by M. Arcturus
The elven entourage had made it up the solid plank and lowered her down on to the deck. Oberon grabbed Sorbek by the bicep, “Thanks, old friend. I have the feeling you will not be returning to Avalon with us.”
Sorbek looked at the Lady. With everything going on, she must not have had the chance to tell Oberon. Sorbek stated in his deep, rich voice, “I have some traveling to do. I do plan on returning to Avalon when I find what I’m looking for.”
Oberon nodded in understanding, “May we see each other again soon.” They clasped hands, and then Sorbek left trotting down the plank and across the sand at top speed to catch his ride.
Campanula sauntered up to Seth, who was about to board Oberon’s ship. As cold as what his stare was, she stepped back briefly out of alarm, then took a closer look in his eyes. Something in him had died, and she could tell that the pain he was feeling was more than what he could bear. The cold stare he had was created out of fear and agony. The root of the fear was from not knowing how to handle his emotion, and the agony was from his heart breaking for the first time. She knew he would never be the same again. Without a purpose to redirect his energy, he most likely would go ballistic. She was a little apprehensive at first, but then decided that maybe her offer was going to help him after all. “You know, there’s a pirate ship with your name on it. I’m sure you would make a fine captain.”
He looked at her as if she was crazy. “What about you?”
“Once we reach Avalon, the Kinnowwa will need a new captain. I miss home.” She paused daydreaming for one brief moment, “Let’s board our vessel. We’ll talk there.” The Kinnowwa’s red sails were unfurled, already beckoning to him. There seemed to be a peaceful breeze rippling the sails, which made Campanula wonder if the curse had been broken.
“Wait!” They stopped dead in their tracks and looked over their shoulders to see Oberon walking down the plank to speak with them on the shore. “Take this,” he said handing Campanula a small, yet good-sized bag. It was big enough that she could have stuffed a large grapefruit inside of it. Campanula looked into the bag and saw sparkling black glitter.
“What’s this?”
“It’s black pixie powder. Sprinkle it around the perimeter of the ship’s deck. You can’t follow us without it.”
“You always carry this on hand?”
“Yes, it was one of the laws my father created during his rule. I thought it was a stupid law until today. May we meet on the shores of Avalon,” the way he looked at her made her wonder if there was more than friendship on his mind. Though the Lady was weak, she stood up and looked at them from the deck. Even she noticed Oberon’s interaction and shot Campanula a look of hot jealousy. She wanted to say something to the Lady of Avalon that would erase her suspicion. Oberon was an attractive individual, but still, he was taken and not her type. She bowed politely, and with Seth by her side, they walked away from the plank leading up to Oberon’s ship.
A breeze brushed through his hair as he looked back toward the isle. Though they had pushed off, he could still swim to shore if he wanted to. Leaving his daughter behind was killing him, but in his mind, it was fate. As the isle sank, all he saw was green. It was amazing how her blood took over the death the way it did. If it weren’t for her blood, the humans of this time would not exist. A lot of death had escaped into the water, but it could have been a lot worse. At least now they would have a chance. Oberon glanced at Selené’s boat, waved goodbye, and then turned to tend to his loving wife.
As the sun was setting, Selené almost didn’t see Oberon wave. She waved back and looked over her shoulder to see if Kajaka, Shadow, and Sorbek saw his farewell, but they were too busy moving things around on deck to make the space more user-friendly, and Rowyn was curled up on a supply blanket fast asleep. She looked back at the armada of ships, but they were mere specks on the horizon. The only thing she could make out was the bright red sails of the Kinnowwa.
It took a while, but from what she could tell, the remainder of the isle was now completely submerged. In the distance where the isle would have been, there was light deep under the water. The water started to boil. As the water began to splash releasing the pressure, a pale blue entity made of light floated up to the water’s surface. Her wings arched high on her back, curved close to her body around her mid-section, then flared out starting about knee level. The tips of her wings touched the water, and like locks of hair, they swayed to and fro on the top of the waves.
“Who is that?” Selené asked so quietly she didn’t know if anyone heard her. Hearing a thud, she turned to see Kajaka standing there in shock. He had dropped the bundle of rope he was carrying.
“Giséi!” He gasped running to the side of the boat with Shadow hot on his heels. They all stood there in awe. “She has earned her wings!”
“Hey, who’s that with her?” Asked Selené as three other figures formed beside her.
“Isn’t that Jarrah and Resheda?” inquired Shadow.
Kajaka replied, “Yes, I think your right, but what is he carrying?”
“It’s another person. Probably another crew member from the Kinnowwa,” Selené chimed in. Sorbek looked at all of them with amusement. They were like children gossiping among themselves.
“Whoever he’s carrying, their life force is very dim. Not too much longer, and the poor person would have disappeared from existence.” Kajaka ruffled his feathers at the unnerving thought. None of them knew what significance it was for these three souls to travel with their dear departed Giséi. Resheda, Jarrah, and the old Chinese man had been pardoned from their transgressions. The Kinnowwa was free to roam the open waters without a curse hanging on her sails. All four of them started to sparkle, and then faded out of sight as they walked across the waves. Kajaka dried his tears as they fell. At least they knew that Giséi had made it to the spirit world safely, but they would still miss her dearly.
Selené didn’t remember sailing out as far to the west as what they had come. The stars brightly burned as they danced to the rhythm of their universal song. Many hours had passed, and yet in her mind, they had just watched Giséi and the others fade out of sight. Her thoughts kept recycling her heartache for Anthony, a knot in her stomach formed from losing a friend, and from the guilt for the way she had viewed Giséi. For the most part, the others didn’t mind manning the boat as she stared off into space, but she was needed now.
“Selené, we’re ready for you.”
“What?” She turned to face Sorbek, Kajaka, and Shadow. Kajaka shrugged, and Sorbek just leaned up against the side of the boat playing coy. Rowyn was still curled up in a ball fast asleep.
Shadow fell on bended knee before Kajaka. Taking out the red velvet box, he opened it, and asked, “Kajaka, will you marry me?”
Kajaka’s breath was stolen from shock. The moldavite necklace was so stunning; he was speechless! He finally stuttered, “It’s gorgeous, but I don’t understand. What does the word ‘marry’ mean?”
Selené quietly piped up, “It means you say yes!” Sorbek was shocked. He was surprised that she even had the wit to say something at a special time such as this. Kajaka and Shadow just smiled at her.
Shadow engaged in Kajaka’s question, “It means that you have done so much for me that I want you to know how I feel about you, and I’m grateful for all that you have done. Marriage is a ceremony that humans—well, beings of this world—share with the mate that they want to spend the rest of their life with.”
“I already know how you feel.”
“But that doesn’t mean that you know how much I appreciate you being a part of my life.”
Selené withdrew to stand next to Sorbek. “Awe, that’s so sweet!” She could hardly hold back her tears. Sorbek just let out a low soft growl. What made her think that he cared for such gestures? Then again, his heart still ached for Giséi. After seeing Shadow and Kajaka interact, he wasn’t quite sure if he could ever be the r
omantic type, but for Giséi, he would have tried.
“Then yes, my love, I except,” Kajaka started to cry out of joy, and Shadow stood up and placed the necklace around his mate’s long slender neck. It sparkled delightfully amongst his green feathers.
Shadow turned to Selené. “Will you marry us?”
“I’m not sure how. I’ve never married anyone before.”
“Have you ever been to a wedding?”
“Not really, but I walked past one being held in the courtyard once.” Shadow let out a depressing sigh. She could tell that he was indeed heartbroken and hurt over this.
He took Kajaka by the hand, “I’m sorry, my love. This is not the way I envisioned this surprise for you. I was going to ask Pandora to create an arrangement of flowers. Giséi was to be here to celebrate with us. This is all wrong.”
“It’s okay, love. The necklace is beautiful. Frankly, the wedding would have been overkill.”
“You honestly think so?” The pain ran deep in his eyes as he searched Kajaka’s face for the truth.
“Yes, wholeheartedly.” Kajaka pulled him in close and soothed Shadow’s feathers stroking his hair and massaging his back.
Selené felt really bad for them. With every ounce of energy, she tried to remember what she overheard from the wedding ceremony long ago. The singing crystals in her pocket started to glow and hum. Out of nowhere, she heard a voice. She couldn’t decipher a gender, or where it came from, but the message was heard loud and clear. “Create it from the heart.” The crystals stopped glowing, and the humming ceased.
Selené walked over to them. “I’m not sure how a wedding goes, but I do understand that it’s about friends and family sharing in the moment when you give your oaths of love to one another.” Kajaka and Shadow looked up at her. “Let’s start at the beginning of your relationship. How did you two meet?”
Shadow and Kajaka started to laugh as they reminisced. They met at a phoenix boarding school. The Phoenix Council frequently used the boarding school for seminars and certifications to train their young, aspiring board members. The dorms and the structured classroom setting had made Shadow recall his youth, which stirred the orneriness inside of him. During one of their classes, Shadow tried to prank the instructor, but missed, getting Kajaka instead.
He had constructed a small drone, about the size of a tennis ball, and filled it with the sap of a Unahguah tree—the stickiest sap ever created in the known universe. One night before class, he placed a homing device under the instructor’s chair. The following morning, Shadow walked into the classroom and opened up the window before taking his seat. Little did he know, he was not the only prankster in the class. However, the other prankster had chosen Kajaka as their target.
During class, Shadow pushed the button on the drone’s controller. While waiting for the drone to fly in through the window, Kajaka’s chair gave way, sending Kajaka to the floor. The instructor, out of kindness, gave Kajaka his chair. Shadow had no way of stopping the drone. He shot up out of his seat, and the instructor yelled at him to sit down. The other students tried to deter him by tripping him and pulling at his clothes. His classmates won, he didn’t make it in time to close the window. Before Kajaka even knew what was happening, sap was poured all over him.
As Shadow described how sticky Kajaka’s feathers were, and how bad he felt, Selené and the others were laughing so hard their sides hurt. Shadow told how he and his fellow classmates had tried for many hours with different solvents to get the sap out. Even though they got the sap out, it still took weeks for his feathers to return to normal. It took even longer for their friendship to develop and grow, centuries in fact, before the spark of love ignited.
“But I will never forget the day when I discovered how I felt about you. The peace inside of your soul, the way you let troubles roll off of your back, your patience, and how it felt so right to hold your hand in mine. I never want to live without that. Will you be with me for the rest of this life and the next?”
“Of course, I will!” Replied Kajaka. They kissed passionately, and with fondness in their hearts. Their friends smiled and went about their business. Looking over her shoulder, she witnessed the lovebirds nuzzling each other, and she wondered when she would be able to do that with Anthony.
She approached Sorbek at the helm. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Sorbek looked at her as if it was too late for her even to ask. They had been tending the boat for hours as she had sat spaced-out. “No, we already took care of everything. We’re taking turns steering. You had better get some sleep while you still can. By tomorrow morning, we’re on our own.”
Selené looked upon Shadow and Kajaka who were still very engrossed with each other. She wanted to say goodbye to them before they left, but she didn’t want to interrupt. Surely, they would wait for her to wake up. She curled up beside Rowyn under the covers. As her mind raced, making her feel the guilt once more, she had an idea. The moment she had parchment, and pen in her hand, she would let the world know about Giséi and the message she carried. Then maybe the next generation of people would know the lesson Atlantis learned. With her back turned toward the others, she laid there awake. Her eyes slowly started to shut while she gazed at the stars, constructing the words she would write to the world.
“I still remember the fall of the Empire. We didn’t have streets paved with gold nor the fountain of youth, but we had corruption and ill-fated greed. In ignorance, we blamed a traveler for the ruin of our culture, when we should have taken the blame for our own destruction. The traveler was never the destroyer we made her out to be. Instead, she was a much-needed outside voice whispering in our ears. She came to us when we were already deep in an era of decay, which sadly drowned her message below the cries of the community. Juron knew where we were headed, yet he pretended to be like us, blind to the situation. He used the traveler as a scapegoat and we, not fully seeing the picture, clung onto the fearful beliefs of the masses. Now, I openly admit that I was wrong, and to the generations henceforth, I want all to know...I’m sorry, Giséi...I’m sorry.”
Epilogue
The crackling of the fire popped in his ears as he stared deeply into the star-filled eyes of the old withered face across the way. Zimbaja was truly a knowledgeable, skilled teacher. Under the vast galaxy of the night sky, Oberon closed his eyes and listened to the old man’s calming voice echoed by the soft drumming of the ceremonial drum. If it wasn’t for the Atlantean translator box periodically cutting in and out, he could have been sucked into the old man’s words. He was surprised that the box had lasted this long. Though at times, the static was disruptive, it was intriguing to hear the old man speak in his native tongue, instead of the elven language that he was so accustomed to hearing.
On top of the dry, desert dirt, the old mentor’s sandals slowly shuffled as he stood up with a bowl of crushed yellow ocher in his old knotted hands. Walking around the fire ring, he spoke the last few words of the ancient ceremonial rights. After marking the body of his students, each with unique patterns using the ocher, he motioned for them to be off on their way. Once Zimbaja marked him, he was expecting the same treatment as the other students, so he started to gather his belongings. The old man placed a weak hand on his shoulder.
“Not you, my son. You are staying here.”
“But I thought I was welcomed to learn the walkabout, and dance in the Dreamtime? Why did you have me practice the moves for days only for you not to let me go? Trust me, I practiced!” He started to feel the ache of his body and began to massage some of the tight muscles.
“Go on and put your things down and have a seat.” Oberon sat down on one of his blankets, and painfully watched the old man slowly take his seat on a log, which had served as a bench by the fire. “I know why the others have come, but I have yet to understand why you are here.”
“I had a friend once that spoke of the Dreamtime. I have expe
rienced a lot of things, but never the awe he expressed when talking about his experiences in Dreamtime travel.”
“What you want to seek may not be what you find. The Dreamtime is not for the light of heart. It is more for the shadows that we have yet to face.”
“You say that as if you don’t believe I’m ready.”
“By the motions of your dance, you will be faced with a lot. Unlike your fellow students, your moves are very combative in nature. What have you dreamt of since you’ve been here?”
Oberon flicked the translator box with his finger trying to get the static to stop, and then he replied, “For the past year, I have been fighting to reclaim my homeland. I guess I’m still fighting in my sleep, not realizing that the war is over.”
The old man nodded in understanding, “Then it is for the best that I remain here while you journey.” To Oberon’s dismay, the static did not stop. He kept fidgeting with the translator until it got on Zimbaja’s nerves. The old man snatched the box from Oberon’s hand, “You will not need that here.”
“Wait, what did you say? I can’t understand you without the box.” Zimbaja looked a little surprised to hear Oberon speak a strange foreign language. Finally comprehending the situation, he still had no intention of giving the box back. Oberon tried to snatch the box back from Zimbaja, but he pulled his hand away, avoiding Oberon’s attempt. He was quick for an old man.
Oberon sat back, letting out a sigh of irritation as Zimbaja closed his eyes and started to relax his body while sitting on the log. Not that Oberon could understand him, but still he murmured, “Listen with your heart, not with your ears.” Oberon subconsciously let out another sigh. To his surprise, the sigh released a lot of anger, and he began to relax. The cracking of the fire grabbed his attention once again. Through the clear smoke, he saw Jarrah, which made him jump.