The Realms of Ethair (9 page)

“They’re alright, then. As long as I’m…”

“That is correct. The Guards are keeping an
eye on the situation. They will do so until the danger has truly
passed. Your family and friends are currently under surveillance,
as we speak.”

Arturion wasn’t hiding anything anymore
nor did he defend his decisions and actions from her. She had met
him as a foreigner and became his friend. Now, she saw him in a
different light. He had donned the mask of a Gate Keeper fulfilling
his job. The manner he used as he told her the details was similar
to how an officer would report to his superior.

Her home was gone, along with the people she
had loved all her life. The Arty she had known for the past two
years had ceased to exist. The dutiful Gate Keeper had replaced
him.

“
Thank you, Arturion. Please extend my
gratitude to the Black Guards, as well. If you’ll excuse me, I need
some fresh air.” She didn’t wait for his response. Karina got to
her feet and left the house.

Among the trees, her vision blurred with
tears. She swiped it away, yet it kept flowing. Karina walked on
without any real destination. She stumbled on a tree limb, her arms
flailing wide. She landed face first on the forest floor, the
carpet of leaves cushioning her fall. She sat up and looked around
trying to get her bearings. She was at the center of a large
clearing, the trail nowhere to be found. It was eerily
quiet.

Sara had allowed her to wander in the
forest as long as she stayed on the path. The Devatas were not the
only creatures of the forest. There were still wild animals roaming
deep within. The footpath was not only for convenience’s sake, it
served as a guide away from predators.

The snapping of twigs echoed ominously in
the clearing, making Karina jump in alarm. The instinct for
fight-or-flight overtook her senses, momentarily sobering her from
all the crying she’d done. She groped for any object that could be
used as a makeshift weapon and came up empty-handed. If it was a
wild beast, she had no means to protect herself and running would
only delay the inevitable.

A winged creature with a lion’s head and
tail and talons for feet emerged from the foliage. It sniffed the
air and licked its chops hungrily. Its eyes rested on hers. She
stood frozen on the spot as it approached her slowly.

Suddenly, a shrill note pierced the air. The
thunder of hooves advancing towards them shook the earth. An arrow
whistled past the trees and struck the ground near the creature’s
forelegs.

The beast recognized the danger for its life.
It backed away a few steps and took flight.

Men and women on horseback entered the
clearing and circled her. They wore the colors of the forest’s
greenery. A bow and a quiver of arrows were strapped across their
backs. A rapier and a short sword hung at their side.

One of them held his bow across his horse’s
withers. He addressed her in a strange language. When she didn’t
reply, he switched to Merleinan. The woman beside him spoke in
their tongue. She recognized the words human and mortal in the
rider’s speech.

“
What is your name, child?” The man asked
Karina in English, the universal language of her world.

She had acquired a number of names during her
stay and had to pick one that would grant her safety.

The riders and their steed displayed an
impressive amount of patience and discipline as they waited for her
answer.

In a small voice, she managed to say the name
the Devatas have given her.

The man nodded his acknowledgement. He turned
to the woman, once again, shifting back to their language. The
conversation ended quickly. Commands were given. The riders filed
out westward, leaving their leader behind. The latter slung the bow
on his back and descended from his horse.

“You are a long way from home, Liyanna. Come,
I shall take you back to your people.” He motioned to the
north.

“
I have no home,” she said dejectedly.
“They’re not my people.”

“A manner of speech.” He tilted his head,
unperturbed. “Is there a place you wish to go?”

“Are you a Devata?” she asked to confirm her
suspicions of the rider’s identity.

“We have been called many things. Gods,
entities, the Good Folk, nature spirits, elves, diwata, engkanto,
Devata. Merleinans call us by that name.” He grinned. His stance
straight and proud, he bowed to her with the litheness of a hunting
cat.

“Do you know where Kelor-dan lives?”

“
Everyone knows he rules these parts, thus
he is likely to reside here,” he said mischievously, a nature of
his race. His personality had taken a turnabout; from the serious
and commanding soldier, he seemed to enjoy playing with her now
that there were just the two of them.

“
Please take me to Kelor-dan’s palace,” she
carefully phrased.

“We are already here.” He shrugged.

Their surroundings became hazy. She had to
blink a few times before her vision cleared. Karina’s eyes
registered a fountain bubbling happily at the middle of the once
empty space. The ground had evened out underneath the carpet of
leaves. Flowers bloomed at every tree and bush around her. Its
floral scent filled the atmosphere.

The courtyard was the first glimpse she
had of Kelor-dan’s palace. All the while, it had been under her
nose. Karina sensed invisible eyes on her. This became
inconsequential as she heard the quick and light footfalls of a
person descending the steps. She knew he could be as silent as a
hunter stalking his prey. The sound of his footsteps was an attempt
to let her know that the prince himself had come to receive
her.

She found her legs again and took the last
remaining steps, closing the distance between them. Overwhelmed
with relief, she hugged Kelor-dan. The prince briefly stilled at
her impulsiveness; then, placed his arms about her. Karina breathed
in the scent of sunshine and of the forest, which clung to him like
perfume, just to ascertain it was really him. The sound of his deep
voice reverberated in his chest. He was speaking to one of his
people – the rider, from how he framed his questions.

The rider answered deferentially. He had
assumed his previous demeanor.

“
Wait,” Karina called when the rider
mounted his horse. “What is your name?”

He glanced at the prince. Then, stated: “I am
called Pellinor.”

“
Pellinor,” she pronounced. “I won’t
forget.”

He bowed his head and left.

“
You have done well, Liyanna,” Kelor-dan
whispered. “In a handful of words, you have won the respect of one
of the Sentries’ captains.”

Let her be. Give her time.
He had anticipated her
departure. She had wanted his honesty. He had given it to her
because she deserved to know. Karina had received it too well – too
self-composed. She was definitely in shock. She had yet to grasp
her situation fully. So, he let her go. Later, he would realize too
late that he had misjudged the impact of his news.

Arturion did not follow her.
Karina would not take it kindly
if she discovered he was shadowing her. He remained in the kitchen
and entered into a trance. It was part of his training to
discipline the mind and enable him to endure the harshest
circumstances. Almost at once, his Higher Self separated from the
limits of his physical awareness and his consciousness expanded
outward. He felt other creatures’ life force and…Karina’s.
Immediately, he cut off his connection. He would not intrude on her
privacy.

There were still a number of rooms left to
explore on the upper level. Sleeping quarters awaited him. One of
these belonged to his mother. The traditional bed consisted of a
futon, a bolster, and blankets. In his mother’s room, however,
stood a low bed frame with intricately carved whorls on the
headboard, a mattress, pillows and a covering.

He resumed the use of his extended senses.
A whiff of lavender permeated the air. Karina must have used it on
a number of occasions. He thought of his house in the third
dimension. The furniture and fixtures were almost the same, apart
from how the humans generated energy to power their technology. She
must have been homesick.

Arturion sat at the edge of the bed, allowing
the scent to soothe him. He nearly overlooked the papers hidden
underneath the bed covers. Moving it to the other side of the bed,
he lay on his back. His eyelids fluttered open once, twice;
finally, closing as he succumbed to exhaustion.

Dusk had fallen when Arturion woke to the
sound of his name being called downstairs. The voice was
Kala’s.
Why
would she be looking for him, when she should be with Karina at
this hour?
Anxiety
pulled him to his feet.

He rushed towards the door and would have
collided against Kala as the girl walked in. A glow globe hovered
inside, extinguishing the shadows of the gathering darkness.

Kala looked at Arturion, took in the
crumpled sheets of the bed, and came back to him. Her eyes were
guarded, forbidding him from asking about Karina’s
well-being.

“
There is an urgent meeting at Dur na
Valed. They are waiting for you,” she said.

A completed version of the Stonehenge in
Wiltshire, England, the Dur na Valed, the Ring of Stones, has been
a sacred site to all peoples of their land. The monument symbolized
the Peace Pacts in Merleina and other races that followed after the
fall of Atlantis. Dur na Valed continued to be a gathering place
for the populace. Weapons were strictly prohibited. A force field
enforced the rule. To gain entry, one must leave any tool of
destruction outside the area.

Arturion and Sara’s apprentice reached the
site without saying a word to each other. Before they entered the
barrier, he had already taken notice of the presence of a visitor
from the smell of wood smoke.

Inside, Sola, Sara and a Sentry stood
within the center. Kala took her place by the high priestess’ side
while he positioned himself between Sola and the guest. The Sentry
had been sent directly from the Devarian palace to relay the
message of the human girl’s stay at Kelor-dan’s for an indefinite
period. She would receive the treatment worthy of her status during
her sojourn. A select few would escort the mortal upon her
return.

In turn, Sara gave him a summary detail of
Karina’s current condition. The Devata was not particularly
troubled and assured them that the Forest Folk would see to the
young woman’s wellbeing. The conversation turned to other matters
concerning both Merleinans and Devatas.

The Veil separating the dimensions,
particularly Merleina, Karina’s world, and the Devarian realm had
thinned since the winter solstice last 21
^st
of December, 2012. Sightings of intergalactic
beings, reappearance of creatures long thought to be extinct,
emergence of new species, and the new planetary energies as Mother
Earth ascends to the fourth dimensional plane have become more
prevalent. Moreover, the wars of the Peace Corps, the Galactic
Federation and Lightworkers (people fighting and working
independently for peace) against the Cabal with other dark forces,
whose purpose is to acquire dominance and exploit the planet’s
natural resources and its inhabitants, were
intensifying.

The Black Guard Commander should have been
requested to join them however prickly the relationship between the
Guards and the Sentries have become. Both parties have a long track
record of tricking each other into cooperation to complete a
mission or a similar job.

The meeting concluded. Arturion followed the
Devata to the thickest part of the forest, where a mare stood
waiting for her rider.

“
Better get on with it, Halfling. It will
be too late when I get on my horse,” the Sentry said in
jest.

“Is she truly well?”

“A few scrapes when she decided to be
reacquainted with the earth. No permanent harm has befallen her.
Although,” he paused then taunted, “I cannot guarantee the state of
her heart, heartbroken as it is.”

The Sentry glanced sidelong at the Gate
Keeper.

“
From your lack of reaction, I assume you
are responsible for the mortal’s flight to the forest and into the
arms of my prince – rather, into the jaws of a chimera,” the Devata
mocked.

Arturion paled at the creature’s name.

“I can see it now. The shock, the concern,
and the guilt. So human.”

“
You said she’s unharmed,” Arturion said
sharply.

“Are you implying that I have lied?” The
Sentry’s eyes narrowed ominously. His hand, which had been feeding
the horse with an apple, dropped to his side. A hush came over the
forest.

“I meant no offense.” His arms raised in a
placatory gesture. “I only wish to know what had happened.”

“You should have said so in the first
place.”

“
Captain, please,” a breeze carried the
whisper of a tree spirit. “Stop tormenting him.”

The Captain stared past Arturion. A dryad had come
to the defense of the Gate Keeper
– a Halfling, half-Merleinan and half-human being.
The latter had also turned to the origin of the voice.

They know each other,
the Sentry thought.