Disclaimer: the names and places are not mine; they belong to Alison Croggon.
What if there really was a gate that the dead pass through - could an Elidhu bring those of the pass back to help fight the Nameless One? What is happening at the ruins of Pellinor?
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Cadvan rode on Darsor, while Maerad followed in her wolf form. They were leaving Pellinor, staying close to the Osidh Mountains. The trail they were following was not the smoothest but it would lead into Innail. Cadvan was being quieter than usual, making Maerad feel uneasy. It was a cold midwinter day, and the wind blowing through the trees made haunting sounds which stirred a deep, instinctual unease in Maerad's heart.
Maerad's ears pricked as she heard twigs breaking, and quickly transformed back into her human state. "Cadvan look out!" she shouted, pointing to the mountainside urgently. Before Cadvan could turn his head a blaze of light flashed and knocked him to the ground.
Before Maerad could think to scream, yet alone to retaliate, she and Cadvan were bound and gagged. Their captors, large, unkempt men, kept them under close watch as they were taken to the palace of the Landrost. Maerad's apprehension increased as they drew closer to the Landrost's mountain. They could speak only in mind-touch, yet they heard more: Maerad was to be taken to the north tower to await the arrival of Sharma or one of his minions, while Cadvan was to be taken to the south tower to be the personal prisoner of the Landrost. Maerad thought her heart would explode with fear and anger as Cadvan was wrenched from her. She twisted and fought, but the men held her firm and she could only watch as Cadvan was dragged, struggling, down the dark corridor.
--
"So you return Cadvan of Lirigon. Did you really think that your escape would go unnoticed or that I would not find you? You cannot hide from me." The voice was harsh and unwavering. Cadvan had heard this voice before, and now it echoed in his mind as well as his ears, filling him with the same sense of dread - yet increased tenfold, because now he had something to fear for.
"What is happening to Maerad?" Cadvan demanded, trying to keep the tremors from his voice. He feared that she was already dead.
"So you worry for the girl? There is no need; Sharma will take care of her shortly. As for you…you may have a choice. After all your studies of the Dark, you can join with us and let Maerad live, or you can live out your days with the knowledge that you have killed yet another of those that you claim to love."
Cadvan's heart constricted.
--
When Maerad awoke, she was in a small dark cell made of stone and dirt. The only light came from a candle, flickering on the wall across from a wooden door. Maerad looked around her, gauging her surroundings. After all she and Cadvan have been through, she was back where she started: trapped without hope of escape and without the one she loved. All she wished was to see him, to make sure he was alright. She started to cry as she had not done so in a very long time. As the tears fell from her face, the room filled with a light as bright as the sun.
"My darling daughter, why are you crying?" Ardina asked. "What has happened?" The beautiful Elemental seemed suddenly to realize where she was, and her eyes widened just a little. She grabbed Maerad's arm and looked her directly in the eyes, and into her mind she said, "Come child; you must leave here tonight. There isn't much time. I will take you to safety. You are not ready to end this fight - not here, not tonight. There is still much you must know. Close your eyes now."
Maerad's last word before being engulfed in the ethereal light was "Cadvan…"
--
Maerad woke in an unfamiliar room decorated with paintings of the crest of Pellinor. The bedding was colored in blues and whites, and gold trim ran around the edges. Soft lighting filled the room, coming from the sconces mounted on the walls. Maerad sat up on her bed, feeling dazed. Where was she? How had Ardina saved her? Cadvan… Where was he? Was he alright?
Taking a breath Maerad tried to call out to him with her mind but there was no answer. She bit her lip, fearing for him greatly. Had she lost him so soon after she had found him?
She barely heard Ardina enter the room.
"There, there, my daughter, now you must tell me what happened for you to be in the Forsaken Lands? And the truth teller - where is he?" She seemed almost to float over to Maerad's bed and took Maerad's face into her hands until she had collected her thoughts.
After taking a deep breath, Maerad explained as best she could: "Cadvan and I were ambushed on our way to Innail. They took him to the Landrost." She shuddered. "I could feel the poison of the land running though my veins. I tried to find him with my mind, but… I could not find him through mind touch…I fear that he is still there and that he will be in grave danger once they find I am no longer in my cell."
Ardina bowed her head for a few moments, pondering what to say. Here sat the Chosen One, the one destiny had chosen to free the Treesong. But Ardina knew that Maerad would never be able to defeat the Nameless One if her heart was breaking with fear for another. She needed the help of those she loved; her brother, but perhaps even more importantly, Cadvan. The Elidhu could see how deeply their bond ran.
Ardina looked up, gazed into Maerad's eyes and spoke softly. "My daughter, I will not lie to you. You are correct in thinking that your love is in danger, for even now he grows closer to the Gate, but he will not enter. His will is strong and he does not wish to leave you." Here she paused, and laid one hand gently on her cheek. "Your hearts share the same destiny and are meant to be as one. It is for this reason that I have brought you back to your birthplace…The ruins that you came to only days ago are not all that is left of Pellinor. You are now in the lower city that lay beneath the streets. There are those here that lived through the sacking and fled under the protection of your family, and the Elidhu part of your being. You may rest here, my dear child, I must call upon those still faithful to the Light. I will have those you hold dear to you brought here. There is little time, for even as we speak the Dark poisons the soul and the body of your love. We must hurry."
With that, Ardina was gone as quickly as she had come. Maerad pondered what she had said. She was in Pellinor? Cadvan was meant to be with her? An Elidhu protected the people that lived here? It was all too much. She felt weak, but her curiosity overcame her discomfort and she sat up slowly. Putting a cloak around her, Maerad made her way out of the room. Perhaps the walk would also cure her of the awful thoughts she was having - that perhaps Ardina was too late, and she would not be able to save Cadvan.
As Maerad walked down the hall she heard voices speaking in Annaren, yet with a strange accent. She did not know whether to be wary of the people here or to try to befriend them. She hovered uncertainly in the corridor, and then turned to leave, but as she did so she heard a woman's voice.
"My lady would you like something to eat? You have been asleep for long time and you look awfully thin. Come, our food is very delicious, princess."
Maerad smiled ruefully. "I'm no princess," she replied.
"Of course you, my lady. But wait, you were not brought up knowing your family name, or heritage. It's just that I find myself looking at the child I once looked after while your mother was at meetings with the First Circle."
Maerad stared - this woman who now stood before her was once her nanny? She could scarcely believe she had found such a piece of her past life. At the woman's request, Maerad followed her to the kitchen.
As she tucked into a pastry, Maerad secretly hoped to see Cadvan standing before her, his blue eyes shining to seeing that everything was alright. How she wanted to tell him all of what Ardina had said about their hearts being one! How she ached to tell him that they were meant for each other! Maerad ate in silence until a tall, willowy man entered the room, and spoke to her in the Elidhu language.
"My darling little one, you have come home at last! Your power has grown much but you have yet to accept it. Maybe, granddaughter, I may be finally able to show you how to use the power you have so long neglected…But first there is the question of the one your mother wishes to bring here from the Forsaken Lands. I have been told he shares your heart, but is close to the Gate due to a poison that he is being given. There are few that would be able to save him, but your mother is strong. She will heal what she can, but only a Bardic healer may heal the rest. But before we talk about healing we must work to keep him from the gate."
Maerad stared at him. "Do you mean that the gate is real, and you can control it?"
"No, my child, I alone cannot control it." He smiled. "It is only the Chosen One who can do that. You must not only keep one from a soul from entering the Gate too early, but also open the gate so those souls that still wish to fight the darkness may. Now, come child; it is time to awaken your true powers."
--
The next morning, Maerad awoke to the bright blazing light that was Ardina. She sat up, squinting against the light, and made out the figures of Arkan and two other Elidhu by her side. She watched them carry Cadvan to her bed. He looked as though he had just faced up to a whole army of wers or hulls alone, and lay shivering on a stretcher. His eyes were squeezed tightly closed. Maerad watched him anxiously. He was shivering as though he was cold but sweating as though he was on fire, and he made a slight moaning sound as he was laid as gently as possible on the bed. Before Maerad could so much as speak or touch Cadvan, Ardina ushered her out of the room.
Maerad turned to complain, but Ardina held up a hand to ward off her protests. "My daughter, your friend is not well. I have done all that I can but the poison runs deep and I know none that may help. You must not touch him: he is already in much pain. He has many wounds, some you may see, and then there are those that you cannot. I fear the Landrost is still plaguing his mind. He is safe now, but without help from a proper healer I am not sure for how long."
The bottom dropped out of Maerad stomach and she nearly retched with the fear. She racked her brains; the only Bardic healers she knew and could trust were Nelac - who was currently being held in the prison in Norloch - and Saliman, who Cadvan had told her was gifted as well, even though he did not follow the way of a healer. But he might not be close enough to help. The truth was Maerad did not know where Saliman or her brother was, or even if they were alive. Tears prickled at her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. Cadvan was very badly hurt, her brother was missing if even alive at all, and the only two bards that she thought could help were beyond reach.
Ardina took Maerad in her arms as a mother would do for a child who was crying. "Dear one, tell me who you think may help and I will bring them here. I cannot watch as your heart breaks. I remember what it is to love someone and to have to watch them die before you."
Maerad looked up into Ardina's face, hardly daring to hope, and gave her the only two names she knew of. "But I don't know how they may help," she added. "They are so far away; I am sure they are beyond reach."
Ardina smiled softly and said gently, "I will find a way."