"Is a torrent that carries away

All the nests and singing branches

Tangled among blocks of ice

Which were the springs of yesterday."

-Stephen Spender, "The Little Coat"

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Soundtrack of the chapter: Icarus by Ivan Torrent (DO PLAY IT!)

Media: Eli Sanguinis ( ignore the fact that he plays Anakin Skywalker, okay? Okay)

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Chapter Nine: The Five Founders

"You said you went out for a walk," Eli fumed. "What kind of walk takes up the whole night?"

"A long, long one?" Cady suggested.

Eli had to resist the urge to snap his staff into two. "Don't lie to me now, Cady. You broke the curfew by being outside the Hall grounds before dawn. You know the consequences."

"I just needed a walk. I feel better when I am in the open."

Cady had her face titled at him in defiance. She definitely looked healthier. Her eyes were shining and her cheeks rosy-a good sign of recuperation.

His gaze softened. "Alright, explanation accepted. But you still can't avoid the punishment."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to give me a beating?"

Eli pondered on that for a moment before he grinned. "Nope, you've got a lot of polishing to do, Oracle."

*****

"What is this place? Cady coughed, waving a hand wildly before her. "It's so....dusty."

"It's the Hall museum." Eli drew her toward another metal door. "The High Priest hates this place, it reminds him too much of the Great War. So it's been long abandoned."

"Then why are you taking me here?" Cady's face scrunched up at the great expanse of cobwebs traversing the cramped corridor.

Eli slid a key into the lock. There was a small 'click' and he pushed the door open.

"I come here once in a while, sorting out the old pieces of relics and treasures. I could use some help though, for there are many places up high that I cannot reach."

Cady's gaze fell to Eli's concealed foot. "Oh...I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault. Come on in."

Eli stepped aside, making space for Cady. His eyes veered about the large chamber, taking in the familiar sight of dusty tables, cracked glass panes, upset baubles, old parapets and statues. Linen sheets were thrown over the larger exhibitions while others were exposed to the decay of time. This chamber used to be the Oracles' glory, the crown jewel of all Halls, until those recreants came and trampled on them until nothing but dust remained. Sadness filled Eli's heart.

"Well, it's very impressive." Cady observed. "In a very dusty way, I suppose."

Eli gestured at Cady. "Come, I have something to show you."

He led her through a small path shoved from the clutter. Using his staff, he nudged a few stray objects back into place. Cady contrived to follow him, looking around like a child lost in a carnival of treats. She must love relics too.

They came upon a row of statues, rising from the sea of items like up-thrust fingers. Each were about seven feet tall, every detail was carved with high precision and painted by the masters of the craft-the statues of the Five Founders. He remembered finding them lying among the discarded relics, looking woebegone. He was suddenly taken over by a compulsion to clean and polish them until they shone like new. Whether it was the magic of the Founders, he never found out.

"Those are...the Five Founders," Cady said. It wasn't a statement, for it sounded more like a question. Eli shot Cady a querying look. No Starlet had ever been ignorant about the Founders, never.

"You don't know them?" he inquired.

Cady ran an exploring finger over the statue of Trael, touching his mismatched earrings and his dazzling golden hair, feeling his smooth olive skin and polished bracelets. "From where I came from, there are no Founders."

Eli didn't feel like pressing Cady on for information. She seemed sad, her large eyes staring into those of the First Founder.

"That is Trael, the First Founder. He was the one who founded the Hall of Warriors."

Cady's face lit up at once."That's where my brother is." 

So, she has a brother. Eli thought to himself, but was then interrupted by Cady who pointed at the second statue of a beautiful woman with her hands held high.

"Who's that?"

"That's Nala, Founder of the Hall of Spirits. The statues are arranged in ascending order. From here, we have Pyramus, Najata and Yana."

Cady approached the last statue-a man rendered almost invisible by a dark, flowing cloak. His silver eyes were unnerving, drilling into his foes, forcing them to dwell in their greatest fears. His lips were twisted into a small smile-as cold and cruel as his heart. In his hands grasped a silver bell, its shiny surface caught the hem of the morning spokes, falling onto the ground like powdered diamonds. Eli shuddered. That bell was the Iambicum Trimetrum, the deadliest of all five relics.

His eyes flicked to the relics held by the other Founders-Chalice, Pentacle, Sword and Wand. Each had an old name-Nepenthe, Elegiae, Erechtheion, and Areopagus. The Starlets believe that if all five relics were reunited, their combined powers could destroy Esvanira. But that theory was never proven, for the relics were dispersed throughout the lands: the Chalice in the hands of the Stelliums, the Pentacle with the Baelyeans, the Sword with the Detriments and the Wand with the Decanates. The bell however, was buried with Yana's last descendant, long lost in time.

She stared at Yana for a very long time, chewing the bottom of her lip in thought. Cady then shifted her attention to Nala.

"Why is she holding up her hands like that?"

"That's the mother gesture," he explained. "Nala is regarded as the great mother. A lot of statues portray her as a mother figure."

Cady nodded. "So, what am I here for?"

"The statues need a great deal of polishing. An extra pair of hands would do amazing." Eli retrieved an extra piece of rag and handed it to Cady. She accepted it without a word and started working hard at the statue of Yana.

"You forgot the polish." Eli nudged a pot of polish into place.

"Oh," she said, embarrassed. "Thanks."

With great care, Eli sat down, placed his staff aside and started polishing Pyramus' giant feet. He had often wondered why the Founder possessed such enormous feet, but his mentors had always dismissed his question.

After working in the silence for a while, Cady spoke up.

"Don't we have classes today?"

He shook his head. "Sunday, remember?"

Cady made a strangled sound. "Ugh, me and my memory. I don't know what is up with me nowadays."

Eli rubbed hard at a blackened spot. "You were sick, don't be too hard on yourself. But you look healthier now, great to know my potions are working."

Cady dunked her cloth into the pot of polish with more force than necessary. "Thanks, Eli." She then peered into the pot and said 'ah', in regret.

She shook then empty can at Eli. "We're out of polish."

"There's more over there." Eli pointed at a shelf built high in the walls. He looked at the cans of polish wistfully, wishing that he could climb like others of his age. Cady seemed to read his mind, for she gave him a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. Putting the ladder in place, she climbed up and passed a couple tins down to Eli.

Cady bit her lip, a habit that Eli found very endearing. "Eli, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your foot?"

Eli blinked, taken aback by her question. "You know." He smiled. "After so many years, you're the only one with the guts to ask me the direct question."

Gathering his robes, he lifted the hem and exposed his left foot. Cady stifled a gasp. Eli closed his eyes, ready for a diatribe of overwhelming disgust. He was already numb with the reaction of others. His foot was a grotesque sight, too large to fit into a shoe, too twisted to be mended. It was like a blackened claw of a demon with pustular lesions rising at the side-a sickening disease.

"During the Great War, my foot was chewed on by a Decanate." The image of his attacker seared in his mind. "By the time the Healers arrived, there was nothing they could do to save it. It is a disease, slowly spreading until I am consumed by it. Even the best Healers could do nothing about it."

Cady looked devastated, but showed no signs of disgust.

"The Walkers...they did this?"

"Who else?" His voice was bitter. "But that is the past. Right now all I can do is to find a way to fight this sickness."

"Are you certain all Healers tried? Maybe you missed a few."

"All Healers are Oracles, and trust me, my grandfather had gathered all of them. But with no avail."

They sat down on the floor, looking through the glass-stained windows, the polishing already long forgotten.

Cady drew a circle on the dusty floor with her finger. "It must be terrible, the Great War."

"The worst," Eli agreed. "Even though I was just a child, I can still remember how the skies turned red when flaming arrows came raining down, even the death of my parents."

Cady turned to look at Eli, her eyes blazing. "But you survived."

"Barely," said Eli. The past superimposed on the present, peeling away as darkness ensued. He could still remember playing with his nurse in his room, they were playing hide and seek when chaos erupted. Although she succeeded in slaying the creature at the expanse of her own life, the damage done on Eli's foot was irreversible. He had become a cripple since, the laughing stock of the Hall of Spirits.

A slow wail brought him back to the present. Cady perked up at once, looking around like a deer in pursuit.

"Did you hear that?" she breathed. "This is exactly what I heard down the corridors days ago."

"It's the wind," Eli said automatically.

Cady frowned. "No, it's not. I can certain I know the difference between a cry and the wind."

"That isn't a cry," Eli insisted. He stared at the statue of Nala, praying the she would forgive him for the lie. He had encountered these wails throughout the years in the Hall of Spirits. His seniors told him that it was the wronged souls who perished during the Great War, all boiling with head and vengeance, but Eli knew otherwise. However, this wasn't the time for Cady to know anything about the secrets of the Hall of Spirits, not now, especially not with strict orders from his grandfather.

Cady didn't argue anymore, but her face betrayed her determination to seek out the truth. That made her even more intriguing. Eli had often wondered who Cady really was. The suspicious part was that she knew nothing much about the Five Founders, and her preference of being alone.

A deep chime mourned, sweeping through the entire Hall.

"Lunch," Cady announced happily. "C'mon Eli, tell me that detention is over."

"Detention is far from over," he muttered under his breath.

She tugged at his sleeve, her Oracle tattoo rippling on her arm. "Eli..."

"Alright, alright," he laughed. "You're excused then."

"That's better," she winked and left, probably impatient for food.

Eli straightened up with care and brushed the dust off his robes. He turned to face the mother of Starlets, who was smiling peaceably at him. He pressed his forehead against her chest and sighed.

"Nala, can you tell me who she is? Can you tell me why am I so attached to her?"

The second Founder didn't reply, but her smile seemed to widen. Eli did not move. Instead, he prayed for answer.

****

A/N

I'm too tired to go through the whole chapter for mistakes (work guys lol), so forgive me for any mistakes. There are some vital information in this chapter, especially concerning the Five Relics. You guys remember the Iambicum Trimetrum from the prologue? It's going to come in very handy! 

Hmm...so now you know what really happened to Eli! Any impression changes or questions? Do comment down there and let me know!

pssst...don't forget to hit the vote button as well!

Squishy squids,

Stef