Song of the chapter – Would by Alice in Chains

Eliana continued in her path to tame the beast, finally stepping close enough to make physical contact. The animal had stayed on it's four legs, but a low growl could still be heard. It's teeth were slightly bared, causing her heart to race. But something told her not to back down, to face the creature and declare herself. She pulled the StarStone out from behind her back, holding it in front of the Locelor. The animal, rather than attacking her, became submissive, ducking its head low to the ground and covering its snout with its large paws. Eliana heard the creature begin to beg, almost a whimper, a clear sign that it was more afraid of her harming it than she was of it harming her.

Awestruck as to why the creature would fear her, she stepped back in shock. "What?" She muttered, confused at the turn of events. She had only meant to tame it, to call to it, why would it fear her? The creature, which seemed to have some intelligence and the ability to communicate in some format, nudged its snout towards her neck.

The necklace, still covered in the Glabra leaves, appeared to unnerve the Locelor. Eliana reached out towards the creature, feeling the need to reassure it that she meant no harm, but it cowered away. Without waiting, the animal kept its submissive position while crawling back into hiding. It seemed to have kept its home beneath the thick foliage and overhanging outcropping of rocks which made the pass so ominous.

"What the hell was that?" Harper stated as soon as the situation was safe again.

Blaike said nothing, just sheathed his sword, then stepped cautiously over toward Eliana, making sure she was aware of his approach. She was shell-shocked, struck silent by the entire exchange. The turn of events, having the strange creature afraid of her, was unsettling. She didn't know if she had the strength to endure the Ferlands, the experiences only becoming more disturbing as time marched on. Blaike seemed to be aware of her emotional break down.

As he reached where she still stood, looking out to the spot where the Locelor disappeared, he tentatively reached for her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Eliana startled slightly, not having noticed his approach. Then as she saw it was him, curled into his broad frame and allowed him to wrap his arms around her body. His strength was a comfort, not knowing why these strange occurrences continued to happen. Something in her soul spoke to her, telling her that this was not an isolated experience. There was a reason for its fear. There was a reason she was even in the Ferlands.

But Eliana didn't know if she could handle the answer.

Blaike continued to hold her tightly against himself, allowing her to try to calm down and draw from his strength.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly.

Eliana waited for a moment before answering, "Yes, I think so." She took a deep breath, not moving from his warm hold. "I just don't understand what that was all about. Why?"

Blaike pulled his arms from around her back, causing a cold chill to replace where his arms had been, and looked deeply into her eyes. "I'm not sure either, but the only thing that matters is that no one was harmed. Locelors are known as death-bringers. That is the stench that follows them. But today, somehow, you have tamed death itself. Don't be afraid, Eliana. You have triumphed."

She was encouraged by his words, and told herself to be positive. But deep within her, she knew that a greater challenge would have to be faced. Eliana feared she wouldn't be up for whatever it was. She feared she would fail. And what would that mean for this strange land that somehow felt more like home than anywhere else in the world ever had. In twenty-one years of life, Eliana had never felt so right in any place on Earth. But the Ferlands was where she belonged. She was sure of it. And that scared her more than anything else she had faced so far.

Blaike had once again taken her in his arms. Eliana could feel his heart still racing as well. It dawned on her just how frightening it must have been to witness, and suddenly she was so sorry for putting the rest of them through that. She had felt deep down that everything would be all right, but they didn't have the same sense. It was selfish of her to follow through with that plan not having explained anything to her companions.

"I'm so sorry I worried you. I should have told you or said something."

"And what would you have said?" Blaike asked, catching her off guard.

"I...I'm not sure, but-" she started, Blaike cutting her off before she could stumble through an answer.

"You couldn't have explained it quickly enough. That beast would have pounced had you not approached it as you did. Another minute spent telling us what you were thinking, additionally taking our focus off of the threat at hand...No, you did things the way they needed doing." Blaike unwrapped his arms from around her body, once again leaving her chilled. He turned to her and reached up both hands, cupping her face and looking deeply into her eyes, "Do not apologize for following your instincts. Ever. A warrior does what needs to be done."

Eliana felt it. It was the type of moment when everything could change. There they stood, Blaike holding her face in his hands, the two of them looking deeply into each other's eyes, each waiting for the other to say something, anything, that would give a hint to their feelings. And then it happened. Blaike's gaze went to her lips. She knew it was a tell tale sign of an impending kiss, or at least the desire was there. Eliana felt it too. Ever since she woke up looking into his rich, brown eyes, she had wanted that moment to happen.

"So are we ever getting out of this death-trap, or is it, like, the never ending forest?" Harper called out, thereby ending the connection between Eliana and Blaike.

Her interruption had startled them both, causing Blaike to jump and pull his hands away quickly, as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have. Eliana frowned slightly, then cooled her features so as not to give off the impression that anything was wrong. But she wondered why he had seemed so...guilty.

Seconds later, however, he once again put his arm around her shoulders, as if he couldn't keep away from her regardless of the prying eyes.

"We should be at the opening in just a few more hours, well before Star rise." Blaike replied.

"Okay, cool. So let's move, I hate this place."

They all checked the area over, making sure the Locelor was truly gone as well as any other threat that could possibly be present. Finding things to be in order, they once again made their way on the trail. Eliana continued following Blaike, and Harper was behind her, just in front of Zolen. The threat of the Locelor seemed to have mended whatever differences those two had.

The foliage remained thick and overgrown. Light was still being filtered through the large leaves and rarely made it to the ground floor.

"It's like a freaking rain forest. Without the rain. And the forest." Harper commented.

"You have a point. It's cooler though, but the large leaves and lack of light are similar." Eliana replied.

"You have a forest of rain?" Zolen wondered aloud. "That seems impossible. It can not rain enough to become an entire forest."

"Hahaha!" Harper laughed. "Dude, you slay! I need to educate you in some things."

She continued laughing, to Zolen's confusion. The two of them walked a bit closer together so Harper could explain the wonders of the rainforest. Zolen listened with interest, asking questions and following along with her every word.

"I never thought I would observe that." Blaike said quietly.

"What?" Eliana asked, walking closely to him.

"Zolen being...interested in something. Other than Fae business, I mean."

"He does seem quite focused on his Fae ways."

"True. He is a proud Fae, and I cannot fault him for that. However, he is often unwilling to see things from another view. It is quite entertaining to see him with your friend. Harper enjoys confusing him, which I find amusing, I must admit." Blaike said with a laugh. Eliana tried to join his amusment, but found it impossible to feel light hearted.

Trudging through the forest had become more difficult. Not because of the terrain, which hadn't changed much since entering, but more due to the mood, which had shifted after their encounter with the Locelor. Eliana had been shaken by its fear of her, even though she should have been triumphant. Somehow she just couldn't muster a positive outlook on the result of holding the StarStone out to the creature. Rather, she sensed an ominous future, one filled with conflict, battle and the potential for death. Her newly awakened instincts set off alarm bells for that outcome. Her heart worried about whose death she would be grieving.

"Sheesh, it's like a funeral in here. That death stench is gone, so lighten up people." Harper spoke into the silence.

"No one has died, you are correct, Harper. This mood is quite depressing." Zolen added.

Eliana had no reply. It truly wasn't about the Locelor or its stench. The mood had mostly been about her now uncertain future.

"Let us just continue on. The mood can not be helped." Blaike said, taking Eliana's hand in his own. The contact was reassuring even though her worries hadn't faded.

"Eli, get out of your funk. It's all good. We are fine, so stop freaking out." Harper told her.

But she couldn't possibly understand what Eliana now knew. Her future in this strange land would be filled with similar incidents, but she had no way of knowing if they would end positively. Or if the stench of death would ultimately reach her and those she had come to care for.

"Like Blaike said, just keep going." She finally responded. His hold on her tightened a bit in encouragement. Eliana tried to take comfort in his touch, but a worry stronger than any she had ever known was consuming her. She felt as though she was drowning in it, and wondered if she'd ever surface again.

Breathing deeply, Eliana fought the internal battle, showing nothing to her companions. She didn't want anyone to worry about her, especially Blaike, and felt that if they attempted to talk her out of her fears, it would only cause them to magnify.

"We should make the opening by StarFall, as predicted. This pace has given us an advantage after our delay." Blaike informed the group. The rest remained quiet, having an understanding towards Eliana's need for silence. She felt selfish for it, but couldn't change her emotions. Somehow, she needed to get a hold of herself and calm down. She needed to find something hopeful to latch onto. Eliana had no idea what it would be; she had no clue what would happen next. But she prayed silently that she would find hope in the answers the Seers would give.

***

After hours of walking, a soft light in the distance signaled an end to their treacherous journey. The glow in the distance cast a pink light on the surrounding foliage. Large leaves along the rock walls of the pass were bathed in a light that left them almost iridescent in color. Pinks and soft oranges of all shades filtered through the vines, with some leaves covered with the painted light. Eliana was awestruck at the sudden beauty in front of her. Even a place filled with peril could have beauty, she realized. And even a destiny of uncertainty could end well. Her outlook on the future might not be as bleak as she thought. Perhaps good would come of whatever she had to face.

Still trailing behind Blaike, with Harper and Zolen following as well, Eliana came up to where Blaike stood and put a hand on his shoulder. His head turned slightly toward her, taking in the look of appreciation on her face. She looked over toward him just a few seconds later, a small smile playing on her lips. After the darkness, both literally and emotionally, of the last hours, the light at the end of the trail was a welcomed sight.

"This is the opening." Blaike stated. "But you were most likely aware of that, judging by the look on your face." He smiled at bit at that statement. "What do you think?"

Eliana shook her head, "It's...beautiful. And it seems so strange to use that word while still standing within the pass. The entire day has been so dismal, depressing actually. But this..." her voice trailed off as she gestured to the scene before them.

"I know. The first time I saw this, I think I stood silently for, well, I have no idea how long. It does not seem real, does it?"

"No, it's a painting, not reality. Like someone's dream put on paper." Eliana turned to look at him fully. "But, you've been through the pass before? I wondered...you seemed to know so much."

"Yes." He answered quietly. "It's a story for another time, perhaps. But I have experience within this mountain."

Eliana immediately understood his desire to avoid the topic. If she hadn't been through the experience with the three other people on that trek, she wouldn't want to speak about it either. It had taken her to a raw sense of vulnerability that she wasn't ready to talk about. Thankfully, her companions didn't need to hear the story; they had lived it with her. However, she was now highly curious why Blaike would even think of going back through the pass if he had already experienced it firsthand. Why would he even suggest it?

"I can't believe we made it through that nightmare." Harper said, as she came up behind where Eliana stood. "It was like one long, bad horror movie, just waiting for the killer to jump out from behind the bushes."

"We have emerged unscathed." Zolen declared. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Harper, or actually shoulder to elbow. Zolen was at least a head taller than Harper. The two had continued to get along as they walked side by side for the last hours of the journey.

"Almost. We still have five hundred feet to go, bub. Don't count your eggs before they hatch." Harper warned.

"Eggs? Feet? I count eight feet, not five hundred. And I have no eggs. They do not travel well."

Harper just looked up at Zolen, an unamused look on her face. "Oh my God, now I have to explain the egg thing too? You are a lot of work, dude. I'm not sure I have the energy today, but give me an hour in a hot bath and maybe I can give you the four-one-one on cliché's"

The exchange between the two brought Eliana to hysterics. It may have been the tension of the day, the traveling and lack of sleep, or just the look on Zolen's face during Harper's speech. But Eliana started laughing and couldn't stop. The tears began to roll down her cheeks as her friends looked at her, laughing as well, although not nearly as hard. Blaike pulled her into a comforting hold, laughing slightly still at her hysterics, and rubbed her back to calm her spasms.

After a few minutes, the laughing calmed down. Eliana shook her head at herself, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"That's how I found you back at the cave, is it not? Tears from laughter marking your cheeks? It set me on a search for the beast who threatened you." Blaike said, smiling at the memory.

"Oh, right. It was the same type of laughter. Being completely hysterical over something not that funny, after going through something completely stressful." Eliana reminisced.

Blaike had a hold on her hand, squeezing it gently in understanding. He had started to do that regularly, and it gave Eliana little butterflies each time. She was beginning to feel a strong connection with him, and she wouldn't be able to deny it much longer. She felt like he would look at her soon and she might just blurt out everything on her mind. That feeling frightened her almost as much as the pass had.

"Look over there." Blaike said, bringing her back to the present. He was pointing to his right, off in the distance. There was another mountain peak, though not nearly as high. Eliana could see the small horde of Ferlish trees and some rocky landscape.

"That is the passage, the cave from where you entered the Ferlands." He told her.

"Oh my! It's so close to this! But we took a week to get to the Fae forest." Eliana was surprised at their location. She hadn't thought about what would be on the other side of the pass other than the Seer refuge.

"Yes. After you arrived, I knew that going across the countryside would be the best route, even though it would be much longer. The Wildlands would be bad enough; I knew the pass would be impossible. But after the Oprey, I believed it was a reasonable goal. And we have made it through."

Eliana understood all that he was saying, knowing that her time in the Ferlands had prepared her for the pass. Barely. But there would have been no way she would have had the strength to make it through during that first week.

"So, how much longer to that refuge place?" Harper interjected. "I'm so done with the hiking crap. I know I'm all adventurous, but this place is extreme sports to the max, you know?"

"We may need to camp here at the crest, the trek down is best accomplished in daylight." Zolen added. His tone indicated that he worried someone would fall off a cliff if they hiked at night.

"I would agree with Zolen." Blaike said. "Good vision is key on this trail. Let us make camp here. It is a safe spot. The view at StarRise is also quite amazing." He added.

Harper sighed deeply. "Oh, fine. I guess a good view is worth it."

Eliana stood looking out over the valley below them for a few minutes longer. She had been so focused on the neighboring peak with their entrance to the Ferlands in sight that she hadn't taken in the rest of the view. She had been impressed with the landscape of the Ferlands as soon as they had arrived. But nothing could compare to what was before her at the top of that crest.

There was a sea of green before her, vibrant and full of life. A green she had never seen before, so many trees back home were dying from the bark beetle, or a drought, or deforestation. But in the Ferlands, the trees seemed to be almost glowing with life. Even the rocks on that side of the mountain had more color and patterns than anything she'd experienced. If the clouds above parted and a choir of angels had started to sing, Eliana would have thought it expected. The place before her seemed like a heaven on Earth, a paradise. A waterfall was thundering about half way down the mountain, bursting from the rocks and cascading below. The rushing water continued in a winding path down through the lush valley. As beautiful as the pass had been at the end, the Seer's refuge was beyond it in everyway.

The opening of the pass was like hope for the future, but the refuge was like a dream come true.

Something else had caught Eliana's eye as the group surveyed the valley below in awe, Zolen and Harper equally quiet for once. A twinkle below, a silver sparkle of light peeking between the enormous trees drew her attention more than any other sight below.

"What is that?" Eliana whispered in wonder. The four had gathered close to take in the view.

Zolen followed the path of her gaze and looked down and around the valley, "I don't see anything other than trees and the river."

"There's a sparkle down there. A silver pool of liquid crystal, it seems. It doesn't look like water, not even this insane Ferlish water. It's...more. Something else, but what could it be?"

Blaike turned his gaze over toward the two as they looked through the trees, Zolen still trying to catch her vision. "That is Starlight" he said to everyone's shock. All three look toward him with wide eyes.

"Can you see it?" Eliana asked.

"No. And I gather that Zolen nor Harper can see it either. But Starlight is as you have described; a liquid pool of crystal, with a silver sheen. The Seer's have been quite descriptive, not keeping it a secret." Blaike explained, a sadness in his voice.

Blaike returned his gaze to Eliana, seeming both overwhelmed and confused. "But how..." Then the facts began to piece together the odd truth, everyone thinking the same thing. It was Harper who put it into words. "Eli is a seer."

A Seer with hazel eyes.

A Seer who had not grown up in the Ferlands.

A Seer who had been called back by destiny.

Eliana's world had just been changed, forever.

〰🖤〰

Another long one, but I kept it all as one post... so even with the hazel eyes, it appears that Eliana has the gift of sight and is able to see the Starlight. We'll have to wait to find out more, but she certainly realizes that the future is never certain, and her pull to the Ferlands could have dire results.

Now that I've depressed you with my deep thoughts, I also want to thank you for reading! I have been busy trying to complete the story and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am with it right now!! Things are finally coming together and even I am surprised!

Would is all about uncertainty. The mood of the song is also a bit dark, which I felt matched the mood of the chapter. It's not an external battle, but now an inner battle that Eliana must fight.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]