by Cathi Shaw
How deep are we? she asked Celeste one afternoon when they were discussing the bathing pools she had introduced Thia to.
Very deep, Celeste told her calmly. It would take at least a week of your time to reach the surface.
Thia was shocked. She realized that she must have been unconscious for a very long time when they transported her from the cave.
We stay separate from the above ground world. It is better that way. Celeste told her, with a smile. One day you may understand.
****
Several days later Celeste summoned Thia to Teague's chamber. Has something happened? Thia asked with hope. Perhaps Teague had woken.
I would like you to try to touch him for me, Celeste told her.
Thia immediately shook her head.
Please, Thia, I think it might help us bring him back. I have a theory as to what happens when you touch. But I need to see it for myself.
Thia swallowed. The last thing she wanted to do was to induce one of her seizures but that seemed to be exactly what Celeste wanted her to do. It was then that Thia realized that she hadn't had any seizures since she’d gone underground. She hesitated for a moment, trying to make sense of what that might mean.
Please trust me, Celeste assured her.
Thia nodded. She reached out and stroked Teague's forehead as she'd been longing to do for ages. Immediately the tingling sensation started moving up her arm. Her vision filled with indigo swirls and the darkness claimed her.
Brijit lying in a pool of blood. Dead children lying in a circle, their necks cut and the Marks on their shoulders clear. Monsters chasing Kiara and Caedmon. Her hands joined with Teague as his eyes opened. And then blackness.
When Thia woke she was lying on her bed with Celeste leaning over her. You are well, my child.
Thia assessed how she felt. Her head did not ache and she did feel relatively well. That was odd – usually she was ill after a seizure. She turned her head and looked hopefully at Teague but he was still asleep. She felt fatigue pulling at her as always after one of her episodes.
Sleep, Little One, we will speak when you are rested.
The next time Thia woke, the crushing fatigue had gone. She sat up but Celeste was not in the room
She sent out a thought message, Celeste?
I will come, child.
I now understand what happens when you and Teague touch, Celeste told her when she had arrived in her room.
Thia was puzzled.
I'm sorry if the experiment caused you any distress. Let me explain what I discovered and perhaps that will make you feel better.
Thia nodded, eager to hear what Celeste had to say.
You both produce energy. The energy you produce is directed inward when it becomes overbearing. Teague's is directed outward. When you touch, the energies combine, channel into you and overcome you.
She paused and looked at Thia.
Have you ever been able to control the energy surges?
Thia shook her head. My adoptive mother said I've had the spells since I was days old.
Celeste nodded. Yes, it is very common in our children but as they mature we are able to teach them to control it. I think it is time you learned to take control of your energy.
You can teach me to do that? Thia asked with wonder. She was scared to believe it could be possible.
Our children learn to do so from a very young age. And, of course, unlike you they’ve had the benefit of their parents. As a people, we have a sensitive lifeforce. If we don’t learn to control it, we would all succumb to the episodes that you’ve experienced, Thia. If you’d been with your underground parent, the seizures would have been controlled for you until you’d learned how to control them yourself.
Thia stared at her. Was Celeste suggesting that she was a child of The People?
Celeste smiled at her sadly as if reading her thoughts. You are partly one of us but partly of the above ground race as well.
She looked at Teague. He is, as well, Celeste said
How can this be? Thia asked.
There are a few children like you who have grown up on the surface, Celeste explained. A generation ago, some of our people decided to re-explore uniting with the surface dwellers. The experiment was a failure but some children, such as yourself and Teague were the result. We have been tracking them down one by one but it is a difficult task.
How many? Thia demanded.
Celeste did not answer.
Thia pushed her anger and hurt at Celeste.
Celeste shook her head. I do not know how many. We have found seven to date.
Thia sensed there was something she was not telling her.
One by one we brought them below ground and taught them our ways.
There were others like her. Thia felt a stirring of excitement. I want to see them.
A wave of sadness came from Celeste. You can't.
Why not?
Celeste turned to her, her flat black eyes filled with sorrow. They are all dead.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It was almost three weeks before Prince Meldiron returned to Séreméla. Mina was in the garden closest to the Sanctuary with Bellasiel and Brijit when suddenly there was a commotion at the entrance.
"Prince Meldiron is injured," a young Elder called, fear ringing in his voice.
Mina stood up in sudden alarm, her heart clenching with fear.
"Take her from the gardens, Brijit," Bellasiel said in a commanding voice, but they had not left the gardens when a party of four Elders carried a broken and bloody Meldiron into the courtyard. Blood oozed from his body and at least one of his legs was viciously broken. He looked near death. Mina let out a cry.
"Remove her!" Bellasiel commanded as she hurried toward the prince.
Before Mina could protest she found herself back in her rooms.
"Brijit, why make me leave?" she raged, worry making her frantic. "I must know if he will live."
"Hush, darling." Brijit tried to calm her. "Prince Meldiron is the future of Séreméla. The best healers will be working on him. He will survive."
Brijit was right about that. Within an hour Bellasiel arrived in Mina's room and said something to Brijit in Elder language. While Mina was beginning to learn the written language she was far from fluent in the spoken tongue. Brijit looked grim but nodded.
"Mina, they need to take what is called a transfusion of your blood for Meldiron."
Mina shook her head. "I don't understand."
Brijit nodded. "I know darling but it is the only way we can be sure he will live." She paused. "You are still very weak from the attack on you and we would not ask except that you are the only hope."
Bellasiel spoke up. "Without your blood the prince will die."
Mina gasped in shock. "Take it then," she said quickly. "I'll do whatever it takes." How could she lose Meldiron after her sisters were both missing? It was too much.
Bellasiel brought in complex equipment of tubes and needles and performed the procedure, while Mina lay still and grief struck. As the healer hurried from the room with several vials of her blood, Mina sagged on her bed, both drowsy and weak.
"Sleep now, darling," Brijit urged her.
It was only as she was drifting towards sleep that Mina suddenly wondered, why did they need her blood specifically? Couldn't any of the Elder's blood do? It was her last thought before sleep overtook her.
****
Hours later Bellasiel came to check on her.
"This has over drained your energy," she told Mina with a worried look in her eye.
"But is Meldiron?" Mina could not finish the sentence.
Bellasiel gave her a draught of medicine. "He will live." Her face softened. "Prince Meldiron is a strong Elder. He will survive and be well, faster than you will recover from this, I fear," she said quietly. "Now sleep."
The next day Mina learned that Meldiron and his companions had been ambushed. He was the only survivor, arriving within Séreméla limits the day before, hang
ing close to death on his Elder horse. As soon as he crossed the wards, an alarm was raised and a rescue party went to retrieve him.
Soon Mina and Meldiron were visiting in the gardens again, this time both as invalids. Bellasiel was correct. Meldiron healed much faster than Mina was recovering. His leg was knit and he was looking much like his old self within a short week's time. It hardly seemed possible.
"I'm relieved that you are well, Meldiron," she admitted when they were finally left alone in the garden.
He looked at her. "I believe I have you to thank for my life, Minathrial," he said softly. "Thank you."
She shook her head. "It wasn't so much to give," she said. "I don't know what I would have done had you died." She paused for a moment, searching for the words to address the issue that had been bothering her for several days now.
"Meldiron?" she said slowly.
"Yes."
"Why me?" she asked. "Why did they need my blood to save you? Bellasiel said taking the blood put me at risk but that I was the only one who could help you. Why?"
Meldiron sighed then closed his eyes.
"Minathrial, we are in far more danger than I suspected," he said softly. "There are things that the Elder Council wanted kept from you but now I don't know who to trust."
Mina looked at him sharply. His handsome face was pinched and drawn. Worry lines creased his forehead. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Meldiron swallowed. "You are not just a Marked Elder, Minathrial. You are my sister."
Mina gasped then looked closely at Meldiron. Although she hadn't guessed the truth she found that she was not entirely shocked. There was something in the shape of his nose and the fall of his fair hair that reminded her of the reflection she saw in the mirror. She realized with a start that she had subconsciously begun to recognize the resemblance weeks ago. And this also explained why he had always seemed so familiar to her.
"You're my brother?" she asked softly, trying out the new word on her tongue.
He smiled. "Yes. And you are Princess Minathrial, the lost one."
She gasped. "Banphrionsa?"
Meldiron looked at her sharply. "What did you say?"
"Eöl Ar-Feiniel always calls me Banphrionsa." The Eldest word for princess. "I thought it was a form of endearment," she admitted ruefully.
Meldiron laughed. "Eöl Ar-Feiniel is the last Elder I would expect endearments from," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Mina nodded in agreement. Then she looked at him in confusion. "What did you mean by the lost one?"
"I'm afraid you are a bit of legend in Séreméla. That's why Bellasiel has not let you wander far and never on your own. She couldn't risk having others discover that you were here."
Mina stared at him.
Meldiron sighed and ran his hand through is hair making it stick up in blond spikes over his head. "When our parents and grandmother were all murdered, those who hid you with Brijit spread the rumor that you had gone missing. They couldn't tell the Elder population that the king, queen, old queen and princess had all been murdered. They weren't permitted to tell lies within Séreméla limits," he grimaced, "so they improvised."
"Did you know this?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I never knew precisely what happened to my sister until I came of age and took the throne. Then I was told that you were hidden for safety."
Mina thought about it for a few minutes, not sure how she felt.
"There's more, Minathrial," Meldiron said carefully.
"What?" The tone of his voice alerted her that what he was going to tell her was very important and not at all pleasant.
"My group was not ambushed," he admitted, watching her keenly to gauge her reaction.
Mina gasped. "What do you mean?"
"There was no enemy lying in wait for us." He looked down at the green grass at his feet. When he looked up at her again, there was pain reflected in the depths of his green eyes. "My own men attacked me."
Mina gasped.
"I am beginning to think that there are far more sinister forces at work here." He paused. "I don't think we can trust anyone, Minathrial."
She nodded thoughtfully, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean anyone?" she asked cautiously.
Meldiron grasped her shoulder tightly until she met his eyes. "Minathrial, it's very important that you understand this. We can't trust anyone, and I mean anyone, within Séreméla. This includes your mother and Bellasiel. You and I, as Marked Ones, can only trust one another."
"My sisters?" she asked faintly.
He swallowed; the fear and pain she was feeling were reflected in his eyes. "We can only pray that your sisters along with Teague and Caedmon had as much luck as I did escaping because I believe we've all been given a death sentence. None of this is by chance." He closed his eyes. "And the others ..."
"Others?" Mina asked confused.
Meldiron stood and began to pace, his head bowed. "You know that Marked Ones have been showing up dead, so we are not the only ones in the Five Corners." He lowered his voice. "What I am going to tell you is something that I have guarded with my life. Can you keep it to yourself?" He looked at her hard.
Mina nodded, wondering what could be so important.
He watched her for a few more minutes and then seemed to make up his mind. "You remember that I told you we'd sent decoy teams south?"
Mina nodded.
"One of those parties was led by one of my most trusted confidants and a good friend. His name is Arion." Meldiron paused. "Unbeknownst to anyone in Séreméla, he is also a Marked One."
Mina shook her head. "How could he hide it?" she asked, thinking of the prominence of the marks on their shoulders. She knew from experience it would be difficult to hide. She couldn't imagine how anyone could hide the Mark for his whole life.
Meldiron grimaced. "You are familiar with the Prophecy?" he asked.
Mina nodded. “Somewhat.”
"Not everyone thinks the Marked Ones will bring good. Some think they are evil and must be destroyed." He paused and seemed to be reflecting on something. "Many parents are horrified to find a Marked child in their cradle. A fair number of the dead Marked Ones we've recovered have been newborns."
Mina gasped in shock. She couldn't fathom anyone killing an innocent baby.
Meldiron nodded grimly. "Arion's own mother, a senior Elder who lived in the Sanctuary, was horrified to find the Mark on her newborn son. However as an Elder living in Séreméla, she could not kill the child. And by the time he was old enough to travel from our borders, his existence was too well known for her to kill him. So she began to travel outside the borders and do everything in her power to eradicate the Mark from his skin."
Mina listened cautiously; afraid to ask what measures Arion's mother might have taken.
"Nothing worked. You know the Mark is not something that can be easily erased. It is a part of our skin." He looked at her. "When Arion was three his mother began taking more extreme measures to remove the Mark. But nothing she did worked. Finally one day she took him from Séreméla far into the Outlands. There she procured some acid and attempted to burn the Mark from his shoulder."
Mina gasped in horror. "Did it work?"
Meldiron's face was grim. "Yes, but it also severely mutilated his back and chest. When she returned to Séreméla with Arion near death, she had invented a story of a horrible accident in a far away land. Many believed her. Because of her position in the Sanctuary, Bellasiel was the healer who treated Arion and was able to save his life but his body would forever be scarred. I believe Bellasiel suspected the reasons behind his mother's actions but, as far as I know, she never spoke to anyone about it."
"Arion and I grew up almost as brothers. When my family was murdered, I was a lonely boy. Arion, with his disfigurement was an outcast from the other children. We became very close. He is the closest thing to family that I've known. And now I fear I've sent him to his death." Pain was etched on Meldiron's features.
"But you do
n't know that, Meldiron," Mina insisted.
He sat down beside her again, fatigue lines on his forehead. "I don't. You're right but these Hunters seem to be able to almost sniff us out. I don't know how else to explain it. They seem to be able to sense where we are. I suspect they do not need to see a Mark to find a Marked One."
"I have to believe they are all safe and will make their way here," she told Meldiron softly. "We are safe while we are in Séreméla, right?"
Meldiron nodded. "But we can't stay here forever. Our enemies know this and will try to attack as soon as we leave Séreméla. I'm convinced of it."
Mina felt tears filling her eyes. "You mean Kiara and Thia could already be dead."
He nodded. "And Arion, as well. I hope not and I don't want to give you unnecessary worry but I fear it is a very real possibility."
They sat for some time afterward in silence. Mina tried to process all she'd learned from him and tried not to think of her sisters lying dead in the cold snow.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
It took Kiara a ridiculous amount of time to talk Caedmon into exploring the road beneath the ice field. He insisted on pulling her up to the surface again before he would even discuss it.
He shook his head. "Kiara, what are you talking about? How could there be a passage halfway down a fissure in the glacier? Think about it - it doesn't make sense."
Kiara looked at him in frustration. It was like he didn't even want to find an easier way to Séreméla. Did he enjoy the cold and snow and constant storms?
"Will you at least stop being stubborn for a moment and have a look?" she asked in exacerbation.
Finally, he only conceded to the investigation because the storm was bearing down on them. But first he insisted on securing the rope at the top of the ice field, in case they had to come back.
"That's not going to happen," Kiara said confidently as he lowered her for a second time.