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."
"Aine! Please! Stop speaking in riddles! I don't understand this, or the history of this place! What is happening?"
Eliana's grandmother took a deep breath, steadying herself for what she must explain. "You are the one who must confront the dark leader. It is you, that is why both L'Oran and I have been preparing for years. For your entire life, I have been putting things into place, waiting for the time when you would arrive."
"Keep talking, it doesn't make sense yet."
Aine continued, undeterred by Eliana's impatience. "There was a prophesy told during the Finding, that a Seer would be seduced by the need for power and would betray the land. That came to pass just before your birth. However, there was a second part to that prophesy, one that the Queen and the Ancients have kept hidden, for fear that the dark leader would use it to her advantage.
"A healer would come, a type of Seer with the ability to take the Starlight and to use that Starlight to defeat the dark leader. You are that healer." Aine said, looking straight into Eliana's eyes.
"That can't be! I'm not even sure I'm actually one of these Seers. I still feel like a college student just trying to get through school, I don't have what it takes to save this land." Eliana shook her head, pulling away from the arms of her grandmother.
"Please listen to me. You are the foretold Seer. Your mother was a Seer, it is unusual for a Seer to give birth to another Seer. It is not something that is passed down, it is not predictable. Perhaps that is why it is so strong within you. Her gifts were passed to you, molded and changed in order to make you what you are, what the land needs, as mine were passed to her. It is what I suspected at your birth. It is why I fled with you, It had to be destiny that you came here, because only someone destined to be here would be able to make it through that passage without direct knowledge it was there."
Aine was silent after her speech, but Eliana had more questions now than she had before the woman's confession.
"You mentioned you suspected at my birth." A knowing look crossed Aine's face. "Why?"
"Your mother was not well when you were born. Things had become difficult throughout the land, and your father had just died. I was the only family left, so I took care of you right after your birth.
"The eyes are always the first clue. It takes years for the eyes to give a hint about true gifts. Babies have such dark eyes when born, yours, however, were hazel and shining from the moment you opened them. I could already feel the Starlight moving through you, even in one so young. It was such a dark time when you were born, so much devastation. But you are the hope for us now."
Eliana shook her head at Aine's declaration. "No. I just can't believe that. It makes no sense."
"Destiny often does not make sense," she said, putting a hand on Eliana's shoulder.
"I can't do this!" Eliana was beyond overwhelmed. And now a new layer of fear had been added, hearing that she was some type of prophesied healer.
"That is your choice. No one will force you, but know that you are the predestined one. It is evident by the beasts begging you for mercy. They sense the power within you, even without training, even without Starlight. One stone, and it is still separate from the others, and you were able to vanquish the Oprey with a single thought."
Eliana had told Aine about the strange confrontations with the creatures, to Aine's delight. Now I know why. "I have no training, I don't know about battle or using powers like this." Eliana continued her protest, growing more apprehensive about either option. Leaving the land in the hands of...well of a crazed Seer, seemed cruel. But confronting the dark leader was beyond anything she had ever imagined she would do. It seemed impossible.
"How can I possibly do this?" Eliana whimpered, feeling overwhelmed by Aine's revelation.
"With help. Your presence will pull everyone together."
Eliana huffed, "It hasn't at all. You've seen Blaike and Zolen, they barely tolerate each other."
"Oh, you know nothing of their past. They are practically best friends lately. You've done more than you know, already. And once it is known that the Prophesy had a hidden aspect, a healer that is now arrived, the rest will pull together."
"I've never been the type to bring people together." She shook her head, each argument seeming less and less viable.
"That is because you've only been in one environment, the wrong environment. But here you were meant to shine. Here you were meant to heal, to bring the land together."
Eliana needed to process all of the new information. She needed to dig deep and search her soul before committing to something so enormous. She didn't feel like some type of answer to an ancient prophesy. She hardly felt like a good student, let alone someone who would heal the land.
"Let's just do whatever training we came here to do. I'll think about the other stuff later," she said, clearly exhausted from the exchange.
"Yes, let's begin." Aine agreed. "The first step is to calm your own energy. I did not intend to work you into a frenzy, so let's take some time to center yourself."
She walked over to a shaded area, still overlooking the Starlight pool, and took a seat on the ground next to a Ferlish tree. "Come, sit here," she said, patting the ground near where she sat. Eliana walked over and sat down, ready to take her mind off of the stress now overwhelming her. The two women stayed silent, eyes closed and breathing deeply.
Eliana opened her eyes after a bit, looking down at the glittering substance. Her mind was more relaxed, as was her energy. She had grown curious about the Starlight hype, wanting to understand how it worked and what made the land require so much of it.
Ready to get started, she addressed Aine. "So, why does this land need the Starlight, and Earth doesn't. Isn't this some type of second Earth?" she asked, remembering what Queen L'Oran had said about a split from her own land.
"It is not known why. That was one of the tasks I had while in Exile, to search for a reason. The belief is that when the Ferlands became independent from what we know as Earth, there was a solar eclipse. The energy from the sun was uneven and it created a wrinkle in the universe."
"A wrinkle?" Eliana asked, "is that a scientific term?" She had found some humor again after the intense topics from earlier.
"Very funny. And no it is not, but I have no other way to describe it. Think of a paper folded in two. It is still the same paper, but with one part on top of the other. The Ancients believe that is what the Ferlands are like, a second part of Earth which is closer to the Stars, further from the sun, and the energy from all feeds the land."
"If only my astronomy professor could hear this. He'd fail me for sure." Eliana shook her head. She had no other response. "So...Starlight. Let's grab some and go."
"Not so quickly. It is not exactly a grab. More like a sponge. You absorb it into your being and then the land pulls it from you where its need is greatest."
"Sounds simple. Do I even have to do anything?"
"Why, yes! You have to become open, like a vessel waiting to be filled. Empty yourself of worry, of fear, of anticipation. Just be peaceful and it will come."
"Okay. I think I can do that." Eliana stood up, trying to relax her muscles and her mind. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself in every way and then waited.
Soon, she felt the tingle, the same sensation she had when the Starstone had become activated. It was small at first, like a buzz or vibration nearby. Then it became stronger, almost uncomfortable. Eliana kept breathing to stay relaxed, and just when she started to wonder if it would become too strong to handle, the feeling stopped. She opened her eyes and gasped.
"Everything looks as though it's covered in glitter!" The world around her sparkled, catching the light as her eyes darted from plant to tree.
"That is the effect of carrying the Starlight, of being a Seer. As the Earth absorbs the energy you carry, your vision will return to normal. However, I have a curiosity that I would like you to resolve."
"And what would that be?" Eliana asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.
"Hold out your hands, see if you can concentrate the Starlight into your palms."
Eliana did as Aine requested, holding her hands out with palms facing up. She looked at both hands, but didn't know what to do next. Without another breath passing, she felt a movement of the energy through her veins. It was similar to the feeling you have when you take a long, slow drink of cool water after not having had some in quite a while. You sense the water moving all the way down your throat. The Starlight was the same, moving through her body and into her palms.
Then her palms began to glow and sparkle. A concentration of Starlight built right there in her hands. It did not have a form or shape, but it was visible as a mist, or a gas, with a silver color.
"What in the world?" Eliana exclaimed.
"As I suspected. Just more evidence to the fact that you are indeed the foretold healer. What you are doing is not possible for Seers. We cannot pull Starlight into our hold, only carry it. In time, you will learn to bend the energy to your every command. It will be a powerful weapon that only you have access to."
Great, Eliana thought to herself, just what I needed to be, a weapon. She did not relish the idea of battle. So far the only hint at confrontation she had seen was that of the Oprey and the Locelor, both of whom coward at her presence. She was not naïve enough to think that every conflict would end as easily. People did not tend to respond as intuitively as animals, in her experience, so a fight would most likely be the result. Something that she dreaded.
"So, now what. I have it in my hand, do I suck it back in?" Eliana asked, looking down at the strange mist in her palms. It swirled and moved in a circular motion, but did not stray from her hold.
"Yes, try that," Aine suggested.
Eliana attempted to will the mist back into her being, but to no result. The mist continued to twist around in her hands. "Well, that didn't work. What next?"
"Did you use the same method as before, when you relaxed?" Aine asked.
"Yeah, I don't think I did." Eliana returned to her focus on relaxing and becoming open, as a vessel. With her eyes closed, she could sense when the Starlight began to flow again, but in reverse. She felt the same type of surge and flow as she had when initially absorbing the energy into her system. Once it stopped, Eliana opened her eyes and again saw the glitter effect.
"Yup, that seems to have worked. I guess to take it in is the same method, but once I have it I can direct it where to go," she said, almost as a question.
"I think you are right. We will have to continue to train with it for the next few days. Then when you have gotten used to the method, we can try sending it out," Aine told her.
Eliana took a deep breath. This was what her future held, apparently. It wasn't what she had planned on, but everything in her life seemed to bring her to this place, and this time. The decision was made to let the next few days bring her to a new understanding of what being a healer meant, and hopefully she would also be more comfortable with that as well.
Aine, must have sensed her continued hesitancy, "I know this is still so much to take in. But you have time to work through it, to figure it out for yourself. No one is rushing you, least of all me. Let's just take things one day at a time."
Eliana nodded, "I can do that. I think that's all I can do." Aine pulled her into a reassuring hug, and even though she should be furious with her grandmother for all of the things that had been hidden from her, she couldn't be. A deep part of her understood that something greater was at stake, and that Aine had only done what had to be done. She most likely would have done the same thing in that position.
"Let's have some Ferlish tea and biscuits," Aine suggested.
"Sounds good," Eliana replied. "But what do I do with all of this Starlight I'm still holding?"
"Ah, yes. As we walk back, the land will call for it. Stay open and relaxed as before, and the Starlight will go where it's needed."
Eliana just nodded and the two began the walk back to the refuge. The trail of wildflowers led them back, and as they walked, little bits of Starlight seemed to flow from Eliana and into the surrounding forest. At one point, she sensed a rather strong pull of the energy from an outside source.
"What was that?"she wondered aloud. "That felt like a magnet drawing the energy from me."
"Somewhere, further out, the land needed the Starlight more than it did here. It had to pull a little stronger to get it. Sometimes its like kittens fighting for a spot to nurse; all climbing over one another. The stronger ones get the first milk." Aine laughed.
"You certainly have a way with words, Aine." Eliana laughed as well.
Aine smiled, "Come on, our tea awaits," she said as the two started up the steps of the refuge house.
〰🖤〰
Eliana has so many hesitations about everything happening. The one thing that seemed right, her feelings for Blaike, have been dismissed. Now what? She has much to consider without much time to work through her feelings. I'm also wonder about your thoughts on the Starlight, did I explain it clearly? Please let me know your thoughts!
Thank you so much for reading! These last few chapters were the hardest to write. The next one was kind of a challenge as well. And then we get into some fun stuff, so I can't wait!
Although Eliana has hesitations, that sense of the Starlight coupled with the fulfillment of the Prophesy gives a sense of strength. The song, Feel Invincible, depicts that sensation at this point in the plot.