Chapter 28

DEDICATION: this chapter is for Alanna22039, who is now the owner of Eliena's dress from the previous chapter, a wonderfully devoted reviewer, a fabulous reviewer, and a great person.

Eliena sat up in bed and swore loudly. Thom, Numair, Jonathan, Alanna, and even Daine heard her loud and clear-but not with physical ears. Eliena was grumbling about how "gods cursed painful that was" and "what in the name of the Great Mother happened?" Anyone with a Gift or wild magic heard the princess and Numair's reply of, "It broke."

Just the word "broke" send people into a tizzy. What broke? Was it important? Where? Numair explained as calmly as possible that it was the barrier between the Human Realms and the Divine Realms and it hadn't just broken- it had shattered.

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"Great Merciful Mother, what are these things?" Eliena asked, looking in awe at the creatures.

"Wyverns," Numair and Daine replied together. The creatures had no eyes, a keen sense of smell, and skinned anything they touched—alive. Eliena called up a violet ball.

"Eli? What are they?" her father asked. Eliena could see the Dominion Jewel in his hand.

"Wyverns. Skinners," she replied and shuddered. "Scary things. Where's mother?" Jonathan had long ago promised his lady knight wife she could fight a war-this war was her choice. Both the king and his daughter worried about Alanna against the immortals. She may have been the Lioness, but she was the queen, and dear to them both.

"Your mother is fine," Jonathan assured her.

Eliena sighed. "Well that's-ah!"

"Eliena? Eliena!" Jonathan yelled. "What's wrong?" His mirror went dark without Eliena's answer.

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Eliena's violet eyes fluttered open. She looked around and saw she was in a lush forest.

"Where-where am I?" she asked, sitting up and putting her hand to her head. She felt soft grass underneath her. When she looked down, she saw that she no longer wore breeches and a leather jerkin, but a light, comfortable white dress. She went to fix her hair, but felt it was perfectly in order with a crown of white flowers surrounding her head.

"You are in my realm, my daughter," a voice replied. It sounded like calling wolves. Eliena turned and gasped. The woman standing before he was at least seven feet in height, with the greenest eyes Eliena had ever seen, black hair, and scarlet fingernails.

"Goddess," Eliena murmured, rising and curtsying. Her mother had been touched by the Great Mother Goddess and had told Eliena of her experiences with the higher being.

"You know me," the Goddess said, "from your mother's tales. You know I had my Hand on her. But do you know I have my Hand on you as well?" Eliena looked up in surprise.

"But…why?" she asked.

"Your path will be an interesting was, as was your mother's. But yours shall lead to a different greatness. You are the first woman to ever inherit the Tortallan throne, and you have unique magics around you." Eliena nodded, remembering the power allowing her to sense anyone Tortallan. "But even after the death of your parents, you shall still have much to learn." That made Eliena nervous. Did the Goddess mean her parents would die soon? "There is much about your future that is left up to you, but your final destiny is among the Great Ones." The Great Ones? Could she mean the Great Gods? No, she couldn't. Could she? Eliena thought.

"Is there anything I must know?" Eliena asked, recalling her mother's story about her first encounter with the Goddess.

"You must return home, young princess. You must not remain in the Divine Realms longer than is necessary. Your world needs you," the Goddess replied. Eliena nodded slowly, only barely comprehending. Why would anyone back home need her? "You have many who love and admire you, young one, but you must choose."

"What do you mean?" Eliena asked.

"You must choose who to love and how you love," the Goddess replied vaguely.

"Well that's helpful," she remarked dryly. "There's nothing else you can tell me?"

"Little princess, if we went around telling people their destinies, we wouldn't get any amusement in life," the Goddess replied, amused. Eliena nodded and her eyes widened. A cat walked out from behind the Goddess. It was black with eyes as violet as her own.

"No!" Eliena breathed. "Faithful?" Her mother's beloved cat had died shortly after Eliena's first birthday.

You know me? The cat asked in disbelief.

"Mother speaks of you often," Eliena replied. "She misses you."

Understandably, the cat said.

"Do you want me to tell her anything?" Eliena asked.

Tell her I watch over her still, so not to think I can't punish her for what she does, Faithful replied. Eliena grinned. The cat was just as her mother had told her he was.

"I have kept you here too long, they worry about you," the Goddess put in, eyes clouded. "I must give you to the ones who brought you."

"What?" Eliena asked. The forest around her started to fade. "Wait! No!"

"Farewell, daughter," the Goddess said.

Goodbye, Alanna's daughter, Faithful called.

"No!" Eliena sat up again; she was now in a cozy cottage bedroom.

"Eli!" Daine threw her arms around her friend. "I was worried about you."

"Where am I?" Eliena asked.

"We're in the Divine Realms, Eli. This is my parents' home," Daine replied. "Numair and I have been awake for almost three days. We were worried you hadn't made it."

"Hadn't made it?" Eliena asked in confusion. "Your parents' house? The Divine Realms?"

"We might've died if my ma hadn't pulled us out of the Human Realms. The Skinners were about to kill us," Daine replied. "She brought us here, to the home she lives in with my da." Daine's eyes lit up. "I know my da now, Eli!"

"Good morning, Eliena," Numair greeted from the doorway. "Feeling all right?"

"Fine. Confused, but fine," Eliena said. "I-I saw the Goddess."

"You saw the Goddess?" Daine asked. "Tell me about it."

"I- I don't know if I can," Eliena replied, dazed.

"Is that where you got that?" Daine pointed to an ember stone that Eliena clutched in her hand. Eliena looked at it with wide eyes.

"I-I'm not sure," Eliena replied. "I don't remember getting it…" She looked up and saw Numair glittering with a sparkling black fire around him. She gasped. "Great Merciful Mother! I've got one like mother's!" Eliena unhooked the necklace holding her charm against pregnancy and slid the ember stone on it. Just feeling it made her feel safer—almost like Alanna was there with her.

"Is this your friend, Daine?" a woman asked, walking in past Numair. She was beautiful, with golden hair and blue eyes. She smiled welcomingly at Eliena. "Hello."

"Daine, who's that?" Eliena asked, eyes riveted on the woman.

"Eli, this is my ma, Sara Benerski, the Green Lady. Ma, this is Princess Eliena of Conté, she's going to be queen," Daine introduced. Daine's mother curtsied.

"Princess," she said.

"Oh, no," Eliena stopped. Holding her new ember, she could see the woman glittering white—the color of the gods. "You're a goddess. I must curtsy to you." Eliena stood and curtsied to Sara. Sara smiled.

"So you're the one the Goddess has her Hand on. We've all heard much about you, princess," Sara remarked.

"Please, its Eliena," Eliena corrected. "Daine's my best friend."

Sara's smile grew and she put her arm around her daughter. "Then I am Sara to you. I'm glad to hear that my Daine has a friend."

"Sara? Daine?" A man wearing only a loincloth walked in. His tanned skin was tinged with green and there were horns in his brown hair. Eliena gasped. She looked down and was relieved to see she still wore the dress she'd worn with the Goddess.

"Weiryn, this is Princess Eliena of Conté, the one the Goddess has her Hand on," Sara told the man. "Eliena, this is my husband, Daine's father, the god Weiryn."

Eliena looked at Daine in shock. "You're a demigoddess, Daine?" Daine nodded and blushed. "I'm honored to call you my friend!" Sara, Daine, Weiryn, and Numair chuckled.

"From what we know about you, Eliena of Conté, we should all be honored to stand in your presence," Sara replied. Eliena looked at them in confusion.

"Come again?" she asked.

"Oh, I've said too much, haven't I?" Sara looked at her husband, who nodded. Sara blushed. "Excuse me." She smiled at Eliena. "Come, you must be famished. And I'm sure Daine and Master Numair are anxious to speak with you again. They were very worried about you, Eliena."

Eliena nodded, Sara's words echoing in her mind, and followed Sara out of the room.

Author's Note- so, we've got some interesting stuff going on here. Any guesses about Eliena's fate? Check out my homepage- there's a little treat for you there. And if you haven't replied to the poll, yet, be sure you do. That's IMPORTANT. If you have this story as a favorite, or on alert, you OBVIOUSLY care about what happens. SO SAY SOMETHING! On another note, my Tarzan CD came today. (That's why, in those divider things it says "TARZAN!") I have it on repeat. AMAZING CD- go buy it! And don't forget the REVIEW!