Chapter Seventeen: The Lost
They came to her in her sleep as they had for what seemed like forever.
"You did not drink it," they sighed.
"You did not touch it,"
"You survived."
They circled about her, and for once she could see them. They were vibrant images of elves, their eyes full of sparkling happiness. They danced about her in two circles, one within the other, all holding hands. She knew who they were now, Liayela had told her.
"You freed us,"
"But there are others,"
"Others that were trapped,"
"Trapped by her greed."
"We were their watchers,"
"Their guides."
She was no longer entirely sure what they were talking about. She knew about the crews of the ships unfortunate enough to have come close to the isle, but they were already dead, weren't they? There was nothing she could do for them, she thought.
"Not the humans," one whispered.
"The lost, the lost!" moaned another.
"They will remain lost without us,"
"We cannot allow that to happen,"
"They cannot find their way alone."
She was confused. "Who are these lost ones you speak of?" she asked. They milled about her, no longer dancing their joyful dance, no longer holding hands. They were uncomfortable, she realized, and did not know why.
"Dead,"
"Dead,"
"Dead," they whispered amongst each other.
She frowned. Talking with these spirits was so confusing, and getting information from them was incredibly slow. Dead? What did they mean, dead? What was dead?
"Many,"
"Many have come,"
"This day."
"They are lost,"
"Confused,"
"They have lost their road,"
"Their road home."
"But how?!" Arianne cried out to them. "How did they lose their road home? Where is home? Who are the lost?"
"Elves," one whispered sadly.
"They have long been unable to leave this plane,"
"Since the War,"
"Since Aryana left."
Aryana...where had she heard that name? It was so hard to think in this place, she found herself to be rather forgetful here. As though she was a spirit herself. "Me?" she whispered softly, trying to think of the name she had been called so long ago. The spirits grew excited then, once more moving in circles about her.
"The goddess,"
"The goddess left,"
"She could no longer guide the spirits,"
"To their final home."
"They cannot return,"
"Anymore," mourned another.
"But I never..." she started to say, but they interrupted her.
"You didn't have to,"
"Your immortal presence,"
"Was enough to pull them to you."
She was about to cry with frustration. This was so difficult to understand. "Pull them...to me? Why would they come to me when they died?"
"They are a piece of you," said one.
"They are you," said another.
"Their souls returned to you,"
"Waiting to be reborn."
"Only when you return,"
"To your home in the land of the gods,"
"Or to the new home of your people,"
"Will they find their way back to you."
"Without us,"
"They will wander the earth,"
"As ghosts forever."
She understood now, or at least she supposed she did. She had to go back to the land of the gods, where Allah reigned supreme...or she had to live in the new home of her people, leaving Earth for humans. But...she could not leave, not yet. Her child must still be born, must mature, to lead the people to the new world. She could not free the lost yet, but if she could not, they would remain lost for eternity. These spirits were free to leave now, to follow their path, except...
They would be lost as well. They were the souls of elves themselves, if she freed them completely they would follow the same path of the souls of the poor elves who had died during her long--and it had been many thousands of Elvin lifetimes--absence.
"I cannot let you go free," she whispered.
"We know,"
"We know,"
"We know," they said, and they were sad but at the same time strangely happy.
"You will free us,"
"Some day,"
"We can wait,"
"For our time to arrive."
With that, they all disappeared--not only in visibility, but in presence as well. They had left her now, but she knew that they had not left out of anger. They had left to return to their charges.
Now she could leave this strange place and return to the world she had known and loved for nearly two decades.
************************
She stirred and Jack nearly jumped out of his skin, but she simply turned to snuggle into him, her breathing falling into the normal rhythms of sleep rather than the almost deathly stillness of her unconsciousness. He stroked her hair. She had changed so much since he had first met her, but he loved her all the more for it. What would happen when he grew old and died, though? he wondered morosely.
"You won't grow old and die the way you think," said a voice behind him, making him nearly jump out of his skin again. When he turned, he saw an elf with white hair and depthless silver eyes.
"Old you shall become, but you shall not age. Die you shall, but not because of age, nor shall you die in combat. Your life will be full, and your spirit will be fulfilled in all ways. Never shall you nor any of your loved ones suffer for lack of adventures. Your ship will one day belong to your offspring as your body is sung to the depths of the sea."
"Who are you?" he asked as the silver eyes seemed to see him rather than into his soul.
"My name is Y'lorani. I usually don't give such a thorough seeing, but your thoughts spoke clearly to me and the vision overtook me. I apologize." Her face remained expressionless.
"Quite alright," he said, though he was more than a little bit weirded out. He had, after all, just been told how he would not die. Though it was a relief that he would not grow feeble with age as he had feared, it was slightly strange to be told that he would, indeed, die, and that his ship would belong to his child.
"I will be coming with you," the elf said.
"What?" Jack asked, confused.
"When you depart this cursed rock, I will be accompanying you. The council has not decided this yet, but I know that it will come to pass all the same." Y'lorani bowed slightly and then left the room as abruptly as she had entered it.
How strange life had gotten! he thought to himself incredulously, shaking his head. How could so much happen to one person?
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Alrighty then, this chapter went much easier than the last one. The story is really winding down now, I think only a few more chapters will be added before it's finished. I hope you liked it!
They came to her in her sleep as they had for what seemed like forever.
"You did not drink it," they sighed.
"You did not touch it,"
"You survived."
They circled about her, and for once she could see them. They were vibrant images of elves, their eyes full of sparkling happiness. They danced about her in two circles, one within the other, all holding hands. She knew who they were now, Liayela had told her.
"You freed us,"
"But there are others,"
"Others that were trapped,"
"Trapped by her greed."
"We were their watchers,"
"Their guides."
She was no longer entirely sure what they were talking about. She knew about the crews of the ships unfortunate enough to have come close to the isle, but they were already dead, weren't they? There was nothing she could do for them, she thought.
"Not the humans," one whispered.
"The lost, the lost!" moaned another.
"They will remain lost without us,"
"We cannot allow that to happen,"
"They cannot find their way alone."
She was confused. "Who are these lost ones you speak of?" she asked. They milled about her, no longer dancing their joyful dance, no longer holding hands. They were uncomfortable, she realized, and did not know why.
"Dead,"
"Dead,"
"Dead," they whispered amongst each other.
She frowned. Talking with these spirits was so confusing, and getting information from them was incredibly slow. Dead? What did they mean, dead? What was dead?
"Many,"
"Many have come,"
"This day."
"They are lost,"
"Confused,"
"They have lost their road,"
"Their road home."
"But how?!" Arianne cried out to them. "How did they lose their road home? Where is home? Who are the lost?"
"Elves," one whispered sadly.
"They have long been unable to leave this plane,"
"Since the War,"
"Since Aryana left."
Aryana...where had she heard that name? It was so hard to think in this place, she found herself to be rather forgetful here. As though she was a spirit herself. "Me?" she whispered softly, trying to think of the name she had been called so long ago. The spirits grew excited then, once more moving in circles about her.
"The goddess,"
"The goddess left,"
"She could no longer guide the spirits,"
"To their final home."
"They cannot return,"
"Anymore," mourned another.
"But I never..." she started to say, but they interrupted her.
"You didn't have to,"
"Your immortal presence,"
"Was enough to pull them to you."
She was about to cry with frustration. This was so difficult to understand. "Pull them...to me? Why would they come to me when they died?"
"They are a piece of you," said one.
"They are you," said another.
"Their souls returned to you,"
"Waiting to be reborn."
"Only when you return,"
"To your home in the land of the gods,"
"Or to the new home of your people,"
"Will they find their way back to you."
"Without us,"
"They will wander the earth,"
"As ghosts forever."
She understood now, or at least she supposed she did. She had to go back to the land of the gods, where Allah reigned supreme...or she had to live in the new home of her people, leaving Earth for humans. But...she could not leave, not yet. Her child must still be born, must mature, to lead the people to the new world. She could not free the lost yet, but if she could not, they would remain lost for eternity. These spirits were free to leave now, to follow their path, except...
They would be lost as well. They were the souls of elves themselves, if she freed them completely they would follow the same path of the souls of the poor elves who had died during her long--and it had been many thousands of Elvin lifetimes--absence.
"I cannot let you go free," she whispered.
"We know,"
"We know,"
"We know," they said, and they were sad but at the same time strangely happy.
"You will free us,"
"Some day,"
"We can wait,"
"For our time to arrive."
With that, they all disappeared--not only in visibility, but in presence as well. They had left her now, but she knew that they had not left out of anger. They had left to return to their charges.
Now she could leave this strange place and return to the world she had known and loved for nearly two decades.
************************
She stirred and Jack nearly jumped out of his skin, but she simply turned to snuggle into him, her breathing falling into the normal rhythms of sleep rather than the almost deathly stillness of her unconsciousness. He stroked her hair. She had changed so much since he had first met her, but he loved her all the more for it. What would happen when he grew old and died, though? he wondered morosely.
"You won't grow old and die the way you think," said a voice behind him, making him nearly jump out of his skin again. When he turned, he saw an elf with white hair and depthless silver eyes.
"Old you shall become, but you shall not age. Die you shall, but not because of age, nor shall you die in combat. Your life will be full, and your spirit will be fulfilled in all ways. Never shall you nor any of your loved ones suffer for lack of adventures. Your ship will one day belong to your offspring as your body is sung to the depths of the sea."
"Who are you?" he asked as the silver eyes seemed to see him rather than into his soul.
"My name is Y'lorani. I usually don't give such a thorough seeing, but your thoughts spoke clearly to me and the vision overtook me. I apologize." Her face remained expressionless.
"Quite alright," he said, though he was more than a little bit weirded out. He had, after all, just been told how he would not die. Though it was a relief that he would not grow feeble with age as he had feared, it was slightly strange to be told that he would, indeed, die, and that his ship would belong to his child.
"I will be coming with you," the elf said.
"What?" Jack asked, confused.
"When you depart this cursed rock, I will be accompanying you. The council has not decided this yet, but I know that it will come to pass all the same." Y'lorani bowed slightly and then left the room as abruptly as she had entered it.
How strange life had gotten! he thought to himself incredulously, shaking his head. How could so much happen to one person?
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Alrighty then, this chapter went much easier than the last one. The story is really winding down now, I think only a few more chapters will be added before it's finished. I hope you liked it!
