Darsidian Myths, A Promise Heard

Chapter 13

Jayden's eyes snapped open. Had he truly seen Sage? More importantly, had she seen him? He knew it was just a dream but it felt so real. She looked directly at him, even said his name, it must have happened. If he was right in his beliefs it would mean she survived and escaped the attack on the village. The thought of another survivor being alive, a survivor he knew and cared about, filled him with hope that he would see her again.

"I was wondering when you would wake up," said a familiar voice beside him. "You sure have a bad habit of losing consciousness when things become dangerous."

Jayden became aware he was in bed and sat up. Upon rising he noticed a pale-coloured Eldred sitting in a chair beside him.

"Eldred?" asked Jayden as he recalled the night with Elincia and the lo'cra. "Where am I? Where's Gareth?"

"You're at Haven," answered Eldred.

"Haven? But how?"

"Stave saved our lives," declared Eldred. "He arrived in Borderland with reinforcements before Elincia could finish us off. However a verbal confrontation with her was then forced upon him. After an agreement was made he brought us here, to the tower of light. It is one of seven temples within Haven that represent the power of the lunvarin."

Jayden was in a small windowless bedroom with a black, stone door to one side of the chamber. The walls and floor seemed to be made of some type of grey marble. To his amazement there were flames levitating at each corner of the room, each casting a warm, comforting light throughout the area.

Jayden's face darkened. "My brother, he isn't here, is he?"

A sympathetic look came over Eldred's face. "No, he isn't."

Jayden feared the wizard's answer. He somehow knew his brother wasn't here but he still hoped anyway. He clenched his fist angrily. This wasn't fair, why did Gareth go to Elincia? If they had held out just a little longer they would be safe at Haven, just like his brother promised.

"Why did he go to Elincia?" asked Jayden. "Is he alive?"

"I believe your brother is alive," answered Eldred. "As for why he went to Elincia...remember when I told you not to look into her eyes?"

"I remember. I still don't know what you meant though, even as I blindly followed your advice."

"You're lucky that you did follow my advice or you would have ended up just like your brother. Elincia has the ability to look, and control, the minds of people if their mind is weaker than hers. However, she can only use this ability if she looks directly into an individual's eyes. I would have explained this in Borderland but...we just didn't have the time."

"So that's why my brother hit me," said Jayden distantly, "because he was being controlled by Elincia."

The thought of his brother being controlled by the dark lunvarin was mindboggling to him. His brother's willpower was one of the strongest he ever knew, second only to their fathers. So how did Elincia control him? Was her resolve so much stronger than Gareth's that he was forced to obey her?

Jayden covered his face with one of his hands and exhaled noisily, he dreaded the answer to his next question. "Is he still with her?"

"Yes," answered Eldred.

Jayden's gut churned at the wizard's answer. He anticipated the answer yet he had to ask the question anyway. "Why did she take him?"

"I don't know."