Awakening (Born From Shadows #1)

The forest was unlike any other she had come across. It thrived, glowing in the night and calling to her during the day. Ever since crossing the border both her and Nylif seemed more alive. It was as if she could feel the energy of the forest, it was magic of that she knew for certain. Although their supplies were running scarce it did not worry Tatianna. Perhaps it was because she was starting to like the pain of her stomach and the dryness in her throat. It was a way of telling her she was still alive and standing when her mind felt disconnected.

She couldn’t describe it, the emptiness she felt inside. It was like she was a ghost drifting from place to place trying to feel something. Reaching out and hoping everything didn’t come crashing into her at once. She couldn’t even think his name, but she saw his face. She saw it in the night sky, in the green leaves that hung from the branches of the trees. It was a scar burned into her memory. She did what she knew how to so best, hid the scars. Buried them out of sight and out of her mind. Repressing the pain to delay the day it all crashed back down on to her.

Nylif slowed down beside her and started to twitch her fury ears. Tatianna scrunched her eyes in confusion. “What is it girl?” she asked trying to listen to whatever caught her wolf’s attention. Then she heard it, the faint melody. It was faint, she could only pick up on the low frequency sound waves of the bass notes.

Music meant people, Elves. She was going to meet another Elf. She wanted to feel excited, tried to force herself to be knowing that excitement should’ve been her reaction to finally having the chance to get answers about…well everything. But she just couldn’t do it, feel something other than the empty void in her heart.

“There’s music up ahead,” she told Riley and Freya realising they wouldn’t be able to hear it.

“Elves,” Freya thought out loud from beside her. Tatianna looked up at both the blonde siblings faces, they could manage to be excited, or at least relieved. Tatianna continued to help the siblings walk forward, had she been taller the task would have been easier instead she just drew on her Elven strength.

The further they stumbled the more music she could listen in on, eventually she could hear all the layers of the music and it was intoxicatingly beautiful. Each note was perfect, the female voice was addictingly smooth. She had heard whispers of orchestral sounds on the street but now of them compared to this richness of the sound she was hearing in those woods.

“Its…” Freya said trying to describe the sound. “It’s hauntingly beautiful.”

They could see faint lights within the trees, she could hear voices and soon wooden houses emerged each looking like an extension of a tree rather than a house. It was only when the first Elf was in sight did it truly hit her like a punch to the face. They didn’t have to run anymore.

One by one she spotted more Elves, male, female some looking old others younger than her which just amped up her curiosity. Were they not immortal? How did they age then?

It didn’t take long for one of them to spot the group of ragged travellers, they stop out like mud in a white room. A sword was pointed at her throat in a matter of seconds, but she did not mind. It was not Kaddeian steel, and even if it was, she wasn’t certain if she would actually care.

“Who are you?” The Elf whose sword was pointed at her neck spoke demandingly. At the threatening words Nylif growled beside her. Other Elves gathered around, and Tatianna let go of Freya and Riley. She raised her hands towards the hood of her cloak then removed to reveal her peculiar eyes and Elven features that were once hidden. If the other Elves were shocked to see her, they did not show it, but they didn’t immediately strike her down which Tatianna took as a good sign.

“My name is Tatianna Fiducia and I request to meet with your Queen,” she confidently announced. At that the Elves showed they were surprised. The sword at her throat immediately lowered and the Elf looked like someone just dumped freezing water over her head. All the other Elves took a gradual step away. That was not the reaction Tatianna expected.

“We will get guards to escort you to Lefernen as soon as you wish, is there anything you need?” The Elf you just had her sword pointed at Tatianna’s neck asked. This was far from the reaction Tatianna expected. It was like they all had a complete flip in personalities once she said her name and demands. Maybe they were not expecting her to want to the Queen.

“Medical attention for these two and the horse. Also, a way for me to contact Avalla,” she said after overcoming her initial shock.

“They are human,” a male Elf noted looking mid-thirty.

“Yes, do you not have ways to treat humans?” She asked not thinking of that before. Elves bodies worked differently; she hadn’t even contemplated the idea that they had not the doctors to help.

“We do,” another younger male Elf replied to her relief. “Follow me, I will tend to your wounds and get your message to Avalla.”

She looked towards the Elf wearily. Their hospitality was something she did not want to walk blindly into remembering what happened last time. Although Frederick was a human, a very sick minded one, and these were Elves. Their very nature was different, perhaps that’s why she never turned into those messed up homeless people in the Western reaches of Avalla. How she was able to hold on to her morality to some degree. Trust. If she wanted for Freya and Riley to get better, she had to marginally trust.

Grabbing onto Riley and Freya she followed the male Elf into one of the houses. She saw a collection of beds and helps Riley and Freya sit down on one. She sat down herself and watched the Elf examine the wounds, looking at Freya first after Riley’s insistence that he did so. The Elf asked a variety of questions relating to the wounds, when they got them, how the got them and so one. Not once did he attempt to make a suspicious movement or anything else that she deemed threatening.

She didn’t know how long she sat on that bed watching the Elf work, probably a few hours at least. Her eyes were shutting every now and again and that was a signal that she needed do engage her body and mind, not wishing to fall asleep.

“Do you have any paper?” she asked, remember her other task she needed to complete. She had procrastinated from starting because of how final the task felt. It was something she had no desire to do but had an obligation to do so.

“In the draw under that desk, there is a pen on top of it,” he told her whilst fixing a cast onto Freya’s leg. She thanked him and grabbed the stationary, her inability to read and write was now starting to affect her.

“Can you…?” she hesitated to ask Riley. For some reason not knowing these things made her seem so inadequate. She shouldn’t be embarrassed by the lack of knowledge, but she was anyway. It was just another reminder of how different she was to everyone else, bringing her one step closer to an animal.

“Sure,” Riley said without hesitation and grabbed the paper and pen from her. “What do you want it to say?”

This was it. Not only did it have to be written she had to say it. Say the name she tried her hardest not to think about. She took a deep breath, then another. You will not cry, she told herself. “Dear King Radner Trelliard, Queen Elise Trelliard and Princess Sophia Trelliard.”

Riley’s hand moved furiously along the paper while she took a moment to collect herself. “There is no way I can say this to make it hurt less but it is your right to know. I write to inform you that Prince…Nikolas Trelliard has…died. If you wish to live in denial of this and say this message is some trick you can. Sive knows I wish I could do that. I am sure had you told him to not venture off he would have been safe. What I have learnt though…is that this was his choice to make, as reckless as it was, he wanted a life away from the weight of the crown and in his final months I like to believe he got that. The ability to see the world for what it truly is, both the good and the bad. Many never get the chance. Wherever his soul is…I hope its at peace. Perhaps one day we will all see him again in a life better than this one.”

She grabbed the finished letter from Riley then asked the Elf where she could deliver it.

“The Prince is dead?” The Elf asked shocked. She couldn’t get herself to say it again, once was more than enough so she just nodded and repeated her previous question. “Give me the letter,” the male Elf said. She weighed out her options, noting that there were no severe consequences of passing him the piece of paper.

He folded it up neatly in his hands and then one second later it was gone. “What did you do?” she questioned, wondering where the piece of paper vanished to.

“I sent your letter, It should be waiting in the palace as we speak,” he answered. Tatianna looked at him in amazement. Just like that he had sent the letter, was magic really that powerful? Could she do that? “Now its your turn boy,” the Elf said turning his attention to Riley’s foot and asking a standard set of question.

“Ow,” Riley groaned as the Elf moved his ankle and assessing it.

“I’m sorry…but there’s nothing I can do,” the Elf said dropping Riley’s foot.

“What do you mean?” Riley panicked.

“From what I can gather you have chronic ankle instability. The cut teared the ligaments in you ankle and as it was left untreated properly the ligaments tried to heal on their own. As a result of this they fused together in the wrong way forming a weak inflexible scar tissue. Had I been able to preform surgery on it when you got the injury it would have healed fine but as you have been walking on it and using it for months…there is nothing I can do.”

“What is the effect of it?” She asked, Riley was caught in deep thought unable to comprehend the fact that he might be a cripple forever.

“It limits his range of motion in his ankle, resulting in his difficulty to walk. It also can end up having chronic inflation as the body tries to fix the injury and there will most likely be pain in that region. I can brace the ankle to try and help it support your weight and give you medication for the pain but that’s about it. We just have to try and keep the rest of his body healthy and hope he doesn’t develop arthritis,” the Elf grimly announced.

“So, it’s for life?” Riley asked to confirm.

“Isn’t there some magic you could do?” Freya questioned trying to think of a solution for her brother.

“Magic…is a complex thing. We can use it to heal, I used it to help detect the issue in the first place, but you can’t fix everything. So yes, it is permanent.”

Tatianna looked over to Riley and saw defeat in his eyes.