Falling Shadows (The Ellocea chronicles) [#Wattys2016]

Eight

The day had come. The sun was shining as she had imagined it would and the air was fresh. A gentle breeze caressed her hair as she sat by the small pool that was a short walk from their home. She could feel the excitement hum through the ground, even the animals and insects seemed to know that today was going to be a very special day. It was hard for her not to break out into song the feeling was so infectious.

She knew there was a lot that could go wrong but her excitement gave her a hope that made her believe she could do it. Just as long as the guilt of lying to Papa wouldn't cripple her before she got there. All her information had come from snippets of conversation she'd overheard from travellers and merchants taking the Wanderer's Track and the other trails that wound their way subtly through the landscape around their home. She hoped with all her being that they were right and the procession would pass through Kalani at just past noon, when the sun would be in line with the top of the tallest turret of the Palace. If it was any later she may not be able to get back in time for Papa. She couldn't risk a face to face confrontation with him because she knew she wouldn't be able to lie straight to his face. At least with the procession she could tell herself that Papa never explicitly said no and convince herself that she'd not be breaking any of his rules. A dull ache formed at the back of her head as she worried about the potential outcomes of the day ahead of her.

 She let out a sigh and looked across pool to the sparkling waterfall, that tumbled over the ledge of rock that stood above the far end of the deep pool. Freeing her hair from its plait she slipped off her dress and stepped into the cool water letting it wash away her worries in its inky blue depths. The water felt like silk against her body and the waterfall made her feel as clean as the sky, rays of sunlight crept through the unique silver willows that helped to enclose her private bathroom, sending rainbows of light dancing across the water. The beauty of this hidden spot never ceased to amaze her and made her love it even more; this was her special place. She'd found it when she'd been trying to escape the quiet of the house after her mother had died and since then it had become her little paradise, for some reason her father aways steered clear of this area of the woods so she'd never had the problem of him finding it. After a while of standing under the tumbling water Akillah made her way to the shallow bank threading her hands through her hair and retrieved her clothes smiling as the she left the water feeling a renewed sense of excitement for the momentous day ahead. 

* * *

Zahni could feel adrenaline rush through his veins like burning ice, heightening his senses and making the hair on his arms stand up like men to attention. After dressing in his celebratory attire, he had the smallest of moments to himself before his squire would come to tell him that his horse was ready and he'd leave for a day of smiling and waving. He looked at his reflection and barely recognised the young man that stared back at him. The soft roundness of his face had been replaced with chiselled cheekbones and a defined jawline, his slightly wonky nose which had never quite healed from when he'd broken it practising sword fighting with Ashkir was the only thing he felt he recognised. He quickly turned away from the glass not wanting to look at his burning eyes any longer, fearing the depth they now seemed to hold. Bells chimed through the Palace from the White Sanctuary marking the beginning of the day and just like clockwork he heard a knock at the door and the creak of it opening.