by K T Durham
She cocked her head, curious. Not an amicable departure? She couldn’t imagine Mrs Silverwinkle parting on bad terms with anyone. Except the Three Flamingos, that is.
Though her heart felt heavy with all that she had learned, a load had been lifted off her the instant Grandpapa retrieved the orbs from Greymore back in the Blue Room. She had watched in awe as he placed one hand on her Royan, murmured some words in Yahana she could not quite catch, and suddenly four glowing orbs of light the size of apples materialised in the air: green, blue, red, white. Then the orbs spiralled and flew straight into a large, silver tear-shaped vessel on the oak table. She watched in surprise as Grandpapa handed the vessel to the Vierran. “We will keep them somewhere else now,” he told her. “I don’t want you to continue carrying the fate of Alendria around with you, any longer.” He paused, and his face was grave. “Not more than you already have to, anyway.”
Supper with her family that evening was a solemn affair. She could barely keep any food down. Afterwards, she spoke with her parents as Luca went out playing in the garden.
Papa and Mama had known about the High Council’s request of Elly for several days.
“What do you think I should do?” she asked them, wishing they could just decide for her. But Papa shook his head. “Elly, you have already come of age to do your part in protecting Alendria. Remember the pledge you made on your birthday during the bonding ceremony? Though your mother and I wish we could protect you forever, we realize you are now in a position to make your own decisions. No matter what happens, you will always have our love and support.”
Mama had tears in her eyes as she embraced Elly. “Our darling girl. I’m so sorry you have to shoulder such a heavy burden. It’s just not fair.”
She gazed out the window, where Luca was laughing and chasing several twittering red jays around. She sighed. “Your brother is young, but he understands more than he lets on. He was dispirited when you were gone. Thank goodness Aron and Kaelan kept him company. He wouldn’t be happy to see his big sister going away again.”
As promised, after supper Elly met Aron in front of her house and told him as much as she could about what had transpired since being summoned to the Blue Room that morning. They were perched on one of the lower branches of the Celendis House, close to the Shevanie River, which rippled into the heart of the valley. The night sky was grainy with stars. The Star of Freya twinkled down at her, and she smiled. The cicadas chirruped noisily as they conversed with one another. A family of deer had settled nearby at the riverbank, feeding on the berries they gathered. Elly and Aron nibbled on the pineapple buns that Mrs Silverwinkle had urged her to take home.
They had never had to keep secrets from each other. It pained her that she couldn’t tell him everything, including the truth about the Beast, the poisoning of the orbs, and the fact that the Tree had been compromised. Aron knew only that she had to go to Gaya to recover four important relics, and she was chosen because of her immunity to contamination. When he asked for specifics, she told him she wasn’t at liberty to tell. He begrudged this secrecy, but he did not press her. He knew his best friend too well; if she had to keep something from him, there had to be a good reason.
“You must not breathe a word of this to anyone, ever,” she said quietly. He nodded as he threw a pebble towards the Shevanie River, watched it skip across the surface, and gazed at the water gloomily. “So this means you’ll be gone for a long time?”
Elly fiddled with her bracelet. She assured him, “I’ll be back every time I’ve recovered an or— . . . I mean a relic,” as if it would be the easiest thing to track down the elusive Four Guardians in Gaya.
Aron threw another pebble, but this time it just sank into the water. “But you’ll be gone having all those grand adventures while I’ll be stuck here,” he mumbled. Elly looked at him, and realized what he was really saying: I’ll miss you.
“Hey,” she said softly. “You’re my best friend, and nobody can replace you. Not Lily, not Maddy, or anyone else.”
Aron gave her a small smile. “Yeah? What about… what about Kaelan?” He wasn’t looking at her. He knew the bracelet was from Kaelan. Elly almost choked on her pineapple bun.
She coughed and cleared her throat. “Kaelan and I are just friends, silly. Pretty new friends, actually. But you and I… we’ve known each other since we were born! We’re practically family. You’re irreplaceable.”
Aron stared at the river for a moment. “Family, huh?” he said quietly. Then he cleared his throat. “I’ve decided to try out for archensoar next season.”
Elly gaped at him. “Seriously?” she cried. “Since when? I thought you hated it! Didn’t you always tell me it’s more important to exercise our mind than our muscles?”
Aron shrugged. “Well, I guess things change, don’t they? Look at how much you’ve been through.”
Elly fell silent. But I don’t want things to change like this! I didn’t ask for this! Oh, how she wished things were different. She wanted to watch Aron play at the try-outs, as well as all the tournaments. So much seemed to be hurtling out of her control, and she couldn’t put a stop to any of it.
Greymore rumbled. It is inevitable, Ellanor. Life is a series of changes.
Aron glanced at her as she gazed at the sky. “I’m petrified,” she said in a small voice. “I can’t help but think they’ve chosen the wrong person. But I’m also thrilled that I’ve been chosen to do this honour. I guess I’m feeling a little mixed up right now. I’m in way over my head.”
She paused. “They warned me that the goblin who impersonated Edellina might try to harm me again. Goblins can really hold a grudge.”
Aron grimaced and crossed his arms. “At least Greymore and Marlow will be with you,” he said, and desperately wished he could protect Elly. But he wasn’t a protector, and he wasn’t really cut out as the warrior type… unlike Kaelan.
Marlow had refused to be parted from Elly again. Papa was planning to appeal to the High Council to let Marlow join her in the human realm. “Animals can adapt to foreign environments a lot better than elves, and they don’t need manna,” Papa had said. “Marlow will be able to survive in Gaya.”
Elly grinned at Aron. “Obviously, Marlow needs to be in disguise when he’s in Gaya around humans. So he’s going to be transformed into a small creature that I can take around with me.” She giggled. “A hamster!”
Aron’s eyes widened with disbelief. “No way!” he sputtered, laughing.
Marlow felt utterly insulted; how could he, a noble griffin, be diminished in that way? A hamster! But Grandpapa patted his neck fondly. “Do not underestimate little creatures, Marlow. Even the smallest creature can change the course of the future. You’ll see.” Marlow responded with an indignant squawk.
When Aron caught his breath back, he looked at Elly seriously. “So when will you be leaving?”
Elly stood up and stretched. It felt so good to breathe such pure fragrant air again. “The High Council will set the date.” She smiled sheepishly. “I need to undergo some intense, gruelling training to prepare for whatever’s in store for me. For one, I have to build up my stamina for inter-realm teleporting. I can’t afford to black out or turn to mush after every teleportation. It would be terribly impractical.” She sighed. “So it might take a while to be groomed for the task.”
Aron smiled as he stood up, glad that Elly would be home for a while longer. For a moment, they gazed out at the Shevanie River, deep in their own thoughts. Behind them their long shadows stretched into empty darkness.
From afar, a pair of cold gleaming eyes watched the two friends in silence.
EPILOGUE
On a dark hill near the Ancient Wells, two figures were silhouetted against the crescent moon. They were both quiet as they looked down at the Shevanie River, gleaming like a silver ribbon in the moonlight.
The Vierran spoke first. “You knew about her
immunity. You knew she would not succumb to contamination in Gaya.”
Galdor Celendis did not reply. He suddenly looked very old, his face creased with quiet worry as he gripped his silver staff. In his other hand he held a small silver ball. If there had been daylight, one would have seen the entwined letters TJ engraved on it.
The Vierran persisted. “You did not tell her everything.”
Galdor shook his head slowly. “It is too great a burden for someone so young. She needs more time.” He gripped the silver ball tighter.
“But she should learn the truth about her parentage, sooner or later.” The Vierran looked up at the moon. “Since their coming of age, the bond between Ellanor and her twin sister has been getting stronger. You know of this. She has been seeing her sister in her dreams, has she not?” He paused. “In fact, I believe the sisters have been dreaming of each other.”
Galdor leaned on his staff heavily. “Yes. I am aware of this. She will one day discover the truth. She will find out about her twin sister, Marigold, who lives in the human realm.” His blue eyes shone with regret in the moonlight. “One day, Elly will discover that she is part human.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathryn Tse-Durham grew up in Australia and now lives in Hong Kong with her husband and family. Her honours thesis was published in a European academic journal, and she has written articles for educational magazines. She completed a creative writing course through the University of Oxford, which further fuelled her love for writing fiction. Kathryn strongly believes, just as Roald Dahl imparted, that those who don’t believe in magic will never find it. She hopes that through her stories readers young at heart will connect with that magic.