Light of Elliana: Book One—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Four: Eye Of Reality

Later in the evening, lightning arced across the sky, making Brenna pause before she opened the door before her. Blinding light flashes cast distorted shadows upon the stone floor. The Neeri sensed there was nothing natural about this storm. Esandore Citadel’s massive walls, located within the Andalar Valley, muffled the wind.

Despite the powerful wards and enchantments protecting the valley, Brenna could sense the raw dark energy feeding the storm’s growing strength. Without being told, she knew Bemenah was venting his rage, due to his inability to find her. The thought made her smile as she stepped through the entry into a room which was new to her.

Denora turned to Brenna with a smile. “Welcome back, Brenna. I want to introduce you to Estella Dwenbe, an enchantress who passed during the Great Dying. Estella, this is the young Neeri Elliana has chosen, to help lead the Five Kingdom’s armies.”

Estella laughed lightly and nodded her head. “Welcome, when you first arrived, I wondered if the wards had failed. For I felt a great surge of energy before I sensed you walked with the light.”

Brenna smiled and nodded in return. “Thank you.”

The young woman standing before Brenna had dark brown skin, similar in color to walnut and a gentle smile. Her hair was long and braided in an intricate weave, which accentuated her attractive face. The lady was slenderly built and wore a beautiful sand-colored linen robe. On her feet were delicate brown leather sandals with leather thongs, which were wrapped around each ankle and tied in front. Beyond Denora and Estella, a large shallow pool’s calm surface reflected the light from four oil lamps above. The silent waters lay within polished smoky quartz, ground, and polished into a bed.

The round room within which Brenna stood, was built of finely dressed, flat polished granite blocks. Its walls arced to form a dome high above her head. Polished green tourmaline flat stones surrounded the pool’s rim. At one point, sat a low chair with a cushioned back covered in dark green satin. From a moderate clear green crystal suspended above the pool by a thin silvery tube, fine droplets fell. Each drop fell to strike the water’s surface below, sending rhythmic ripples spreading outward, to the pool’s edge.

“This is the Eye of Reality; I completed it right before my passing. Around us, continuously flows the descriptive emanations of everything in Aederan, at this moment in time. This device allows you to sift through this constant flow, to find what you wish to perceive,” Estella explained quietly in detail.

To Brenna, this was nothing short of astounding. It would allow one to view unobserved places, individuals, or troop movements.

“To use it, you grasp these two crystals and concentrate on what you wish to observe,” Estella said. The enchantress sat down on the low chair, with her legs crossed. She grasped two crystals, which extended above its green tourmaline rim.

“The ripples in the pool serve to expand your awareness until what you seek is shown. One word of caution, though, the pool shows what is currently happening there, not what one wants to view. You must temper your desires with the reality of the world around you.”

Brenna nodded as excitement started to build inside her. She could hardly wait to try it herself.

“Now you try,” Estella said. Rising with a smile, she turned towards her and stood there silently.

Brenna sat down on the low chair beside the pool, while considering what she most wanted to observe. Grasping the two crystals, the Neeri gazed at the ripples flowing across the pool’s surface. Nothing happened. The Neeri frowned and tried again.

“This was indeed more difficult than I had first thought.” Brenna thought to herself.

“You must calm yourself and concentrate,” Estella said in a lowered voice.

Brenna took a few slow, easy breaths while letting her mind clear. She looked at the pool before her and emptied her thoughts and focused. Almost immediately, the Neeri’s breathing and heart rate slowed, as everything around her stopped. Within the waters, a cloudy haze formed through which dim shattered light glimmered. The shadows faded, revealing a bright picture that took her breath away.

The Neeri had hoped to glimpse what lay inside the sanctuary. Instead, she saw a gateway, ornate statues, and a stone road. Brenna saw it was the same vision revealed in her dreams. Elliana had chosen not to show what lay inside the sanctuary; perhaps it was for the best.

Disappointed, Brenna stood and turned to Estella. “I was hoping to glimpse what lays within the sanctuary. Instead, I saw the same visions I have been having in my dreams.”

“Bemenah greatly desires to learn the Great Mother’s plans. Elliana will not risk Aederan’s future upon vagaries of mere chance; she knowingly withholds such knowledge at this time to protect you and the quest. The important thing is, you did well for your first attempt,” Estella said. She started to walk away slowly.

“Without appearing rude, please tell me how you happened to pass at such an early age? Please stay and talk awhile,” Brenna asked.

Estella stopped and turned towards her with a face filled with a quiet peace. “In the battle between darkness and light, age matters not. I was born in a valley where my people lived simply off the land. I was found to have—certain talents and could wield powers of the light.”

Brenna stood quietly, listening to Estella’s story carefully.

“One day, evil came to my village in the form of an army led by one of a Bemenah’s dark Priests. In a narrow mountain pass, I held the enemy force at bay. For one day, I stopped the evil from advancing while my people fled and escaped.”

“You sacrificed yourself, battling a Dark Binder, to save your people?” Brenna asked quietly. She trailed her fingers across the surface of the water of the Eye of Reality.

“It was no Dark Binder I faced; it was an Adumorda Priest, who is much more powerful. Their dark cult’s hearts follow their master, defy death, and even resurrect those needed who have passed. You can slay the Ebon Ones, yet their dark powers make them formidable enemies,” Estella replied quietly.

For a few minutes, Brenna stood there, trembling.

“Brenna, your training has almost reached the stage, where we will teach you spells and strategies to battle these dark disciples. There are ways to battle Dark Binders, and there are effective ways to fight the Adumorda, as well.” Denora looked at her with a face filled with compassion.

“Now, what you have brought me.” Her teacher stepped towards her and lifted Brenna’s staff. Denora stood before her, carefully inspecting the circlets Brenna had carved into the anaya wood. Slowly turning the weapon, Denora pointed to a minor imperfection, admonishing her.

“No, this must be corrected. This staff, when completed, will conduct A’keen as it is needed. As a boulder will slow down a river’s current, so do rune imperfections restrict A’keen.”

Brenna carefully worked to correct her mistake, determined to make her staff as close to perfect as possible. With meticulous care, she carved as directed.

“How will I determine what I am supposed to do?”

Denora sat down on a stone bench, across from Brenna. “You must listen to your heart and your mind. You are being molded into a mighty defender by the Goddess Elliana. The desire to fight the world’s enemies must come from within.”

For a moment, Brenna let Denora’s words sink in. She thought about what had occurred and nodded in understanding.

“Teardrops of any being are a creation of strong emotions; thus, they hold certain energy. A God’s teardrops contain immense untapped power,” Denora explained. “Elliana cried two tears upon Aederan, which hardened into two pure blue stones. These she gave to us as great gifts to use in our fight for freedom.”

Brenna nodded while listening to Denora.

“Through Elliana’s guidance, humanity found the tears. The Great Mother revealed how to cut them into incredibly powerful stones. Tendenar, a Centaur Master Smith forged a mighty sword, with one gem set inside its hilt,” Denora revealed to her, as she slowly paced back and forth. The sword’s name is N’seerti av dei Bearoneth or Sword of the Blue Flame. The other stone was mounted upon an anaya wood staff, by a Neeri named Senda. It is called Calletra av Elliana, or Light of Elliana.”

Brenna looked at the stone upon her staff. Silently, she sought confirmation from her teacher, who nodded with a smile.

“When you found Elliana’s tear, you drew Bemenah’s attention to you. The evil one desires nothing else but to take and savage our world. His malice knows no bounds. The dark brother now recognizes someone has recovered a tear. Even more profound, he knows a Neeri exists who possesses the stone.”

Brenna silently rose to her feet, struggling to find the right words. “This stone was carried upon your staff? How did you die?” Brenna asked hesitantly.

“How one dies doesn’t matter; what matters is how they lived. No one knows how or when death will strike, Brenna,” Denora explained. “Make the most of your life. Each day of life is worth more than all the riches of the world.”

With great care, Brenna worked at smoothing the hard anaya. It might have been her imagination, yet the wood was growing curiously warm to the touch. Finally, Brenna finished correcting the imperfection of her staff. Denora, after careful inspection, nodded in approval.

“Enough of this, for now, it is time to continue with your lessons. Inlaid on the floor are three circles. Through them runs a line, and you will note the three circles lie within one large circle. The smallest circle represents your physical self, the second circle represents your mental self, and the third circle represents your spiritual self. The line through them means you cannot affect one without affecting all. The largest circle within which they all lay, implies all changes will affect Aederan in some manner.”

Brenna sensed the rightness in Denora’s words as she spoke to her without knowing how.

“Whatever you do, never forget this. It is the most important lesson I can teach you, my failure to follow this cost me my life. Your ability to handle A’keen depends on fundamental laws, and this is one of them.”

Somehow, the anaya wood had made a connection with her already. Intuitively, Brenna knew the staff was attuning itself to her. Even more profound, was an eager acceptance she felt as these seemingly continuous changes became one with her body, one with her mind. Like old friends long separated and now rejoined.

“Now, runes or circlet’s power are interdependent upon one another. There are many different types of these bands of power. One of these is known as Rem’kee, our great ally,” Denora explained. “Rem’kee serves to tie one rune to the next, and it also increases the next rune’s level of power. It begins like this.” Denora drew strange glowing symbols on the floor with the heel of her staff.

Brenna carefully studied what Denora had drawn and started to engrave it into her staff. Each symbol briefly glowed white after she finished carving it. Gradually, once each rune was completed, it blazed even brighter than the one before. Throughout it all, Brenna felt gentle ripples of power flowing through her.