The insects had begun to disperse as soon as the two of them touched the sides, and by this time, they were shooting in all directions, buzzing and bustling and streaking in a million different arcs and angles. Alemar had never allowed her torch to extinguish fully, and it began to flare brightly all of its own accord at that very moment.
The two Seedkeepers turned their attention to the light that the elfin Princess held in her hands and they nodded to one another.
“You are the one, the Chosen, my dear. Is that not right, Father?” the woman said to her companion.
“Most definitely, Mother,” he replied.
Alemar was elated, and she was terribly grateful to these two wonderful creatures. She was smiling from ear to ear as they instructed her to kneel down next to them at the side of the dish. They did not bend, but rather they contracted their bodies so that they were the same height as she was. Clovis and Giles stood respectfully behind her. They all deeply felt the significance of this moment. Both Mother and Father extended their bulbous arms and touched Alemar gently. Upon their contact with her skin, she instantly learned all that she would ever need to know about her new friends, and her smile broadened even further. As she leaned over to peer upon the seeds, a warm and soothing feeling spread throughout her body, and the odor of Lalas was unmistakable. Within the dish, she could clearly see thousands of tiny, perfectly shaped oval pods. They were all light green in color and they radiated a power all their own. Father removed a pouch from somewhere beneath the folds of his skin, and he and Mother each grasped one of its drawstrings in their elongated fingers. They slowly opened it, looking upon one another tenderly as they did so.
The Seedkeepers beckoned to Alemar to stand between them and they turned slightly so that she could walk to the edge of the container.
“You must fill it yourself, my dear,” Mother said tenderly to her.
They both offered the pouch to Alemar and she humbly accepted it.
The wind ceased to blow and the insects stopped their buzzing. Clovis and Giles remained as still as could be. Not a sound could be heard in the entire chamber. Alemar gazed expectantly into the container that veritably held the seeds of the future for Eleutheria and all of its innocent and unsuspecting people.
Before she gathered up the spores, with her free hand she grasped Mother’s, lifted it to her lips and kissed it.
“Thank you,” she said, bowing her head.
Mother dipped her bulbous chin, and Alemar was sure she saw what looked like a heavy tear slide slowly down her densely mottled face.
“No need for that, my daughter,” she said.
Alemar turned to Father and repeated the gesture. He smiled at her, a warm and knowing smile, before gently caressing her cheek with his strong yet surprisingly delicate hand. Leaning forward, she cupped her palm and reached deep into the pile of glistening seeds before her.
Chapter Thirty-one
Tamara reached back, grabbed her hood and pulled it over her head. The air was chilly now that the sun had started to set. The treetops obscured what remained of the light and the woods had taken on a gloomy, grey cast. Hector seemed unconcerned, but little appeared to bother him anyway. Tamara was by now quite anxious to reach the area of the woods that harbored the great Lalas.
“We were so lucky that old man stumbled upon us when he did, Hector. Don’t you think? I doubt I could have done much of anything to stop that awful woman from harming us,” she said aloud to her pony. “But, you know Hector, I believe that I was able to stir those leaves up quite nicely when she tried to attack me. I never did anything like that before. Do you suppose I could do it again?” she asked while they ambled through the forest.
Tamara became so absorbed in trying to remember how she was able to have done what she did, that she barely noticed how far they had wandered. Hector’s head lolled back and forth lazily, accustomed as he was to listening to his mistress’ voice as they walked. The vegetation grew thicker, and the soil grew richer and more pliable with each step.
“That wizard was remarkable, was he not, Hector? I wonder what kind of a name Premoran is. I never thought to ask where he was from. He seemed to know us, though. How odd,” she mused. “And that boy with him. Was he not more beautiful than anything you have ever seen? Wings. Can you imagine? The sisters will never believe me when I tell them.”
She continued to chat with herself, as was her way. It calmed her nerves to talk, and it helped her to reason as well. Shortly though, a wonderful smell reached her nostrils. It was like nothing she had ever smelled before. She grew lightheaded just from breathing this marvelous odor in.
“Oh, Hector. Could anything be more lovely?” She leaned her head back slightly and breathed deeply.
She walked another few paces, and soon noticed that the bushes had given way to a blanket of dense, green grass that was soft and supple. In the near distance, she could see a line of trees that resembled a wall or hedge, and beyond it, the air was thick with mist that rose in billowing clouds and dissipated as it ascended.
“We must be nearing Oleander’s home now. Hurry, Hector. Can you not walk just a bit faster?” she urged her pony.
Hector carried his mistress up to the very edge of the vegetation, whereupon he dropped his head, almost unseating Tamara as he did so, and began to munch on the sweet grasses. She let go of the reins and let him have his way, as it was clear to her that she was not going to be able to force this stubborn pony to forsake this moment of pleasure.
“I suppose that you have earned this meal after all. In fact, I am rather hungry myself,” she realized, having not rested since she left the Wizard and his strange friend so many hours ago.
She dismounted, opened her satchel and retrieved a piece of cheese that the sisters were so famous for. Breaking off a great big piece of the hard bread she brought with her, she began to eat. After the first bite, it occurred to her just how famished she really was, and she sat down on the soft grass beside the hedge and ate.
As she chewed on the bread and cheese, she heard a rustling sound behind her. Quickly, she turned her head to see what it was, but nothing was there. Hector meanwhile, had wandered about fifteen yards away, following a line of the greenest and sweetest of the grasses he was so readily gorging himself upon.
I must have imagined it
, she thought to herself, and she continued to eat.
Again she heard a noise, and it sounded as if the wind was blowing through the trees, disturbing the leaves and branches. This time as she turned around to look, she practically fell over herself in her rush to stand up. She dropped the big piece of cheese she had partially eaten along with the bread, and the crumbs which had accumulated on her skirts went flying in the air as she rose, showering both Tamara and Liam with the remnants of her repast.
“I am sorry to have startled you, Sister,” the Chosen said in a voice so soothing that Tamara almost swooned.
Stammering for words, she tried to formulate a response, but her mouth was still full and all that would come out was a jumble of unintelligible sounds. She raised her hand and gestured, signaling silently for a moment’s time to swallow. Embarrassed as she was, Liam’s warm smile settled her pounding heart immediately.
“You must be very hungry after your long trip. Please do not interrupt your dinner on my behalf,” he said to her.
After clearing her throat, Tamara finally was finally able to say something that could be understood.
“I have not eaten in a while, my Lord,” she practically shouted her explanation, while hastily smoothing her skirts and brushing off the crumbs that had settled upon her ample chest. “This is not the way I had anticipated greeting you,” she said to him, her white skin blushing red as a winter beet as she spoke.
“You have no need to apologize to me Sister. I too eat once in a while,” he replied, still grinning. “And please, I am no one’s Lord. Call me Liam, if you would,” he said softly.
Liam’s well shaped head was covered in a mass of soft, black curls and his upper lip was barely visible beneath the drooping mustache that hung down on either side, almost to his chin. His green eyes sparkled from beneath bushy eyebrows. His nose looked as if it had been chiseled out of stone, it was so manly and well-formed, neither large nor small, but distinguished beyond measure. He was quite tall, perhaps six and one half feet, Tamara guessed. His clothing was that of a woodsman; rawhides and leathers, with sturdy boots on his feet, that reached well up over his knees. He carried no weapons that she could see and his clothing was unadorned. Even his cape, which he had casually thrown over his left shoulder, was tied with a simple piece of cord. The only ornament he wore was an earring in his left earlobe. It appeared to her to be a black stone, though it sparkled in various hues when the last rays of the sun caught it.
“I am Tamara of Parth, my Lor… Liam,” she corrected herself, smiling into her hand. “I am here to converse with you and Oleander about some important matters that affect the Tower,” she said quite seriously.
“Yes I know, Sister. We have been expecting you,” he replied.
Tamara was taken a bit off guard by his response, though it should not have surprised her that the Lalas and its Chosen knew she was coming. After all, he was not at all disturbed to find her reclining in his very own woods.
“I was delayed for some time a little while earlier,” she started to explain. “Do you know that too?” she asked, unsure of how much she needed to reveal.
“We knew that you were coming and we knew that you would arrive. More than that, we did not need to know,” he answered, still smiling fondly.
Tamara realized that he really did not answer her question, although she supposed that what he said was sufficient.
“I would have gotten here before dark if I had not been waylaid on the path,” she continued, while looking at him curiously in order to see just how interested he was in hearing the details.
“Really?” he responded, feigning surprise. “But you managed to get here nonetheless. I hope that whoever detained you, did not harm you in any way?” he inquired.
Tamara made it clear that she wished so badly to relate her experiences to him, that he graciously opened the door for her.
“Well, I could have been hurt,” she said, smoothing her sleeves one at a time. “But, I was able to scare them off eventually,” she said, her chest puffed out.
“All by yourself sister?” he asked, sounding astonished.
“Not exactly,” she responded, head bent. “A powerful Wizard and his companion came to my rescue, although I was defending myself quite well. But Hector, my pony…” she pointed to her mount happily munching away in the distance, “…would have been killed and fed to the guards if not for them.”
“You are a brave woman,” Liam replied respectfully. “Many would have run and left their animals to fend for themselves.”
“I would never leave Hector,” she said, astonished by his remark. “Besides, to be perfectly honest, I was outnumbered and my situation was not really so favorable. I did manage to use my power to delay them though.”
“Ah. So you are a Chosen of the earth too?” he asked, arching his bushy eyebrows high.
“Am I?” she asked, then she realized what she had just said. “Oh, I am. But only recently. I mean, I have only discovered recently that I…”
“That you what, Sister?” he asked, eyes wide.
“That I can do things that I never knew I could before,” she replied, as if becoming aware of this for the first time herself.
“Such as?” the Chosen inquired, staring closely at her
Tamara tilted her head slightly to the side, befuddled.
“I moved the leaves and branches without touching them,” she related to Liam. “It just happened. When the dark haired woman threatened to feed Hector to her troops and I felt endangered myself, I am not certain just how, but I raised my arms and everything started to swirl around me,” she recounted, having a strange urge to explain herself to this man.
“You became one with the life force in these woods. It responded to your need,” Liam said, as if in explanation.
“I suppose so,” Tamara replied. “It felt so natural though, yet it was totally unexpected.”
“The first time always is,” he responded. “But you will not be surprised a second time, Sister,” he commented like a teacher would.
Liam turned toward the trees behind them and beckoned Tamara to follow him.
“We will have time to talk more about this later. Oleander awaits us,” he concluded, and he headed for the woods. Glancing back at her, he seemed to read her mind. “Hector will be fine. Do not fret over him. Come,” he invited her.
The moment Tamara stepped through the thick hedge, the very air around her changed. She could not put her finger on it exactly, but the odor alone was absolutely delicious. The chill was gone, and a warm, moist breeze rustled her hair and clothing. The ground beneath her feet felt like a sponge it was so soft, and she could swear that there was a distinct rhythm to the clicking branches and blowing leaves, the sound was so melodious and soothing.
Tamara had never seen a Lalas in person before and the sight which unfolded before her eyes literally took her breath away. She stepped past a well-shaped bush, and then found herself staring up at the most beautiful tree she had ever seen. In her wildest dreams, she could not have imagined anything so lovely. It was huge, reaching high into the sky, and the leaves were bright green and edged in silver. It was so dense and lush that she could barely make out the heavy branches that stretched out in all directions. The mere symmetry of the Lalas soothed her senses immediately. It was so perfectly shaped that gazing upon it just felt right in some unspoken way. As the wind blew, a cacophony of sounds reached her ears, tuneful and joyous. She thought she heard the sound of bells rising and falling with the breeze.
She was so consumed by the vision before her that she barely noticed Liam standing right by her side. He placed his hand upon her arm and startled her out of her spellbound stasis.
“Have you never seen one of the great trees before?”
“No,” she replied, still staring wide eyed at the Lalas before her. “I never imagined it could be so incredible. Everything about it, even the odor,” Tamara said, short of breath.
As she stood and contemplated the tree, she watched awestruck as the canopy of heavy leaves in front of her parted, as if welcoming her, and she felt the urge to walk forward.
“Go,” Liam said, as if reading her thoughts again. “You are most surely welcome here, Sister.”
Tamara walked a few paces until she was engulfed by the tree, swallowed up by its majesty and surrounded by its fragrance. Once underneath the thick foliage, she felt as if she had been transported to a different world, or another dimension. Then, the most amazing thing of all occurred; it spoke to her.
I have not had the pleasure of a visit from one of the Sisters in a hundred tiels
, she heard from within her head.
Salutations, my good woman. I am sorry that you encountered so much difficulty on your journey. I trust you are well now?
the Lalas inquired.
Tamara was not certain how to respond. Oleander was in her very thoughts, and it seemed so incongruous to her to speak aloud.
“Yes, I am quite well, thank you,” she stammered. “This is all so unusual for me, I do not know what I am supposed to do,” she said with her usual candor, not even certain where on the tree to focus her attention.
The fabric weaves of its own will. There is nothing you “should” do now. Your presence here alone will suffice for the moment
, Oleander said.
Words are your strength, Tamara. Speak your mind.
She needed no more urging, as was her way. Verbalizing her thoughts made her comfortable, so she began to converse with Oleander without thinking too long or too hard. Her spontaneous chatter was what made her so unique among the Sisters of Parth, and once she began, the drizzle of words soon became a deluge.
“I was talking to the Sisters one evening and I suggested that perhaps our purpose, you know, the reason why the Sisters are in the tower in the first place, had changed. We always guarded the map, but the Tomes have a passage that Bethany, the eldest of the other Sisters, said was important now. That passage also hinted that our purpose may have changed or may change, or something like that. Everyone thought that what I said was so meaningful, that they wanted me to come here and ask you about it myself. So, here I am.”
By now, Tamara had relaxed completely. The words just continued to pour from her lips. “And someone did not want me to get here at all. The more I think about it, the less I believe it was chance that led me to the confrontation I had in the woods outside of your forest. Have you ever seen that woman here before?” she asked, without even hesitating between her sentences so that Oleander could respond. “I also was able to defend myself somewhat,” she said, barely stopping even to breathe. “Liam says that I was in touch with the earth, and that I will be able to do it again. What do you think?” she said, with her chin in the air, as she looked around her for the Chosen whose presence she had completely forgotten about. “Well anyway, a wizard came to my aid, and he had a friend with him that you would not believe…”