by D Leon D.
- There’s a storm coming, the well originally works to collect water that falls through the skylight –Cornelium explained, pointing out at the same time the hole in the roof.
- It makes sense –he laughed a little and then placed the rest of the Ligna on the same corner that Cornelium had used–it’s best to light a bonfire.
- Take a look at the table, I left everything on it, I’ll light the bonfire.
He turned to the table, but he didn’t focus for long, the storm had begun, the noise was quite loud, water began to flow from the roof into the well and he concentrated on that, the simplicity of that system, he got a little close to take water in his hands and drink it, the light from the bonfire lighted up the room quite well, he had done a good job, he got closer and saw his reflection on the water, he had thought that he would look at himself again and his reflection would be the same, but it wasn’t like that, because he had started to change at the same moment he had promised Ybrian to carry her Feider. The water stopped falling, the storm started to let up, the water inside the well calmed down and its waves faded, he was able to see himself better and then suddenly on the opposite side appeared someone else’s reflection, he didn’t hesitate for a second, quickly he went back looking for the dagger to defend himself, he wouldn’t be a coward anymore.
- ¡Cornelium! –Ramsil shouted.
He called him because apparently with the noise from the storm he didn’t hear their new companion enter, Cornelium stood up to defend himself, but he hesitated for a moment, just then Ramsil touched the dagger and held it tight, he stood up and he was ready to attack.
- Ramsil, no! –Cornelium stopped him with his scream, Ramsil looked at him for a second before turning around and throwing the dagger toward the intruder, just a little more and he would’ve hit him in the shoulder.
The intruder spread his arms wide open to show them he was disarmed, he was soaking wet by the water of the strong storm that he surely went through before getting there; Ramsil did the same gesture, showing him he wouldn’t attack him again and then Cornelium looked up towards the young boy in signal to let him speak.
- My name is Onevin, today I escaped from Sonyei’s temple –He said with an exhausted voice.
- Where have you seen a scene like this one? –Cornelium said looking at Ramsil who was wide-eyed when he understood that he had almost taken the life of the third carrier.
CHAPTER 11
Sonyei felt tired, somehow weak, he wanted to do something which required effort and he could not do it if he didn’t improve his situation soon, he walked inside his study from one side to the other trying to find alternatives, he didn’t have Ycze anymore, he had just lost Onevin too, the other option he had was to find any of the other carriers, it was supposed that one of them had been brought to the temple in a rite him himself had carried out, he used his abilities to transport her to the temple, she had arrived already very weak, but anyway she wasn’t who he was looking for, she wasn’t a carrier, he was almost sure he’d have another one, in return, he had not only lost that possibility, but lost all track of the Feider she was supposed to have, his possibilities were reducing, «I need the fifth carrier», in the time he had Ycze under his control he hadn’t obtained information about that last one, he had to find him, whoever he was.
He sat on a chair, behind a modest desk in comparison with the rest; he assumed the scriptures that were missing had been taken from there. He heard a noise outside of his room, but it didn’t upset him, he had enough guards protecting all the hallway, although he knew the attack hadn’t been what Windark had described to those present at the main hall, he had to keep up appearances and double the safety so that everyone at the temple would feel less vulnerable. There was a noise by the door and it opened up abruptly, two guards had her held by the arms, but she wasn’t resisting, they let her go and she fell to her knees, she stopped looking at the floor and raised her gaze to see him: It was Ycze.
- You have come back, traitor –He calmly got closer and the short distance that separated them was reduced to a brief space, he grabbed her by the neck with strength to get her up and released her. She didn’t answer.
- We have found her on the outskirts of the temple; she walked back on her own free will –One of the guards explained to the leading Monk.
- I see, surely you have no intention of wasting your time, Ycze –He told her seeing through her with his eyes– Take her to the Agatha room and put her… comfortable –He pronounced that last word with irony, after telling that to the guards, they took her.
He took a moment to gloat with that small triumph, just seeing her he knew what he had to do to make her see the fifth carrier, after that everything would be easier for him. He walked through some hallways, always escorted by two guards, useless to him because he knew how to defend himself, he got to the Agatha room, and it was a simple room, practically empty apart from the metallic chair in the center, some shelves and a little table with another chair. Ycze remained in silence, she knew what Sonyei was going to do, and in her mind she was describing it seconds before he did it. The monk walked to a shelf and took something small from it, he got closer to Ycze who was tied up to the chair in the center of the room and showed it to her: An Agatha crystal.
- You know what to do. Now, I want the name of the last carrier.
He took the crystal into his hands with strength until he broke it and then he let it fall at Ycze’s feet while the smoke was becoming dense in the room, everything was hidden in the darkness, he heard Ycze’s screams, after so many times the effects of the crystal caused her pain, physically it was an effort to obtain those visions, that’s why Sonyei didn’t do it personally. When the smoke was starting to vanish in the space, Sonyei was already found on the other chair behind the small table, ready to take note of what Ycze was going to say; sometimes it was less useful because she only said some words without a specific description, and the message took shape after a few sessions.
- Exile –She started saying while she twitched on the chair– Storm, Traitor.
- You’re not telling me anything that interests me, Ycze, make an effort –He hit the table demanding more.
- A hidden carrier –She screamed after that– I see beasts, beasts, beasts –another scream– you must stop, you must stop and run.
- Damn it, Ycze, give me a name!–Sonyei knew that the vision wasn’t specific, he knew that first hand.
- You will be able to control them, Sonyei –Her breathing was rapid, she was about to faint.
- Yes! Give me something more, you’re getting close –He had stood up, looking at her as though he wanted to devour her, he wanted to see it the way she was doing it, he was thirsty for that knowledge.
- You will die, Sonyei –It was the last thing she said before passing out.
Still almost unconscious she could feel the movement of her body, she was almost being carried –taken by both arms and half dragging her feet– she tried to feel in which direction her body was moving, but it turned out difficult for her, she felt dizzy, she knew it would take some time to recover from the effect of the Agatha crystal, normally she would have awoken under a shiny light laying on a bed, but now it was different, they were taking her to another place, they were pulling her away, she remembered the last revelation, maybe Sonyei had taken it as a threat and now he would put her as far as it could be possible, little by little she was recovering the control of her body, but she decided not to show it, she didn’t know who was taking her and maybe she wouldn’t be able to escape, the best thing to do was to try to take clues to get out later, she turned her eyes everywhere, and she saw a pit, she trembled when she felt like she was going to be thrown into it: It was just what they were planning.
- There, just next to them, let her know what awaits her if she doesn’t cooperate –It was Sonyei’s voice, she had to defend herself.
They didn’t expect it, as they acted with surprise when she released her arms and was ready to hit them. Windark
was the other one, she had decided not to make it easy for them and when she jumped first at Sonyei, this rose his hand, without touching her he felt he had pushed her with strength, in fact her body fell backwards until the edge of the pit that was next to her, she almost lost her balance, she got it back and looked down for just a second, she wanted to check the height to calculate the damage she could have suffered, she forgot about it, at the bottom of the pit there were three beasts, the same ones she had seen in the vision, “beasts, beasts, beasts” she had said, and in fact they were three, they were Aruters, what happened after that was almost as if she had passed out again, the fear froze her completely, Sonyei had taken her by force from the back of her neck and had forced her to walk until the adjacent pit, she pushed her inside it, she fell hard on her back and hurt several past of her body, she felt almost immobile, because of the fear?, she didn’t understand, she could see the edge of the pit, Sonyei was crouching and put his open palm in the empty space, little by little a neon glow slid from the veins of his arm until his fingers and then it started to flow in the air forming a force field, getting out of there would not be easy.
She watched as Sonyei stood up with Windark’s help, using his Feider had made him weak, he was retiring, she lost them both from her sight for a moment, but then she saw Windark again peeking into the pit, he left her see his closed fist, not as a threat, it was like he had something in it that he was going to allow it to drop, he opened his palm and there was nothing in it, but she recovered the movement: It was him who with some kind of spell had left her immobile.
It didn’t make much sense and, if it had it, the next movement would have erased it. Windark took a finger to his lips, what he had done, Sonyei didn’t know about it.
CHAPTER 12
- So, only one member of the council is alive? –Cornelium asked Onevin.
- Yes, and he decided it was best to separate, so that’s what happened before I found you–He answered.
- He could be of help; do you think we should look for him? –Ramsil intervened.
- I don’t know, it would be hard to know where he is.
- Do you have any idea where he might be?
- Yes, but if I’m right, he must come to us, we won’t be able to find him.
- The best for now is to rest a little, in the morning we’ll think on something –Cornelium took the lead once more.
- Yes, better –Onevin answered, in the last phase of the moon he had been interrogated by both, he understood that, they wanted to know how he had managed to escape, he gave them almost every detail about what had happened, but he decided that commenting that he had been the one who had taken the life of the two members of the council, even if he had explained the circumstances, he thought it would have caused them fear.
They went to sleep, all in the same room with the skylight, Onevin couldn’t sleep, he was thinking for a long time that Darrell was alone, he got up and walked a little, got closer to the table and saw some of the scriptures, he knew they were from the temple, he recognized some of the seals, he had no idea how they had obtained them, although it was true he didn’t know much about how things worked outside of the temple. He walked a little longer before exiting the room, Ramsil –who couldn’t sleep either saw him go out, stood up and thought about following him, but then he remembered what loss feels like, he assumed that Onevin had lost many things too when he left the temple, he lay down again and tried to sleep until he stopped thinking, and fell asleep.
When Ramsil as Cornelium woke up, they realized that Onevin hadn’t come back, Ramsil told him he had seen him during the night, they decided to go outside and find him. Cornelium took the scriptures, ordered them so that nothing could be left out or get lost and went out to find him, they walked through the mine, they were about to take the same path they had used, but Ramsil decided to take another path that was more logical, Onevin didn’t know which exit was closer or further, so they took another path, Cornelium looked at Ramsil surprised, he was guiding him without knowing the mine fully well, he stopped at the end of each hallway and then decided with path to take, they got to a long hallway, a light at the bottom indicated that it was an exit, maybe the second moon was already full and the third one was crescent, while Cornelium walked he saw that a tall figure was covering the light, it took shape while they came closer, “Sonyei” he thought, he grabbed Ramsil by the arm to stop him, another figure showed up next to the first one in the light, it was Onevin, was he handing them over?
- You don’t have to be scared, it’s Darrell –Onevin said with a shout a little loud, the eco in the mine took care that the message was clear, they both walked until the four of them reunited.
- How have you found him? –Cornelium asked Onevin, a little surprised and a little nervous.
- It was him who found me, I went out the get back the robe he had given me, I thought that by wearing it I could enter… the place I told you about that we couldn’t enter, and there he was, waiting for me.
- I knew you’d go back for the robe, the same way I assumed that when we separated you’d leave it behind and I followed you until you did it –Darrell explained before introducing himself– I have come because on the contrary to what you think, I need the help of one of you.
- Truthfully, I don’t know the full extent of the abilities that I possess, I don’t think I can help you –Ramsil apologized.
- Don’t worry about it, I don’t need your help, Ramsil, I need his –He said looking at Cornelium.
- I can’t give you the scriptures, I’m sorry –Cornelium answered.
- They’re yours, take it easy –he answered after a brief laugh– You need to calm down a little, but I don’t blame you. You see, for the first time in history, the council is formed by one person, just one, and that is your humble servant –he continued pointing to himself –I want you to be part of the council, Cornelium, I can’t go back to the temple and I can’t go on being alone –he remained silent to measure Cornelium’s reaction, who was completely mute.
- What must I do? –He answered with a question.
- Never explain all your motives, they can ruin the plan –Darrell said and then continued to explain himself– Giving Onevin this robe had one sole purpose, to make it get to someone who would wear it as an official member, for example –With a gesture he indicated Onevin to hand it to him.
- And now? –Cornelium asked completely skeptical.
- Accepting is only one step, now we must have a small ceremony.
After those words the day flew by quickly and almost muted, Onevin followed Darrell’s instructions, Cornelium was paying attention to everything, Ramsil assumed that this last one took mental notes, the only thing Ramsil had to do was to offer his help, but it didn’t seem necessary at the moment, instead he was only a spectator, he read everything that he could, the scriptures had stayed with him when the movement for the ceremony had surrounded Cornelium. He thought about Ycze, he wanted to know from her and how she was, he remembered his quick answer when he thought Onevin was an intruder, he still carried the dagger, and now he knew he was ready to wield it. The ceremony was about to start, unlike the day that was about to end, they all gathered in the hall where they had met, it was something symbolic, after all, in that mine an exit was the same as an entrance and that was what would happen, Cornelium was going to go through the threshold of what his life had been to enter the council. Ramsil watched everything in silence, Cornelium stood up in front of Darrell, they crossed some words, Onevin was next to Ramsil, both watching everything with some awe. When the ceremony had almost ended Cornelium got closer to Ramsil.
- Take this, he will soon need it, help him with it. See you soon –he handed him the Agatha crystal, he gave him a hug and returned to Darrell to finish the ceremony.
The last part of the ceremony seemed to be the most important, the coat had to accept Cornelium as part of the council and for that he had to enter pronouncing the same words Darrell had used before, the same word
s all the members of the council had used through history, that’s why they picked a place like that, an entrance-exit, a wave seemed to bend the air, that’s what Onevin and Ramsil could see, the new council disappeared in that place, they had entered the coat, Cornelium was a part of the council now.
- What did he give you before he left? –Onevin asked Ramsil.
- An Agatha crystal, do you know what it is?
- Yes, in theory, I got to study its properties. Are you going to use it?
- No, Onevin, you are.
CHAPTER 13
- I don’t know how it works, Ramsil, why must I use it?
- You’re a carrier, I already used one, and I had my vision. You know the temple, Sonyei, you know more, the effect it’ll have on you can be different, don’t you think?
- All right, but, are we safe here?
- Perhaps it’s better to stay here, we are close to the exit, if we go back to the skylight and something doesn’t go right, it will be hard to get out.
- So, right now?
- Do you feel Ok? The experience I had left me more than exhausted.
- It wouldn’t be bad to rest a little, but I’m Ok.
- Here then –Ramsil gave him the Agatha crystal– don’t be afraid, trust in it as if it were alive.
Onevin took the crystal and tried to break it with his hands, he thought about Ramsil’s advise, “trust in it”, he closed his eyes and imagined himself falling backwards, giving himself up to an emptiness that he couldn’t see, that’s what trust was about, he had the crystal in his hands and he felt how it broke with a soft crunch, he couldn’t see it, but Ramsil saw the smoke, the dense gas in the mine, he knew what came next, but it was something different, he heard a noise, had he been affected by the crystal and was having a vision?. No, just before the gas wouldn’t allow him to see anything, he had looked back toward the entrance of the mine, a small army was going through the threshold at that moment, Onevin was at the most vulnerable moment, only Ramsil could defend him, he against one army, maybe a dozen of guards, Cornelium was right, they would soon come and there they were. The gas became very dense and hid everything in sight, Ramsil wielded the dagger and attacked blindly, avoiding the place where Onevin was supposed to be, a hand took him by force and pushed him against the wall, the gas was losing density, he couldn’t see much, but he did see that Onevin had vanished, he also saw some of the guards dead on the ground, but they were still a lot, one of them was running quickly toward him, Ramsil reacted and threw the dagger, he hoped to have better aim than the one he had when he tried to attack Onevin the night before: in the chest, the wounded guard fell, but he already had four, five, six soldiers surrounding him, the fear he thought he had vanished, he was ready to die, but at that moment something changed to his favor.