The Chronicles Of The Council #1: The Sun's Tears

Chapter 23: Aebbé - Riddles

"I greet you, daughter of Ardam. May the sun rise brightly for you, and may the moon always smile on you, and may the stars dance in your dreams."

"I greet you by the sun you serve, and may it rise brightly for you."

"I am Eoghan Elderlight, of the family of Dubhan Darkwood, prince of the Elves, and Second in Command of the Second Order."

Prince Eoghan is the first elf that is polite to me.

"I am Aebbé, daughter of Ardam. I greet you Prince Eoghan of Darkwood."

"I am to train you, though I have absolutely no idea why Caith would want to meddle in affairs that do not concern him. I will not treat you like a hatchling. If you want to learn to fight like a man, you will have to accept being treated like one. Caith did not instruct me to show you mercy, and I will not, but I will not ask you to do anything that I am not prepared to do myself. I do not use many words. Here are your sword, your bow and your arrows. You will have to put this on as well and keep your face covered. I am not prepared to risk animosity between your people and mine, even if Caith seems quite adamant about starting a civil war."

He hands the weapons to me, and after I strapped them on, he hands me a thick blue cape. I put it on, and cover my head. I am glad for the cape. The air is still cold.

"You must first get fit before you are strong enough to practice. Follow me."

He starts jogging at a steady pace. I follow him without question.

We arrive at the clearing where the others are practising exactly an hour later. I am sweating like a horse, and prince Eoghan did not even perspire a single drop. For the next hour, we practise with our swords. Prince Eoghan teaches me a technique and does not move on to the next until I perfect it.

Afterwards, I see Lord Caith approaching me.

"Princess Aebbé, I have a friend who would like to meet you."

I look at him – utterly dumbfounded. Someone would like to meet me? More profound: Lord Caith has a friend? He did not seem like someone who keeps friends.

He turns around and starts walking away. I have no choice but to follow. He doesn't initiate conversation as I trot after him.

"So who is your friend?" I ask.

He looks at me with his blue eyes: "You will be introduced."

I follow him down into the section where The Second Order is camped. The elves shoot venomous glances at me. He stops at a large tent – one of only five that size. He opens the flap for me and I enter.

Immediately upon entering I walk into a curtain of strings of beads and feathers. I part the curtain and am met by a wall of smoke. I cough. I almost cough my lungs up.

Lord Caith ushers me forward.

The smoke seems to disappear: it was there and an eyeblink later it is not. The tent is covered with rugs and pillows scattered everywhere. The floor is littered with many objects beside the pillows. I see a silver jug and the wet spot caused by the liquid that it contained previously; a wooden statue of a nude woman with enormous breasts; a wooden cage with two small red-and-black birds and a gilded golden cage with one small yellow bird; pieces of broken plates; a handful of rubies; and many more things that I would need more time to discern.

Lord Caith steps to stand next to me. It doesn't look like he finds the scene odd at all.

"Idunn?" he asks hesitantly.

A tapestry parts and a hand emerges.

"Give me a moment, for a moment is what you have and what you later shall not have," a clear female voice says, articulating every sound – making her words sound like rolling hills.