Birth of Innocence: The Innocence Cycle, Book 4 Read online

  “I know, Sheya. I know,” Elbrion whispered as he stroked her brow. “I do not know how to ease this for you.”

  “Elena,” Markhum said softly, “forgive me for pressing you so.” She did not move. “Will you please look at me?” Elena reluctantly raised her head and met his gaze, though she continued to cling to Elbrion. “I was not speaking from an ivory tower just now. In the battle of the second age, I was taken prisoner and held captive by Anakh’s forces for over two years. I was tortured and humiliated in every conceivable—and some quite inconceivable—way, in an attempt to elicit information. So I do have some idea of what you have endured. Admittedly, I was a grown man and suffered for only two years, not seventeen. I also had the memories of a wonderful life prior to my captivity to cling to in my darkest hours.”

  Elena studied him before she looked away. Tears slid down her cheeks. “It is difficult to imagine growing up in a place like this and then being ripped from it and thrust into Anakh’s world. I had never experienced anything else; that realm of torment was all I knew.” She turned and faced Markhum directly. “How awful that must have been for you, to be deprived of all of the beauty and peace of this magnificent realm. You had so much to lose, so much with which they could torment you.”

  Markhum’s gaze dropped. Tremendous pride filled Elbrion’s heart. In spite of all she had endured, his daughter found it within herself to feel pity for Markhum, who now blinked back his own tears as the pulsation of his light dimmed and slowed.

  “I have come to see purpose in all I endured, but I must admit, it required many years of wrestling with the terror and memories in the aftermath to do so,” Markhum said, his voice now soft, humbled. “I learned much of the enemy’s structure and weakness during my imprisonment, much that helped us to win that battle. And I see further purpose in it now.” He again held the girl’s gaze. “We will defeat this enemy.” He nodded slowly. “It is apparent we need you in order to do so. Therefore, I offer myself to your service.”

  Elena shuddered in Elbrion’s arms. She stared at the center of the table as he felt her wrestle with her doubts. Then she took a deep breath, sat up straight, and grabbed hold of Elbrion’s and Silvandir’s hands. The iron will of her internal warrior took hold as Elena gazed around the table. They were working together. The thought made Elbrion smile.

  “So, I have some insight into Anakh’s ways. I know something of the eidola. I have these ‘gifts’—as you call them—for some reason. How does that help us? What am I to do?”

  “You must begin by setting aside your doubt and believing in your power,” Khanab told her.

  Elena scoffed. “So we start with the most difficult piece.” She shook her head and sighed.

  “Yaena, Khanab is our expert in the use of the mind,” Yaelmargon explained. “He will teach you, but you must be willing to yield to his wisdom.”

  The girl nodded and turned to Khanab with resignation. “I’m sorry. I will set aside my cynicism. Please teach me.”

  “No apology needed,” the elder replied. “I know it is a leap for you. Your captors have repeatedly broken down your belief in yourself to keep you from using your gifts. They wanted you to embrace your helplessness because they knew the truth: you are far more powerful than they will ever hope to be.”

  Elena frowned.

  “It is the truth,” Khanab insisted. “But in order to use your power, you must first learn to control your mind. You must believe that you have full control over what happens in your world. Do you understand?”

  “You mean I can do things like push my hands through doors and tell those who hurt me to go away,” she replied.

  “Yes,” Khanab smiled. “I understand you have had some practice with Yaelmargon.”

  “But we did that in my internal world. This recent event was in my dreams,” she countered, her faced pinched with confusion. “I have never been to the Falls of Ellisia. I don’t know where I would have come up with those images. The eidola looked like they did on the mountaintop, so perhaps their images came from my fear. But it feels more like I was invaded, that they came from outside me, like when the lionesses entered into my internal world.”

  “The eidola did invade,” Khanab confirmed. “You left a door open for them.”

  “What door?”

  “You already named it: your fear.”

  “But I am afraid of many things. Does that mean any of them could invade me as well?” Elena’s expression went from perplexed to terrified.

  “Yes,” the elder replied. “You must learn whether waking or sleeping that you need not fear any enemy. You have the power to overcome.”

  Elena gaped at Khanab, who seemed to speak a foreign tongue. To her, the idea was incomprehensible, inconceivable. “No one has control in their nightmares. They just happen. That’s why they’re so frightening.”

  “That is not true. People are helpless in their dreams because they choose to be helpless.”

  Elena’s face flushed with frustration. “No one chooses to be helpless.”

  “If one believes he has no power or control within his dreams, then he will have no power or control.”

  “So people can confront things in their sleep just as they can when they are awake?”

  “Yes, Elena. Dreams are an extension of the mind’s processing and belief system. You must take control of your thoughts even in your sleep. You must resist the presence of any enemy.”

  “I can’t even do that when I’m awake. How can you expect that of me in my sleep?”

  “That is what we intend to work on. You will learn, and you will overcome,” he stated with conviction.

  Elena’s expression said she did not share Khanab’s confidence in that outcome.

  “Let me ask you a question,” the elder continued. “When you battled with Anakh on the Pallanor Pass, how much of it occurred in your mind?”

  “None of it. It was real, happening outside me,” she replied. Then she paused and frowned. “Well, I was told it was all illusion, and I believed that on some level, but it wasn’t inside my mind. Not like inside the third door.”

  “No, Elena, it was all in your mind,” Khanab corrected her.

  “No, you’re wrong. Nakhona can tell you. She was there.” Elena looked to the filly for confirmation.

  I was there. Nakhona agreed.

  “But as soon as you entered into the void, you entered into the realm of the mind,” the elder explained. “It was all very real, as you say, but it existed on a different level.”

  Elena’s face again twisted with confusion. Khanab chuckled.

  “I know. It is difficult to comprehend. Let me see if I can explain, so that you may grasp it.” He paused and stroked his beard. Then, his eyes lit up. “Is Anakh actually a void?”

  “I don’t know what her true form is, but I suspect she must be something like me if we’re of the same race.”

  “Exactly,” Khanab enthused. Elena raised one doubtful eyebrow. He chuckled again. “How is it possible for someone of your race to become a void into which another can enter?”

  Elena’s scowl increased. “I suppose she made the illusion so powerful that those of us that saw it believed it to be real.”

  “Yes.” The elder said no more, giving the girl the opportunity to reason this through.

  Elena’s head tilted, and her face relaxed. “And I must have known that on some level because I knew to search for her heart.” Her frown returned. “So was she inside my mind or was I inside hers?”

  “Perhaps both.” This drew an even more troubled expression from Elena. “If you were inside hers, where were you after she exploded?”

  “So her illusion invaded my mind, but when I destroyed her illusion I was still stuck in some kind of false reality in my own mind?” Elena shook her head. “This is nonsense.”

  Lamreth intervened. “Khanab, perhaps it would be best to show her what you mean rather than explain it in theory.”

  Khanab paused to consider, then nodded slowl
y. “Elena, I would like you to take us into your inner world.”

  Elena’s eyes grew wide, and she shook her head.

  “I do not believe you will be convinced until you see what I mean.”

  She looked to Elbrion. “Ada?”

  “I trust Khanab, Sheya. You can trust him too.”

  She did not look convinced. “Who do you want to accompany me?”

  “Everyone in the room.”

  “What?” Elena was stunned. “I doubt very much I can manage that.”

  Khanab smiled. “Rule number one …”

  Elena glared at him. “Okay. I believe I can.” She paused, as if waiting, then gave a sardonic smile. “Oh, look at that, nothing happened.”

  Yaelmargon chuckled, but Khanab did not take the bait. “Close your eyes and envision the entry into your inner world.”

  Elena obeyed, but gripped Elbrion’s hand hard enough to break bones. Her mouth suddenly gaped in surprise, and Elbrion wondered what she saw.

  “Now push the walls back until they fill this chamber,” Khanab said.

  Elena squeaked in surprise when the table, chairs, elders, Guardians and even Zhalor and Nakhona were suddenly in the expanded entryway. Those around the table were as startled as the girl.

  “So this is your inner world,” Khanab said. “I am impressed by the clarity and detail.”

  Elena hugged herself as if she felt exposed. She glanced nervously at the three doors at the edges of the vestibule.

  Khanab studied the surroundings and then the girl. He was quiet for some time as he combed his fingers through his long beard, his gaze distant.

  “Elena, I am going to ask you to do something that I know will sound impossible, perhaps even terrifying, but I want you to ponder it before responding.” Khanab kept his voice even and calm. The girl nodded. “I want you to destroy what you see—tear it all down.”

  Elena froze, eyes wide, mouth gaping. The wave of terror that hit Elbrion nearly knocked him off his feet.

  “No one will die, dear girl,” Khanab assured her. “This is your world. No one can take away anything you do not want them to nor put anything here you do not allow.”

  “But there are many things here I didn’t create and that I don’t want,” she objected.

  The elder was silent.

  “You’re saying I did create all of this? But I only learned of its existence in the last few months.”

  Again, Khanab did not respond.

  Elena gazed around in puzzlement. “So perhaps another part of me created this? Is that what you are not saying?” The girl looked at Khanab imploringly.

  “Honestly, I do not know, Elena. But you do. The answer is within this world.” When despair washed over her face, he quickly added, “I am asking you to make a conscious effort to manipulate your inner world. Until now, it has been about survival and secrecy. And I suppose it still is—only now it is the survival of Qabara and the revealing of secrets.”

  Just then, the outer doors to the vestibule opened. A stunned Celdorn stood in the doorway.

  “I-I was expecting the Rhashelion,” Celdorn said. “What happened?”

  “Welcome to my world, Ada?” Elena said with a weak half-smile.

  “I am training Elena in the use of the powers of her mind,” Khanab informed him. “She has succeeded in expanding her inner world to embrace us.” The elder gave a quick nod and a satisfied smile.

  Celdorn frowned as he took in the expanded vestibule. Then his eyes turned to their daughter with a questioning lift of his brow.

  “I’m all right, Ada. Though Khanab has presented me with a terrifying challenge.”

  When Celdorn stepped inside, Mikaelin and Hezhion followed.

  Elena gasped. “Mikaelin, you are healed!”

  Mikaelin took in their surroundings. “My body feels fine, but I am concerned for my mind at the moment.”

  “That makes two of us,” Elena replied with a half-laugh. “It is good to see you without the mask, to see your face again.” She broke into a warm smile. “How did this happen?”

  Mikaelin shrugged and glanced away. “It is a long story for another time. I don’t want to interrupt your, um, training.” He moved off to the side, but not without Elbrion noting the turmoil that roiled inside the young Guardian.

  “Elena,” Khanab said, pulling the girl’s attention away from Mikaelin, “again, I am asking you to tear all of this down. Then I will ask you to rebuild it, however you choose.”

  The girl stared at what was around them, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Immediately things swirled in the air as if trapped in the currents of a cyclone; doors, chunks of the rock walls, and beams of wood circled around them. A roar like that of a massive lion filled the chamber as the frameless images from behind the third door joined the mass.

  The screams of small children broke out to their right, as well as gasps from the older girls who now stood naked and exposed directly in front of Elena. The children did not move with the objects but were suspended in the air with only a brilliant light visible beneath them. Elena’s eyes popped open and, in an instant, all was back in place.

  She glared at Khanab. “You said it would not harm them.”

  “I said you had full control and no one can take away anything you do not want them to,” Khanab corrected her. “You have the power to guard and protect all that is within your world.”

  Elena focused on the ground as her eyes moved rapidly from side to side. Elbrion sensed her distress rising.

  “In a fortress you are well protected,” she said aloud to herself. “What other place would provide that?”

  “No, I don’t want to be in a cave,” a voice to her right called out.

  Elena glanced at the men, blushing with embarrassment.

  “What about …?” she whispered.

  The vestibule around them immediately dissolved, and they found themselves instead in a brightly lit field surrounded by magnificent wildflowers. It took only a moment for the children to begin running after butterflies and twirling among the blossoms. The older ones hid behind trees and watched the men with fear and suspicion. As they observed the children, free and unhindered, the older ones slowly began to emerge and join them.

  Elena wore a satisfied smile—until a roar filled the air. The flattened images that had been contained behind the third door swooped and dove at the children like birds of prey.

  “No!” Elena threw her hand toward the sky. The images froze midair. Elena glanced around. To her left, a block building appeared. She swept her arm toward the structure. The frameless pictures immediately flew through the door one by one. After the final one entered, the door swung shut and a wooden brace fell down on the outside, securing the structure.

  Elena turned to Yaelmargon. “Do you remember this place?”

  “I do.” The master wore a broad grin. “I am not at all surprised you chose to return here. Even the healing pool is still present,” he added, nodding toward the nearby spring.

  “Where are the eidola?” Khanab asked.

  The girl reflected before answering. “They are locked away with the images.” Elena gestured toward the small building.

  “Can they not break loose?”

  She studied him. Her mouth quirked up ever so slightly, and she lifted her chin. “No. I have full control of things here, and unless I free them, they must remain.” She gave a quick, triumphant nod.

  The elders exchanged smiles.

  “At some point, we will return here and ask you to bring forth the images so we may study them together. There is much we must learn,” Khanab informed her.

  The small building creaked and groaned as the walls bulged outward, looking as if they might burst at any moment. Elena observed it, and her conviction dissolved until she shook with dread.

  “Your fear is creating that.” Khanab nodded toward the structure. “The moment your doubt crept in, your building wavered. You have power even over the frameless images and what they contain, Elena
. They moved at your bidding. They are locked away by your will,” he reminded her.

  “I understand what you’re saying, but do you realize how difficult this is for me?” Elena’s body sagged as if suddenly weighted.

  “Yes, dear girl, we all realize it. You have done well. It is not my intent to discourage you, but you must know, it requires only a moment’s break in your confidence for the enemy to gain a foothold. You must become resolute. Furthermore, I warn you now, you will be tested time and again.” When he saw the despair cross her face, Khanab added, “Mastery of these things will not happen in a day. Like most things, it will require repeated practice and training.”

  Elena sighed wearily. “I hope I don’t disappoint you. I know you all believe in me, but I feel far too small for this task.” Silent tears slid over her cheeks. Silvandir quickly joined her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and whispering into her ear.

  Elbrion too wondered at the wisdom of a person so young being entrusted with such power. She ought to have had years of instruction and preparation. Not even the council, with all their collective knowledge and experience, knew enough about her gifts and how to wield this power to truly assist her. He knew that none of them felt sufficient for the task of developing this chosen one. And yet what choice did they have?

  Yaelmargon spoke up. “That is enough for today, Yaena.” He gently laid his large hand on her head. “You may return us to the Rhashelion.”

  The images of her internal world dissolved, and once again, they were sitting around the table in the room that pulsed with light.

  Chapter 19

  “Let us move on to more joyous things,” Lamreth said. “Given all that has transpired today, we will postpone tomorrow’s council. Instead, we will celebrate the union of Elena and Silvandir.” Elena was surprised when he clapped his hands and rocked back and forth on his toes, as if he might break into a dance any moment. “Yaelmargon, I believe you would be the appropriate officiant.”

  “I would be honored,” the master replied with a dip of his chin.

  Elena and Silvandir exchanged a glance and nodded their agreement.