Shackles Of The Past

Chapter 18- Thief in wilderness

What's done in the dark,

always comes to light.

~Jesmyn Ward.

***

Returning to the present, Elvera tore the bottom of her gown under the cloak, taking the piece to wrap the wound and stop the bleeding. But all to no avail. If the blood keeps rushing, she was sure she would get caught in no time.

With a frustrated grumble, she sighed deeply. Her mind wandered what could have happened the moment she left the dark manor. What could have been happening apart from the sudden alert of the item she had just retrieved?

At that thought, she brought out the Book hidden beneath the pocket of her cloth and dusted it. She scanned behind the cover, checking for any trace of maybe anything in order to buy time as it might take a while before they would catch up with her and before another chase would break out.

At the cover, nothing was titled. It was just blank. Nothing written, nothing carved. It was like a desolate entity filled with nothing but this mysterious emptiness. Why?

As flipped the pages, slow and deliberate before taking on hastily and letting a small piece of paper fall from the book to the ground without her knowledge. She continued poring over its empty content until her eyes caught something. Elvera stopped flipping when she observed the dry stains. Was it dirt… or blood? It was difficult to acknowledge the two possibly identical images.

Indistinctly, she scrapped the stain off the center of the page where lines of different symbols were smeared beneath it. Elvera brought the Book to her face to take a closer look and as expected, there were words buried beneath. Not just symbols, but words. Ancient ones.

And it read; 'Cleris benole dela que doomede. Conterus une pathe nena veda, e vetalie cora de que velida bleue. Mache future doom apparadit lu cerde la blessin'.

Chante lu three.'

She examined it carefully. This wasn't Latin, she thought. It was the words of a true Key. Her eyes stared into space, lost in thought. The language of a Key was one thing she failed to learn. But with the little she knew, it seemed like a ritual.

"Chant it thrice…" she muttered to herself as she stared at the words again, below the page. At least, she could understand the last words as simple as it came, she thought.

Having no knowledge with the meaning of the foreign language, Elvera felt the urge. A part of her was stubborn because she had no idea what she was planning to do and getting herself into. What was the risk?

A rustle of the leaves through the thicket suddenly got her alerted with the following sounds of snapping twigs, as though detecting the presence of her pursuers. It gave her an insight to warning but with a mental message of an option left for her to either try or die. Elvera didn't contemplate more on it. One thing she believed was the Book wouldn't encrypt letters to lure her astray.

"Cleris benole dela que…” after chanting the words thrice, she released an exasperated sigh when nothing seemed to work or change. She kicked a rock in frustration causing her foot to ache a thousand times worse. And a cry escaped her lips.

How would she escape when all the boarders have been shut down and those creatures might have quadrupled by the alert? Taking for instance she couldn't even stand to make a run or hide further as it seemed whatever destination she took, they were aware of her every move.

She sighed for the nth time and gazed heavenwards, pulling off her veil, bringing out the exasperated look of a young lady. Her once fierce eyes replaced with defeated ones, glistening under the pitiful night.

She wanted to scream but she bit herself to it, the sounds echoing in her throat rather. The pain bubbled up her throat, threatening to erupt and she gulped. She suddenly remembered the times she would look up to a once melodious night with bright eyes, gazing at the starry heaven like this, but she knew better.

Rather, Elvera stared into the nothingness, her eyes drifting further until the words of a memory occupied her thoughts, coming slow and effective.

'Waw…' Little Elvera gasped at the beautiful sight of butterflies roaming around her mother's palm. Her cherry lips hung open in astonishment. 'I want to be like you, mama!' she cried in excitement pacing back and forth while holding the end of her pooling dress around the young woman.

Heiress Evana laughed at her daughter's behavior, the sound of her voice like an angel singing choir and heavens rejoicing at the melody. Then the lady squatted, pulling little Elvera closer in her arms.

'No need to wish now, my love,' she said with a bright smile, one resembling that o the ecstatic little saint. ‘I see myself in you.’

Little Elvera smiled at her mother. Her dimples showing at the sides of her cheeks, tinting them pink. 'Can you teach me… how to do that?' she requested, her cute voice seeking for something that left the young lady speechless. She looked so adorable that it was impossible not to grant her wish.

With a small smile, 'I promise, when you grow of the right age, I would personally teach you few basics. One that would be much enthralling to see than this,’ Was a promise she made to the girl, caressing her hair.

The smile on little Elvera's face fell and her face turned gloomy. The only thing she wanted was those butterflies dancing in her own palm. But nonetheless, she nodded.

With that expression on her daughter's face, Heiress Evana sighed and relented. 'Alright,' and little Elvera's face lit up with the brightest smile she had ever seen. 'But just once. After one attempt, that's it. Till you reach the right age. Agreed?' she said and being little Elvera who never thought things twice, nodded frantically, like a child offered sweet for the very first time.

Heiress Evana sighed before reaching for the pendant on her neck. She unclasped it and brought it forward. 'This would hurt a little, okay?' she promised and Elvera’s frantical nodding came out enthused.

She then opened the silvery box in the pendant and brought forth the little girl’s hand. The lady passed a small look at her, before returning to her palm opened for whatever comes her way.

Something sharp pierced her skin and Elvera hissed at the pain. Each drop of her blood caused the pendant to glow brightly with life in them. The pain in her eyes immediately disappeared replaced with awe when Heiress Evana handed it to her.

“Now, I want you to focus solely by imagining a butterfly was right in your hands. I want all your attention undivided while trying to connect the energy from your body source to your mind. As a starter, it would be difficult in the beginning, especially when your powers are yet to come, so failing right away wouldn’t be a bad result. It’s an improvement,” she coached and instructed as simple as she could to match the knowledge of her little one, making sure she gets every bit of detailing she emphasized on. “It is not okay when you try to force your energy to your visualized image when it ceases. It could cause severe outcome, and rather tamper with courses. As a true Key, taking too many courses could predict something dangerous and for the time being affect certain phases and cause ineffective ripples.”

Little Elvera listened carefully to all the instructions, nodding in understanding. Ripples, courses, phases… she chanted inwardly. Those are things she should avoid at due costs.

And she obeyed.

The determination in her daughter's spirit caused Heiress Evana's lips to curl up to a warm smile. “Do you have any question?”

Elvera shook her head, her eagerness causing the young lady to feel worried. But she continued, her eyes carrying concern. “Now repeat after me… Quelne…”

Little Elvera clutched the pendant and recited the same words. Every word that came out from her mouth left the lady taking slow breaths. She promised herself it was just a trail.

If anything should go wrong… she would stop the ritual, she convinced herself. Heirness Evana knew one way or the other, the result would come out abortive, but she wanted to watch her try.

Her daughter being without any power as a result of her age, couldn’t harm her state of mind and that alone convinced her, making her sigh in utter relief as she watched things play along smoothly.

But it wasn’t after a while when the little girl hadn’t opened her eyes. The lady waited patiently, but the worried mother looking after the wellbeing of her child didn’t seem to rest in her. Before she could open her mouth to speak, to break the barrier and stop the ritual, she found the little girl’s eyes fluttering open.

“Elvera?” her words came out restrained. She had a feeling something wasn’t right, with her maybe? It didn’t work, she noted. And she had smiled, knowing well her daughter was safe.

But little Elvera only opened her eyes when she felt something prickled under her clutched palm. With great reluctance, Elvera released her hand for her eyes to stretch with indefinite measures, when a butterfly appeared from it and flapped its wings, starting slow and deliberate as if being given life.

It came up, gently as ever, floating above and flying midair. The beauty of it was mesmerizing but what was the most was the sheer happiness in the eyes of the young maker.

“Mama, I did it!” What followed next was a happy giggle. “I did it,” she repeated again, the words flowing like an orchestra’s melodious notes. Elvera celebrated, running after the butterfly in overflowing joy, the sound of her voice almost reaching the world and the heaven above. The sun radiated her skin, which caused her glow ethereal.

And she laughed, its sound echoing with the sweet songs of birds chanting to her testament of happiness and serenity, as she roamed around. Her bright blue eyes glowing like rare sapphires, one the world might never have.

Heiress Evana was left totally speechless. Wordless. Mindless to be precise. She stood watching the butterfly flap its wings and rested on her daughter's head. It seems it attracted other butterflies, as many gathered around the joyous little princess.

Her mouth hung agape. Was she dreaming? But she beat herself to that thought. Truth was she never expected this outcome and was rather evoked in mixed feelings.

It was an ability an Heiress was to possess after the age of twelve. The mind of summoning, they call it. But her daughter was only five. She had learned and adapt so early and quickly too, that it frightened her. But at the same time, amused her. Should she be worried? She asked again for the nth time.

When this ritual was performed, she was hundred percent certain it wouldn’t work. She was certain to the extent she felt relieved of not endangering the life of her only child. But what was this? An entity with no power couldn’t definitely perform ritual using magic except with magic. So what could explain what had just happened, left her thoughts messed?

No, she couldn’t even think clearly. She hadn’t mistaken and what she saw was another evidence to prove what she dared not to think. She needs to talk to Helena. That would be the only way she would rest her paddling thoughts.

Heiress Evana approached her small figure and picked her on her arms. "You did well, dear." She praised her and the little girl smiled in delight. Her eyes sparking in raw emotions. Oh, would she get tired of those innocent eyes, she thought. “Now off to your room, your break must be over by now. Your governess must have been waiting,”

“I don't want to learn,” she folded her arms and puffed her cheeks, pouting.

“Elvera,” her mother warned.

“One more, mama, please…” she begged, feigning a cute face.

“That wouldn't work on me this time, young lady.”

“But mama…”

“I thought we agreed on just an attempt and you passed the test well. What did I say of the words of an Heiress?”

Little Elvera fumbled in displeasure. “It should never be broken.” she murmured half-heartedly to herself that sounded incoherent to the ears.

But Heiress Evana heard her. “A word of an Heiress remains a word and shouldn't be broken,”

“I never made a word,” Little Elvera muttered to herself making Heiress Evana chuckle at her daughter's behavior, the rest of the memory fading like winter seasons.

And it was then it clicked. That was it! Elvera shifted her gaze from the sky to her neck when she came back to reality. She reached for the silvery pendant her mother had gifted her on her fifteenth birthday.

“Ah!” she hissed when it entered her palm and drew blood. And it glowed. How could she have missed this? She thought to herself as the only piece left for the ritual to take place was what had been buried only after a sad yet heartening memory.

What would it take to give it a try? Her fighting spirit returned as she shut her eyes, making her remember every detail her mother had once told her. It caused a lone tear to slide down her eyes, when she opened her mouth to start without restrain.

The only hope for her last trail. The only hope to return to the Order and save her people. “Cleris benole dela que…”

Her body glowed under the dark starry sky, turning her translucent as she kept chanting. Every word came out like a surviving thread made to stay strong without breakage. The world suddenly felt like fantasy, just the ethereal body and the unknown ritual.

And when she eventually chanted it thrice, she slowly opened her eyes and gazed down her glowing body. It worked!

Elvera released a warm chuckle, her eyes turning teary the next moment. It was now every bit of emotions surfaced under her calling. But it was only for a short time when she thought of what next.

She racked her head, thinking further only for her body to transform into something… different? It was like the translucent replaced with something opaque. It was then she begun to turn into filament of dusts, filling the Book at her front.

The smile on her face faded instantly, replaced with a mixture of shock turning into confusion. Her face gave way to a stunned expression of ghastliness, and her mind raced to make sense of the sudden revelation. She was panicking. What was happening?

She watched her fingers been blown by an invisible breeze away from her body into the opened Book. "What's happening..." she touched her face to be sure she wasn't dreaming and reached out for the tree beside her, only for the hand to pass through it.

No, no, no, no!

She gasped when she saw the state of her legs. It had completely faded, leaving just her waist up to her face, turning her into a half being. This shouldn't be happening!

Now she had the urge to scream without control, without her throat stopping her, and she opened her mouth, for the dark hole to suck in her voice, and stuck her in its eerie.

Her mouth moved upwards, screaming, but no, she couldn’t even hear herself. The illumination was what even frightened her the most. It was like a lure to her pursuers.

She reached for the pendant in her neck; her translucent body moving in a mysterious tardiness, as if someone was controlling her speed. As if her body was at the will of someone else!

She watched the breeze come up, but not affecting her. It moved the trees, and snapped the branches, but she couldn’t hear the sound to identify if it was really the wind or something else.

Oh heavens…!

She opened her mouth, to recite back the ritual, in thought she might have mistaken. But had she mistaken, believing the spell was something not to lead her astray?

And Elvera’s only paled in horror, where it was nothing but the Book shining with empty content, blinding her from even viewing further. No words, no symbol, no stain that had been there earlier! Everything was like a terrifying macabre made to make her tremble.

Her eyes stretched again, noticing the way it had extended to just her shoulder length and her face, leaving no other part of her body. And in a twinkling, Elvera turned into total dust and escaped into the Book, disappearing like she was never there before.

***