by Jana LaPelle
As the realization of what I’m asking her starts to take root, she begins to dance about, hopping up and down before her wings spring forth, and she takes her sprite size, squealing in delight and fluttering about performing her mid-air acrobatics. I can’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm as does the rest of the group. As quickly as her antics begin, suddenly she is standing before me, once again in her faerie size standing by Camoryn’s side smiling but serious and she says, “It is I that am honored in your choosing me for this important role. Yes, my lady, I would be honored to become your very first appointed Keeper.” Stepping forward I place my hand just above her left breast and wait until the warmth leaves my hand to pull it back and see her Keeper marking. Once again The Tree of Life appears and at the center of the roots of the tree is the circle enclosed triquetra. The marking is somewhat smaller than the palm of my hand, and I step back to get her reaction. Jasmine looks up at me in awe and says breathlessly, “It’s beautiful.”
Smiling, I move to Camoryn and ask, “Cam are you ready now? Will it ease your worry to know that I intend to match you to Jasmine as her Guardian?”
Cam smiles sheepishly at me before saying, “I never should have doubted you and your intentions. I’m sorry, my Lady. I should have known that you would understand my hesitance. I’m ready now.”
“Then here goes.” Same as the other Guardians his mark appears on his left upper arm, and I step back and admire my handy work and the beginnings of The Order of the Sentinels of Life. I look up at Alaric, and he nods for me to continue. Addressing everyone before me that has received a mark from me today, I say, “Now it’s time that I activate your marks. Once that has taken place you should feel an underlying current, and you will be able to sense when your services are needed. For the most part, the cycle of life will continue as it always has. There will be times when your services will be required. You will know instinctively where and what souls require your assistance. Are you ready?” Everyone nods. I look up at Alaric, and once again he nods, and together we stand with our hands intertwined forming a circle. We tap into the power thrumming through us, and a spark appears between us and begins to grow in size. Releasing our hold on one pair of our hands we open the circle we created to send the spark out to our new order. It hovers for a moment before it explodes like a starburst and rains down on the Guardians and Keepers, both active and honorary, activating their markings. The males all inhale sharply but Jasmine and Lexie both gasp as the link to the circle of life clicks into place.
Our Father steps forward after witnessing the events of the last hour and says, “Well done, Ashlinn. I’m curious, why did everyone not receive at least an honorary marking from you? I know the answer but do you?”
My brow furrows, and I look out to the rest of my family and friends. Not wanting to upset any of them, I say, “First of all, you are all very dear to me, but in this life, we each have a role to play, and it is not everyone’s destiny to become a part of The Order. Tarron, you will have enough to deal with as The Horde King, you don’t need to be in tune to the circle of life because it would distract you from your role as king to the dark fae. Mother, same goes for you and Father. You are the Mother Goddess to the Tuatha Dé Danann, and that is enough to keep you busy. Morgwais, you know that I love you dearly, but you have your own coven and your own responsibilities not only to your coven but to your king. I will welcome whatever help you send my way.” The old witch smiles back at me kindly and inclines her head, her way of acknowledging my words. I smile back at her and her protégé and look over the group again before asking, “Where’s Dagda?”
Danu speaks up and says, “There was a disturbance in The Otherworld, so he left this morning to pop back to our realm. He said he would see us all back at Glenndale Loch, something about investigating an impossibility, an anomaly. He was very vague before he traced away.”
Beside me, Alaric takes my hand and says, “That doesn’t sound good. I say that we wrap up what we need to do here and then head back to Glenndale Loch Keep. We can regroup there. With everything that could possibly be going on, I think everyone has forgotten that Ashlinn and I need to prepare for out tenacious twins and their impending arrival.”
“Well, I for one have not forgotten. Alaric is right, Father, we need to get back to the business at hand. We need to see the Soul Reliquary. We need more information. I know you said that time was relevant and I hope for our sakes that means what I think it does. Can you please take us to see the Soul Reliquary?”
“As you wish, my child,” and with a wave of his hand, we are in what looks like an observatory until I look down over the railing in front of us to see what looks like an endless void. I look up questioningly. My attention is now split between the room with the giant telescope, my creator, and the Void below. That’s when I see a spark, then another and another. The Void lights up as the sparks come to the surface and what I see below looks like a miniature universe all in of its own.
Looking up at Alaric and then back down and up to our Father, I ask, “Are those sparks… souls?” I know they are. “So this is where all souls are housed when they are in-between? Are they happy? Are they okay? Scratch that, stupid question. I’m letting my human upbringing interfere with my understanding of this concept. Please explain.” I demand, looking at my creator.
Alaric wraps his arms around us and pulls me in, and everyone gathers around to hear his explanation. “This is where the majic happens, so to speak. Here is where a soul sparks to life, and here they stay until it is time to move on. Souls that are in-between need somewhere to go. They come here, they start here. You, my dear Ashlinn, spent a lot of time here as well as Alaric. It was here that Clíodna paired you together as kindred souls because the two of you were constantly lingering around one another. Once placed here the two of you were inseparable. She watched you for days, even years, as time passed. She said to me that your love would be, epic.
“Ashlinn, here are your guidelines to follow moving forward. Guardians may outnumber Keepers but never the other way around. When Keepers are called out to complete a mission, they will be accompanied by a Guardian for the simple reason that after this last threat it is now necessary. Your children will hold greater power than your appointed Guardians and Keepers and more responsibilities. You now have the ability to appoint Guardians and Keepers. You now have the ability to travel to all Realms without the aid of portals in order to usher souls to and from as needed. You will also work with Clíodna and me as it is deemed necessary. As I said before, this is your realm to rule, The Realm Taisclainne Anam. All else will come together as you grow into your role. Oh, one last thing, the Valkyrie will assist as Keepers until you have time to develop your Order.”
“Wow… is that all? Because, that’s a lot and I’m going to become a mother in the near future, how in all the realms am I to juggle all of this?” My voice takes on a tinge of desperation as my impending mental breakdown begins.
Alaric holds me close and says, “We’ve got this. Together. You are never alone. Father, is there anything else that we should know? Will we be able to call on you as needed?”
“I believe that I have imparted all the information that you both require at this time. Ashlinn, you will in time learn how to utilize the wealth of information that is locked within The Tree of Life. Her knowledge is now your knowledge. You have time to grow into your role as the Goddess of Life, and I will be here as I’m needed in regards to your new role, but I will not intervene in any other matters that threaten The Realms. It is not for me to influence the goings-on in The Realms. That is where free will comes in. I will see you next when the time is right.”
His departure is abrupt and unsettling, and I know it will take some time to wrap my mind around my new responsibilities. Before I can even get comfortable with our Father’s leaving he is back again, and he says, “I forgot one vital thing. The Sword of Light, come with me.” His eccentric behavior is disconcertin
g, but we all follow him from the room.
Alaric looks at me, and I smile, giddy with excitement. I whisper, “Finally, The Tree tasked me with finding it. It makes sense that it would be here. I can’t wait to have it in my hands.”
“Ash, I had no idea you love your weapons so much,” he whispers in my twitchy ear.
“You know I love you Elf-Man, but this sword will be a seriously bad ass weapon,” I say, smiling up at him in eager anticipation.
He laughs and says, “Okay, whatever you say.”
We round a corner and enter a circular chamber. The walls are a gleaming black obsidian, as are the floors and in the center of the room, there is a round pedestal that appears to have sprung up from the floor. A green flaming sword is displayed in the middle of the chamber atop the pedestal and seems to hover in mid-air just inches above it. Our Father looks between Alaric and myself before clearing his throat he pointedly directs his next words to my kindred and says, “Alaric, let’s see if the Sword of Light deems you worthy of wielding its weight.”
Confused, I cock my head, and I say, “Father, the Tree of Life stated that I had to find the Sword of Light. So why is Alaric testing its weight? Shouldn’t that be me?”
He smiles and says, “Ashlinn, I believe she said that you should find the sword and fulfill your destiny and you have. You have ascended to become the Goddess of Life, Mother Keeper of Souls but Alaric has ascended as well. He has become the God of Life and in turn has become the Father Guardian of Life, and therefore the Sword of Light will be his to wield, his weapon to provide protection as a Guardian.”
I can’t help the disappointment that floods me. I thought that the sword was meant for me. I had no clue when that idea took root, but it did, and now I’m left wondering what my role will be. I’ve trained hard for a long time, Lexie and me, and now I’m left wondering if the both of us are just going to end up barefoot and pregnant while the males sort out the problems with The Realms. Looking down I cradle my belly as my doubts and thoughts swirl around in my mind.
Alaric’s index finger slides under my chin and gently lifts my face before cupping it in his hands, framing my face before saying, “Mo grá, it has always been my mission to protect, but you… Without you, none of this would be possible. Why do you doubt yourself? We will figure all this out together, in due time. We’ll figure out how to juggle this and how to manage and fight the battle to come. You are not meant to just be a mother, you are meant for so much more, and everyone in this room knows that. Besides, you can control the fire element. If you really want a flaming sword you can have one anytime you want,” he says as he leans into to gently kiss my lips.
As his words sink in, I look up and smile and say, “Why didn’t I think of that before? I know you’re right. I know you’re both right,” I say looking toward my creator before I continue. “It doesn’t make sense that the Sword of Light would be mine to wield, now that I stop to think about it. Always before, it had been in the hands of those tasked to guard, and protect The Tree of Life and the Garden of Eden, your garden, Father. What does Alaric need to do?”
“That’s simple. Alaric, just step forward and place your hand around the hilt of the sword. It will read your intentions. If your intentions are pure and your cause a worthy one you will be allowed to wield the sword, honestly, this is just a formality. I must warn you though that if at any time, your thoughts and intentions become corrupted the sword will return here and you will not be allowed access to this realm. Do you understand my meaning?”
Alaric and I look at one another, a look of concern on his face before turning back to our Father and saying, “Yes, I understand.”
I’m glad he does because I have no idea as to what his meaning could possibly be. Before I can ask, Alaric steps forward and walks toward the sword. His determination apparent in each step, as he reaches for the sword, I hold my breath for an instant and then reprimand myself. If anyone would be deemed worthy it would be Alaric. I watch as his hand wraps around the hilt and he deftly plucks the sword from its perch. I breathe a sigh of relief as he holds the sword up and tests its weight, tossing it from his left to his right hand and back again, the iridescent green flame flickering brightly along the blade, and then suddenly the flame extinguishes, and Alaric holsters the blade.
I suck in a breath before wheezing out, “I can’t believe you broke it. What did you…?”
Alaric grins broadly at me before admonishing me, “Ash, have a little faith. All I had to do was think the thought, and it obeyed. Kind of like our link to one another but different, for as long as the sword deems me worthy, it will follow my commands.”
“That’s a relief.”
Our creator chuckles, “Well now, as long as that is sorted, I must be on my way. Good luck and I will see you again when the time is right.” In a matter of mere seconds, he’s gone again, and we are all left staring at the space he just occupied.
Looking to everyone in the room and around what I now know to be The Soul Reliquary I say, “I believe things will sort themselves for a time. It’s time we go. Let’s round up everyone that we left behind to travel here, and then we go home.” Taking a deep breath, I look to Alaric and say, “I want to go home, it's time that we went back to Glenndale Loch Keep.”
In just moments we are back with the others, and I bid this realm a fond farewell because we’re going home. I have missed it so much. Glenndale Loch has become my home in a very short period of time, and I want more than anything in the realms to be there now. I know that we have a lot to figure out and there is so much that has yet to come, but we can deal with whatever comes our way as long as we’re together.
Chapter 6
(Ashlinn)
Five months later
I wake to Lachlan’s needy whimpering, that’s his hungry cry. So much has changed in my life in the last several months. Smiling I reach over to pluck him out of his cradle. It’s early, and the sun has yet to rise, but I quickly go about my new morning routine as I place him at my breast. He latches on as though his next meal will be denied. As if, all hell would break loose if I took back my breast and made him and his sister feed from a bottle. Their intense dislike of bottle feeding has been made known to all within the Keep. Greedily, he goes about filling his little belly. I allow him to suckle for about five minutes before I forcefully remove his little mouth with a loud pop so that Lillie will have something left. I lay Lachlan on the bed between Alaric and me as I gather Lillie up and urge her to nurse. She is never as eager as Lachlan but once she wakes, she latches on this morning, and she nurses hungrily. The morning feeding can take ten minutes or thirty depending on how hungry the little cherubs are. This morning, we may be here for a while as Lillie suckles intently. Her hunger is not easily satiated, which is unusual for her. They may be experiencing a bit of a growth spurt. Lachlan is not happy about the turn of events, but he will have to deal. Lillie has been somewhat stunted in her growth. So, I indulge her this morning, she kneads my breast with her tiny hands as she gives into her inner panther cub.
Lachlan begins whimpering, not at all happy at not being allowed access to his favorite place, so I pull him up and juggle the two so that I can allow him to finish his early breakfast and for a few moments they are both at peace, and I smile down at the two. Once the milk runs out, all bets are off. The two continue to suckle and knead as they fill their bellies. I can tell that as they continue to nurse that, somehow, I’m able to nourish them both. Early on, I feared that I was going to have to bring in a wet nurse, but miraculously I have been able to fulfill their needs. At first, their feedings where every one and a half to two hours but now at two and a half months old their feedings have spaced out to about every three hours. To say that I miss a good night’s sleep is an understatement. Looking down at the twins, I know in my heart that I would not trade them or this life for anything in all The Realms. My family has become my reason for living. Both of my children
are wide-eyed and staring back at me with large brilliant blue eyes and the grin on my face grows impossibly large, they both have Alaric’s eyes, so beautiful. Lachlan pulls away before he coos and smiles back at me, milk dribbling from his mouth as he bats his chubby little arm in the air, keeping my attention. Just like his father, he has captured my heart and soul. Not to be outdone, Lillie pulls away and smiles and coos back at me, batting her beautiful eyelashes. Alaric is in so much trouble with this one because she already has him wrapped around her pudgy little pinky finger.
So much has happened in the last five months. Once we returned to Glenndale Loch we went about preparing for the twins arrival, I took some time to get to know the Valkyrie that were appointed as my Keepers, some of which have expressed a want to stay on in that capacity. They are officially being repurposed for now. All of the Valkyrie are sinfully beautiful, and my Guardians are smitten with them. So far, life has not changed much, The Tree of Life continues to orchestrate the coming and going of souls, and the Keepers have had to go on only a handful of missions, as Mom would have said in her doctor lingo, we’re really just PRN or as needed. That’s fine by me. We have enough on our plate right now.
On the other hand, we have begun looking into The Morrígan and her whereabouts. Sighing, I look down at my two children and watch as Lillie drifts off to sleep, her belly full. Alaric got in late last night after chasing a dead-end lead to The Morrígan, he’s sleeping, and I don’t want to wake him. Carefully, I lay them both back in their cradle and pull on my silk robe. Seeing that Lachlan is wide awake, I pull my handsome little elf-man into my arms and walk toward the balcony, the same balcony that I missed so much when I was away. It has been a place of revelation and a place of comfort. Dawn is on the horizon, and I smile as I hold Lachlan up in front of me, delighting in his adorable antics. His sweet little face is so full of love and adoration. Every time I look at either of them my heart sings. The love I feel for my children and my kindred plays on my heartstrings. It’s a song I know well by now and one that I would never ever trade. They are so beautiful, and I know that I will do everything in my power to keep them safe. That definitely includes hunting down The Morrígan and her twisted sisters.
