Swallowing hard, I reached out with a trembling hand to touch the delicate fingertips of the white figure. I saw her features, so similar to my own, melt into an expression of happiness as she moved closer to me. I was overcome by a warm, soothing sensation, spreading from within my chest to every part of my being. I closed by eyes and exhaled slowly, relishing the calming heat of the new power being born within me. Every pore, every fibre tingled, and I could feel it all. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, but I was not afraid.
I breathed deeply, listening to the steady beat of my heart. I could hear everything; the musical voices of the spirits, the lilting tones of the faerie, the gruffness of the elven tongue, they all flowed to my ears and milled about in my brain. The coarse human language joined them, thoughts, hopes, dreams, and prayers from every living being on the world. I listened, and silenced them from my mind with a soothing hush.
I flexed my fingers, and I could feel everything. The warm winds of the desert caressed my skin, even as the cool rains of the forest and the frigid snows of the north mingled around me. I was in the depths of the ocean where no fish lived, and in the sky higher than any bird dared to fly. I was everywhere, feeling everything, until I closed my hands and the sensation faded.
Look.
I opened my eyes and glanced down. Below me was the world I had adopted, spread out like a map. I could see the green trees of the Spirit Wood and the Elven Forest, the empty ruins of Oponoe, and the small sheltering mountains behind it. Beyond the forest, the Huryl lands were defenceless, the desert laid out like a glistening sandy carpet, nearly surrounded by the tall grey mountains where the capital city hid. The calm blue ocean nearly circled the land that seemed unbelievably small from so high up, and in the distance lay unfamiliar terrain of grasslands and jagged peaks.
Closer.
I adjusted my vision and saw my adopted world from an even further distance, as a round planet hovering in the centre of three transparent, vaguely coloured spheres. The spheres overlapped around the planet, nestled in the coloured space like a child wrapped snugly in a blanket. I frowned as I regarded the spheres; they did not seems as they should be, for some reason. The blue sphere was far too large, dwarfing the other two. In contrast, the red sphere was so small it barely covered the centre planet. The green sphere was long and narrow, as if it were desperately trying to hold onto the planet but was failing. I shook my head and reached out to the sphere-worlds, cupping them gently in my hand.
This would have to be fixed, I thought. Things must be set right.
As I gazed down at the tiny worlds in my hand, I felt a presence somewhere in the back of my head smile, and disappear. Before I could ponder the strange awareness, a blinding light rushed towards me with remarkable speed, and I clenched my eyes shut to avoid being blinded. The surprise of the light’s sudden appearance knocked me backwards, and I felt myself falling. As I fell, the warmth that had filled me vanished, and when I opened my eyes again, I was staring into the worried eyes of another.
“Leila?” Jakob asked.
I opened my clenched hand, feeling a desert breeze on my palm for a split second, and saw only the silver acorn in my hand. Even the mark that Ruella had burned into my palm so long ago was gone. Rubbing my temple with my free hand, I sat up and looked around the room.
I was once more in the Elven Queen’s chambers, below the great tree in the Elven Forest. I was sitting on the floor, Jakob kneeling beside me, with one hand on my back to steady me. Will was only a step away, his eyes full of concern, while Fynn remained on the opposite side of the room, staring at me with wide eyes. I looked over my shoulder to where the Elven Queen was still sitting on her bed, and immediately noticed the contented look on her face.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice sounding thick as if I had not used it in a while.
Relief washed over Jakob’s face. “You touched the acorn and passed out, but only for a minute. Are you okay?”
“Only a minute?” I repeated dully. Had everything I had experienced only taken a minute?
“Leila, what did you see?” Fynn asked urgently. He moved to my side in two quick strides, his eyes flickering from mine to the Elven Queen. “You saw her, didn’t you? The White Lady?”
“Is that who she was?” I said curiously. “She never gave me a name.”
Fynn looked accusingly at the Elven Queen. “You knew! You knew and you offered the acorn willingly. She isn’t ready yet!”
“She is,” the Elven Queen replied calmly. “The worlds are in agreement, Aefynnelldar. You would know too, if you care to listen to your own kind.”
Fynn blushed and turned his head angrily to one side. “I have no kind. I served only one, and was forsaken.”
“By your own choice,” the Queen reminded him, “when you chose to serve another.”
“I saw,” I stammered, trying to answer Fynn’s question. “I saw everything. I felt everything. I was everything. Fynn, it was incredible. I touched her hand, and the world unfolded before me.”
Fynn frowned sadly at me, and I could see the hurt in his eyes. I struggled to my feet, with Jakob holding my arm, and I nearly fell again as my head spun. I could still feel the power of the White Lady in my veins, the tingling in my fingers, and the image of the universe in my mind. As I stood reeling, the Elven Queen slipped from her bed and stood before me. She was very tall, her long white and rainbow hair falling just past her waist as she looked down at me with her regal eyes. The jewel on her tiara glimmered, and in once graceful movement, she was on one knee before me with her proud head bowed.
“My Lady,” she said to me. “I remain your servant.”
Fynn stared at the Elven Queen in shock as Xair fell to his knees behind his queen. Will’s mouth was hanging open, and Jakob held my arm tighter.
“The White Lady has given you the power to balance the three worlds,” the Elven Queen explained, answering the unspoken question on everyone’s lips. “You are the one who sustains the creatures of magic, the elves, the faerie, and the spirits. By your will, we live or die, my Lady.”
“Please, stand up,” I pleaded.
“Are you telling me that Leila has just become a god?” Jakob asked incredulously.
Fynn sighed. “Not a god, just very powerful. I – I was asked by the White Lady to guard her, to keep her safe, to guide her though the world until the time was right. I had no idea this is what the Lady had in mind.”
Will was waving his hands over his head to catch someone’s attention. As we all turned to face him, he pointed to me and mimed someone opening a book. He looked up in confusion.
“He wants to know what the two prophecies had to do with anything,” I translated.
Jakob blinked in surprise. “You got that from him reading?”
I shrugged and smiled innocently.
“The prophecies were to keep you safe,” Fynn said. “Not the greatest of plans, I admit, but when they were created there was no know way to know what kind of humans would be ruling the nations. If an outsider suddenly appeared in their world, to avoid persecution and suspicion, the prophecies were created. No one would harm the saviour of their world.”
“There was no way to predict when the White Lady would summon you, Leila,” the Elven Queen continued. “It was fate that brought you here when the strongest human tribes were at war.”
“So what am I supposed to do now?” I asked helplessly.
“You carry the three worlds within you,” the Queen explained. “The spirits have placed their trust in you from the start. You hold in your hand the silver acorn from the oak in the world of Faerie, and you have around your neck a close tie with my own kingdom.”
Reaching for my locket, I drew it out of my white robe and stared at it. Fynn’s eyes went wide and his fair skin paled. He stumbled forward, his hand outstretched as if to take the locket from my hand, but at the last minute he recoiled as if burned.
“Will took this from the Faerie Queen,” I said. “What does it have to do with the elves?”
The Elven Queen smiled slyly. “That, my Lady, is something you will have to discover. You have the support of the elves, as you are our support. You must do the same with the other two worlds.”
Will gestured again, and I nodded absently. “You’re right, Will. There is still the war to finish as well, now that I am promised to no one.”
“And the Woodwalker,” Jakob reminded me. I had told him about my encounter with Mattis as we walked to the elven village, and he shared my concern for Mattis’ growing power.
I sighed, still feeling high from my newfound power. Where should I head first?