by Mary Akers
Elora’s eyes widened in surprise, and Asher nodded to further underscore the truth of his words.
“Do you think the Liana took it?” she asked, enthralled.
“It couldn’t have been anyone else,” he replied, shrugging. “Fortunately, because he was a Chronicle, my father was able access the Prophesy without alerting the Liana, or else he likely would have disappeared too,” he said, raising his eyebrows contemptuously.
“But why are they so set on keeping the Prophesy a secret?” Elora asked, frowning.
“Because of what it says,” he replied.
Elora’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I told you the Prophesy had been watered down over time,” Asher said, holding her gaze. “Some important parts were lost in the retelling and eventually forgotten altogether. Someone wanted to keep it that way.”
A chill ran down Elora’s spine. She was a part of the Prophesy. If the Liana had destroyed a sacred script to keep a secret, they were capable of anything. Perhaps even capable of destroying the Renascent. But her parents were preparing to take her back to Clarendon. Surely they would never do that if they knew she was in such danger.
“Do my parents know what the Prophesy really says?” she asked softly.
“No,” Asher said, shaking his head.
“Why not?” Elora asked, her voice raised in indignation. “They, more than anyone, had a right to know!”
“My father wanted to tell them, intended to tell them,” Asher said, attempting to placate her. “And he tried to. But he couldn’t,” he continued. “My father looked at the Prophesy on a night when the Registry was empty. On a night when everyone else was gathered beneath the Ever Tree. He did it during the Celebration of Light,” he answered. “The night your Mark was discovered.”
Elora sighed as the puzzle pieces fell into place.
“Your family was gone before he had the chance,” he said.
“Your father has kept this secret for all these years?” she asked.
“It was far too dangerous to say anything,” he answered.
“He didn’t tell anyone?” she asked, astonished.
“He told my mother,” Asher answered. “And me.”
“You know the Prophesy?” she asked quietly.
Elora held his gaze for a long moment, torn between curiosity and fear. She needed to know, but was terrified to hear with certainty what her future would hold, the miracle she was expected to perform. Did she want to hear it?
Asher didn’t wait for her to ask. He began to speak in a measured, even cadence, the words rolling off his tongue like a familiar song.
The Claren betrayed.
Their secret defended.
Sovereignty surrendered,
The Sentry ascended.
A pairing denied,
The Promise decayed,
The Great Tree withers,
The Woodlands fade.
Ever Renascent,
Marked from birth,
Sees truth in the darkness,
Draws life from the earth.
A grief relived,
The truth revealed,
An evil righted,
A people healed.
Gifted savior,
Chosen one,
The cord is woven,
The rift undone.
The seed alights
With mated soul,
Ever awakens,
The Covenant whole.
Elora stared at the ground, quietly thinking, trying to absorb the significance and decipher the meaning of the mysterious verses. It was much more ambiguous than she had expected. The only part she understood with certainty was that the Renascent would be marked from birth.
“It’s beautiful, but so vague,” she said, frowning.
“It is perhaps less vague to someone who has been living as a Claren,” Asher suggested.
“Do you know what it means?” she asked, lifting her eyes to his.
“I’ve had a long time to think about it and there are still a few points that I can’t figure out, but for the most part, I believe I do know what it means,” he replied. “The Prophesy describes the rise of the Liana and the subjugation of our people,” Asher said, pulling a blade of grass and twisting it between his fingers. “It then tells of a terrible betrayal which creates a rift between the Claren and the Ever Tree,” he continued, looking up to lock eyes with Elora. “But then you come along, born with the Mark and destined to heal the Tree. And in the course of saving the Tree, you will save all of us.”
“I save the Claren? From what?” she asked, her brows furrowed.
“The Liana,” he said, holding her gaze.
“What?” she whispered, her eyes wide in shock.
“You’re going to bring down the Liana,” he repeated, his face earnest and his eyes unwavering.
“That’s impossible,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I wouldn’t think you’d be so quick to say something like that anymore,” he said, his face somber.
She stared back at him a moment, unable to deny the truth of his reply. Shifting her gaze upward, she exhaled deeply and tried to absorb the gravity of what had just been revealed to her.
“So I’m their enemy, but also their savior,” she said quietly.
Asher watched her, his lips pressed into a hard line as he nodded his head.
“So what do you think they plan to do with me?” she asked.
“Control you,” he said softly.
“Do you think they mean to kill me?” she asked in a small voice.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “They need you to heal the Tree,” he replied. “The Liana are Claren, after all. The death of the Ever Tree devastated them too. Their orders are simply to bring you home, by any means necessary. But their ‘means’ are ruthless, Elora,” he said bluntly.
Elora bit her lip nervously, this new bit of information both comforting and unsettling.
“How do you think they mean to control me?” she asked timidly.
“They certainly are not above violence and imprisonment,” he said bitterly. “But I think they are more likely to manipulate you using the people you love.”
Elora looked up, her eyes wide with fear as she realized that the threat the Liana posed was not to her alone.
“My parents!” she gasped, horrified. “Do you think the Liana would kill them?” she asked, her lip trembling.
“No,” he soothed. “The foot soldiers of the Liana aren’t evil, they are just terribly misguided. Their tactics are abhorrent, but they truly believe that they are doing good. Beyond that though, Claren do not kill one another. It’s our most sacred law. Not even the Liana would dare to break it.”
“Why not?” Elora asked, somewhat mollified by that answer but still uneasy.
“Because of the Covenant,” he answered.
“The one from the Prophesy?” she asked.
He nodded briefly before lifting his head above the grass for a moment to survey the surrounding area. Sinking back down, he returned his gaze to Elora and continued his explanation.
“The Covenant is between the Claren and the greater power who created the tree. Our unique relationship with the Ever Tree depends upon our faithfulness to that promise. The Claren believe that if someone intentionally kills another of our kind, the murderer will lose the Mark or any chance of ever receiving one,” he said.
Elora nodded, trying to wrap her head around it all.
“But they have it wrong,” Asher continued. “The murderer won’t be the only Claren to bear the punishment. We all will pay the price for the broken Covenant. And the reason we lose the Mark,” he finished, locking eyes with her, “is because we lose the Tree.”
Elora held his gaze for a moment as the significa
nce of his words sunk in. Her lips parted and she gasped as she put two and two together.
“Someone broke the covenant,” she whispered.
“Someone broke the covenant,” he repeated, nodding.
“Then what’s protecting my parents?” Elora asked, the pitch of her voice rising. “Why would they honor the covenant when it’s already been destroyed?”
“Because most of them don’t know that,” he replied. “I doubt most of the Liana even know that Covenant is a part of the Prophesy. They don’t realize that it was murder that killed the Ever Tree. They don’t understand that you were born because the Covenant was broken.”
Elora exhaled deeply, staring at the ground as she tried to piece together the puzzle, filling in the holes of the story with all of this new information. She froze as an idea took shape, the epiphany sending a chill down her spine. She lifted her eyes to his.
“My destiny isn’t just to heal the Tree. It’s to renew the Covenant,” Elora whispered.
“Yes,” he replied, nodding somberly.
“How?” she asked.
“That’s one of the parts I haven’t been able to figure out,” Asher admitted.
“Great,” Elora said, covering her face with her hands in frustration. “That’s great.”
“Sorry,” he said, sighing.
Elora stared at the ground, deep in thought about everything that Asher had just revealed to her. She was scared to be the Renascent. The responsibility seemed too great to bear. Even more so now. When her only task had been to heal the Ever Tree, she had thought there was at least a chance of success because of her ability. But now that she was supposed to somehow restore the Covenant too, she felt overwhelmed and completely inadequate.
“Elora, I don’t know what will happen once we reach Clarendon,” Asher said beseechingly, drawing her attention. “All I know is that the Liana can’t get their hands on you. And we don’t have much longer to get you out of here.”
Elora nodded in understanding.
“We have to find my parents,” she said, concern creasing her brow.
Asher looked at her with a guarded expression before dropping his eyes to the ground.
“Do you have any idea where they would go?” he asked, brushing dirt from his pants as he moved to stand.
“I can only think they would have returned to the storage shed,” Elora replied. “It’s about a quarter mile that way,” she said, pointing.
“Can you get us there without using the main roads?” he asked.
Elora nodded.
“I’ll need to get out of this dress though. It’s too difficult to move quickly though the fields and over fences in this skirt,” she said, looking up at him awkwardly. “I think the tall grass will give me enough privacy if you could just turn around for a few minutes,” she suggested as she pulled the strap of her satchel over her head and kneeled to retrieve her clothing from inside.
“Of course,” he said, spinning abruptly, his posture suddenly rigid.
Elora thought perhaps she’d even seen an embarrassed blush creep into his cheeks before he’d turned.
She made quick work of it, sliding into her pants before reaching behind her to unfasten the single button at the nape of her neck. She kept her eyes on his back, trusting that he was a gentlemen but leery all the same. Pulling her tunic over her head, she wrestled to pull her arms free of the dress before poking them though the sleeves. She tugged the dress down and stepped out of it, gently folding and rolling the fabric until it would fit into her satchel.
“You can turn back around now,” she said softly as she carefully tucked the dress into her bag.
She looked up to find him watching her intently. She held his gaze for a moment before embarrassment drove her eyes downward. She self-consciously began tying the laces of her boots.
“Alyssa was right about that dress. It really does suit you,” she heard him say.
Elora smiled, reaching out to brush her fingers over one of the vines that had been lovingly embroidered onto the skirt. She couldn’t help the tears that pricked her eyes as she thought of her friend. Closing the flap of her satchel, she lifted the strap over her head and stood. Swiping her hand over her eyes, she turned and began walking toward the storage shed.
“She made it for me, you know” Elora said quietly, struggling to speak around the lump in her throat.
“She’s very talented,” Asher said, following closely behind her.
“She made it especially for me to wear for her Binding today,” Elora continued. “But I think she really made it with my own Binding in mind,” she said, smiling at the thoughtfulness of her friend. “Though I guess that won’t be happening anymore,” she said flatly, the smile falling from her lips.
Her foot suddenly became entangled in a particularly thick clump of grass and she began to trip. But before she could hit the ground, she felt Asher’s strong fingers wrap around her elbow. With a quick tug he pulled her back onto her feet beside him. She clumsily bumped against him as she struggled to regain her balance. Startled and breathless, she looked up at him with wide eyes. As their eyes locked, she seemed to forget how to breathe altogether.
“You can wear it for your Pairing instead,” he said softly, holding her gaze.
It took her a moment to regain her wits enough to look away and step free of his grasp. She turned and began walking across the field again, taking greater care to lift her feet as she made her way through the tall grass. She considered what he’d said for a few minutes.
“It’s not the same,” she said, keeping her eyes focused on the ground. “Binding and pairing. They aren’t the same.”
“Are they really so different?” Asher asked.
“Yes,” she replied, convicted.
“But does it matter?” he countered. “Really?”
“Pairing is two people matched by destiny. Binding is two people choosing to tie themselves together,” she answered. “It matters.”
“There you go fixating on the idea of “choice” again, “ he said, shaking his head with a chuckle.
“It’s not funny,” she said indignantly, stopping to glare back at him.
“No, I know it’s not,” he said, returning her gaze solemnly.
He stopped beside her, pausing to look around carefully before returning his eyes to her. He ducked his head to capture her full attention.
“I just hope you won’t let that stand in the way of your own happiness,” he said gently.
She stared back at him, distracted by his closeness and unsettled by his words. He lifted his head and continued walking across the pasture. She stood motionless for a moment, staring at his back, his long confident strides putting distance between them as she considered what he’d said.
“Does it matter?” she thought, doubting her own convictions. “Does it matter why someone falls in love or just that they do?”
Her parents had been paired and the love they felt for one another was undeniable and steadfast. It was no less real or worthy than a love that had developed through courtship or been earned through effort. Love is love. But is it? How can it be the same?
She shook her head, confused but still convinced. She felt it in her soul, she knew it in her heart. It mattered.
She looked up, realizing that she’d lingered too long, lost in her thoughts. Asher was standing a good distance away, looking back at her, he head tilted in question. She adjusted the satchel at her hip and made her way quickly toward him. She smiled sheepishly as she neared.
“Sorry,” she said softly. “You distracted me.”
“I get that a lot,” he said, teasing. “I’ve heard I’m fairly good looking.”
She laughed, grateful for the comic relief. He chuckled in return and she couldn’t help the way her stomach flipped at the sound. She looked away shyly and continued to walk past him.
“I noticed you didn’t argue,” he said, trudging along behind her.
“What?” she asked, confused.
“You didn’t contradict me, about my dashing good looks,” he clarified. “I noticed.”
Elora laughed and turned to look at him. She rolled her eyes at the satisfied smirk on his face.
“I was not distracted by your handsome face,” she said. “I was thinking about what you said.”
“So I’m handsome AND insightful,” he said, puffing out his chest. “I’m really enjoying this conversation.”
“Oh my gosh,” she said, shaking her head in bemusement. “It must be exhausting carrying around that ego.”
He laughed and she couldn’t help the smile that stretched across her lips.
They walked in silence a while, a new lightness about them, the tension broken temporarily by the much needed moment of humor. Elora kept her eyes downturned, trying to keep her footing in the tall grass. Looking up, she caught Asher watching her. He looked away quickly and busied himself studying the horizon. She returned her gaze to the ground, self-conscious but also exhilarated by his attention.
“You’re fairly distracting yourself, Elora Kerrick,” he said quietly a moment later.
She jerked her eyes up to look at him in surprise. Her heart was thudding in her chest, thrilled that he found her appealing and startled by his boldness in saying so. He wasn’t looking at her, seemingly avoiding her gaze by once more examining the horizon. She continued to stare at him wide-eyed, questioning whether she could have imagined what she’d heard. But then he turned and locked eyes with her, removing all doubt. His gaze was unflinching and earnest. He was attracted to her and obviously felt no need to hide it.
“Oh,” Elora whispered, her lips lingering around the sound as her brain tried to work through the shock of this revelation.
