Eliesmore stood in front of her, noticing she wasn’t much taller than him now. He’d grown the last few years during the war. He reached up, pulled down her head, and kissed her. Her lips parted beneath his, a low moan escaping her throat as her arms came up and around him. He pressed closer to her until their bodies melded together. He felt the quickening of her heartbeat and the swell of her breasts as they pressed against his chest. She tasted like the sweet tang of honey and the gentle, delicate hints of starlight. He held on, drowning as she deepened the kiss, turning her head, her tongue sneaking into his mouth, searching for more. He pulled on her bottom lip with his teeth, nipping her playfully before turning back to a full kiss. Forest and hill melted away until it seemed they were in their own universe, one with the stars, arms around each other as their mouths explored. When he pulled back to catch his breath, her eyes were still closed, her tongue came out, licking away the taste of him, savoring the moment. Her face glowed with a magnetic energy as she opened her eyes, her lashes catching the last lights of the day, the glory of sunset embracing her green skin. His hands rested on her bare shoulders, and he felt calm as he met her eyes, watching the blush spread across her face.
“Eliesmore.”
She whispered his name like a prayer, her eyes half shutting again. She wrapped one arm around his neck while her fingers tips brushed his cheek before trailing down, feeling the muscles on his arms before coming to rest on his chest. He felt the eager twitch of lust as he moved forward, dropping one arm to her waist, pulling her against him, pressing his hardness into her.
“I have missed you,” he admitted, his anger gone. “I am sorry,” he added, knowing there was much more to say.
“Will you come with me?” she leaned forward, her eyes meeting his before she dropped her face to his neck, nuzzling his shoulders.
He trailed his fingers through her silken hair, marveling at the riot of colors twirling through them. “Yes,” his hand slipped down her arm, feeling her shiver as their fingers met.
She folded her hand around his and led the way into the forest of Shimla, peering back as if to encourage him, a light in her eager eyes.
The trees parted before them as if bowing, knowing they should let the One and the Queen of the Green People pass without question. She led him to the glade where the animals were gathering, and the Iaen came out of the woods to join the celebration. The thump of the drums pulsed deep within Eliesmore, and he saw the flickering fire, just as in days of old. A strong nostalgia rose within him, and when the music began, he drew Ellagine into his arms and began to dance, his heart in his throat, his eyes watching her as they spun into what seemed like an eternity.
Eliesmore noted the song of the Iaen had changed, they sang of the One and how their lives were made anew. As the night deepened Ellagine smiled at him, and, taking his hand, led him away to her bower. They weaved through the magical lights of the Iaen, the winking white and yellow lights that lit their path while the stars above wheeled and danced to a tune of their own making. A thousand jewels shimmered as she laughed, taking his hand and threading her way through thick trees and lush grass, the smell of pine entangling with mint and herbs. A tingling bell of sound echoed as rain drops danced from the sky, flirting above them as the Rainidrains played within them.
“They are happy,” Eliesmore whispered, hoping she’d turn around and grace him with another smile. He found her very presence magnetic and a strong desire arose within him, throbbing as she pulled him onward.
“They came back, because what you did,” Ellagine laughed, a lightness in her tone as she turned, her long loose hair flying behind her as her intoxicating aura filled the air. They came to a giant hollow tree with lights spinning around it, and Ellagine took him inside and led him upwards to her bower.
There was much he wanted to say, but when she pulled him down on a bed of feathers, he forgot all the questions and wonders and mysteries. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but desire, and leaning down he kissed her as if she were the rarest treasure and he the hunter who’d found, at long last, the treasure he’d searched for his entire life.
Her shudders of pleasure made him feel bold. He took his time, allowing his hands to transverse every inch of her green body. He leaned in, kissing, tasting, teasing, until she screamed in pleasure, squirming beneath him. Then. And only then. Did he allow himself to slip inside and become lost.
Later, when the morning mist was still asleep, and all was dark inside the forest of Shimla, he stroked her cheek and held her close, staring into her eyes as she spoke.
“Eliesmore,” she whispered, holding his name on her tongue as if she wanted to keep saying it repeatedly. “Do you know? I have always known you just as you have always known me.”
“How?” He murmured, still drowning in her mythical beauty. “How?”
“You don't remember. When you were born. I was there. Your first word was my name. I have always known it was you.”
“Why didn't you call me sooner? Why didn't you tell me or tell the mortals?”
“You had to grow up. You had to be pure. You had to choose. We let you. We waited as long as we could.”
“Ah. Then you know what I would speak to you about. I heard dark things in the tower in Daygone. Things about our family. Your bloodline. Things I hesitate to believe, but deep down I know they are true. Will you tell me? I don't want to believe them.”
Her face became slack and guarded. “What things?”
“The union between a mortal and immortal is cursed because of Paleidir, Lady of the Green People and Legone the Swift. They had a child. The first Blended One. Who fell in love with a Changer and begat the first Monrage.”
“Yes. That is the truth. It wasn't because of the union of a mortal and an immortal for Crons and Mermis see fit to mix their blood. It was specifically because of the Green People who are unforgiven for letting Sarhorr the Ruler rise and run free. It was then determined that here in the South World the bond between a mortal and immortal will be punishable by death. Never trust a Green Person.”
“The first Monrage, Magdela, they called her, grew up here within these woods? And had a child named Luthín?”
“Yes, Luthín was my mother.”
“That means that you…”
“I carry the bloodline. I am the last.”
“Magdela only had one child? There wasn't another? A son?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps there was. He went west where he was killed. As the tales say.”
“What if he wasn't killed? What if he mated with a line of Tiders? Therefore, cursing the Tiders and the Green People for eternity?”
“Do you intend to hunt down the bloodline and find out?”
“Isn’t there a need? We have to be sure, don't we?”
“Here is what I know. There is nothing to fear from Changers anymore.”
“It also means you cannot stay here. What if others find out?”
“I know.”
“I cannot stay here either.”
“What will you do?”
“These things I know should be hidden but, what if the world needs our strength and knowledge again?”
“Write it down. Bury it. Seal it.”
“When I am done will you find me?”
“Yes. It will be our last adventure.”
He leaned forward to capture her lips with his while gasps of pleasure echoed around them. When he drew back, she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer but stopping just short. Her eyes changed as she asked another question. “Did you see her? Was she there?”
“Who?”
“Shalidir. It is her light that shines on this world. The sign of the Watchers. The light that guides ships. She did it. She completed her task.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Remember how I once told you knowledge is hereditary?”
“Yes. What does knowledge have to do with Shalidir and what happened in Daygone?”
“When the
Green People learned Sarhorr was not dead we sought the greatest weapon to ruin him. Shalidir. It was not without complications. She fell in love with him and bore Magdela the Monrage. Then it became risky. We were not sure if she would stay strong and complete her quest to banish Sarhorr from this world. But she needed the Green Stone, and it had to go to a pure mortal untouched by immortal blood.”
“Oh. I see. She did what she did on purpose, and here I was feeling terrible I had not completed the deed.”
“What did you think was happening?”
“I thought they escaped to wreak havoc on other worlds. I thought they escaped to become creators and build a world of their own.”
“Oh. But that is impossible they are dead.”
“Maybe they are white souls in the universe.”
“The universe is an expanse of nothingness. There is nowhere for them to roam. The universe belongs to the stars, and they cannot create.”
“Yes, you are right, I worried for nothing.”
98
Eliesmore
“I have to go.”
He held her hand although he did not want to leave.
“I know,” she responded, tilting her head, her eyes studying him. “Will you come back?”
“Do you want me to?”
“Yes, and no. I want you,” She moved into his arms as if they hadn’t been in physical contact for the past month. Her soft lips kissed his neck before she pulled back meeting his eyes. “I will come for you, when the time is right, when I am done here, when my people need me no longer.”
He glanced around the forest, watching the leaves whisper secrets to each other. “I want to come back here. Where you are, there is life, and it is good. I’ve seen…” he trailed off as his voice cracked. “Everything was dark. So dark. After I went to Daygone. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t find the light. I was afraid your goodness, your beauty would make me lash out, would ruin me. I thought…”
“Don’t talk about it,” she whispered in his ear.
His eyes glazed as he stared off into the distance. “I have to go.”
“Where will you go?”
“There is something I must do, now that the world is safe. Now that this is over. There is hidden knowledge none should find. There are secrets locked tight for a reason, and none should find out.”
“Hold me then, one more time before you go.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her toward him, breathing in her scent, memorizing the way she fit in his arms.
“I will see you again,” he whispered.
“I will come for you, and we will leave.”
“Yes. Every time I see this world, everywhere I look, I remember. I don’t want to remember anymore.”
“I’m sorry for what they did to you.”
“You don’t even know.”
“All the same, I am sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. There was a time I thought I hated you, but you are only a victim of the same crime. We tried. I tried. I did not know what the power of the Green Stone would do to me, to us, to this world.”
“Is that why you stopped carrying the Light of Shalidir? Because of what you learned there?”
He pulled back, a confession on his lips as he met her eyes. “I lost it,” he admitted, “sometime after I left Daygone and before returning to the fortress. I am sorry.”
“Don’t be,” one of her hands came up, caressing his cheek. “You did not need it any longer, tokens like those slip away when they are not needed.”
“Perhaps, it did seem to come alive,” he mused, “after the Green Stone was dissolved.”
She tilted her head, a thought running through her mind. “Do you think the Light of Shalidir held a portion of the Green Stone? I always wondered.”
“Did you,” he looked her in the eye, although her gaze seemed far away. “I thought it might, although I did not know the power of the Green Stone can be transferred to other objects. If I had known…”
“You could not have known,” she hugged him tight, tucking her head into his shoulder. “It is over now.”
He let go, squeezing her hand. “Don’t tempt me, or I will stay.”
“What’s another night,” she smiled, kissing his cheek before letting him go.
He smiled back although his heart felt heavy as he walked away.
“Eliesmore,” her voice whispered through the trees like a song. “You are immortal and so am I. Time is nothing. Wait for me.”
99
Idrithar
He shut the doors, bolted them, turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin. She perched on the table by the window, holding a goblet of wine. She took a sip, studying him. A long silk gown flowed about her body, hugging every curve. Gold and silver jewels covered her arms and a cloud of white diamonds perched on her dark blue head. Her eyes were dark, and her lips stained red as she met his eyes. Reaching down she plucked a second goblet and poured him a glass.
“Indonesia. I did not summon you.”
“You did not need to.”
“Why are you here?”
“I changed my mind.”
“What?”
“You were not meant to rule, with all your wisdom and knowledge, you should not be here.”
“Why not?”
“You have ten years left. Teach Mattio all you know, and then I will come for you. I will take you. Be ready.”
“Ah. I see. You aren’t like your father at all. You are like your grandfather.”
“Yes.”
“You will do to me what he did to the Order of the Wise.”
“Yes. It is the only way.”
“No, it is not.”
“Don’t argue with me. You will fail. Ten years.”
“Why now? Why have you decided to take me away?”
“Because you know the truth about why all the old people are dead, why they were killed off.”
“They knew too much, what have you discovered?”
“The same things you discovered. Tell me what you know?”
“I know the prophecy concerning the One was a ruse so the Green People could get what they want. I know there are darker secrets concerning the immortals and the Green People, they set out on a dark path, and they achieved what they set out to do.”
“Do you know what they set out to do?”
“No.”
“Build a new breed.”
“And they succeeded?”
“Yes. The effects won’t be felt for many years, but yes. The new breed will rise strong, and eventually, this world will fall.”
“Why must we run? Why are you taking me away?”
“You do not get to interfere with this. The world should belong to the immortals. This is the only way. The mortals will fall and die as they should. If you stay, you will change the course of time and prolong the rise of the inevitable. The world belongs to the immortals, and time and time again the morals rise and take it from us. Not this time. We have patience. We have long life, we will win.”
“You are part mortal, and you believe this? Why take me away?”
“You cannot tell anyone. The world must continue in its oblivion.”
“I see,” he reached out a hand and touched her shoulder, pulling her body closer to his. “Now you are here, stay for a while before we leave.”
She lifted her face to his. “Ten years. You have ten years before I take you.”
100
Eliesmore
Eliesmore walked toward Daygone. His footsteps were heavy as he strode across the land. The grass grew under his feet. The flowers blossomed. The creatures of the field rejoiced. As much as his heart wanted to rejoice, he couldn’t. His mind solely focused on what he was about to do. He walked through rolling hills until he reached the beginning of Daygone. He reached out a hand as he entered the dark land. The red flowers opened as he passed. The grass grew tall, and he walked toward the tower, mirroring his actions from three years ago. He squared his shoul
ders and raised his chin. This time he was older, wiser, stronger, more mature, and he understood the power which held him. This time, he knew exactly what he needed to do with the power of the Green Stone.
He climbed the staircase, his footsteps ringing out across the stone as he climbed toward the summit. A depth of silence greeted him as he passed, continuing through the spirals as furious flashbacks attempted to drive him away. An odd smell came from the chamber at the top as if ghosts and souls of old still haunted the place. The book lay over the basin, right where he had left it, the dark words swirling together. He turned, studying the archways as the light from the sky filtered in. A throne, carved into the stone, sat perched on one side. A black pitchfork lay on the ground in the middle of the room. An onyx scepter leaned against the throne, and he moved toward it. He lifted the scepter in one hand; it was short, top heavy, with a glowing ornament in the middle of it. He breathed on it and felt it grow, felt it move with life. Laying it on the throne he stepped back and stretched out his arms. Angling his fingers toward the scepter he began to chant, waiting for the riot to pass through him. The power of the Green Stone was potent, intense, uncanny and far too great for him to handle. He wished he’d known how to cast it away years ago when he’d first received it and understood its true meaning. Now he knew what to do, how to balance the power which consistently threatened to overwhelm him.
Stretching out his fingers he spoke words in the Valikai Dialect until they poured out of him and the light flashed. Green flames shot out of his fingers, pouring out of his body as they entered the onyx scepter. Power fled into the object until it was done, and he saw it swirl and change color as it settled into its new home.
Eliesmore and the Jeweled Sword Page 40