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Gundhram regained consciousness after nearly twenty minutes of waiting.
"Will you be able to walk?" I asked him.
Gundhram stood up unsteadily. "Yes—however, my strength is not at full capacity."
Martin steadied Gundhram, throwing an arm around Gundhram's waist and taking Gundhram's arm around his shoulder. "I'll help him. I owe him that for taking care of Katie."
"Where have you taken us, Ra?" Elossai asked sternly.
"North from the Plateaus, Elos." Gundhram retorted. Clearly the two did not like each other.
"No more arguing," Katie said. She then turned to Elossai and said, "Gwen, he's my friend."
"Gwen?" Martin asked.
"She looks like Gwendolyn," said Katie.
"Your doll back home?" Martin placed his hand on Katie's head, and she nodded. Now that Katie mentioned it, I did see the similarities—especially after Elossai matured.
"Gwen." Martin looked at Elossai, trying out the new nickname Katie bestowed on Elossai. Elossai blushed. "So, I guess we missed our ticket back to Earth, right?"
"Just this one," Elossai replied.
"What now? Do we wait for the next one?"
"We can't wait around here for this one. With the Ora map that Sye-Liene stole from the Ra, we should be able to locate another one for the following month," she answered.
"The first step is to get moving," Gundhram said gruffly.
***
After a short deliberation, we decided to head north. The winning argument was that Stanjah and the soldiers wouldn't expect it. If we returned to Tau City to try to catch a ride out of town, we'd be caught. Gundhram suggested that we make our way through the forest to the country of Olouri, which was north of Todaj. I pulled out the locket I stole from Razelle so that I could use the compass and then we were on our way.
We walked for a long period in silence. It was exactly what I needed so that I could make sense of the memories I had acquired, my emotions, and everything that happened.
I didn't know how Keiran felt about this new revelation, or whether or not he believed that I really had no knowledge of the fact that I was Sye-Liene upon meeting him at Hemley. On top of that, I had attacked Ilta—a trusted soldier and friend of his. I sincerely hoped that Ilta wasn't hurt too badly.
Regardless of whether he knew or not, I'd been on Hidelvus' side and was therefore a traitor in the eyes of Ilta. Once Ilta revealed that to Stanjah, it would go straight to Dunek Anmus and then I would be a traitor to all Ankinia.
"Sye-Liene Anmyn?" Elossai gently tugged my arm. I didn't respond right away. Perhaps I still wasn't used to that name.
"Huh?" I uttered.
"You are troubled. Would you like to discuss it?"
I let out a long sigh. "If I never see Keiran again, I just hope he doesn't think that I knew all along."
"You will see him again."
"How can you be certain?"
"If you're trying to find the Crystals, your paths will inevitably cross," she said with a warm smile.
"Guess the plan is to get to the next Ora point?" Martin asked Gundhram. They didn't hear what Elossai and I were discussing.
"That's correct," Gundhram answered.
"You're really Ell's Ra?"
"I am."
"Which is why I can't go back with you, Martin," I said loud enough for Martin and Gundhram to hear me.
He turned around and shook his head at me before shoving his hair back and away from his face. "Ell, you can't stay," Martin said flatly. "You're a fugitive here!"
"Escaping from this would be cowardly. Besides, if I left, what hope do the Elorians have?"
"These kings aren't going to willingly hand over their Elosra Crystal to you," Martin reasoned.
"Sye-Liene," Gundhram interrupted. "Six years ago, you gave me something of great importance, and I think now is the time to return it to you." He pulled out a plain brown pouch from his pocket and gently placed it in my hand.
I was caught off-guard by how heavy this little pouch was. I didn't know why I suddenly felt an inundated feeling of excitement flood me. I knew exactly what it was that I held in my hands. I'd secretly given it to Gundhram for safekeeping in the forest all those years ago. I was aware of some of the treachery I had been involved in, but I didn't know that I had taken it to this extent.
"This... This can't be..." I stuttered.
"What's wrong?" Martin asked.
Now, it became clear to me why I instructed Gundhram to keep it secret. It was because of the importance of the object I had entrusted him with.
My hands trembled.
"Ell, answer me!" Martin yelled.
Elossai reached over to look in the pouch. She stopped before she touched it, and her eyes widened. "This..."
"This is the Ankin's Elosra Crystal," I finally said.
"What?" he barked. "We cannot be roaming around the forest with an Elosra Crystal. What if some bandit..."
"I won't let it fall into the wrong hands," I said, putting it inside me cloak pocket. "I'm going to get you and Katie back home, and then I'm going to get every single one of those Crystals together and back to where they belong."
"You can't be serious, El," Martin said, letting out a loud, exasperated sigh. "You don't even know for sure if that is an Elosra Crystal."
"Alright then—let's check." I loosened the string around the pouch and pulled it.
It was the most beautiful and clear, bright blue gem I had ever seen.
There was some sort of inscription on the Crystal—it was written in characters that I couldn't read.
"Elossai," I said, motioning for her to come close.
Elossai leaned in, and read:
"To plot out the course in the Forest of Fears
The heart of a man and the mind of a Sye
Is needed to navigate when it appears
The path to Elosra will then apply
Revealing to only the one it reveres
Or slaying the ones who dare it defy
Granting to thee a wish so dear
Bestowing the power of sun and sky."
After she read the words, the Crystal began to glow, as did Elossai's forehead gem. Elossai and Gundhram bowed their heads.
I immediately put the Crystal back in the pouch and stared at the pouch in my hand for a moment before placing it safely in my shirt pocket. We stood there in silent reverence.
There was no doubt that this was an Elosra Crystal.
"Ell." Martin finally broke the silence. "Even with an Elosra Crystal, how are you going to get all the Crystals—and as a fugitive, might I add?" He folded his arms across his chest. "You don't have to try to be the great Elorian hope."
"I have to be, Martin," I said.
"No, you don't."
"Whether you like it or not, this is just what has to be done. This Crystal is in my hands now, and with it I can negotiate with the kings and stop Hidelvus. You know that I have to do this. I can choose to run, choose to side with Hidelvus, or take responsibility for my past."
"It's not your past when your new body didn't do it. You're a hybrid of both."
"If I run, Lise-An would have died in vain. If it weren't for her and the whole Ora accident, Hidelvus would have his way. This is what I'm meant for." I looked him dead in the eyes.
Martin dropped his arms slack to his sides. He gave a slow nod as he stared at his feet. "I guess you've made up your mind then. You've found yourself, Ell. You really are Sye-Liene."
"I am, but I'm not the same person. Falling into the Ora and losing my memories was the best thing that could've happened to me. And Razelle said I'm not complete until I've gone into the Ora to retrieve all my other memories." I placed a hand on Martin's shoulder. "I don't want to be who I was."
"What else did she say?" Elossai asked.
"It was actually Hidelvus, not Razelle."
"Hidelvus?" Everyone gasped.
"I met him in Passim. He said that there was a process to retrieving all my memories, but that the final step was by entering the Ora."
"My main point was..." Martin interrupted. "That you can't do this alone."
"She won't be," Elossai said as she linked her arm around mine.
"The Elos is right," Gundhram chimed in.
If I could trust any Elorians, it would be these two. I knew that they would stick with me until the bitter end.
"And you have me, too," Katie joined in.
"Katie," I started. "You have to go home with—"
"No, she's right. You have Katie and me as well." Martin grinned. "If you're gonna insist on doing this, there's no chance on planet Earth or Eloria that I'm letting you do this without me."
***
Knowing that I was Sye-Liene meant little. I was the result of the actions and choices I made throughout this journey, not what I did in the past as Sye-Liene.
There were so many doubtsand questions that still surrounded my past and my future, but the one thing Iwas certain of was that I knew what I had to do regardless of how difficult itwould surely be. I would unite all the Elosra Crystals and get to the Forest ofFears, bringing them back to where they belonged. Somehow.