It
happened abruptly. All six of their eyes were adjusting to the
brightness that took hold.
It was some
time before they saw anything remotely clear in front.
“Ematay,”
said the King of Astora. The man of royal blood wore a silver robe
with finely sewn swans upon the cuffs of each sleeve. The rope that
held the majestic material closed was also silver, but with a
different tint than the long material he wore, a softer one.
“Yes,” said
Ematay as he bowed.
Eleanor and
Christian followed the Star-caster’s actions.
“Children?”
said the king.
“They made
their way here all the way from the village of Hiva Aura; to warn
you of the Shadow threat.”
“Two small
children?” said the king, surprised.
The queen
soon entered the royal chamber, known also as the throne room.
“Courage is
not determined by our size, my lord,” said the queen. She made her
way to the leader of Astora; her long silver dress that resembled
the same colour of the kings robes trailed along the floor, making
her presence even more alluring for the children.
“So it
appears,” said the king, smiling. “And although I already knew of
such bad tidings, your courage and persistence will not go
unrewarded. We can always learn from determined minds.”
Eleanor and
Christian instantly looked delighted.
“Now rise,”
said the king as he gestured his hand to do so.
The two
children then stood up to notice a sturdy, dark wooden stand. It
held a a single, old covered book that was bound in leather. It had
small metal squares on each corner inscribed with a pattern. There
was some kind of silver medallion fixed onto the middle of the
cover that could not be seen very well because the text was open.
The book was made up of large, yellowish parchment pages that gave
it its great volume. Eleanor, straight away, noticed the names of
all the gods and goddesses, and what they were in charge of and
could control. When she read the name ‘Emae’ in her mind at the top
of the page, it made her have a strong feeling of isolation, as if
she was the only one alive; the feeling was gone soon enough, but
she wasn’t sure what it all meant, and left a strange curiosity
inside her. Thoughts of if she would ever… find… this curiosity,
flashed through her numerous times before she had to let it go. For
now.
The room
was covered in tall, white candles, all lit with strong flames,
even though the windows gave more than enough light for the use of
wicks to be lit.
Inside, the
silver structure shone from t
he flicker of the
controlled fires. The colour throughout the entire building was
something you would see in a dream, glistening at every imaginable
turn and tilt of a head. Like a living jewel that would forever be
obsessed with getting its attention, luring all the wandering eyes
it wanted; for those who would ever see it visible, it would seem
an enchantment had fallen upon it.
“They have
lost their families, their homes, my king. The only thing I could
think of was to bring them to the safety of the cathedral.”
The king
moved to the younglings. “I am very sorry to hear that,” said the
ruler, crouched to see Eleanor and Christian at the same eye level
like the knight once did, all before he was killed. “And yet you
both moved forward.” The crowned man paused and rubbed his polished
silver crescent ring before continuing. “There was once a man who
told me that all beings are as doomed as their failures. But with
these failures, gave these exact people moments. Moments what
appeared to be simple acts, acts that showed themselves in the most
extraordinary ways. When people would surpass all the limitations
that were set upon them. The people of Astora believed these
special moments came from the very gods that govern the three
worlds, because they always felt and appeared that way to the
onlookers.” The king looked out of his stain glass window which
formed one of the king’s before him in different colours before
looking back to them. “But the truth, children—is that it is a
sign. One that shows us we truly have no limits—when it matters
most! And that they do not always come from gods.
Eleanor and
Christian remembered the knight again for his brave actions.
Without him, they would have been killed. Dark clouds came over
their minds. In these seconds, they began to share the same wonder:
If those who helped them would suffer like the valiant man once
did.
Would
that happen again to those who’d help us?
thought the children,
thinking on the same wave length. They were still guilt-ridden that
their mothers and Christian’s sister had been lost, possibly even
killed. Much like Ematay’s brother. Their clouds gradually grew
thicker within, remembering all that had happened. It seemed the
words the king gave them were not enough for the children to be
pleased with themselves.
Another
came inside the room as the king rose back to his feet.
This other
stood about five feet and ten inches tall.
“What is
going on, father?” said the man walking in, nearer. He gave a
baffled expression when he saw the children, like his father did
when he first saw them.
“By the
gods, it’s prince Etch,” said Eleanor trying to whisper, but she
became so excited the words burst out louder than she meant them
to.
“It seems
we have some more Spell-casters in our midst,” said the king.
“I have
never seen them here before,” said the prince in his well
pronounced, clear tone.
“That is
because they have just arrived. They have lost their parents, their
home, and it is about time they settled into a new one.” The king
turned back to the children, at the left of the room, the door, at
the right. “If you are to live with us, then you have to work; just
like everybody else. This is where being a Spell-caster in training
comes in. You will have to decide upon the right deity to follow
soon if you haven’t already.”
The two
children nodded eagerly and soon went off with a female
Spell-caster the king called for. She took them to their new
rooms.
Yet in the
royal chamber, the Star-caster, prince, queen and king stayed.
Ematay
looked at the king. He could tell there was something worrying him.
The queen and prince didn’t talk at these moments, and for some
time too.
Yet after a
minute, the queen began:
“Well,” she
yelled across the room at the king, the room echoing. “Are you
going to tell him—or not?”
“Tell me
what?” asked Ematay.
“That
disappointment comes from many angles,” said the king.
The queen
carried the king’s conversation a little further than he intended
to do so himself: “And one of those disappointments—is from within
these walls.”
“What I am
about to tell you is troubling news for us all,” said the ruler of
Astora with the might of a gloomy expression casting over his face.
“One of the Stone Swans has been stolen.”
Ematay’s
face instantly changed to that of an astounded shock. “But that
means we are completely…” The Star-caster couldn’t finish, but went
in a different direction instead. “Nothing like this has happened
in over two hundred years,” and his reaction showed it.
“Vulnerable,” said prince Etch completing the Star-caster’s words.
“We are mere target practice in the air.”
“Which is
why we are forming a party immediately. Our best, to retrieve the
177th swan, wherever it may be. It has also come to my attention
that something is wrong on Amaranth. I had asked for readers to be
sent from Amaranth several days ago as well as the Sceptre of Power
to create an army of silver soldiers from our cathedral’s walls. So
I can figure out who has betrayed us and protect our world at the
same time. But nothing has happened, no response whatsoever. No
known action has been taken.”
Ematay felt
as if cold snow engulfed the air around him. His sight of clarity
just diminished so suddenly. It made him shiver. “Something is
wrong. We better move things along quickly, my king.”
177
th
Swan
Christian and Eleanor walked slowly down the ever growing stairs
that turned in on itself, twisting around like a play slide you
would sometimes see at a fair. Parts of the wall were pure silver,
then as time went on they changed to that of rock. The colours
blending till there was a clarity of earth, telling them they were
in the rock part of the floating Silver Cathedral now. It was three
floors down where the sheen of the silver walls were taken over by
the dark brown, covering the royal colour completely, as if being
taken over by nature itself, or rather, working with it.
“Here is
your quarters,” said the Spell-caster to Christian, “I will be
along in the morning to get you at seven. She seemed to appear
happy considering the world’s situation. Which alarmed both the
children, but only in a mild form as they both knew adults were
very good at hiding things.
Christian
went off into his new room by himself, leaving the other two to
move on.
“Your room
is just up this corridor to the right of Christian’s,” she said to
Eleanor. “Follow me.” Eleanor found it peculiar that this stranger
knew the name of her best friend already, and without the need for
a proper chat with him, or even her about him.
Once the
child was shown to her room the Spell-caster said the same to the
girl, and then a little more. “Supper will be ready in three hours.
There will be somebody to get you both then. Until then, amuse
yourselves.” Those were her last words before she tried shutting
the door, which seemed a bigger chore than she thought a door would
ever need.
The child
simply responded with nodding her head. Her door then shutting, and
after being tugged at, hard. The door, stiff to close; at least
from Eleanor
’
s sight of this person
struggling on the other side. “A door with a personality. I like
it,” whispered Eleanor to herself. Though she didn’t know what she
was talking about just yet. It was the excitement of the new
kicking in and talking for her. Even with all the mess happening,
she was grateful for being here right now.
The
time soon enough came for the two of them to go to the mess hall to
eat, and somebody did come along to take them there; though was
some minutes late, if such a small time was anything to go by, yet
it always meant something to Christian. Being on time, that is.
The food in
the Silver Cathedral was somewhat nice, but they hadn’t eaten in a
good while so anything would have tasted pleasant right now. Both
sat at the tables after everyone had left, still eating very
slowly.
“Can you
believe we’re here?” said Christian sitting at a large wooden table
that ran up and down the entire room almost, hearing the crunch of
his own carrots he was chewing straight after.
“It is
quite surreal, isn’t it,” said Eleanor after swallowing the last of
her chicken, looking at her empty bowl after finishing, feeling
full. It seemed to be the exact right amount for her and Christian,
by some magickal coincidence no doubt
they both thought.
Only it had no whatsoever ties with magick at all; it seemed their
imagination was making up rules for things. Even if they knew
better.
Christian
pushed his bowl away when he was finished. “No kidding,” he
replied.
The same
Spell-caster who took them to their rooms rushed them off to bed as
quick as they finished, standing in the large room waiting at the
back for them. Another thing she probably done often. Her bored
face certainly suggested so.
They both
made their way back to their quarters. Though Christian followed
his friend to her
’
s this time after the
woman left, deciding to chat and calm himself down from the
excitement of what would start tomorrow, even though he felt a
little distant at the same time too.
Eleanor
closed the door, struggling like the Spell-caster once did. Then
her face gloated like nothing before as she went and sat on her
bed. “It’s like we’re in a dream. I didn’t think these kinds of
things happened to people like us.” She gave a thankful sigh. “And
we have the pleasure of picking our god tomorrow. It’s strange,
because my mother was always funny when I mentioned following. But
how exciting.” Eleanor gave an enthusiastic shriek. “I know who I’m
going to pick already.”
“Who?”
asked Christian, not as fast talking or enthusiastic as his
buddy.
“What’s
wrong?” said Eleanor, picking up right away from the tone of his
voice something was up.
“It’s just
why we are here, you know. I can’t stop thinking about my sister.
My mum. When we were travelling we were so busy we didn’t have the
time to think on what happened. But now that we’ve stopped… I can’t
get them out of my head; like they
’
ve
caught up with me and won’t leave me be. I guess nothing has
changed in a way there. I still don’t know what has truly happened
to my sister.”
“My mother
was all I had,” said Eleanor, sounding serious and not so
enthusiastic now. “My father died to the first Sickofant attack a
while ago in Sunndira. I never really got over it in all honesty.
And you should be somewhat grateful there is hope to get Miyah back
still.”
“At least
you know what happened to your father,” replied Christian with a
sudden blank expression. “I can’t remember anything about mine.” He
sat on the bed with Eleanor, not facing her, more trying to push
the sigh of his body away from his friend. “For all I know… he
could be the enemy. All my mum told me is that he’s not dead. At
least not yet, and that wasn’t that long ago that she told me.”