"Shamans, or mortal human beings who can communicate with the voices of other worlds, are rare, and powerful beings who can venture into the immortal lands, in and out of the cosmic lands, without losing their sanity, and only a fragment of their lives in the journey.
Six shamans are born in every century. They are granted a lifetime longer than that of the mere mortals, which erodes away as they venture into the lands which are unsuited to their physique. They are the messengers of the future in all of the lands, and that is why it is but their onus to keep journeying into the worlds.
The Shamans can only enter one world at one time, unlike the immortal beings, who can travel through the portals without any consequence. These mortal beings, however, are not permitted, and may lose more than their lives if they attempt thus."
Nimuel ran her fingers on the index, and turned the pages of the book. Aelanor leaned in, but Lady Saelther didn't move at all. Her eyes were closed as if in an attempt to relate the information with the Shaman's puzzle.
"The Shaman did say that it was his first visit to the elven lands," Aelanor said after a while, "so that must mean that all the Shamans look somewhat similar. Elves do have a keen sense of recognition, and my mother not able to recognize the man for who he was."
She took a deep breathe as her thoughts drifted back to her mother. Nimuel chirped in.
"I think I have found something, which will help us move forward."
She picked up another book which she had brought from the shelves, but it was definitely not anything the mortal lands had ever seen. The gold cover of the book was encrusted with precious stones, and the pages were as soft as feathers, and as white as a dove. Aelanor was sure it was surely dove feathers pressed in the form of pages. Nimuel picked them up softly with her fingers, and turned a few pages.
"It says here that the elven lands stretch for a few empires, due West, where The Realm of the Shadows starts" she looked up.
"How is that supposed to help us?" Aelanor said.
"Remember the Shaman said that we have to go where the dusk goes to sleep, didn't he?"
"But he also mentioned the place where the dawn wakes up, which is due East. What about it, then?"
"Oh, you're right. What do you think, Mother?"
Lady Saelther opened her eyes slowly, took a beady look at both of them before answering, "I think both of you are correct."
She picked up the paper on which Aelanor had scribbled down the puzzle.
"When allies come together, the powers of the dark do fly... You definitely need allies on your journey, without them it is impossible to find too many answers. The gong that sounds in the distance beckons... This could be the gong in the East, the Morning Bells. That is an unexplored realm, even the travelers like Lord Dalyor avoid those places. Perhaps, that is where your destination lies?
The shadows guide the way... Hmm, this is a bit more complicated. It is said that there are evil shadows in the Eastern Realm, yes, but you cannot just walk there by yourselves. Again, there is The Realm of the Shadows in the West, which we elves avoid. The Shadow Princess is one vengeful creature, and not many who set foot in that realm comes back, and if they do, they're heavily influenced by their magic. It never fares well."
She sighed and looked thoughtfully into the embers that were slowly turning deep scarlet, belching out dark smoke.
Aelanor asked, "What is on the other side of The Realm of the Shadows, Aunt? Is there someone who we could trust?"
Lady Saelther thought for a moment before replying, "Plenty. There are the Misty Mountains of the Dream Isles, and the Kingdom is favored by the forces of nature. The life there is prosperous, and the Queen is revered by all. Word is that she would help whoever comes to her door, for a little price. Nothing much, just to keep her subjects happy.
I believe that you could get her to help you, since the Queen is so concerned about the welfare of her people, she should help you. But the only way to go to the capital city of Eglarest is through The Realm of the Shadows, and I don't feel comfortable sending you out there."
"But Mother, you said that we are the only ones who can solve this without getting tainted by this curse," Nimuel said.
"I know, my child. But I am a mother too." Lady Saelther's face betrayed the sadness she felt.
"We have no choice, Mother. Either I will lose you, and Father, and all the Kingdom to this curse, or we'll have to take the risk and delve deeper into this quest, and hopefully find a remedy to end this all, or die trying."
Sorry for the delay folks. As you know, I try to upload one chapter per week, but I had a few exams, and my new Manager is such a pain in my butt! Ugh. Anyway, if you liked this chapter, please subscribe and spread love. Thanks xoxo
Lady Saelther didn't speak for the few moments that she held Aelanor to her bosom; tears wouldn't stop as easily as she held on to her daughter for the longest time. She reluctantly let go. "Be safe, my children," she whispered. "I will be praying to the Elements to watch over you. Please, take care of yourselves." "We will, Aunt. You take care of yourself, and give our regards to Lord Daylor when he comes back." Nimuel couldn't speak, but she smiled through her tears at her Mother, who kissed her forehead before letting go. "Farewell, children." "Farewell, Lady Saelther." As they stepped out of the manor, they saw Khoral and Nexus waiting for them by the gates. Nimuel stood beside Nexus as she stroked his golden mane in contemplation. "We should get a move on, cousin. We are not helping anyone by delaying the inevitable," Aelanor urged. Nimuel jumped on her horse without a single word, and pulled the reigns, and Aelano
A clearing opened up in front of them, but nothing was visible. Nothing, except the deepest shades of juniper glittering in front of them. The She-elves cautiously moved forward followed by their horses, and since the Whisper didn't say otherwise, they continued, until they reached the end of the green mist. And involuntary gasp escaped Nimuel's mouth, as Nexus bumped into her and she staggered a little at the edge. There in front of them was an abyss, which glittered with black water. The golden mare put its mouth near the water to have a sniff, perhaps due to thirst, but Nimuel pulled it back. "Don't, Nexus. It might be poisonous," she whispered urgently. "Very wise, Nimuel Saelther, wise indeed. Be known, though, that the water here is perfectly safe for consumption. It is not, however, plausible, to move forward this point without solving the next puzzle in your paths," the voice whispered. As
Elements knew what he understood, but when Khoral came and stood near Aelanor and began nudging her face with his, she could not have been happier. Nimuel was safe, so were the ponies. "I'm so glad we got through that. For a moment there, I didn't know what to do," she sighed. Nimuel chuckled. "I knew you could do it." The path ahead of them was clear. No visible shadows with riddles lurking in between them. At least not any they could see. Several pairs of eyes followed them as they walked through the forest, their paths unknown. The luminescent eyes would have glowed in the dark, if they were open. The shadow sentinels observed through their lids, trying to detect hints of deceit; the caravan moved on without any hinderance. The forest came to an end, and they stopped. Nimuel took a swift breathe that dissipated into the mist. In front of them was a city, surrounded by the same dark trunked trees as in the entrance,
"It would not be the worst idea in the world to sleep with a few blankets," Nimuel grinned at Aelanor, "I know how cold your feet gets." "I am not afraid, and I am not admitting anything of the sort to this to this little hooligan," Aelanor huffed. "He is adorable," Nimuel smiled, "and he's got you." "He has not!" Khoral gave a shivering neigh, and Aelanor looked at him, worried. "It's not for me, but I suppose I could say it for all of you." "You are unbelievable," Nimuel snorted. "What? You think I would give a child half my size the satisfaction to see that he has gotten the best out of me? Think again," Aelanor rolled her eyes. "You do realise that I can hear your whispers, do you not, Princess Aelanor?" Haz'th laughed softly. "Oh, how he infuriates me!" There was a silence, as Aelanor seethed, and Haz'th sniggered; Nimuel just smiled at the two of them. The horses neighed again, a tiring sigh, and Aelanor g
Propping herself on her elbow, Aelanor looked out to her sleeping companions. The horses were snoring peacefully in a makeshift stable, and Nimuel was curled up in a thick blanket; but Haz'th didn't seem to need one. He was sleeping on a pile of straws he had fashioned into a bed, and overrode all their objections saying that he is not able to feel the touch of dry grass, thereby, it didn't matter to him where he sleeps. Smiling slightly, Aelanor fell asleep in a comfortable sleep.The crowing of the rooster woke Aelanor up. She could hear the cutlery clicking against the pots and pans, and the smell of fried egg wafting towards her and knew that Haz'th was already awake. She wondered how the rooster knew it was morning since there was no sun in the sky.She wondered a while about the kid. He was the first and still the only humanoid they had met in this strange land, and the land itself was strange. According to Haz'th, people were scared of the ruler, but why would t
A cold sweep of air passed through as the she-creature sat on the throne, looking down at the group, her face devoid of expressions. Wondering if any of it is a threat, Aelanor and Nimuel looked at each other. "We understand that, Princess," Haz'th addressed her. "Yes, we do," Aelanor looked at her, "and we can ship gold, or jewels, from our lands." "I have no use for gold, Princess Aelanor," Princess Saayan replied, her voice devoid of emotions. She looked at the trio in a appraising manner before continuing, "But I do need a personal favour." "But, we will come back to that later. First, tell me, Princess, what is it that you need, and have travelled all the way to this notorious land for?" Aelanor looked at Nimuel, who gave her a nod. "Princess, you must be well aware of the curse that is going on around the Immortal Lands, hurting and destroying the immortal beings." Princess Saayan nodded. "My own mothe
"I cannot take these, no!" Aelanor said, "And where did you even get these dresses from? I thought shadow creatures don't need clothes?""I am a vessel for the worlds- the reason why I can change into a solid being, like yourselves, or shadow at will- which, I was sure you would have guessed if you were as clever as you look, Princess."Aelanor had had enough. Curling the black dress into her fists and quite forgetting that she was a Princess, she threw the lot at Haz'th, who ducked."Aren't Elves supposed to be fast?" he laughed.Nimuel entered the cottage to find Haz'th dodging objects in the room with apparent ease, as Aelanor ran behind him like a bull shown red. As Haz'th reached Nimuel, she put a protective hand on him and pulled him behind her, as Aelanor tried to grab the kid out of her hold."Stand aside, Nimuel. This midget...""No, sister. Step back. He's a child," she pushed her gently, still laughing."This child is
”So, if I understand this correctly,” Saayan was saying, “this supposed sister of yours could be the carrier of maladies to the Palace, and your father closed the door to the outside to stop it from entering the Palace? It seems to me that common sense might not be your father’s strong suit.”Saayan was sitting on the dinner table with her guests just for company, but Aelanor noticed that she did seem to look at their food with something of a longing expression.“Mother believes that father was hoodwinked by Moraen’s magic, and that rendered his judgement erroneous,” she replied.“Yes, banishing his only daughter to face death all those years ago certainly seems like the judgement of a man in possession of his mental faculties," Nimuel scoffed.Aelanor shoot her a look, and Nimuel went on to concentrate on her bowl of beef stew, intending to whisper something to Haz'th. To her slight surprise, she saw Haz'th look at Saayan with something like anger, and perhaps sadness too. The latter