Page 38 of A Conduit of Light
“Oh,I’dbe happy to remedythat,Ash,” he whispered in her ear and sent her spine tingling as she debated discovering his rooms right now, her growling stomach be damned.
Clearingher throat, she let go of his hand, every ounce of her revolting at the freedom of it. “Alright.I’llsee you at dinner then.”Andshe turned toward the forest of trees, beautiful in their steady stance and opposite to her current one.
Shecould feel his eyes on her back as she walked away, clamping her lips shut with her teeth as she turned to look at him again.
Hiseyes were still heavy with the desire they had just shared that was not seen to fruition.Andshe stilled herself to remember—remember his gaze on hers, their story together unfolding quickly, yet still unknown and untold.
Chapter18
Ash
Legendsof theBlightress:ACollectionofTalesPassedDownThroughCenturiesbyLayngdenRoperlay open beforeAshas she rested on her stomach, head held up by one hand, keeping the book open with the other.Shewas laying across one of the many cushioned benches inViridis.Thisone was draped in a midnight blue silk, its legs a dark mahogany and carved into the claws of a hawk.
Bellyfull, she had explained toClairanniaandFiguerahthat her lumen riding would need to wait, and her focus must continue if she was to surviveBaronHeimlen’slessons in the morning.
“Theentity of theBlightressoutdates any other written records on the isle and has fascinated and frightened its people for centuries.Thelyrics and rhymes recited in her name are filled with anger, death, and the promise that she will destroy all of which you love.
Thisauthor, dear reader, presumes that you do not believe in the bump in the night.Heassumes that you have been told such tales and have grown to see them for what they truly are—lessons for children so that they may behave as their parents wish them to.
Butthat still leaves the question of the origins of theBlightress, who she may have been, and what led to her stories so dark and ominous that she is used today to warn others of their power in their anger.”
Thisbook in particular had caught her attention.Shehad always enjoyed the slight bit of fear stories of theBlightresscould instill in her as a little girl, and she continued to wonder at their origins.Theauthor of the book seemed to imply that theBlightresswasa real person inArcaynen’shistory, andAshbegan to contemplate her story as she never had before.
Sheturned the page and continued reading, a warm breeze running across her face.
“Thefirst of her stories thatIcould find in my search pre-dates theSpire, thoughHyrithiais mentioned.Itis a short tale, at times difficult to decipher in its spelling, but the sentiment on theBlightress'sdeeds are the same:
‘Ifnot ye wish to be dead out of the gates ofHyrythiah, wander not to the north of the cytydel whereSheblackens all life and styls all brything from thy chest.Herwryath consumes all after the fall ofFelgrynfrom her arms and thyBayronsayved us fromHereyvil’.”
ABaronsavedFelgren?Whatdid she do that needed saving from and what was thiswraththe story, and many of the tales she had heard as a child, spoke of?Fascinated,Ashkept reading:
“Thisparticular short warning of sorts was found in the depths of theHyrithiancastle on rolled parchment among ancient records of trade from the people who lived there at the time.Hyrithiawas not yet the city it is now, having a population of likely less than a thousand people.
Buthere, we see that the fear of theBlightresswas being spread, most likely by word of mouth, and this is the most solid piece of evidenceIcould find to prove that she did once exist.Thisis due to its origins in time as well as its implication of a direct warning of theBlightress’swrath, rather than a story to frighten children.However, more questions of her origins and what exactly she did to haveFelgrenForest‘fall from her arms’ adds more to the puzzle.
Historiansof the isle are aware of the firstBaron.Thoughspellings of his name vary, the most common isBaronAdaynth.Itis said he began the settlement ofHyrithiabefore traveling to the heart ofFelgrento begin training future conduits, using their magic to make the isle prosperous.However, how he came into power is never mentioned in old texts and his own origins are left up to our imaginations.Inmy research,Ihave found historians who have detailed his good deeds in books, butIremind you, this book will entail only stories of theBlightress.
Aftermy discovery of the first written mention of theBlightress,Icontinued my search for the reason of her wrath.Thefirst text implies that she was a keeper of sorts ofFelgren—so what caused her fall into darkness, and what lay beyond to the north ofHyrithia?”
Ashpaused.Ofall the stories and songs of theBlightressshe knew, the origins of her anger were never mentioned.Thepromise that she would take you—kill you even—were always the theme of the tales if you showed the same anger that she had apparently shown centuries before.
Angerwas to be suppressed.Angerwas an emotion that did not belong in their society.Thosewere lessons instilled in children since they could comprehend language, and they were lessons taught by the way of theBlightress.Whathad she done?Whatcaused such anger?
Ashwas aware of the commonality in the names.TheBlightand theBlightresswere too similar to not have a connection.Butall disease on crops and flora was called a blight.It’sjust that theBlightresiding inFelgrenwas unlike anything else growing on the isle, andAshhad not bothered to connect the two until the mention ofFelgrenbeing a part of theBlightress’sstory.Thatwas a detail never said in the rhyme and song passed down to children.
Hadshe caused the disease centuries ago?Howcould that be possible if it had not grown so full until now?IftheBlighthad begun with her, wouldn’t it have taken over all ofFelgrencenturies later?
Questionafter question wracked her thoughts and she wondered whatBaronHeimlenalready knew.Theremust be more to theBlightthat he was not telling her.Whyelse would he send her here, to this hallway inViridisto studyFelgrenorigins?Andwhy was a book solely focused on theBlightressin this section?
“Iwould be lying, reader, to sayIwas not in fact faced with disappointment at my findings because there were none.Inno record was there any mention of how theBlightresslived inFelgren, nor her role there.Iwill say, however, thatIhave heard of a place where these questions might be answered.Itis said that within theFortressitself, there resides a library, vast and beautiful, which contains copies of most written books on the isle.Theorigins of its name meaning ‘green’ in the magical language as it is called,Viridis.Itis my deepest desire to one day walk its halls, but alas,Icontain no ounce of magic in my bones, and so, will likely never see my dream come to pass.
Ihave heard said from conduits themselves that books on any magical subject or history can be found there; therefore, if there was such evidence of theBlightress’srole inFelgrenor the cause of her rage, this humble historian would suggest it would be found within those halls.”
Viridisheld evidence of theBlightress’srole inFelgren?Ashrubbed her face, her mind racing.Thisinformation was all so new, and it seemed as ifBaronHeimlenhad a true goal in summoning her to this very section.
Didhe expect her to find a connection between the stories of theBlightressand theBlight?Couldthere be a clue on how to destroy the disease based on these stories?
ButtheBlightresswas dead.Ifshe had lived at all.ThoughAshwas now beginning to think she must have been real, living centuries ago whenHyrithiawas just beginning to take breath.Couldshe have created a disease with magic that now spread rampantly throughFelgren?Again, the question ofwhyrose toAsh’smind, but she pushed it aside, her task now to find more information on theBlightress’stime inFelgrenas well as information on this firstBaron—BaronAdaynth.
