by Toni Cox
“Come, let us get this over with.”
When they stepped out onto the Gathering Grounds, it was almost dark, all the torches had already been lit, the lanterns un-shuttered, and candles were burning on every imaginable surface. Musicians were setting up and the sound of them tuning their instruments filled the air. Maia and Jasmin walked around the grounds looking at the decorations when they were joined by Luke, Archer and Jaik.
“You are truly beautiful, My Lady.” Archer said and then took Jasmin’s hand to kiss it. Jasmin blushed, but smiled widely as Archer took her arm to walk beside her.
“So do you, sister. It has been a while since I have seen you dress like a princess, you should do it more often; it suits you.”
Jaik proffered his arm to her as well. She hooked her arm through his to walk beside him. She did not like it when he called her princess, but it seemed that no-one else had noticed, so she let it slide.
The siblings introduced their guests to some of the younger people of the clan. They were soon a group of about twenty and they laughed, danced, and enjoyed themselves in the festive atmosphere until the food was ready. Maia held onto Jaik, letting him guide her and steady her and he seemed to know that he was needed and filled any awkward silences on her part with witty comments.
The meal was announced by a fanfare of horns and the people took their seats at the long tables that had been set up in rows along the sides of the Commons. Maia squirmed when she noticed that her family and her guests were seated at the main table next to the stage. Her place setting was at the head of the table and was set with exquisite crystal glasses, silver plates, cutlery, and silk napkins.
She did not like to be singled out like that, nor did she enjoy being put above anyone else’s status. Her father knew this. She glanced around, shot him an accusing look, but then relaxed a little when she realised that her guests had not really noticed and no-one else seemed to pay it any attention. The Humans assumed that because it was Maia’s homecoming and ceremony, of course she would be treated as the guest of honour; they did not yet understand the importance of her position in their culture, nor how the elven race viewed all Primes.
Servers brought great tureens of mushroom ragout, which was Maia’s favourite, baskets with freshly baked breads, pies crammed with vegetable and fowl, platters with roasted pheasants and pigeons, plates of deer and boar with crispy skin carved from the spits, great trays of an assortment of different cheeses and a vast variety of vegetable and fruit dishes.
Just the smell alone made Maia’s mouth water and she realised that she had not eaten today. She pushed the thought of the ceremony away; she would need to eat something anyway in order to keep her strength up. She started with bread and the mushroom ragout and then had some of the vegetable platters, but decided to forgo the meat today. She did not want to feel too full and heavy with the ceremony still ahead of her. She also declined the wine, settling for water instead. She wanted to have a clear head and alcohol had a fairly strong effect on her.
But she noted that Luke and Jasmin were enjoying themselves immensely and they laughed and talked throughout the meal, both partaking in the light wine; Aaron did not seem to mind. Only once in a while did Maia look up, distracted a little by Aaron watching her from across the table. He was sitting alongside her grand parents, further along and on the opposite side. She noticed that he was eating little, and was also not drinking any of the wine or ale offered. Although he was not glowering at her, there was something about the way he looked at her that was very unsettling. Something had changed.
After they had all eaten, Silas announced story hour. It provided a little rest after the meal before the festivities continued. It was a tradition and although they had all heard the stories a thousand times, Maia was excited. Some of the Elders settled on some pillows on the stage and everyone gathered around and found some spaces to sit and listen. Maia loved the stories the Elders told and before long, Luke and Jasmin were captivated by the tales.
First, they told the story of Eonar, who had travelled to the Icelands in the north to bring his love the most prized of all furs; the snowy white coat of the Lords Wolf. But there he encountered the Ice Dragon, and battled him for many days. Eonar was almost at the end of his strength, ready to die in the icy wilderness, when a Lords Wolf came to his aid and he managed to escape the dragon. The wolf led him to his den and there he spent many days with the wolf, recovering. Then he returned to his love without the fur, but having known true friendship.
On and on the stories went, some of the great lakes to the east, some of the tropical forests to the south and some closer to home. The stories about the other planets had Luke and Jasmin gasping in wonder. The Elders told of the beautiful wild horses of Pegaron, with their white coats and their unique single horn that sprouted from their foreheads. Then they told of the Mer-people of Agoria and how they could hold their breath for hours to dive for pearls, which they still traded with Elveron to this day. They even told a story of Drodon. The people from that planet were extinct, but the planet and its biodiversity had survived whatever had killed off its people. Faeries were the dominant species now. They were insect-like creatures, with wings, but had an uncanny resemblance to Elves. Only about knee high to an Elf, they were none the less strong and highly intelligent.
After the stories the musicians resumed their playing and they all sang and danced. Jasmin especially enjoyed the sweet voices of the Elves and was soon singing along to the songs. Then Jagaer stepped onto the speaker’s platform. At a small signal from him, the musicians stopped playing and slowly the hubbub of voices ceased. Everyone turned to look up at him. This is what everyone had been waiting for - the ceremony.
Maia’s stomach knotted in panic and her palms were sweaty. She had never been good in front of a crowd, what if she made a mistake? She took an involuntary step back, trying to hide in the multitude of people, when her father called her name. With shaking steps, she made her way through the path the crowd had opened for her to reach the platform. People were patting her on the shoulders as she walked by, wishing her well. Her heart was beating furiously.
She was afraid she would make it to the platform at all, when she saw Silas standing by the steps. Their eyes met. Calm settled over her, her heart slowed and her legs steadied. Silas was here; she could do this. As she reached the steps, he took her hand and led her to the centre of the platform. Jagaer had stepped down to make space for her. Now it was just her and Silas standing in front of the people. A hush had fallen over the crowd; people were holding their breaths in anticipation of what was to come.
Silas turned to her, grasped both of her hands and spoke:
“When the Allgod created the worlds, he gave us the Mother to guide us. She lends us life and wisdom so that we may live in harmony with her. In her love for us, she has gifted us with the power over the elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Air. It is a treasured gift and we are eternally grateful that she has given us these means of making our lives easier.”
The crowed murmured its agreement before Silas continued.
“But every once in a while the Mother looks among us to see if one of us is worthy to receive one of her more special gifts. Life and death are part of everything we are and, without either one, we would be lost. So, on a stormy night one hundred and twenty-two years ago, the Mother decided that the child born that night was fit to receive her most treasured blessing, Life. Let us see tonight if she has chosen wisely.”
Silas lent in and gave her a brief kiss on her cheek. The crowd was strangely quiet. When he let go of her hands, she held on tight to the little package that had been hidden in his palm. Silas descended the steps and mingled with the crowd. It seemed like an eternity that she stood there staring at the multitude of faces. Then, softly, someone beat a slow rhythm on a drum. Maia closed her eyes and concentrated on aligning the pace of her heart to that of the drum. Then the drum was joined by a flute and the melody was so sweet that Maia felt herself relax. She had bee
n practicing for this; she could do it.
Slowly she opened her eyes. The crowed gasped. She looked around, turning; making sure everyone could see her. Her eyes were glowing, like molten lava. As the little flames flickered and danced in her eyes, her hands performed a little dance of their own, weaving to and fro, up and down, slowly distributing the powder from the packet Silas had given her. Red and yellow sparks spread from her fingertips, floating in the air in front of her. Another couple of movements of her hands and the sparks gathered in mid air, then formed into a deer, running. With a small flick of her wrists she made the deer circle the crowd and she heard them gasp as one as she let the feeling of compassion flood over them.
Then the form changed. Now it was an eagle, soaring, wings wide. As it flew over the people below her, she let the feeling of joy emanate from her and the crowd whooped.
Another swipe of her hand and the eagle was gone, replaced by a herd of horses, galloping all around her. The horses brought with them the feeling of love and the crowd sighed in unison.
She dropped her hands to her side, closed her eyes to extinguish the fire within and stood still for a moment.
When she opened her eyes again, they were as liquid and blue as the great salt lakes. She bent her arms at the elbows, palms up, and held them in front of her. Slowly, then increasing in speed, droplets of water rose from the ground forming into a puddle in front of her. Slowly she walked once around the little pool and then blew softly across the water. Tiny ripples spread across its surface, before it flattened again. Then everyone gasped as a shoal of dolphins broke the surface, leaping out of the water, before crashing back into it. Hope washed over the people and she could see their faces light up.
She let the dolphins fade away and before the water was completely still again, Maia held her right hand over it and made a stirring motion. The water gathered, turning and twisting into a whirlpool. It rose higher and higher into the air, before exploding into a shower of droplets, raining contentment down onto the crowd.
Maia took a moment to gather herself. She closed her eyes, took some deep breaths and when she opened her eyes again she held out both arms towards the trees, making a beckoning motion. At first, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, a mass of silver butterflies erupted from the canopies, swarming over the people. They formed into a ring, circling the crowd, the sound of their soft wings increasing in volume until it reached a crescendo, drenching the people in excitement. Then it went completely silent. The swarm was still circling, but the butterflies were no more. In their stead, a mass of leaves, silent in their flight, was picking up speed and was soon roiling and tumbling as if caught in a great storm.
Then, with a slight flick of her wrists, the movement of the leaves slowed. There were some shouts from the crowd as the leaves took on the form of Jagaer’s face, brining with it the feeling of order. Maia heard her father laugh. It almost broke her concentration. The face in the air broke up as she lost control, but she recovered quickly and formed it into the shape of the Elder Hall, instilling wisdom on them all. Then the leaves shifted again. There was some swirling and confusion before they took on the shape of a great dragon. It soared up in circles above her, higher and higher, before it turned in mid air to plummet back down toward the crowd. Everyone cowered in fear as it soared over their heads and into the forest before they all sighed in relief.
Everything was silent. Over a thousand faces turned towards her. Her skin prickled.
Finally, the crowd broke into thundering applause and Maia breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was shouting and laughing. People were crowding the platform to hug her and congratulate her. She felt weak and cold. Her head was spinning with exhaustion. Her legs were shaking and she feared she would fall. Then he was there beside her. Silas put an arm around her waist to steady her. People made space for him and when he knew everyone’s attention was on them, he gave a small signal to some unseen helper and a great shower of white petals rained down on them.
“You have done well,” Silas said, just loud enough for the people in the first few rows to hear. “As a token of your status, it is an honour for me to present you with the amulet.”
Silas reached into his robe and withdrew a small leather pouch. He took a moment to undo the strings that held the opening together and then reached in to lift the amulet it contained. Maia stared at it; it was the medallion that represented the circle of life. Every member of the clan owned one, but those were usually carved out of wood or ivory. This one, however, was made out of metal. She could not identify the various metals immediately, but was sure some of them were platinum and silver. The stones were emeralds. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Silas held up the amulet for the crowd to see and then slipped it over Maia’s head.
“People of Shadow Hall, hear me.” Everyone went quiet. “I give you…LIFE.”
There was another explosion of applause. The music started playing again. The clan had been blessed by an extraordinary gift. Life Elementals were rare indeed.
Silas led Maia off the stage and sat her down by a fire on the far side of the grounds. She was trembling, too weak to even think. Silas handed her a cup and bade her drink. She gasped as the burning liquid went down her throat, but she immediately felt the warmth and strength return to her. Her shaking slowed. She had done it. Her ceremony was over.
People were still coming up to her, congratulating her, pausing to talk a while, then moving off again to enjoy the festivities. Luke and Jasmin came, asking a hundred questions, but Maia’s mind could not focus and Silas eventually shooed them off to dance. They could ask questions tomorrow.
The evening wore on and eventually Maia almost felt like herself again. Silas had seen her need to be alone and had adamantly turned everyone away that wanted to speak to her. She had watched the festivities from a distance, simply enjoying the feeling of happiness everyone was exuding.
She could not quite put her finger on it, but something had fundamentally changed within her. It was not a bad feeling, just new. She felt whole and safe here, knowing she was loved. She watched Jasmin dance with Archer and laugh at his jests. She saw Luke deep in conversation with Silas, before her mother stole him away to lead him to the dance floor. Even Aaron had found someone to talk to and seemed to be enjoying himself. It was the first time Maia had seen him laugh so uninhibited.
As Maia turned back towards the fire to put another log on it, Aaron stopped talking to Leoro, who was the main smith of Shadow Hall and turned to watch Maia. Who was this incredibly beautiful, young woman? He really missed Lisa, and he had been so angry since they had come here, that he had failed to realise that Maia was exactly like her. Lisa had also had her heart in the right place, but had always had difficulties to properly express what she was feeling.
In Lisa, Aaron had thought it was appealing. With Maia, this trait had just annoyed him, but now he saw it for what it was. He could suddenly see how she had tried to explain the situation to him, even if she had made a terrible mess of it. And then there was the way she shyly moved a strand of hair behind her ear, just like Lisa. How she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly when asked a difficult question, just like Lisa. How she closed her eyes briefly before blowing on a hot cup of tea, just like Lisa.
But then there were also the things that made Maia, Maia, and not Lisa. The way her eyes seemed to sparkle a deeper green when she was angry. The way she moved with such grace and elegance, it looked as if she floated. The way her voice became a little husky when she was excited.
In an instant, everything was clear to him. Jagaer’s parents had explained to him what it meant for a princess of the clan to be a Prime Elemental; it was the greatest honour for the clan. So, Maia was not only the princess of the clan; and as it turned out the princess of this entire region, which they called Grildor; but she was also worshipped as something of a goddess. Someone the people could turn to, who would help them, heal them, protect them.
He had watched her the whole evening; watc
hed her dance and laugh and then she had taken to the stage. She had looked so vulnerable at first, but then something had changed. She had looked fierce and confidant, and then incredibly beautiful. The feelings which she had evoked in him during her dance; for it had looked to him as if she was dancing, beautiful and graceful; had threatened to overwhelm him. He had cried and he had laughed, he had felt sad and elated and finally had cowered in fear before the blessed release.
After seeing how amazing she was tonight and seeing for the first time who she really was, he felt something stirring inside of him that he had not felt since he had first met Lisa. It was more than the simple pulling in his loins, more than the lust for her body; it was something deep inside of him that had taken hold of him and even if he had wanted to, he would not have been able to change it. She was the one; she was Lisa, his wife. He was smiling when he turned back to re-join the conversation with Leoro. It might take a while, he thought, but she will be mine.
By the time the moons had travelled across the sky and were setting behind the mountains, people were starting to leave. Maia had spent most of the night alone by her fire, watching her people celebrate; it had been a long and exciting night. Now she was tired and thinking about finding her own bed, when she felt a tug on her mind. Her heart skipped a beat. She felt the adrenaline surge through her veins and her tiredness was instantly forgotten. She ran out of the Gathering Grounds towards the Silver Forest. Excitement made her legs move faster. Midnight had finally returned.
The strange sensation in his chest had been growing stronger and stronger over the past few days. He knew what was causing it and an unusual excitement coursed through his blood as he made his way north. He was in a hurry. He had left She-Who-Circles-The-Sun ten days ago, when the feeling had first started, and even though he had made good time, he could not wait to reach his destination.