Keeper of the Lost Cities: Elysian: How She Was Taken Out of History

Chapter Seven

Years later, after countless hours of investigations, they'd learned that Elysian was not only a person, it was also a place. It was Elysian's home, an island framed by five rivers, the place Audrey had visited. It was insignificant - except during a twelve-day period called Nightfall, when light from a certain, extremely powerful manifestation of starlight could be accessed, along with the other prime sources, sunlight and moonlight.

The light from all three sources hit a certain stone in a certain way, and unless it was severed from the ground, all the power would flow back into the earth. Elysian the person had figured out how to harness the power without severing the stone from the ground, and with that power, she had figured out how to give elves their powers.

Elysian was the first elf - an elf who could create and control powers, and who had decided to side with humans over elves.

She had to be contained - for the good of everyone.

Unfortunately, the only time they could contain her - and erase any trace of her existence - was during Nightfall, and Nightfall only came around every few millennia.

Fortunately, it was happening now.

Audrey, Fallon, and Fintan decided that they had to act fast, lest they have to wait five thousand or so years. They used a starstone to leap to Elysian - no more getting sucked in through a river.

They landed on the banks of one of Elysian's rivers with an extremely bright flash of light. Elysian had to have seen it, so stealth was out of the option.

Audrey whispered anyway. "The plan is to run straight for the stone, right?"

Fallon and Fintan exchanged a glance, then looked at her. "No," Fintan said as though that should have been obvious. "We don't want the power. We want Elysian contained."

"So what, we're just going to leave all that power in the ground for another five millennia?"

"Duh."

Audrey rolled her eyes. For adults, they could be so immature. (Audrey decidedly did not include herself in that).

She started toward the weird meadow Elysian had been in before. "We're going to attack her, then?" she asked as the other Councillors followed her.

"Unless she gives it to us peacefully," Fallon agreed.

"Which is doubtful," Audrey said. "She was very set on keeping her 'power source' out of elvin hands."

"Then we force her," Fintan said.

Audrey still had doubts that fighting Elysian would work - even with a well thought-out plan. But the others were set - and changing their minds would be difficult. She was only one vote, after all.

"We need to surround her," Fallon announced. "And then disable her."

"And how, exactly, do you suggest we do that?" Audrey inquired.

"The surrounding or the disabling?"

"The disabling."

"We wing it."

Audrey stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at him. "And you call yourself a Councillor? Winging it has never worked out well."

"If you have a better plan, feel free to suggest it?"

"A better plan to do what?" a new, but still sickeningly familiar, voice demanded.

A second later, Elysian stepped out from behind a tree. "Not looking to capture me, are we?"

The three Councillors exchanged a glance. Then Audrey shrugged. "Actually, we're here for a polite conversation."

"Really." Elysian's tone was annoyingly skeptical, even though she was right to be. "You, wanting a polite conversation? I'm not that gullible."

"There's no trick," Audrey insisted, even though Fallon and Fintan were both staring at her - not doing a good job of going along with her bluff. "We just want to ask you a few simple questions." While Elysian had dropped her guard for a split second - whether it was real surprise or mock surprise, she was still somewhat distracted - Audrey tapped her temples, glancing at Fallon.

Fallon got her message and opened a mental channel between the three of them. As soon as she felt him in her head, she thought, Surround her on my signal - and then detain her. While she's unsuspecting.

Fallon and Fintan both responded with a small nod.

Audrey continued providing a distraction, peppering Elysian with questions. It wasn't that difficult, because Elysian kept interrupting with things like, "I literally said that two seconds ago", and "How can the elves be so stupid?"

After around ten minutes of questioning/arguing/insults/"having polite conversation", Elysian was distracted enough, so that Audrey felt comfortable telling Fintan and Fallon to surround her.

They did.

Elysian spun around, kneeing Fintan in his groin and when he doubled over in pain, she turned and tripped Fallon, ducking to avoid Fintan's blow. She dove into a somersault, standing up outside of their reach, but within Audrey's.

Audrey whirled, grabbing Elysian's arms before she could duck and signaling for Fintan to take her legs. He did, and together they leaped Elysian, thrashing and screaming insults, out of Elysian and into the Lost Cities.