The Light of Asteria (40 page)

I had a difficult situation as my dresses had
been slashed to ribbons last night. The queen answered the call
with an exquisite gown that was the skimpiest yet. The green
exactly matched Gavin’s eyes, and the strap holding up the front
was nothing but a thick, golden necklace. The back was completely
open, but golden chains draped from the shoulders in various
lengths. I could feel them sway as I walked. I wore my hair up in a
French twist using the pink and green combs from the first night,
and put back on the emerald earrings and the necklace. As I walked
out of the bathroom, Gavin’s groan resounded in my ears. I was
almost afraid to show him the back of the dress.

“Your mother has great taste in clothes.” I
could feel his passion course through me, but I refused the urge to
open my mind. I was resolved; really, at this point it was almost
painful.

“I regretfully agree, love. Had Elaine not
knocked this morning, you would already have my amulet,” he
admitted. But still, he could not resist putting his hand under the
chains as we walked downstairs.

Rena and Elaine were completely maniacal
about eating at the same table with the queen, but I had Gavin tell
them earlier in the day to follow my lead. All of the men were
dressed in their silver and white formal uniforms. Rena was dressed
in the deep brown that matched the jasper of her irises; her gown
hung slightly in the back, but only showed the tips of her shoulder
blades. Elaine’s deep sapphire blue dress was a bit lower, but not
nearly as skimpy as mine. What’s the deal? I thought, as we walked
the corridors together to the dining hall. Gavin pulled me
close.

“They are all trying to make me insane. It’s
a plot against the throne,” he whispered in my ear.

“Your mother picked out this dress,” I
reminded him, his hand was dangerously low as we veered to the
left. He chuckled but said nothing. I turned to Rena, needing a
distraction.

“The Ancient One fixed my sculpture as if it
was never broken, isn’t that wonderful?” Rena nodded; she had a
green tinge around her that spoke of unease. A giggle escaped my
lips as I thought of the mountain house; this was her foot. She
laughed at the intent, pure joy ringing in the dining hall.

“I have not heard laughter that blissful in
years. Nora, you must tell me who this magnificent creature is.”
Queen Lera came to the front, and I hugged her, truly grateful for
everything from her son to her hospitality.

“My queen, you know these elves as Gavin’s
guard; I know them as my clan. When I spoke with the Ancient One
today, he deemed my thoughts are correct, and so I would like to
introduce them with their official titles, if I may?” I said a
little uncertain, but instinct told me to continue, and Gavin’s
creature swirled in approval. Rena and Tark were first in line.

“This is Tark, Keeper of the Waters.” He came
up to the queen and bowed, his surprise sprang around me.

“This is his mate, Rena, the Keeper of the
Fields.” The queen and Rena both grew a little uncomfortable, but I
continued. Elias’ expression was one of open surprise, but he
quickly looked to the floor as he drew near.

“This is the most trusted of our clan, Elias.
He once was Gavin’s head guard of old, but now he is Keeper of the
Beasts.” Elias quickly bowed to the queen and joined the
others.

“And lastly, this is Elaine, Elias’ mate. She
is Keeper of the Skies,” I said, as Elaine bowed to the queen.

“Of course, you know Gavin is the Keeper of
the Mountain, and I, my lady, am Nora, Keeper of the Ancient
Power.” Shock ran through the room. Gavin was amused—the queen was
not. Her icy expression glared, and the uncertainty grew. Maybe the
instinct that had gotten me this far was wrong. I opened my shield
a little and introduced her last.

“You, of course, make up the seventh, and are
the strongest of all the keepers. For you, Queen Lera, are Keeper
of All.” There. Queen Lera’s eyes flickered with appreciation. My
shield became rock solid for a moment, as I understood she felt a
little threatened. I would be mindful to include her in all
things.

Gavin’s concern flashed, and I morphed the
shield so he could see.

I love you.
His eyes warmed.

We sat at the table in order of importance. I
was a little sad the queen had insisted the men be on one side, the
women on the other. Gavin winked as he heard my thoughts. Dinner
was a wonderful affair, and the music softly joined us again this
evening. After the dishes had been cleared, I started our
meeting.

“As you know, I spoke with the Ancient One
this morning, and learned many things.” I told them about the
morning’s events in the mountain. The name Nora had been passed
down from mother to daughter for generations, but I didn’t know of
its significance until now. The queen thought for a while, and then
she spoke.

“Well, we cannot have keepers of the world in
the guard … that is for certain. We need to promote them so they
can be in a more prestigious state.” I could feel panic in the
room; they all liked their positions and their homes. No one wanted
to move.

“Begging your pardon, Your Grace, I
understand your position, but it is imperative no one other than
the people in this room know of its significance. It may be better,
if it’s agreeable with you, for everyone to keep the same
positions. The prince could give his guard extra privileges. No one
would find that out of the ordinary, as they’ve been to the dark
world of man. They would then be able to perform their duties as
the Ancient One sees appropriate and you deem necessary. We must
all work together as a secret society, of sorts. I can’t express
strongly enough how necessary it is to keep this from everyone
else, for the Ancient One warned the land itself could fall.” As I
spoke, Gavin’s shock twisted though me, and the room buzzed with a
conversation that I couldn’t hear. Elias finally was the one to
speak.

“I think that is an excellent idea, Nora of
Light. We will keep our post, and I vow to my queen and my clansmen
I will not knowingly betray this pact. I will keep the secret of
the keepers safe from exposure.” I could feel his words literally
bind to him. One by one, each one of the clan spoke the same vow as
Elias, and I knew the secret of the Keepers would remain safe.

We all bowed to the queen as she took her
leave, and the group started for the door. Gavin pulled me to the
vast open area of the great room.

“You go on, my clan. We will see you in the
morning.” He took me in his arms. We whirled around the dance
floor, and his hands found their way in between the golden chains
to embrace the space between my shoulder blades. I sighed.

“You know, Edna always called those angel
wings,” I whispered.

“Edna was a wise, wonderful woman,” Gavin’s
voice was muffled as he kissed the nape of my neck.

Gavin came to breakfast dressed in his formal
attire, and so I knew he had other things to do. Malachi’s
assurance no one would ever be able to sense my essence had eased
his mind, and the fact that we no longer had to worry about a short
human lifespan seemed to overpower everything else.

“Rena and I will walk with you to the Ancient
One. She will stay until your lesson is done.”

“Who are you meeting with today?”

“That is a secret, my lady.” He murmured with
a mischievous grin. I searched his emotions, but only joy was
prevalent, and so it must only be something good.

“Malachi, is it all right if the Keeper of
the Fields waits for me instead of my betrothed? He has an errand
but doesn’t want to leave me unprotected if he’s not back by the
time we’re through.” The Ancient One winked when I said his name.
Rena’s jaw dropped.

“It is more than all right, my dear. This
must be Corina, daughter of the great Rill. Your attributes as a
warrior are only bested by your creativity, my small friend. I wish
to thank you for your wonderful tutelage with Nora on the ways of
expression in our land. It seems you are a great teacher as well,
for when the broken hands came to me, I could not believe that
someone other than a master craftsman had done them.” He bowed and
humility milled around her.

“I believe you’ve done something I deemed
impossible ... Rena’s speechless.” I giggled, and she playfully
pushed me.

“I will get you back for that one later, my
lady,” she warned.

I smiled at the threat, and waited for
Malachi by the energy wall. “I’ll be right back. Hey, do you know
what Gavin’s up to?”

“I would not betray the future king. I
believe that is punishable by banishment.” Her smile widened,
Malachi chuckled.

“What about you, Malachi? Do you wish to
share that knowledge?” I grinned, already knowing the answer.

“Not for all the power of the mountain. Some
secrets are better revealed by the keeper. Now, time grows short;
let us be off. Corina, if you wish, there is a canvas and some
supplies in the corner. Please feel free to indulge in a little
creative play while we are learning.” He looked at me with a
twinkle in his eye, and she laughed, turning the walls blue. Rena
startled. Malachi’s eyes gleamed as he turned to her.

“Apparently, our Nora is not the only one who
possesses the gift of purity. Your laughter is pure joy, Corina. Be
mindful, for it is a powerful gift. Now, come my Light of Lights,
the day is short.” He led me through the wall of energy and we
headed down a different path.

“Today, we are learning about the power of
forgiveness. I would wait on this except time grows short. You
already possess the intrinsic knowledge, as you have shown
constantly with your mantra, as you call it. ‘Appreciate what they
can give, forgive them for what they cannot’. You have practiced
your beliefs more times than one can count. However, elves are not
born with this understanding. When they are affronted, they are
blindsided, as you would say. Their mistake is that they
concentrate all their energy on
not
feeling dark emotions,
instead of focusing on the power of forgiveness. We both know this
does not exonerate the offender in any way, but it heals the
victim. This is the knowledge the people of the kingdom lack.”

“Okay, so how do I educate the people of this
land?” We veered left; the tunnel narrowed.

“The only way to truly teach is through
example. In a few short days, you will have your reception for the
kingdom. Can we not think of one example that may serve for
everyone?” he enquired. I immediately knew what he was suggesting.
I was willing, but I wasn’t sure Gavin would go for it.

Malachi’s emotions filled with understanding.
“The prince in many ways is younger than you, Nora of Light. His
intentions are noble, but sometimes the outcome is unexpected. I
believe your first experience with the lake taught you this
lesson?” I smiled as we wound our way through a maze of tall
stalagmites.

“Loving and cherishing our children often has
the same effect.” Malachi continued. “Indulgence is a double-edged
sword. One side is strengthened with love, and the other is marred
with excess. To give children everything they desire and allow them
to have their wishes met at a whim, leads to adults with little
control.” Holly’s beautiful face flashed through my mind.

Our travels ended at a cavern that held only
a large round table with stools. Shelves full of ancient scrolls
lined the back wall, and hundreds of extremely old paintings hung
throughout.

“This is your new classroom, my Light,”
Malachi informed. “We will work every day in this room until you
can read and understand the texts. These are the original
histories, and only the descendants of the ancients have access.”
He went to the table, and directed me to sit. A yellowing scroll
lay open, and Malachi started reading in the ancient language, and
then translating to English.

I tried to listen, but my thoughts kept
wandering across the room. Through an arched passageway, a marble
pedestal stood, shrouded in a ray of sky blue light. A lone glass
cube had been placed atop the dais, and a single creature lay
within. It reminded me of something I had once seen at the zoo in
the extinct animal display. Malachi’s voice quieted; his eyes
narrowed in thought.

He put the scroll down and directed me
through the archway toward the glass box. The creature lay curled
in a ball on a nest of hay. It was similar to a sprite, but not
like the bright ones of the ancient elm forest. This creature was
gray and looked emaciated. Its ears were pointed, and its hands
were gnarled. I didn’t know if it was even alive.

“What happened to this creature Malachi? Is
it still with us, or has it gone to the higher plane?” Malachi
sighed, and then knocked on the box. A gray blur frantically raged,
as he tried to attack, furiously beating the glass with a frenzy.
He bore his sharp teeth, spitting and growling in hatred. The blue
energy beam increased around him, and he started to weaken. He
glared at Malachi and turned his back to us, burying his body under
the hay. I now realized that his hands were deformed because he had
broken them so many times trying to get out. Tears welled. What had
happened to this poor sprite? Malachi grimaced.

“Do you know the story of Gavin’s father?”
His question surprised me. Gavin never mentioned the king. My
feelings of privacy about family issues mixed with instinct, and I
never asked.

“I’ve not heard it, but I thought Gavin would
tell me in his time. I feel it’s important he gives me this
information, and so I would ask you not to share it with me.”

“Time is short, dear Nora. You must know this
story by tomorrow, or we may go no further. If you wish for it to
come from your betrothed, you must ask this of him tonight. If he
refuses to tell you, I have no choice but the share the story.
Agreed?”