Cosmic Twists 1 (Old Version)

Part Three - Lara - Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

After a day of preparation rituals, bathing and cleansing in isolation, we come to the evening of the ceremony. The sun stretches over Halneon in low beams of oranges and pinks.

 I am given fine robes of silk to wear. Eirah dresses in the civilian clothes I wore the day I arrived in Halneon. We sit together in two silver thrones. Various prayers and readings are made by different members of the Praefectus, as the Guardian Spirits watch the ceremony as the large crowd surrounding the raised platform that elevates us. Many lay gifts at our feet as offerings of luck and hope. Cali and Peyton stand near the front, holding hands as they watch us. They approach us and pull us both into an embrace.

The first phase of the ceremony is the re-crowning, for I would now be the heiress of Halneon. A wreath of laurels is passed from Eirah’s head to mine, and a blue cloak is draped over my shoulders before more readings are made.

Time passes onto the second part of the ceremony; the switch.

We make our way to the pool, where Eirah first saw me, with lanterns as we chant old Halneonian lullabies through the forest in its full, vibrant bloom. Eirah’s candle had been removed from the great room, and is carefully carried at the head of the procession through the trees.

When we reach the lake, the Halneonians of all twelve realms encircle the lake, all wide eyed as the lullabies fade into an intense silence. The professor leads us to the water’s edge, where Eirah and I embrace once more. Jenna brings forward a knife, embellished with jewels that sparkle menacingly under the moon. The professor had reluctantly told us that it would only work if Eirah was near death, so that the healing powers of the lake would be most concentrated and powerful.

One more reading is taken from the old Book, before Eirah clasps the handle of the knife and lifts it from the velvet cushion, leaving its indent. Jenna places the cushion down and steps back beside me. I feel her grip my hand firmly and I instinctively grip it back, her face is taut and pale.

Everyone watches in silence as Eirah lifts the knife to the thin, translucent skin on her wrist, with her palm facing the sky. The knife slides slowly across her flesh, making a thin red line that begins to blot with deep red blood. She winces and lets out a heavy sigh of what I feel is excruciating pain. She holds her wrist up above her head so that everyone can see the blood trickle down her arm. She looks at the knife’s red tip.

“For the blood,” she whispers, “that runs through my veins.” She turns back to me, dropping the knife which clinks on the floor at her bare feet, dotting the ground with small drops of blood.

“It’s time.” The Professor’s voice resonates through me. He leads us into the small, rickety boat that sways calmly in the shadowy, shallow waters, and steps in carefully after us. He takes up the oar in his quivering hands and gently nudges it against the bank as we glide across the rippling surface, with nothing but the sound of Eirah’s faltering breathing echoing in the air. The professor begins to row gently as Eirah’s pain grows. I try not to watch the blood seep from her wound at a quickening pace. I forget about the hundreds and thousands of pale faces surrounding the lake, watching us in silence.

When we reach the middle of the lake, at its deepest point, the professor stops rowing. Eirah slumps against me, swaying peacefully in and out of consciousness. I hold her in my arms one last time, before lifting her as gently as I can into the Professor’s still, outstretched arms.

He examines her calm face curled into his chest. “I know you’ll do great things, Eirah Flynn.” He speaks deeply and softly, before lowering her gently over the side and into the water, hardly breaking the water. He holds her afloat in the water as her eyes open one last time before him, as the words “Thank you” leave her mouth in a breath. I know what these two words mean to her.

The professor lets go slowly, and we watch her still face and hands that reach up to us, pass deeper and deeper until she fades into the darkness. The professor lowers his head, and raises his hand slowly into the air. Following this action, each and every Halneonian lets go of their lantern and they drift upwards into the night sky, climbing higher and higher in the light breeze. The Professor rows us back until the boat meets the bank with a quiet thud. The waiting is led by a silence.

I walk back to Jenna’s side where she takes my hand again and we watch the flame of Eirah’s candle flicker and sway. The flame begins to shrink smaller and smaller. I feel a lump grow inside of my throat and begin to notice the quickening of my breath. The flame retracts even smaller, settling into a low burning, orange glow; even the smallest movement of air would put it out. I close my eyes; I can’t bear it.

I feel Jenna’s hand grip mine tighter and she shakes it a little. I open my eyes and there before me, the flame grows tall and radiant. She’s made it. Jenna pulls me into a tight embrace, and we stay like that for a long moment. A rhythmic sound forms around us as everyone begins to clap louder and louder, looking at us, at me, cheering and smiling. Jenna lifts my hand above our heads proudly. I watch her smile at me, and I smile in return.

The Praefectus approach me and bow, and everyone follows suit. “Thank you for letting me stay” I say.

“What do you mean? This is your home” Nasira replies, his deep, familiar voice soothing the tension in my veins. Cali and Peyton run to me, wrapping their arms around me so tightly that I struggle to breathe, until they loosen their grip slightly as I gasp for air. We stand there for a long moment or two, holding each other in silence.

Throughout the night, as the celebrations in spirit of the new millenium, Eirah’s new life and the crowning of the new heiress continue, I frequently look up at the moon, part of the magnificent structure that truly connects our worlds, and wonder if Eirah would be looking at it in this same moment. The Professor told me that her previous memories will be replaced only by the things she saw through my eyes. Her memories of her life in Halneon, of me, of Jenna, will be forgotten, and the life I had in Furdock will reform her memories. I fear for Eirah, for I know not what darkness Furdock has waiting for her, but she has spent her life watching over me, watching me live the life that was rightfully hers. All her life has been built up to this moment, but now she is where she needs to be, as am I. And the best part of it all? We will never really be apart. I am her Guardian spirit now, until the end of her glorious days.