She scowled back at him, but only for his last comment. In truth, she almost blushed at his compliment. It was genuinely good to have him back again.
“So how do we get to this Illadar?” said Skellig, bringing the conversation back again. “There’s only one way out of this valley.”
Jak wasn’t sure of that. Now that she held the second Pillar of Eternity, the power of space, their options were greatly expanded.
“I have learned something about the Pillars of Eternity,” she said in answer. “Our way out lies in their power, and in ours.”
“Oo, this sounds exciting,” said Amelia from the column of water that held her aloft beside the lake.
Jak smiled. “Fae abilities, and the brands worn by humans, are all part of a single force. They all affect the physical world around us, or in us. I believe that all of us, collectively, represent the third Pillar of Eternity.”
She let that sink in for a moment. Surprisingly, the others did not react like she expected. Most just looked at her like they expected her to continue. Only a few eyes widened or eyebrows raised in comprehension. Gabriel was stroking his beard and nodding, as if it was all beginning to make sense for him. Skellig looked like she was restraining herself from asking Jak to get on with it.
“Anyway,” she continued. “These two Pillars—” she raised the white and black shafts, “—they represent higher magics of time and space, dimensions at the edges of what we’re currently capable of understanding. I believe that together, they, and we, can create Illadar and take everyone there.”
“You believe Illadar is a place, then?” said Vander, speaking for the first time as a member of the council. “A physical location for us to live without human oppression?”
Something about his tone struck Jak, but she answered anyway. “I no longer believe it is a state of mind or a time of peace, but a place. And a much greater place than we all realize.” She repeated the words of the strange woman in white, though she still did not have a clear picture of what Illadar might look like. Perhaps they would be able to raise a continent out of the ocean, or go to the moon. Perhaps even create a new moon. She wasn’t sure if that was possible, but then again, she did not know what they were collectively capable of.
“We’ll need everyone ready to go,” she said. “And I’d like all of the Fae to participate in the link.” She spared a glance for Perchel. “Including the Sky Fae. I assume you have a form of linking?”
Perchel nodded. “It’s not much, but yes. It sometimes helps our young learn to navigate the skies when we’re first teaching them to fly. I didn’t know that other Fae had a similar link.” He glanced around at the others, most of whom were nodding in confirmation.
Jak turned next to Rael, the leader of the trolls. “None of this will work unless the trolls are all willing to help. We will need a massive amount of energy.”
Everyone covered their ears as the troll opened his enormous mouth and bellowed, “HEEEEELP.”
Jak smiled at everyone’s reaction. Well, that settled that. The trolls were with her.
“Can I count on the rest of you to be there?” she said, meeting the other representatives’ eyes.
“We’ve never linked with a human before,” said Vander. “But we will be there.”
Noralim of the dwarves spoke next. “We will help as well.”
All eyes turned to Girwirt who stood beside Noralim. The gnome bristled. “What? Yeah we’ll help. Provided you don’t turn us all into corpses, or fry us with the energy of them trolls.” He glanced sidelong at Rael. “I can’t trust something so big.”
“The Bright Elves are, of course, on your side,” said Yewin.
“As are the Water Fae,” said Amelia.
“That’s everyone then,” said Skellig. “When do we start?”
“As soon as all the Fae can be gathered.” Jak took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to the link or not. She’d never linked with so many, and with all of the available species of Fae at once. Add the power of the two Pillars, and her own gift as an Oren, and she might become more than a person. She might become a goddess. What would she do with all that power. Could she even remain herself?
It took a little over an hour before all of the Fae had gathered together. The Bright and Shadow Elves stood at the forefront, facing Jak. The trolls stood at the back, and the Water Fae created a giant wave to hold them all aloft, close enough to interact with the rest of the Fae. The Sky Fae fluttered above, creating shadows that danced around the field. The dwarves and gnomes stood to the sides and behind Jak. They were ready.
Jak surveyed them all. Including the Sky Fae, there were no more than four hundred or so. Many had died in previous battles against humans or demons. These were literally all that remained of the Fae. Hopefully, in Illadar, they would have a chance to grow and flourish. They could start families, and settle down for once. Perhaps other humans would turn into Fae and join them. From the seven thousand soldiers that already lived in this valley, she wouldn’t be surprised if some of them changed eventually.
“Are you nervous?” It was Marek who spoke. He stood next to her, watching as the Fae gathered closer.
“Who wouldn’t be?” she replied.
“They believe in you, Jak. We all do. And we will stand by you.”
She swallowed, grateful for Marek’s encouraging words, but keeping her eyes fixed on the Fae.
They all looked to her, their leader. They expected something of her. A speech maybe. She took a deep breath and raised the two Pillars of Eternity high above her head. “I have found two Pillars of Eternity. With them I plan to create Illadar, that place of peace you have been waiting for, prophesied of in the Book of Illadar, that same book that speaks of each of you.”
She swallowed, and tried to judge their reaction. Most continued to look at her. To look to her. Others among the humans had also moved in closer, eager to hear her words.
“Cain is on his way. He will not let anyone live if he arrives. I could hold him off temporarily but eventually he would defeat even me. I am not strong enough to stop him alone.”
“So we’re just going to run away, then?” said a voice in the crowd. Jak spied one of the Shadow Fae who had spoken. A woman named...Viona, that was it.
“Not run. Build. We can’t fight back until we have a solid footing, no longer on the run.”
Several heads nodded at that, so she continued. “I’m sure you all know why you’re here. We’re going to link. All of us. Because we are the third Pillar of Eternity, the last piece of the puzzle to wield the power of creation itself. Can I count on you?”
Heads nodded, and Jak sought out the faces of her friends among the Fae. They were all there, nodding and encouraging her with their eyes. All except her mother. She would never see those eyes again.
Now was the time to make her mother’s sacrifice worth it. Now was the time to use the Pillars of Eternity for good, to save everyone.
“Let us begin,” she said, determination settling around her mind.
The Fae members of the council stepped forward first. She still held the Pillars of Eternity in each hand, so instead they placed their hands on her arms, shoulders, and back. Though Girwirt and Noralim each grabbed a leg, seeing as they couldn’t reach much higher. Even Amelia was able to maneuver a tendril of water close enough so she could touch Jak’s arm. Her friend smiled at her, a note of encouragement in her gaze.
The rest of the Fae crowded around them, each one reaching one arm to touch one or another of their companions. Soon, they were all connected by a chain of arms and hands, each one touching someone, all leading to the center of their circle. To Jak. Seph and Marek stood to one side, watching in silence.
Jak steeled herself, allowing all emotion to drain away from her. This was it. She opened her mouth. “Do it now.”
She tapped the two Pillars of Eternity on the ground to activate their magic. At the same instant, the link from hundreds of Fae rushed into her.
It was power, knowledge, and intuition like she’d never felt before. Awareness of light, darkness, sky, earth, water, fire, and more flooded her brain. Surely her physical body could not contain this. No human being could fathom so much at once. Was she even part of her physical body anymore, or was she somewhere else? It seemed she was out among the stars, looking down at their little, tiny, insignificant planet from afar.
Yet some part of her remained. She was Jak, of Riverbrook. Her father was Rael. Her mother was Karlona. They were both gone, and yet they weren’t at the same time. They lived on. Their bodies were part of the Earth, their memories a part of her, their souls...were somewhere else.
The powers of time and space were present as well. In some way, time no longer seemed to matter. Her body was still fixed in its present location, but there was so much more to learn out there, out among the stars.
The woman in white had been right. The possibilities were so much larger than she had ever hoped to fathom before. Illadar was no valley. It was no state of mind. It wasn’t even on their planet. No matter what they did on Earth, they would always be hunted. That much was clear. At this beginning stage of their development they had to find somewhere else to flourish, to allow the people of Earth time to advance, where one day they would be allowed to reintegrate again. But that was a long way off. In the meantime, they would need a haven. They would need Illadar.
Jak temporarily brought her attention back to the present moment. She had to make sure all the Fae remained safe during the link. Massive wells of power flowed into her from the trolls. She directed just enough of that power, a drop in the ocean of energy, to the Fae around her. That would keep them from becoming drained of life while she did what else needed to be done.
Illadar would take time to create. But she had time, embodied in one of the Pillars of Eternity. She had all the time in the universe. And with the powers of space, she could manipulate events far beyond her reach. But to do that, she would need knowledge.
Let there be light.
Knowledge brought on from her link with the Bright Elves illuminated the path ahead. She turned her attention to the sun. There was matter there, deep within, and plenty for their purposes. She called on the powers of space, guided by her link with the gnomes and dwarves, shepards of fire and earth.
With it, she removed a portion of the sun, a large portion, nearly comparable in size to their own planet, but just a dot in comparison to the sun itself. The bead of white hot matter began to cool as it was drawn away from the burning surface of the sun. Yet it was still hot. Hotter than any living thing could withstand.
Jak guided it further and further away from the sun, only vaguely aware of how enormous her task was. No mortal being could do what she now did, guiding a world of matter away from a burning sun. And yet she did it. Size no longer mattered. Distance no longer mattered. Time no longer mattered.
She let the world-sized hunk of matter cool. With time warping around her, it became hard to tell if her work lasted only minutes, or millenia. In one sense, the world did not form until she commanded it to do so. In another sense, it had already happened billions of years earlier. She held the power of time and space in her hands. Petty details like the time it took to create a world hardly mattered. To her, it took both minutes and millenia all at once.
She guided the giant world-shaped rock even further away from the sun. She couldn’t bring it close to their own earth. Doing so would cause catastrophic damage to both worlds. They had to be kept apart.
Even more knowledge filled her, informing her of the best location for this new world. For those of Earth would eventually become more sophisticated. They would find their world, and study it. They would learn of life existing there, and would send weapons to target the Fae even from across the stars. They had to be distant, but close. Nearby, but hidden.
Jak guided the planet away from their earth, until it stood on the opposite side of the sun, in approximately the same orbit. No one would see it there. The humans of earth would never detect it. Not at least until they were ready for a reunification of their worlds. Perhaps then, they would be able to find Illadar. But until then, there was no better place.
As she worked, some of the landmass broke off to become moons, the power of the Pillars of Eternity and the Fae working almost with a will of its own to shape the world and its satellites.
Other Fae abilities came to her aid as she worked her magic. Using the power of the Sky Fae, she brought atmosphere to the burning rock. As the planet cooled, she used the power of the Water Fae to combine oxygen and hydrogen to form water. What wonders she possessed with all this energy and Fae power rushing through her. It would take years before anyone possessed the knowledge of how to create water, or what it was made of. Would she even remember once the link was broken? Could her brain even possess so much knowledge?
There was more to do before Illadar was finished. The weather patterns were off, and it needed life, harvesting, and love. Yet she could not provide all of that yet. A part was missing. Several parts, in fact. Yet even as she realized the problem, she also happened upon the answer. There were still more Fae yet to appear, and they would become the missing link, the final touch to make Illadar complete. Yet it existed. They could go there, even live there for a time without worry of being attacked by demons or worse.
Her thoughts turned suddenly back on her own earth, focusing inward, seeking a single individual among a sea of millions of living beings. The one that did not fit.
Cain. There he was, flying through the air at a breathtaking speed. Even now, he was speeding over the western sea, nearly at their doorstep. He would arrive at their little valley within a day at most.
She had the power to snuff him out of existence. Surely with the power to create worlds, she could eliminate one relatively tiny threat. She turned her power on the man, willing it to strike, to rip every atom of Cain’s body apart, and scatter each one across the stars.
But she could not do it. The Pillars of Eternity resisted. They almost whispered their protest to her. These were Relics of creation. They could not be used for destruction. Their purpose was fulfilled in the formation of Illadar.
Jak felt her body sigh, knowing that there would be no point in trying to persuade the Relics otherwise, just as she couldn’t convince a bird to be a fish. Their primary job was finished, it was time to let them rest.
She let the magic of the Pillars ease, and with that magic went her ability to change the world of Illadar. It stood, nearly two-hundred million miles away, waiting for them.
She broke the link with the rest of the Fae.
Instantly she staggered, feeling the knowledge and power of their link escape her. If she had not been held on all sides by members of the Fae, she would have fallen. Instead, she leaned against them, and against the Pillars of Eternity for support.
She wasn’t the only one struggling. Others around her collapsed on the ground, exhausted but still alive. They were all still alive. But even the trolls sat on the earth as if tired. The exertion of creating an entire world had taken a lot out of them. Understandable.
“What happened?” It was Marek. He looked from Jak to the others. “Did you do it?”
“We did it,” Jak said through intense breathing. “We created Illadar. We were thinking too small. Illadar isn’t a valley, or even a country. It’s an entire planet. And it’s out there,” she pointed above. “On the other side of the sun. Waiting for us.”
A smile split Marek’s face, but laughter erupted from Seph. Joyous laughter. He threw himself at Jak and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Whispering in her ear, he said. “I knew you had it in you, Jak. I never doubted.”
“I love you,” she said in response, then caught herself. Where had that come from? She almost panicked as she saw the startled look in Seph’s eyes. But then he smiled, and all anxiety escaped her.
“I love you too, Jak.”
Then he kissed her. In front of
everyone, their lips met and Jak felt herself melting into Seph’s strong embrace. She’d never felt so accomplished, so proud of what she had done, and so glad to be held by someone she loved. She meant her words too. She loved this man.
Seph broke the embrace but continued holding her arm to keep her steady. She used the Pillars of Eternity to further keep herself from falling to her knees.
Marek leaned in eagerly to help steady her, joining Seph in doing so. “What do we do now? How do we get there?”
“I think we’d all be interested in knowing that?” said Yewin. His breathing was coming fast, but he looked to her with excitement shining through his eyes. They were all looking at her like that.
“I can take us there,” said Jak. “I think. Give me a second.”
She brought the Pillars of Eternity to bear again. They should be all she needed for what came next.
A small circle formed ahead of them, next to the entrance to the valley. It was alive with purple energy, similar to that seen in the troll’s eyes, surrounding the circle. It grew, expanding like ripples in a pond, a brightly lit circle of living energy. As it grew, cold air blew over each of them, coming from the direction of the circle. Everyone stood transfixed as they watched.
Jak grit her teeth. Somehow, the effort of creating the circle took more strength than she anticipated. Perhaps all of her strength had left her after creating Illadar. But she still had enough for this. She had to.
“It’s a portal!” she yelled so everyone could hear. “We need everyone to go through.”
No one stepped forward. Most were looking at her like she had gone mad. She had to convince them.
“It leads to Illadar. We’ll be safe there. We have to move quickly otherwise Cain will get here before we’re through.”
Oddly, it was Gabriel who stepped forward first. Everyone watched as he walked forward to the base of the circular, shimmering portal. Reaching one arm forward, he thrust it into the portal.
To World's Above: An Epic YA Fantasy Adventure (Roots of Creation Book 5) Page 20
