Page 112 of Dark Island: Rescue
It had to be rooted in truth or it wouldn't have made it into Elu's canon, but since Elu was supposed to be the only god, with Elurion and Elusitor being just artificial constructs representing the one true god's dual nature, the scholars had to come up with a reasonable explanation. The claim was that the myth was an allegory for the afterlife, and that Dolis was where souls dwelled in peace and harmony in the presence of Elu and were treated like gods.
All souls eventually made it to Dolis, including sinners, but only those whose good deeds outweighed their sins on the Day of Judgment were allowed right in. Everyone else had to go through various levels of atonement and purification in the seven hells, the length and severity of their punishment depending on how far they had fallen.
It was a good explanation except for the reference to Elu's forgotten brethren.
Who were they, and why were they forgotten?
Some scholars said that the term brethren referred to the original riders who'd made the pact with the dragons. They were Elu's chosen and had elevated status in Dolis,but the problem with that was that they were not forgotten. Other scholars solved that by claiming that the forgotten brethren were all Elucians, who had a special place in Elu's heart.
Did I believe the explanations?
Not really, but I didn't have a better one that did not doubt the veracity of the myths altogether or that did not involve blasphemy by hypothesizing the existence of many gods, some of whom had apparently fallen and been forgotten.
The most logical explanation was that the ancient inhabitants of Aurorys, including the early Elucians, hadn't adhered to the Precepts of Truth, allowing their imaginations to create a mythical afterlife that encouraged moral living.
At any rate, all these deep thoughts were best set aside for another time, and I needed to get back to the task at hand.
I forced a smile. "Let's get back to the refresher, shall we?"
Morek nodded. "I wonder what's taking Shovia so long."
"She has probably met someone at the caff shop and forgotten all about us." I opened one of my books and showed Morek a diagram. "This illustration shows the shifting magnetic fields, which create powerful and unpredictable electromagnetic currents in our atmosphere. Those currents can cause sudden and severe turbulence, which interferes with navigation systems. That's why sea voyage is limited to hugging the coasts, and Dolis remains a myth."
Our scientists had been trying to come up with navigation equipment that could compensate for the disturbances the way birds and dragons did, but so far, the attempts had been unsuccessful.
"If the dragons could fly across the Addolian Ocean, we would know if Dolis was real." Morek had a faraway look in his eyes. "I wonder who really lives there. Do you think they are human like us?"
"I don't know, but let's get back to the refresher. Dragons can sense and adapt to the electromagnetic currents that make mechanical flight impossible. Their scales contain trace amounts of magnetite, so we assume that it's also present in their brains, giving them the ability to detect and navigate the planet's shifting magnetic fields. But that's only a hypothesis since we can't examine them, not even the fallen ones. They won't let us near the remains."
"Elu forbid." Morek touched three fingers to his forehead. "That would be blasphemous. What about birds, though?"
"They stay close to the ground, so they operate more like hover-cars." I flipped to another page in my book and showed him the next illustration. "It's also assumed that dragon minds developed a natural resistance to the disorienting effects of the electromagnetic fluctuations."
When the door suddenly burst open, we both turned to see Shovia striding in, balancing three steaming cups of caff on a cardboard tray. "Sorry it took me so long. You wouldn't believe the line at the caff shop. But oh, my Elu, it was so worth the wait!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you've seen a hot guy?"
"Two." Shovia grinned. "I've seen two hot Elurians step out of a hover-car in front of the Pilgrims' Lodge."
Morek's lips twisted in distaste. "Drakking foreign pilgrims."
Shovia ignored his derisive response and turned to me. "We have to go there tonight and hang out in the bar with them."
I rolled my eyes. "Did they invite you to join them?"
"No, but that's why I want to go there tonight, all dolled up and ready for conquest."
She was incorrigible.
"How do you know they will even be at the bar?" I asked.
"Where else would they be?" She put the tray with the caff cups on the desk. "It's not like there is anything else to do in Skywatcher's Point at night."
I shook my head. "The pilgrimage is in five days. We are supposed to purify our souls and minds in preparation. We shouldn't drink alcohol or stay up late." Or engage in the other activities that I was sure Shovia had in mind.
"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Kailin." She plopped down on a chair. "We have to go!"
"Did you see any Elurian ladies at the caff shop?" Morek asked, sounding hopeful and no longer upset about foreigners joining our pilgrimage.
