Silver Cathedral Saga (11 page)

“I… I think
in some way I always knew what to follow. I am a puzzle solver. A
worker of the mind.” Eleanor knew exactly which direction he was
going, but mostly because they both discussed this decision at
length last night. Him looking at the book right now, next to the
Priest, he continued to look at her name, the goddess he would
choose.

The Priest
knew who he was talking about as soon as he mentioned the word
‘mind’, but still had to hear the name to move forward with their
training. “I choose Xenne.”

“Excellent.
I don’t think I have grown any more patience with age, and like to
get onto things as soon as possible. So you have just made this day
that bit easier for me.” The Priest pushed the two away from the
book on the table and closed it. “Right, that is all for now. We
could not carry forward until we knew what Masters to bring in to
help you train, and now we do. Go and take a look around the place
until four. The Masters will be ready by then in this room, to help
you start your initiation.”

Initiation.
The two children knew what it was, yet they didn’t know what
happened within it. All they did know, was that it was a ritual
that ties a bond to their chosen god or goddess.

Eleanor
and Christian did in fact do as the Priest said, and looked around.
It was the first time they could do so properly. Yet at the same
time there was so many people rushing backwards and forwards
because of the Shadows that it was hard to appreciate the structure
without being disturbed.

Though they
did see Ematay rush to some other room they had yet to discover,
and were told directly not to follow him, otherwise they would have
done so, and gladly.

The
Star-caster said a quick hello just before disappearing behind
another corner; a one that took them to what must have been the
lowest point of all in the structure: As the Silver Cathedral and
the rock was one and the same. Only the rock was where all the non
royals slept, and some other rooms they were hoping to see; in
time, of course.

They had
seen the throne room a second time, the ‘Text of Edeolon’ book was
now back on its stand. They saw the portrait room, the mess room
again, the top viewing room, where the entire room was transparent
and see through, as if they were standing in a glass cube. Though
to outsiders it looked very much the same as everything else. They
could see the Shade Sea beneath them, the little light that crept
through the cracks from the floating land above. The waves being
more violent than they had ever remembered them to be. It was a
gloomy surrounding, minus the little rays that poked through to the
dark sea, revealing some wild tuna on one spot in particular.

Just as
they were about to leave, they saw something pass them in the
sky.

Giant
swans. Four of which people rode and flew through the sky. They
noticed Ematay’s thick hair fluttered from the force of the air
from afar, wearing the same exact clothes they had known him to
wear for as long as they had known him.

The giant
swans looked about sixteen foot long, from one part to the other.
Their wings were spread as they flew, being about twenty foot in
length when stretched and flying.

“Wow, that
is a pretty impressive sight,” said Christian watching them fly off
into the distance.

“No doubt
about it,” assured Eleanor. “Well, we still have an hour to kill.
Hey. Are you excited that you will one day become a Swan-knight
now. Like the ones who we saw fighting the Shadows.”

“I don’t
know. I suppose in this new life of ours we can hardly whine about
our lives being boring any more, but all the danger is terrifying
just to think about. For the both of us. Two ends and all.”

“I think we
would make a pretty good, balanced team when we are fully trained.
You would be an expert in ranged attacks, me in close combat. We’d
be even more potent as a team than now, and look where that has
gotten us so far.”

“We would
make a good team, wouldn’t we,” said Eleanor. “I mean we just
proved we did getting here; with the help of Ematay, of course. The
future is bold, whichever way it turns.”

“No doubt
about it,” said Eleanor, realising she just said the same things as
before, and frowned.

The
corridors were so big and long, that the space between rooms was a
journey in itself. They had managed to cover the entire Silver
Cathedral atop the rock now, which took them an hour and a half
with all the chaos. Though they were forbidden to enter the
sleeping chamber floors, the ones belonging to royalty; which they
completely understood. But they were told there was two floors of
that. One for the King and Queen, and one for their son, prince
Etch.

The two of
them decided to specifically go to the bottom part of the rock to
see the stables that housed the famous War Swans they just saw pass
them. Seeing them reminded them to do so. After that they went back
up to the cathedral part again.

“So what do
we do now?” asked Christian.

“I’m not
sure,” replied Eleanor. She pondered a bit. “Should we go outside
to look at the architecture of the building a bit better? We still
have a few rooms to see in the rock part too.”

“That’s
true. And yeah. Getting some fresh air right about now would be a
good idea. We’ve been stuck in here for too long now.”

The two
children went to the very bottom of the cathedral level, not the
rock compartment, and left through the two large front doors that
were already open. So the fresh air always flowed inside. An arched
doorway surrounded them at one point and they stopped and took it
all in.

The stone
archway seeped into their memories, as if they saw nothing as
amazing in the last twenty four hours. This archway was not as
simple as most would imagine, either. It was numbered with swirls
that flicked off like the point of swords. The engraved stone was
delicate, fine, but easy to see against the silver because it was
outlined in a thin coat of white. The two childrens’ eyes followed
the pattern from one edge to the other after deciding to move
forward again, almost falling over the stone wall that went around
this only part of the cathedral, at the back. It would be hard to
notice it was a back door because there was so much detail in it.
The front looked the exact same, and must have been confusing to
those inside, especially for newcomers, because the children
thought it was the front door till they went outside and looked up
at the building and around it.

By some
miracle, there was four big patches of grass outside, as if the
grass somehow managed to live and grow from hard rock without
moisture beneath it. A lot of it all seemed to make no sense. But
then they were in new territory and knew there was magick here at
work their minds could not fathom or understand at this time.

Eleanor and
Christian remained speechless for some time, before they decided to
sit down on the grass.

Then a
woman came by, outside.

This young
woman, who looked about twenty five, flicked her wrist, as if
scattering something onto the grass. Though what came out was not
seeds, but light. Light that radiated over one field, then another,
then another, until she done so with all four. The grass glowed for
a little while, even the patch they were sitting on; they watched
beneath them and felt it, yet it had no different touch from their
sense. It went back to looking like its nourished green self as
they were being curious, ending abruptly.

“Woah,”
said Christian. “I guess that’s how they keep the grass looking so
good here.”

“Makes
sense, I guess,” said Eleanor.

“Wait a
minute, won’t you be able to do that? Emae is the god of light,
fire and suns. That’s a lot of power from a single god.”

“It is, but
for a world that revolves mostly around night, it’s not the best or
natural choice for people to make here. Plus, he is the leader for
a reason. Yet the decision just felt… right. Like it lured me in,
rather than me to it.”

“I think I
understand,” replied Christian.

The
Spell-caster turned her head to smile to them, nodded, then went
back inside. “The reason I chose the goddess of knowledge, wisdom
and the mind was because I use those things a lot anyway with my
puzzle solving abilities. I just felt compelled to go for it.”
Christian noticed two enormous green houses on either side near
both ledges.

“The
lengthy chat last night really made sense of it all. Really glad we
had it in the end. I mean the Firefly spell was the first sign like
I said, then that strange feeling I got when I saw Emae’s name
yesterday in the throne room inside the ‘Text of Edeolon’ when we
got here. I don’t know if fate exists as such, but I do believe
things fall into place better with certain existing variables.”

“We could
stay here for a while,” said Christian as he slumped onto the dry
grass that felt comforting beneath him.

“Not the
worst idea.” Eleanor sat down with her legs crossed, then spread
her hands around her to feel the blades of green. She slammed
herself back so she lay down but spread her hands, stretching them
out; they crossed the same path as Christian as she moved her hands
up and down.

“Hey, do
you mind?”

“Erm, no,
not really,” replied Eleanor, sarcastically. She lay still with her
eyes closed. “It kinda kills that there is little sun though.” She
noticed the sun must have beginning to leave them now, as there was
even fewer rays coming through the holes of the land above.

“No
kidding,” replied Christian trying to shut his eyes now. “It feels
odd. My body knowing the sun is out and not being able to feel its
true warmth. We only have little light bathing our bodies to make
it feel so from now on.”

They both
laid there, relaxed for about another forty minutes before deciding
to make a move.

Eleanor and
Christian quickly ran through the corridors to the right room,
finding it easy enough with Eleanor’s skills at work. For their
initiation with their god or goddess.

“Ah,
right on time,” said the Priest.

“On time?”
replied Eleanor. “We’re twenty minutes early.”

“Well make
sure you’re this early from now on,” replied the Priest. “We have
our Fire-caster Master and Battle-caster Master ready for the two
of you.”

Eleanor and
Christian noticed they both looked fairly old, easily sixty, but
moved as if they were still young.

“Did my
ears just fool me?” said Eleanor. “One of the cathedral folk just
used a contraction. You’re.—You’re?” Eleanor looked at Christian,
“I think the times are affecting us all,” she giggled.

“We all
slip up, child,” replied the Priest not looking so glad she
noticed.

“Are you
both ready?” interrupted one of the Masters.

The two
children nodded together, then came forward after the Masters
suggested to do so.

“None of
you move,” said the Emae follower, Master.

The two
children gulped as their response.

The
experienced Emae follower placed his palm on the head of Eleanor,
the older Xenne follower followed at the exact same time with
Christian, standing before the children.

There was a
sound of a whirl taking place, but it didn’t pair with it being
real as there was no breeze. It still managed to take hold of both
kids.

The folk
from Hiva Aura went blank. They heard nothing for the next several
moments, and could only smell earthy rock, stone and candle wax. It
felt a little odd at this time.

However, a
voice that sounded unlike their own—erupted inside their minds,
becoming a part of them.

The older
Masters glowed. The Emae follower became flame red, and the Xenne
follower, a brilliant white; each with their palm still in
place.

Eleanor and
Christian heard the whirl fade into a ringing as these new voices
first came to them. The voices sounded friendly, but were
authoritative in tone. Eleanor’s sounded like a male, and
Christian’s, a female.

The Masters
looked at them, now without their palms upon their forehead.

The two
felt reborn. Only this time with actual power on their side. They
could both feel something inside them was strong, they just didn’t
know what, or how to become like this feeling, exactly.

“Right, you
know that feeling you have right now. You need to remember it from
these moments. Unfortunately, Eleanor, because the sun has gone
down now you cannot do much here. So I am going to have to ask you
to continue with this lesson tomorrow,” said the Fire-caster
Master.

Eleanor’s
face did not look impressed at all. She was shocked, but kept her
tongue in place in case it got her into trouble before she plodded
off in a huff; annoyed that her friend could carry on with
something and she could not. But before she left she was presented
with a uniform to wear from now on from her Master. They were
robes. Plain, but anything was better than what she was wearing
right now. Even if they had finally been washed again.

Christian
stayed with his Master. His new teacher, mentor. “What you learn
now is very simple and easy. At least in comparison to the rest of
what you will learn after.”

The boy
looked intently at the experienced magick user; he saw Eleanor and
the Fire-caster Master leave, along with the Priest.

“I am going
to stand in front of you now,” said the Master. “I want you to
close your eyes and think that if you were to touch me, just the
feel of you on me, or me, you, or even your clothes—that it would
send me back. Forced away so far from you that I would hit the back
wall because of some invisible force.”

Christian
looked at the back wall before looking at the man who told him to
do what he just said.