Index
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Aftermath
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Fate has come knocking
"What did you mean about my mother giving me a pendant?" Emmelyne asked, running her fingers through her hair. She winced as she found a few matted tangles. Raven sat cross-legged in the tall grass of the clearing, sharpening his sword. Bandages crisscrossed his chest, but he was too stubborn to rest, as the Elvin girl had insisted.
"I saw her give it to you, on a silver chain." Raven told her, without looking up. A long forgotten memory stirred at the back of Emmelyne's mind.
"A gold chain? I remember!" She closed her eyes, letting her mind form an image of her mother. "She wore gold chain, with a large round pendant." She stood, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed. "How did you know?" Blind looked up from his endless exercises with genuine interest.
"I had a dream about you a few nights ago." He confessed. "Of you as a child, in this clearing. I saw your mother and father.." Raven told her. Emmelyne turned her attention to the elk. Raven chuckled at the silent father daughter feud that ensued. The girl gestured animatedly, but uttered not a word. After planting her fists on her hips, the Elvin girl turned back to Raven and Blind with a huff.
"Father says he doesn't remember what happed to the pendant. Both of our memories of our encounter with the Forest God that night are gone. All we know is what our Elvin brethren have told us."
"And I'm sure they told you only what they wanted you to know." Raven muttered. The elf girl nodded somberly.
"Another dead end." She sighed.
"Not entirely." Blind spoke up, for a moment, the cloaked man hesitated. Before Emmelyne could urge him on, he continued. "I know a way." He told the girl, approaching her. She looked up at the blind man, who dwarfed her by nearly a foot and a half. "I can find those lost memories, if you are willing"
"Whatever it takes." She said, her chin set determinedly. Blind placed his hands on Emmelyne's shoulders, not sure how the girl would react, and he couldn't have her pulling away too soon. She'd probably never get her to let him delve into her mind again.
"Raven, stay put. This may take a while." He commanded, and looked down at the girl again. "You ready?" She nodded, clearing her mind, trying to draw up the images of her child hood. Chaos Devil removed his blindfold, gazing into the soul of he girl before him. She jerked back against his solid grip, eyes wide. Her mouth worked to form words, but she didn't utter a sound.
Raven climbed to his feet, finding it hard not to pull the girl from the blind man's grasp. What is he doing to her?
~Searching her soul.~ A gentle voice filtered through Raven's thoughts. ~The soul holds secrets the mind may not wish to remember.~
Eldin? Raven had never heard the Elk's voice, and had doubted that he was even capable of speaking with anyone but his daughter. The voice chuckled in his head. Amazement quickly turned to anger. "Get out of my head. Now." Raven growled, narrowing his eyes at the large white elk. The chuckle vibrated through his head once more.
~Don't worry, child. I won't pry into your precious memories.~
Raven shook his head, and turned his attention back to Emmelyne and Blind. The girl hung limply in the cloaked man's gasp now. How long has it been? Suddenly, the elf girl dropped from the cloaked man's grasp, falling to her knees. Blind stumbled backwards, replacing his blindfold. The girl looked up, through sweat dampened locks of hair. "You'd better have found what you were looking for, because you're not going to do that to me again." She stated.
"Never again, my lady." He replied, helping her to her feet. "I know where your pendant is." He told her softly. She squealed with delight and threw her arms around the dark cloaked man.
"I can't believe that it's true!" Tears of joy escaped the girl's eyes. She looked back up at Blind, and demanded, "Where?" Lifting a silent hand, Blind pointed to the large oak at the center of the clearing. The little elf girl paced hesitantly toward the massive oak, hands clenched over her heart. Her body began to glow as she neared the tree, her feet lifting from the ground. Raven had a sudden flashback from his dream, of an auburn haired woman disappearing into the light. He turned on Blind.
"You tricked her!" He snarled, lunging to his feet, sword in hand. His body froze in mid flight. He felt his fingers loosen around the sword hilt, dropping it into the thick grassy carpet. He scowled at Chaos Devil. A slight smile curled at the corners of the cloaked man's mouth.
"Don't look at me, boy. I did nothing." Blind pointed back at the tree. "She did."
An ethereal figure, clothed in blinding light materialized before the trunk of the tree. Wispy tendrils of auburn hair haloed the figure's pale, oval face. She had pulled the elf girl into her enchanting embrace. Emmelyne's mother.. Raven realized. In control of his body once again, Raven searched out the elk, wondering what his reaction was to the apparition embracing his daughter. Instead he found a slender Elvin man, closing the distance between the two women. A flicker of his animal form was still visible, but quickly fading into oblivion. The Elvin man paused, the light engulfing him, solidifying his Elvin form and pulling him towards the source. The ethereal figure reached out to him, lightly running fingers along his cheek. With a smile, the Eldin joined in the embrace.
"I cannot stay." Kylila, whispered. She ran a hand through her daughter's hair, letting her palm linger on the girl's cheek. "My beautiful child, fate has come knocking, hasn't it?" Emmelyne nodded, speechless. The ethereal woman bowed her head, lifting a chain over her head. Kylila caught the pendant in her hand, running her thumb along the familiar design. "Greet your destiny head on, with confidence in yourself and your friends." She said, lowering the chain over Emmelyne's head. The girl nodded, cupping the pendant, feeling the power of it through gloved hands.
The ethereal woman then turned to Eldin. "Far too many of your people have died. Now, you must return to them, guide them out of the forest, to the mountains. Do not fret." She looked to Emmelyne, her eyes glistening with pride. "Our daughter will save our world." With that, she began to fade. Emmelyne threw her arms around her father, watching her mother flicker once again into shadows and memories.
Child of Light and Life
The elves had always been untouchable, godlike creatures to Emmelyne. She never thought to doubt them, ever. But now she knew that were fallible, and just as mortal as she. She still couldn't believe what had happened, but it was hard to deny reality that was laid out before her in the form of twisted, gruesome undead bodies tossed about like rag dolls. The only thing that kept her from falling to my knees in denial was the silhouettes of a few graceful Elvin forms readying themselves for the long journey ahead. They froze as they caught sight of Emmelyne and Eldin. A flaxen haired man with familiar blue streaks approached them.
"Emmelyne, you made it, I knew you would!" He exclaimed.
"Torrin, good to see you are not among the dead either!" She replied with a smile. The Elvin man narrowed his eyes, looking her over.
"The pendant, you have it don't you?" With a slight nod her hand went to the pendant, hanging around her neck. She almost didn't expect to find it. It was difficult for her to believe that she was one of the legendary pendant bearers. But he pendant was there. Her hands closed around it, turning it over in her hand, she held it out to show Torrin. With a flash of sharp canines, the Elvin man grinned. Then he looked from the girl, to her father. A flicker of recognition crossed the man's face. "Eldin?" He asked, stunned. Eldin grinned, all too comfortable in his old skin. Torrin chuckled embracing the elder elf.
"It's good to have you back! We have been spying on the council since your exile. We knew there was something wrong."
Emmelyne spoke up. "What? You knew about the pendant, the entire time? And the council?" She asked. The realization taking a moment to set in. He flashed a wicked grin in her direction.
"I know about a lot of other things as well, my dear." He replied with a wink.
"Then why.. why did this all happen still? If you knew, why was nothing done to prevent the deaths?" She asked. Torrin bowed his head.
"Very few of us knew those of us who did had to lay low. We knew about you and the pendant, though, and hid you in the forest. It was the only way to keep both the pendant and the pendant bearer from falling to Baneheart.
"So all I knew of my past was a lie!?" She demanded, her grip on the pendant tightening.
"A necessary half-truth." He corrected. "You were able to grow strong, and train without the risk of Baneheart's interference."
"I still don't understand."
"You will, with time." He said, bowing at the waist. "Best of luck to you, child of light and life." She blushed, lowering her eyes.
Eldin turned to his daughter, grasping her by the shoulders. "You should return to your friends now." He told her. "You know, I've always been proud of you. You have your mother's spirit." He cupped her chin in his hand. "And your father's good looks." He told her with a wink. She giggled, hugging him. Her eyes were down cast as she stepped back from the embrace.
"I don't want to say good bye again."
"Then don't. I know you'll come back to me. I love you, my daughter." He said, kissing her forehead. She nodded.
"I love you, father." She replied, smiling weakly. Then turned, and left without a look back.
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