Oslac stared at Beanni as he waited for an explanation. He watched her open her mouth only to close it again, before awkwardly turning her focus back to the water.
"Bay?" he pressed.
"T-this is Ethan Robson, Oz. I... err... we connected through the smoke. H-he is in the non-magical realm." She said not looking away from the lake's rippling surface.
"Y-you connected with the... how? How is that possible?" Oslac questioned, squeezing his eyebrows into a deep scowl. "Nobody has made a connection with the non-magical realm since... since..."
"Since Luchinda Fiosolim," Ethan's contribution made Oslac jump. "And it's about time I heard a Natanstrellean voice again! I've waited long enough."
"What? You?" Oslac let out a pained groan as his hand flew to his temple. "My head hurts!"
"Oz, I'll explain everything, I promise."
He felt Beanni's hand stroke his shoulder gently. He looked up into her eyes, their violet glow twinkling beautifully against the shadows of night. He then followed her gaze and turned towards the face patiently waiting within the dancing water.
"Why did you call me here, Ethan?" she asked him.
"Beanni, time is running out. I must return home."
Oslac had no idea what this Ethan guy was talking about, he looked at Beanni hoping for some answers, but what she said in response only brought up more questions.
"Home? To Troll Land?"
"Yes, Beanni."
"Bay!" Oslac interrupted them. "What's going on?"
"Oz, I'll tell you everything, okay. Just let me..."
"Beanni, you must open the portal. Use Patengailte!" Oslac looked into the water. Desperation plagued the strange man's eyes, they glowed with the violet connecting magic that Gealach Trabem blessed Beanni with.
"I don't know how. N-nobody knows!" Beanni matched Ethan's tone.
"Patengailte is a forbidden practice!" Oslac pitched in. "Nobody has done it for a hundred years!" Such an outrageous notion couldn't sit within his mind. All he could see was the angry look in the king's eyes if he were ever to be brave, or stupid, enough to suggest such a thing. If he were to even mention the outlawed Patengailte Potion, he was sure that his father would never trust him again or worse lock him up with the illegal gazers.
"Luchinda worked out how to do it all those years ago. It was forbidden for her then. Find out how. There must be someone you can go to."
"You have no idea how much we will be risking if we dare go through with it!" Oslac raised his voice at the seemingly clueless non-magic dweller.
"You'll be risking so much more if you don't!" Ethan matched his pitch, a dangerous glower slammed onto his brow. "There is no other way! I must return to Troglobha Terran, or Natanstrelle, all of Dachan Terran even, will be lost! Everything will turn black, life will snuff out, a war that'll end all will rear its head if I do not return to my rightful place!" He then glanced towards Beanni, who Oslac noticed had become too quiet. A look of worry wiped away any anger that was evident on Ethan's face. "Beanni?"
Oslac looked towards Beanni beside him. Her eyes seemed glazed over, the violet glow dimmed down. She began to tremble and her breath came out in panicky bursts.
"Bay? Bay, you're shaking." Oslac hugged his arm around her shoulders and tried to hold her still. It made no difference. "Bay? Oh no..."
"She's still affected by that day? The day of the loud noises?" Ethan questioned from his place under the shining water.
"The day of the..." Oslac scowled. "If you mean the day I rescued her. W-where I..." Oslac stopped and bowed his head. "She's still recovering..." he mumbled towards the pebble-covered ground beneath him. "I hurt her... I took her out of the eternal smoke too soon... and she's still recovering. How she spoke before Strellemarè, I thought she was better. But she's not." He looked up towards Beanni, who sat there staring, unresponsive. "I'm so sorry, Bay... I didn't know..." He said through bitter sobs and buried his face into her shoulder.
"Dip her hands into the water," Ethan instructed him, his tone calm and collected.
Oslac didn't dare question him. He spoke with an authority he had never experienced before, surpassing even his royal father. He grabbed Beanni's wrists and pulled her gently towards the water and dipped her fingers in. He then watched silver light slither up her arms in an intricate swirling pattern, the delicate lines it made travelled all the way to her face and entered her eyes. A bright white light fuelled her violet glow, making it shine brighter than ever before. She sat up, opened her mouth and began to recite words in a voice that sounded strange; it was as if she spoke with many. Higher tones and much lower tones intertwined within her usual sound. It was like nothing Oslac had ever heard before.
After he got over the shock of what he was hearing, Oslac focused to make out what she was saying, she was reciting something he had heard before, a number of times, within his Royal lessons.
"An appointed child named after the first. With no steady roots, raised by a foe. Through her ancient powers shall return to put an end to the Terran's woe."
With a long sigh, Beanni's shoulders slumped as the bright light flew from her irises and returned to the dancing water. She looked up towards the Prince, her eyes now glowing the hue of violet he was now used to seeing there. A beaming smile also lit up her face.
"How are you feeling?" Oslac asked, not knowing what else to say.
"Good, better than good. Like a cloud that I couldn't get rid of has finally vanished." Her smile did not falter as she turned her focus back towards the water. "Thank you, I had no idea how lost I was."
"Bay?" Oslac grabbed Beanni's attention again. "Do you know what the white light made you say?"
"I heard it, but no. What was it?"
"A prophecy. An ancient prophecy. I believe, well, I've been thinking for a while now, it is about you."
He looked towards Ethan, seeking confirmation. The strange man nodded and his mouth slowly stretched into a pleased grin.
"So," the man began. "I really don't have anyone else to ask then, do I? Illuminare-Trabem himself has set you apart, Beanni."
"We'll figure it out, Ethan Robson," Beanni said confidently whilst getting to her feet. Oslac stared at her from his seat, trying to work out whether this new sense of enthusiasm indeed came from Beanni or if it was spurred on by the light magic that entered her only moments ago. However, he thought that either way he must stick by her and do whatever he can to help her.
"Yeah, I guess if Luchinda Fiosolim could do it, so can we." He shrugged as he followed Beanni's example and stood beside her.
"Good. I put my trust in you," Ethan beamed up towards them. Then vanished into the depths of the lake.
Beanni woke up peacefully upon the morning of departure day. Ever since her encounter with Ethan at Luna Lake a couple of days ago, she felt that new found warmth inside her chest. She had been lost in the cold darkness for so long she became numb to its presence. It was only when Gealach Trabem's ray touched her that she could even recognise how far the smoke had dragged her away from reality. The warmth not only affected Beanni, but everybody within the camp. Her smile seemed to be infectious, and the skip in her step brought joy to her father's eyes that seemed to have been veiled with worry and sadness since they got back from Astrid Palace.
With Oslac's help, the Draoicis-Lus camp packed up everything that they had brought with them for Strellemarè. The Earrons festival was drawing to a close - the last day always felt like it came around far too soon, and the spike of post-festivities-blues was threatening to strike at any moment.
Swishing her dark-blue cloak around her shoulders, Beanni gave her best friend a warm smile.
"This has been the best Strellemarè ever!" Oslac said, with a slight wobble in his voice. "I'm so glad that your father invited me." He then bent down to reach for his things. It was apparent to Beanni that he did this to hide his face from her at that moment.
"Me too, it wouldn't have been the same without you, Oz," Beanni returned his sentiment with a gentle smile and copied his movement to pick up her camp bag off the forest floor. She slipped the strap over her shoulder and tucked the main bulk securely under her arm.
"Well, actually," she began with a wider grin. "Strellemarè is not over until we are both home and the journey back is an important tradition, right?"
"Right." Oslac nodded, a smile fighting to take over his melancholic frown.
"Also, we have a lot to talk about," Beanni said quickly under her breath just before her father's calls sounded upon the serene Earrons breeze.
They all then set off amongst the trees of Night Forest. All taking in the fragrances that they all adored from their surroundings of the last seven days. The air was filled with a great variety of aromas expelled from the plants that grew around them; all rife with different magical properties that the Sìthicris gave them centuries ago.
Beanni made sure to hang back with Oslac as they walked towards the surrounding white wall. Her father didn't seem bothered at all by her behaviour, his eyes were not plagued with suspicion when he glanced back, they were filled only with the joy of he seeing such a positive difference in his daughter. Of course, he had no idea what Beanni and Oslac were discussing and nor were they going to let him find out.
"Are you sure she'll help us, Bay?" Oslac whispered, his eyes not leaving the unwitting Draoicis-Lus family that walked yards ahead.
"Well no I'm not sure, but she's the only one I can think of."
"I don't know, Bay. I mean, what she did to you, what she has been willing to do all these years. How can we trust her?" Beanni's responding shrug spurred him to continue. "Bay, I arrested her. She's in a cell at Astrid Palace. I can't see her wanting to talk to us, never mind help us!"
"She will talk to us," Beanni said, holding her shoulders back confidently as she strode along the beaten path.
"What? Because she's your birth mother?" Beanni stopped briefly and looked up at him with a look that made him pause, but he didn't stop. "Birth mother or not, Bay, she hurt you! We cannot trust her; she has a reputation of lying and sneaking around. She has no qualms in entering forbidden land, in gazing, she even seduced the head of Biabus-Lus!" His free hand then flew to his mouth. "Oh... By the stars! Sorry Bay, I..." Oslac bit his bottom lip, not that there was any use to the act - the words he wished he bit back had already slipped through the cracks.
Beanni looked up at his guilt ridden face, the corner of her mouth twitching up into a tight-lipped smile. She didn't want the Prince to feel guilty for worrying about her safety, for that was indeed where his intentions lay within his rant, she understood that. However, the truth about her beginnings still weighed heavily upon her every time it was brought to the forefront of her mind. Before it could take the chance to derail her thoughts completely, she shook her head and took in a deep breath.
"Still, Genelle is our only hope to get Ethan home so we have to come up with a plan to get her on board as soon as possible!" she said with an unshakable confidence that even the Prince of Natanstrelle could not ignore.
"Alright. I guess you're right."
Beanni's smile grew and reached the violet gleam of her eyes. "Right! We must meet up and go and see her. I'll be able to sneak away from Dad during history school hours on Beaday."
"Beaday?" Oslac coughed. "That's in only two days!"
"Yep! The first day back after the Strellemarè break."
"You seem to have it all worked out already, Bay..."
"I've thought of nothing else since we spoke to Ethan."
A pensive look took over Oslac, his gaze seemed to drift further into the distance ahead.
"Oz?"
"I think I should go to the dungeons myself," Oslac said in a quiet, shaky voice.
"No Oz, we'll go together. We'll go on Beaday under Royal Samhun Tealia." Beanni was determined, she was not going to let her best friend's worries take a leading role within this mission - it was far too important for that. She stared the Prince down until his shoulders dropped in defeat.
"Okay," he whispered, then added with the best cheeky smirk that he could muster in such a tense moment. "I daren't argue with that face!"