The Ferlands

Chapter Sixteen

Song of the chapter – Feel Invincible by Skillet

True to his word, Blaike was gone by the time Eliana got up the next morning. He had left instructions with Zolen to watch and protect the two women, as well as to teach them some defensive tactics. The males reasoned that there wasn't proper time while at the refuge to become battle ready, but they could learn more self-defense. Their time with the Seers would be mostly spent training Eliana to work with the Starlight, now that her sight had been established.

That morning, after eating and dressing for the day, Aine sat with Eliana on the porch of the refuge. The women reminisced about Eliana's childhood in Montana, the memories bittersweet. Eliana missed the innocence of that time, wondering if she would ever feel that carefree again.

"Are you ready to begin your lessons?" Aine asked after a while of sharing memories.

"I guess so, as ready as I could possibly be to do something I have no idea how to do." She shrugged. Little by little the reality of her new situation was sinking in. It felt less like a dream and more like something out of a fairy tale. More than once, Eliana had to remind herself that she wasn't in a play, that her strange clothes weren't costumes. It wasn't a movie set.

"Let's start back at the beginning. We'll go back to the Finding spot and begin to catch Starlight." Aine said, linking arms with Eliana and walking down the front steps.

"Whatever you say, since I have no idea what you are talking about." She laughed.

"Oh, well, that is quite the story! Our Ferland's first Seer was special, of course. The whisper spoke to her and called her to the spot. There she saw the first Starlight pool, the very one that we will go see now. The very one you first saw on the crest."

"Weird. This whole thing is so weird." Eliana told her grandmother. Everyone in the Ferlands spoke about it with such conviction, but to her it all sounded so odd.

"I can see why you feel that way, but remember how it felt to hold the StarStone. And what you noticed when you saw the Starlight. The power that coursed through you, that is what Starlight can do. It is quite strong."

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

They followed the path of the eternal garden, which were the most vibrant and colorful patches of wildflowers she had ever seen. Each small patch was about a footstep apart from the last, the legend saying that they grew from the Starlight which fell from each of the Seer's footsteps. They took their time walking to the vista, a spot where the Starlight pool would be most visible.

"Here it is, the break in the trees, and the opening in the rocks, the spot where she stood overlooking the Starlight." Aine pointed ahead.

A few seconds later, Eliana could see the silver pool, liquid crystal flowing below. It was more prominent then it had been on the crest, but the sensation was the same. She was awed and energized by the view. Something powerful surged through her, right to her very core. Eliana felt stronger than she had ever felt. It was similar to the two attacks she had been under, first the Oprey, then the Locelor. The power within her seemed to surge, and build, and flow, much like the waters of a river.

"You feel it, don't you?" Aine asked. "You feel the strength from the Starlight."

"I feel something, yes. Like an electric current running through my blood stream."

"And you've felt it before, with the stone?" Aine pressed further.

"Yes. Though not as strong," Eliana answered.

"The single stone would not be nearly as powerful as the three together. And when the necklace is added, you have a power that can not be surpassed."