Rudimentum: Oracle

Chapter 14

"Very well but wake me the moment we get to the city."

"Aye, the very moment," he said. He turned back around.

Elysia laid on her uninjured side and watched the trees pass by. She traced a finger along the wood spelling out the names of all she held dear. Those who had helped her. Those who had not made it. She cleared her throat, knowing it would tremble the moment she spoke. She tried a page from Swift's book and changed the subject. She said, "I saw the way you were looking at Anna."

"The way I was looking at her?" said Swift creasing his brows. "How was I looking at her? Enlighten me."

"Like you were falling in love," she said. Though her eyes were looking at trees all she could see was William's smile and the man she had fallen in love with.

Swift scoffed. "She is skilled at what she does. I admire her abilities that is all. Now were you not meant to be getting some rest?"

Swift looked down at his hands and shook his head. He caught himself smiling, and he knew Elysia's words held some truth. He glimpsed the scar in his thumb, though, and his smile faded.

Elysia soon closed her eyes, the exhaustion setting in. Despite lying in a cart that trembled as it rolled, sleep swept her away in a current that could never be fought off. And all thoughts disappeared.

Swift loosely held the reins. He thought Elysia might be a person he could serve under. He lost himself in his thoughts. What do royals have? They do not have pirates that is for sure. They have captains. Sea captains and land captains.

He liked the sound of that.

#

Elysia found herself in Rudimentum, standing by the crystal lake. The sun set behind a horizon of pine forest, the trees like upright paintbrushes soaking in the colour. Shadows danced on the mountain in the distance.

She breathed in the fresh air, the stillness of the lake refreshing. She crossed her arms and stared at the swirling sphere above the water. Its colours had changed. Instead of pastel reds and yellows and greens, dark and vibrant purples and blues fused into an electric mix like a sky tormented by a lightning storm.

The pulse of magic ebbed in time with her arm. A trembling anxiety filled her chest at the sight of it. It was not right.

"What is wrong with it?" said Elysia as Evelyn came up beside her.

"It is a reflection of the magic around us," said Evelyn laying a hand on Elysia's shoulder. "Yours. The Lady's. Valhouin's."

"Valhouin?" Elysia looked up at Evelyn whose hand slipped off her shoulder. "A woman who was called a soothsayer mentioned a creature by the name of Valhouin."

Evelyn cocked her head slightly and stared out at the mountain in the distance. Her orange hair glowed like fire in the setting sun. "A creature to some, a man to those that mattered."

"The books barely speak about Rudimentum or its history, or you for that matter. None of them mention Valhouin, only the Lady of the Lake," she said, looking back at the lake. "And you never speak of it and published no writings."

"I burned them all, long ago."

Her brows creased, her fingers fidgeting with one another. "Burned them? Why?"

Evelyn said, "This place has a history, a long and complex one. It is a realm all its own, closely connected to ours, but it has shrunk and now only extends to those mountains. Tragedy engulfs the land." She crossed her arms. "Our world cares not for Rudimentum, only for the magic and power that can be gained from it. I suppose with Mordrake, not much has changed."

Elysia thought of the man who had been tortured and killed in an attempt just to reach here. "There are those who wish to protect Rudimentum against those who would exploit it for their own power. I, for one. I will fight to protect what is left of my world and of this one."

"I am proud of you, Elysia, you have found your conviction," she said, offering her a smile that touched her whole face. The warmth within it was contagious but Elysia's smile quickly faded.

"Mordrake seeks power. If he were to get here, how would he get it?"

Evelyn said, "Rudimentum was always linked to our world and magic has now infused itself into our lands. Just like us, it has grown and changed over time. Unlike us, it regenerates from the tiniest of seeds. That sphere, though now vulnerable, is a major source of it like the oldest tree whose roots run all the way through the world. No one person can take all the magic, it would kill them, but to us mortals a shard of it would suffice to carry more power than we have known."

Evelyn held out her hand. Elysia's eyes widened, and she gasped as Evelyn's fingers trembled and dissipated in glowing gold embers carried on a silent wind. "It is time," said Evelyn. "The Lady has seen fit to release me."

"Release you?" The realisation of what she meant quickly dawned on her. Evelyn was over two-hundred years old, kept alive by the magic. She watched as Evelyn walked into the lake, the crystal-clear water soaking her in and wrapping around her like a blanket of peace. A surge of panic rose through Elysia as tears pricked her eyes. "But there is so much I wish to ask you. About this darkness, about Valhouin, is it true?"

Evelyn turned back, her eyes downcast and brows knotted. "I have made mistakes. I have tried to repent, but even now my mistakes come back. I'm sorry, Elysia, I cannot..."

She stepped further into the lake and her entire body dissipated in a swirl of golden flakes. They reflected off the surface of the still water and danced in the dying light of the sun. They floated towards the sphere and planted themselves within it. The dark colours within the sphere rolled like clouds. As Evelyn's body disappeared, the sphere slowly lightened.

Elysia stared at the lake as a tear rolled down her cheek. "What did you do?" she whispered. It was clear something had happened in the past. A mistake that still prevailed to this day. What mistake could have such lasting consequences?