“Tellie, wake up.” The voice was a little distant, and at its second call, she mumbled and rubbed her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that the morning sun had already risen and the forest was aglow and sparkling and that the others were already gathered around the fire. They were all staring at her intently.
“Sorry,” she said, pushing herself up. “I overslept?”
“Oh, we went ahead and let you,” Tryss said.
“Since it's your birthday!” Kelm burst out. He’d been holding back a very obvious grin and now it exploded all over his face.
“What?” Tellie exclaimed. “But it's not—I mean—” Her thoughts tripped over one another in the effort to sort themselves out. Her birthday. She’d already had it, but she’d spent it in a prison. That was the sort of thing to drive away any thought of celebration, and it had been too chaotic for her to think about it afterwards. And yet Kelm remembered.
“I told them you'd missed it,” he was saying. “It’s been one thing after another, but now that things have settled, I told them, and we all planned on how to surprise you.” Both he and Tryss came over to tug her to her feet, and a flower crown was set upon her head.
There was a delicious smell coming from the skillet over the fire…egg, mushroom, meat. It was so like something she would have eaten back home, and her mouth watered as she was led over and grandly sat down. “I say,” she said faintly and that was all.
“I know,” Kelm said. “Tryss outdid herself. The flowers were her idea too.” He shoved something into her hands. “This…this is my gift.”
Head still spinning from the heavenly aroma and wonder of everything, Tellie looked down at the wood figurine in her hand. It was a magpie, perfectly carved. “I say,” she gulped again. “This is probably your finest work yet, Kelm. How long have you been working on it?”
“Oh, off and on,” he said carelessly, and then blushed when she leaned over and gave him a hug.
“We are not well acquainted, little lady,” The Daisha said, “but I too wish to celebrate, and this is my gift.” She lifted her wing and pulled forth...an entire bush, pulled up by its roots, and set it next to Tellie.
Dumbstruck, Tellie looked at it and wondered what she was supposed to do with a bush, but then she noticed the small berries clustered among the slender leaves. “Oh blueberries!” she exclaimed. “A whole bush of them! Thank you, The Daisha.” She plucked a handful and tossed them into her mouth, receiving sweet and sour flavors in a burst. “Um, everyone can help themselves.”
Tryss dished out the food, and they all began devouring it, blueberries punctuating throughout.
As they drew to a finish, Errance who had not said anything yet but was wearing a thoughtful expression, cleared his throat. “You…you once asked me for a memory of Aselvia,” he said. “I answered cruelly. So…ask again. Ask anything you like.”
She stared at him, her last bite of food dropping back to the plate. “Really? I mean…are you sure?”
“The Daisha has brought back some memories I'm certain of,” he said with the ghost of a smile. “Go ahead.”
“Er.” Her heart thudded. “How about…well, where does one live? In trees? Houses? Do you have a palace?”
His lips pressed together as he thought. “A mix of all that, I suppose. Many live out in the forests and mountains, some houses built on ground, some in the trees. We do have a city, Telvar, and the palace is there. The stones of the palace are all white and covered in growing vines. The land is very green, and there are many rivers falling down from the snowy mountains to pool in lakes.”
“That sounds lovely,” she breathed.
“Anything else?”
This was a special day! “Er…I know celestial elves have that light and chemas can change colors and so on…is there anything special an earth elf can do?”
Errance sighed, his face scrunching. “We are very good at making things grow and supposedly our very presence encourages the land to be fertile and beautiful. Haven’t really noticed this effect, it certainly did not help me in Tertorem. But Aselvia is beautiful, so there you are. We smell like evergreen, how’s that.”
“You do?”
“Well, we're supposed to, I don't know that I have the scent anymore.”
“Yes, you do,” The Daisha said, and since nobody was going over to sniff him, they took her word for it.
“Do…do you have any other family waiting for you?” It was a hazardous question, and she flinched as soon as she spoke it. He was kind to open his memory to her, and this was probably too personal.
He stared past her into the forest, the sunlight and shadows flickering in his eyes. “Aunt Casara. I guess Leoren counts as my uncle now.” He paused. “I…I have a grandmother.”
“Really?”
“Yes…she…was never well in her mind. But we got along.” A shadow began to cross his face, but he straightened and shook it off. “So there you go, three questions, three answers, Happy birthday.”
She grinned. “Thanks.” Turning, she gripped Kelm's hand. “You’re simply wonderful, Kelm. Thanks for everything.”
It was the perfect day. From the crisp morning pace, to the afternoon soothed by the stream and shade, to the dusky purple shadows of evening, everything whispered peace and contentment, all fears swept back into corners. The danger that pursued them…that seemed far, far away.
The light slipped past the horizon, and the stars began to come out in multitudes. With supper still warm within their stomachs, the travelers stretched out on their bedrolls and wrapped up in blankets near the fire to keep off the mountain chill. The Daisha took up first watch, her massive form still and proud as a statue outside a monastery.
Once she hit the bedroll and had wiggled to a comfortable position between the roots and rocks, it did not take Tellie long to fall asleep. But now of course, as she had hoped, the deeper she slept, the sooner she slipped into the Unseen.
Opening her eyes, she looked up into a sky ablaze with colors never seen in the mortal world, where the stars told stories as clearly as illustration.
Excitement thrilled her heart as she wondered what new thing Rendar would teach her tonight. Such incredible things she’d been learning! Seeing emotion, motives, inner hearts. If only she had such eyes while awake, the world would be a much more manageable place. When she sang, she sang with the soul, till her voice became more lovely than she ever dreamed. Rendar taught her about the weapons of the enemy and how to strike back.
Tonight, Rendar was not there to greet her.
Frowning, Tellie looked around the brush and trees. Where was he? How could she have entered the Unseen without him to call her in?
The light of the stars and the moon overhead suddenly dimmed.
She looked up to see a shadowy substance, as supple and flowing as a scarf, drift across the sky, coiling like smoke. But a chill preceded it, one that she could feel in her sleeping body and around her spirit form. The curving darkness dipped downwards in aggressive speed, and the trees swayed violently, trying to uproot themselves and run. It was not smoke—it was wind. Wind as dark as a void.
Tellie took a step back, not afraid as she knew she should be. Rendar would be here soon…wouldn’t he?
The black wind descended in a fog, enveloping her in darkness.
All right. She knew she should be afraid—no, not afraid, but cautious.
Still, the wind was now soft and warm, like a blanket. There was always something deeper within, Rendar had told her, and as she peered into the shadows, the sensation took her that some great wonder was concealed just beyond her sight. It set all her curiosity to burning, shoving away better sense. She felt calm, unnaturally calm. A small voice whispered in her head that it had been silly to ever feel afraid of darkness.
Who are you, Gifted Stranger?
She heard the voice without speech, without sound. But it was caressing as silk, as strong as iron.
“Who are you?” she asked impertinently, her fear continuing to
fade by the moment.
It laughed in a soft purr. Do you not know? Very well, I shall tell you a little, if you in turn tell me a little about yourself. I am a Weaver, a weaver of lives. I am a Dreamer, seeking to rise. In that, we are alike, are we not, trying to reach impossible things? Here one can see the hidden depths of men, and I look for an ally to accomplish my dream. And we both meet over this elven prince, for he is part of your dream as well, is he not? But what is your dream exactly? That I am curious to know. For I have wandered the Unseen for countless years, and yet you have slipped my eye until of late, which is an astonishing thing considering your power and grace.
It was a terrible lot of words to take in all at once, and Tellie blinked hard, trying to shake the warm thickness that had seeped into her thinking. The compliment was rather nice to hear. It was sometimes discouraging that she did all this Unseen business with nobody to recognize her.
“I…um…” She’d shared her dream so easily with Rendar, but this wasn’t Rendar, and the harder she tried to see through the dense darkness, the thicker her head became.
But the very thought of her dreams revealed it to the presence, and its voice was pleased, amused. You have tall dreams for a mortal orphan girl. Elven home, elven parents…you take nothing but the best I see. What else might you dream? Ah. Elven love. He is pretty, isn’t he? You’re a mite too young for him though, but perhaps you dream he’ll notice you when you blossom womanly fair, and he is yet as young and beautiful as ever.
“Oh no!” Tellie said, amazed that she could blush yet redder. She suspected if she saw the color of her own spirit, it would be blazing in fire. “That’s not it all. Well. I mean, I suppose I have felt a bit sweet on him, but I know it’s silly, and anyway, I’ve been wondering if he and Tryss might get along, and I quite approve of that, and really, I’d just be happy if he was my br—” She halted in confusion. Why was she babbling unguarded words to this entity?
Yes? crooned the voice. Do go on.
“I shouldn’t,” she stammered. “I shouldn’t be talking of him to strangers.”
No? Hurt surprise surrounded her. But you speak of him to strangers all the time. Chemas, smugglers, wild beasts…why should you hold such prejudice against me?
She frowned. “If you know so much about me already, why do you bother asking me more?”
I only first took note of you when you proved yourself so able in fighting the Darkness.
“You’re dark,” she said, slowly backing away, though she didn’t seem to be going anywhere in the surrounding cloud.
Dark? No, I am not dark, I am Unpainted, I am the substance of Dreams Yet Unrealized. There are so many things I hope to see done, but until then I must remain unfinished, just as your dreams have not yet come to pass. What do you think, Young Dreamer? Will we together make our dreams true?
She continued to back away, her frown beginning to etch severe lines into her face. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong, and worst of all, she could not see it. Whatever was within was hidden by that darkness, and she could not tell its true identity. It was inside her mind, clouding everything, even rational thought. “Where’s Rendar?” she demanded, the words coming out with difficulty.
Rendar? Why would you call upon one who is dead? I summoned you tonight, not a king of bygone history.
In that moment, she heard a shout. It sounded as if it was miles and miles away, and muffled as if a rag had been stuffed in it. But she heard the words clearly. “Tellie! Tellie, get out of there!”
Rendar. It was Rendar.
The shroud clouding her thoughts tore free, and she gasped like unto the blind seeing light for the first time. There had been nothing hidden under those shadows…it was merely what it was—Darkness.
All the fear came rushing back—and with it, anger. “Liar! I know what you are!” She shook with fury. “How dare you try to deceive me? Go away! Go away!”
Go? Where would I go? You’re the one remaining inside me.
“Then I’m getting out,” she panted. In her panic, she forgot everything. She forgot song, light, and hope. All she felt was determination to leave. A fine force, but useless without strength to carry it through. She leapt forward, clawing at the cold, scalding blackness. She could feel it sucking at her like a leech, a vampire, and the sensation made her scream. The wind around her began to spin, increasing in its strength till it was a whirlwind. The terrible force of it lifted her off the ground. She tried to catch at something—anything—but only emptiness surrounded her. “Rendar!” she shrieked. “Rendar, help!”
The wind spun her around till she felt she would tear apart, and her limbs flailed, pulled each way. Darkness was fear. Darkness was Dreams Denied. And she knew that Rendar would not be able to penetrate it.
And in that horrifying realization, only one word came to mind. Her breath was so stolen away she could not speak, could not even force her lips to form words. But her heart screamed it nonetheless.
Ayeshune!
The Darkness ceased.
For a few breaths of time, she huddled, shivering, eyes squeezed shut. Had she somehow fallen out of the Unseen? No…it had been night when she had entered, but now light glowed from beyond her clenched eyelids.
And she was quite certain someone was holding her.
Tentatively, she opened her eyes.
Stars of light danced before her vision, golden as the sun one moment, crystal rainbows the next. And as the light began to clear and she saw who it was that held her, she felt as if she lived her entire life in black and white and only now saw color. No, she felt she had never seen anything before, but was a child first coming into the world. The sensation was terrifying, thrilling, full of wonder, and full of fear. But instead of trying to run from the overwhelming emotion that flooded her, she cuddled deeper into the encircling arms, some unknown sense softly telling her that the fear could not disperse from fleeing, but by coming closer.
“Tellie.”
She dared not speak, wasn’t sure if she even knew how.
“Why are you here, Tellie?”
She had to answer. But what could she possibly say in return to such a question? Swallowing hard, she rasped, “I—I—I don’t know. I needed help so You came.”
“How did you come to be here?”
“I was trying to help Errance. I’ve been trying to help him since we got captured. No, since I first met the elves. At the Nornes.”
“And why were you at the Nornes?”
“B-because I’m an orphan.”
The glorious embrace cradled her gently. “You are no orphan, Tellie. You are My child and I am your Father. I am the One, the Creator of worlds. I have guided your life since before you were born.”
Tears, perhaps from draining fear or dawning hope, rolled down her cheeks. “Your child? How…how can I be such a thing?”
“I am the Father to the lost who are found. You have acknowledged me since you were young, yet have not understood what I am.”
At that moment she realized that the lonely wish of her heart, which had still ached even on the journey with her friends, could not be felt here at all. It was if it had never been.
“Ayeshune,” she whispered. “Father.”
She had called him that before. The orphanage matron had directed all the children to address the God they did not see as Father, and so they obeyed without much conviction. What a wonder it was to call him Father and believe it. She rested in his arms, amazed and delighted by the complete peace and satisfaction.
But then he spoke. “Tellie, the Darkness is still present. He plagues Errance even as we speak.”
Confidence swelling up inside, she straightened and said, “I can take him if you are with me.”
He chuckled. “Indeed you could. But not now. You need to wake Errance up.”
Bewilderment wrinkled her features. “Wake him up?”
“Yes. Now.”
The light was gone. The warmth vanished.
She was lying on
her side under the trees in the night. Blinking, she knew she could not deny what had just happened with the marvel still pulsing through her blood. But it was gone so fast. He’d told her to…
The cry shook every breath in her body.
She gasped as she scrambled to push up to a sitting position. “Errance!”
He lay dead asleep, but he thrashed on the ground, gasping for breath. Tellie shoved to her feet, but Tryss and Kelm were already up and running for him.
Kelm reached him first, calling, “Wake up! Wake up!” As soon as his hand touched Errance, the elf’s arm flung out, caught Kelm, and threw him away.
Tryss and Tellie froze.
Errance struggled to inhale. Words broke from him in a burst. “No! NO, p-please, no!”
Her heart pounded in her throat, but the rest of her didn’t move. Oh, please Ayeshune, please have him wake up, she pleaded. Surely she could have done more in the Unseen. There she was brave—not frozen like this.
The next moment, there came the sound of great shifting, and the colossal form of The Daisha sprang over the dead fire and straddled the writhing body of the prince. She clamped him down to the ground with her hand-like paws. “Errance!” she barked. “Awake immediately!”
“Let go, let go, let GO!” Errance screamed.
Without waiting another second, the Daisha’s huge pink tongue shot out of her mouth and slurped over the elf’s face.
Errance gasped again, but this time in shock instead of agony. His eyes fluttered open. “Daava…?” he gulped in confusion.
“No, but you may call me Mummy,” The Daisha said cheerfully, nuzzling his chin with her nose.
Sighing in relief, the others clustered around The Daisha’s shoulders and peered down in concern. “It’s us, Errance,” Tryss said wearily.
His reddened eyes focused with recognition and when his body slightly relaxed, The Daisha stepped back. He pushed up onto one elbow, shoulders bent inwards. “They had Daava,” he choked, voice thick. “They were torturing him, and I could not break free, could not stop them…my greatest fear…they’ve done all they can to me, how can I bear watching them do the same to those I love?” The frantic stream of words slammed to a standstill. He closed his eyes and pressed a fist into his face.
Moonscript (Kings of Aselvia Book 1) Page 32