The Exodus Sagas: Book IV - Of Moons and Myth (42 page)

“Very well
.
How do you know it will accomplish anything though?
” Haddius mimicked the bow,
blades out to
both
their sides, and
he
closed his eyes.

“Because my faith is much more than a decoration to be seen, it is a deep root into the stars from ancient elven love and tradition. Are you ready?” Shinayne closed her eyes and smiled as she felt the longing steel in her hands. Elicras wanted to be close to Carice, she had suspected as much, and that is why she had separated them.

“Yes, I am ready. The blade you gave me, it seems to want the shorter one in your hand.” Haddius spoke.

“
I know
, they are a matched pair
. No
more words, follow that feeling, search me out along that
blind
sensation, but follow my motions. Rest now,
close your eyes,
and listen.” Shinayne listened to the hum of Elicras and quieted her mind.

Saberrak and James lifted the chain quietly behind him, yet allowed for slack as best they could estimate having seen their highborne friend do this several times before
, albeit by herself
. Gwenneth lifted her staff, stood far to the side of the dais, and began lifting water into the air
with arcane command
.
It collected in circling blue pools
and twisting streams as she moved her hands silently.
Soon, a cloud of swirling sea was overhead.

“
Agravun desedre vangur
de…”

Stomp

“A
nvundres
et dur
en Vundren de…”

Stomp

Azenairk Thalanaxe stood in prayer, pounding his boot to the stone after each verse he sang. He felt his rhythm, bringing back memories of singing the hymns of Vundren deep under Boraduum, so many years ago. His deep voice lifted, echoed, and his eyes wandered
to Shinayne and the ancient angelic
immortal.

Shinayne felt the slow rhythm of dwarven chant, felt the water above her, and she went on a slow en guard. Her longblade arced from low to high, followed by Elicras driving forward in a rising lunge. Her steps were like a dance to near still music, right turning over left, her attacks at nothing but air seemed to hold purpose on her still face. Eyes closed, she spun
in gradual cuts and thrusts, rising and lowering in time with Haddius.
She breathed and danced, her kata was perfect.

The Ruler of the Oceans kept his eyes shut, with delayed swordplay that mimicked the highborne elf he knew was before him. Haddius saw but darkness, yet felt where Shinayne and her blades were, the song of Carice and the griffon hilted broadsword seemed to tell him without words or sight
where to move
. Soon, little glimmers of light flitted into his vision, eyes still closed.

“Vushde Vannir Vund
ren erdes de..”

Stomp

“Maonell
de oh oh ohh vesde
arde
…”

Stomp

Shinayne felt in touch with it all, the water, the waves, the being in front of her. The chant was in time with her parries of invisible blades, her steps mirrored those of Haddius, her breathing was nearly non
-
existant. Deep inhales followed by spinning round slashes that were constant yet not rapid nor staggered. Elicras wanted to touch Carice, but she did not allow it more than a longing hope, and then she was in the Vale of Simnorr.
Her heart felt the pain of Haddius, she took him with, praying deep inside for help from the sky she could not see.

Haddius saw his brother Siril, God of the elves and sky and stars, they were dueling in dance.
They were young again, yet Siril held the blades of Shinayne T’Sarrin, and he held the ones given to him.
Trees of majestic heights rose around them, green covered mountains washed the horizons, an
d the air was deep blue and covered in
stars. The moon was full, the white moon,
and it shone down on the tall perfect elven winged form in front of him. Without words, he and Siril danced, blades interweaving one another, yet never touching. Music rose from nowhere and everywhere, millions of eyes watched yet there was no one there, and Haddius smiled as the song of their swords changed with every stance and movement.

James felt his hands ache with something, stronger than ever, and the blue glow was aflame and crawling up the chain of green steel he held. He looked to Saberrak, to his eyes, and the blue light was slowly pouring over his tattoos and down his chest, reaching the chain as well. James looked up, the water was flashing in blues and whites. By the look on Gwenneth’s face, it was not from her doing. Zen’s eyes were wide, staring at the dancing highborne and the God of the Oceans th
at she was spiritually sparring. The dwarf was
in disbelief of the proximity of their blades as the tempo quickened.
Haddius and Shinayne were moving faster now, eyes closed, and the blades were missing each other by hairs, sometimes less. All four of them could not blink, but n
either could help but wince, as
steel came ever so close to flesh and the dance hummed and became so very real to see.
Four blades, in step between their elven friend and a forgotten deity, flashing too fast to see now with blind spins and airborne twirls of arcing slashes and diving thrusts. It became a blur, a hum of dance and deadly attacks that should have struck flesh or steel, but did not.

“
Agravun desedre vangur
de…”

Stomp

“A
nvundres
et dur
en Vundren de…”

Stomp

Shinayne was there, in her homeland, face to face with Haddius as they dodged and weaved their identical lightning cuts and flashing parries. She rolled back, so did he. Her blades went out wide in a poetic arc as she somersaulted forward, and Haddius maintained pace. They were not alone here, she felt someone with her, yet she drove Haddius to follow
her
to the pond. Her longblade spun overhead as Elicras twirled low. He mimicked perfectly with Carice above and the broadsword near his knees. Back he went, driven to inhuman speeds, immortal speeds, his spirit taking over from his body to keep the routine. Then, Shinayne stopped, her aquamarine eyes opened. Haddius opened his the same time.

Siril, where did you go?

He is always here, when I am most at peace.

I saw him, I was dancing with him, with these steel blades, like when we were so young.

No Haddius, that was me, that was fond memory, guided by your brother.

A trick? No, I saw him.
Where are we?

“
Why have they stopped? What is going on?”
James whispered, seeing both Haddius and Shinayne stand
ing,
facing each other. Their blades were low and at rest, eyes closed, yet they were humming along with Zen’s prayer.

“
Sssshhhh.
” Gwenneth and Saberrak both whispered back.

We are in the Viala
Simnorr, in Kilikala, a sacred place to Siril. You have been here before, long ago, yet we are here now in spirit
.

Where is Siril, where is my brother?

Here, there, everywhere.

I want to see him again.

Then go to him.

I cannot, I am standing in a pond with you Shinayne.

How can you tell?

I am wet
…I
can feel…
the water…I feel it on my
…
legs…

I know.

It is not true, it cannot be, this is false, just a trick.

Shinayne opened her eyes in the underground temple, and looked up
the ten
feet to the opening eyes of Haddius. She felt to collapse now that the kata was done, never had she moved at that speed. Her eye teared, feeling the longing of Haddius for his brother, Siril. Her heart swam in the desire she felt for Elicras to touch Carice. Then the dwarven hymn stopped as her tear fell, the same moment a tear fell from the God of the Oceans.
They had been one, in time with everything, and it carried over to the here and now.

Haddius dropped the broadsword, caught his tear, and looked to Shinayne. Suddenly he felt impulses pulling him as he awoke from the spiritual dance to the here and now. He felt his mother Seirena, his father Megos, his brothers Annar, Siril, and Vundren. They were pulling him to the waters,
they were close and near,
yet they were nowhere to be seen.

“It was a dream,
a lovely dream
,
Shinayne
. But as I said, my imprisonment is forever.” Haddius hung his head
as reality came into view
.

“
Then how is it
you cry
, God of the Oceans
?”
Shinayne whispered with a smile and a shake of her head.
Her tears fell, she breathed out all the sorrow she had taken in, and raised her blade.

Clang!

With a stroke
more furious love and heart than ancient
elven
skill, Shinayne T’Sarrin swung Elicras up into Carice, and the sound of steel
meeting steel
was as a melody from the stars beyond. The waters above fell as pouring rain over everyone on the dais, showering mortal and immortal alike. The chain of green steel that was fashioned out of its mighty pillar, was pulled as blue light and unearthly flame licked its length.

Saberrak and James fell over backwards, chain in hand
, yet nothing attached at the
other
end
.
Flashes of light brighter than their divine collision at Soujan Mountain threw them to the stone.
Gwenneth lowered her head
and shielded her eyes
, Zen stared
in awe
, and Shinayne fell to her knees, too weak to stand. Water flew through the air, every direction, and winds whipped in circles around the bridge and the stone platform. A vibrating hum of hurricane storms circled, then slowed, and then all was calm as a mist settled over the bridge from the quiet waters.

The mist parted on the dais, and a glowing form approached. It was raining upward and sideways around him, then the blue eyes of
immortal light opened. And
Haddius, Ruler of the Oceans, spoke in a mighty voice of the sea.

“If I were to wish a thousand dreams, never would I have imagined this moment.” His body was wet, filling with strength through his moist immortal flesh. His white cloth toga
and garments were splendid ivory
, and Haddius spread his wings wide as wind whistled waves of song into the chamber that had been his prison
for over two thousand years
.
The power radiating from his being was beyond mortal thought, and all they could do was look at him.

Haddius looked down to the chain and pillar that was no longer entombing him. Then he met the eyes of Saberrak, James, then Gwenneth and Azenairk, and lastly Shinayne. Waters splashed upon his magnificent form, his beard became as ripe gray
hanging
moss, and his skin went from frail and pale to translucent strong
muscled
marble.
The forces at work were pulling him, taking their toll on the mortals here, powers of his family that were sending feelings to him that no mortal could comprehend nor withstand for long. He saw them tiring, as if being here was too much to breath and bare
for his rescuers
.

“Rest now, my saviors. I must go, the moon of my father calls and pulls beyond my will to resist. Yet gifts I will leave you, and blessings of passage through my waters will always be yours upon the asking.
Thank you Shinayne,
for seeing what I could not, for the dance you gave me, I shall send you a dancer for all time.
Seek the lower chambers, to your mines, but beware the Gimmorian judgment and…”
The waves immersed him, beyond his
rising and renewed
strength, and
then,
Haddius was gone.

Heavy sleep and mist
y rest took them over as
the
Ruler of Oceans
was pulled into his underground sea.
Waters rose to protect them, the mist of the se
a was as a nourishing blanket while
they slept in the deep hallows of the Temple of Haddius. Dreams
of moons, storms
, and smiling eyes of immortal blue played through their minds. Watchful stares kept over them, from far
away,
with unseen
stares of tearful joy
and gratitude
for returning another o
f the fallen Caricians to his
rightful home. The five companions would never know of it, but at this
moment, not a living soul could
dare harm them.
A blessed sleep no other mortal
had
ever
experienced was occurring, for the Gods of the Whitemoon were ever vigilant
, especially
over their
five chosen
.