Radiance

Chapter Four

“I’m sorry?” said Tamar.

“There is so much to tell.” Said Evalynis looping her arm through Tamar’s, gently encouraging her to walk.

For a few moments they walked in silence. Tamar’s thirsty eyes drank in the sights that surrounded her.

“You find yourself in Radiance Lands.” Evalynis explained, “And as I am lead to believe, you also find yourself in a new world, yes?”

“Yes.” Tamar answered dreamily, eyes still roaming over the golden fields around her and snow-capped mountains piercing the horizon as they left the glowing yellow meadow. The grassy path they walked was lined with intermittent flat stones guiding the lane through the pinkish heathers and yellow gorse. It was all so uncharacteristic of the nature she knew. The fields around her set the scene of rolling country side, stretching for miles with its beige spectrum of colour, yet right here they walked a lane better suited to the gradual ascent of the luscious green mountains. Waterfall’s sparkled in the distance, silver lines zigzagging their way to the ground. Slanted boulders covered in dense green moss popped out among the fields as though dropped from the heavens. Buttercups danced around their feet as they passed - twice they hopped over a trickling stream that flowed across the path. And somewhere in the air Tamar could smell that salty essence of the sea. Everything simply glowed, swelling with life and beauty. Evalynis watched Tamar taking it all in a smiled.

“This is very different from your home?” She asked.

“Yes, and no, but yes.” Tamar uttered, laughing at her vague answer. “My home is beautiful but it doesn’t feel like this.”

“How does it feel?” Evalynis asked, curious.

“It’s hard to describe. It’s just not as alive. I guess I take it for granted. But here, it all knits together like nothing I’ve ever seen.” She spun around in awe. “This will sound stupid, but it’s like it’s...”

“Like what?”

“...well, content.” Tamar concluded. “Which I know sounds stupid because how can trees and mountains be content but it just feels – right.”

“You are not foolish; these lands were created to be glorious. But they are tainted by some things.” Evalynis began to explain.

“Tainted? Like polluted?” Tamar asked.

“In a form.”

“Tell me, please. Who are you?”

“I am from the Radiance Sept Tamar, a community built on living as we were intended to live and loving as we were intended to love. My village is one of many but not all are like my own. The Ebony Sept is one of these. They are, well, lost in the background if you will. When the artist painted his scene they were the stubborn hearted who would not hold still long enough to listen to where they belonged in the final piece. They do not live as we do. My village is the only place they may not breech. But between their dwellings and ours both parties may venture. So as you can see, your view is beautiful but not perfect.”

Tamar tried to consider these words for a second but then jumped ahead of herself in anticipation. “Can we go to your village? Please?”

“Of course, you are safe with me,” Evalynis beamed, “but you trust far too easily Tamar.”

“I- I hadn’t thought about it.” Tamar cringed inwardly. How stupid she’d been. This girl was not only a total stranger but from a different world. And Tamar had simply been taken in by her surroundings and followed her, overwhelmed with curiosity. This wasn’t home and it wasn’t as safe as it looked so she’d just been told. For all she knew she’d hit her head in the corner field and was dreaming. She made herself stare at the floor and think things through. Was she safe? Could she trust Evalynis? Was she awake?