Page 88 of Dark Night Golden Dawn
Thea nodded. “Yes, we think that you and Harlow might hold the key to whatever this shows.”
Finn ran a hand through his hair, mussing it into further perfection. Harlow forced herself to focus. “And the tree itself? What’s that represent?”
Aurelia answered. “The tree nearly always represents the web of aether in the world. The roots and the branches are an easy way to represent the threads of magic immortals draw upon.”
Finn’s jaw clenched. “When Harlow and I arrived at the Grove party, we both experienced something strange. With everything going on, I forgot about it…”
Aurelia’s voice was sharp. “What happened?”
Harlow moved to stand next to Finn. “It was as though we were isolated from everyone else. In some kind of weird pocket of reality that only we perceived. And we both heard a scream.”
Finn added, “And then magic seemed to swell, before dumping us back into our usual reality. It was unsettling.”
Selene frowned. “It sounds like you witnessed a ritual from the other side of the veil.”
Aurelia took her wife’s hand. “I’m afraid there are some dark rituals that might be associated with the season. The Order of Mysteries has been investigating this for nearly a century, but we cannot detect exactly what is happening. We’ve long believed the Illuminated have some ulterior motive for encouraging the season year after year.”
Thea sighed. “Why haven’t you ever said anything?”
Aurelia rolled her eyes. “You and your sisters are barely adults. That’s not the kind of thing you tell children.”
All five Krane sisters glared at their mothers, who glared right back at their children until each averted their eyes. Harlow was the last to break Selene’s gaze. “Fine. Is there anything else we should know?”
Selene sighed. “I’m sure there’s a great deal we know that is connected to this. Your mother and I have been alive for the better part of a thousand years, it will take time to sort things out. And we will need to take this to the Order at some point, you understand?”
Finn balked visibly. “I think it would be better to keep this a secret for now.”
Aurelia’s hand flew up. “As do we, Finbar. But eventually, when we decide what must be done, we will need to have the Order of Mysteries’ High Council approval. That is, if you want allies.”
Finn nodded. “We do. I understand.”
A long moment passed, punctuated in its awkwardness by the slow ticking of the clock above the stove. Arebos broke the uncomfortable energy, staring at the images on the table. Then he turned to Thea and asked: “What is the scroll about?”
Thea smiled, appreciative of the redirect, no doubt. “No one really knows, though there have been lots of assumptions made over the years by the different Orders.”
Cian tapped the image above the tree, where the Heraldic creatures were awake, flying in formation. “My people believe this means that someday, the Heraldic Chosen will reawaken, and join forces again against the Illuminated.”
Aurelia nodded. “That is certainly an interpretation that makes sense. But if I may ask, what is this alternae a representative of? I’ve never seen it in depictions of the Heraldic before.”
She tapped a darkly colored bird that flew in formation with the Heraldic warriors: firedrakes, alicorns, gryphons and the chimaera. It looked like something between an eagle and bird of paradise, though if it were as large as the scale in the facsimile it was probably the size of a person. Its feathers were a mix of dark emerald green, blue, and black in the image.
Cian looked at Harlow when they answered. “That is the Feriant.”
Harlow took a sharp breath in, just as Selene covered her mouth. “Thatis a Feriant?”
Cian nodded. “It isn’t one of the Heraldic shifters at all, but a sorcière.”
Indigo shook her head. “But the sorcière can’t change shapes. It’s not in our nature.”
“It was for some of you, long ago,” Cian answered, never taking their eyes off Harlow. “And perhaps will be again.”
“How?” Harlow asked, surer than ever that Cian had fought in the War of the Orders. “How did they do it?”
Cian shook their head. “It was kept secret. Not because they didn’t trust us, but because it was dangerous knowledge. With the Feriant Legion, we stood a chance against the Illuminated. It is why both the Heraldic and the Striders were systematically eliminated. Without them, we cannot hope to mount any kind of force against the Illuminated Order.”
Harlow glanced at Finn. She knew what he was thinking, because she was thinking it too. The Knights of Serpens had been eliminated in just the same way. Could this have something to do with the triptych and their union? She couldn’t bring herself to ask. Not right now while things were still so bruised between them, and she saw in his eyes that he felt the same. It was as though they made a silent promise to wait, for just a bit, to talk about that.
“And that is what you think we should be doing?” Aurelia asked sharply, directing her question at Thea and Alaric. “Fightingthe Illuminated?”
