Silver Cathedral Saga: Observer Chronicles, Book 1

Free Fires in an Ending Night

"Eleanor, what are we gonna do?" asked Christian as he shook her friend; her eyes started to tear as she looked out to the field of battle. The boy looked at her again, and waited before he slapped her, hoping she would come back to him.

"Christian," yelled Miyah, thinking her brother had gone too far yet again.

Eleanor moved her hand to her cheek, where he had struck her. It turned red in seconds. The girl turned her head to his eyes. "Ow," she cried. "Why on Astora did you do that?"

"Listen, there's no time for these quirky trances of yours right now. We have to move."

"...You're right," she said looking around, forgetting what was happening. "Let's go."

"But to where?"

"The city over there." She pointed to the battle happening before Sunndira.

"Are you crazy?" said Christian. "We'll get killed." He noticed her looking at the brilliant white plant life all around them, and also at the enemies.

"They're in a star shield. Good." She glanced at the Star-casters doing this as she said it.

"What are you thinking?"

And so, Eleanor told Christian her plan, which he was surprised by; because he knew it was as impressive as she did. Miyah was kept in the dark about what was to happen next.

"Although there is still two problems with that," said Christian after hearing the whole idea.

"I know, I know... We could set the meadow on fire from the edge. It ends over there by the looks of it," she pointed.

Miyah gave a little "ah," her mind understanding where this was all going now.

"But how do we start it? And we better hurry if we're going to. The casters at the door are not gonna last much longer." Christian saw her friend in a trance again. "Hey, I don't wanna lose you n—"

"—Shut up, I'm thinking," she blurted out before talking to herself, "The 'Free as Fire' song. The one mum used to sing to make the candles light up. How did it go again?"

They both darted to the edge of the White Meadow as the finder thought on what was needed.

Eleanor thought on the words; which when she imagined the scene again with her mother, was easy; easier that she thought it would be. The finder could really imagine speaking to her mother, it being so vivid that it all felt real.

Finding and remembering were linked in some ways I never noticed till now, thought Eleanor, pondering. And she was starting to figure that out. Finding can lead you to what you want. Remembering is exactly that, but in the past, not the present.

"Ready when you are," said Christian pulling his sister back. "I'm not going to lose you too to this war Miyah!" He clutch at her tightly now.

Eleanor looked at her friend back in the real world. "Okay." The girl looked as if she was about to grab a clump of the white grassland. She sung the song; though when Eleanor's words poured out, she could hear her dead mother's. Almost like her vivid imagination was trying to show her that her mother would help—even after death. The words, soft:

"Free as fire

Come from my tips

Fireflies watch this

Free as fire

Light where I touch

Ignite like you are watching this."