Silver Cathedral Saga (10 page)

“I… I don’t
know what to say,
”
said Eleanor, making
her loudness creep so quietly now that by the end of the sentence
Christian could hardly hear. “I assumed he died,
”
picking up her clarity. “But didn’t want to bring it
up. All this time I always thought that from the way I heard you
and your family talk about him.”

“Don’t
worry. That part of my life is way over now—wherever he is,” said
Christian, only he still thought of his sister and what he could do
at this time.

Sea
Life

On the
surface of the Shade Sea, the water swayed.

Little,
sparse rays of moon light shone down on the blackness of the water,
giving it some noticeable colour as the wind whistled its song
through the dark. Splashes thrust up and down, up and down. A
motion of unsteadiness came into play and had been for most of that
very night.

Until it
crashed upon a transport that moved upon this salty sea. One that
carried a group of people like no other you would have ever seen on
Astora.

“Captain
Mileena, the Anchor Men are stirring,” said one of the crew men
after coming up from jumping onto the boat with such magnificence
and inhumane height, plopping her right in front of who she spoke
to with ease.

The captain
grabbed this female’s blue coat who just spoke. “What do you
mean—stirring. More than usual?” she asked Mileena, taken in by the
moment at hand.

“Some have
been showing symptoms; that our magick is not in full effect.
Something is definitely wrong.”

“Hmmm,”
replied the captain, looking out to the shaded water from the deck
of her boat, seeing her home, the sea she lived upon.

The ocean
was in a mighty strop tonight, which worried the folks on the boat
because there had been many numerous days where the sea had never
stirred. And whenever it did, there was always big problems to
follow. “Then it looks like me and you are going fishing. Round up
a crew,” said their captain.

It was hard
not to notice on a boat as big as theirs, that all fifty-seven were
in fact all female.

The ship
was a deep and extended Carrack style boat that housed an entire
lower deck compartment for storage. It was elongated so much there
would still be room for about another forty more people, at
least.

The Carrack
style boat was the only ship used by this certain group of people
on the Shade Sea, or what they usually referred to as their
world.

It was more
than big enough for them, because they did not and could not sleep,
eat or drink. All for very valid reasons, of course.

In less
than several minutes there was ten dark haired females gathered and
ready to go; their hair exactly like the dark of the sea; including
a tiny hint of navy to it, but because there was such little light
it resembled black more than anything else.

Each one
was about to jump beneath the water without any preparations or
help to breathe.

They all
stood on the border of the ship that helped contain people on it,
keeping them safe from the coldness of the sea. Then each one
jumped. One by one they entered with a splash and plunged into the
depths of this gloomy exterior.

Though as
soon as the women were under the water—something changed. Something
remarkable.

As soon as
that part of their body submerged, they became one with the
ocean.

All became
mere wavy lines as they moved in the water, showing the shell of
each individual. They all had long hair floating about from their
movement in the world beneath, even though these too just looked
like murky lines close up.

When they
moved through the water it looked more like a flying arrow
travelling through the sea. But an even faster one that could go as
far as it wanted or wished. Only people somewhat close to these
beings would be able to see they even moved or existed beneath.
They were a common secret amongst the land dwellers, and they liked
it that way.

They all
shot through the water, moving towards the same direction and
followed in a neat line.

“We’re
coming up on the fields,” said captain Mileena. “Be cautious. As
much as we can’t be hurt in this form they can still get away and
do damage to those outside.” Underneath the water to anybody else
these whispers would never have been heard, but to their own kind
they could hear each other for miles around.

The time
came when the females under the ocean stopped and saw what they
came for.

Their eyes
adapted naturally to the lighting in the sea, making any light or
the lack of it not a problem: Turning their eyes a brighter colour
to see what was ahead.

There was
thousands upon thousands of people beneath the sea at the very
depths in blackness. No living land dweller could make it down here
without the help of a spirit, which also looked nearly impossible
to do.

An anchor
for each was partly buried under sand, weighing down all these
people that were trying to look to the surface, or most of
them.

“Three are
stirring,” said one of their crew. “I can feel them trying to slip
away from our hold.”

“I’m going
to take a closer look,” said the captain. She darted to one of the
prisoner’s whose eyes was closed but straight, not tilted up; as if
trying to look to the surface.

Mileena
placed her hand on the face of the man and saw what he saw in a
quick series of flashes: A young boy. A woman, and what looked like
a younger Queen Snowbridge.”

Three
seconds later she was brought back to herself, and retracted from
touching his washed out skin as fast as she could. A worrying glare
came from her eyes and continued to stare at the man. “You didn’t
deserve this, did you.” She talked as if he was going to answer
Mileena. “If I could give you back your freedom I would. But all
magick has rules and consequences we have to abide by. Even for us
Water Spirits.”

Snowbridge

“You
know what you mean . . . to me,” said a man standing opposite the
queen, hesitating to say it.

“I know. I
feel the same way, but I am a married woman. And to the king. You
know what would happen to us both if the king ever found out that I
slipped.”

“I know the
consequences, Selina. But the heart is irrational, unlike our
humanoid minds. We can’t help what we feel, can we?”

Snowbridge
didn’t feel the need to talk back now. She was still taking in all
the consequences of what she had done. Internal problems which
bring disastrous relics to their name, and stain it.

To wipe a
dark colour out of ones life is a task that brings about untold or
talked about actions, and drastic ones at that. Yet for every
mistake lies an unwilling solution within people. Especially at
first. Though to bridge the gap, to get to that willingness of such
a thing, many different tasks and actions have to be done. Usually,
unique to the individual.

“How will
we tell our children about this?” asked Selina.

“Do they
really need to know yet? They are far too young to understand what
we have went through..”

“I
suppose,” was her answer. “I just don’t like all the secrecy about
it.”

“I’m
guessing nobody does. Secrets will always be a part of life though,
regardless,” replied this man. “Christian, my oldest, is still way
too little to comprehend what has happened between us. “

“Happened,”
snapped Selina Snowbridge. “Past tense. I’m not continuing this
violation of trust anymore.”

“Oh, if
that’s what you think is best and want. I understand.” He said this
in quite a low and gloomy way.

“You have
to get that I don’t want it to end. You know we have a special
connection that we can’t explain, exactly, but I need to be
faithful to my husband.”

“I know. It
was my own fault that I left my family to take a chance on you,”
said Christian’s father.

“You’ve
left your family!” said Selina loud and surprised. “I never meant
for that to happen. I don’t want to wreck a family and home.”

“It was my
choice. I decided to take the chance,” said the father.

Formed

In the
ready room inside the Silver Cathedral, two Priests surrounded
Queen Snowbridge, and opposite her and one of the old men and women
(the Priests), was a Swan-knight, Star-caster, Beast-caster and
Fire-caster.

“Do we even
know where to start looking,” said Ematay, the Star-caster.

“Not
exactly,” replied Snowbridge. “Though I believe wherever it is it
will be well guarded.”

“Do you
think the enemy has it now?” asked Ematay.

“I’m
praying that is not so. But it is still a possibility.”

“What about
the Romani?” asked the Fire-caster. “Can they not make another
whilst we try to look for this one?”

“I’m afraid
the Romani magick doesn’t work so quick. It could take days, maybe
weeks before the full potent effects of the protective magick are
properly imbued into the stone. Then they need to sync it with the
other stone swans, which would take several more days. It’s just
not fast enough in these circumstances. We would all be gone by
then. And we can’t let that happen.”

“Of course
not my Queen,” said Ematay.

“The
Priests can’t open a black hole to anywhere to travel. In case the
incident from Sunndira happens again; the one you told us about,
Ematay. We can’t let our enemy inside. It would end this quicker
than any we have had to endure in the past. So you will each be
going by swanback to Swansie.”

“Do we any
kind of rough idea where to even start looking, my lady?” said the
Star-caster.

“The Romani
are in Swansie now from what you’ve said, so this might be a lot
easier for us. Seek out the female called the
‘
Nightingale
’
. She will be
able to locate any of the swans that was made for the cathedral.
Here is a map. When she casts the spell, what we are looking for
will appear on the map. And has to return to us as soon as
possible.”

There was a
sudden sound of footsteps tapping against the stone floor coming
towards the Ready Room. Everyone in the room turned to see who it
was as soon as the person came into sight in the doorway.

“Son, what
is it?” asked Snowbridge to Prince Etch.

“The
Shadows,” he said, loudly, trying to catch his breath. They are
only three days walk from here now. A Star-caster just made it out
of their grasp. He is in the hospital wing as I speak. A messenger
has found, at great cost—steel and arrows alone do not harm these
dark beings. Many have perished not knowing this.”

Queen
Snowbridge looked at Ematay sharply, as if to say go. Go now:

He and the
three others got onto the enormous War Swans; the rest not going
watched the sky door open, the very thing Ematay and his group used
to leave this room. A hole in the middle of the floor.

The swans
leapt from their platforms they were tied up on before, and dived
into the sky beneath them. It instantly looked as if they were
going to drop into the Shade Sea at first. Then, the large birds
shot up in the opposite direction pretty much, and at what seemed
to be at the very last minute. The group quickly found the hole
that led them to the floating land above; its entrance to their
next mission. Possibly their last.

Initiation

It was
the next day, the day that held Eleanor and Christian’s first steps
into becoming a Spell-caster.

They were
led to a large room after breakfast. Double, gigantic doors were
opened from the one who led them here; a one which housed weapons,
dummies, shields, and a whole lot of space to go with it. Yet the
floor was made of something quite soft. Not stone like other rooms,
but it was sturdy enough to walk on without too much effort.

The
Spell-caster left their side as soon as the children entered, and
it all began. Right there, right then.

“Before we
even start this magick training each individual is giving a choice.
A choice in what god or goddess to follow. Just make sure you pick
a suitable one. Because there is no going back once you’ve
decided.” The man was clearly another Priest, like the one they saw
in Sunndira being sucked into the black hole. He wore all the same
colour upon his cloak, or lack of it. This man was not as old as
the other Priest they had seen before, but must have around the age
of fifty still.

“If you
need time to decide you can have one day from now to tell me your
choice. Then we will begin. If you are not so well educated with
the gods, I have gotten permission to place the ’Text of Edeolon’
here from the Throne Room.”

It was the
book they saw just yesterday, and a grand size of a book it was.
Only it stood on a strong high table, not the proper stand that was
in the room they first saw it in.

Eleanor and
Christian moved over to it and looked at the text just out of
curiosity. The penmanship was impressive. None of the children
could imagine themselves writing that pristine, clear and fancy at
the same time without making a single mistake.

“Well,”
said the Priest. “Your choice?” rushing them along.

Eleanor
looked to the middle aged man and knew instantly, looking at the
name of the god she would chose to follow. “Emae. I choose Emae,”
said Eleanor, sounding confident in her choice.

“I must
tell you that each deity gives different ways of using magick, as
well as different abilities. For the god of fire, light and
suns—you will be powered by the sun, and will also be at your
strongest when it is out. Also, Fire-casters are primarily long
range units.” She didn’t move or say anything again to confirm her
decision. “Okay, good,” said the Priest with one less decision to
get out of the way. “And what about you, Christian?”