Ch.6

His eyes went back to the trees, and they sat in silence for a while. After a moment, she continued watching the animals, and after a while, a strange, sad expression passed from her father's face. He had no children now, and very little else in life. His mind wandered, and at times, the sadness in his eyes would become overwhelming. She would watch as he grew quieter, and he would hold himself to his work with a force she had never seen before. He hardly said anything when Celene was there, and his attention was drawn away quickly whenever she tried to talk to him. The two sisters would try their hardest to be pleasant to each other, but Ranna did not notice how little their efforts succeeded. She sat quietly with her friends, her thoughts always elsewhere.

Sometimes, her father would visit the dwarven cities far to the east, where they were learning the secrets of metal. He would return with a few treasures, and bring them home so that he could show her that they were made. Ranna and Celene were not allowed to learn these things; both the girls feared for their father, and wanted only to keep him safe. She thought she might understand why, until one day, when he brought home a small sword with intricate blue runes upon its blade. Ranna was forbidden to touch it, but Celene was allowed to study the design for hours. She saw nothing special about it until her father turned away. Then she touched it, feeling along the markings as her father had done, and she found that she could read the runes as clearly as if they were written on a piece of parchment. It was like someone had placed an invisible sheet before her eyes, and she could see through it, back to the beginning. The story of the sword began here and ended here. The words were clear in front of her, yet she did not know their meaning.

"Do you understand now?" she heard him say. He sat back, watching her with his quiet blue eyes. "The gift has been given to us; all that remains is to learn how to use it."

She did"t dare ask him what he meant, though she desperately wanted to. She fell silent again, looking down at the sword as if it were something extremely important. Was there some power within it? Did she have the ability to unlock the secrets hidden within it? Would she become some sort of magical warrior herself?

But the weeks went by, and the sword remained where it was. Her father came and went, and nothing changed. Whenever she tried to speak to him, he would shush her gently, and she slowly grew quieter. When her sister came back from the city, she seemed happier than ever, but there was no sign that their father had altered in any way. Had she learned what was happening? Or perhaps he simply cared too little. Roxy was right, after all; they had lost.

It had happened because of Celene, and she realised this with terrible clarity. Once she knew the truth, she could not stop thinking about it. She blamed herself for the end of Lrial, for the war, and even for the way the mages had treated them. The fear the priests spoke of, the very thing that had driven her father into his work—had he known all along?

Celene remained awake for days, not daring to sleep, only to finally give in when her vision blurred and her mind grew fuzzy. There were stories among the elves about powerful beings who would listen to the prayers of those in pain. Perhaps if she begged for forgiveness enough, one of these gods might grant her wish. But instead, she did nothing. She merely sat by her father, waiting until his breathing slowed and he finally slept. And so, on her eighteenth birthday, she closed her eyes and waited for the change.

***

Celene woke to find herself lying in the middle of a forest, the ground covered with leaves as thick and damp as those she had fallen asleep in. Above, the sky was clouded over and grey, though she could feel the wind blowing through her hair. Birds fluttered between the branches, twittering happily to each other in the morning light.

She stood, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, and peered around at the trees, unsure where she was or how she had come here. This was anywhere she had never been before, but there had always been a map inside her head. She searched for it, feeling for its familiar form with her hand. It should be nearby, so close that she would almost have to reach out to touch it. Yet there was nothing. For the first time in her life, she had no idea which direction to walk.

The sound of a twig snapping from somewhere behind caught her attention, and she turned back to see an animal rushing towards her. As she watched, it darted beneath the branches and vanished, but before she could turn around completely, there was another noise; a groan.

She went to check and found herself standing beside a tree, her heart beating fast. The young man was sitting against the trunk, staring vacantly into space. He looked familiar, but she could"t quite place him. His clothes were tattered, and there was a long gash across his temple. As she stood watching him, she realised she didn't know who this was either.

"Are you alright?" she asked, trying to sound friendly. "Do you need help?"

He made no response, so she went over and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Hello," she said again. "Can you speak? Do you know where we are?"

"No," he replied softly. He pushed himself off the tree with difficulty and started walking towards her.

She jerked away. "Who are you? What is this place?"

"Celene, I"m sorry."