Arda flitted between the library and bedroom. On her way back with more materials, she passed Raker with a silent word. The shapeshifter acknowledged the handmaiden but held no interest in her.
He entered Alk’Hath’s chambers just as Arda stacked the next set of books beside the sorceress. She was well comfortable on a lounge, surrounded by pillows and furs Arda set her up with. Tea steamed beside her on a small rounded table…He tagged the smell as lavender.
“Remind me,” Alk’Hath picked up one of the books in front of her, “how old you are, Allister.”
“Time has passed me by, my lady.” Raker responded. He took the seat opposite her. “Close to five hundred years.”
The sorceress tapped one of her painted nails against her bottom lip. As she did so, Raker saw that the book she held was penned by the lich.
“You are too young. Even so, have you heard the name Caellach before?”
“Only the one time when Veleria said it. Coincidentally, she exclaimed it when I held her. It preceded the moment when I felt danger.”
With gentle fingers, Alk’Hath felt the cover of the book she held. She set it down on the nearest stack.
“With both Vos’iin and Corvus gone, I believe a change of pace is sorely needed. Althalos will not let her go easily if that name carries any meaning.”
Raker rarely spoke without her prompting.
“Are you able to tell me what this name refers to?” He asked her.
“Caellach Fauror…” Alk’Hath held her elbows. “He was once known as the King of Dragons, the Red God.”
“I figured that was just the ravings of a mad wizard. Do you mean to tell me that these so-called historical tomes are factual?”
“Trust me, once I believed much the same. How something so inane could be true, I wondered…Yet, we cannot deny the farcical dealings of those we deem godlike…” She reached beside her for the teacup. In her delicate hands he could see it shake, however subtly. “I believe I once told you that I managed to uncover Althalos’s phylactery?”
Raker nodded.
“I could not destroy it,” said Alk’Hath between two sips. “No magic I conjured could damage its contents, only…The jewelry box he kept it in. He reconstituted before I could take it, and I was forced to depart. I have yet to bother again.”
“Do you believe his phylactery and this Caellach character are related?”
“It is an idea.” Alk’Hath placed the teacup back down. “There are many strings tying all these things together. His tomes, his phylactery, his age, and now his interest in Veleria of all people. The name she invoked…Not to mention, that Caed defected so readily upon meeting her again. He seemed rather uninterested the first time they met. Without knowing his circumstances, one would think he merely changed his mind…And yet, Istvar is another matter entirely.”
Raker sat back, although he normally wouldn’t as Alk’Hath found such poses distasteful. He was in a varying mood since disposing Corvus earlier in the day. There were simply too many things on his mind.
Would he have turned out like Corvus had the lich not intervened?
“What do you propose we do now?” He asked, finding that his gaze could not meet that of his mistress. She was looking directly at him with an expression he was unable to place.
The sorceress took to her feet. She approached him, one hand caressing Raker’s knotted hair while the other pushed his back into her. While she was tall for her gender, he still towered over her, although sitting down his chin managed to rest within the fold of Alk’Hath’s breast.
“My precious Allister,” she cooed, “ease your weary mind. Trust in me as I have trusted in you.”