by C. A. Sabol
Selene nodded and sighed. “I understand. Sometimes I wish that you could bypass that rule.”
Pegasus gave a small chuckle. “Nothing worth having is easy, and it usually takes a lot of time to get it just the way it should be. Humans do not usually take to asking for help too easily; there are exceptions, of course, but the human race is a proud one. It is too humbling to ask for help in their eyes most of the time.”
Selene nodded. “There are some things I don’t like to ask for help with,” she agreed. “I want to be able to know that I can do certain things on my own.”
“There are things that we all must learn to be able to do on our own. But no one should feel so independent as to try to do everything or even most things on his own,” Pegasus shook his head. “Doing things on our own, even for others, is a way that pride can corrupt our thinking. It is only when good is done when credit is taken. When something goes wrong, it is then that the credit becomes blame.”
“Why is pride so dangerous?” Selene wondered out loud.
“Pride often leads to mistakes, and mistakes lead to shame and regret. Pride will take you away, and shame will keep you away. And regrets will haunt you.”
Selene thought of how she had caused Etoileon to get hurt and shook her head, trying to disperse the image. “I can see you have a good point there.”
“That is why it is best to learn from the mistakes of others,” Pegasus said. “Humans do not always have such a luxury, however.”
“That’s sure the truth.”
“Selene ... if you have a problem, you know that I will help you, if you only ask for it.”
Selene looked up to face Pegasus at his words. Was it possible that he wanted her to tell him about Etoileon? Was that safe to do? She swallowed hard and replied, “I know.”
He just looked at her for a moment longer in silence, saying nothing, not even moving. Then his head nodded slowly and he said, “That is good to hear.”
Selene stopped to sit down on her rock on the beach. Pegasus lay down on the sand beside her dangling feet, his wings folded back gracefully, as though he was there to guard her. The princess looked down at him and leaned back, sighing happily. “Pegasus ... I’m so grateful that you came to help me. We’re going to be friends forever, right?”
“Yes,” he assured her. “We are.”
“And you’ll never leave me, right?”
Pegasus shook his head. “No, I will not leave you.” Selene smiled, just starting to relax as Pegasus continued on, saying, “But the one who is coming through the Light, as I am here through you, will be the one that will make that promise to all people.”
“What?” Selene sat back up and looked down at him. “Someone else is coming?”
“Yes.”
“Who is it?” she asked. “One of your friends? Is it another Pegasus?”
Pegasus laughed and then turned his head to face her. “You will see Him, and you will know who He is. There will be no doubt in your heart as to who He is.”
Selene blinked, unsure of what to make of that statement. Ultimately, she decided that she would just have to trust Pegasus’ word on the matter. She did not fully comprehend what Pegasus was telling her, but she had to have faith that all would be revealed in due time.
OBSIDIAN HAD BEGUN to formulate his plan. His hands seemed to grow restless as they encircled his all-seeing orb, calling forth his demonic power to feed him the information he sought. Below his rocky throne, his servants were hard at work, digging out a larger chamber in the cave.
His makeshift home had grown dark and cave-like over the last days of his presence. There glowed an evil shadow around him, and his servants had come to his call. The Demon Chasers, as those who followed the Light called them, had come crawling to feed on the dark energy provided for them from Obsidian. He was their ruler, and they depended on him for satisfying their dark pleasures.
They worked day and night, tiring quickly but never ceasing, in their work to accommodate their master. Black fire roared up from the deep crevices of the tainted earth, and smoke filled much of the cave. The Demon chasers, spirits and humans alike, worked to carve out of the heavy earth a suitable place to reign.
Obsidian turned with great delight to his minion, Sulfas, who had led the Demon Chaser spirits. “I have broken free,” he remarked scathingly, “from my celestial prison to find, that you, Lord Sulfas, have done well in gathering unto me all those who wish to be lost.”
“It was only through your instruction I was able to do so,” Sulfas bowed deeply as his shadowy outline hung in midair.
“Repeating my instructions to those humans seeking to contact the lost spirits was inspired,” Obsidian praised. “Who is their leader?”
“A man, a piteous and foolhardy man named Emanon,” Sulfas replied. “He is from Jewel Island.”
“Ah ... I see. A relative to that Ammos fellow, am I right?” It was not a question that Obsidian asked, but a statement of fact. When Sulfas nodded, his fangs still exposed, Obsidian sneered. “I hope that he listens better than his brother, then.”
“I rather liked Ammos,” Sulfas said, “But it is true that he was a lovesick fool. It was genius of you, Master, to have him kill himself.”
“But he did not listen to my instructions as I told him,” Obsidian scowled. “He was too much influenced by that woman of his. When she died, he killed himself. I told him to kill himself only after he had established a suitable successor. His son was only a small child then. He was of no use to me when Ammos died.”
“It makes no matter about the boy, anyhow,” Sulfas shrugged. “His twin brother and sister were born only a few months later. And the Guardian interfered with the boy and separated him from the rest of the troops. There was no way that you could take control of his mind.”
Obsidian retaliated in a matter of seconds at Sulfas’ unintentional insult. “Never reference that one again!” Obsidian shouted as his blow struck Sulfas squarely in his wispy smoke. Having power over the lost spirits, Obsidian’s attack sent Sulfas splaying backwards, trying to steady himself. Now, at the receiving end of the dark master’s anger, he cowered fearfully on the floor before his leader. Obsidian advanced, his voice crackling with an outburst of rage. “You dare to think that I am not as strong as Him!”
“Forgive me, Master,” Sulfas begged, falling prostrate as his ghostly hands took hold of Obsidian’s flowing black robes. “I did not know what I was saying.”
Obsidian resumed his cordial position on his throne and waved the spirit away. “It makes no matter, Sulfas. I will not forget what you have done, but I will overlook it this time. Besides ... you should know that I have other plans. And the time to enact them is approaching us.”
“Yes, my master,” Sulfas bowed low. “I thank you. I will put all my effort into putting your perfect will into place.”
“Good. I need you then, to contact an old friend of mine.”
“Who is it that you wish to reach, My Lord?”
Obsidian’s grin was sinister as he glared maliciously into his crystal ball. “A woman I know, one who lives in Diamond City.”
Chapter 10
Knowing Love and Guilt
SELENE COULD HARDLY stand still. This day was the day that she was allowed to go and see Etoileon. She’d waited so long, it felt like ages had passed since she’d last seen him. Now, as she grabbed her cloak and headed out of her room, she was filled with a rush of emotions that she could not completely identify.
Dorian had consented that she be allowed to go, mostly because of her good behavior. He had arranged that she could go with only two of her handmaidens, Aura, and a set of guards. For Selene, it was too much. For a princess, however, it was considered barely enough.
As she watched Kadrianne and Rosaria climb into the transport vehicle, Selene looked back up to the palace. It was a rare sight for her to see, the picture of her home. While she lived there, she could never recall just how it looked to the outsider. From her vantage point, she
could see the granite walls off the outer keep, and most of the higher walls of the inner palace. Rising high above it all was the High Tower, superficially unscathed and recently polished. While the palace exclaimed a picture of warmth and comfort to those on the outside of its walls, but Selene knew how much of a prison it could be.
“Princess?”
Selene turned around and saw Kadrianne was looking out at her. The princess gave her a smile. “I’m coming,” she said. Glancing once more at the palace, she let her gaze linger a bit longer on the High Tower and then sighed, her heart full of heaviness. “Let’s go.” She climbed inside just as the engines started.
She was silent for the trip, saying nothing as Aura and her handmaidens went over procedure together in the rear seats. Selene just looked out the window, letting her thoughts circle on how she could try to wake Etoileon up when she could see him. She decided that it would be best to ask for a few moments alone with him first, just to keep suspicions low enough.
When they arrived in Silverton City, Selene felt her thoughts and plans being pushed out of her head as she viewed the city skyline. The last time she’d been here, she had been feeling hopeless and troubled. While she was still suffering, she was better to the point that she allowed herself to be distracted by the unusualness of the city landscape.
In Diamond City, there were larger streets, not too much traffic, and a bustle of colors and shops all lining the city streets. As Selene watched the passing scenes out of her window, she saw that Silverton had small, crowded streets filled up with hover vehicles and turbojets. There were people and shops everywhere, but while Diamond City seemed to have an array of colors and tones, Silverton had nondescript and dull shades of silver gray. It seemed to make sense, Selene supposed, as the City was named for the silver found in the mines below it.
The vehicle pulled up to the entrance to the Medical Ward and Selene, along with her companions and her guards, headed for their destination. Selene felt a foreboding sensation trickle down her spine as she looked up at the structure. She could not recall what the building had looked like the last time she’d been here, but she didn’t remember it being this unusual. She shook her head. It had to be her imagination, she thought.
As she made her way up to Etoileon’s room, Selene passed by Dr. Hamersley in the hallway. He was going over a chart with one of the nurses when he saw her go by, and he paused for a moment in his work, as though he wanted to be sure that it was really the princess. He was certain it was Her Highness, though, a moment later, because of all the guards and court ladies following her. He chuckled when he saw the direction that she and her group were headed in. He looked back at the nurse and handed her the chart. “Excuse me,” he said, hurrying to follow after them.
When they got to the correct floor, Selene turned to her troop. “Everyone, I would like a few moments alone with my friend, if you don’t mind.” Looking at Aura, who wasted no time in scowling her scowl of disapproval, Selene continued, “Just for a few moments. I just want to see how he’s doing for myself. Until then, why don’t you all have a seat in the waiting room, or better yet, why don’t you go out and get some lunch? You all must be hungry after being transported here.” When even Aura could not argue with the princess’ logic, they all agreed to be ready to leave the city in two hours.
Selene cautiously opened the door to Etoileon’s room and peeked inside. She was surprised to find he was not in there. Walking in, she shut the door behind her and started to look around. “Etoileon?” she called out. Maybe he’d woken up, she thought hopefully. “Etoileon?” She called out his name again, but there was still no answer. She was about to try once more when the door opened up behind her.
She turned to find the kind face of her elderly doctor smiling at her. “Your Highness,” he bowed. “How unexpected, and yet expected, to see you.”
“You knew I was coming?” Selene asked, confused but pleased to see him once more. “I didn’t think that Dorian would tell anyone I was coming.”
Dr. Hamersley shrugged, still smiling. “I knew that you were concerned for him, Your Highness. You share a deep bond. It was only natural to assume that you would not be long in returning to him.”
Selene felt her face flush over slightly. “Yes ... but where is he?” Her face broke into a tentative smile as she asked, “Is he better?”
Dr. Hamersley hated to be the one to tell her. “No, Your Highness.” He sighed. “The doctors here, myself included, have done all we can for him ... medicine, bandages, and everything else. But he has not awakened yet.”
“Then where is he?”
“He has been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit to the bottom floor, for resident patients. He has been given his own room, where the nurses can check up on him regularly and give him his medication every time he needs it.”
So he hasn’t gotten better, Selene thought glumly. “Can I see him?” she asked.
“For the Princess of the World? Certainly,” the kind doctor replied. Looking at her saddened face, he hesitated before going on. “I should tell you, Princess, that it is really unpredictable what is going to happen to him. He could wake up tomorrow. Or he could sleep for months. There is no certainty in his condition. We are all stumped as to what it could be that is holding him back from full recovery. Therefore, we can only guess that it is something that we haven’t been able to detect, or it is psychological.”
“But he is safe from dying?”
Once more, Dr. Hamersley hated that he had to be the one to inform her. “Not quite yet, Your Highness. His wounds have all healed on his body, but there is a mess of stitches inside of him yet. And there is always the possibility of something going wrong.”
Selene stood still for a moment, letting all the information soak into her. “I see,” she remarked at last. “Take me down to him, if you please,” she said.
He nodded and gestured toward the door. As they left the empty room, Selene suddenly looked back up at him and tried to put on a brave smile, though she was not very successful. “Thank you so much, Dr. Hamersley. I appreciate all the work you’ve done to help me and Etoileon.”
He bowed his head and said, “It is always a privilege to work for a princess as kind as you are, Your Highness. You give such hope to this world, and I’ll have you know it is not merely because of that prophecy. You really are most welcome.”
Selene felt his words warm her in a comforting way. She respected him, and was honored that he would praise her. But inside she did not know if she could agree with him.
ETOILEON’S NEW ROOM was located on the west side of the building. It was small and in order, and it was, for a wardroom, cozy. Selene looked inside and felt her nose start to prickle as oncoming tears threatened to overwhelm her.
She looked at Dr. Hamersley, who nodded, and gestured toward the far end of the hallway, silently letting her know that he would be waiting for her down there. She bowed her head low in respect and thanks, and he seemed to understand. He turned and left her there, all alone, with the boy that she had missed so much in recent weeks.
“Etoileon,” she murmured, after closing the door and walking over to him. He remained still on his bed, his black hair slightly moist with sweat and his eyes closed. Selene stood over him and was glad to see that he did not have as many bandages on him as he had before she’d gone back to the palace. There was a small bandage on his forehead near his temple, but other than that his face was all healed and looking as though nothing had happened to him. She looked down his body to see that he still had bandages on one of his arms, and a few more under his shirt. She could not tell if there was any more damage below his waist due to the thick covers he was under.
“Hi,” Selene whispered, bending down to talk into his ear. Her hand reached down and tucked itself into his free hand, her cold fingers finding warmth as they curled around his. “I came back to see you, Etoileon. I missed you.” She tried to smile, but her eyes filled up with tears. “I wish you would wake up so much, so I cou
ld see you smile again,” she whispered shakily, her voice affected by her uneven breathing.
She took a deep breath and tried to relax. “I had to go back to the palace last week. But Dorian was kind enough to allow me to visit you, even though you are out of the palace grounds.”
Selene was close enough that she could feel his deep, even breathing on her cheek. She smiled a bit and said, “I hope that they’re taking good care of you, Etoileon. I want you to know, also, that Dorian has not assigned me another personal protector. I do not think he will, either. It seems that while he disliked you, you are the only person for such a job in his eyes.”
There was no response, but Selene squeezed his hand and kept going. She told him of her studies, and of her companions, and only a little about the war. She eventually sat down and rested her arm on his shoulder, still talking to him. She wanted to tell him about her beautiful dreams of late.
“I have a wonderful new friend, too. He comes to me while I am dreaming,” she spoke in her hushed voice. Her tears dried up as she told him of the wisdom of Pegasus, his beauty, his goodness to her. There was even a smile on her face as she told him of walking with him. “I am a little scared to talk to him about you,” she admitted, dropping her smile for a moment. “I want you to get better so much, and I am scared that he won’t be able to do anything for you.” She frowned sadly as she said, “Out of all the people in this world, Etoileon, you have been the closest to me. Out of everyone, the one I fear losing the most is you ... I should’ve told you earlier how much you mean to me ... but ... ” her voice broke off as at last her tears began to break free. “But I did not think I was going to lose you!” she finished, as she laid her head down on his, resting against him, holding him close to her.
Leaning down, she whispered, “I would give anything if you would just come back to me.”
His hair was sticky against her face, but she paid it no mind. Careful of his wounds, she stayed there, close to him, as he continued to sleep.
