Chapter 7-Redemption
Luareth shook herself awake with a start to find that the field was the same as they had left it, rotting with decaying bodies and scarred from their battle. The field stretched before her and her future behind her. She could take the power of any one she wanted but there was only one thing she wanted, "Nessi, how do I take your powers?"
"Wise choice, Luareth," congratulated Nessi, "I will surrender my powers to you freely."
Elah was surprised, "Luareth, what about the Nightwere? Aren't you going to take his power too?"
"I can't help him," Luareth replied, "I don't think anyone can. He's suffered enough. Elah, you seek not justice, but revenge. You can't take revenge yourself and so you wanted me to, but I won't. I'm sorry."
Tingit looked at Nessi, "How can you give up your powers? Freely even?"
"Power is not everything," Nessi grinned to a secret Joke, "right Luareth?" Luareth nodded silently. Nessi put her hands on Luareth's shoulders. Blue lightning surged through the air, striking the two and the ground around them. The Evernmage grabbed the four kids and quickly flew within the city walls. The blue energy storm peaked, each bolt struck the ground with earthquake force and apocalyptic flashes.
Then it was over. Nessi stood in the field with her hands still on Luareth's shoulders. After a moment, Nessi collapsed to her knees. Luareth looked down at her and then disappeared. Nessi smiled.
Birds twittered in the breezy air, air scented by open flowers and tinted slightly green from the thick tree branches over head. Two elves walked through the flowers, neither knowing of the enchantments that protected them or caring that they were precious to the township barely in shouting distance away.
Christen and Angela talked wistfully as they walked through the freshly harvested grain, aloof to the person following them. Christen, a tall and stately elvish youth, was born into the upper class. His father a wealthy merchant which left him the heir to a fortune. His father was busy and not able to tend to the education needs of his son and Christen knew what was coming to him, so Christen paid little attention to his studies.
His companion, they hoped for life, had always been more important to the village but less wealthy. Angela is the daughter of the Seer, the last in a line of visionaries that guided the civilization. The Seer granted passage through the territory for strangers.
Something was happening now; all of the Seers were called to the capitol now and their families. Angela thought the Seer's work detached her fro her daughter and so Angela didn't know, or care, what her mother did but now the whole family had to move. She had to leave her friends, her village, her house, and most importantly, Christen.
Angela broke the silence; "I don't want to go. The counsel needs the Seers, they can have them but why do they need their families too."
"My father doesn't know what is going on," Christen lamented, "but trade has also diminished. Soon there will be nothing left of the Trading Empire and I don't know what will happen to us then."
"I won't do it," Angela cried to the world, "I won't go with my family." Christen gingerly pressed her head to his shoulder with one hand and held her close. Angela's tear soiled Christen's silk tunic as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Christen, I'm so glad I caught up to you."
Christen didn't let go or turn his head, he knew the voice. "Luareth, Father told you to pack our things for the move. What are you doing here?"
"Yes, I did that," Luareth curtseyed slightly, "and then your father told me to bring you back for the feast." Her words were followed by a pause. She was being ignored again, so she crouched low, with her head barely above the leaf crests, and dreamed of a better future.
Plants rustled in the silence and Luareth slowly stood up. Angela and Christen separated but continued to hold hands. A young woman materialized from the field. None of the elves had heard her approach and the stalks around her were high. Her deep sapphire cloak should have stood out among the golden stalks, but no one had seen her coming. A hood shielded her face from view except for her pale mouth. She took one look at Christen and Angela and laughed, "Sorry to interrupt but do you know where the Elvish Haven is?"
"Yes," Angela replied, "we all live there at the moment. Luareth over there will show you the way."
"No," Luareth objected solemnly. She waved her hand and time stopped for all but her and Nessi, the stranger. Both of them knew what was coming, Nessi had foreseen it all along and Luareth knew what she must do, and they both relished it.
"I can't have this power," Luareth started, almost apologetically, "I don't want the same fate as the Nightwere."
"I know."
"I want to get rid of my power, give it to you," Luareth murmured, "I want nothing to have happened. Can you do that?"
"I can."
"You foresaw all of this, didn't you?" Luareth paused for a moment before tears welled up in her mind, "Don't answer, I don't want to know. I don't want to know anything."
"Surrender your power," Nessi commanded. Lightning rebounded on the air, strands of blue, red and green. The transfer took a moment and then Nessi turned to leave. Nessi has not foreseen that awesome power that Luareth had given her and she couldn't believe that Luareth took a carefree life over sheer power.
Before going, she paused and looked back at Luareth sobbing in the grass, "I'm impressed with your caution, young one. Live the long happy life you chose."
The day had passed into night with a clatter of glasses and plates as the feast continued undisturbed. Luareth laughed as she couldn't remember before. None of them saw the figure's approach, they barely felt the heat, and they would never feel anything again.
Nessi saw the red haze and knew that the Haven was gone, this time it had no survivors. She smiled to herself but then the smile melt away quickly. She held her hands in front of her and watched as red, green, and blue strands played between them. "I'm next," Nessi admitted to herself with morbid envy of Luareth.
My email is teslonic@hotmail.com. Please tell me what you think and how I can make it better.
Luareth shook herself awake with a start to find that the field was the same as they had left it, rotting with decaying bodies and scarred from their battle. The field stretched before her and her future behind her. She could take the power of any one she wanted but there was only one thing she wanted, "Nessi, how do I take your powers?"
"Wise choice, Luareth," congratulated Nessi, "I will surrender my powers to you freely."
Elah was surprised, "Luareth, what about the Nightwere? Aren't you going to take his power too?"
"I can't help him," Luareth replied, "I don't think anyone can. He's suffered enough. Elah, you seek not justice, but revenge. You can't take revenge yourself and so you wanted me to, but I won't. I'm sorry."
Tingit looked at Nessi, "How can you give up your powers? Freely even?"
"Power is not everything," Nessi grinned to a secret Joke, "right Luareth?" Luareth nodded silently. Nessi put her hands on Luareth's shoulders. Blue lightning surged through the air, striking the two and the ground around them. The Evernmage grabbed the four kids and quickly flew within the city walls. The blue energy storm peaked, each bolt struck the ground with earthquake force and apocalyptic flashes.
Then it was over. Nessi stood in the field with her hands still on Luareth's shoulders. After a moment, Nessi collapsed to her knees. Luareth looked down at her and then disappeared. Nessi smiled.
Birds twittered in the breezy air, air scented by open flowers and tinted slightly green from the thick tree branches over head. Two elves walked through the flowers, neither knowing of the enchantments that protected them or caring that they were precious to the township barely in shouting distance away.
Christen and Angela talked wistfully as they walked through the freshly harvested grain, aloof to the person following them. Christen, a tall and stately elvish youth, was born into the upper class. His father a wealthy merchant which left him the heir to a fortune. His father was busy and not able to tend to the education needs of his son and Christen knew what was coming to him, so Christen paid little attention to his studies.
His companion, they hoped for life, had always been more important to the village but less wealthy. Angela is the daughter of the Seer, the last in a line of visionaries that guided the civilization. The Seer granted passage through the territory for strangers.
Something was happening now; all of the Seers were called to the capitol now and their families. Angela thought the Seer's work detached her fro her daughter and so Angela didn't know, or care, what her mother did but now the whole family had to move. She had to leave her friends, her village, her house, and most importantly, Christen.
Angela broke the silence; "I don't want to go. The counsel needs the Seers, they can have them but why do they need their families too."
"My father doesn't know what is going on," Christen lamented, "but trade has also diminished. Soon there will be nothing left of the Trading Empire and I don't know what will happen to us then."
"I won't do it," Angela cried to the world, "I won't go with my family." Christen gingerly pressed her head to his shoulder with one hand and held her close. Angela's tear soiled Christen's silk tunic as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Christen, I'm so glad I caught up to you."
Christen didn't let go or turn his head, he knew the voice. "Luareth, Father told you to pack our things for the move. What are you doing here?"
"Yes, I did that," Luareth curtseyed slightly, "and then your father told me to bring you back for the feast." Her words were followed by a pause. She was being ignored again, so she crouched low, with her head barely above the leaf crests, and dreamed of a better future.
Plants rustled in the silence and Luareth slowly stood up. Angela and Christen separated but continued to hold hands. A young woman materialized from the field. None of the elves had heard her approach and the stalks around her were high. Her deep sapphire cloak should have stood out among the golden stalks, but no one had seen her coming. A hood shielded her face from view except for her pale mouth. She took one look at Christen and Angela and laughed, "Sorry to interrupt but do you know where the Elvish Haven is?"
"Yes," Angela replied, "we all live there at the moment. Luareth over there will show you the way."
"No," Luareth objected solemnly. She waved her hand and time stopped for all but her and Nessi, the stranger. Both of them knew what was coming, Nessi had foreseen it all along and Luareth knew what she must do, and they both relished it.
"I can't have this power," Luareth started, almost apologetically, "I don't want the same fate as the Nightwere."
"I know."
"I want to get rid of my power, give it to you," Luareth murmured, "I want nothing to have happened. Can you do that?"
"I can."
"You foresaw all of this, didn't you?" Luareth paused for a moment before tears welled up in her mind, "Don't answer, I don't want to know. I don't want to know anything."
"Surrender your power," Nessi commanded. Lightning rebounded on the air, strands of blue, red and green. The transfer took a moment and then Nessi turned to leave. Nessi has not foreseen that awesome power that Luareth had given her and she couldn't believe that Luareth took a carefree life over sheer power.
Before going, she paused and looked back at Luareth sobbing in the grass, "I'm impressed with your caution, young one. Live the long happy life you chose."
The day had passed into night with a clatter of glasses and plates as the feast continued undisturbed. Luareth laughed as she couldn't remember before. None of them saw the figure's approach, they barely felt the heat, and they would never feel anything again.
Nessi saw the red haze and knew that the Haven was gone, this time it had no survivors. She smiled to herself but then the smile melt away quickly. She held her hands in front of her and watched as red, green, and blue strands played between them. "I'm next," Nessi admitted to herself with morbid envy of Luareth.
My email is teslonic@hotmail.com. Please tell me what you think and how I can make it better.
