Chaos and uncertainty remain in the aftermath of the Balisekt War. With the Lands of Order in such a fragile state, the tribal races turn to Tranquility, their holy land, for guidance and stability. However, war has left the Temple more shaken than...
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"My heart swells with joy at the sight of each pilgrim who enters Tranquility, for the journey to this holy land is not an easy one. Crossing through the savage wilderness is the Lady's great trial, but the rewards received by those who face it are substantial."
Moonflower: The third Grand Seryan
Never before had Ilderra found silence to be so maddening. After the seryan received her letter in the Wilds just south of Windsong, she'd left for Tranquility immediately. Only her personal guards accompanied her back along the road, for the letter did not recall the entire group searching for the Temple fugitives. However, according to the seryan, Ilderra had been personally named to accompany her. She would not say why, and would not let her read the letter for herself, but none of that mattered. The seryan was in charge, and if she said Ilderra was to follow without asking questions, that is what she would do.
But it didn't stop her from having questions.
Though her mouth was silent, Ilderra's mind was noisier than Moon-hollow during the Harvest Festival. Her inquiries raced around in her mind with no outlet to escape. Why her? What did the Grand Seryan want with a young, human acolyte? She was only twenty-two years old but had been training in Tranquility since she was seventeen. In truth, the decision to become a student of Tranquility had not been hers at first. Ilderra had always been a clumsy, scatter-brained girl. Grace was not her strong suit and as a child, she would often drive the adults in her life mad with her incessant questioning.
Ilderra wasn't disobedient. She always honored her elders and respected the rules set down for her. She was never known for sneaking off or doing things she was forbidden to do. But obedience wasn't a skill, and as the years went by, Ilderra never showed the promise of any special talents. Her parents worried for her the most. As she blossomed into womanhood, none of the men in the village took notice of her. Were it not for her older brother and sister, both accomplished and capable people, Ilderra's failures would have been even more troublesome for her family.
As Ilderra's siblings grew up and married off, her parents decided to send her away to the Temple. If she were to turn her life over to the Lady's service, perhaps it could find meaning. She'd resisted at first, not wanting to leave her home and her loved ones, but her mother and father insisted. Just a month shy of her seventeenth birthday, Ilderra was sent off to Tranquility to begin her training.
As she marched down the road with the seryan and her guards, she was reminded of how she felt on her first journey to the Temple. Just like then, everything now felt unsure. As a child, she'd never considered the path of an acolyte. Meadowgold was her home, and she'd always assumed she would live out all her days there. However, as the years went by, she began to love her new life. Her studies at the Temple paid off splendidly, and she soon became a fully recognized acolyte. Her power was strong, and the discipline did her soul wonders. Earlier that year, before the balisekt war began, she'd even been charged with her first apprentice. It all seemed to be falling into place. The world was finally making sense, and she knew her role within the Lady's forest; at least, until now.
