Mardan- An Unpredictable Fey of the Light
Mardan’s character goes through one of the largest arcs throughout the three books of Dark Fey. Though he starts out seeming gentle, readers soon learn he is also fierce, wrathful, loyal to a fault, caring and skeptical all at once. In the snippet I’m sharing today, which comes near the end of book two, Standing in Shadows, we begin to see another side of him as well.
***
Standing unmoving, Gairynzvl looked down at his hands with the incoherence of absolute fatigue. Blood was all he could see, but his mind had separated from the pain. He felt a gentle touch take hold of him, felt strong arms supporting him, and saw the reflection of broad, white wings stretching around him, guiding him beyond the threshold into the beautiful winter landscape that waited.
“Ayla?” He whispered with what remained of his strength, but from beside him, Mardan answered.
“She is safe.”
Try as he might he could not force his eyes open in the blinding white light surrounding them. From the distance, he could hear Rehstaed’s unusual language; he was speaking softly in the gentlest tones, no doubt to a youngling, but tears filled his vision and he could not see.
Guiding him forward, Mardan paused briefly to collect a heap of snow and placed it carefully into his hands, encouraging him to hold it as long as he could tolerate to help abate the flow of blood. Its icy touch made the Fierce One wince; then, after a moment, he sighed as its soothing coolth eased the burning pain enveloping his hands. Listening with weary delight to the sounds around him, Gairynzvl became aware of another; one that made him turn his head from side to side, endeavoring to hear it more clearly. Indistinct voices drifted upon the fresh, crisp air, drawing closer and became more excited as they drew closer. Blinking repeatedly, he shook his head, desperate to see.
Once again, childfey screams filled the air.
Growling with frustration, Gairynzvl turned his wing over his shoulder and pressed his face into its softness to dry his eyes, even as Mardan assured him another time that all was well. Looking up, he peered into the brightness, his growl fading as he saw long lines of Fey coming out of the woodland. Some hesitated, clearly unsure of the ferocious-looking group that had emerged from the mountain where no gate or portal ever existed. Others stopped in overwhelmed amazement, staring with mouths agape at the childfey playing at the warrior’s feet.
Then the woodland Fey rushed with abandon towards the group, tears of joy and desperate curiosity mingling with gleeful laughter as they called out names, hoping one of the younglings might be their very own. The childfey rushed to the Fey of the Light, screaming in desperate relief, clinging to any who might share a gentle touch or a kind word. Some Fey knelt down in the snow, gathering two, three, or even four little ones into their arms to hug and kiss them again and again. Others picked younglings up to swing around with them with exhilaration, their laughter as free as the glittering Light shimmering over all of them.
Watching in silence, Gairynzvl smiled. Beside him, Mardan smiled as well, turning to gaze at the Fierce One for whom he felt both hatred and a brotherly affinity he could not deny. Despite the rivalry that existed between them, which he could not yet lay aside, Mardan wrapped one arm around his shoulder and pulled him close in a hearty, sideways embrace. They shared an uncertain stare; then laughed with each other in a rare moment of ease.
Looking around, Gairynzvl took in the scene. Giggles and gurgles and twitterings of little ones filled the quiet clearing like birdsong on a bright morning and Gairynzvl could not restrain a sudden sigh of absolute relief any more than he could combat the tears that once again filled his vision.
“You are a conundrum, Fierce One.” Mardan said him lightly, raising his hand to wipe away his rival’s tears with astonishing attentiveness before he shook his head and moved away.
The Dark Fey Trilogy is now available in a single book!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this previously unreleased snippet.
~Morgan~
Art by ~MorganVisit my DeviantArt Gallery
