“You are diligent, Ben Floyd. You honor your lineage.”
The travelers rose to their feet, and faced the great spirit.
“Thank you,” whispered Ben, still finding it hard to breath in the thin air.
Lithlillian strode forward and touched each one of them with one extended finger upon their lips, and they immediately found breathing easier.
“Why have you come so far?” Lithlillian asked.
“We are on a quest,” said Ben. “We search for the gifts of the Skyfather. We were hoping you could tell us where they can be found.”
“Who told you of these gifts?”
“Your sister, Harena.”
“You have seen Harena?”
“And Dendrata,” continued Ben. “She helped us to find you.”
Lithlillian folded her sculpted arms and frowned. “Why did my sisters not tell you who our father gave these gifts to? Did they not know you were Floyds? I am confused.”
“It would seem not all of the gifts are with the original recipients. We know the location of one of the gifts, the Everflame. It resides with a member of the Kingdom on Gray Mountain. We are also certain that the Everlife no longer resides with Esteban Floyd…for he has passed.”
“Esteban has passed? That is most unfortunate. What of Andor and Ulinawi?”
“We do not know if they live or where their gifts would be. We were hoping you might be able to assist us with that information.”
Lithlillian turned from the travelers and began to pace the surface of the rock, folding her arms and muttering. “We gave an oath to mother,” said Lithlillian. “We promised to test you, but to allow things to happen as they will. My sisters have given you far too much information. This borders on interference.” Lithlillian turned to the travelers, snapping her neck. “Tell me everything my sisters have told you.”
So, Ben Floyd gave Lithlillian the story of the Wind as Harena had explained it, and then, told how Dendrata had added the prophecy to that story. They told her how they had realized that Ben and Tomas were descendant of Esteban Floyd, and then, Ben went on to tell Lithlillian of the story of the Moon and Densa, given to them by Dendrata.
“Mother would be most displeased,” said Lithlillian. “I’ll tell you no more. My sisters have loose tongues. They have let their personal feelings get involved with things they have no business being involved with.”
“So you won’t help us find the other gifts?” asked Riverpaw with a profound sadness.
“No,” said Lithlillian curtly. “I won’t be part of this any longer. Maybe Harena and Dendrata feel the need to challenge Mother. I do not.”
The three travelers looked at each other with concern, all of their minds wondering the same thing, why did the Earth want to keep information from them?
“I suppose it was wrong for them to tell us of the gifts,” said Ben. Tomas looked at him with confusion. “Trust me,” said Ben through the side of his mouth.
“It was wrong,” agreed Lithlillian. “And then, to tell you of Densa’s origin. I don’t know what they were thinking.”
“And Dendrata should not have told us you would give us information,” added Ben.
“No,” Lithlillian agreed again. “I didn’t need this stress.”
“I suppose there is no point in us heading south then,” said Ben.
“Oh,” said Lithlillian indignantly. “She told you Selva would help you as well? She has gone too far. You didn’t tell me she told you where to find Selva.”
“Well, you interrupted my story,” said Ben.
“Continue then. I need to know everything. I need to know what damage my sisters have caused.”
“All right,” continued Ben. “Dendrata told us you would know where to find the gifts, not Selva.”
“Untrue!” interrupted the giant spirit. “I don’t know anything that Selva doesn’t know. If anything, she would know more about the Evermight, being in Felaqua as she is.”
“Dendrata said Selva could help us with prophecy,” continued Ben. “She said Selva was the only one who knew the secret of the prophecy, concerning the unlikely pair. You know, the unlikely pair, Evercloud and Riverpaw.”
“Ha! She is a liar!” exclaimed Lithlillian. “Every one of my sisters knows that this bear has nothing to do with that prophecy. She’s playing with the three of you. Dendrata tricked you! She’s played a… trick…” Lithlillian slowed her speech and furrowed her brow. Suddenly, her fists clenched and she bared her teeth at the travelers.
“I think this would be a very good time for us to leave,” said Tomas with wide eyes.
“You’ve tricked me into giving you more information, haven’t you!?”
“We need to leave now!!” yelled Riverpaw. With one large swipe of his paw, Riverpaw knocked Tomas and Ben off of the mountain ledge and then dove after them.
“You’ll pay for this!” Lithlillian roared from above.
Riverpaw caught the brothers and continued to speed away from the angered spirit as rocks began to fall from the mountaintop.
“That was stupid, Ben!” yelled Tomas as Riverpaw sped them through the sky. “You just made enemies with an ancient spirit!”
“Yes, but we now know we can find Selva in Felaqua!” returned Ben. “And we know that Evercloud is one half of an unlikely pair!”
Chapter 30: Sister Chera
It was not long before Evercloud, Iolana and Annie had exited the cold north and found they were flying over the waters of a warmer climate. Still north of Ephanlarea, the three travelers had found three gulls in the sky, circling a small island, with surprising ease. Nivalia had not been exaggerating when she had called the island small; in fact, it was so small that Evercloud doubted the dot of land surrounded by water should even qualify as being an island. Merely ten yards in diameter, Annie had joked that the island looked like a sugar cookie, floating on the water. The three travelers landed upon its white sand tentatively, unsure of the island’s stability, but their nerves were quickly calmed as their feet found the island had a very stable foundation.
“What now?” asked Annie, looking at the infinite horizon that stretched out in all directions.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” said Evercloud. “One lump of sand in the middle of the ocean isn’t a lot to work with.”
“Maybe this would be a perfect opportunity for you to use the Eversense,” said Iolana to Annie.
“But I don’t know how,” Annie protested. “I’ve had it as long as I can remember, but it’s always been in control of me. It comes and goes as it wishes. I don’t know how to tap into it.”
“You have to learn,” said Iolana. “Just try meditating for a while.”
“All right…I’ll try.”
Annie sat down in the white sand and folded her legs. She closed her eyes and placed her hands down into the warm sand. Evercloud and Iolana decided to sit down as well, realizing it might be a while before Annie was able to see anything, if she found any success at all. Evercloud and Iolana remained silent and still while Annie was deep in meditation, not wishing to disturb her. The young woman sat for almost an hour before she, again, opened her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I could see nothing.”
“You must continue trying,” pleaded Iolana. “Nivalia said you have the gift. You have to be able to use it. It’s just a matter of learning how. Try again, but this time, focus on the island. Keep it in your mind.”
“Okay,” said Annie and again closed her eyes.
More time passed. Over an hour the travelers sat in the sun, hoping Annie could tap into the power of the Eversense. Evercloud was beginning to feel his eyelids grow heavy and he blinked, trying to fend off sleep. His mind began to wander and his thoughts turned to Tenturo.
Should we have heard from him by now? he thought. Evercloud thought that it was long past time that he tried to reach out to Tenturo with his mind. He closed his eyes, focused his concentration, and called out to the great griffin. Tenturo, where
are you? Are you with Densa? How does your mission go? Evercloud waited many minutes but did not receive an answer. Tenturo’s inability or unwillingness to reciprocate his contact worried Evercloud, and he reached out a second time. Tenturo, where are you? Please answer. Are you in danger? Again, there was no answer. Suddenly, Evercloud’s concentration was broken and bright light flooded his eyes. Annie was jumping up and down in the sand.
“I did it! I did it!” she exclaimed.
“What?” asked Evercloud as he and Iolana stood from their sandy seats.
“I found it in the back of my mind. We have to dig. We have to dig in the sand.”
“Well, okay,” smiled Evercloud. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
Evercloud knelt down in the sand, and with terrifying speed, began to dig down into the tiny island. Within seconds, he had come across a simple piece of rolled parchment. He plucked it out of the two-foot hole he had made and unrolled it.
“In the water. As far down as you can go. Alone.”
“Is that all it says?” asked Iolana.
“Unfortunately, yes,” said Evercloud as he turned the parchment over, looking for more writing.
“You should go,” said Iolana and Evercloud to each other at the very same time.
“Me?” asked Evercloud. “I couldn’t possibly travel as far as you could, Iolana. You can control this element. You can breathe down there, can’t you?”
“I can,” admitted Iolana. “But it’s time you were able to do this also.” Iolana walked over to Evercloud and placed her hand upon his chest.
“What are you doing?” Evercloud looked at her with confusion, not realizing what was about to happen.
“Tenturo gave you power because he saw something in you, Evercloud. Bahknar did the same. It was a hasty decision he made, but you quickly convinced him, in maybe the only way you could, that he was wrong and that you were someone to have faith in. I have faith in you as well, and I see in you what Tenturo does. It is time that you have this power.” Blue light emanated from Iolana’s hand and ran a chill through Evercloud, as if his body had been filled with ice. He gasped and his arms fell to his sides. The light grew until Evercloud’s entire torso seemed to glow like a blue lantern. He looked up at Iolana and his eyes were blue, like the tropical, ocean waters of Felaqua. The light waned, Iolana removed her hand, and Evercloud fell briefly to his knees as if he had been released from a hold. A moment passed, and then he rose again to his feet. “You will be able to reach any depth now,” said Iolana.
“Thank you.”
“This is what you wanted,” said Iolana, “the powers that men once possessed long ago.”
“Yes,” said Evercloud hesitantly, “but… what is it that you and Tenturo see in me, Iolana? As time passes by, I wonder more and more why I deserve these powers.”
“I can’t explain what it is, Evercloud, but you do deserve these powers. They are strong within you. Even the powers humans exhibited very long ago were not as strong as they are with you. It was as if you were meant to have them all along. When I look in your eyes… they shine with hope.”
Evercloud nodded, accepting her answer, but not feeling any better for it. He turned and looked at the water, considering its depth, and then, slowly walked close to the edge of the island.
“I wonder,” Evercloud said, still staring into the ocean’s depth. “What makes hope more than just hope?”
Evercloud dove deep into the ocean, never expecting an answer to his question, but as he disappeared into the sea Iolana whispered, “We do.”
An hour passed and nothing happened upon the tiny island of sand.
“You should practice,” said Iolana to Annie. “I can keep watch.”
“How should I practice? I’m still not completely sure how to control the Eversense.”
“That’s the very reason that you should practice. Your ability to see things none of us can might be the most important factor in our quest, Annie. If you can learn to harness that power…well, think about it. You might be more important than any of us.”
“I don’t know about that,” scoffed Annie, moving sand with her feet like a bashful child. “But I get it. I’ll try to practice.”
So Annie sat down, and again, began meditating. She stretched her mind and tried to push the boundaries of her consciousness. Before long, she was lost in unconsciousness, far from Iolana and Evercloud, far from the island and far from the concrete world. Iolana watched the water where Evercloud had disappeared, just at the edge of the tiny, little island, and waited. If there was a chance, or if there was a sign he needed help, she would be there. His success was important to her. So she watched the water, like a mother watches over a sleeping child, and she waited.
A bubble appeared on the surface, tiny and quick, and then many bubbles surfaced. Something was rising in the dark water, but Iolana could not make it out. She thought it must be Evercloud returning to the surface, but realized the object was much too small as it rose in the water. Then, with a tiny plip, the object reached the surface and Iolana bent down to retrieve a large eagle feather from the water. She looked back down to see if Evercloud would follow the feather to the surface, but instead, the waters all around the tiny island began to bubble and roll violently, as if the sea was boiling. Iolana stepped back, startled, and then, fell upon her back as water rose into the air, all around the island.
It happened so quickly, like an explosion. Iolana yelled out to Annie, but nothing could bring the girl back from her deep meditation. Iolana stared in terror as water rose hundreds of feet above her head. She could not tell if the ocean was rising into the air around the island or if the island itself was falling into the sea. The tiny island shook violently and Iolana tried to stand, but could not, so she crawled to Annie and threw her arms around the entranced girl, closing her eyes and bracing for the impact of the water upon them.
Within seconds, the quaking and rushing of the water stopped. Slowly, Iolana opened her eyes and realized that she and Annie were safe. An invisible cylinder protected the tiny island, and it reached as far into the sky as Iolana could see. Surrounding the cylinder, and reaching the same heights, was the ocean. Iolana stood and looked around to see that an infinite wall of water surrounded her and Annie. Iolana walked up to it and could see her reflection in its sparkling depth. She reached out and her hand passed through it with ease, but the wall did not change. She pulled her hand back and it was wet, as if she had done no more than dragged it across the surface of a lake. A splash came from above her head and she looked upward, but nothing was there. All she could see was a circle of light, far above her and Annie’s heads.
Did we sink? wondered Iolana. Or has the ocean risen around us?
Another splash came, and this time, Iolana’s eyes caught a glistening tail, disappearing into the wall of water. She watched the spot where it had disappeared, and after a moment, she saw its owner. A dolphin jumped from one side of the water wall, through the air, and vanished back into the wall on the other side. Iolana looked down at the feather she held in her hand.
Tallulah?
As if she had called the spirit, she saw the dolphin swimming around the outside of the cylinder, on level with her eyes. The beautiful creature circled and circled, leaving Iolana spinning on her tiny piece of island. Then, with a spray that filled Iolana with wonder and life, the dolphin pushed its head out of the watery wall. But as it did, it was no longer the head of a sea creature, but the head, arms and body of a beautiful woman. She stepped out of the sea wall with long legs that danced inside of a dress that seemed to be made of constantly moving water. Greens and blues, sparkling and shimmering, foaming and bubbling in the form of the most beautiful gown Iolana had ever seen. Tallulah’s hair fell down around her pale face in long, red curls and she smiled. Her power was evident and immense, but she was the definition of elegance and poise. She was suffocating, yet invigorating. Iolana felt a freedom and a familiarity that she had never experienced before.
�
��You look so much…”
“Like you,” finished Tallulah. “I should, Sister. We were born of the same water, and of the same mother.”
Fear, understanding and awe filled Iolana, and her eyes grew wide as she staggered backward. Before her stood mystery, adventure and power, the fear of the unknown, the unbound and seemingly infinite sea. She knew, without doubt, that Tallulah’s words were true. Another obvious revelation that made Iolana feel ridiculous for not having understood it before now. Iolana stood, unmoving and paralyzed, as epiphany revealed Tallulah, daughter of the Earth and Sun, spirit of the unfathomable sea…and her sister.
“I should have realized this?” asked Iolana.
“You do not remember, Sister?” asked Tallulah with sadness in her voice. “Your mother is my mother, and she is all around you.”
“My father?”
“Not mine,” said Tallulah. “Mine is the Sun; the Skyfather. You have no father. Earth made you within herself and of herself. You are the only one who is as such.”
“So I am your half-sister, and half-sister to the other daughters of the Earth and Sun.”
“I suppose that is a way to explain it,” agreed Tallulah. “We, the eight daughters, existed first, and then, mother made you. Mother made you in a way alike to the way the Moon made Densa. Then we, eight sisters, made Tenturo and Bahknar to be companions with you and Densa.”
“I had always thought the Earth had made me… but I did not realize that it was in this way. What does this mean?” asked Iolana.
“It means just what it is, Sister. I do not understand the question.”
“What am I supposed to do with this information?” asked Iolana, her eyes beginning to tear up.
“You are already doing it,” replied Tallulah. “Continue your quest. She needs these tests from you. She sees it as important.”
“Who?”
Everflame: The Complete Series Page 69