Mira's Hope (4 page)

Tark took the first watch after they got
Galena settled and ate several handfuls of berries from the
raspberry bush Mira provided. Elenio checked once more on Galena,
noticing her eyes were no longer moving under her lids. She finally
looked peaceful, not a good omen in Elenio’s mind. He lay down,
resting his head on his pack and before his eyes even closed, he
felt himself drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

Much sooner than he would have liked, Elenio
felt Tark roughly shaking him. He heard the urgency in his voice
before it registered in his mind.

“Elenio get up! We have to go!” Tark was
already starting to gather their things and put them back in the
pack once he saw Elenio was starting to wake.

“How long was I asleep?” Elenio asked while
rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“I don’t know, I fell asleep too,” Tark said,
a look of panic crossing his face.

Elenio jerked his head up at this. He
couldn’t really blame Tark, but there was a lot at stake. He looked
over at Galena who was lying in the same position as they’d placed
her in. He checked her pulse once more, finding an erratic
heartbeat marching to the beat of its own drum.

“She’s about the same, I already checked.
That’s not the only problem we have now, look.” He pointed down the
mountain and to Elenio’s horror; there were the torlics they had
been anticipating. They had already managed to get a third of the
way up the mountain and were still climbing. Panic gripped Elenio
so tightly he thought he might scream.

“They must have seen our campfire.” Tark was
already beginning to put the makeshift harness on Galena as he
spoke. Elenio rushed over to him and turning his back to them, he
allowed Tark to strap her to him, helping him as much as he could
in the process. He grabbed his own sword and belt and strapped them
on as best as he could, while Tark collected the remaining packs
and placed his own belt and sword around his waist. They both knew
the torlics were climbing this mountain without being cumbered down
by the weight of several packs and an almost lifeless body.

Looking down once more, Elenio heard Tark say
more to himself than Elenio, “Mira gives us wings to fly.”

If the way Elenio and Tark climbed the
mountain could be compared to a run, then they were climbing at a
sprint. They counted the torlics on their trail and surmised that
there were no less than fifty torlics within a mile of them. They
didn’t dare stop for anything, afraid to lose what little distance
they had now. When they ran low of water, Mira provided a small
spring from which Tark refilled their flasks as Elenio continued to
climb. Having less weight to carry, Tark was able to catch up a
little easier. Elenio did not intend to stop for anything. He
continued to carry on a constant stream of prayers to Mira and
conversations with Galena, unsure if either could hear him, but
unwilling to stop just the same.

Inch by inch, the torlics were gaining on
them. Elenio felt a certain déjà vu as they approached the
mountaintop and couldn’t help feeling this was a bad sign. Climbing
the last few feet of the mountain before he reached the top, he
heard Galena starting to gasp. Over and over she continued her
struggle. Her breathing sounding fainter with each breath that she
fought to take.

“No matter what, keep going. If Mira’s View
isn’t here, we’ll run across the top and down the other side.
Unlike the last time, I think they’re all behind us,” Tark said as
he looked behind him.

Elenio couldn’t help following suite and
glanced behind as well. He wished he hadn’t. The ugly brutes where
less than twenty feet away.
Another mountaintop battle then,
he thought wearily. He sighed with a feeling of finality and a
small sense of glee. This would be his chance to exact some revenge
for Galena. He pulled himself up the last bit and onto the
mountaintop. Like the one before, this mountain ended in a sort of
plateau at its peak. It was wide and flat enough to contain a small
home. He looked around and felt his stomach leap into his throat.
There, across the flat expanse, was a statue carved from solid gold
looking in the opposite direction. He caught a glimpse of sunlight
reflecting off what could only be water.

He heard the ring of swords connecting and
Galena draw another ragged breath before she stilled completely. He
glanced over his shoulder at Tark who was engaged with several
torlics, too many for him to count as he ran. In the back of his
mind, he realized Galena had not taken another breath since she
became still.

Don’t give up this close, we’re almost
there,
he thought to himself. As he ran, he began to undo the
rope around his waist, stopping so he could release her to the
ground. He heard the torlic coming up behind him and turning as he
pulled his blade in one smooth motion, he met the foul creature
face on as their swords clashed loudly. The torlic sneered down at
him as he held his own.
Not this time
, Elenio thought
savagely as he felt a twinge from the last wound he had received
from one of these monsters. Pushing the torlic back with all of his
strength, he proceeded to swing and hack at the creature with
several succinct and complicated moves, throwing the creature off
balance. Swinging the sword around as he danced out of the way of
an oncoming blow, he plunged his sword into the back of the
creature. Two more came up, which Elenio dispatched of quickly and
without harm to himself.

Before more could come, he replaced his blade
and scooped Galena up in his arms. He raced the remainder of the
way to the pool, just below the statue. Lovingly, he placed her in
the pool. The water was a wonderful clear blue and shallow. It
covered the majority of her body, leaving her face in the open.
Elenio felt for her pulse once more, but found nothing. A sob rose
up in his throat, for which he choked back.
They couldn’t be too
late. This was Mira’s chosen one. Surely, she wouldn’t bring them
up this mountain and then let Galena die.

Elenio screamed out in heart breaking agony.
His cry echoing throughout the mountains and ringing in the air.
Anguish consumed him. He felt his heart rip in two. Tears fell down
his face, and he made no move to stem them. Bending down to kiss
her one last time, he saw the reflection in the waters of a smiling
torlic behind him a moment before he felt a new pain sear through
his back and gut. He looked down and saw the tip of the crooked
blade sticking through his belly. He felt the hot blood running
from his mouth when his lungs filled with the fluid. Returning his
gaze to Galena, he saw she looked peaceful. Her face had begun to
glow and her beauty was even more dazzling than he remembered. The
blade slipped from his body and he collapsed beside the pool where
he focused on Galena until the blackness started to gather around
her.

“We’ll be together soon, my love.”

Chapter
Five

The first thing Galena registered was the
fact she was cool and wet. The second thing that she realized was
she no longer felt the intense pain that literally blinded her
before. She felt her senses starting to come alive again. She felt
the water on her hands, smelled the leaves drying and dying on
their branches. The taste of blood was heavy in her mouth, she
could hear the gentle breeze that swept its delicate fingers across
her face, and she was blinded by a brilliant, white light
surrounding her. She squinted her eyes, trying to filter some of
the light that encased her, but it was useless. Using her hand, she
blocked the brightest part until the light ceased its overwhelming
dazzling effects or maybe her eyes became adjusted to the whiteness
of it all. She was unsure which it was though.

In the light’s place stood the most beautiful
woman Galena had ever laid eyes on. She stood at least ten feet
high with fiery, red hair that hung in a long braid with the end of
it dragging along what would have been the ground had she been
standing on it. Bright, emerald green eyes stood out in her elegant
face and her nose was a sharp slope, but went well with her
beautiful features. Her skin was a golden tan and she stood proud,
head raised in a dignified manner. She smiled gently at Galena for
which Galena could not help returning the gesture.

“Mira,” she said in a whisper.

“Yes, my child. You finally made it.” Her
voice sounded like the whispers of the wind in the trees, of birds
calling, and the crickets singing. It reminded Galena of everything
in nature that she loved and treasured. Mira continued smiling down
at Galena, while she started to sit up in the pool. Although she
remembered feeling wet and cool while lying in the water, when she
stood, she noticed she was completely dry. Looking herself over to
see if any parts were even damp, she noticed her hands and gasped.
They were unmarked. Not a trace of the tattoo remained anywhere.
Bending down quickly, she made short work of removing her boots as
well, and gaped in wonder. The Marks of Rau had been completely
removed.

“Did you do this?” she asked, turning her
face upward to look at Mira, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Yes.”

“If stepping in your healing waters can
remove the marks from every elf, why haven’t we heard of it
before?” Galena asked somewhat puzzled.

“They can’t, but you, you are different my
child. You have more magic in you than a hundred elves. That’s why
Rau’s marks could not hurt you.”

“But it did. I can remember...Well, nothing
really except the pain,” Galena said, feeling confused as she
suddenly realized she had no idea how she’d arrived at Mira’s
View.

Sensing her confusion, Mira chuckled, a sound
that reminded Galena of the sun rising. “Your brother and Elenio
brought you here. You hung on to the torture and a world that most
elves would have died within minutes after sampling just a taste of
what you endured for days. You made it through as I knew you
would.”

Galena looked up into her face again, not
quite believing what she said, but trusting her just the same.

“Now my child, our time together is short for
you will awaken and you must help your brother and Elenio. They
have risked their very lives to save yours.”

Galena looked around in a detached sort of
way, noting Elenio lying beside her, blood flowing freely from the
wound to his stomach and Tark who was fighting several torlics and
losing. She took all this in and then returned her gaze to Mira.
The goddess told her it would be all right and she trusted her.

“In the western woods you will find a cave.
It will be in the heart of the forest. The cave is watched by a
guardian. Nothing evil in nature can pass by the guardian as I have
given him unusual magical abilities. Other elves have come across
this area at their own peril and as the story goes, but none of
them have been permitted to enter the sacred cave. Only the elf of
my choosing is allowed to pass. The guardian makes sure of that.
Only the guardian will allow my chosen elf to pass through, all
others he sends away. They were not deemed worthy enough.”

“Does the cave have a name?” Galena asked,
thinking she may have heard of it before.

“One does not name something if they wish to
keep it a secret. When you name something, it seems to attract
attention,” Mira said calmly. “Keep in mind my dear child, only you
will be able to enter this cave, and even when you do, there is no
guarantee you will survive. I had to make sure it was well
protected you see. Once you enter, you will be haunted by your
worst fears. Nightmares will come alive to you. Entering this cave
will be your biggest test yet. But only with trials, can we become
stronger.” Mira looked at Galena with sorrow and pity, knowing what
she would have to go through. “If you can survive my test, you will
be strong enough to take on the worst nightmare of them all, my
brother’s creation.”

Galena nodded, understanding what she had to
do, but a sense of dread started to loom up as well. “Why me?” she
asked in a quiet voice.

“Because I saw your heart in your mother’s
womb. What I saw there was pure, true, and brave. I saw the magic
of generations well up around your tiny body and embrace you. When
evil arises, there is always one who will come along and right it.
This is the way the world has always worked.”

Galena thought about this for a while, but
couldn’t quite wrap her mind around the idea. She looked up and
watched Mira beginning to fade. “Will I be able to talk with you
again?” she asked, panic filling her voice.

“I will come to you in your dreams when you
need me my child. Do not fear. I will aide you as much as I can,
but in the end, it will be up to you. Be brave, my beautiful one.”
She faded from view even before she finished talking.

Galena felt a peace fill her. She believed
what Mira told her. She’d always known she was different, even as a
child. Now was her time to free her loved ones and make their world
right once more. She looked around again. She could see the life
draining from Elenio, even as she regarded him. Tark was on the
ground, taking stabs and kicks from the group of torlics he had
been battling against. His life force was fading more rapidly than
Elenio’s because he suffered several fatal wounds.

As much as she wanted to stay in this
dreamlike world, she knew she couldn’t leave them to die. Taking a
calming breath, she laid back down in the pool of water, as she had
been when she’d first awakened. She closed her eyes and new senses
began to take over. She could hear the harsh and cruel laughs of
the torlics while Tark groaned in response. She heard Elenio’s
labored breaths beside her. She smelled the sickly smell of blood
and sweat in the air and the cold water that surrounded her.

Opening her eyes, she realized with no
uncertainty, she’d returned to her own body and what was more, she
was completely whole. Standing quickly, she turned to face the
torlics. Raising a hand and calling loud enough for them to hear
her, they stopped and turned, their expressions somewhat surprised
at what they saw.