Silver Cathedral Saga (19 page)

They all
lowered their War Swans closer to where the stream laid near the
earth and canal.

It seemed
as if more and more clouds formed as they went closer to this
ongoing path of water.

Eleanor
noticed on the papyrus paper map, was black ink dividing the land
up into two parts: The north and south. It became quite clear that
the Canary Canal went full circle; all the way around their world.
There was also a small, thin but long part at the edge at the
right, to the east. Which seemed to have three villagers. Each with
a bridge going over. The finder also noticed the canal went into
the mountain. She probably wouldn’t have figured it out without
asking, but written on the map was the words, ‘canal starts from
beneath the mountain’, explaining a lot, easing some sense in.

They all
stopped declining, though were some way up and above the land
still.

“We’re not
far now,” shouted Ematay; his thoughts echoed on his words and
wondered if any Shadows would have heard his screaming at this
range. He prayed in mind that was not so.

The
group all travelled for several minutes before Ematay pointed to
the water. Eleanor became curious as to how he knew exactly where
the entrance to Madame Mansion was. Especially when there was no
unique markings to give it away.

They all
turned right, and began to see a bridge in the distance becoming
more apparent.

Emerging
out of nowhere were the most reddest of roses any eyes could take
in to remember. They were rich in number on the other side of this
bridge, where a village must have been. It was hard not to notice
such a vibrant red. Even at this height and through the thick
clogs.

“How do you
know it’s there? It looks no different to any other part of the
canal,” asked Eleanor.

“It’s not
always about looks. Hold out your hands at the side and feel what
is beneath you,” replied the Star-caster.

She only
used one hand, the other held onto Christian so she would not fall.
The young female let her fingers feel the air’s breeze pass by as
they moved and hoped she would soon feel something instead of
seeing it.

Eleanor
felt no different. Only the wind moved her hand around as they flew
fast plunging forward.

“I feel
nothing,” she replied.

“In time
you will learn to cancel all preconceived thoughts of the world,
and see things very differently. It all comes to us at a different
time. I’m sure it will be soon enough before you both endure such a
thing.”

They all
began to lower themselves on their swans again; Christian tried to
imitate this. It took a little time, but he got there. He didn’t
dive as sudden as the rest, though still managed to get on the same
level as them again, eventually.

The group
must have all been only ten feet from the water now. The smell of
the canal, potent, and the level of water around was stagnant and
rife from its high density. They were climbing nearer the field of
roses.

There was a
wooden bridge that could be seen well enough now for everybody.
They seem to appear atypical, dull. As if it had been rained upon
too many times and had decided to stay dark and dismal, almost as
if to spite these eyes.

“Just fly
under that bridge,” said Ematay; he pointed again and only just
realised there was no thunderous noise that frightened him from the
difficult to believe number from their enemy.

“Are you
serious?” replied Christian, not sure what to do.

“Just watch
me,” said the Beast-caster in control of his own War Swan hearing
the conversation. The female kicked her feet, and flew even faster
before the rest of them. She went a little to the right, out of the
way of her comrades, then swooped into the little gap under the
bridge.

The War
Swan and the Beast-caster Adea faded away.

The
creatures full body was soon gone, and the mouths of the little
ones opened in amazement once more at yet another thing they had
discovered.

The other
four Swans went through before Eleanor and Christian; they seemed
to be slowing down as they got nearer, not speeding up like the
rest had done.

“Let’s get
this over with,” said Christian. He directed the War Swan as narrow
as he could, like he saw the others do before him; also, the wings
couldn’t be caught on the banks of the canal when they went
through.

Christian
imagined the swan tucked its wings in so it would fit through the
gap okay. Although they saw that the portal was not just under the
bridge.

The
children’s swan dived to this gap under the bridge. Christian
wanted to close his eyes, but he knew it would have been too
dangerous to do so. Instead, Eleanor closed her eyes for the both
of them. He knew she would do. The risk of damaging this living
transport would be too great. They couldn’t let it become damaged
and slow their travelling. If he let that happen, Christian knew a
bad fate would soon enough come to them.

The times
were too great. Peril was upon a knife, like a beckoned poison had
wanted to lure them with a timely demise. A poison so fatal and so
strong it would kill upon a mere touch. This touch of the
Shadows.

The two of
them flinched at the same time as Eleanor grabbed tighter around
Christian’s waist. Eleanor let out a high pitched squeal as she
opened her eyes for a brief second to see if they were there
yet.

The
transition between where they were and where they were going was
speedy. Their minds worked it up for what they thought was nothing
in the end.

Christian
saw the mansion Ematay spoke of about fifty feet in front of them,
near the others. It looked as if they were underground somewhere,
even though there was a grand amount of grass before the
structure.

“I see you
got here in one piece,” said the grown-up Battle-caster.

“Do not pay
any attention to her,” said Ematay. “She is just entertaining
herself. As usual. I doubt she will ever change now.”

“We need to
take the swans to the stable,” said Ematay, moving things along.
“and feed them their salt marsh grass and molluscs. We always have
a good supply here. A lot of us stop by on long journeys to gather
our strength, both our swans and ourselves,” he said, looking at
Christian and Eleanor.

They all
grabbed the reins of their War Swans they all got off and guided
them to the mansion, to the right side, where the stable stood.

Something
at this time both the children saw looked rather odd. These giant
white, big birds that flew with their beautiful, lengthy wings that
glided gracefully upon the air’s current stood out in a better way
than when these creatures walked in front of them now. It appeared
as if these birds were supposed to fly more so than walk. If anyone
were to see the same War Swan walk on land and in flight through
the sky—it would bring a surprise to new onlookers.

They all
tied the large creatures up and filled up a wooden bucket with
marsh grass and molluscs from the canal for each.

All eight
then left the stable, which was not a part of the mansion, and more
of a wooden extension that was attached.

The mansion
was made not of stone, nor of wood or straw and mud, but of a
gleaming marble. A marble that radiated with a white; so pure and
clean that it looked as if it lit up the underground gloom around
them for some distance.

White
marble stairs led up to five tall columns, keeping up the entrance
to the mansion.

Eleanor and
Christian were at a loss with what to say about such a place,
walking up slowly.

“Quite
luring, yes?” said Ematay near the two children as he approached
the large white carved in doors, not doors like the children had
seen before. There was no sign it could and would open. Though it
looked as if this was where they should be. “This was once the home
to Starao herself; well, at one point in time. Now it awaits the
blood of the demi god. The once talked about descendant of Starao.
All that is left of her. Though it seems they must have been mere
rumors because no such person has revealed themselves. So we
believe the descendant must have died at some point.”

“How do you
know that?” asked Eleanor.

“Because
she wrote it down in a book. She called this mansion the home of
good. Because if true evil ever set foot inside it’s door, it would
shut them in—forever. And she shared quite warm stories about her
child, though never mentioned its name or gender. I guess for both
their protection.”

“How do we
get through?” said Eleanor, looking at where the doors should be.
“It looks like these were meant to be doors… but they don’t look
like they even open.”

“That is
because they do not; at least not in the conventional way. It is a
portal that tests the good of those whoever go through,” replied
the Beast-caster before looking upon something on herself for
several seconds. She checked more than once to make sure it was
there, yet only Eleanor noticed this.

“Let’s head
inside. Time is ticking,” said Lauretta. They all got nearer the
archway where the doors should be. The two children looked at it
with a hesitant glare that manifested from another place of
uncertainty in the back of their heads.

“What are
you waiting for?” said Ematay to the children. Christian shrugged,
whilst Eleanor just raised her eyebrows to say the obvious about
what she was in fact waiting for.

“You have
nothing to worry about. I’ve journeyed with you both. There is no
way you will be imprisoned inside. He pushed them along but came
with them, all in one quick stroke. They fretted, wanting to turn
back before they got in, but it was all too late.

“This house
has a mind of its own. To be more accurate, it is more like a
conscience of its own,” said Dak: Being the last thing the first
three that entered Madame Mansion heard

Eleanor and
Christian looked back to the portal and made sure to keep an eye on
it. The female said what was on both their minds as soon as they
possibly could. “We have a reason to believe one of these
Spell-casters you are with is a traitor. And possibly more than…”
one of the Spell-casters came through with a buzzing sound as they
done so, just like when they came through.

Ematay,
Christian and Eleanor just looked at each other one more time,
before starring at the rest of them in the direction they came.

Quickly,
Eleanor thought to cover their suspicious silence with something
new as most came through: “The reason we were both afraid to come
inside was because we were hardly perfect children.” She then
turned to the Spell-casters, “I don’t think you have introduced us.
It would be rude not to.”

“Oh, of
course,” said Ematay. “Adea here is our Beast-caster. Dak our
Battle-caster, and Lauretta our Fire-caster. “The female Edeolon
Warrior is Selphira, and male, Oddius”

“Edeolon
Warriors,” said Eleanor.

“You’re
having a laugh,” said Christian. “Few Astorians have even seen a
dead Edeolon Warrior, never mind an alive one—but two.”

“Don’t
doubt our trust,” said the male Edeolon Warrior, also known by the
common folk as the Warriors of Faith. “We will prove it all in
time,” sounding certain with himself.

“I only
hope you are telling the truth. We could use your kind of power in
the struggles ahead,” said the Battle-caster. “They will be
challenging at the easiest of times, no doubt about it.”

“We are the
Warriors of Faith,” said the female Edeolon. “Faith is our ally.
And a mighty one it is.”

“Anyway,”
said Ematay. “You haven’t told us your magickal abilities.”

“I have a
very specific power set from space magick. I can create gravity
wells. I can control the very flow of gravity,” smiled Oddius.
“Hence why I have outlived my comrades of old.”

“I can
imagine we could make use of those powers a great deal,” said
Eleanor. Ematay pushed the child back, to quiet her in these times,
as if Ematay was trying to hang onto something he just found.

“And you?”
said Ematay to the other, the female.

“Faith may
be our ally,” she said to her friend, touching his arm, “but we
were always more than that. Edeolon Warriors are leaps and bounds
more advanced than the most smartest of beings, in all aspects they
decide to put their minds to. We adapt with an unnaturally fast
speed. Gone are the days when we were once cast aside as monsters
in the past. The gods of Edeolon chose to use us Millenium Children
to their advantage. To create the ultimate weapons of good.”

“You’ve
never met a god, have you?” said Ematay. They both shook their
heads. “They are not so much good, nor evil. I guess you could say
they are one; both. They are just like ourselves, in more ways than
you can imagine. They are hardly perfect.”

“A perfect
being—is an unbelievable being,” said Selphira, the female Edeolon
Warrior.

“Too true,”
said Christian, speaking in the moment but not meaning to.

Ematay
ignored the words from the child. “You still haven’t told us your
power, Warrior of Faith.”

“I can do
more than one thing,” said the female warrior. “I’m like your
Beast-caster here. I can take the forms of beasts—but unlike
beast-casters—I can take the form and abilities of any being I see
or have seen. Not just from ones nearby. And as you will all know I
am one with natures life; the wild part of it. Creatures of the
wild here me, they help. We have an understanding no Beast-caster
is willing to explain in detail. The connection between
Beast-casters and life is an important one. A one which can be just
as painful—yet just as useful.”

“It goes
without saying that both your magicks will come in very useful,”
replied the Fire-caster, Lauretta.

“Ematay
noticed after Lauretta stopped talking that a little light shone
from under her clothes. It wouldn’t have been easy to notice if it
wasn’t so dark inside the Madame Mansion at this time, as they lit
no candles yet. It was a little green, faint light; a little bigger
than the size of a speck. Ematay believed nobody else saw this, as
he noticed nobody brought attention to it except him, which he
found very peculiar.