Chapter Twelve: Brilliance

Liayela sat in one of the various pools of warm water that were scattered about their underground refuge. She had not a care in the world, was in fact feeling better than she ever had. Dharketh had betrayed her, but there was no harm he could do now after she had so thoroughly discredited him in front of an assembly of the people. They would obey-- they always did.
She had been the leader of her people for over seven centuries now. The eighth century was soon to begin. The old ones that might have dissented against some of her laws were now either dead or could no longer move for old age. Their children had given her their loyalty, and had taught their children and their children's children to do the same.
Liayela had practically become a god to her people, not only through her rulership but through the help of the Fount as well. Every two centuries, the Elvin-born that was brought to her was sacrificed in secret, the power from his life force channeled instead into her body. Of course, she told the rest of the people that those she had killed were simply too weak to undergo the process that purified their souls of the abominable taint of human.
They believed her. No one had even bothered to question the fact that this took place only every two hundred years, nor had they noticed that Liayela always came out looking much more youthful and vibrant than she had the day before.
The elves were getting weary of living their life beneath the earth and sea. They knew that they had once lived beneath the sun, under boughs and leaves, in the wild grassy plains, in the deserts. Of course, Liayela had never lived this life. She had been born long after the elves had been driven from their homes, and so had no memories of this life. She had not even the songs from that time, for no one sang anymore due to their utter desolation.
The only hope the elves had anymore was the prophecy--and that seemed as if it would never come to pass. Liayela had long ago given up all faith. If the goddess was planning on returning, would she not have returned by now? Her people were all but extinct, some of the elves even committed themselves to the sea because they could not stand living the way they did anymore. Many of the old ones even went to sleep and simply never woke up.
Thinking of sleep, 'Ela smiled. To think that Dharketh had thought that pitiful woman was their salvation. She had fallen to such a simple spell as sleep; she could not possibly be their goddess. Or even the one the goddess was supposedly going to birth unto them.
A nagging feeling at the back of her mind told her that the Lost were acting up again. Those blasted things had been so rowdy lately, ever since they had first touched that woman in her dreams. Liayela had ordered Dharketh to frighten them off in an attempt to keep them under control, but it had failed. The Lost had returned to the woman every time she went to sleep, and had only retreated when Dharketh's mental monster had driven them off and the woman out of her sleep so that they would not return.
She sighed in frustration. What was it about this human that made everything go so completely insane? Ever since she had been discovered, things had been going wrong. The Lost, her source of power and control over the Sleepers, had grown lax in their duties, though not enough so that the Sleepers woke up. Barely.
If they had enough power to erase the memories of all the damned sailors that came in search of the Fount, they wouldn't have to keep them like this. Another good reason for killing the newest Elvin-born--the soul from one Elvin-born could hold an entire fleet of humans in sleep for as long as needed. With all the ships that came their way, the sacrifices had to be made. At one point in time, so many had come that a few of the elves that had been born true had to be sacrificed.
The parents of those unfortunate elves had been told that their children had committed themselves to the sea in despair. What they did not know would save her in the end. She shifted in the water uncomfortably. She knew, even if she didn't want to admit it, that her reign was coming to an end. Ever since the new ship had been detected, a growing feeling of alarm had nagged at her. She had to make a new sacrifice, and soon, or else she feared that she would lose all of her hard-won power.
Which one would she sacrifice? There were two of them, after all, and since the man was here he had to have some sort of the older race in him. If he hadn't, then he would not--could not--be here. The spheres would not let anyone except those of the Blood pass.
She shifted in the water again, trying to think of what she would do-- and how she would explain it this time. With Dharketh running about, anything could happen and she didn't want to risk the danger he posed. She had already discredited him, but there were plenty of young elves that would readily follow him even if it was only for the reason that Dharketh was young himself. The young were ever that way.
Suddenly she sat forward, making the water swirl and eddy about her as a brilliant idea came to mind.
She would bring Dharketh to her quarters, eliminate him herself, and claim that he had committed suicide, so devastated was he that he had been so publicly humiliated. Then she would be free to sacrifice both of the new Elvin-born and harvest the power of two souls instead of one. It would take care of the problem that these two posed, if any.
Liayela sat back again, relaxing more fully with a smug smile on her face. This would work brilliantly.

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He sat in a little nook that he had come to when he was troubled ever since he was a child. He may have just ruined the only hope he ever had of escaping this place by telling the Eagle of Her own history before Her new body was ready to hear it. How could he have been so stupid? He ran his hands back through his hair, getting it off his face as he tried to regain a normal breathing rhythm. He had run considerably farther from the room that She and the human were than he had intended, but perhaps this was for the best. He had to collect his thoughts. It was not easy to meet the Goddess that would deliver his people from this hell--even if it wasn't exactly She that would deliver them from it. She had yet to birth their salvation, and none of them quite knew what that meant.
Was She going to have a child? He shuddered. It was hard to imagine how the beauty of the Eagle would change as Her belly grew with the new and magical life within Her. But would She even have a normal pregnancy? Would it be a pregnancy, or was She going to create for them? No one really knew, and that was part of why it was so difficult to see Her.
The other reason it was so hard to look at Her was because She was so beautiful. The elves as a whole were a very beautiful people, but She was so much different from any of them. Her hair was golden instead of the general black or earth tones of the rest of them, and there was a certain manner with which She carried Herself that made it seem as if She did not walk the ground everyone else walked. He had never met anyone like Her, and he was positive that if any of the others met Her--young or old--they would not wish to give Her up. Especially once they discovered for themselves that She was the Goddess returned unto them.
He sat there in despair, certain that he had brought about the absolute destruction of his people.

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Wow, it is REALLY hard to remember to capitalize references to Arianne when Dharketh's thoughts refer to her. Yeesh! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and thank you so much for not yelling at me!