Chapter 1
The morning sun shone across the snow-capped mountains high above the city of Rilkon. Echoes of laughter came from the valley below. An owl looked down and watched two Elves running up the hillside. When they reached the top of the hill, they both collapsed, exhausted.
"I told you I would win!" said Jarrin.
"Only because you cheated! You feathered across the deepest part of the snow!" said Celia.
Celia was the daughter of Abigail and Delric Beltran. The other Elf was her cousin, Jarrin, son of Bryce and Lorinelle Morris. The Morris family had come to Elkiron from Earth when Abigail and Bryce were young. Soon after the Dark War ended they chose to live among the Elves.
Celia and Jarrin were looking for caves to explore. Both Abigail and Bryce loved to explore, and their children shared that passion.
"I think the opening we saw is below us. It's too steep to walk so we'll have to feather,” said Jarrin.
Feathering was a term they had invented to describe a special magical ability they both shared. They could lift themselves into the air and float in any direction they chose. It was one of the special abilities that came from being a descendant of the Lirynshoc Elves, a group of ancient Elves that had isolated themselves from the other Elves to preserve the pure Elven genes. Abigail and Bryce also had the Lirynshoc genes, but they weren't functional because only a small part of their genes were Elven. Celia and Jarrin were mostly Elven, and the first modern Elves to have any Lirynshoc abilities.
"You go first,” said Celia.
"No, I want us to go together!" he said.
"All right,” she said.
They feathered along the slope and dropped off the steep edge. The cave entrance they had seen from the valley was halfway down the slope. They feathered inside and landed on the ground. Their lights illuminated a tunnel that went deep into the mountain.
"This is awesome!" said Jarrin.
"It might be just another empty cave. I wouldn't get too excited yet,” said Celia.
The tunnel descended at a gentle slope and was large enough for them to walk side by side. When the tunnel turned a sharp corner, it dropped straight down into a deep chasm.
"You feel that, don't you?" asked Jarrin.
"I feel it. There's something magical down there,” said Celia.
"I knew we were going to find something!" he said.
"See if you can create a map,” said Celia.
Jarrin used his magic to sense the area around him, and generated a 3D map.
"The hole goes further than my map, but there's a hole in the wall. I want to go see what's inside,” he said.
"We better get some rope before we try it."
"We can feather,” he said.
"You know we can't do that for very long. What if we run out of energy halfway down? We would fall!" said Celia.
"I can't sense any bats, can you?" he asked.
"No, they don't like to be around the magic. I don't sense anything else we can link with either,” she said.
All Elves had the ability to magically link with many of the animals and share their five senses. They often used flying animals as scouts.
"Let's go get the rope. I want to see what's down there before anyone else finds it,” he said.
"Take my hand, let's go,” said Celia.
She formed the image in her mind of the garden behind her house and transported him there.
"I wish I could do that,” he said.
"You have your own special abilities,” she said.
"Not very useful ones!" he said.
"Are you kidding? We use those maps every time we go exploring. I think they're very useful,” she said.
"Maybe, but I'd rather be able to transport."
"Well, we didn't get to choose our gifts, did we? We need to be grateful for what we have,” said Celia.
"I know,” he said.
They ran inside and found the Elven rope. Celia transported him back to the mountain.
They secured the rope to a rock and tossed the other end down the hole.
"Let's use the rope as far as we can. We may have to feather if the rope isn’t long enough,” said Celia.
"I'll follow you,” he said.
Celia hooked herself to the rope, turned on her light, and slowly descended. She could hear Jarrin above her.
She stopped when she reached the end of the rope.
"This is the end of the rope,” she said.
Jarrin shined his light below them and saw the opening in the shaft.
"There it is! Let's check it out. We can feather over to it,” he said.
"Make sure you don't lose your concentration,” she said.
Jarrin used his magic to feather over to the opening. Celia followed him.
"There's definitely strong magic in here. We need to be careful. Show me a map of the area,” said Celia.
Jarrin closed his eyes and let his magic flow through the cavern, creating a new map. The tunnel led to a shielded room that Jarrin's magic couldn't penetrate.
"That must be the source of the magic we feel,” said Celia.
"I wonder what's inside?" he asked.
"This place has been here for a very long time. I think we need to tell Shalee about it. She might know what it is,” said Celia.
"She's probably sleeping, but she would want to see this,” he said.
Shalee was an Elf that had lived longer than anyone. She used a special device that kept her in a type of stasis. She could still use her mind, but her body was preserved and didn't age while she was in the machine. Only a few Elves knew about her.
Celia reached out and found Shalee. Celia didn't need a necklace to communicate like the other Elves. She could find anyone who was wearing a necklace anywhere on Elkiron or Jallinel. It was one of her special gifts.
"Shalee? This is Celia,” she said telepathically.
"Celia! How are you?"
"I'm doing well, thank you. Jarrin and I found something that I thought you would want to see. We discovered a deep cavern that has a shielded room. I don't think anyone has been in this cavern for centuries,” said Celia.
"I definitely want to see it. Can you come and get me?" asked Shalee.
"I'll be right there."
"I'm going to go get Shalee. Don't go inside until I get back,” said Celia.
"I'll wait right here, I promise,” said Jarrin.
Celia thought of the cavern where Shalee lived and transported there. She found Shalee leaving the room where her stasis machine was located. She gave her a long hug.
"I miss you!" she said.
"I miss you too. We better hurry. You know how Jarrin is,” said Shalee.
"He promised he would wait,” said Celia.
She took Shalee's hand and transported back to the cavern. Jarrin was waiting for them.
"Shalee! It's good to see you again,” he said and gave her a hug.
"Show me the map,” she said.
Jarrin created a map of the area and Shalee studied it.
"This could be very old. We have to be careful. I'm sure whoever made this place put in a few safeguards to keep unwanted visitors out,” said Shalee.
She pulled a bag out of her pocket and removed a few small glowing stones.
"These will show us what's ahead. We don't want any surprises,” she said.
She tossed a few of the stones ahead of them as they walked. She stopped just before the entrance to the cavern that contained the sealed room.
"There's something magical close by. I can feel it,” said Jarrin.
"It's probably just ahead of us,” said Shalee.
"I don't sense any devices that I can link with,” said Celia.
"They probably didn't exist when this was built,” said Shalee.
She tossed a handful of dirt into the air in front of them. They could see tiny beams of light spanning the entrance to the cavern.
"As I thought. If we walk through, we'll trigger the alarm. Celia, you have to transport us into the cavern,” said Shalee.
"Anywhere in particular?"
"Just a few feet beyond the door. Be ready to transport us back out in case we trigger another alarm. No one move once we're inside,” said Shalee.
Celia transported everyone inside and they stood perfectly still, waiting.
"So far so good. Jarrin, show me the map again."
She studied the map.
"I don't think it's safe for us to walk anywhere here. Celia, transport us right next to the door of the sealed room,” said Shalee.
Celia did as she asked and they looked around them.
"This doesn't look like a sealed room. I was expecting some kind of door,” said Jarrin.
"That wouldn't look natural. They wouldn't use anything that would draw attention to the room,” said Shalee.
"How do we get inside? I can't transport us through it,” said Celia.
Shalee pulled a strange device out of her bag.
"This might do the trick. Wait here,” she said.
She held the device in front of her and slowly stepped forward. As soon as she passed through the shield, she disappeared.
"Shalee? Are you all right?" asked Celia.
"I'm fine. I made it through the shield. Send Jarrin through,” she said.
"She wants you to walk through the shield. Walk slowly, like she did,” said Celia.
Jarrin carefully walked forward then disappeared.
"Is he there?"
"Yes, it's your turn now,” said Shalee.
She felt a tingle as she passed through the shield.
"Someday you need to tell me how that works. I want to learn how to transport through shields, but I haven't figured it out yet,” said Celia.
Shalee tossed a few of the glowing stones around them.
"They must have had some source of light,” said Jarrin.
"I'm sure they did. There's probably a manual switch somewhere,” said Shalee.
"Jarrin, see if you can display a map of this room,” said Celia.
"We're inside the shield now, it should work,” he said.
"Concentrate on the objects inside the room and don't try to go beyond the shield. Perhaps that will allow you to create a more detailed map,” said Shalee.
He reached out with his magic and searched the room, and then displayed the holographic map.
"Nicely done, Jarrin. This is the most detailed map I've ever seen you do,” said Celia.
The room had four pillars in the center, surrounding two large square objects. They studied the map of the walls and found two square objects, one on each side of the room.
"Those might be the light switches,” said Shalee.
She tossed a glowing stone toward the wall where the object was.
"It's not very bright. Can you see the object in the wall?" she asked.
"I can see it. How do I activate it?" asked Celia.
"Push on it."
Celia focused on the object and used her magic to gently push on it. Lights all around them turned on.
"Now let's see what we've found,” said Shalee.
"Is it safe for us to walk around?" asked Jarrin.
"The switch should have deactivated any security. You can walk but don't touch anything,” said Shalee.
There were symbols carved into the four pillars in the center of the room.
"I can't read them. What do they mean?" asked Celia.
"I don't know. I'll have to see if I can translate them back in my lab,” said Shalee.
She pulled out a small square device and pointed it toward the pillars.
"What is that?" asked Celia.
"Something I've been working on. Abigail gave me the idea, actually, when she transmitted images through the link with the necklace. This device stores an image of what's in front of it and allows me to link with it to see the image whenever I want to,” said Shalee.
"Wow! It can do that?" asked Jarrin.
"It can. I'll store images of these symbols so I can study them later,” she said.
Celia walked over and looked at the two large stone blocks that were inside the pillars. There were symbols written on the top.
"There are more symbols here,” she said.
Shalee captured an image of each of them.
Celia walked around the perimeter of the room, looking for the source of the strong magic that she sensed. She walked around twice to make sure she had pinpointed the source.
"The magic is behind this wall,” she said.
"There aren't any doors out of here except the one where we came in,” said Jarrin.
"Your map didn't show any of the doors outside either,” said Celia.
"I can only map what's inside the shield. I'd have to go outside to map the rest of the cavern,” he said.
"There weren't any passageways on the map you created for us before we came in here. I think this room has to be the access point to the magic,” said Shalee.
"Whatever is behind there feels pretty strong. Maybe we don't want to get near it,” said Jarrin.
"Let's carefully look around the room again. Check the ceiling, floor, and walls for any abnormalities,” said Shalee.
Jarrin and Shalee left, and Celia studied the wall in front of the magic. She used her magic to push on it, but nothing happened. She stared at the floor while she tried to think of what to try next. Her peripheral vision noticed a shape and she looked up. She couldn't see it if she looked straight at it. She relaxed her eyes and saw a symbol. Without thinking she reached out and touched it. The symbol lit up and she was transported out of the room.
"Shalee!" she said.
"Where did you go? I didn't think you could transport through the shield."
"I didn't. I touched a hidden symbol in the wall and it transported me here,” said Celia.
"I don't see the symbol."
"Relax your eyes like you're looking far away and you should see it."
"There it is. Can you transport back here to us?" asked Shalee.
"I'll try."
She appeared next to Shalee.
"Good. I was worried that you wouldn't be able to get back out. Since you can, I guess it's safe for all of us to go in there,” said Shalee.
"I don't see the symbol,” said Jarrin.
"You remember that book Abigail showed us that had stereograms in it? You had to relax your eyes to see them. Do the same thing here and you should see the symbol,” said Celia.
"I see it!" he said.
"All right, one by one we'll all touch it. Celia, you go first since we need you to get back,” said Shalee.
Celia touched the symbol and disappeared.
"Are you all right?" asked Shalee.
"I'm fine."
"Jarrin, you're next."
He touched the symbol and disappeared.
"Is Jarrin with you?"
"He's here."
Shalee touched the symbol and joined them.
"Don't move around until we see what's here. Jarrin, create a map for us,” said Shalee.
The map showed a single large room that was shaped like a giant egg. There were thin pathways halfway up the egg that spiraled from the outer wall, where they were standing, to the center.
"What is this place?" asked Jarrin.
"I have no idea. I've never seen anything like it,” said Shalee.
"The magic is strongest in the center, where the paths lead,” said Celia.
"Just stay where you are. There must be a light source somewhere,” said Shalee.
"What's that square object at the top of the room?" asked Jarrin.
"Don't touch it!" yelled Shalee, but it was too late. Jarrin had already used his magic to push on the object.
A section of the wall across from them opened up and blinding light filled the room. The insides of the walls were covered with reflective panels that redirected the light to the center of the room.
Suddenly Celia was lifted into the air and pulled toward the bright light in the center of the room.
"Celia, transport out!" yelled Shalee.
"I can't!" she yelled.
In the center of the room, she was encased in bright light. It only lasted for a few seconds then the opening in the wall closed and the force holding Celia released her. She dropped to a walkway below her.
Dim lights came on and illuminated the room.
"Are you all right?" asked Shalee.
"I don't think it hurt me,” she said.
"Come over here and get us out of here,” said Shalee.
Celia followed the path to the side of the room where the others were. She grabbed each of them with her hands and transported back into the sealed room.
"That was very foolish of me to let you go in there,” said Shalee.
"I was the one who activated it! Are you sure you're all right, Celia?" asked Jarrin.
"I feel fine. It tingled a little, like when you pass through a shield, but it didn't hurt,” she said.
Jarrin noticed that bright light was coming from inside the two large square blocks in the center of the pillars.
"Something is happening! Look!" he said, and pointed toward the blocks.
"That light wasn't there before. We need to get out of here. Quickly, follow me,” said Shalee.
She pulled the device she had used to pass through the shield from her bag and walked out of the room.
"Send Jarrin out next,” she said.
"You're next,” Celia told Jarrin.
After he was gone, Celia felt a presence in the room. She looked around, but there was no one there.
"Celia, come on!" said Shalee.
She passed through the shield and joined the others.
"Celia, transport us to my place, quickly!" said Shalee.
She did so and Shalee led them to the lab.
"I'm going to run some tests on you, Celia. Do you still feel all right?" she asked.
"I feel fine. I really don't think it did anything to me,” she said.
"I'm sorry, Celia. I didn't think,” said Jarrin.
"It's all right. I'm not hurt,” she said.
Shalee finished her tests and didn't find anything wrong.
"Everything looks normal. I'm so glad you weren't hurt,” she said.
"Can you show me how that device you used works? I really need to learn how to transport through shields. It would make it much safer the next time we go there,” said Celia.
"We have to stay away from that place until I figure out what that device does,” said Shalee.
"We have to go back. I felt a presence there. It wasn't there before we activated the device,” said Celia.
"That's even more reason to stay away until we know more,” said Shalee.
"It didn't feel like anything dangerous. Quite the opposite, actually. Whatever it is, it doesn't want to hurt us. We woke it up, what if it needs our help?" she asked.
"I agree that we have to back. Give me a day to do some research. Will you do that?" asked Shalee.
"We'll wait. Contact me tomorrow, when you're ready,” said Celia.
"You contact me immediately if you feel any different,” said Shalee.
"I will, I promise."
"I need to get started. I'll contact you tomorrow,” said Shalee.
Celia grabbed Jarrin's hand and transported them back to his house on Elkinor.
"I'm going to have nightmares about what happened. I can't believe I was so stupid,” he said.
"No harm done, Jarrin. I probably would have done the same thing,” she said.
"No, you wouldn't, but thanks for trying to make me feel better. I promise I'll be more careful from now on,” he said.
"I'll come for you tomorrow as soon as Shalee calls,” said Celia.
"See you later,” he said.
Shalee transported to Abigail's house on Jallinel and told her all that happened.
"I'm so glad you weren't hurt. As your mother, your safety means more to me than anything, and I want you to stay away from anything that could hurt you. As an archaeologist, I understand the need to search and discover new things. There's always some risk involved in that. Jarrin made a mistake. Luckily, you weren't hurt. You both have to be very careful about how you use your abilities,” said Abigail.
"I promise that we'll be more careful in the future,” said Celia.
"I'm glad you waited until Shalee was with you before you explored the cavern. She has lived for so long that she knows a lot about the ancient Elves. If anyone can figure out what that device is, it's her,” said Abigail.
"I'm more concerned about the presence I felt just before I left. It wasn't there before. It felt like it was alive, not a machine,” said Celia.
"You know the thought of you going back in there scares me, don't you? I would feel so much better if I were with you,” said Abigail.
"Then come with me. We have to wait until Shalee contacts me tomorrow before we can leave,” said Celia.
"Lorinelle may not want Jarrin to go back there. Have you heard from him since you got back?" asked Abigail.
"No, I came straight here. I'll talk with him tonight. He will be very disappointed if he can't go,” said Celia.
"I'm sure he will. If Lorinelle insists that either Bryce or she accompany him then we have a problem since neither of them knows about Shalee,” said Abigail.
"That would be a problem. Why doesn't Shalee want them to know about her?" asked Celia.
"The more Elves that know about her, the greater the risk that one of them will slip and say something to someone. Every Elf on both worlds would be looking for her. The technology that she protects could ruin our civilization if it got into the wrong hands. She revealed herself to Tierna and I because she needed our help to stop the eruptions that could have destroyed Jallinel. You and Jarrin know about her because of your special abilities. No one else on either world knows about her,” said Abigail.
"I understand. It must be hard for her to be so isolated all the time. I wish we could spend more time with her,” said Celia.
"So do I,” said Abigail.
"I'm going to go check on Jarrin. I'll be back later tonight after Delric is back,” said Celia.
"Tell Jarrin that I know he didn't mean to put you in danger,” said Abigail.
"I will."
Celia transported back to her house on Elkiron and contacted Jarrin.
"How did your parents take it when you told them what happened?" asked Celia.
"Mom was pretty upset. She wants me to talk with Abigail and apologize. Is she mad at me?" he asked.
"She's an archaeologist and understands how we feel. She was very concerned but wasn't angry. I think you should talk with her. She'll make you feel better,” said Celia.
"Lorinelle said I can't go back there unless she or Bryce is with me, so you'll have to go without me. Once Shalee is sure that it's safe we can take them there. They're both dying to go,” said Jarrin.
"Abigail is going with me tomorrow. I'm sorry you can't come,” said Celia.
"It serves me right. I learned something from all of this, and I won't ever forget it. I'm just glad you weren't hurt,” he said.
"I'll let you know how it went as soon as I get back tomorrow,” said Celia.
"Thanks. Be careful,” he said.
Chapter 2
Early the next morning Shalee contacted Celia and asked her to come to her cave. Celia transported to Abigail's house then transported to the cave.
"Abigail, it's good to see you again. I'm so glad you came!" said Shalee.
Abigail gave Shalee a hug.
"I think of you a lot, Shalee. If you ever need anything, you know I'm always here for you,” said Abigail.
"I know, and I'm grateful for that. I wish I could spend more time with you. Now, come with me, I want to show you what I found."
She led them into her lab and showed them a very old book she had found.
"I had to dig out the oldest books I have to find any mention of the device we found. Look at this illustration,” she said.
The illustration showed a large egg-shaped chamber with an Elf suspended in the middle, surrounded by light.
"That's it!" said Celia.
"Does it say what the device does?" asked Abigail.
"It's quite an interesting story. Long ago, Elkiron was settled by Elves that came from other worlds far away from here. There were magical creatures called Sciint that lived with the Elves on those other worlds until a virus started to kill them. The Elves couldn't find a cure, and all but two of the Sciint died. The last two were brought to Elkiron with the Elves. They hoped that something on Elkiron would help them find a cure.
The scientists learned that the antidote must come from the immune system of an Elf since the virus that killed the Sciint came from an Elf. They developed the device we found to scan Elves for the antidote. The Sciint were placed in stasis to keep them alive until a cure could be found. Eventually, they gave up and stopped scanning Elves. The cave has probably been closed for thousands of years,” said Shalee.
"Wow! The Sciint must be in those two containers inside the pillars! We must have woken them up!" said Celia.
"The device would only wake them if it found a cure. I can't be sure until we go back, but it looks like Celia's immune system contained the antidote,” said Shalee.
"We left them there in those containers! If they're awake they might need our help!" said Celia.
"That's the life form Celia sensed, a Sciint?" asked Abigail.
"It could be. We won't know until we return to the cave,” said Shalee.
"Then let's go! What are we waiting for?" asked Celia.
"The books I have don't tell us much about the Sciint. They are very large, bird-like creatures, and are very intelligent. I don't know how the Elves communicated with them. We have to be careful. Remember that it's not safe to link with every life form, so don't try it. Understand, Celia?" asked Shalee.
"I understand. I won't."
"If they are awake what are we going to do with them?" asked Abigail.
"They must be set free, of course. We will have to tell Queen Eilsha about them before we release them,” said Shalee.
"What if they want to lock them up and study them?" asked Celia.
"We can't allow them to do that,” said Shalee.
"Is there anything else we need to know before we go?" asked Celia.
"No, I think we're ready."
"Good, take my hands and I'll take us there,” said Celia.
"Inside the first chamber in front of the sealed room, just like before,” said Shalee.
"I understand,” said Celia.
She took them hands and transported into the chamber.
"Wow, I can feel the magic that's inside there,” said Abigail.
"It seems stronger than before,” said Celia.
"Follow me through the shield, when I tell you, one by one,” said Shalee.
She held a device up to the shield and slowly stepped through.
"Send Abigail through,” she said.
"You're next, Mom. Just walk slowly,” said Celia.
"You can come now, Celia,” said Shalee.
Once inside, Celia rushed over to the containers inside the pillars. The light was still coming from inside them.
"How do we know if it's them?" asked Celia.
"What do all these symbols on the pillars mean?" asked Abigail.
"They tell how the Sciint used to live among the Elves. They were very special to the Elves,” said Shalee.
"Should we open the containers?" asked Celia.
"We have to see if the Sciint are in there. I see no other way. Try sliding the top to one side, slowly,” said Shalee.
Celia used her magic to push on the top of one of the containers. It moved to one side. They stepped forward and looked inside.
A large tube sat at the bottom, surrounded by bright stones.
"The Sciint must be inside the tube. Now what?" asked Celia.
"Don't try to move it. We need to find the mechanism that opens it,” said Shalee.
"We could use Jarrin's map right now. I don't see any switches,” said Celia.
"Move the top the rest of the way off so we can see everything,” said Abigail.
Celia moved the top and placed it on the floor next to them.
"I still don't see any switches,” said Shalee.
Celia suddenly felt a presence around her, like she had felt before. This time it felt much stronger and it reached into her mind.
"It wants me to touch the tube,” she said.
"I told you not to link with it!" said Shalee.
"I didn't. It's not like a link. Somehow I can feel the words in my mind,” said Celia.
"Is this dangerous for her?" Abigail asked Shalee.
"I really don't know. If it isn't linked with her it shouldn't be able to harm her, but then it shouldn't be able to talk with her either,” said Shalee.
Celia reached down and put her hand on the tube. As soon as she did the tube disappeared. The Sciint inside opened its eyes.
"It's awake!" exclaimed Celia.
She stepped back with the others and they watched as the giant creature slowly spread its massive wings and hopped out of the container. Its bright yellow eyes focused on Celia.
"I have to link with it. It doesn't mean us any harm, I can tell that much,” said Celia.
"Be careful, Celia,” said Abigail.
Celia linked with the Sciint. It felt different than any creature she had ever linked with. It was extremely intelligent and had powerful magic.
"Are you healed?" she asked.
"I am, thanks to you. My name is Neert. I am the male of our species,” he said.
"I'm Celia. We thought there were two of you. Is the other awake also?" she asked.
"You must do the same for her as you did for me,” he said.
"His name is Neert. He said he was healed and is all right. He wants me to release the other Sciint,” Celia told the others.
"Go ahead,” said Shalee.
Celia moved the top off the other container and touched the tube to release the Sciint. It hopped out of the container.
"Thank you,” said Neert.
"Now what do we do?" asked Celia.
"Ask Neert what he wants us to do,” said Shalee.
"How can we help you? What do you want us to do?" asked Celia.
"Take us outside,” he said.
"I can't transport through the shield,” said Celia.
"I can show you how,” he said.
She watched as he showed her images in her mind.
"Of course, why didn't I know that?" Celia said.
"Know what?" asked Shalee.
"Neert showed me how to transport through the shield. He wants us to take them outside,” said Celia.
"Take us to the ridge near the entrance of this cavern,” said Shalee.
"I can only transport you if I'm touching you,” said Celia.
"You don't need physical contact to transport. I'll show you,” said Neert.
More images flowed into her mind.
"Thank you, I understand,” said Celia.
Celia transported the entire group to the ridge above the cavern entrance.
"You did that without touching us!" said Shalee.
"Neert showed me how,” said Celia.
"Abigail, contact Queen Eilsha and tell her that we have found two living Sciint. She should know the stories about them. Ask her what she wants us to do,” said Shalee.
Abigail used her necklace to contact Queen Eilsha.
"Abigail?" asked the Queen.
"Yes. This is going to sound strange but we found two living Sciint,” she said.
"What? Alive?" asked the Queen.
"Yes, a male and a female."
"Where are you?"
"On a mountain on Elkiron. We don't know what to do with them,” said Abigail.
"Ask Celia to bring me there. I'm in the palace,” she said.
"Queen Eilsha wants to come here. She's in the palace,” said Abigail.
"I don't blame her. Celia, take me home then bring the Queen here. Let me know what she decides to do with the Sciint,” said Shalee.
"Ask Shalee to link with us after she is home. We would like to talk with her,” said Neert.
"Shalee, Neert said that he would like you to link with him after you get home. He wants to talk with you,” said Celia.
"I will. Now let's go. We don't want to keep the Queen waiting,” she said.
Celia transported Shalee back to her lab then immediately transported to the palace in Rilkon. She quickly found the Queen and transported back to the mountain.
"Oh, my! I never thought I would see a living Sciint! This is amazing!" said the Queen.
"What do you know about them?" asked Celia.
"Only what the stories told. They lived among the Elves on other worlds and were considered sacred,” said the Queen.
"The one closest to us is called Neert. He is a male. He said that the virus they had has been removed,” said Celia.
"How?"
"That's a long story, but they found the cure inside of me. I'll tell you everything when you have time,” said Celia.
"I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. Is it safe for me to link with him?" asked the Queen.
"Yes. He will not harm you,” said Celia.
Queen Eilsha reached out and linked with Neert.
He immediately bowed his head.
"Queen Eilsha Monrei. It is an honor to meet you,” he said.
"I'm equally honored to meet you. I thought we had lost all of you. I'm so glad that you are alive. I know so little about your kind. If you tell me what you need I will make sure you have it,” she said.
"We will find a place in the mountains to live. We will need some assistance with food,” said Neert.
"We will bring what you need to a location close to your home. Later, when I'm sure it's safe for you to travel freely around the planet, you can go to any of my farms for food. You are the last two Sciint, and I want to be sure you are safe, so I don't want anyone to mistake you for something else and try to kill you,” said the Queen.
"We appreciate your concern. We will do as you ask. When we have found our home, we will tell Celia,” he said.
"She will relay that information to me. There's so much I want to ask you, but I want you to get settled and eat before we burden you with all of that. Please be careful. No one on this planet has seen your kind before,” said the Queen.
"We will be careful,” he said.
"Celia, Neert will contact you when they have located a place to live. Please let me know as soon as you here from them,” said the Queen.
"I will. Is there anything else I can do?" asked Celia.
"Right now I'm most worried about keeping them safe until I can spread the word that we have Sciint on Elkinor. Keep in contact with them and let me know if there is anything I can do to help. After they are settled, we will go and see them,” she said.
"I'm still overwhelmed by all that has happened. It seems like a dream,” said Celia.
"This is possibly the biggest thing that has happened on Elkiron in my lifetime. It is a day I will never forget. Now I must return to the palace. I have a lot to do,” said the Queen.
Celia transported the Queen back to her palace then returned to the mountain.
She linked with Neert.
"You do not fully understand the magic that you possess. I can teach you if you will allow me,” he said.
"I would appreciate any help you can give me. You mean I have other abilities that I don't know about?" asked Celia.
"You have the genes from the Lirynshoc Elves,” he said.
"I know,” she said.
"We'll start with the abilities you already know you have. When you have time, I will teach you. Now I need to find a place where we can live,” said Neert.
"The other Sciint, what is her name?"
"Ileesh. Our long sleep was harder on her and she is not yet fully recovered. When she is, she will want to talk with you. Thank you for what you have done for us,” said Neert.
"Be careful."
Both Sciint spread their enormous wings and launched into the air. In a few seconds, they disappeared into the clouds.
"That has to be the most amazing thing I've ever seen,” said Abigail.
"They're going to look for a home. When they find it, I have to take the Queen there,” said Celia.
"What an amazing day this has been!" said Abigail.
"Jarrin is going to be so disappointed that he missed all this.”
"I'm sure he will be, but he'll have plenty of chances to meet the Sciint later,” said Abigail.
"I guess we're done here for today. I would like to explore the rest of the cave sometime. There might be something else in there,” said Celia.
"The shields and security measures are still active so be careful. Don’t go back in there without Shalee."
"I won’t. Where do you want me to take you?" asked Celia.
"To Jallinel."
Celia transported Abigail to her home on Jallinel then transported back to Elkiron and went to see Jarrin. She told him all that had happened. He was very upset that he didn't get to see the Sciint, but Celia promised him that she would take him to see them soon.
She went to her home and sat on the balcony. She thought back through all that had happened and remembered that Neert had asked her to contact him, so she reached out and linked with him.
"Celia, I'm glad you contacted me. This is the perfect time to teach you how to communicate with me without linking. As you know, linking with someone's mind gives you access to their five senses. You don't need to be that invasive just to talk with them, at least not with beings of higher intelligence,” he said.
"I'm doing it to you right now! I'm sorry! I didn't know I could do it any other way,” she said.
"You didn't know, Celia. We will provide devices that will allow others to talk with us without linking. Your magic is special and you will not need a device,” he said.
"I will tell Queen Eilsha. She would never have linked with you if she had known,” said Celia.
"I know. She did nothing wrong. I will give her a device the next time we meet,” said Neert.
"Is that why we never link with other Elves?" she asked.
"Partly. It was determined long ago that linking between Elves was dangerous. It is not permitted,” he said.
"So how do I talk with you without linking?" she asked.
"It's similar to what you do when you want to transport somewhere. You visualize the person you want to talk with and allow the magic to make the connection. The necklaces the other Elves use do this automatically, but they can only talk to someone who has a necklace. With your magic, you can talk with any magical creature,” he said.
"I think I understand. Can I try it with you?" she asked.
"Sever the link and try it,” he said.
It took her several tries to create the connection, but she eventually figured it out.
"I can talk with anyone this way?" she asked.
"You can, but there are rules you should follow. No one wants you popping into their heads anytime you wish. You should always ask them first. Only use this method with people that know you or you might offend them,” he said.
"Can the other Elves learn how to do this?" she asked.
"No, they need magic that they don't have. Maybe someday there will be more like you,” he said.
"Can I talk with male Elves this way? The necklaces don't work with them.”
"On other worlds the male Elves used devices to communicate just like the women do here. To answer your question, yes, you can make this connection with males. It works the same,” said Neert.
"I can't read their thoughts can I?" asked Celia.
"Don't every try to do that, it is forbidden. A person's thoughts should remain private. I will not show you how to access them,” he said.
"Forgive me, Neert. I like to know as much as I can so I don't make a mistake,” said Celia.
"That is wise. I will help you learn what you need to know to avoid any serious mistakes,” he said.
"I don't want to take up any more of your time. You have to find a place to live. If there is anything I can do to help you please tell me,” said Celia.
"We will,” said Neert.
"One last thing. How do I end this connection?"
"Visualize the connection in your mind and tell it to end,” he said.
She did as he asked, and felt the connection end. She decided she would have to try it with Jarrin, but she wanted to warn him ahead of time. The next time they talked she would tell him about it.
She lay down on her bed and soon fell asleep.
The next morning during breakfast she heard Neert's voice in her mind.
"Celia?"
"Neert. Good morning,” she said.
"Good morning. We have found a place to live. I will show you an image of where it is so you can transport here. Come alone,” he said
An image suddenly popped into Celia's head.
"I see it. I've never transported to somewhere I've never been before,” she said.
"Think of it as transporting into the image,” he said.
She imagined herself transporting to the entrance of the cave she saw in the image, and it happened.
"It worked!" she said.
"Welcome, Celia. Now that you know where we are you can bring the Queen here. Give her this ring. It will allow her to talk with us,” said Neert.
"I'll be right back."
She transported to the palace and found the Queen.
"Neert has found a place to live. I can take you there when you're ready. He said to give you this ring. He explained to me yesterday that linking with beings of higher intelligence like the Sciint is not proper. I told him that we didn't know and he said he understood. He wasn't offended, but he would like those that talk with him to use devices like this ring,” said Celia.
"I will apologize when we see him. Thank you for telling me. Please take me to them now. I need to
Impressum
Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 01.08.2015
ISBN: 978-3-7396-0779-5
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