Rise of a Prodigy: Chapter Five (2)

“ Hey, Lannen, someone’s knocked a bunch of these crates over”

At the sound of this voice, Elisa nearly shrieked in terror. Now it
must be all over, and surely she would be punished for trespassing.

“ Ah, it was likely Aguerus that did that, you know how clumsy he is.
Get on with it Deiter, the Virtuoso’s have been asking after these
herbs for half an hour”

“ Aye, your right, I’ll get moving. Why do they need so much tonight? That’s what I’d like to know”

“Large group of new prodigies, the rituals got to be just right for
each one. It’s a good job we’ve got plenty of this stuff, with how much
they seem to need.

With those last words, Elisa heard the door close, followed shortly
by the sounds of the two mean walking back towards the stairs, and
heading upwards, farther and farther away until once again, all was
silence.

Elisa waited until she was sure that she was safe, and then let
herself breathe. She wiped her face with her sleeve, sweat dripping from
her forehead. She could feel herself shivering, and wished she would
stop.

“ What, in every king’s name, was this ritual business?” Elisa
thought to herself. She had never read of any such thing taking place at
Elleden tower.

Rituals were what happened in the Halls of Stars, at every changing
of the season, or other such important things. There, robed Praetors
would stand around, chanting to the open sky, hoping that the spirits of
those who had long since parted would hear them. Her family had
sometimes watched these rituals happen, but Elisa had never been able to
take much interest. She’d always thought the Praetors had looked silly
in their robes, and that the chanting was a bit dull and boring. Her
father sometimes took her home when she looked too bored, and once or
twice scolded her for not showing the proper respect.

But now, Elisa wanted nothing more than to watch this ritual,
especially if it had something to do with new prodigies. As far as she
knew, Elleden tower and its Maestro had nothing to do with the Grand
Praetor, or the faith of the departed spirits as it existed in Gardena.
So why would the Virtuoso’s be the ones to perform such a thing as this,
and why were new prodigies involved? Lalea had certainly mentioned no
such thing in her letters, and Elisa could swear on all she held dear
that no passage in any book she had read said anything of the kind.

Elisa remembered how she and the other new prodigies had arrived at
the tower, more like cattle than people. She thought back to the others
who were likely still lying in their cells, too weak to move. Was it on
all on purpose then, that they were being treated like this? Was it
required for this “ Ritual”?

Elisa wished she could contain all the thoughts that were spinning
around in her head right at this minute, so many she could hardly keep
track. Was this really what she had dreamed of for so many years? All
the things she’d imagined in her head, all the little details she’d been
hoping to find, none of them were here. It seemed like a huge wall was
crumbling in her mind, and she didn’t know if she was sad or happy that
it was going down.

Still, there was the question of the Maestro, and of the Virtuoso’s.
Elisa had always thought of them as kind people, who wanted to advance
wisdom and knowledge, and use the powers of the stars to further
Gardena’s safety and happiness. But where were they? Would they really
let new prodigies be treated in this way?

Elisa knew couldn’t just stand against this door and hope to find the
answers she was looking for. No, she decided, she had to find Lalea, or
someone, anyone who could give her some kind of answer.” Maybe”, she
started to pray silently in her head, “Maybe all is not as terrible as
I’m imagining it. Perhaps this is all some kind of big test, or I’m
seeing things wrong. I’ll soon feel stupid for doubting my sister and
the goodness of Elleden tower”.

With that thought, she finally made her move. Stepping back into the
hallway, she started walking back towards the stairs. She knew her next
destination would be the next floor up, so she began climbing, taking
care to be as quiet as she could. There were windows now, through which
shone the light of the full moon, so she threw away her torch.

As she climbed, she started to feel the air around her getting much
hotter, as if a fire was burning further up. She also started to hear a
multitude of loud noises, of steel clanging, wheels turning, and of
masses of feet moving to and fro.

Elisa could tell, by the size and light of the moon, that it must be
the dead of night. Who could possibly be doing such work, especially at
an hour like this?

Again, this was not something she had read about, nor had she ever
imagined it. She was starting to falter as she climbed the stairway,
until eventually she came to a full stop. She could not stop herself
from trembling, and where she not trying to stay quiet, Elisa would have
begun crying.

She was nearly at the second level now, well in sight of the large,
wooden door that seemed to be a dark mass that warned of danger. Still
she heard the noises, louder and louder, and she knew in her heart that
what lay behind that dark, tall door would not bring her any joy. For a
moment, she thought about heading back down the stairs, to her cell, to
forget about all she had seen and heard so far. Ignorance, it was said,
could be bliss if one let it, and maybe she could hit her head against
one of the ninety tiles of the left wall, so she would forget all of her
midnight excursion.

Then another thought occurred to her, one that made her shut her eyes tight, and stand perfectly still.

“This is all a dream.” Elisa said aloud, as clearly as she dared, in the strongest tone as her spirit could muster.

“ This is all a dream. In a moment or two, I’m going to wake up, with
my head resting on a book. Little Jerrick will be calling me names, and
telling me its breakfast time, so hurry up stupid. I’ll get dressed,
after I’ve had a quick bath of course. Mother will have everything
ready, and Dad will be eating before we even get to the table. Then,
when breakfast is done, I’ll head out into town. Mr Marwell will be
opening up his old shop, and he’ll say hello to me. Old Miss Braider
will wave from her window, and ask me how I am. “

On and on, she recited the routine of her daily life in her hometown.
Closing her eyes, she was there. In her mind, she could almost feel the
wind on her face, the flaky mud beneath her shoes, and the mild warmth
of the autumn sun.

But when Elisa opened her eyes, the spell faded, and she was still on
that same stairway. The noises were still there, and they grew no
quieter. No wishing or pleas could change what was undeniably true, and
what had to be done.

Elisa Varian had to keep climbing those stairs, reach that door, and open it.

She let herself take a few deep breaths, her shoulders rising and
falling as she composed herself, her right hand resting on the wall.
Then, trying as hard as she could to not think about what she was doing,
she took a step forward. Then she took another, and so on until she had
reached the solid floor of the second level, and stood before the large
door.

Elisa placed her hands on the door, for the moment simply letting
herself feel it. When she touched it, it somehow seemed less threatening
to her. It was no black hulking mass, but simply painted wood.

Opening it however, was another matter entirely. Elisa looked around
for some kind of doorknob or handle, but found none. Was it some kind of
spell then, which kept this door closed?

The she decided to try and give the door a firm push. It was a mild
effort, as she did not expect it to work. Yet sure enough, she felt the
door give way slightly.

With further effort, Elisa opened the door wider and wider, and finally got a good look at what lay behind it………………..