Post by Solana on Aug 23, 2014 22:37:22 GMT -5
Chapter Nineteen- By The Light Of The Stars
The light that has been forgotten is waiting among our people. The power that is derived from Courage is the power to conquer the past. It is the essence of the inner revolution. The power to protect the precious is the power of Love. The powers of Love and Courage are the powers of the west wind. The hope for tomorrow. The belief in possibilities is the power of Hope.
Baskar Chief, Wild Arms
"The Sacred Stars?! You're demanding that we turn over our greatest treasure, that which has kept us safe for time out of mind?" Liam demanded, his expression suddenly fierce.
Eziban winced and held up his hands in defense. However many brownie points that Raoul had scored for them, he at least still had to tread carefully with these allies. "I phrased that badly," he admitted. "How about, 'May we please borrow the Sacred Stars?'"
"Why? What do you have in mind?" Raoul asked curiously. Malika cocked her head intently.
"I'm glad you got your power back, man, but what's to stop Bachlan from just sucking it away again?" Eziban began. Raoul looked down, unable to think of an answer. "Exactly. See, the whole Crystal Citadel is formed of crystal, or actually, crystal quartz. Our work crystals are made of the ephemeral-grade. It's very sensitive to magic being poured in and sent out, which is why it worked so well for us using our powers for so long, and why it absorbed our power signatures so easily."
Liam raised an eyebrow in astonishment, knowing how rare and valuable that type was, and his stance relaxed. "So you wish to use the Sacred Stars to oppose that?!"
"How would that work?" Malika asked in confusion.
"The Stars are various kinds of quartz, which are already tuned into earth power, and all help oppose different types of negative energy. A nice little ability already built-in," Eziban continued, "You guys have been loading them with protection spells for millennia, right? If I get my power back, I could juice them up a little more, and Bachlan's influence through the crystal will be canceled out. He won't be able to steal your power, and if we can get one to Oriana, hers will be safe, too. Once we've done what we've had to there, we'll give them back to you, even stronger than before."
"Are you certain this will work? We will be taking a considerable risk," Raoul pointed out cautiously, though a spark of hope was already in his eyes. If they failed, Bachlan would have acquired two sets of elemental powers from himself and anyone else whose power may have been restored, and would likely kill them outright this time. Still, if they succeeded....
Certain? Hell, no! "Hell, yes! Bachlan needs the crystal to acquire our power signatures to work the spell- he can't do it with only his power," Eziban replied, trying to inject extra confidence in his tone. Besides, this was the best shot they had.
Silence reigned for a bit, as all eyes slowly went towards Liam. The elf thought about it a moment, then slowly nodded. "Very well. What you ask will benefit us all."
Eziban let out a sigh of relief. With the preliminary problem out of the way, it was time to tackle the next. "In the meantime, let's get out of this damn rain. I also want to talk to Tayn and his team a bit more about that metallic core they were making for the Vyski hospital," he suggested. The others all nodded and began making their way back to Liam's longhouse.
Liam lagged behind Eziban, turning back to look at his granddaughter and her beloved. The two walked hand in hand, completely oblivious to the rain and everything else except each other. The new look on Malika's face, a love coupled with a newfound maturity from her rite and being the strong one for Raoul, healed his heart even as it broke it. The little girl he had adored and raised through all these years had become a woman, and one who had been making her life's choices for some time already. Even with the past seeding possible problems for the future, he had a hunch that the two together would overcome anything.
Liam had never been so proud.
For days upon days after the Rite of Truth, Eziban ruled the elves' magical school with a titanium fist in his quest to work with the Sacred Stars. Luckily, Tayn's group of mages enjoyed a challenge as much as Eziban himself did. Several of them didn't bother to hide their glee at the chance to strike back at the man who had kept them living in fear all of this time, while others were more altruistic and grateful to be helping to protect their world. Whatever their reasons, they happily served as Eziban's right arm.
Eziban questioned Tayn thoroughly on the development of their heating core for Vyski, planning on using it as his model. When Tayn protested that Eziban had no sample of the work-crystals from the Citadel to attune his core to, the man just shrugged and sketched a space for it in his plans. He would chuck a rock at one and knock a chunk off of it if he had to.
When Eziban had a sketch that he and the elves thought would serve to draw out the Stars' powers to their best advantage, they got to work on assembly. With his essence zapped, Eziban was forced to rely on the elven mages to do the magical work. However, magic was only one tool in his bag of tricks for working with the gifts from the earth.
The Stars were spread out on a worktable in front of him, a winking rainbow of hope. Eziban was currently weaving a circle of wires drawn of various metals, squinting as his hands carefully twisted each wire just so. It was finicky work, but he'd never minded the long hours spent in creating a masterpiece. It made for a peaceful mindset.
Tayn was hovering behind Eziban's shoulder, his eyes darting from the sketch to the circle coming into shape in the Earth Guardian's hands. He cleared his throat to get Eziban's attention and pointed to the wire circle. "An even weave like that will add power, but will also make it too easy to be overcome by Bachlan's spells. You'll want knots woven in there to bolster its defenses."
Eziban glanced up at him. "Knots?"
"Allow me." Tayn whisked the half-done circle from Eziban's hands and swiftly undid most of it, as Eziban made a protesting gesture. Leaving an inch of woven metal, the elf showed Eziban what he meant as he wrapped a wire of gold around one of silver, then the silver around the platinum twice before bringing it back to the gold. On the other side, he made a mirror image of it using the copper, tin, and titanium strands. Then he worked the platinum and titanium together in a reverse twist knot in the middle. "See? Just like knots in a pearl necklace secure the gems, the physical knots will do the same for the magic in here."
"Huh, that's brilliant!" Eziban took the wire creation back and examined it, knowing that he would sense the difference if he had his power back. "I'd be grateful if you guys would show me your tricks after we take care of this."
Tayn laughed and slapped Eziban's shoulder, but his eyes showed his pleasure from the praise. "We have more tricks than even you might master in your lifetime," he said, only half jesting. He pointed to a painted knot design that graced the lintel over the doorway of the workroom. "You don't think we decorate with knotwork only because it looks impressive, do you?"
"See if I share any more of my secrets, then," he shot back with a grin, as Tayn's face took on an expression of mock horror. Joking aside, Eziban figured that Tayn might be up for it and mentally filed that thought away for later. For now he bent back over his work, using the knotwork technique that Tayn had shown him as he continued weaving his circle.
Once the circle was complete, Eziban turned to the Sacred Stars that Liam had loaned him. There were eight whole stones, all winking with power, and only tiny shards of a ninth. Picking up the first to embed it in his creation, a smoky quartz that he felt curiously attuned to, he understood Liam's reluctance to share these little treasures.
Tayn had told him that the reason that Deynain was so potent in magic compared to anywhere else on Merna, especially the small lake at her heart, was that it was from here that the Great Birth had originated. Once the land was revealed from the seas and the powers of their world stabilized, Merna had brought forth the essences through the lake to protect this new and inviting world. The Stars had been the original vessels that had held the elemental essences, meant to keep them safe until eight folk were chosen to use them. The ninth stone had held them all safe during the journey to Merna's surface, and had cracked open when the elves had first discovered it untold millennia ago. The latent powers in them were residues of the essences themselves, and had been tapped into for protection all of this time.
Eziban knew without out a doubt that this smoky quartz in his hand had held his own essence. He carefully fitted the stone into the first gap he had made for it, nestling it between the strands of gold and platinum until he was satisfied with its exact position. Once he was, Tayn reached around and used a tiny bit of fire magic to weld it in. Eziban picked up the core and gave it a good shake, but that quartz was as lodged in as if the strands were coming through it like a bead.
The next one he picked up was a solid gray stone tinted red and yellow, a piece of flint. Another easy one, as its nickname was 'firestone'. Eziban moved to the next gap in his core and wedged the stone in carefully. This time Tayn used a hint of lightning to secure it, not wanting his fire to tamper with that of the stone.
They filled in the rest of the circle with blue quartz, agate, citrine, milky quartz, chalcedony, and finally amethyst. Eziban and Tayn both gave the woven core a few good shakes, but those stones weren't going anywhere until they were released.
Once all the stones were in place, Eziban looked at the shards. He picked up a curved one and tried to join it in between the blue quartz and flint, but a sense of rejection entered his mind.
"Don't even try, Eziban. The eight stones have created the unity that you will need to safeguard your powers," Tayn commented casually.
Something made Eziban ask, "Can I take them anyway? I have a hunch we'll find a use for them."
Tayn nodded. "We promised you all of the Stars, and these are included. We've never been able to work with them, so they're all yours. Use them well."
Eziban swept the crystal bits into a leather bag from his vest and returned it to an inside pocket for safekeeping. He held up the metallic circle glittering with the stones, his Star core, and examined it from every angle. If there was anything that they had missed, he couldn't think of it.
"You do good work. Are we ready to test it?" Tayn asked eagerly.
"Let's call in your artillery and see what all of Deynain can do," Eziban replied, tossing the circle up and catching it on one arm.
Raoul and Liam joined Eziban and several of the elf mages in a protected area in a field outside of the great forest. Eziban had a huge smile on his face, while many of the mages looked pleased with themselves. "Man, do these guys give me a run for my money on working with stones! Tayn offered to show me a few tricks. It's amazing how they combined ambient earth power in not only the materials of a project, but their shapes and even decorations as well-"
"What do you need with me?" Raoul asked in amusement. The Earth Guardian could go on for days if left unchecked.
Eziban gave a start at being thrown out of his train of thought. "Huh? Oh, right. The elves have been building on to the ambient power already in these things, and it's time to see if they'll work for what we need." With the Star core in hand, and he went to stand on one end of the field. Tayn stood by the others, a glistening topaz in his hand with a similar one resting on the core.
"This should neutralize the effects of the crystal the power is going through, rendering the spell useless without a mage to travel through. Tayn, let me have it!" Eziban called out.
"As you like," Tayn replied, holding up the crystal. Golden-yellow power shimmered and flashed inside it, looking like a furious swarm of lit-up wasps trying to find their way out. Sweat poured down the elf's face as he tried to command it, but nothing happened.
Eziban passed a hand over the core, lowering its defenses. Tayn then tried again, and an enormous bolt of lightning shot out of the crystal, encountering a shield thrown up over the Earth Guardian by another mage.
Applause rang out, and Raoul joined in enthusiastically. Still, would it work against the power of an essence?
"Tayn, you want to throw a fresh crystal to Raoul, please?" Eziban asked. The elf nodded and obliged, tossing him a large chunk of clear crystal quartz. Eziban swapped out the topaz for a matching crystal on the core.
"What do I do with this?" Raoul asked curiously, turning the small gem over in is fingers. It was very plain and completely empty of magical power.
"Just pretend that we're back in the Citadel, and you're sending your power through the crystal there. Throw a low-level lightning spell at me first," Eziban instructed, putting up the defenses in the core in his hand again.
Raoul looked a little nervous, but Eziban seemed pretty confident so he reluctantly obeyed. Carefully he placed a mere thread of his thunder magic into the quartz, then commanded it to go to the Earth Guardian. The power squirmed anxiously, trying to obey and being unable to. The Star core had effectively turned the quartz into a prison for any power sent into it.
Eziban smiled and gave a thumbs-up to the elven mages. "Bring it up a notch!" he yelled.
Raoul nodded and concentrated, feeding more power into the quartz. It shuddered in his hand, but could not yet overcome the Star's power.
"Now give me some real juice!” Eziban called out.
A flood of thunder magic poured into the crystal, filling it nearly to the brim. It started shrieking a bit, and the crystal began to shudder in Raoul’s hands. “Eziban, are you sure this is wise?” Raoul yelled.
“This thing has to stand up to Bachlan’s influence, so if it can’t handle yours, we’re screwed! Give me everything you've got!" Eziban shouted back.
Everything he had.... the image of a certain elfmaiden came to mind. Raoul's fists clenched, his head bowed, and the lightning in the crystal swirled into a maelstrom along with his new rush of determination.
Raoul did not have the same burning passion for protecting their world as a whole, or even certain domains the way so many of the others did. No, for him the most important and precious thing in Merna to protect was the love he shared with Malika. It did not make his resolve weaker to want to protect one instead of a great number, but actually awakened the inner strength he had never fully called on all these millennia.
Eziban's eyes widened in shock at the sheer output of power from his fellow Guardian, but then a smile spread across his face. Holy cow, give the guy some decent incentive and then get out of his way. He kept a tight hold on the core in his hand, then gave a start.
It, too, was starting to shake, its limits being approached rapidly. He tried to feed it some of his own magic, then remembered his essence was still drained. Light flashed and bounced around crazily in Raoul's crystal as it hit the barriers the Stars had placed on it, then smashed on through them.
"Oh, sh-"
KA-BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
An explosion of golden-yellow shot towards the Earth Guardian as it finally overcame the Stars' powers. Several of the mages threw up defensive shields as Eziban tried to dodge the thunder magic that Raoul had sent in his direction. Raoul managed to shift the bolt to strike something other than his friend, but the resulting blast as it hit the ground sent the Earth Guardian flying through the air and making an awkward landing into Deynain's lake. An enormous splash rose up as his body hit the water.
“Eziban!” The others came running to the lake, wondering if the Earth Guardian had broken his neck or worse. Raoul was already splashing through the water's edge, trying to get to Eziban as fast as possible.
Eziban's head broke the surface of the water, and he managed a wave to show he was all right. He slowly made his way to shallow water, looking a little dazed. Raoul wrapped one of Eziban's arms around his shoulders and helped him get to dry land. “Uh....looks like we’ll need my essence after all...” Eziban moaned.
“Are you all right?” Malika asked in concern.
“Huh? Oh, I’m fine, miss, but why are there five of you?” Eziban asked in confusion, then suddenly collapsed. Raoul caught him easily.
“It would be wise let him get some rest. Malika, will you make sure he’s all right, but for his head?” Liam asked, unable to hide a smile. Malika nodded, managing to hide her own snicker perfectly. “The rest of you, you have my eternal gratitude. Thanks to your help, we believe the Stars should work to help our friends if the power of the earth essence is added to them.”
The mages grinned and clapped each other on the back in congratulations before dispersing to other duties. Raoul easily hoisted the smaller Guardian over one shoulder and started back to the village towards Malika's house. "I am sorry for that, buddy. It seems I never knew my own strength."
"Gahhhh....no more of those yummy Flare-hot cookies, Aryn, I've had too many already...." Eziban muttered.
Malika gave him a strange look. "Are you sure he'll be fine? Did he swallow something he wasn't supposed to out there, I wonder?"
Raoul chuckled and nodded, giving his friend a few pats on the back. "He will be well, beloved. Eziban is as tough and dependable as the trees in this forest. He just needs-"
Eziban shuddered, then began coughing up the algae-ridden lake water he had swallowed. Raoul closed his eyes in disgust as Malika burst into laughter.
"-some rest."
With Eziban exhausted after all of his days (and nights) working on the Star core and his unintended flight, Raoul decided that an extra day or so to rest wouldn't do either of them any harm.
While Malika was keeping a careful eye on his friend, Raoul went out to do something he rarely did- train. Now that he had finally selected his path, he knew it was vital to be as ready as possible for whatever Bachlan would throw at them. His failure to call back the bolt that had nearly nailed Eziban had proved how rusty he had become, working on transcribing poetry instead of keeping his skills sharp. Tayn had offered him the use of a medium-sized clearing that their teachers used with young ones that was already well-grounded in defensive spells, and Raoul took him up on it gladly.
He stood in the very middle of the clearing, with the defensive spells activated around him to prevent any stray bolts from hitting things that they were not meant to. His eyes were closed, his arms by his sides as he first reached within to sense the electricity within his own system. Not a single spark or even spare electron escaped his notice. Lightning was power, in organisms and in machines. It was life-giving in minute amounts, deadly in excess. Raoul's own control and use of his power had to be as precise as the most perfect brushstroke when he used it to protect those around him.
Sparks sprang from and danced around his fingers as he slowly raised his hands and brought them together. The sparks soon grew into small fingers of pale yellow and hot blue lightning and began swirling at his command. The lightning formed a whirling disc in his hands, then grew in height until he held a perfect sphere in his hands. With a satisfied gesture, he dissolved it.
Next, Raoul called up a watery whirlwind. He struggled a little at first, but water and air were cousins to his own power and partners when it came to taking down thunderstorms. The water and air magic blended to form a misty substance that spun around him as if he were a human spindle. Keeping a mental lock on that spell, he reached into his thunder essence to draw a thread of power from his own element.
Hair-thin bolts were slowly released into the whirlwind, looking like shining threads. Raoul concentrated and fed more and more of his power into it as lightning slowly displaced the spinning mist. Within a few moments, the whirlwind had become a golden vortex of pure electricity. Sweat poured down his face as he cried out, sending the vortex upward into the sky.
Positively and negatively charged particles swirled above him, below him, inside him. Sparks, seed lightning, bolts hopping from cloud to cloud- none of it passed his notice. The seed lightning waiting in the clouds sensed Raoul's gift to the heavens. Sparks trailed from the vortex that he had sent, and sparks trailed from above to greet it. When they met, the circuit was completed and thunder roared.
His green-gray hair in its horsetail flapped rapidly and hot blue sparks danced in his brown eyes as Raoul stood, a living conduit of the lightning between earth and sky. No longer part human and part elf, he was merely an initiator for a force older than either race or their silly labels. Thunder boomed and crashed outside of him, inside of him, as his power sang in harmony with the forces it had been made to work with. This, this was what being a Guardian meant. Not to attempt so foolish a thing as to conquer the elemental forces of Merna, but to merely steward them...
Finally, Raoul banished the giant bolt and took a few steps to steady himself. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he wiped it off with his sleeve with a feeling of well-being in his heart. Never had his power nor its understanding come so easily to his grasp. It was amazing what a difference some confidence and someone to fight for made.
"Most impressive." Raoul looked up to see Liam watching him, a slightly concerned look on his face. Whether it was due to seeing someone willingly stand under a bolt of lightning or some other reason, Raoul couldn't guess. Liam hesitantly raised a beckoning hand. "May I have a word with you in private?"
Raoul nodded, then carefully took down the shields of the protected area. He dusted off his hands of any spare sparks and approached Liam to hear what he had to say. Liam instead gestured for Raoul to walk with him down one of the many paths of the forest.
It was a fine day, with a sky tinted a bright turquoise blue. Evidently, the shields had kept in the noise factor as well as the heat and power of a lightning bolt, for Raoul could still hear birds twittering among the emerald swaths that formed the forest's living ceiling. Liam took a deep breath, seemingly calmed by the scent and sounds of life in this home. As he exhaled, he finally began to speak. "I came to apologize for keeping the secret of the mem-gem."
Raoul held up a staying hand. "Don't, Liam. Eziban and I understand why you did that. We weren't..." he hesitated for a moment, then finished with, "...weren't ready to know. Maybe it would have led to civil war, or the destruction of the elves off the face of Merna."
"You believe that that's been completely averted?" Liam asked, cocking his head slightly.
Raoul shrugged. "I don't know. We'll have some hard questions to answer even after we stop Bachlan, both to our people and ourselves."
"True."
The awkward silence returned. Raoul let it be, knowing that Liam was having just as difficult a time in challenging long-held beliefs as he himself had. Raoul had before been but a suitor to his beloved granddaughter; a suitor who just happened to serve a man who had been the paradigm of fear for every elf past one hundred years of age for thousands of years. Now, Liam had to look at Raoul as a more serious contender for Malika's hand and heart, who was now in a position to help topple this same paradigm and a proven Guardian by Merna's will. Longer lifetimes could bring many blessings, but also a steadfastness in the way one perceived an ever changing world. Raoul was willing to give Liam that time needed.
Liam returned to himself swiftly. "We are all aware that you and my granddaughter harbor very strong feelings for each other. I knew of this long ago, of course, since she came to you to save my life." He walked slowly, his hands folded behind his back, his eyes on the Guardian.
"You're right. I love Malika with all of my heart, and will do all I can to keep her safe from Bachlan. My intentions are honorable," Raoul said sincerely.
"If they were otherwise, I would have interfered," Liam replied, a hint of a dangerous overtone in his voice. Raoul had no doubts about that, seeing a hint of fire in the elf's eyes before his expression softened. "I know you are a man of integrity, Raoul, but you are also a Guardian. That must be addressed."
Raoul glanced at him cautiously, wondering where this was going. "I do not understand. Merna has acknowledged me in front of your own eyes, and yet-"
Liam grimaced. "It is not that. Raoul, how old are you?"
Raoul paused to think, counting on his fingers. "On my last birthday, I reached eighteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty-two years..." Understanding dawned in his eyes. "Oh, are you worried about that for Malika?"
Liam smiled his approval that this man's concerns would center on the woman he cared for. "I'm not talking about Malika, my boy. I'm concerned about you. The essences grant even longer lives than our elven blood does. If you and my granddaughter would someday wed, then you would very likely outlive her by quite some time."
Raoul stopped, considering this. None of the Guardians were married. He thought of what life might be like alongside the spirited elfmaiden, carrying out their dreams of expanding Deynain's culture to the rest of Merna, and had to smile. Their relationship had already shown him so many wonders that made the glories of handling raw lightning pale in comparison.
Raoul then thought of living without her, millennium after millennium. But they had all done it already, buried friends and family as they outlived them. Malika's caring had become his strength, and her radiance was his light. Raoul wanted to keep that glorious radiance shining in her spirit as long as she lived, to touch everyone around her. Elves had a very long lifetime, too, so they would have plenty of time to be together if that was her wish...
Raoul realized that Liam was waiting patiently for his answer. He chose his words carefully. "I would like to use that time to bring Malika the happiness that she has shown me. Besides, a true life isn't measured in years or millennia, but in the actions or joys brought to others in that time. Living on will be difficult, yes, but wouldn't it be better to live those years with the cherished memories of a loved one instead of regretting throwing the chance at happiness away?"
"Then whatever you and Malika decide, I hope you both find happiness," Liam replied, clapping a hand on the Thunder Guardian's shoulder in fatherly pride.
"Thank you," Raoul replied, all that he could say at this point. As much as he wanted to run back to Malika, take her in his arms, kiss her to eternity, and start making concrete plans for the dreams of 'someday' that they had shared for so long, he was in no position to do so quite yet. There was a battle to win, and victory was in no way certain. He would not take a chance of making sweet promises that could all come to nothing and only serve to break her heart.
"Raoul! Finally, there you are!" Eziban came sprinting up, panting a little. His face had a slight gray tinge as if he had just blown through the rest of his energy on his run. A grimy, salt-soaked piece of paper was clenched in one fist.
"Eziban, you should be resting-" Liam began sternly.
Eziban snorted, waving it off. "Ahhh, I'm fine. It was just a little bump on the head and a few swallows of lake water. Nothing Malika couldn't fix up."
"What's that?" Raoul asked, pointing to the paper.
Eziban unfolded the paper to display the note's tidy wax writing. "It's a note from Solana. Turns out, she wants everyone to meet in the Ayadoia Glade to put together a plan. She and Joshua are on their way from outside Ridley, and Aryn and Trista are coming from the Great Simbel Range. Her essence was also revitalized," Eziban explained.
Raoul raised his eyebrows in astonishment. He knew that Solana was resourceful, but even this was a bit of a stretch. "So she is also considered a true Guardian in Merna's eyes. But how on Merna did she get a note here, and know about Aryn and Trista from so far away?"
Eziban quickly skimmed the paper again. "She and Joshua met up with a pod of orcas. They keep in touch with other critters and know who we are." He shook his head in wonder. "Man, and to think we gave her grief all those millennia for talking to them."
"You mean you gave her grief," Raoul couldn't help pointing out, while Eziban grinned sheepishly. It wasn't always a bad thing to be proven wrong.
"If you wish to make the trip, we will loan you lleyts and supplies for it," Liam commented.
Raoul glanced over to Eziban, who nodded confidently. "Thank you, Liam. May we stay one more night, and leave at daybreak?"
Liam agreed, and let the Guardians go to make their arrangements. He didn't like to see his granddaughter and her chosen be forced apart again so soon, and apparently Raoul was thinking the same. Their courtship had been sporadic at best already, but maybe soon, things would change.
For Malika's sake, and sake of all of his people, he would pray unceasingly for their victory.
Dawn arrived, bringing gray skies and a chilled stillness to the forest cathedral. Only the birds and other small denizens seemed awake at this hour to keep the travelers company.
Raoul was in the stables, yawning slightly as he finished saddling up the lleyt that would serve as his mount back to the Crystal Citadel. The gentle bird turned its flexible neck to look back at him and almost seemed to wink. Raoul chuckled and gently scratched its head as the lleyt closed its eyes and cooed in appreciation.
After a few minutes of attention, the bird allowed him to add his saddlebags and doublecheck the straps of the harness. It had been a while since Raoul had last tried to ride one of these large birds, and he didn't wish to spend any portion of the ride to the Ayadoia Glade with his backside covered in mud. Finally, his half of their gear loaded, he placed one foot in the stirrup to pull himself up.
"Wait."
Raoul freed his foot and turned around, seeing Malika standing there with haunted eyes. One hand was fiddling with something in her pocket.
He said nothing, but merely opened his arms. Tears ran down the elfmaiden's cheeks as she ran to Raoul and threw her own arms around him, embracing him tightly as if she never wished to let him go. Raoul knew the feeling, and gently stroked her hair as they just held each other for a few more stolen moments in time.
Finally, reluctantly, he lowered his arms and stepped back. He couldn't hide the pain in his eyes at their impending separation, duty or no. "You know I have to do this, Malika."
Malika nodded vigorously, choking back one final sob. "I know, I know that. But, Raoul, I couldn't let you leave without knowing..." Her voice trailed off uncertainly.
Raoul placed a gentle finger under her chin to urge her to look up, and his soft brown eyes smiled into her tearing blue ones. "As soon as I can, I'm coming right back here. I love you, Malika, and I want to be by your side for always when this is over." Malika let out her breath in a rush as he finished, "For now, it'll be enough to know that your heart will be with mine." Once again, Raoul was amazed at how easily the words had come out. His own words, and not hiding behind someone else's interpretation of what he felt.
"I love you, too, Raoul. I want you to hold onto this, and return it when you come back to me," Malika replied, and dug something out of her pocket. It proved to be a single white dove feather, her namesake, with the quill wrapped in lovely beadwork in the colors of her family. Green for serenity, white for purity, and yellow for endurance.
Raoul accepted it in awe, fingers reverently brushing the beautiful work and for what it stood for. Elven tokens given or even loaned that symbolized one's name were almost as deep as a vow. If he were to truly accept it, he would have to make a similar gesture, but with what?
Inspiration hit as he slid the bronze bracelet off of his wrist and gently placed it in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it to hold it tight. "You who already hold my future, will you hold onto my past as well?"
"I will," Malika promised, and slid the bracelet onto her own wrist. There were a few moments of laughter as Malika realized how big around the circle really was and finally had to push it up above her elbow to make it stay. Once done, they turned back to each other, letting their spirits convey everything that words alone never could.
Looking back, Raoul could only wonder how long they would have stayed like that, suspended in time and in each other's eyes. What finally interrupted the silent scene was a twanging, ear-splitting shout of pure exhiliration followed by happy bird calls.
"YEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAW!!!"
"CHRIIIIIP!!!"
Startled, Raoul grabbed Malika's hand in one hand and took the lleyt's reins in another and ran outside to investigate.
Tayn was standing in the clearing with his jaw almost to the ground and one arm still raised in the air as if he had just finished helping someone into a saddle and hadn't gotten around to lowering the limb just yet. Raoul followed his line of sight and laughed at the absurd sight.
Eziban was half-standing in the stirrups of his lleyt, shouting gleefully and encouraging the giant bird to ever greater speed, and obviously having a fine old time. He looked like a member of a tribe of horse-wrangling nomads that traveled the far southwest of this continent. The lleyt called back joyfully as it shot between the trees like an out-of-control superball, looking like it could run all the way to the Citadel before supper and perhaps on to the Monsee Empire before breakfast. Raoul reminded himself to do something nice for Eziban soon, who had helped loosen up a moment that would have been quite difficult.
"Has he ever ridden one of these before?" Tayn demanded, then saw that his arm was still in the air and brought it down hurriedly.
"Not to my knowledge," Raoul confessed. Malika giggled as more whoops and delighted lleyt calls trailed back to them. The man was even trying to get the lleyt to rear like a horse! The best the giant bird could do was rise higher on its feet and spread its wings, but Eziban seemed satisfied with that and they continued on.
"Huh," was all Tayn could respond, obviously still puzzled. Finally, he shrugged it off and made a fist, rapping it against Raoul's in a casual good-bye. "Safe journey to you two, and good luck in doing what you have to do. Give our regards to Oriana when you see her next."
"Thank you, and I'll do that," Raoul replied warmly, then turned to Malika.
"We'll be together in my dreams. Don't worry, the lleyts will come back on their own when they're ready," Malika whispered.
"And so will I," Raoul promised. He gave her one last kiss goodbye, savoring it for a few extra precious seconds and praying that it wouldn't be the last time that he would taste her honey-sweet lips.
Finally, he mounted his lleyt and steered it in the direction that Eziban had taken. He glanced back once more over his shoulder, and the two elves waved with hopeful smiles. Raoul made sure to store that image in his memory to hold onto and waved back before shouting for his lleyt to take off.
Eziban's trail was easy enough to follow between the stirred-up leaf litter on the forest's floor, broken branches, and the occasional yells of joy that filtered back to him. Raoul reached into his pocket to finger the silky feather once more before urging his mount to catch up to his friend.
The light that has been forgotten is waiting among our people. The power that is derived from Courage is the power to conquer the past. It is the essence of the inner revolution. The power to protect the precious is the power of Love. The powers of Love and Courage are the powers of the west wind. The hope for tomorrow. The belief in possibilities is the power of Hope.
Baskar Chief, Wild Arms
"The Sacred Stars?! You're demanding that we turn over our greatest treasure, that which has kept us safe for time out of mind?" Liam demanded, his expression suddenly fierce.
Eziban winced and held up his hands in defense. However many brownie points that Raoul had scored for them, he at least still had to tread carefully with these allies. "I phrased that badly," he admitted. "How about, 'May we please borrow the Sacred Stars?'"
"Why? What do you have in mind?" Raoul asked curiously. Malika cocked her head intently.
"I'm glad you got your power back, man, but what's to stop Bachlan from just sucking it away again?" Eziban began. Raoul looked down, unable to think of an answer. "Exactly. See, the whole Crystal Citadel is formed of crystal, or actually, crystal quartz. Our work crystals are made of the ephemeral-grade. It's very sensitive to magic being poured in and sent out, which is why it worked so well for us using our powers for so long, and why it absorbed our power signatures so easily."
Liam raised an eyebrow in astonishment, knowing how rare and valuable that type was, and his stance relaxed. "So you wish to use the Sacred Stars to oppose that?!"
"How would that work?" Malika asked in confusion.
"The Stars are various kinds of quartz, which are already tuned into earth power, and all help oppose different types of negative energy. A nice little ability already built-in," Eziban continued, "You guys have been loading them with protection spells for millennia, right? If I get my power back, I could juice them up a little more, and Bachlan's influence through the crystal will be canceled out. He won't be able to steal your power, and if we can get one to Oriana, hers will be safe, too. Once we've done what we've had to there, we'll give them back to you, even stronger than before."
"Are you certain this will work? We will be taking a considerable risk," Raoul pointed out cautiously, though a spark of hope was already in his eyes. If they failed, Bachlan would have acquired two sets of elemental powers from himself and anyone else whose power may have been restored, and would likely kill them outright this time. Still, if they succeeded....
Certain? Hell, no! "Hell, yes! Bachlan needs the crystal to acquire our power signatures to work the spell- he can't do it with only his power," Eziban replied, trying to inject extra confidence in his tone. Besides, this was the best shot they had.
Silence reigned for a bit, as all eyes slowly went towards Liam. The elf thought about it a moment, then slowly nodded. "Very well. What you ask will benefit us all."
Eziban let out a sigh of relief. With the preliminary problem out of the way, it was time to tackle the next. "In the meantime, let's get out of this damn rain. I also want to talk to Tayn and his team a bit more about that metallic core they were making for the Vyski hospital," he suggested. The others all nodded and began making their way back to Liam's longhouse.
Liam lagged behind Eziban, turning back to look at his granddaughter and her beloved. The two walked hand in hand, completely oblivious to the rain and everything else except each other. The new look on Malika's face, a love coupled with a newfound maturity from her rite and being the strong one for Raoul, healed his heart even as it broke it. The little girl he had adored and raised through all these years had become a woman, and one who had been making her life's choices for some time already. Even with the past seeding possible problems for the future, he had a hunch that the two together would overcome anything.
Liam had never been so proud.
For days upon days after the Rite of Truth, Eziban ruled the elves' magical school with a titanium fist in his quest to work with the Sacred Stars. Luckily, Tayn's group of mages enjoyed a challenge as much as Eziban himself did. Several of them didn't bother to hide their glee at the chance to strike back at the man who had kept them living in fear all of this time, while others were more altruistic and grateful to be helping to protect their world. Whatever their reasons, they happily served as Eziban's right arm.
Eziban questioned Tayn thoroughly on the development of their heating core for Vyski, planning on using it as his model. When Tayn protested that Eziban had no sample of the work-crystals from the Citadel to attune his core to, the man just shrugged and sketched a space for it in his plans. He would chuck a rock at one and knock a chunk off of it if he had to.
When Eziban had a sketch that he and the elves thought would serve to draw out the Stars' powers to their best advantage, they got to work on assembly. With his essence zapped, Eziban was forced to rely on the elven mages to do the magical work. However, magic was only one tool in his bag of tricks for working with the gifts from the earth.
The Stars were spread out on a worktable in front of him, a winking rainbow of hope. Eziban was currently weaving a circle of wires drawn of various metals, squinting as his hands carefully twisted each wire just so. It was finicky work, but he'd never minded the long hours spent in creating a masterpiece. It made for a peaceful mindset.
Tayn was hovering behind Eziban's shoulder, his eyes darting from the sketch to the circle coming into shape in the Earth Guardian's hands. He cleared his throat to get Eziban's attention and pointed to the wire circle. "An even weave like that will add power, but will also make it too easy to be overcome by Bachlan's spells. You'll want knots woven in there to bolster its defenses."
Eziban glanced up at him. "Knots?"
"Allow me." Tayn whisked the half-done circle from Eziban's hands and swiftly undid most of it, as Eziban made a protesting gesture. Leaving an inch of woven metal, the elf showed Eziban what he meant as he wrapped a wire of gold around one of silver, then the silver around the platinum twice before bringing it back to the gold. On the other side, he made a mirror image of it using the copper, tin, and titanium strands. Then he worked the platinum and titanium together in a reverse twist knot in the middle. "See? Just like knots in a pearl necklace secure the gems, the physical knots will do the same for the magic in here."
"Huh, that's brilliant!" Eziban took the wire creation back and examined it, knowing that he would sense the difference if he had his power back. "I'd be grateful if you guys would show me your tricks after we take care of this."
Tayn laughed and slapped Eziban's shoulder, but his eyes showed his pleasure from the praise. "We have more tricks than even you might master in your lifetime," he said, only half jesting. He pointed to a painted knot design that graced the lintel over the doorway of the workroom. "You don't think we decorate with knotwork only because it looks impressive, do you?"
"See if I share any more of my secrets, then," he shot back with a grin, as Tayn's face took on an expression of mock horror. Joking aside, Eziban figured that Tayn might be up for it and mentally filed that thought away for later. For now he bent back over his work, using the knotwork technique that Tayn had shown him as he continued weaving his circle.
Once the circle was complete, Eziban turned to the Sacred Stars that Liam had loaned him. There were eight whole stones, all winking with power, and only tiny shards of a ninth. Picking up the first to embed it in his creation, a smoky quartz that he felt curiously attuned to, he understood Liam's reluctance to share these little treasures.
Tayn had told him that the reason that Deynain was so potent in magic compared to anywhere else on Merna, especially the small lake at her heart, was that it was from here that the Great Birth had originated. Once the land was revealed from the seas and the powers of their world stabilized, Merna had brought forth the essences through the lake to protect this new and inviting world. The Stars had been the original vessels that had held the elemental essences, meant to keep them safe until eight folk were chosen to use them. The ninth stone had held them all safe during the journey to Merna's surface, and had cracked open when the elves had first discovered it untold millennia ago. The latent powers in them were residues of the essences themselves, and had been tapped into for protection all of this time.
Eziban knew without out a doubt that this smoky quartz in his hand had held his own essence. He carefully fitted the stone into the first gap he had made for it, nestling it between the strands of gold and platinum until he was satisfied with its exact position. Once he was, Tayn reached around and used a tiny bit of fire magic to weld it in. Eziban picked up the core and gave it a good shake, but that quartz was as lodged in as if the strands were coming through it like a bead.
The next one he picked up was a solid gray stone tinted red and yellow, a piece of flint. Another easy one, as its nickname was 'firestone'. Eziban moved to the next gap in his core and wedged the stone in carefully. This time Tayn used a hint of lightning to secure it, not wanting his fire to tamper with that of the stone.
They filled in the rest of the circle with blue quartz, agate, citrine, milky quartz, chalcedony, and finally amethyst. Eziban and Tayn both gave the woven core a few good shakes, but those stones weren't going anywhere until they were released.
Once all the stones were in place, Eziban looked at the shards. He picked up a curved one and tried to join it in between the blue quartz and flint, but a sense of rejection entered his mind.
"Don't even try, Eziban. The eight stones have created the unity that you will need to safeguard your powers," Tayn commented casually.
Something made Eziban ask, "Can I take them anyway? I have a hunch we'll find a use for them."
Tayn nodded. "We promised you all of the Stars, and these are included. We've never been able to work with them, so they're all yours. Use them well."
Eziban swept the crystal bits into a leather bag from his vest and returned it to an inside pocket for safekeeping. He held up the metallic circle glittering with the stones, his Star core, and examined it from every angle. If there was anything that they had missed, he couldn't think of it.
"You do good work. Are we ready to test it?" Tayn asked eagerly.
"Let's call in your artillery and see what all of Deynain can do," Eziban replied, tossing the circle up and catching it on one arm.
Raoul and Liam joined Eziban and several of the elf mages in a protected area in a field outside of the great forest. Eziban had a huge smile on his face, while many of the mages looked pleased with themselves. "Man, do these guys give me a run for my money on working with stones! Tayn offered to show me a few tricks. It's amazing how they combined ambient earth power in not only the materials of a project, but their shapes and even decorations as well-"
"What do you need with me?" Raoul asked in amusement. The Earth Guardian could go on for days if left unchecked.
Eziban gave a start at being thrown out of his train of thought. "Huh? Oh, right. The elves have been building on to the ambient power already in these things, and it's time to see if they'll work for what we need." With the Star core in hand, and he went to stand on one end of the field. Tayn stood by the others, a glistening topaz in his hand with a similar one resting on the core.
"This should neutralize the effects of the crystal the power is going through, rendering the spell useless without a mage to travel through. Tayn, let me have it!" Eziban called out.
"As you like," Tayn replied, holding up the crystal. Golden-yellow power shimmered and flashed inside it, looking like a furious swarm of lit-up wasps trying to find their way out. Sweat poured down the elf's face as he tried to command it, but nothing happened.
Eziban passed a hand over the core, lowering its defenses. Tayn then tried again, and an enormous bolt of lightning shot out of the crystal, encountering a shield thrown up over the Earth Guardian by another mage.
Applause rang out, and Raoul joined in enthusiastically. Still, would it work against the power of an essence?
"Tayn, you want to throw a fresh crystal to Raoul, please?" Eziban asked. The elf nodded and obliged, tossing him a large chunk of clear crystal quartz. Eziban swapped out the topaz for a matching crystal on the core.
"What do I do with this?" Raoul asked curiously, turning the small gem over in is fingers. It was very plain and completely empty of magical power.
"Just pretend that we're back in the Citadel, and you're sending your power through the crystal there. Throw a low-level lightning spell at me first," Eziban instructed, putting up the defenses in the core in his hand again.
Raoul looked a little nervous, but Eziban seemed pretty confident so he reluctantly obeyed. Carefully he placed a mere thread of his thunder magic into the quartz, then commanded it to go to the Earth Guardian. The power squirmed anxiously, trying to obey and being unable to. The Star core had effectively turned the quartz into a prison for any power sent into it.
Eziban smiled and gave a thumbs-up to the elven mages. "Bring it up a notch!" he yelled.
Raoul nodded and concentrated, feeding more power into the quartz. It shuddered in his hand, but could not yet overcome the Star's power.
"Now give me some real juice!” Eziban called out.
A flood of thunder magic poured into the crystal, filling it nearly to the brim. It started shrieking a bit, and the crystal began to shudder in Raoul’s hands. “Eziban, are you sure this is wise?” Raoul yelled.
“This thing has to stand up to Bachlan’s influence, so if it can’t handle yours, we’re screwed! Give me everything you've got!" Eziban shouted back.
Everything he had.... the image of a certain elfmaiden came to mind. Raoul's fists clenched, his head bowed, and the lightning in the crystal swirled into a maelstrom along with his new rush of determination.
Raoul did not have the same burning passion for protecting their world as a whole, or even certain domains the way so many of the others did. No, for him the most important and precious thing in Merna to protect was the love he shared with Malika. It did not make his resolve weaker to want to protect one instead of a great number, but actually awakened the inner strength he had never fully called on all these millennia.
Eziban's eyes widened in shock at the sheer output of power from his fellow Guardian, but then a smile spread across his face. Holy cow, give the guy some decent incentive and then get out of his way. He kept a tight hold on the core in his hand, then gave a start.
It, too, was starting to shake, its limits being approached rapidly. He tried to feed it some of his own magic, then remembered his essence was still drained. Light flashed and bounced around crazily in Raoul's crystal as it hit the barriers the Stars had placed on it, then smashed on through them.
"Oh, sh-"
KA-BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
An explosion of golden-yellow shot towards the Earth Guardian as it finally overcame the Stars' powers. Several of the mages threw up defensive shields as Eziban tried to dodge the thunder magic that Raoul had sent in his direction. Raoul managed to shift the bolt to strike something other than his friend, but the resulting blast as it hit the ground sent the Earth Guardian flying through the air and making an awkward landing into Deynain's lake. An enormous splash rose up as his body hit the water.
“Eziban!” The others came running to the lake, wondering if the Earth Guardian had broken his neck or worse. Raoul was already splashing through the water's edge, trying to get to Eziban as fast as possible.
Eziban's head broke the surface of the water, and he managed a wave to show he was all right. He slowly made his way to shallow water, looking a little dazed. Raoul wrapped one of Eziban's arms around his shoulders and helped him get to dry land. “Uh....looks like we’ll need my essence after all...” Eziban moaned.
“Are you all right?” Malika asked in concern.
“Huh? Oh, I’m fine, miss, but why are there five of you?” Eziban asked in confusion, then suddenly collapsed. Raoul caught him easily.
“It would be wise let him get some rest. Malika, will you make sure he’s all right, but for his head?” Liam asked, unable to hide a smile. Malika nodded, managing to hide her own snicker perfectly. “The rest of you, you have my eternal gratitude. Thanks to your help, we believe the Stars should work to help our friends if the power of the earth essence is added to them.”
The mages grinned and clapped each other on the back in congratulations before dispersing to other duties. Raoul easily hoisted the smaller Guardian over one shoulder and started back to the village towards Malika's house. "I am sorry for that, buddy. It seems I never knew my own strength."
"Gahhhh....no more of those yummy Flare-hot cookies, Aryn, I've had too many already...." Eziban muttered.
Malika gave him a strange look. "Are you sure he'll be fine? Did he swallow something he wasn't supposed to out there, I wonder?"
Raoul chuckled and nodded, giving his friend a few pats on the back. "He will be well, beloved. Eziban is as tough and dependable as the trees in this forest. He just needs-"
Eziban shuddered, then began coughing up the algae-ridden lake water he had swallowed. Raoul closed his eyes in disgust as Malika burst into laughter.
"-some rest."
With Eziban exhausted after all of his days (and nights) working on the Star core and his unintended flight, Raoul decided that an extra day or so to rest wouldn't do either of them any harm.
While Malika was keeping a careful eye on his friend, Raoul went out to do something he rarely did- train. Now that he had finally selected his path, he knew it was vital to be as ready as possible for whatever Bachlan would throw at them. His failure to call back the bolt that had nearly nailed Eziban had proved how rusty he had become, working on transcribing poetry instead of keeping his skills sharp. Tayn had offered him the use of a medium-sized clearing that their teachers used with young ones that was already well-grounded in defensive spells, and Raoul took him up on it gladly.
He stood in the very middle of the clearing, with the defensive spells activated around him to prevent any stray bolts from hitting things that they were not meant to. His eyes were closed, his arms by his sides as he first reached within to sense the electricity within his own system. Not a single spark or even spare electron escaped his notice. Lightning was power, in organisms and in machines. It was life-giving in minute amounts, deadly in excess. Raoul's own control and use of his power had to be as precise as the most perfect brushstroke when he used it to protect those around him.
Sparks sprang from and danced around his fingers as he slowly raised his hands and brought them together. The sparks soon grew into small fingers of pale yellow and hot blue lightning and began swirling at his command. The lightning formed a whirling disc in his hands, then grew in height until he held a perfect sphere in his hands. With a satisfied gesture, he dissolved it.
Next, Raoul called up a watery whirlwind. He struggled a little at first, but water and air were cousins to his own power and partners when it came to taking down thunderstorms. The water and air magic blended to form a misty substance that spun around him as if he were a human spindle. Keeping a mental lock on that spell, he reached into his thunder essence to draw a thread of power from his own element.
Hair-thin bolts were slowly released into the whirlwind, looking like shining threads. Raoul concentrated and fed more and more of his power into it as lightning slowly displaced the spinning mist. Within a few moments, the whirlwind had become a golden vortex of pure electricity. Sweat poured down his face as he cried out, sending the vortex upward into the sky.
Positively and negatively charged particles swirled above him, below him, inside him. Sparks, seed lightning, bolts hopping from cloud to cloud- none of it passed his notice. The seed lightning waiting in the clouds sensed Raoul's gift to the heavens. Sparks trailed from the vortex that he had sent, and sparks trailed from above to greet it. When they met, the circuit was completed and thunder roared.
His green-gray hair in its horsetail flapped rapidly and hot blue sparks danced in his brown eyes as Raoul stood, a living conduit of the lightning between earth and sky. No longer part human and part elf, he was merely an initiator for a force older than either race or their silly labels. Thunder boomed and crashed outside of him, inside of him, as his power sang in harmony with the forces it had been made to work with. This, this was what being a Guardian meant. Not to attempt so foolish a thing as to conquer the elemental forces of Merna, but to merely steward them...
Finally, Raoul banished the giant bolt and took a few steps to steady himself. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he wiped it off with his sleeve with a feeling of well-being in his heart. Never had his power nor its understanding come so easily to his grasp. It was amazing what a difference some confidence and someone to fight for made.
"Most impressive." Raoul looked up to see Liam watching him, a slightly concerned look on his face. Whether it was due to seeing someone willingly stand under a bolt of lightning or some other reason, Raoul couldn't guess. Liam hesitantly raised a beckoning hand. "May I have a word with you in private?"
Raoul nodded, then carefully took down the shields of the protected area. He dusted off his hands of any spare sparks and approached Liam to hear what he had to say. Liam instead gestured for Raoul to walk with him down one of the many paths of the forest.
It was a fine day, with a sky tinted a bright turquoise blue. Evidently, the shields had kept in the noise factor as well as the heat and power of a lightning bolt, for Raoul could still hear birds twittering among the emerald swaths that formed the forest's living ceiling. Liam took a deep breath, seemingly calmed by the scent and sounds of life in this home. As he exhaled, he finally began to speak. "I came to apologize for keeping the secret of the mem-gem."
Raoul held up a staying hand. "Don't, Liam. Eziban and I understand why you did that. We weren't..." he hesitated for a moment, then finished with, "...weren't ready to know. Maybe it would have led to civil war, or the destruction of the elves off the face of Merna."
"You believe that that's been completely averted?" Liam asked, cocking his head slightly.
Raoul shrugged. "I don't know. We'll have some hard questions to answer even after we stop Bachlan, both to our people and ourselves."
"True."
The awkward silence returned. Raoul let it be, knowing that Liam was having just as difficult a time in challenging long-held beliefs as he himself had. Raoul had before been but a suitor to his beloved granddaughter; a suitor who just happened to serve a man who had been the paradigm of fear for every elf past one hundred years of age for thousands of years. Now, Liam had to look at Raoul as a more serious contender for Malika's hand and heart, who was now in a position to help topple this same paradigm and a proven Guardian by Merna's will. Longer lifetimes could bring many blessings, but also a steadfastness in the way one perceived an ever changing world. Raoul was willing to give Liam that time needed.
Liam returned to himself swiftly. "We are all aware that you and my granddaughter harbor very strong feelings for each other. I knew of this long ago, of course, since she came to you to save my life." He walked slowly, his hands folded behind his back, his eyes on the Guardian.
"You're right. I love Malika with all of my heart, and will do all I can to keep her safe from Bachlan. My intentions are honorable," Raoul said sincerely.
"If they were otherwise, I would have interfered," Liam replied, a hint of a dangerous overtone in his voice. Raoul had no doubts about that, seeing a hint of fire in the elf's eyes before his expression softened. "I know you are a man of integrity, Raoul, but you are also a Guardian. That must be addressed."
Raoul glanced at him cautiously, wondering where this was going. "I do not understand. Merna has acknowledged me in front of your own eyes, and yet-"
Liam grimaced. "It is not that. Raoul, how old are you?"
Raoul paused to think, counting on his fingers. "On my last birthday, I reached eighteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty-two years..." Understanding dawned in his eyes. "Oh, are you worried about that for Malika?"
Liam smiled his approval that this man's concerns would center on the woman he cared for. "I'm not talking about Malika, my boy. I'm concerned about you. The essences grant even longer lives than our elven blood does. If you and my granddaughter would someday wed, then you would very likely outlive her by quite some time."
Raoul stopped, considering this. None of the Guardians were married. He thought of what life might be like alongside the spirited elfmaiden, carrying out their dreams of expanding Deynain's culture to the rest of Merna, and had to smile. Their relationship had already shown him so many wonders that made the glories of handling raw lightning pale in comparison.
Raoul then thought of living without her, millennium after millennium. But they had all done it already, buried friends and family as they outlived them. Malika's caring had become his strength, and her radiance was his light. Raoul wanted to keep that glorious radiance shining in her spirit as long as she lived, to touch everyone around her. Elves had a very long lifetime, too, so they would have plenty of time to be together if that was her wish...
Raoul realized that Liam was waiting patiently for his answer. He chose his words carefully. "I would like to use that time to bring Malika the happiness that she has shown me. Besides, a true life isn't measured in years or millennia, but in the actions or joys brought to others in that time. Living on will be difficult, yes, but wouldn't it be better to live those years with the cherished memories of a loved one instead of regretting throwing the chance at happiness away?"
"Then whatever you and Malika decide, I hope you both find happiness," Liam replied, clapping a hand on the Thunder Guardian's shoulder in fatherly pride.
"Thank you," Raoul replied, all that he could say at this point. As much as he wanted to run back to Malika, take her in his arms, kiss her to eternity, and start making concrete plans for the dreams of 'someday' that they had shared for so long, he was in no position to do so quite yet. There was a battle to win, and victory was in no way certain. He would not take a chance of making sweet promises that could all come to nothing and only serve to break her heart.
"Raoul! Finally, there you are!" Eziban came sprinting up, panting a little. His face had a slight gray tinge as if he had just blown through the rest of his energy on his run. A grimy, salt-soaked piece of paper was clenched in one fist.
"Eziban, you should be resting-" Liam began sternly.
Eziban snorted, waving it off. "Ahhh, I'm fine. It was just a little bump on the head and a few swallows of lake water. Nothing Malika couldn't fix up."
"What's that?" Raoul asked, pointing to the paper.
Eziban unfolded the paper to display the note's tidy wax writing. "It's a note from Solana. Turns out, she wants everyone to meet in the Ayadoia Glade to put together a plan. She and Joshua are on their way from outside Ridley, and Aryn and Trista are coming from the Great Simbel Range. Her essence was also revitalized," Eziban explained.
Raoul raised his eyebrows in astonishment. He knew that Solana was resourceful, but even this was a bit of a stretch. "So she is also considered a true Guardian in Merna's eyes. But how on Merna did she get a note here, and know about Aryn and Trista from so far away?"
Eziban quickly skimmed the paper again. "She and Joshua met up with a pod of orcas. They keep in touch with other critters and know who we are." He shook his head in wonder. "Man, and to think we gave her grief all those millennia for talking to them."
"You mean you gave her grief," Raoul couldn't help pointing out, while Eziban grinned sheepishly. It wasn't always a bad thing to be proven wrong.
"If you wish to make the trip, we will loan you lleyts and supplies for it," Liam commented.
Raoul glanced over to Eziban, who nodded confidently. "Thank you, Liam. May we stay one more night, and leave at daybreak?"
Liam agreed, and let the Guardians go to make their arrangements. He didn't like to see his granddaughter and her chosen be forced apart again so soon, and apparently Raoul was thinking the same. Their courtship had been sporadic at best already, but maybe soon, things would change.
For Malika's sake, and sake of all of his people, he would pray unceasingly for their victory.
Dawn arrived, bringing gray skies and a chilled stillness to the forest cathedral. Only the birds and other small denizens seemed awake at this hour to keep the travelers company.
Raoul was in the stables, yawning slightly as he finished saddling up the lleyt that would serve as his mount back to the Crystal Citadel. The gentle bird turned its flexible neck to look back at him and almost seemed to wink. Raoul chuckled and gently scratched its head as the lleyt closed its eyes and cooed in appreciation.
After a few minutes of attention, the bird allowed him to add his saddlebags and doublecheck the straps of the harness. It had been a while since Raoul had last tried to ride one of these large birds, and he didn't wish to spend any portion of the ride to the Ayadoia Glade with his backside covered in mud. Finally, his half of their gear loaded, he placed one foot in the stirrup to pull himself up.
"Wait."
Raoul freed his foot and turned around, seeing Malika standing there with haunted eyes. One hand was fiddling with something in her pocket.
He said nothing, but merely opened his arms. Tears ran down the elfmaiden's cheeks as she ran to Raoul and threw her own arms around him, embracing him tightly as if she never wished to let him go. Raoul knew the feeling, and gently stroked her hair as they just held each other for a few more stolen moments in time.
Finally, reluctantly, he lowered his arms and stepped back. He couldn't hide the pain in his eyes at their impending separation, duty or no. "You know I have to do this, Malika."
Malika nodded vigorously, choking back one final sob. "I know, I know that. But, Raoul, I couldn't let you leave without knowing..." Her voice trailed off uncertainly.
Raoul placed a gentle finger under her chin to urge her to look up, and his soft brown eyes smiled into her tearing blue ones. "As soon as I can, I'm coming right back here. I love you, Malika, and I want to be by your side for always when this is over." Malika let out her breath in a rush as he finished, "For now, it'll be enough to know that your heart will be with mine." Once again, Raoul was amazed at how easily the words had come out. His own words, and not hiding behind someone else's interpretation of what he felt.
"I love you, too, Raoul. I want you to hold onto this, and return it when you come back to me," Malika replied, and dug something out of her pocket. It proved to be a single white dove feather, her namesake, with the quill wrapped in lovely beadwork in the colors of her family. Green for serenity, white for purity, and yellow for endurance.
Raoul accepted it in awe, fingers reverently brushing the beautiful work and for what it stood for. Elven tokens given or even loaned that symbolized one's name were almost as deep as a vow. If he were to truly accept it, he would have to make a similar gesture, but with what?
Inspiration hit as he slid the bronze bracelet off of his wrist and gently placed it in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it to hold it tight. "You who already hold my future, will you hold onto my past as well?"
"I will," Malika promised, and slid the bracelet onto her own wrist. There were a few moments of laughter as Malika realized how big around the circle really was and finally had to push it up above her elbow to make it stay. Once done, they turned back to each other, letting their spirits convey everything that words alone never could.
Looking back, Raoul could only wonder how long they would have stayed like that, suspended in time and in each other's eyes. What finally interrupted the silent scene was a twanging, ear-splitting shout of pure exhiliration followed by happy bird calls.
"YEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAW!!!"
"CHRIIIIIP!!!"
Startled, Raoul grabbed Malika's hand in one hand and took the lleyt's reins in another and ran outside to investigate.
Tayn was standing in the clearing with his jaw almost to the ground and one arm still raised in the air as if he had just finished helping someone into a saddle and hadn't gotten around to lowering the limb just yet. Raoul followed his line of sight and laughed at the absurd sight.
Eziban was half-standing in the stirrups of his lleyt, shouting gleefully and encouraging the giant bird to ever greater speed, and obviously having a fine old time. He looked like a member of a tribe of horse-wrangling nomads that traveled the far southwest of this continent. The lleyt called back joyfully as it shot between the trees like an out-of-control superball, looking like it could run all the way to the Citadel before supper and perhaps on to the Monsee Empire before breakfast. Raoul reminded himself to do something nice for Eziban soon, who had helped loosen up a moment that would have been quite difficult.
"Has he ever ridden one of these before?" Tayn demanded, then saw that his arm was still in the air and brought it down hurriedly.
"Not to my knowledge," Raoul confessed. Malika giggled as more whoops and delighted lleyt calls trailed back to them. The man was even trying to get the lleyt to rear like a horse! The best the giant bird could do was rise higher on its feet and spread its wings, but Eziban seemed satisfied with that and they continued on.
"Huh," was all Tayn could respond, obviously still puzzled. Finally, he shrugged it off and made a fist, rapping it against Raoul's in a casual good-bye. "Safe journey to you two, and good luck in doing what you have to do. Give our regards to Oriana when you see her next."
"Thank you, and I'll do that," Raoul replied warmly, then turned to Malika.
"We'll be together in my dreams. Don't worry, the lleyts will come back on their own when they're ready," Malika whispered.
"And so will I," Raoul promised. He gave her one last kiss goodbye, savoring it for a few extra precious seconds and praying that it wouldn't be the last time that he would taste her honey-sweet lips.
Finally, he mounted his lleyt and steered it in the direction that Eziban had taken. He glanced back once more over his shoulder, and the two elves waved with hopeful smiles. Raoul made sure to store that image in his memory to hold onto and waved back before shouting for his lleyt to take off.
Eziban's trail was easy enough to follow between the stirred-up leaf litter on the forest's floor, broken branches, and the occasional yells of joy that filtered back to him. Raoul reached into his pocket to finger the silky feather once more before urging his mount to catch up to his friend.