Fate (Inner Space Adventures Book 1) Page 6
He didn’t remember the last time that he saw her. She couldn’t visit so often since she lived so far away. He hoped that she was doing well. He wasn’t sure that she would accept what he needed to tell her but he had to try. He also knew that his daughter and son-in-law would think he was just rambling on, was it really fortuitous that Taylor was here with them or was it destiny?
He was awakened out of the fog in the early hours of the morning. He wasn’t sure but it must have been near midnight, the traditional witching hour. He had felt an other-worldly presence with him in the room. He knew immediately that it wasn’t the fog of the disease. He had never experienced such a feeling in all his years but it was one that had been explained to him by his grandmother.
He began learning about his family’s sensitivities as a child. His grandmother realized early on that he would be the one to carry forward the stories. He learned that not everyone in the family could sense the powers that flowed through the bloodlines. It was a centuries old trait that could be traced back to the family’s Celtic ancestors in Scotland. Their family history was very unique.
Their roots were in the Scottish highlands but sometime during the 17th century one of their ancestors married a French woman and settled in France. The family eventually migrated with others to Nova Scotia. Although the Duncans did not have the typical French surnames of all the other families, they were accepted as an integral part of the community by the time of the migration to North America. The Duncans never allowed their Scottish origins to fade completely away and the stories continued to pass down through the generations.
The old stories began during Celtic times when the most of the population believed that the villages were frequently visited by the likes of faeries, elves, spirits, and demons. These were often rumored to interfere in the daily lives of humans. From time to time, stories emerged that the Fae would visit humans to mate. The offspring of these liaisons possessed special characteristics. Most of the children were eventually taken away by the Fae to live in their world. Some however remained hidden from their Fae parents and lived among their human families unmolested.
The presence of children with Fae blood was kept secret even within families since they were considered outcasts by the rest of the community. There were always whispers that the mothers had done something to attract the attentions of the Fae fathers. In truth, the unsuspecting young women were no match for any Fae who had designs on them. Some of the fathers would visit their offspring from time to time, others waited until they were out of infancy to steal them away back to their homelands. It was rumored that these offspring served some special purpose in the faerie home world but no one really knew what happened to those lost children. There were rare exceptions where the Fae fathers actually fell in love with the human mothers of their children and lived with them for periods of time and taught the children how to adjust and live with their Fae traits.
The Duncan story was based on the latter relationship with the Fae. A Fae prince fell deeply in love with one of the young maidens in the family line. He lived as a human with her and her child for several years. Aside from her mother, no one else realized that during the many years that a faerie was living in their midst or that the child, a son, was of mixed parentage.
As the child grew older, his father taught him how to identify faeries, elves, and other entities when they were present in the area. The son was taught what to pass on to his progeny and how to keep the family secret closely held to avoid being ostracized by others in the community. He learned that the ability to recognize and sense visitors from the other worlds did not automatically pass down to all his children. He also learned how pass on the family’s story without raising too much suspicion among others and identify which family member possessed the unique traits. He was visited by his father at the most unpredictable times, more often than not the visits helped him out in times of peril.
The Fae prince continued to visit his son’s offspring, although never revealing his true identity for a few centuries. Such a visit prompted Duncan’s ancestor to journey to France in the 17th century where he met his future wife. His trip to France probably saved his life since he was in Scotland at the time of the Battle of Culloden which he would have more than likely fought in and possibly perished.
Some generations produced no offspring with the Fae sensitivities, however somehow the stories continued to pass down. The Fae prince often intervened anonymously to keep the stories alive or ensure that the key information wasn’t lost. The Duncans of Acadia kept the stories alive and these were sometimes mixed with those of the family’s migration from France and subsequent migration from Nova Scotia to Louisiana.
The Louisiana Duncans settled in the heart of Acadiana and eventually evolved into a rich mix of Scots, French, Canadian, Louisiana Cajun, and Louisiana Creole. The Fae blood just added a little extra to the mix. The stories were perceived more as legend than family history during modern times but James Duncan always felt a connection with the stories told by his grandmother. Although no family member had experienced anything eventful as a result of the Fae blood in several generations, the family continued to keep the story alive.
Now, in the sunset of his life while battling, this awful disease, Duncan finally had the experience that he waited for all of his life. It was confirmation that the stories relayed to him by his grandmother and that he in turn shared with his children and grandchildren were truly based in fact. He couldn’t quite define his experience of the night before but felt a compelling need to try to prepare his granddaughter for something that would happen soon. There was a sense of foreboding, some big struggle was looming but in the midst of that was a wave of calmness; a feeling that help wouldn’t be far away throughout whatever conflict that would occur.
He wasn’t sure if his granddaughter would accept any of what he needed to share. After all, she was a 21st century, college educated woman. Why would she listen to a doting grandfather who was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s and known for telling outlandish tales? He had to try to convince her of the reality of the situation even if he couldn’t explain it fully. He also knew that he couldn’t wait because the disease could take away his sensibilities at any moment.
Chapter 6 - Elven Lands – Ljosar Realm
Aleesia’s decision to approach the outpost using a side gate was wise. Connak was thankful that their entrance was basically a non-event. They were met by what appeared to be a junior sentry. Aleesia had a brief conversation with him and someone was sent on an errand. She then led them to a shelter where they took care of the horses for the evening. They quietly went into an adjacent house through a back entrance.
A fire was blazing in a life sized hearth when they entered the house. Aleesia said that it was maintained as a permanent shelter for traveling sentries and others traveling on Realm business. The caretakers prided themselves for keeping the residence in a constant state of readiness whether it was used or not. A marker was placed above the exterior door threshold when the house was occupied. The caretakers then knew to prepare simple meals for the residents.
“Is there a place where I can draw a bath?” asked Laosx scratching himself furiously.
Aleesia smiled and nodded. “There is a smaller hearth upstairs in the main bedroom. You will find the bathing tub in a corner of the room, there should also be some soapstone and a scrubbing brush nearby. Unfortunately, you will have to haul the water upstairs.”
Laosx was already filling a bucket with water from a pump in the cooking area before she finished her sentence. “I could never fathom a life on the road. A bath will make me feel normal,” he replied cheerfully.
Aleesia wondered how such an unusual looking person could ever be normal but then who was she to judge someone just because they looked different. She was beginning to feel comfortable with this strange pair and felt a twinge at the thought of leaving them. Her duty was done; she found them while on patrol and escorted them safely within the walls of the outpost. This
reminded her that she needed to make an official report to her captain. She sent a message to him as they entered the gates but needed to provide more details in person. She had no doubt that if she dallied too long around here, her captain would show up on the doorstep. She preferred to give him a full account before he met the strangers.
“I need to report to my captain,” she told Connak. “I sent a message when we arrived but I want to provide more details before he forms any opinions in a vacuum. I am sure he will want to visit with you before you proceed on your journey.”
“I was prepared to meet with the officials in charge when we arrived. Your assistance has been invaluable, we are indebted to you. I also wanted to thank you for helping Laosx by providing the sun blocking potion. He was really suffering,” Connak said to her earnestly.
“I could see that he was having a difficult time. Even though he is a stranger to me I could not bear to see him so miserable,” she replied. “I will return later this evening with the formula and some ingredients for him to take on the journey. As for the other, I was just doing my job.” She shook his hand, patted him on the shoulder and quickly walked out of the door.
Connak settled into a chair placed by the fire and began to collect his thoughts. It appeared that Aleesia accepted their story at face value but he had no illusions that everyone would listen as willingly as she did. He feared they would be met with more skepticism than openness and that they would have more than a few less than positive encounters along their journey.
He felt no open hostility from the young sentry when they entered the outposts and did not sense any apprehension on the part of the villagers that they passed on their way to the stables. However, he had to admit that he could count on one hand the number of people they encountered and both he and Laosx were well cloaked. He was sure that once they were in the midst of the village in full daylight, the reception would be different. He just was not sure how different it would be. A meeting with the captain of the sentries tonight away from the eyes and ears of any who might sway the initial perception would be good. He certainly hoped that Aleesia’s outward acceptance of them was genuine and that she would have a positive word for them in her report to her captain.
Connak wondered how things were going in Drakar palace. Before they embarked on their journey, the elders were growing increasingly worse. Many of them were becoming too weak to conduct their daily routines while others experienced bouts of disorientation. All of these traits were uncharacteristic since the elders were the mainstay of the Elven society. The High Council ruled, but the elders were the spiritual leaders. Without their leadership, the society would lose a vital link to the core of Elven life. He simply had to convince the Ljosan High Council that problem was more than just a Svartan problem and that only through their combined efforts could they find a solution. Too much of the old knowledge, information that was commonly known and shared in the days before the Great Rift, were lost to both realms. They would need to join forces to find the answers to the peril that they were facing.
If the rumors of a Fae encroachment on the astral plane were true, everyone was in trouble. Connak’s senses told him that this threat was more than a passing dalliance by some inquisitive Fae princeling. It had the feeling of some very dark forces. Forces that he was not prepared to face alone. His training with the Mage over the last few months helped him to heighten his senses and awareness. He also sensed that his unconscious thoughts and inner senses were becoming keener. Although he never shared this with Laosx, at times it seemed that he could feel the darkness gaining power. He had a hard time accepting these feelings. He was a man of action and learning.
He could understand or at least accept his newly honed abilities – more accuracy with a bow, keener eyesight and hearing, more agility in hand to hand combat. It was definitely more difficult to accept the feelings of foreboding and other intuitive feelings that he recently inherited.
He hoped to only explain the basic outline of the Svartan concerns and their reasons for sending an emissary to address the Ljosan High Council with this outpost captain and save the details for the council itself. The more times he had to explain himself increased the opportunities for someone to misinterpret or turn things around outright and ruin their mission before they reached their intended destination.
To his knowledge, there had been no open hostilities between the Svartar and Ljosar in many years, but the strength of the neutrality between the two realms was an unknown and had not been tested in his lifetime. Connak could only hope that calmer minds would prevail. A neutral escort into Cidrean might help to alleviate some of the potential problems that they might encounter. He decided to ask the captain if Aleesia might be available to serve as their escort into the Ljosan capital. She definitely seemed capable enough to handle unexpected situations. He just hoped this captain was a reasonable elf.
He would coordinate their plans with Laosx before they spoke with the Ljosan captain. He heard a loud splash above him. Laosx, ever the intellectual, was never at home living on the land. He much preferred the comforts of living in the Svartan capital city and life within the palace confines. Even as children Connak remembered enduring Laosx’s complaints when they went on excursions into the woods foraging for items requested by their teachers.
They were required to spend several days in the forest outside the palace walls as young men during a training exercise. Laosx spent more time in the river bathing than any of the other trainees. In all fairness, Laosx always did his part and usually came up with unique solutions to some of the challenges the pair encountered over the years and he only complained to Connak, his best friend. His complaints would have been perceived as a sign of weakness from the pale elf who was so different in appearance to his contemporaries. So he smiled and allowed his friend to indulge himself a little longer in the bliss of his bathing tub.
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Laosx felt so refreshed. The long soak in the bath and the rigorous scrubbing left him feeling reborn. He also took the time to reflect on their journey thus far. He still had not quite figured out what role he was to play on this mission but he was determined to provide any assistance that he could to ensure success. Everyone in Drakar palace was counting on Connak’s ability to convince the Ljosar to join forces to defeat this still unknown enemy. He would not let his friend fail if he could help.
He was experiencing some frustration at his lack of knowledge of Ljosan customs. His ignorance regarding something as simple as not understanding about a sun blocking potion bothered him greatly. He had not given a second thought to something so simple but so critical. It was just another example of the many differences between elven societies. Deep in the heart of the Reasuir forest, the Svartan rarely had to deal with effects of the sun. He was determined to learn as much about the Ljosar as he could during this mission and just hoped that he did not blunder fatally in the process.
His thoughts drifted to the beautiful sentry who served as their escort into the outpost. He found himself feeling very comfortable in her company and even though they were together for less than a day, he already missed her presence. Her strength and determination were as alluring as her beauty and composure. He could tell that given the chance they could enjoy many intellectually challenging conversations. He began to hope that there was some way that she could accompany them Cidrean. She would definitely be able to help him gain a better understanding of the customs and culture.
He toweled off, donned clean clothing, and emptied the dirty bath water into the privy. He found Connak sitting next to the hearth with a faraway look in his eyes. He had seen that expression on his friend’s face many times over their years together. He always took on this look when he was deep in thought. It was a type of defense mechanism. Outwardly he looked as though he were staring blankly into space or daydreaming while he was actually planning ahead, strategizing his next step to deal with the politics of the High Council or figuring out how to best
an opponent. Laosx learned early on that the look meant serious business.
He pulled up a chair next to his friend and sat for a few minutes not wanting to intrude on Connak’s thoughts. Connak looked up and smiled. “You certainly smell better my friend; I trust that the bath has revitalized your spirit as well.”
“Oh yes, I feel reborn. Do you want me to bring up some water to heat for your bath or would you like to discuss what is on your mind first?”
“I think we should discuss strategy first, since we may receive guests before I have a chance to bathe. I want to make sure that we are in agreement about how much information we share with the Ljosan that we meet on our journey to Cidrean before we meet with their High Council.”
“I agree that the topic is sensitive and our mission is a bit out of the ordinary. No need to complicate things because of a miscommunication on our part,” Laosx responded.
They spent the next half hour or so going over the details of how much information should be shared with officials along the way. They also discussed contingency plans in case things did not proceed as smoothly as planned. When they could think of no other loop holes in their strategy, Connak left his friend by the fire and went upstairs to enjoy the luxury of a bath.