by Sanders, Dan
Daimon sat near Bevan. He was running the tips of his fingers along his stony arm. He nodded with satisfaction.
“I like your new hair, Daimon,” Lupi said. “It’s a little bit sophisticated.”
Daimon smiled and ran his finger through the brown streak he received from his connection with Bevan. It seemed so long ago. He smiled a tired smile at Bevan.
Rupurt and Lupi’s laughter ran in the basin surrounded by blue and orange mountains.
Sabina sat in the shallow water at the edge of the lake, playing with her new water toes. She smiled curiously at the webbing, feeling her toes in the cold water. There was no book in her hands.
Emily woke with a start. She looked around and shook her ears, expecting a Paytah to jump out at her. She realised the war was over, sat on her haunches and took a deep breath. She couldn’t fill her lungs with enough air. Stretching her paws out as far as they could go, she breathed again. Even though it hurt, she could not get enough air. She wondered if she would ever stop being scared.
Bevan lifted up on his elbows and watched Sabina as she stood and slid into the water and disappeared in bubbles. Suddenly, like an emerald-blue seal, Sabina lifted out of the water, somersaulted high in the sky, before sliding softly back into the lake. Sabina bobbed her silver head from the water and noticed Bevan watching her. Flicking her long feet she quickly reached the centre of the lake and stopped at the base of the waterfall that led up to Kalen-Na, its egg-shaped shadow filling the other side of the bank.
Emily watched her friends resting. The occasional tree along the crescent foreshore cast spindly shadows that reminded her of the Treebith. She drew a deep breath again.
She sat quietly for some time letting the earth and her new power heal her. She stretched her mind out to the land. It was easy now. Her mind flew across great rivers and mountains and seas. Her mind skimmed across the hearts of the people and the animals and plants. It was spring and her power was at its highest. Annwyn sighed with her. Peace ran through the veins of the elements. Yes, Emily thought, peace was what she felt, with a kind of sad joy. She looked up to the sky and saw the veil between the Twin Worlds. Haunting swirls of purple, yellow and green twisted above the wispy clouds, like ribbons at a child’s party. She knew if she looked closely she would see Earth through the veil, but she was too tired. So she closed her eyes, scratched her whiskers and breathed.
Xavier sat much further around the foreshore with his knees up to his chest. His staff rested at his feet. He didn’t seem to notice the white flowers with pink and custard centres that surrounded him. He absently picked one, smelled it and pulled at the petals, one at a time. Bardolf sat on his haunches with his long legs, proudly holding out his electric blue chest. His friend Sirakon fiddled in a rucksack of food. She brushed away a bee that wanted to share the food. Emily couldn’t quite make out what they were eating. Her own belly growled.
Emily hadn’t seen Elleran approach. She touched Emily’s forepaw. Emily hopped backwards, nearly falling down the slope into the water.
“I am sorry, Eama. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I’m a little jumpy, still half-asleep. Hey, where’s Magas?”
“He had another task to complete,” Elleran said. “He will be along later.”
“He always does,” Emily said. She hopped to the shore and dipped her head, ears and all, into the water.
When Emily finished shaking herself, Elleran said, “I know you are tired, Eama, but we have work to do.”
Lupi dropped Rupurt onto the grass from their little game and flew over to Emily.
“What do you mean, work?” Lupi said. “Haven’t we done everything we need to do?”
Elleran smoothed the folds in her lilac bodice and smiled. “The task is complete for the Circle of Six, but for Emily, her new calling is just beginning.”
“Clouds alive. Can’t she cut a break. She just defeated the pathetic dark thing.”
“She’s right,” Emily said. “What else is there?” She squinted up to the Melder.
Sabina walked out of the water and up the bank to join Emily. The afternoon sun shone yellow off her emerald scales. Emily was still amazed at Sabina’s new body. She tried not to look at Sabina’s long feet and webbed toes. They looked a bit like flippers. When Sabina walked onto the grass her feet shrank to the size of normal feet. Emily thought it was a little weird but also a little special.
Bevan looked away, blushing.
Elleran called the others over and walked them through the city. She pointed to the Blue-Sage Crystal Mountains that surrounded the north of the city. Rabbits of all colours emerged from round doors that were tucked between the rocks in the mountains. Throngs of children pointed at Emily and whispered to their parents. A young girl in a yellow dress pushed through the crowd and ran up to her. She threw her arms around Emily’s neck.
“Thanks for saving our world,” she said. She was eating a small bread bun inscribed with Eostra’s Mark.
The crowd froze in shock at the bravado of the child. Emily, who was as tall the child, returned the gesture and threw her paws around the girl’s neck.
And the spell was broken. Children crowded Emily. She let herself be patted and stroked and thanked. Giggles filled the silence of the clean-up. Small animals that had been hiding came forward. A mustard-coloured fawn with a brown streak along its spine left its mother and wobbled over to Lupi and Rupurt. Lupi buzzed around its head, dropping flowers. The fawn playfully bit at the air trying to catch them.
Time passed and Elleran shooed the children and animals away. Disappointed moans and the occasional cry from a discontented baby eventually faded. The girl in the yellow dress pleaded with her dark eyes to stay. The Melder nodded her approval as a gust of wind blew her silk cape about her head.
The Circle of Six continued through the town until they came to a large domed building with coloured crystal dots spotting the smooth surface. Elleran waited for Xavier and his friend to catch up before speaking at the semi-circle doorway. She cleared her throat and waved everybody silent. All the families and the children followed at a distance. They stopped and watched. Mothers with hungry babies sat on the ground and fed from the breast.
“We are privileged this day for the Circle of Six has prevailed and darkness has been defeated. Eostra’s power of harmony has been restored and spring has been assured. We must celebrate this day with food and festivities. But this festival, this celebration, must be held on the Twin Worlds.”
Elleran lifted up her arms and pointed to the veil in the sky. People shouted in jubilation at the sight of another world hanging upside-down above them. She lowered her arms, pulled her sleeves down, and continued.
“This battle was for the Twin Worlds. It must be remembered that harmony with the land and harmony with each other must always come first. The celebration of Eostra will take place at this time each year.”
Her voice echoed across the lake and the mountains. “We must remember.”
The claps stopped and there was silence. The breeze off the lake whistled through the canyon.
The girl in the yellow dress said, “How?”
The adults and the children laughed. Elleran and the Circle laughed. The girl picked up Rupurt and patted him. She was proud of her grown-up question.
Elleran smiled and said, “Through traditions and tokens of the times. Follow and you will see.”
Emily looked at Elleran as they walked through the entry. It struck her that the Melder was enjoying this part of her role. She wondered where Magas was.
The chamber they entered was like another giant egg. They were greeted by Alecia and Bently. Alecia bowed her orange ears and said, “Welcome, Chosen One, to the Egg workshop.”
“Hello, you two. I wondered where you had got to.”
All the guests breathed a collective, “WOW.”
Alecia and Bently looked rather proud of their creation. On either side of the path running through the centre of the chamber were rows upon rows
of crystal eggs. Eggs large and small ran up the racks angled to showcase the beauty that lay within. The entire chamber pulsed under the light from thousands of coloured crystals.
Emily gently picked up a yellow egg from a fluffy silk nest. Her face radiated yellow. Even the red in her ears brightened.
“Look at these etchings,” Emily said. “What are they?” She handed the yellow crystal to the girl in the yellow dress.
“It’s like my dress,” the girl said. Her face glowed yellow. “Can I keep it?”
Elleran nodded and patted the girl’s black curls.
Elleran answered Emily. “The etchings on each egg are symbols. Some hold the symbol of air, others fire. Other symbols show Emily’s mark. They represent all aspects of the first Eostra celebration.”
Elleran held up a royal blue egg between her fingers. She handed it around. They all admired the etching on the egg. The mark so meticulously carved into the crystal was an outline of a rabbit crouching with long ears. A tiny round egg was embedded in its hind-quarters. Lupi traced her fingernail around the carving in the crystal. She smiled.
They continued walking through the factory. Alecia and Bently described the remarkable lengths the hundreds of rabbits went to in crafting each egg. Long tables floated around the edge. After each egg was etched, it would be rolled down copper gullies that twisted through the air and into the silk nests on the ground. Emily smiled at the yellow PowerPlanks underneath the floating tables, now so normal to her.
Emily noticed Xavier stayed far behind from the other friends. A furry black rabbit with a pink nose hopped past Xavier. He smiled and picked up the rabbit. Emily held back and hopped up to him as the others continued with the tour.
“What’s bothering you?” she asked.
Xavier kept looking at the egg displays as he answered. “I am well, thank you, Chosen One.”
“Please, call me Emily. I dislike titles.”
Xavier glanced at Emily before saying, “My father always said titles were important. People respect titles. It keeps order.”
Emily scratched her whiskers before answering. “I don’t know about that. I think in the end everybody is the same. We just have different roles to play in life.”
Xavier frowned. “You are not what I expected.”
Emily smiled. Xavier pointed to the red on the inside of her ears. “I gave you those, didn’t I?”
Emily pulled her ear down and ran her paw along the inside of her ear. Her smile dimmed thoughtfully. She said, “I suppose so. But as it turns out, it helped with my development.”
Xavier shook his head. “I don’t follow.” He put the black rabbit down. It hopped away.
“I needed to absorb each of the four elements as part of my growth and transformation. When I absorbed your pure Fire Lore energy my body changed. This mark is representation of that. See this?” Emily showed her left red paw. “This represents my bird origins on Earth. My brown and green tail represents the Earth Element.”
Xavier nodded.
She batted her round blue eyes.
Xavier said, “Remarkable. I can see the ocean.”
Emily smiled and said, “Yes. That is the Water Element. And I turned into the Air Element in my battle with Torek. That was my final transformation. Just between us, I wasn’t sure how that was going to happen.”
Xavier smiled a little more warmly.
“Why don’t you join us?” Emily said.
“It is not right.”
Emily looked at him. There was quite a distance between them and the others now. Xavier was taller than Emily. His scrawny body looked too small for his bulging red hair. His left hand twitched nervously at his side.
“Is something wrong with your hand?” Emily said.
He pushed his hand behind his back. Emily gently pulled it forward and held it in her paw.
“I have this…” he withdrew his hand and concentrated. A small tuft of flames danced in his hands. He played with it. “I don’t even know I am doing it half the time.”
“I see. But what’s the problem?”
Xavier closed his fist and put out his fire. He spat the words, “I spent the last few moons trying to kill you and your friends.”
“Xavier, you are one of us now. It took courage to do what you did.”
Without thinking Emily wrapped her arms around the boy’s chest. Her ears rested on his shoulders. He stiffened at first and then, when Emily wouldn’t let go, he relaxed.
Emily whispered to him, “The only time you were truly allowed to make a choice, you made the one that saved the land. From what I hear of your mother, she would have been proud of you. You must learn to love yourself before you can love others.”
Tears openly streamed down his face. After a while Xavier gently pulled away from Emily. He wiped his red eyes, bowed slightly and caught up to the others. As he drew close behind the group he pulled tight his red hood.
Lupi was asking Elleran what they should do with the eggs. Emily barely heard the answer.
“Emily and her friends, the Adros Rabbits, will deliver these eggs to the far flung places of Earth and Annwyn. The children are the future of the land and they should know the power of that land while they are young.”
Emily hurriedly hopped through the crowd and said, “How?” But as she asked, she already knew the answer. She had known the moment she laid the egg and the power of the land came through her.
“I will show you later. For now let’s enjoy the Eostra dinner together.”
“I have a question,” Lupi said. “These are Annwynian crystals. What will happen on Earth?”
“It is true, Lupita, these are powerful crystals not found on Earth. They will take the power of Annwyn with them, and the bearer of the crystal will possess not only the symbol of rebirth, but a small stone of power to regenerate a part of the Earth. It is proof of Eostra’s Rabbit and the proof of the meaning of the Eostra celebration.”
“What does the Eostra celebration mean for Earth?” Daimon said.
“It is quite simple. The Eostra celebration, on the spring dawn each year, represents the rebirth of the Earth.”
They all nodded, smiling. Rupurt clapped a few times, then stopped, embarrassed.
“Now, let’s move out and enjoy our other surprises.”
Each member of the Circle was handed an egg by a different Adros rabbit. Each rabbit was thrilled to be in the presence of the Circle of Six, the mightiest warriors and saviours of the land.
Chapter 52
Eostra Celebration and the Easter Tree
HAVENDEL–EOSTRA’S CITY
ANNWYN
By the time the companions had taken their seats at the table the sun had almost set. Floating above the lake, Kalen-Na spun its golden glow across the festivities. Four rows of tables covered in white and gold stretched across the field. Large terracotta pots filled with crimson stones burned brightly, warming the area. The soldiers who had bravely fought alongside the Chosen One had been invited: families with fathers, and children without, sat with their mothers in anticipation of the first Eostra celebration. The white canopies that provided shelter rustled in the evening wind. The abundant food matched the colours from the lights meandering above in the veil between the Twin Worlds. With their backs to the Arusio Mountains, a group of musicians played strings and drums and horns. After a while the music dimmed. The haunting melodies of the Pandrien Pipes floated through the greying darkness. People twisted their heads, searching for the location of the music.
Long lines of Agramond emerged from the darkness and drifted down from the mountains. Their delicate silk garments fluttered in their descent. One by one, each Air-Elf touched the grass with a foot, and as they did so, they would play a single note, higher than the previous one, until the last Agramond’s glass-like foot signalled a crescendo that exploded from all pipes. Nobody moved. Even the children could not speak. The canopies that covered the celebrations puffed up like a sail from the breeze. A crying baby broke the spell and ev
erybody clapped.
Emily thought how different the grey at the end of this day was from the grey that began the day. She couldn’t believe it hadn’t even been a full day since the battle and the laying of the Egg. She sipped her drink and sank back into her chair. She would have to stop calling it a battle and call it by its real name, Eostra Day. She was curious about Elleran’s plans for delivering eggs to Earth. How would thousands of eggs be delivered in one day? Even she couldn’t do that.
An orange Ibaloth in a wide-brimmed yellow hat waved his hairy arm for dinner to begin. Under the Ibaloth’s powerful will, plates floated from the darkness and onto the tables.
“So what will you do now, Sabina?” Daimon asked. He blinked his eyes at a slice of bread on the table. Under his will it shuddered and floated down the table. Daimon collected the bread. Lupi and Rupurt clapped.
Sabina said, “Not exactly sure. I have my new home in Nilawen. I also have my mother and Hawkmoth Academy.”
“What’s it like, being a Styx I mean?” Rupurt asked.
“I can’t describe it. All my learning could not prepare me for the power that comes as an Exotic. It’s as though I now have somewhere to channel my knowledge. It has a use.”
Emily asked, “What is the city like?”
“I have just glimpsed a small portion, but from what I’ve witnessed so far, it is beyond belief.”
Rupurt pointed to Sabina’s face and said, “Can I feel them?”
“Don’t be rude, Rupurt,” Emily said.
“Be my guest,” Sabina said.
Rupurt hopped around the table and onto Sabina’s lap. He gently touched the intricate emerald and blue markings that now wound around her eyes and up to her ears. Everybody watched with fascination. Rupurt reached further back and touched the thin fins sitting underneath Sabina’s small ears. Sabina moved her silver hair from her ear so Rupurt got a better look.
