Zita shook her head. “But you were the first to-”
Jin turned around to face her, completely ignoring the high priestess, then spat, “Did you honestly think I believed that fool Alastor for a moment? I knew you were telling the truth, Zita.”
“Then why did you order to have me imprisoned?” Zita asked.
“To protect you of course,” Jin said. “I ordered to have you locked up to keep you from going after Alastor, but also to keep him away from you.”
“Why didn't you tell him he was a liar, then?” Zita pressed.
Jin shook his head. “What do you think would have happened if I had done that, Zita? Do you think that Alastor would have admitted he was lying, packed up, and returned home like nothing happened? No, he would have turned on us if he knew that I suspected him of any kind of treason. Our numbers may be great, but his are far greater. If he had turned on the Shadow Hand, we would have been annihilated. I planned on keeping you out of harm's way while I dealt with Alastor myself. Instead, you turned on me the first chance you got.”
Zita stared at him, dumbfounded.
Jin then stepped forward and added, “When you first pledged yourself to me, all I asked you to do was to trust me. Had you done so, you would have known that I would never turn my back on you. Because you didn't trust me...” he paused, softened his gaze, and said “...I can no longer trust you.”
Tears welled in Zita's eyes. For a moment, it almost appeared that she would break down and beg him for forgiveness, but to everyone's surprise, she then said, “I used to think you were right, Lord Jin, but now I realize that living without pain or hardship isn't living at all.”
Jin studied her, then answered in a calm voice and said, “I'm sorry you feel that way.” He turned his attention back to Morvyn and said, “Since you refuse to show me the way to the heart, I suppose I will have to find it myself.”
Jin approached the dull crystal that once served as the grand centerpiece of the Crystal Wood. His fingers grazed the smooth, dull surface of the crystal. He then looked up and examined the mural. For several minutes, Jin raised his torch to cast light upon the painting as he studied its meaning.
“This shows the creation of the Tree, and the ritual used to create the barrier with the priestesses surrounding the crystal is at the bottom.”
Jin went back to the crystal with his torch and took out the dagger again. “Curious indeed...” He touched the dagger's tip to the crystal. Nothing happened. But then he saw something that caught his eye. Varg was directly behind him, and when he saw over his shoulder, he could see what it was.”
“Clever Elora, very clever,” Jin muttered. “Use the crystal to show the way. I presume no one saw this while it was glowing, but now that the glow is gone, well, the way to the heart is revealed.”
In the crystal, Varg could see the back wall with the shadow figure and the figures at its feet. Underneath the smaller figures, one normally saw nothing but plain wall. When looking through the crystal, however, the faint outline of a doorway was visible.
Jin approached the section of wall where the secret doorway was. He touched it, but it seemed to be just a plain wall under his fingertips. He then touched the blade of the dagger to the wall, and was delighted to see that the dagger went through it easily.
The doorway glowed, then the entire section of wall suddenly disintegrated and revealed a dark tunnel.
Jin turned around and said, “You go in first, Varg. I want to make sure there are no traps.” He then addressed his men and said, “Take the prisoners with us. I want them to witness the beginning of the Dawn.”
The Shadow Hand dragged Milea and Zita along while Greenwood took the High Priestess. They followed Jin into the dark tunnel until they could see a faint green glow in the distance. The tunnel continued for some time until they found themselves in a secret chamber.
They were inside of the Tree, as was apparent by the wooden walls that formed a large, round chamber. The ceiling stretched all the way up the trunk and the chamber was nearly as wide as the trunk was from the outside. However, the awe-inspiring size of the place they had discovered was nothing compared to what was at its center.
“There it is...” Jin said as he stared at the object in the middle of the chamber. “...the heart of Elora.”
If Varg had to describe the glowing green object before them, he would have to call it a seed. The seed was about the size of Varg's fist and it glowed so brightly that the entire inside of the Tree was illuminated with a peaceful, green light, the same green light that resonated through the crystals throughout the forest.
“The heart of Elora?” Milea suddenly said. “What are you talking about?”
Jin smiled. “I suppose since you're about to witness the end of your world, I could humor you.”
He then stepped closer to Milea and said, “Have you ever heard the tale of how the Tree came to be?”
Milea nodded, then Jin asked, “Tell me, did it ever strike you as odd that Queen Elora died nearly the same time that the Tree and barrier were formed? Well, that's because Elora's death and the Tree are related. You see, in order to create something with such massive power, a sacrifice had to be made. In order to protect the last holy forest and the last remaining elves, Elora performed a ritual in which a priestess cut her heart from her body and buried it in the middle of the forest. Her heart became a seed, and from this seed grew the mighty Tree of Laelith you see before you.”
Milea stared, mouth agape and dry. When she finally managed to get the will to speak again, she said, “You mean to tell me that the seed sitting before us is literally Queen Elora's heart?”
“That's right, and this,” Jin said as he held up the dagger, “was the very dagger used to cut it from her body. After the Tree was grown, the priestesses performed the ritual to enclose the entire forest, and then the Temple was erected to protect it and the heart.”
“But then why let the dagger loose unto the world?” Varg asked. “What was the point of allowing someone to destroy what she sacrificed her very life to create?”
Jin smiled that same sickening smile he was so famous for, then said, “Did it ever occur to you why the Tree and the barrier were created in the first place?”
“To protect the forest and the elves,” Morvyn suddenly said, which surprised everyone. “Every elf is taught the story from a young age. What other reason could there be?”
Jin laughed, then answered, “The barrier wasn't to keep anything out, but to keep something in.”
Jin paced before them and continued, “You see, the humans were defiling the world and killing every last elf, so the elves were steadily losing their war. Elora feared that the only way to truly save the world was to start over, to create an entire new world free of humans...”
“You don't mean...” Milea said.
“...the Dawn?” Varg finished.
“That's right,” Jin said. “Remember, Varg, when I said that this struggle didn't begin with me and that it wouldn't end with me? That's because Elora was the one who first began the race for the Dawn. She locked away the exact power needed to bring it forth, but unfortunately, such a feat could not be performed with her limited mortal body. Thus, she locked away her heart with all of her power inside of it, and through it, Laelith's power as well. The power continued to grow and grow over the years, and the barrier kept anyone out who were not worthy of taking it. She released the key to her heart unto the world so that one who is worthy may find it and use it to obtain her power. Even if I were to perish, there would be others who try to finish Elora's work.”
“But why?” Milea pressed. “Why did it have to be a non-elf? That doesn't make any sense.”
“It doesn't have to,” Jin said. “All that matters is that I now have the key and can use it on the heart to gain the necessary power to bring forth the Dawn.”
Jin walked towards the seed, and Milea began to thrash. “No, don't! You have no idea what you're dealing with, Jin!”
“Do
I?” Jin said without turning around. “With this power, I can get rid of those who would cause suffering unto others. I will create a new world, pure and free from darkness and sorrow. All will be peace and tranquility. I will create a paradise.”
“No,” Milea said as she continued to break Xilas' grip.
Xilas tried to subdue her, but his dagger was knocked free from his grip. “Stop it, stay still—STOP!”
Milea broke free of her captor and ran towards Jin. He was only inches away from the heart.
“Now, Elora, give me your power,” Jin said. “Show me how to bring forth the Dawn.”
Jin brandished the dagger and plunged it right into the heart. His body soon arched as the glow resonated through the dagger and into his body. Milea ran to him without stopping and reached out for the dagger.
“No!” Varg shouted, but it was too late.
Milea grasped the dagger and she too was hit with the full force of the power.
“What are you doing? Let go,” Jin shouted.
“Never!” Milea cried. “I won't let you...”
The glow grew brighter, and brighter, until it blinded everyone. Varg shut his eyes for what seemed like several minutes until the light finally began to fade.
The dagger, still stuck inside the heart, turned to ash, followed by the heart. Milea and Jin lie still on the ground. The man called Xilas and the other Shadow Hand cultists ran to Jin. While they were distracted, Varg and Zita ran to Milea. She was alive, but barely.
“Milea...Milea please wake up,” Varg said as he cupped her cold, pale cheek. “Don't you dare leave me, you can't leave me...”
A low rumbling caught Varg's attention. He looked up, he saw the entire trunk of the Tree trembling. Soon, bits of wood began to fall and the sides of the trunk withered away.
“Oh Laelith no,” Morvyn said. “The Tree...it's dying!”
Pieces of the trunk's wall began to fall and reveal the dim morning light coming from outside. Varg turned around to face Morvyn, and he wasn't surprised to see that Greenwood had tossed her aside and took off running for the chamber's exit.
“We need to get out of here, now,” Varg said.
He ran over to Morvyn and took the rope in both hands, then snapped it and unwrapped the high priestess. “Run!” he shouted.
Morvyn ran for the exit without a single word, and just as she disappeared into the tunnel, Varg saw the Shadow Hand running for the exit as well, with Jin's limp form being carried by a group of them. Although he was tempted to go after them, there was something much more important to attend to.
Varg ran back to Milea, cradled her in his arms, turned to Zita, and said, “Let's go.”
She nodded, and the two of them ran out of the chamber and back into the tunnel. Varg barreled through the darkness and when he made it back into the Inner Santcum, he could see that the walls in there were crumbling as well.
“The whole place is going down,” Zita exclaimed.
“Get to the entrance,” Varg said.
Varg cradled Milea close to his body to prevent her from being hit by any falling debris. They made it to the altar room, then bolted for the doors. When they were halfway there, Shara came sprinting inside.
“Get out of here, hurry!” she shouted.
Varg, Zita, and Shara sprinted outside just as the doorway collapsed. Varg cradled Milea close and stopped about halfway through the courtyard. He turned around just in time to see the rest of the Temple of Laelith crumble to dust.
CHAPTER 26
Despite the stress Milea had put her body through when she touched that dagger, she slept peacefully. She dreamed about Elora, a young elf maiden seeing a human for the first time. She'd heard plenty of stories about their unimaginable cruelty, but this human simply stared in awe of her beauty, unable to say a word to her.
She stared back curiously. This young man appeared as young as she was, perhaps just as innocent in the world. In that moment she wondered if humans were truly as bad as the elves thought, or if deep down, they weren't so different after all...
Milea's head buzzed as she finally awoke. The soft glow of daylight peeked through her eyelids, forcing them to open. When her eyes finally adjusted, she saw that she was back in her room in the castle, resting in her bed. She tried to lift her hand to cradle her aching hand, but something was sitting on the sheets covering it and prevented her from moving.
Milea turned to see what was causing the interference and was startled to see Varg sitting next to the bed with his head down beside her. He snored, which prompted Milea to laugh.
The noise startled Varg into a sitting position. When he noticed her, he leaned over her and said, “Milea...you're awake. Are you hurting at all?”
He rested his palm on her cheek. Milea leaned her face closer to it and said, “I'm fine.”
She allowed herself to revel in his touch before she added, “What's going on? The last thing I remember was the blinding light from the heart, then everything went black.”
Varg sat at her bedside and said, “You and Jin collapsed, and then the Tree and the Temple of Laelith crumbled to bits. We barely escaped in time.”
“What about the battle, and Jin?” Milea asked.
“Jin got away...again, but Conley and the others were able to drive the invaders back, especially when Alastor abandoned the front lines to go after Jin and Conley's troops turned on the others. They didn't last much longer than that, according to Conley.”
“So the city...?” Milea asked.
“The city is safe,” Varg said. “Although, I can't really say that about the Temple.”
Before Varg could tell her any more, Milea slowly made her way out of the bed and over to the balcony that overlooked the city. She ignored her dizziness and looked out to the area where the Temple once stood, only it wasn't the only thing that was gone.
“The Tree...”
The blue sky was no longer hidden by the enormous branches of the Tree of Laelith. The tree had crumbled and in its place was nothing more than black ash that littered the city. The houses that were once a pristine white were now blackened and filthy.
A knock at the door caught their attention, at which point Varg said, “Come in.”
Zita entered a few seconds later and said, “Oh, I'm glad you're finally awake.”
That was when Milea noticed that Erril was standing at her side, her lips spread into a smile that Milea didn't even know the girl could muster.
“You've been reunited,” Milea said.
“Three days ago,” Zita said. “Right after we returned to the castle and Varg took you to your room.”
Milea blinked. “Three days? I've been out for three days?”
That was when she noticed her stomach growling. She placed a weak hand on her stomach, and in response, Varg said. “Come, let's get you something to eat.”
“I'll come too,” Zita said. “Now that Milea is awake, I have a confession to make to both of you.”
Milea was soon dressed in a simple vest and trousers and then they went downstairs to the dining area, where the queen and everyone else, including Shara, whom they were surprised to see was weaing a dress instead of her armor. Conley and Catrina were the first to notice them enter, and they both rose and Catrina said, “Milea, you're awake!”
Everyone took notice and then everyone left their seats to go and see Milea. She was quickly overwhelmed, but everyone soon backed off to allow her room to breathe.
“We thought you'd never wake up,” Oliva said. “When Zita told us how you and Jin touched that dagger, I feared the worst.”
“It was strange,” Milea said. “My head was telling me that I should be feeling pain, but oddly enough, I didn't feel a thing. I just remember a blinding light and that was it.”
“Well you're safe now, and that's all that matters,” Shalia said as she embraced her daughter.
Once they separated, Shara approached Milea with a smile and said, “It's good to see you up and about.”
�
��Thank you,” Milea said. “I was worried about you too.”
Without another word, Shara wrapped her arms around Milea and pulled her close. The two sisters held each other for several minutes and then finally let go.
Soon a guard entered the room and approached the queen.
“Your Grace, we just found another one of the humans left over from the battle hiding out in the forest. Apparently he'd tried to escape the forest, but the centaurs chased him further in. We caught him just outside the city,” the guard said.
“Where is he now?” Shalia asked.
“The guards can bring him in now if you wish,” the guard said.
“That will be fine, go ahead,” Shalia said.
The guard left the room momentarily and then a few moments later, the other guards came in escorting a familiar face.
Edric Greenwood, though he was dirty and his clothes tattered and torn, was instantly recognizable to everyone in the room. He stood there silently without looking anyone in the eye, and for a time no one said a word. Then Varg slowly walked up to him and waited for him to look him in the eye.
Greenwood finally dared to meet Varg's gaze, and at that point, the latter bent down and said, “Do you remember the last words you said to me before running off?”
Edric nodded slowly.
Varg smiled, then said, “Game over.”
Edric gulped and Varg could see from the look on his face that he finally accepted defeat and knew that there was no way out this time.
That afternoon, after Conley and the others had made preparations to return to Fellen, Varg and Milea took some time off to walk in the castle garden.
“What happened to the High Priestess?” Milea asked.
“She is still a bit traumatized by the events in the tree, so she's still in the medical wing. The queen will be deciding on disciplinary measures, because if Morvyn had listened to us from the beginning, we might have been able to save the Tree,” Varg explained.
The Crystal Wood (Half-Breed Book 2) Page 29