Chapter 87: All You Had To Do Was Stay
Banella had left the tavern so quickly she had almost bowled over Magiere. She didn’t even stop to apologize, she had to get back to The Oasis as quickly as she could.
Banella had paid little mind to the different tents set up on her first visit, but she had to pay attention now. Necromancy would not exactly be a service that would be advertised in a clan like this.
“Hello, are you Banella?” A voice sounded behind her. She spun around to see a wildclaw smirking at her. His icy eyes glinted eerily in the light of the Night of the Nocturne lanterns that lit the clan.
“How do you know my name?” Banella asked, intrigued.
“Kalo told me you’d be coming. I’m Kai.” And with that, the wildclaw disappeared into a nearby tent. Banella followed.
As Banella stepped into the tent, she immediately felt at home in the shadowy atmosphere. The air of mystery felt cozy and for the first time since entering the Sunbeam Ruins, she felt as though she could breathe. She took her time striding in, soaking in the glory of everything. Her eyes met Kai’s, his glinting and giving away nothing.
“What can I do for you?” Kai asked, guiding Banella to take a seat.
“I would like to speak to my sister, Basil.” Banella said, cracking a rare grin. She liked Kai a lot.
“That can be easily done.” Kai reassured her. “Though it will come at a price.”
“I have money.” Banella confirmed.
“I’m not asking for treasure or gems.” Kai responded. “They are of little use to me. No, I need something of more substance.”
“Whatever you want, it is yours.” Banella offered. “Name a price and I’ll pay it.”
A grin spread across Kai’s face, and had Banella been a lesser dragon, she would have shivered.
“How about your greatest passion?” Kai suggested.
“Done.” Banella was almost surprised by how quickly she agreed. Whatever her greatest passion was, it would soon be gone anyways. Leo was ancient history, and Basil too would soon be in the past. With a nod from Kai, there was a flash.
“That’ll do just nicely.” Kai said with a grin. “Now, onto your sister.”
Banella quivered with anticipation. This was what she came for. It was finally happening. Soon she could confront her sister like she always wanted, now she could get her revenge.
“For the ritual to work, I’ll need something of her. A memory, a feeling perhaps.” Kai explained. “So I have something to latch onto when calling her from the realm of the dead. The stronger the piece, the better the connection.”
“But I already gave you something!” Banella protested.
“That was for me. This will be for your sister.”
“Fine.” Banella rolled her eyes. “I’ll give my childhood memories.”
Kai snapped his fingers, and suddenly shadows filled the tent, streaming and writhing like snake-like arms tipped with hands grasping at the air, trying to grab hold of something, anything. Soon, they began to grow tighter together, the shapes becoming obvious. There was the glint of teeth and talons, the flutter of wings, and the whispers of dragons. One voice rose from the rest.
“What’s going on?” The voice called, crackling and shifting in volume, sometimes growing too soft to be heard among the noise of the ritual. “Where am I?”
“Basil!” Banella exclaimed with a growl. She’d know her sister’s voice anywhere. It was time for a showdown.
“Banella!” Her sister’s voice called. “Is that-“ Then her voice cut out.
“Where is she? Why can’t I see her?” Banella snapped at Kai.
“It appears your childhood memories of her aren’t strong enough to hold her here.” Kai explained. “If you want to talk to her, I’ll need something else.”
“I have nothing else to give!” Banella spat viciously. “She took everything from me, why should I give her more?! She doesn’t deserve this, this is mine!”
“Your resentment.” Kai suggested. “It burns strong within you. That would guarantee a strong connection, enough to last as long as you need.”
“NEVER!” Banella roared over the rush of voices growing louder. “That throne was MINE! It was mine and she took it from me!!!”
“Look, do you want to talk to your sister or not?” Kai was getting obviously irritated. “Because I literally cannot do anything else unless you give up something else.”
“Fine!” Banella shouted, and suddenly, there was calm.
The cacophony of voices had silenced, the air was still, and in front of Banella was a beautiful wildclaw, her deep violet eyes wide with surprise and excitement. The scent of flowers hung in the air. Banella reached in her chest for an emotion, and found a strange sense of peace. Her years of hatred were gone, as if they had never existed. In its place was a warm feeling Banella had not felt since she was a hatchling. It was tainted by only the slightest hint of jealousy.
“Banella!” Basil exclaimed, racing forward to embrace her sister. The floral scent of her sister enveloped her. Banella stood there, stunned, unsure of what to do. She wasn’t sure she knew what she was anymore. She awkwardly hugged her sister back.
“I don’t deserve this.” Banella admitted. It was not what she planned to say, but there it was, hovering in the air between the two sisters.
“I’m just happy you are here!” Basil said with a smile as she hopped back. “Oh Banella, I’ve missed you so much! After you left, I had no idea what I was going to do without you!”
“You seemed to do fine on your own.” Banella pointed out. “You’ve got quite the legacy here. You should be proud.”
“But it wasn’t the same without you, my trusted advisor!” Basil said. “I never did have a head for all those politics and strategy. That was always you. You have no idea how much trouble our clan could have avoided if we had you to steer us away!”
“But you managed.” Banella reminded her.
“I did, but I missed you every day.” There was a deep hurt in her sister’s purple eyes. Banella felt something move within her chest. She couldn’t have meant so much to her sister, could she?
“I missed you too.” Banella’s mouth moved before she could stop it, and in surprise, she realized that it was true. There had been a piece of her missing ever since she left the Clan of Resting Wings, a hurt that had never been repaired. Leo’s caresses and sweet words could do nothing to fill it. Now she knew what it was that she had been missing.
“You should have come home sooner.” Basil said with a sad smile. “I always hoped you would come home.” Her words were so quiet now that Banella almost couldn’t hear them.
“I’m here now.” Banella promised.
“Can you stay? Can you look after my family?” Basil asked, eyes filled with desperation.
“No.” Banella said, and as she said it, she realized that this would never be a place she could come back to. She had lost her chance. Everyone she knew was dead and gone, and life had gone on without her. If she were to find her place, it would have to be elsewhere. “I’m sorry, but I have lived too long trying to live someone else’s life. It’s time I found my own.”
Basil smiled, her eyes brimming with emotion. “No one ever could tell you what to do, could they?”
“Not a chance.”
“Well, whatever you do, I’m sure it will be amazing!” Basil said, almost jumping for joy at the thought. Banella let out a laugh. She had missed out on so much. She had missed this, the time spent with her sister. She wished she could stay here forever, but alas…
“Your times almost up.” Kai’s voice broke the silence, and as he spoke, Basil began to fade.
“No!” Banella exclaimed, rushing forward to give her sister one last hug. But it was too late. Her form had disappeared.
“I love you!” Basil’s voice called across the tent, the last remnant of her sister.
“I love you too!” Banella shouted, hoping her sister could hear her. Then she was left alone in silence. All that remained was the faint scent of flowers.
Banella stood there, trying to take in what had just happened. Another emotion was settling in, deeper and heavier than the joy of seeing her sister again. This one had a bite to it, and it covered her entire being like a blanket. What was the name of this one? Oh, right. Grief. Grief for lost opportunities, and for a life she could never live again. Her happiness faded like dew in the summer. Banella once again felt an emptiness settle over her, and it left a taste in her mouth as bitter as poison.
@CleverDual @Alwaid @zzzhorses @Skyeset @ScrivenerRook @Kizzan @clarax @lilastar @tigressRising @Disillusionist @Aetherstorm @rainphee @RiaFire11
And here is part 2 of Banella's adventure in Novus Lux! This has possibly been one of my favourite chapters to write! I've been waiting to do this scene for a long long time.
I forgot to mention, Kai is Kalo's brother, which is how Kalo had been able to connect Banella so easily.
