Chapter Six
Bitter Reality
Loric stepped out of the wall of perceived rock into the shambles of the lower bailiff. Shattered walls still jutted up in places, but not one of the towers still stood. All that was left of them was mounded piles of rubble covered in snow. The same could be said of all the castle’s buildings. Here and there the corner of a building jutted up slightly, a forlorn shadow of what had once been.
Loric looked out down the valley toward the village of Ta’arny. It lay completely flattened and covered in snow, the partial remnant of a chimney here and there being the only indication that the village had once existed there. The leaf bearing trees stood bare and still against the mountain sides covered in snow, even though it was the middle of summer. Only the evergreens of the mountains showed any hint of life still within the valley that he had once called home.
It was a scene of utter and complete destruction that the girls couldn’t even begin to comprehend. But it only took one look at the tears that were streaming down Loric’s face, as he wandered through the ruins as if lost, for them to appreciate the magnitude of what had once been and was no more.
Loric was walking forlornly up a steep hill towards even more ruins, when he suddenly stopped and dropped to his knees on the snowy ground. He stared at a spot on the ground in front of him, as sobs racked through his large frame. Leaning forward he brushed the snow away from the ancient cobblestones, before he bent and kissed the icy ground as reverently as a loving child would kiss his mother. Kana felt herself start to cry simply from seeing the depths of the emotion that Loric was overcome by.
Loric got up abruptly and stalked up the hill and Kana saw a transformation take place in him. He was angry, more so than she’d ever seen him, only it was a quiet seething anger and thankfully, when he turned back to them she saw it wasn’t directed at any of them.
“This way.” Was all he said, as he led the group upward through the ruins. Each of the young women were careful to step around the spot of ground that Loric had seemed to think hallowed both out of a mixture of respect and fear for the anger they could all sense emanating from the man ahead of them like it was a tangible feeling in the air.
Loric led them through his ruined home that must have once been truly great, until they were past buildings and walking through an orchard, which was given testament to by the regimented rows of dead looking small trees that filled the space. He walked up to the very side of the mountain and stopped. Placing his hand against the rock for a moment he then stepped back and spoke, “Zasarantu Melazia Rotiga!”
The face of the rock before him moved at the sounding of his words. Two great native stone slabs punched out from the mountainside and then separated and opened outwardly like a pair of double wooden doors. A space was viewable within the mountain and Loric walked into it and gestured for the rest of them to follow.
There was barely enough space within the enclosure for all the girls to fit, but as the last girl stepped in the great stone doors started to shut causing fearful screeches of fright from the group at large.
“Easy now! It’s alright. There will be a light in a moment.” Loric said in a calming voice.
As the doors slam shut light flooded into the space and the girls stared at wonder at the illuminated walls of their prison and then the prison of stone started going downward.
It was a curious feeling Kana reflected to herself, she’d never felt the odd falling sensation before, but she surmised it was kind of like falling out of a tree in slow motion.
The fall downward continued and Kana had to fight against the urge to throw up. The falling sensation finally stopped. The walls of their prison retreated upwards, while the floor remained as part of the floor of a circular domed space that was only lightly illuminated enough for them to see that the space they were in was empty.
One girl shrieked and pointed as a figure, which had seemed to materialize out of thin air was coming toward them through the dim light. The light in the room brightened and the members of the group could clearly see the approaching figure now.
Kana stared in amazement; it was a woman that walked toward them! How had she come to be in this room? There were no visible openings to it. Was this woman even real, was Kana’s panic strickened thought.
The woman came to a stop and smiled softly at all of them, which was somehow calming because of the genuineness of the smile. Kana reflected that she was very pretty for someone who couldn’t be real.
“Hello everyone. My name is Abby. How may I help you?” Asked the figure of a woman graciously.
Loric stepped forward out of the group toward the woman. Something about Loric seemed to make the image before them remember something because she said, “You’re all grown up now Loric. It has been a long time for both of us. You have come for her?”
“Yes.” Was all Loric responded with.
“Follow me master and I will take you to her.” Abby said, as she bowed her head forward to Loric before turning and walking away.
Loric followed and not knowing what else to do the group followed along after their leader. A doorway appeared before their guide and opened and everyone followed her through it and down the long hallway that ended in a room full of glittering lights that was dominated by a column of what appeared to be water in the center of the room. Within the column of water was a woman.
Kana raised a hand to her mouth in shocked wonder. What was this place and who was the woman? Was she even alive?
Thousands of cords that had bright streaks of light racing down their lengths came off the surface of the water and led out into the room where they connected in a complex weave into a glittering display of light and technology beyond Kana’s comprehension.
The water itself within the column appeared to be swirling around the woman, as evidenced by the ripples of her hair being worked about by an unseen current. She was very beautiful and Kana could see a similarity between her and Loric. They were clearly related, but Kana was not sure how. Loric had said that all of his family had died except for him.
The figure of a woman called Abby stepped to the side saying, “It is for the master of Thunder Ridge and he alone who can awaken the Guardian.”
Not even hesitating Loric stepped up to the swirling water and put both hands through the shimmering veil that held back the water from escaping and took each of the woman’s hands that floated in the swirling water.
The woman’s eyes opened to reveal a shimmering blue sapphire color with an intensity that made the women of the group step back out of fear. The shimmering veil that bound the water disappeared and the water cascaded to the floor in a tidal wave, as the woman collapsed against Loric, who caught her. Every light within the room went out, plunging the space into darkness. Ambient lighting came back on within seconds to illuminate the room, but the lights of the technology were all gone.
The red haired woman lay shaking violently up against Loric, who looked like he didn’t know what to do. The Abby woman said, “It’s been too long!” as she gripped her hands together in frightful worry.
Concern overcame fear and Kana stepped forward toward Loric and the woman. The woman was in shock, as Zora would’ve said.
“I need blankets. Lots of them!” Kana said and Eshta rushed forward with a castoff pile of them and helped her wrap up the woman, as they gently laid her down onto the floor that had drained free of water.
The glowing blue eyes found Kana’s face and she felt the woman’s words whisper into her consciousness, “Thank you.”
This was all too weird for Kana, but she pushed on to care for the woman all the while really hoping that the woman couldn’t speak directly into her head and that she had just fancifully made that part up. Minutes went by and the woman stopped shaking and started to look around the room and study each member of the group assembled within the room.
Kana couldn’t help but admit how awkward it felt to sense the blue eyes turned upon her. They were both mesmerizing and terrifying. She didn’t know what to think about this strange woman other than that she had manners.
Ellanara lay on the floor. She wanted to cry and scream, but she didn’t want to freak out the gathered woman anymore than she had. They would not even meet her gaze for long out of fear of what they saw. It was hard not to freak out herself because of what she had done to accomplish the work assigned to her. No one wants to be a freak, but clearly in the eyes of these girls she was made one by her eyes alone.
Ellanara looked upward and met the gaze of the man, who was the only one, who wouldn’t break eye contact with her. She sensed strength and pain.
“What is your name?” She whispered finding her natural voice again.
“Loric.” He said back softly in response.
It was all too much for Ellanara, as she felt the rise of emotion carry her past any means of self-control. Brokenly she said, “I wonder how many fathers one has to go back from yours to get to mine? It seems just like yesterday that my father was here standing beside me.” Her body jerked on a sob and Loric picked her up off the floor and hugged her tightly to himself for a long moment.
“Is everything gone?” Ellanara asked against his shoulder as he held her.
“Yes.” Loric said with an awful finality to his one word statement.
“But at least you have survived.” Ellanara said patting Loric’s cheek, before she started to struggle up to her feet. Loric helped her and remained close by to give her support if she should need it. Ellanara looked about, only to see that Abby had already shown the others to their sleeping quarters and that she was alone in the room except for Loric and the dark skinned girl, who looked so much like her older adopted sister Zarsha.
Feeling quite wobbly on her feet Ellanara step toward the girl that she surmised must be Loric’s, “What’s your name?” She asked.
“Kana.” The young woman said hesitantly.
Ellanara smiled, “You’ve told me your first name and I already know your last.”
Kana reacted with surprise, “What is it?”
“It doesn’t matter; it’ll end out the same as mine in the end I imagine.” Ellanara said pointedly looking at Loric, whose complexion reddened slightly. Kana glanced down looking embarrassed, as she too caught Ellanara’s drift of thought, in reference to her and Loric being together as a married couple.
Ellanara, bolstered by being able to stand and then walk, said, “I’m going out one last time to say goodbye.”
“I wouldn’t do that! It’s not good!” Loric said warningly.
Ellanara turned and gave him a direct stare that was lit up by the intensity of her blue eyes, “I know. I wouldn’t have done what I’ve done, if I didn’t know the devastation that was to occur, but I am still going to say goodbye to my home.” Ellanara turned and walked out of the room as graceful as ever.
Kana watched her go and then went over to Loric, “Do you think it is wise to let her go? She doesn’t quite seem stable in some way.”
Loric shrugged, as his eyes reflected the troubled look of someone not sure of the game at hand, “You heard her. It’s not like I can stop her.”
“Why, what can she do?” Kana asked inquisitively.
“A better question is what can’t she do?” He responded gravely.