Everyone stopped and listened carefully, hearing not a single sound or raindrop falling overhead. Daniel slowly looked around and realized that everything was dead quiet, so much so that even the slightest breath from one of the girls could be heard over the silence.
“Did it stop raining finally?” Falla asked looking up.
Daniel quickly walked over towards the curtain and pulled it aside, himself and Alyssa watching in wonder as the storm continued to pass through the land right outside their caravan without making a single sound. A streak of lightning struck down in the horizon with a flash, rain fell onto muddy puddles and the roof of the wagon, trees and shrubs swayed in the wind, yet nothing was heard at all. Alyssa stared with wide eyes at the sight while Daniel leaned outside and looked around carefully as he recognized this phenomenon. Next to the caravan Lucky was sitting under a small canopy of twisted vines and roots that appeared to have grown up through the ground and curved overhead to provide shelter for just him, which was true since Alyssa created the covering for her horse after returning with Doku. Yet even the horse couldn’t be heard as it shook its head and appeared to whinny from the storm.
“What the heck?” Alyssa questioned before rubbing her ears. “Why can’t I hear anything out there?”
“What’s going on?” Triska asked as she got closer to the entryway. “Is it still storming? I don’t hear anything.”
“How can this be?” Specca softly said as she saw the rain falling right outside along with another flash of lightning from the sky, yet nothing was heard at all.
“It’s happening again,” Daniel said backing up with Alyssa and Triska, the two girls watching him curiously as he looked up and around at the ceiling again.
“What’s happening again?” Luna worriedly asked.
“Twilight?” Daniel called out, with all the girls freezing and listening carefully. “Are you here now?”
“She’s here?” Pip asked looking around quickly. “Where? I don’t see her. Where is she?”
“What’s happening, Daniel?” Falla nervously said as she held onto his back.
“I’m getting a bad feeling now,” Doku softly mentioned as she finished using her magic on Kroanette’s leg, the two of them looking around at the ceiling as everyone now had the distinct feeling like they were being watched.
“When she spoke to me last time everything became quiet like this,” Daniel explained while listening carefully. “I couldn’t hear the storm even though it was right on top of me.”
“I also said to keep our little encounter a secret,” Twilight spoke, her voice being heard in everyone’s mind clear as day as if it was coming from everywhere. “Did you also fail to hear that properly?”
“EEP!” Doku squeaked before quickly ducking down and covering herself with her wings.
“Oh no, I’m hearing voices now,” Luna whined while holding her hands over her ears. “Everyone was right, I’m going crazy.”
“I’d say you’re past that point already, Luna,” Alyssa mentioned while eyeing the ceiling cautiously. “However I heard the voice too. You’re not imagining this.”
“What manner of magic is this?” Kroanette softly spoke in wonder.
“Is that her? Is that Twilight?” Triska asked while trying to find the source of the woman’s voice. She noticed Kitten standing next to her in her mind, the demon also on alert as she listened closely to what Triska was hearing.
“I’m going to assume yes,” Kitten dryly reasoned.
“You’re the one who brought Daniel and Kroanette back to us?” Specca asked out loud.
“Daniel Sorres, I told you not to say a word to anyone, remember?” Twilight reminded him with a disappointed sigh.
“Sorry,” Daniel replied with a shrug before glancing to Falla. “But my mate is sharp, she could see right through my ruse.”
“I believe it is more of the fact that you’re a terrible liar than your mate being a giant butterfly.”
“I have to agree with that,” Falla mentioned with a smirk at Daniel. “Sorry, but you’re really not a good liar.”
“That’s alright, Falla,” he admitted with an amused smile. “Lying to others was never really my strong attribute. I don’t mind failing in that regard.”
“Who are you?” Triska called up. “How are you doing this?”
“This is such an inconvenience,” Twilight complained. “I was interested in where this would lead, so much seemed promising, however now this is going to complicate things. What to do? This could be what I’ve been waiting for, or perhaps it could be just a waste of my time. And enough time has been wasted already.”
“What is she talking about?” Pip asked with confusion.
“I don’t get it. Where is she?” Cilia said looking around in puzzlement.
“I don’t suppose you would all be so kind as to forget this whole day ever happened, would you?” Twilight skeptically asked out loud.
“No, we’re not going to be doing that,” Triska answered shaking her head. “Please, tell us who you are. You saved Kroanette from drowning, we’ve very grateful for that. Can’t we please see you and talk to you more?”
“No.”
“Why not? Why are you hiding? Answer me,” Triska demanded.
“Are you trying to order me around?”
“Don’t make her angry, please,” Doku pleaded while hiding behind her wings.
“What should I do about this?” Twilight mused to herself. “Such potential, and yet now it is further out of control. Still, I can’t turn a blind eye to it, not yet anyway. Such a tough decision to make so early with this…”
“I don’t understand what she’s saying,” Luna confusedly said scratching her head.
“I don’t think any of us do,” Falla mentioned.
“Potential for what?” Specca questioned with a troubled look on her face. “Just what is it you’re after?”
“Potential for knowledge,” Twilight answered, with everyone looking up in wonder while Pip popped her head out from above Kroanette’s breasts. “For truth. For power. For freedom.”
“Wow,” Luna softly said in awe. “Um… what does that mean?”
“Knowledge?” Specca asked.
“Truth?” Falla questioned.
“Power?” Triska carefully repeated.
“Freedom?” Kroanette said curiously.
Squeak merely squeaked something while shaking her head.
Doku slowly stood up and lowered her wings, a curious look on her face as she could feel an unknown presence surrounding them, more clearly than the others could, yet wasn’t sure whether it was threatening or not.
“How is it we could help you with any of that? What is it you need?”
A pulse rippled through the room, jolting everyone to their core as an ominous feeling began to grow from the corner of the cabin. Everyone turned to see Clover trembling in her sleep while seeming to be in distress with her dream, her breathing becoming shaky as she tossed and turned under her covers. Again the strange pulse washed outward through the room like a wave, originating from Clover’s bed as the elf now seemed to be having a nightmare with a few tears dripping down her cheeks.
“What was that just now?” Triska carefully asked.
“It came from Clover,” Luna said pointing to the elf.
“That feeling…” Specca trailed off, recalling a similar sensation from when she recovered Kroanette’s lost artifact from the river.
“Clover?” Daniel said as he cautiously approached the sleeping elf. The others slowly gathered behind him while Cilia zipped down and hid in Doku’s chest out of fear.
“What’s wrong with her? She looks like she’s in pain,” Luna worried as they saw Clover showing a heartbroken expression in her dream.
“Hey, Clover?” Daniel gently spoke while shaking her shoulder a little.
“I need help,” Twilight confessed. “Though as for who can help me that’s the difficult question. Only the strong and courageous could aid me with wha
t I pursue in this world, and those of these necessary qualities are harder to locate than you would think. For you see, I wish to seek knowledge beyond what you could dream of.”
Another pulse rippled away from Clover, causing all the girls to step back quickly while Daniel slowly sat down on the side of the bed next to the elf. He watched as she was suffering in her nightmare then noticed that the wave of energy passing by didn’t come from her directly.
“I wish to seek the truth of the past and what our future shall be.”
Daniel slowly turned his eyes to Clover’s pillow as he carefully reached over and touched it. Again another pulse flowed away from the bed, causing the girls to tense up while Daniel’s eyes widened slightly. Slowly he reached into the side of her pillow towards what had actually created the disturbance.
“I wish to seek power that comes from that knowledge and truth, to protect its validity and assure its survival.”
The girls all watched in silence as Daniel slowly pulled out the fragment of Eden from Clover’s pillow, the relic’s indentations giving off a soft blue glow while it let off another spherical ripple of energy that drew everyone’s focus to it.
“I wish to seek freedom, and to do so will require a very special key that has been scattered throughout the world.”
“Oh my god,” Specca breathed out as she held her hands over her mouth, eyes staring at the fragment with awe and disbelief.
“The Key to Eden,” Alyssa realized as she pointed to the strange relic.
“What is that thing?” Doku curiously asked while Cilia popped her head up out of her cleavage to peek at the artifact.
“Only someone who is strong, fearless, determined, and most of all powerful enough to stand against any and all odds can truly be my savior. Daniel Sorres, I do wonder if the potential I’ve seen in you is enough to unlock my cage.”
“This key,” Daniel softly spoke, his voice nearly failing as a much larger picture suddenly became clear to him. “That’s what this artifact is for, what all the fragments are for. The Key to Eden. It’s to unlock… you.”
“But what are you?” Triska asked while remaining on guard.
“Sorry, my time to speak is ending. I’ll be watching you, Daniel Sorres. I do hope that you will not let me down. You have much potential in this world, do not forget that.”
“Wait, don’t go!” Daniel called up into the air, being met with only silence as everyone waited for the voice that disappeared into the unknown. “Twilight? Please, don’t leave yet. What did you mean by that?”
Nothing was heard while the storm outside continued and made not a sound, all falling quiet between Daniel and the girls as they thought about what they just learned.
“I don’t understand,” Doku said shaking her head. “Who is this Twilight, and what is that strange rock you’re holding?”
“My word,” Specca softly said as she tried to keep her breathing calm and steady. “What manner of being is she? And what did she mean she’s seeking truth and freedom?”
“And power,” Triska reminded them while keeping a sharp eye up at the ceiling. “I don’t like hearing about any being searching for more power. That sounds like a bad thing to be after.”
“It appears we’re thinking the same thing, Triska,” Kitten commented from beside her. “That and I don’t like whoever this woman is being so interested in my master.”
‘That makes both of us.’
“She did save me from drowning,” Kroanette pointed out. “Do you think she’s really a bad person?”
“Wait, how did she save Kroanette if she’s trapped elsewhere?” Falla asked with puzzlement.
“Yeah, and how did she talk to all of us like that?” Luna added while looking around curiously.
Squeak waved her hand around and squeaked something before she looked down with a quizzical expression and scratched her head.
All the girls turned to each other in question then to Daniel as he was looking at the artifact in his hand with a careful eye. He blinked then noticed Clover still shaking in her sleep while appearing to be in distress.
“Clover?” he said before gently shaking the girl’s shoulder.
Lightning crackled loudly in the sky outside along with a sudden boom of thunder as the world came alive with sound once again. Almost instantly Clover screamed and thrashed about, throwing her blanket aside as she waved her arms and legs around during a critical point in her nightmare.
“Don’t leave me!” Clover cried out before she lunged at Daniel and knocked him down to the ground in a fierce tackle. The girls all watched in surprise along with Daniel as Clover clung to him out of desperation while screaming with eyes shut tight. The fragment of Eden dropped to the floor and bounced away while the elf’s long golden hair draped over her naked body and Daniel as she held onto him tightly and screamed with all her might.
“I LOVE YOU!”
Chapter 12
Open Your Heart
In the world of Eden there were those who faced great tragedy or loss in their lives with those they held dear. It would strike them to their core, cripple their spirits, and leave them vulnerable to the harsh realities of life. For some it was a matter of finding the strength to press on and letting their wounds slowly heal, while others struggled to pick themselves up again or felt irreversibly scarred inside. The pain they felt would be too great, the fear of it happening again too large, and the person who they once were would change as they withdrew from the world to protect themselves. They would become isolated, cold, bitter, and lonely as they pushed everyone away from them to avoid feeling such a loss again. In times like these they would need someone to help them feel again, someone to ease their broken heart and lift their spirit.
Someone who could get them to open up to the world and find love once again.
*****
“Don’t leave me…”
The sight of the many large trees rustling gently in the wind before her brought a smile to the elf’s face, her long blonde hair running down her back in a shimmering wave in the sunlight while she held her trusty bow in hand as always. Dressed in her tunic and wearing a calm smile on her face Clover gazed out at her home grove while standing on the balcony of her home high in one of the many great timbers within the forest. She gently ran one hand along the wooden railing as she walked alongside it, eyes going from the sight of other elves seen near their homes to others that were traversing the many rope bridges that connected to the dwellings and overhanging canopies.
“She’s late again,” Clover giggled in a soft voice. She searched for any sight of a particular elf she was expecting, seeing many of her fellow sisters going about their daily business both up in the forest tops near her and down below on the ground where smaller dwellings were built around the bases of the grand timbers.
“And yet I know she’s going to turn the blame around on me, saying I’m the one who kept her waiting,” Clover mused with a small blush. “How does she do that anyway…”
She giggled and walked back the other way along the overhanging balcony to their home built into the tree, passing right by an ethereal image of herself who watched her past self with gentle eyes. The apparition wore no clothes while her hair lightly wavered behind her as if being ruffled by a silent breeze.
“Where is she?” her former self said in both a playful and impatient tone. The image of herself looked over to the side and smiled softly at seeing someone approaching along a rope bridge.
“Zoey,” Clover spoke in a quiet voice, her heart fluttering at the sight of seeing her once again.
“Hey,” Zoey called out, gaining the attention of Clover who turned to her with a bright smile. She wore the same attire as her companion did, from the boots to the skirt and tunic, as well as a green cloak with a hood that flowed gently in the wind, something Clover had often thought about getting for herself as it looked great to her. A quiver of arrows was strapped to her back while she had a sturdy bow holstered beside it around her shoulder. Her long
chestnut hair was tied into a ponytail while her pink eyes and daring smile were locked onto Clover who appeared to become shy and bashful the closer she got.
“Where were you?” Clover giggled as Zoey walked over and stood beside her, eyes gazing out at the elven grove while she casually ruffled her hair with one hand.
“Sorry, had to finish my patrol of the southern woods,” Zoey said with a shrug. “A few gremlins were trespassing so we had to get rid of them.”
“Gremlins held you up? C’mon, that’s a pretty lame excuse.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Zoey quipped with a sly grin at her. She got closer to Clover who backed up against the railing with a timid smile. “We’re not all expert huntresses like our priestess’s personal bitch.”
“Personal bitch? Ouch,” Clover retorted while glancing away with a smirk. “Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Zoey cooed as she grabbed Clover by the hips and stepped closer. “Maybe it is. Maybe I am jealous that our priestess chooses you for all the exciting assignments. Maybe I am jealous that you spend so much time with her while I have to wait here at home for you to return. Maybe I am jealous that you’re the greatest archer in our grove and I’m third-class at best.”
“Zoey,” Clover whispered, turning to her with a blush and shy smile. “Someone will see us.”
“Like the priestess?” Zoey chuckled as she held a hand to Clover’s chin. “Are you afraid she’ll find out that you’re my elf and not hers?”
“Zoey, it’s not like that.”
“I am jealous,” Zoey sincerely confessed. “Because you’re such a fucking good shot with your arrows you get to be closer to our priestess and spend more time with her than with me. I’m worried she’s going to replace me as your favorite.”
“Why would you think that? You know nobody could ever replace you,” Clover insisted with longing eyes.
Next to them the image of Clover watched the two with a small smile on her face, remembering clearly the time she spent with her companion and how she always made her light up inside.
“Good,” Zoey said as she gently brushed Clover’s hair around her face, seeming to admire every detail of the timid elf in her hands while keeping her pinned against the railing. “Because you’re my Clover, and I’m never letting you go.”
Chronicles of Eden - Act VII Page 37
