Page 2 of The Divine Shallows
With each passing moment, the queen’s tiredness morphed into concern and the king clenched his fists, suppressing his own apprehension.
In the silence, the queen stepped forward, her voice tinged with unease. “High Priestess, what is happening? It has been too long. Where is she?”
The High Priestess reassured her, “Patience, Your Majesty. I sense the tether between our realm and Caena’s realm remains firm. The child is still facing judgment through the Moon Goddess. Once a decision has been reached, your daughter will be released, and only then can she return to us.”
Minutes drifted by, and once more, the queen’s voice pierced the silence, filled with desperation. “High Priestess, too much time has elapsed. You must guide her back to this realm.”
The High Priestess shook her head, her gaze meeting the distressed queen’s. “We cannot interfere with the ritual, Your Majesty. I’m afraid Elyria is still with the Moon Goddess. Caena is merciful and gracious—your daughter will return to us soon.”
Clutching onto her husband, the anxious queen whispered to him, voice laden with fear. “Eamon, we’ve waited for her for so long. We cannot lose her.”
The king held his wife tightly. His heart was pounding with dread, the feeling threatening to consume him.
As tension mounted, the rulers of the seven realms began to break their neutral composure, sensing the shift in the Temple’s atmosphere. Unrest began to spread among the other kings and queens of the seven realms—the other six queens cast sympathetic glances towards the monarchs of Eriden, while the remaining kings regardedthem with pity.
Panic overwhelmed the snow-haired queen. “Please, High Priestess.”
Furrowing her brow, the High Priestess observed the idle surface of the Divine Shallows. In her next breath, she tapped into the divine magic coursing within her. The surface of her eyes began to glaze, coating in a translucent sheen. Her spelled eyes then gazed into the unseen, flickering back and forth as if traversing between realms. Time elapsed, and then, with a blink, the High Priestess’ eyes returned to the present.
“My queen, Elyria’s aura remains absent in this realm,” the High Priestess explained. “As for the divine tether, the powers I possess are finite. I can only perceive what the Goddess allows me to. Once the child’s judgment has been declared, only then can I facilitate her passage back to us.”
An hour had passed since the infant vanished from the Divine Shallows, and the queen stared vacantly after her child, lost to the unknown.
Breaking his silence at last, the king spoke. “Has this happened before? Why has the Goddess kept my daughter for so long?”
Turning to the king, the High Priestess responded, “Your Majesty, in my centuries of serving the Moon Goddess, I have never encountered such an occurrence. However, you must maintain faith in the Goddess—the same as I do—that she will reunite Elyria with us.”
At that moment, shifting shadows appeared beneath the surface of the Divine Shallows.
With ethereal grace, the High Priestess darted forward, plunging her moon-marked arms into the waters. She retrieved the emerging infant, clutching her securely within her arms. A surge of primordial power radiated from the High Priestess’ aura as she guided the infant from the otherworldly back to reality.
Once the child had returned to their realm, the High Priestess gently wrapped her once more in the dry cloth.
A shadow fell upon the High Priestess’brow as she stiffened.
Carefully, visible to only her eyes, she unfurled one of the infant’s hands, and then the other—both were bare.
The High Priestess cleared her throat, voice weighed with caution. “Your Majesties, the Moon Goddess has returned Elyria to us. She has spoken, and it is time for me to reveal her judgment to you.”
Pausing for a moment, the High Priestess turned solemnly to the anxiously waiting king and queen. “This child has not been blessed by the Moon Goddess and will bear no Mark of Caena.”
A collective gasp echoed through the hallowed Temple, followed by a heavy silence.
Overcome with grief, the king and queen of Eriden sank to their knees and wept.
1
Tale of Twin Necklaces
Elowyn foundherself strolling through the castle corridors she called home, setting off on a quest to find her older sister. The hour was still early as the sun lingered behind a veil of clouds. Soft beams of morning light filtered through the arched windows that lined Elowyn’s path, casting a golden glow on the empty hallways. She walked nimbly, careful to not let her footfalls echo off the marble flooring.
Elowyn followed the stone path leading to her sister’s chambers and stopped before a cherry-stained door. The wooden door’s familiar surface bore intricate carvings that depicted grand mountains, lush evergreen forests, and curves of winding rivers. Each rested beneath a sky of countless stars. And etched at the precipice of the mountains was a large crescent moon, symbolizing their homeland, Eriden.
This door was a testament to their heritage—a wooden portrait of their world. And more importantly, it was a tribute to Caena, the Moon Goddess of the seven feylands.
Gently, Elowyn inclined her head to the wooden door, leaning in tolisten carefully. She anticipated, or rather wished, to hear the steady rise and fall of a sleeping chest on the other side of it. Yet, despite her efforts, only silence greeted her ears. She withdrew from the door, deep in thought, and tapped a finger against her chin in contemplation.
Her eyes flickered to the faint energy lining the door and scowled. After a few moments of consideration, Elowyn simply resolved to trying to open it.
