The 7th Relic, page 28
I take it from him, holding it up between my fingers. “How does it work?”
“You put it to your forehead. But before you do, you must be clear what you want to send. Your thoughts will be captured in the crystal. Say my name in your thoughts and out loud, and the message will come to me.”
I nod, slipping the small ball into my coat pocket, once again in awe of Elven magic. I lift my head to look at the thick canopy above us. “I don’t see a single firefly,” I say, saddened by the thought. When Haro doesn’t answer, I lower my eyes, only to find he is already gone. I turn around to make sure, and part of me hopes he is still here…but no. I am all alone.
The night weighs on me as the moon watches from high above the giant trees, her beams slipping in between the branches. For a while I hated the moon, hated to be out at night and see her happiness shine through the night skies. But when I’m alone with her, I feel her warmth in the cold evenings, as if thanking me. It took a while, but I learned to let that anger go. How can I not? At least one of us is complete.
Something near the entrance catches my eye. Something small and shining is stuck under one of the massive roots, peeping through. It’s my birthday gift from Andrew. I must have dropped it the last time I was here. I reach for it, having to dig it out from under tiny webbing of roots trapping it to the larger one.
I had forgotten about it before I left for Pathen, then went into a panic when I remembered and couldn’t find it. I gave up on it, figuring that it was lost forever, yet here it is in my hand once again. I blow on it, hoping to dry it further, and it bursts into a cloud of dust, taking the form of the tiny gold mermaid.
She opens her big eyes to stare up at me. Her body goes into a series of trills upon seeing me, just as happy as I am to reconnect. Then she opens her mouth, but it’s a different song she sings now. She pulls it from my sorrow, my grief, and the tears come unbidden. She touches within me the love I kept imprisoned, believing no other man would ever understand, could ever compare to and instill within me what Andrew awakened.
With her melancholy tale she weaves together the broken pieces, allowing me to feel how a new love, an unconditional love through my son, saved my broken soul. And that I will never be alone. When she is done, all that I held within is set free. I lean in and whisper, “Thank you.”
She slips from me, dispersing into gold dust above the water.
Maybe it is the change in temperature, or the gentle kiss of a cool breeze but I know she is here. The Goddess approach silently to stand beside me, the coolness of a morning’s dew spreads across my skin. It shivers lightly over me and I sigh softly, finally lowering my gaze.
“She is called Ciltheanonia.”
Surprised, I once again stare after the sea creature. “She’s alive?”
“She is indeed. She is a Bimia; only a few exist in the Nigoria Sea.” Aeyan holds out her hand and Ciltheanonia appears, rushing to the Goddess’s bidding. “Sing for me, Little One.” The Bimia lets out a soft tune, filling the grove with the magic of her voice. The Moon Goddess tilts her chin up, closes her eyes and let the melody wash over her.
I laugh softly. Leave it to Andrew to give me a gift I can’t…a gift I would never keep.
“Ah, but she is yours. When you call for her she will be here.”
Goddess opens her eyes and breathes in the cool air. She looks about her. “All of this is yours. It belongs to you and Andu. A gift from Karas and me for the sacrifice you made.”
“I don’t belong here. This isn’t my world. Home for me is back at the Ranch, with Andu.”
“Andu’s fate lies here.”
A spark of anger ignites within me. “He belongs with me.”
“You cannot deny him his destiny, Grace.” When she turns to me, it’s as if the breeze shifts to accommodate her movements. Our eyes meet, and I once again want to drop to my knees. But I fight the impulse…for Andu. “He will live between worlds as his father did. He will learn about both realms, and when the time comes, he will return to rule Kalorii.”
I feel my insides buckle. “I won’t let you take him from me.”
“He will be called to save his people from an evil escaped from the UnderRealm. Would you have him face his enemy unprepared?”
Unable to answer that question, I ask another instead. “Is this what it means to be the Child of Sorea? To know only death and loss?”
“Ah, but you have Andu. With him you have known joy, happiness and unconditional love.”
“And, to deepen my pain when his time comes.”
“That is the fate of all mothers, Grace. You’re the first Sorea to have a male child. The child of both Sorea and Teo is destined to be a great leader, a great king. And you will help him on that journey.”
Slowly, things start to connect. “The instructors and teachers at the Ranch, they’re all masters of something from every realm. They were called there, weren’t they?”
“Yes. You’re not alone in this.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you need to know what he will face, so you can give him every opportunity to be ready for the challenge. And, because we owe him our protection for the sacrifice that you and his father made.”
“And no matter what I do, he’ll end up here to face this…this evil you speak of.”
“Yes.”
“And there’s no way for me to break this cycle?”
“It’s the fate of the Teo bloodline.” Ciltheanonia continues to sing, now dancing above the water again. “I know you came here to lose yourself in memories of your time spent with Andrew. I will remove all we spoke of so you may spend the night the way you intended before my arrival. All will come back to you when you return to the city in the morning.”
The touch of her finger on my forehead is cool, light and…fading. The last thing I hear from her is the whistle of a familiar tune.
I open my eyes to find the strange little mermaid opening her mouth, but it’s a different song she sings now. Within her melancholy tale she weaves together the broken pieces, allowing me to feel how a new love, an unconditional love through my son, saved my broken soul. And that I will never be alone. When she is done, all that I held within is set free. I lean in and whisper, “Thank you.”
She literally shivers with delight, then bursts into gold dust, reshaping into a frame. Portraits of those I lost appear within it, faces embedded into my heart and soul: Lana, Konè, Reiko and many of the students and teachers who died at the Ranch. A series of moments of Andrew appear, then a series of Andrew and me, and even of our son. These tear at me and at the same time fill me with joy. A large root rises to provide me with a seat. I sit and continue to watch with tears and smiles, as fireflies dance above me.
~ * ~
The End of The 7th Relic
L. Filloon, The 7th Relic
