Dawning of a Seer

Travail

Days had passed since Rue left the woodland and still, there was no news. Blossom tried to hide her concern, but she could not hide it well enough from Elizabeth. Alone in the hollow of the great oak, searching for knowledge that may have survived within the dusty tombs upon the shelves, Elizabeth tried to divert her thoughts, but Rue's presence, especially here, was missed. This is where she belonged, as the guardian of knowledge, not hunting down a deadly creature.

"If I'm to bond with a tree spirit I should be out in the woodland. Why don't we go above ground for a while and gather some more of the plants we need for the enchantments?" Elizabeth asked.

"We have enough supplies and there are many needed things to be done here." Blossom's tone was cold and Elizabeth wondered if Blossom doubted her intentions.

Despite Rue telling Blossom that Elizabeth's acquired knowledge was from the Seer, she stilled seemed at times to mistrust her and she would prepare some of the enchantments to cast each night alone, asking Elizabeth to run simple errands instead. Elizabeth understood that she needed space to think for some of them were complex to prepare and perform, but Blossom seemed to be unwilling to teach her as she did before. Before Elizabeth had blurted out about the existence of a dark one; something even Blossom had once believed but a myth. Elizabeth wanted to comfort her, but her prickly demeanour made it difficult.

Elizabeth wished she could enter Blossom's thoughts to know what she thinking and expected Blossom wished the same. Elizabeth had learned it was possible, but it was prohibited and anyone who was gifted with such power whether it be a natural ability or learned was banished. It was the reason why male nymphs were excluded from birth, such as the Seer, for males once they reached puberty tended to develop such psychic abilities which defined them as dark magic users.

Interfering with another's mind could have disastrous results, something the creatures of shadows used to their advantage; prying open your mind and preying upon your darkest nightmares, feeding on your fears and consuming you, leaving only your ashes behind. To think that Rue was tracking one and may not return was something that haunted Elizabeth's every breath and why she couldn't blame Blossom for the way in which she was acting.

Elizabeth wanted so much now to become a nymph, to have the ability to use magic freely, to help in their fight against the darkness that seemed poised to engulf them all. Blossom though was now too preoccupied to continue with her lessons and the Seer insisted that he would teach Elizabeth nothing further until she had mastered how to shield her mind.

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The guards hastily opened the gates of Wyvern as they saw the flag bearing the seal of the King's Lady held upon a staff by a page who rode ahead of a small company of horses and noble looking riders. As the horses neared the gates the tower bell rang out to heed their arrival.

Dust billowed around the horses as they cantered into the inner circle of Wyvern Hall making the guards choke. The page holding the flagstaff halted near the steps and the other riders veered their horses before stopping behind him. The page and the lady with blonde braided hair remained on their steeds as the four men dismounted to assist their lady from her white mare. Sarah usually revelled in any male attention but the journey had been long and she disliked travelling far in such heat. She would have preferred to dismount herself, but a lady of position did not do such things so she impatiently waited to be delicately handled to the ground.

A stable boy appeared and helped the page gather up the horses and lead them away as Sarah trailed behind two of her men and was flanked by the others. The heavily studded wooden doors of Wyvern opened and Brint appeared, thankful he had made it to greet her before she had a chance to ascend the steps.