The Chronicles Of The Council #1: The Sun's Tears

Chapter 10: Aylissa - Dark

"Like the eyes, the heart too has a way of adjusting to the dark." - Adam Stanley

Alachna City in ArBrae forest - Ardam 42

The wind howled and raged through the leaves of the trees. The sound was magnified by the countless trees in the forest. The moon was afraid of the night and hid behind black clouds, but Aylissa knew that she was there - lurking in the shadows.

Even with her keen eyesight that was incomparable to the weak eyes of simple humans, Aylissa struggled to see the fruits of the tree in front of her window. Aylissa felt a warm sunbeam penetrating her heart. It was so powerful that she feared that it could have ignited the forest and set it ablaze. She knew that he had come.

Eoghan was still asleep, but she had to wake him. He was the king. Eoghan and Aylissa have been married for almost a year. They married the day after Eoghan returned from the battle of the Second War.

He had been here many times in the past year, and his presence always unsettled Aylissa. It was different from the way she remembered him before her wedding. Before he was a distant figure that she only saw on some of the special days, but now she experienced more of him.

"Eoghan, my king, you have to open your eyes. Your friend," Aylissa clenched her teeth, "has come to visit you."

Aylissa did not like his visits, but she understood their necessity to the rebuilding of Ligtland.

Eoghan handed Aylissa her dress as she handed him his shirt.

She did not bother to brush her midnight-black hair. There wasn't enough time. They shouldn't keep him waiting.

They walked to the stone chamber where they have met him every time he came to visit.

It unsettled Aylissa that he had come at night. He always came during the day. It went against his nature to appear here when the sun was not shining.

The entrance to the stairs of the Stone Chamber was situated at the centre of the palace.

Eoghan and Aylissa touched the eyes of the statue that hid the stairs. It swung out of the way. They followed the narrow staircase into the depths of the mountain below the palace.

The Stone Chamber was the beating heart of their community and the most sacred shrine in the whole of the ArBrae Forest. All the decisions were made there. Only the twelve Elders were permitted to enter the stone chamber and only they knew of its existence.

It was the most suitable place for the Second One to arrive.

The chamber could only be entered through one door. The door was made of oak. Inlaid gold, emeralds and lapis lazuli depicted scenes of the forest. Eoghan pushed the door open and allowed Aylissa to enter first.

The circular chamber was made of solid white marble. Sacred gems decorated the walls of the chamber. In the middle of the chamber was a solid rectangular slab of marble, hollowed out to hold water from the sacred lake Avrir. The sides of the stone table were engraved with the words of an ancient language that very few understand - one even older than the Ancient Language known by some. Eoghan once told Aylissa that he wished he could read and understand the words on the wall. Aylissa did not see how that knowledge could be helpful in any way - especially if even the name of the language had been lost.

The Second One stood next to the stone table. His back was turned to Eoghan and Aylissa. His ocean blue cape hid his hair. The border of the cape was embroidered with golden thread forming a pattern of waves. He turned around and greeted them. He was holding a strange bundle of material in his arms. Aylissa recognized the cloth. She made the material, sky-blue silk with silver embroidered motives, during her youth and presented it to him as a gift during a previous Eeufeast.