"As a memory stealing out of the mind's slumber,

As memory floating up from a dark water,

Can be more beautiful than the thing remembered."

- Lawrence Binyon, "Winter Sunrise"

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Soundtrack of the chapter: Eternal Sorrow by Two Steps From Hell

Media: Statue of Nala

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Chapter Thirteen: The Crystal Tomb

Eli tried not to cry out from the fiery pain that swallowed his toe whole. He gripped the bed stand as another wave of pain surged through him. His foot felt like a creature had clamped its teeth upon it. The pain spells would attack when he wasn't aware most of the times, but they weren't too frequent. But now, they seemed to trigger every day.

He whipped his robes aside, exposing the bulbous and darkened flesh. The black bulging striations had curved up just below his knee. He dropped his robes and leaned against his staff, breathing hard.

The curse had been spreading, far too quickly.

With herculean effort, Eli hoisted himself off his bed and hobbled toward the mirror hanging from his dresser. A pair of puffy red eyes greeted him. His eyes had almost drowned in dark pools, the aftermath of insomnia and nightmares.

Fire. Death. The screams of both Oracles and Walkers who perished in the Great War still haunted him to this day. The horrified shrieks of the dying clung to him like a shadow, refusing to dissipate. Eli suddenly found himself hard of breathing.

I must not panic, I must not panic.

As a Healer, he knew what to do. He gasped for air, compressing his Celestial Energy into a flaming ball in his chest before he extended it through his veins. The warm efflux of energy loosened the knots in his heart, allowing oxygen to pass. He coaxed the energy to spread to his toes and back. With a final sweep of his hands, the energy returned back to its core and dissipated with a sigh.

He ran a comb through his tangled curls and gave his reflection a smile.

Well, I can do this. Lessons must run as normal.

He unlocked his chamber doors and went outside. A messenger Feorh was waiting for him with a scroll tucked under its feathery arm.

It bowed and raised the scroll. "A message, from His Honor."

Eli nodded. "Thank you."

The Feorh bowed again before gliding down the hallway and vanished.

He loosed the cord and unrolled it. A sigh blew from his lips.

So much work. This was the list of esteemed guests from the other Halls and the Chaldean Order, soon to visit the Hall of Spirits to celebrate the seventieth birthday of his grandfather. He was charged with the responsibility of preparing for the important occasion since Raphine trusted no one else. He must oversee the banquet preparations, the gifts, the transportation-he must conduct everything.

He tucked the scroll into the folds of his robes and set off toward the Hall Catacombs. The Hall Catacombs were a holy place, where it held the bones of the previous High Priest and Priestesses, all of them from his family starting from mid-Esvanira, as well as thousands of other Oracles. Eli loved the Catacombs. They were serene and silent, where the beauty of decay kissed the air. When he was alone down the tombs, he found peace. There, he could forget the terrors of his dreams.

The ornate doors were closed. The new Oracles chattered endlessly before it.

His eyes fell upon Cady, who was lost in a conversation with Thomas-the tall boy with the missing eye. He felt a lurch of guilt. He shouldn't have come down so hard on her when he discovered her intrusion in the Hall dungeons. He had been consumed by worry, Raphine had specifically ordered him to guard the cells-and a new Oracle had found it.

It wasn't her fault. Eli reminded himself for the umpteenth time of the day. She lost her way.

He tapped the floor with his staff to gather their attention. The clamor diminished and all attention was directed upon him. He cleared his throat.

"Merry Meet, Oracles," he said.

The Oracles murmured their greetings.

Eli gestured at the great silver doors. "Can someone tell me what place is this?"

Jo's hand shot into the air.

He tried not to goggle at her enthusiasm. "Yes?"

"These are the Hall Catacombs, final resting place of the Oracles."

He nodded. "Very good, Miss Li. Today, we will explore the catacombs. An Oracle does not fear death. He cherishes the living and accepts the dead. You must curb your fear of death, for it is inevitable."

Eli tapped the tip of his staff on the doors. A warm glow emanated from the bauble and spread over the doors, seeping into the carved patterns as the doors swung inward.

Darkness churned where the staircase disappeared. He clicked his fingers, which brought the rows of Celeslights to life.

"Follow me."

A low hush fell across the group as they followed Eli into the catacombs. Eli did not need light to show him the way down the steps, for he had been down the tombs more times than he could count. He knew the number of steps, even the number of tombs, which had accumulated to an impressive number today.

Whispers of 'ghosts' and 'haunted' lingered in the air as they descended to the final steps of the stairs. He grinned.

He clicked his fingers again, coaxing the Celeslights of the sepulcher to rekindle.

The familiar grooves in the walls melted into the light. All chambers of the Hall Catacombs were rectangular. Round grooves spiraled across the walls and lined down to the ground carefully. A large crane was attached to the sides of the wall, strong enough to haul up new coffins containing the ashes of the deceased. At the mouth of every groove, dangled a small glowing Celestite: to light up the journey to the Celestial Gardens.

In the middle of the first chamber was a crystal shrine, flanked by two matching coffins. The coffins were small, no longer than half his staff. Sorrow consumed him-these were the final resting place of his two cousins: Regulus and Arialle Sanguinis. The five statues of the Founders rose around it, their shadows seeming to tower over its visitors.

He tore his gaze from the white tombs and addressed the Oracles.

"Look around you. These house the bones of your ancestors."

With a swish of his robes, he plodded over to the second row of troughs. He ran a finger over the inscriptions that lined the dark openings. "These runes are the language of the Founders, only few understand them now, mostly grave markers. As Oracles, you are required to learn about the runic language."

The Oracles nodded. He gestured around the room elaborately. "Look around, inspect the art, honor the dead."

As the group scattered, Eli headed back to the crystal tomb where runes around the smooth lids.

"These tombs, they belong to Regulus and Arialle?"

Cady's voice made him jump. He turned around to find her staring at him with a inquiring expression.

"Yes." He straightened himself.

She didn't say anything, but ran her eyes over the tombs. Her hands reached out and explored the marble slabs, feeling every bump and ridge. He knew too well how the Crystal Tomb felt. His fingers had ran across every seam, every little crack throughout his years in the Hall of Spirits, wondering why they were targeted.

Cady seemed...sad.

"When Mistress Silver told me they died so young in the Great War, I didn't believe it. But now, it's hard to deny when the truth is right before you."

Why wouldn't you believe it? Eli wondered. The siblings have nothing to do with you, unlike me.

"Do you miss them?" she asked, her green eyes wide.

Eli shrugged. "I never really knew them, we were so young. Hard to miss someone whom you've hardly met."

Cady touched the statue of Nala. "Don't you think the Great War happened far too fast? Without enough evidence, without enough reason."

"There is more than enough evidence," he said. "The Walkers flayed the skin of my uncle Tithonus and dumped it on the front steps of our Hall."

An intense fire was burning in Cady's eyes. "How can you be so sure? Walkers and Oracles lived together in peace for so many years. It's weird for the Walkers to suddenly start a war."

"Why are you asking this?"

She bit her lip. "There are so many books about the Great War, but none explored the possibilities behind the cause. I have been searching, but there are still no answers..."

Her voice trailed off. Eli couldn't help but to wonder why Cady was so obsessed with the Great War. Most Starlets he knew loathed Esvaniran history. He watched her gaze at the tombs, and at the Founders. Eli realized that he couldn't fathom her at all.

He found his lips moving and words tumbling out.

"There are some books and scrolls in the library written by Amueh the wise. He's a great scholar. Perhaps you can find what you are looking for in those scrolls."

Cady's face lit up. "Really?"

He nodded. "Amueh's works can only be found here and in the Library of All. He's really picky where his works head to."

"That's awesome, thank you so much!"

Her eagerness was like a child, ready to explore new possibilities. Eli couldn't suppress a smile. She reminded him to much of himself when he was a child, although they were a year apart. He would be asking all sorts of questions, until all Masters and Mistresses would flee at the sight of him.

"I'm free tomorrow. I can take you to the library so you won't get lost again." He raised an eyebrow to emphasize the word 'lost', and Cady laughed.

"Meet you at the dorms?"

Eli nodded.

Someone at the side suddenly called for Eli, apparently having knocked down a small altar and was now in a frenzy. He gave Cady a curt nod before making his way to the group of horrified Starlets.

He cast a backwards glance. She was still staring at the tomb of his dead cousins.

*****

A/N

Eli doesn't understand why Cady is so obsessed with the Great War, but we all know why. ;) If you're a fan of Cady+Eli scenes, we have a couple chapters of that coming right up! Now, Eli has offered Cady assistance to find out the truth behind the war. Any hunches on who really started the war?

A side note: I might reduce the number of updates per week starting from the following week. Currently, I am doing two updates per week, and I might reduce to a weekly (Friday) update because I need more time to write buffer chapters. :) I'm sorry if it's too long of a wait!

Another side note: THoG is  #6 in fantasy! <3

Roti Canai,

Stef