At first, Elenio sat back and watched helplessly as Twoit tried and tried to follow Galena into the cave. She attempted to walk right behind Galena, but as soon as Galena entered the mouth of the cave, she simply vanished from view. The tiny ferret stopped when this happened and stood looking politely confused as she cocked her head first to one side and then the other. Then she decided it didn’t matter and headed for the entrance herself, only to crash into an unseen barrier. This surprised Elenio. He watched the tiny ferret back up, shaking her head slightly from the impact and standing on her back legs; begin to scratch at the barrier. Elenio could see where her paws struck the invisible wall, but nothing more. He walked over himself and examined it. He could see nothing, but when he ran his hand over the entrance, he came in contact with a wall as cold as stone and seemingly as unmovable as well. This did not bode well with Elenio.
Walking back to where he had been sitting before, he continued to stare at the entrance, watching Twoit as she tried to sneak in from first one side of the cave and then the other without success. Finally frustrated, she came hopping over to Elenio, scolding him in her own way for something he had no control over.
“Peace, little one. I know you want to go after her, but we can’t, so sit and wait patiently for her to return.”
Cocking her head again to one side, the tiny black eyes regarded him solemnly before she turned so she too could watch the entrance. She lay down beside him and stared like he was.
Elenio brought his legs up and wrapped his arms around them so he could rest his chin on his knees. Here he was again, waiting for Galena to save the day and he was helpless to do anything for her. How he wished he could be by her side as she encountered whatever was waiting on the other side of that hole in the ground. Sighing angrily, he felt the warm breeze of the guardian brush past his face and he felt his curiosity aroused. Seeing how he would probably be waiting a while, he decided to make use of his free time and ask this being a couple of questions.
At least it will take my mind off what Galena is doing, he thought wryly to himself. “How many elves have attempted to retrieve the sword?” he asked, feeling a little silly. If only the being had a body or a face. He felt like he was talking aloud to himself.
“Many have approached, but none have been allowed to enter,” the voice spoke softly just by his ear.
He turned quickly, but as he expected, there was no one there. “What do you mean, no has been allowed to enter?” The stories of old told of many elves attempting to reach the sword and all of them dying in the process. Elenio assumed that this had been in the cave.
“Only the one marked by Mira, was allowed to enter,” the voice said quietly once more, this time by his other ear.
“But the stories...”
“Not all stories contain only the truth, just what the story teller wants conveyed.”
Elenio felt dumbstruck. “But what of the sword?” he asked, fumbling to find a string of truth to the old stories.
“The sword is within and I have guarded it for thousands of years.”
“Is it truly the only means of defeating Rau?”
“Without it, the elf would be overcome.” This time the voice seemed to come from directly in front of Elenio and even though he searched, he still found nothing.
“How did you know Galena was the one?” Elenio asked starting to feel like they really were on the right path.
“Her power was evident and she lacked the marks of Rau.”
“Will she live?” Elenio could barely get this last question out for fear of the answer. He regretted it almost immediately, but some part of him had to know.
“No one knows that answer to that,” the voice said as quietly as Elenio had asked.
Elenio nodded. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, maybe more of a prediction. Elenio continued to stare at the cave, willing Galena to return to him soon. He could feel her apprehension and something more, maybe fear, but he wasn’t entirely sure. “What will she come across in there?” he asked, feeling fear and a stronger emotion rise up in her.
“Whatever she fears most.”
The emotion continued to rise, taking over his rational thoughts. It was an overwhelming sadness, accompanied by waves of grief. He fought to bring back the calmness of his own mind and struggled. Whatever she came across in there was threatening to take control of her.
Get up Galena. Keep going, he thought, pushing those thoughts toward her. He felt the sadness level off and a resolution starting to take place. He knew she was continuing with her journey.
It didn’t even feel like a minute later, when the same feeling as before, crashed into him, causing him to gasp with the force of it. The same sadness and grief took him, causing tears to stream down his face even though he had no idea why he was crying. His heart suddenly felt as if it was going to implode and for a moment, he could see streams of blood before him. Bodies were piled up, limbs entangled. He blinked his eyes and the visions disappeared, but the pain still tore at him. He shook his head, focusing on his breathing, on returning it back to normal. If he was going to be any help to her, he had to focus on the reality outside the cave. Fighting back the emotions that flowed over him like a massive waterfall, he began to take in the scenery around him once more. The birds in the trees, the dim light of the fading sun, Twoit looking curiously at him. Little by little, he was able to force back the strong emotions he knew were Galena’s. What had she come across in there?
A new emotion started to gnaw away at the back of his mind, doubt and shame. That can’t be good, he thought. Before these took control, he continued to focus on his breathing, retaining his own emotions even though the ones that she felt were growing stronger. He stood, fighting to keep his breathing steady and under control. He felt her resolve waiver and then shatter completely.
No, Galena. Get up. Find the sword. You must go on. He repeated this last part over and over, pacing in front of the cave as he did so. Slowly, ever so slowly, he felt the grief subsiding, the pain easing, and her mind taking hold of his words. He still felt the pain of grief, the rawness of it, but he also felt her fear building.
You must go on, he told her. Numbness was setting in and the reality of it all started to slip away. This was good in Elenio’s opinion. Numbness allowed the mind to think past whatever she encountered that rocked her so.
You must go on, he repeated. He continued his relentless pacing in front of the cave, afraid he would go mad with Galena’s emotions if he stopped. He stared into its black darkness, focusing on her and what she was feeling. Almost immediately, he had to retreat back to his own mind and his own thoughts, as hers were filled with grief. When he focused on his own thoughts, he could keep hers to a minimum, but still know what was going on.
He stopped when he felt her quake with fear and lose her will to continue. “No, you must go on,” he practically screamed aloud. A tiny spark regained its hold on her and she continued. New emotions, fear, doubt, and dread, took root in her mind and Elenio processed each one in turn. What did she fear that would incapacitate her so? He hadn’t known she was afraid of anything.
He felt flickers of new emotions, but not very strong. Anger, confusion, and something else. They repeated in cycles and he found himself feeling confused. What was going on? He turned to look at Twoit as the ferret watched him, curiosity on her tiny face again. He was about to ask her what she made of the whole thing when he dropped to his knees. He felt his heart being ripped from his chest and a scream of agony shattered the peaceful quiet surrounding him. Blinded by the force of it, he dropped to his hands and knees, throwing up as intense pain blasted through him. Closing his eyes, he saw himself, a sword running through his stomach and him falling to the ground and knew in that instant, what Galena was facing.
His breathing came in ragged pants as he struggled to take each breathe. He couldn’t stop the tears that raced down his face. Grasping his chest with one hand, he fought, harder than he had ever fought in his life, to regain control of his own thoughts. Struggling to stand, he charged the cave, not caring if it killed him, he would not lose her again. He had to get to her and show her that he was all right.
Reaching the entrance, he felt the warm breeze turn into a strong wind that picked him up and carried him away, placing him back on the ground some distance.
“You don’t understand, she needs me,” he screamed as he charged the entrance once more. The pain was still there, blinding him from all reason, all he could feel was her overwhelming anguish. The wind picked him up and sent him crashing into a tree. Vines wrapped around him and the trunk, holding him prisoner and preventing him from racing to the cave again.
“You cannot help her that way. She must do this on her own,” the voice said, with a peacefulness that angered Elenio to the point of rational thinking.
“Galena, I’m here my love. Come back to me. Get the sword and come back to me,” he screamed, both mentally and as loud as he could. He pushed his thoughts of safety and his love to her as hard as he could, struggling to make his emotions as strong as hers. He felt her thoughts die, her emotions grow completely numb, oblivious to anything else around her. She was giving up.
He fought against the vines that held him so tightly that he could barely breathe, but his efforts were in vain.
“Galena, please hear me. I’m here, come back to me. I can’t lose you again,” he screamed, his own panic filling him. “Galena, don’t believe your own mind. Come back to me.” He continued his fruitless struggle with the vines that were now cutting into his arms, wrists, and legs. He had to get to her, to show her he was alive and well. He screamed his thoughts both mentally and verbally toward her, willing her to sense him. Long after his voice dimmed, he continued to scream with his mind, never giving up. He couldn’t give up, they’d come too far. Tears continued to spill over when he felt it. Her emotions were changing.