus stepped between them, glaring at the other. “S’trathu n’gae, Ural.” He hissed. Leodin glanced at the elder, struggling to keep the surprise from his face. It had been a long time since he had heard that language spoken. There were precious few alive who knew it. Which, he suspected as Mardus advanced upon the father, was why he was speaking it. He probably thought it safe to do so. It was a pity for him that Leodin was familiar with it. He refolded his arms in the sleeves of his robe, careful to keep his face blank as the father, Ural, stood his ground before Mardus, glaring down his nose at him, refusing Mardus’s demand that he return to the upstairs. “Ranthyl velerus s’gail breinthe tinae, Mardus!” ‘How dare you bring an outsider here, Mardus!’ Leodin frowned, studying the other. He seemed generally annoyed. “S’idan nae freische yan.” Mardus growled, advancing on the other. ‘You do not question me.’ Leodin felt a spark of admiration for Ural for he remained firm in the face of the advancing elder. He knew that if Mardus had been stalking towards him looking like that he’d have been running in the other direction. Still, as Mardus drew closer to Ural the other father finally lost his nerve and backed down, sparing Leodin a seething glare before turning his back and stalking back up the stairs to disappear up on the second floor. Mardus sighed and shook his head. “Ignore him. Ural does not like . . . others.” Leodin bowed his head slightly, his mind full of forbidden thoughts for he could quite clearly hear footsteps and whispered words from above. He could make out more then a few voices up there and eyed the elder’s back, wondering about who else made their home with him. As far as anyone knew Mardus had no mate. If he had ever had one no one was alive to recall it. Still, that both fathers he had encountered seemed to have Mardus’s hair seemed too great a coincidence to ignore. Unfortunately Mardus led him away from the stairs and towards a door half hidden in a corner. Mardus’s hand came to rest upon the latch and he seemed to hesitate for a moment, as though unsure of what he was doing. But as quickly as it came he shook it off and threw open the door, revealing stairs leading down. This time Mardus did not stand back to allow him to pass through first. Normally Leodin would have overlooked such a thing but he knew Mardus took great pains with courtesies. For him to discard them at this point made him fear what was waiting them down below. Shaking off the dread he closed the door behind him and began to descend. It seemed like they climbed forever before light began to filter up through the darkness down below. It grew brighter as they approached and Leodin actually dipped his head as they passed out of the dark stairway into the open area below. This place was almost a mirror of the garden above and he gasped in surprise, staring at the great cavern. Colored lights hung from the ceiling above, casting this or that corner in color. A stream ran through the center of the cavern, originating from above and forming a gaily bubbling waterfall that tumbled down into a crystal grotto. It was like something out of a fairytale and he couldn’t believe such a place existed. He noticed Mardus watching him nearby, seemingly content to allow him to just stare. Clearing his throat Leodin tugged absently at his robes, wondering at what to say. Mardus’s eyes narrowed slightly but the elder kept his peace, turning instead and leading him towards the center of the cavern. His foot kicked something and Leodin blinked, staring down at what he had struck. A plumed mask stared up at him and he knelt to pick it up. As he did something else caught his eye and blinked as he realized that the ground was strewn with objects. A half finished puzzle ball lay a short distance away from him. Beyond that was a child’s toy. Farther away was a pile of parchment with drawing sticks piled haphazardly around it. Someone, he realized, spent a lot of time here. He lay the mask back down and rose, hurrying to Mardus’s side. The elder had stopped and was watching something before him intently. Leodin followed his gaze and bit back a gasp as he realized that the someone who spent a lot of time here was actually currently here. Silverish blue hair fell over the figure’s shoulders and back, pooling like mercury on the ground around him. Long delicate fingers were tracing the other’s reflection in a small hand mirror. It was turned the wrong way and Leodin could not make out the other’s face. He was small though, a father, or perhaps a child yet. “Anshuya.” Mardus called, his voice uncharacteristically soft. The fingers froze on the mirror and for a long moment the other was still. “Anshuya, I have someone you must meet.” Mardus coaxed, his hands folded patently before him. The figure seemed to shiver or shudder, Leodin couldn’t tell which. He heard a soft sigh and then the other rose, turning towards them and making him gasp and step back as the other’s eyes met his and he was buffeted by power that screamed ‘ancient’ at him. Even Mardus could not take his breath away like this one could and it was a struggle to keep from fleeing before him. Brilliant green eyes narrowed, going golden as the other, Anshuya, Leodin reminded himself, studied him. Red lips peeled back, baring bright white teeth. “This is not a Solus.” He snarled, golden eyes flickering to Mardus. Mardus inclined his head. “No, this is Leodin. He will watch over you if I am forced from my position. Do you remember, Anshuya? Do you remember what we discussed?” The father snorted and tossed his hair over his shoulder. “Yes. It is a stupid thing. Bring the one who would unseat you here, I will deal with him if you cannot.” Mardus’s chuckle made even Leodin’s hair stand on end. “No. Let him try to claim my place. Let the others see what happens if I am not in power. It will silence those who complain I am tyrant and will make them realize the error of their ways.” Anshuya had wandered off during his speech and Leodin was surprised to notice a bed hidden beneath a crystal willow. He collapsed upon it, nuzzling the covers for a moment before pushing himself up and reclining on it. “It is a stupid thing.” He insisted again. Mardus merely smiled at the ancient and gestured Leodin closer. Leodin went reluctantly. “This is Leodin, Anshuya,” He repeated again “He is one of the fathers upon my council. I have told you about them. They are widowed, like yourself.” Anshuya studied him a long moment and Leodin was relieved to see his eyes had returned to green. For a moment he thought he saw them soften slightly before Mardus continued. “His mate was Gannas.” Over his shock at hearing his deceased mate’s name voice, Leodin was aware of Anshuya’s reaction. He blinked, a sly smile forming on his face. “Yes . . . I remember Gannas.” He licked his lips, “You are fortunate to have had him as a mate. He was . . . delicious.” Leodin felt himself bristling at the other. The thought of his mate with anyone but himself was unbearable. A hand clamped around his arm and a snarl escaped him before he caught Mardus’s steely glare. Swallowing he forced himself to calm. After a long moment Mardus turned away from him but his grip remained firm. “Will you allow Leodin to care for you while I am gone? Mateo and the other Solus will be available for you as well, as they have always been.” Anshuya nodded and waved them away as though bored with their presence. To Leodin’s surprise Mardus actually bowed to him, dragging him backwards as he retreated. |
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