Page 83 of The Divine Shallows
The High Priestess intoned ancient incantations in the old tongue, the hallowed waters responding to her summons with stirring ripples, as if awakening from a seven-year slumber. Reunited, the sacred shallows embraced the mother tongue of the first fey, a spoken word that became adrift through time—only remembered now through fleeting phrases and short-lived songs. The potent magic woven in the Temple filled the air with a thick, heady presence.
With a thunderous pitch, the High Priestess proclaimed, “The Moon Goddess has answered our plea and has opened the gates to her realm. Now, the seven chosen children of the moon must step forward into the Divine Shallows and face divine judgment before our Goddess!”
In a single, synchronized movement, Elyria and the six other candidates entered the Divine Shallows, each claiming their position upon their House’s sigil with deliberate steps.
The stone-art sigils glowed in response to their presence, except for one glaring exception.
Elowyn continued to wish for her sister to turn around, but Elyria’s gaze remained fixed upon the stone-tile firedrake beneath her feet. Elowyn understood the reason all too well. As the moon-inked markings on the palms of the other candidates began to radiate with brilliance in harmony with the hallowed waters, Elyria’s hands remained bare, her sigil devoid of moonlight.
“Candidates, the Moon Goddess has chosen you to undergo her Trial and face her judgment, and now the moment has arrived for theprimisto be revealed!” declared the High Priestess, addressing the gathered crowd. “May the blessings of a thousand moons guide them as they traverse the Bridge Between Worlds!”
The Temple walls shuddered with applause, and eager glances emerged from the candidates and the fey alike as their hungry eyes searched the waters for a gateway to Caena’s realm to appear—an answer to whom the waters would claim as this season’sprimis. While the gazes of six divine candidates flitted back and forth, brimming with ambition and desire, one figure stood unmoved amidst the fervor.
This figure was Elyria.
Elyria remained impassive, her appearance almost meditative. It struck Elowyn as strange to see the desperation emanating from the other six candidates, filling the Temple with intensity, while her sister remained indifferent. With a heavy breath, Elyria reached for the necklace adorning her throat, clasping the teardrop stone within her palms, gripping it tightly as if it would sprout wings and take flight.
In that instant, Elowyn startled, Elyria’s voice flooding within her mind. It sounded pained, brimming with sincerity.
“I’ve run out of time in this realm, Elowyn. And for that, I deeply regret. Please, heed these words carefully. One day, the truth of Neramyr will unfurl and you will face the crossroads of fates. When that time comes, I only hope that you possess the strength needed to traversethe paths presented before you. What you will face will feel impossible to overcome, so promise me this... Promise me that you will remember, Elowyn. Remember it for how it was, for how it is, and for how it will be. Remember everything.”
Finally, Elyria looked back, turning only to face Elowyn. Tears shimmered in Elyria’s eyes, revealed to the entire Temple, but only meant for Elowyn to see.
“I remember, Elowyn. I remember everything. But now, I’ve run out of time.”
Breaking their locked gaze with a series of furious blinks, Elyria redirected her attention to the Divine Shallows. The waters stirred at her feet, and she drew a measured breath, her grip tightening on the opal stone that sat on her neck, clutching onto it as if it were a lifeline.
Without looking back, Elyria spoke to Elowyn’s mind one final time.
“I hope to see you again, Elowyn. If the moons are merciful, I will. However, the moon’s spurn has never spared me in this lifetime. So, if this is goodbye, I love you—I love you more than life itself.”
With those parting words lingering in the air, Elyria faced the Divine Shallows once more. The waters before her grew fierce as a shimmering halo appeared at her feet. Her figure illuminated in an ethereal light as she stepped forward into the celestial waters. In an instant, she vanished from the Temple, leaving no trace behind.
Elowyn stumbled forward, her hand reaching out instinctively towards the spot where Elyria had stood, as if she could hold onto her for a moment longer.“Wait, Elyria! What do you mean? What does any of that mean?”A forceful ache tore through Elowyn’s heart as her sister’s presence faded away, each glimmer of her aura dimming until it faded entirely.
Overwhelmed, Elowyn battled against the tears threatening to stream down her cheeks.
With her next exhale, Elowyn came to terms with the reality that her sister was no longer in this realm.
29
Crossroads of Fate
Elowyn’s eyeswere wild with fright, her heart pounding with the thunder of drums as she struggled to make sense of her sister’s cryptic message.What did you mean, Elyria?Confusion etched itself across Elowyn’s features as she replayed Elyria’s words in her mind. In mere moments, her world was shaken by words she couldn’t decipher.“One day I’ll discover the truth about Neramyr? I’ll face the crossroads of fates?”What does any of that mean?
Amidst the stunned silence of the Temple, Elowyn faintly heard the High Priestess’ proclamation. “It is my honor to reveal yourprimisfor this season’s Trial of Caena! Let us praise Princess Elyria Fangwright of House Fangwright!”
Incredulity and dismay painted the faces of the other candidates, their hopes dashed in an instant. Whispers and murmurs swirled around the courtiers, but Elowyn was oblivious to them. She didn’t notice Sylas crossing into Caena’s realm second, nor Kerrick as the third candidate.The disappearance of the remaining candidates from Neramyr’s realm went unnoticed by her.
All Elowyn felt was the leaden weight of the silver chain dangling around her neck.
The opal necklace around Elowyn’s neck was mourning, its melancholy deeper than it had ever experienced in all the years she possessed it. The iridescent opal grieved at the sudden separation of its counterpart; the magical bond between the two stones severed by the unknown of another deity’s realm. The opal ached fiercely, for it had always been two halves of a whole—inseparable,kind of like sisters.
As each candidate crossed the Bridge Between Worlds, the gateway to Caena’s realm closed.
With the gateway sealed, the High Priestess turned to address the assembled fey, her arms raised with palms upturned. A powerful hum of magic radiated from the High Priestess as the crescent moons nestled in her hands began to emit a soft glow. The rays of moonlight streamed upwards, creeping along her arms like vines as they illuminated the eight phases of the moon etched upon her skin. The threads continued to coil up her arms and trailed around her throat, encircling it, rising until it ceased right before her lips.
The High Priestess began, “As the Seventh Day draws to a close, the Moon Goddess has made her selection. It is now time for me to announce her chosen seven candidates worthy of participating in the next season’s divine Trial.”
