Evermore: The Gathering

CHAPTER 39

 

356 AC - Temple of Paladine, Palanthas


She had been praying for three days and three nights, allowing herself just enough nourishment to sustain her body. Too weak and dizzy to go on, she lay curled up at the feet of Paladine's statue with her head in her arms, her heart fluttering, her breathing rapid and shallow.

At some point she lost consciousness. There was a howling wind, a storm gathering on the horizon; autumn had arrived, and she felt cold, terribly cold. Quite suddenly a name emerged from the darkness, letter by burning letter - a man's name that struck her as attractive. It hovered in the air before her eyes, surrounded by sweet-smelling red roses, and she knew, without knowing how she knew, that the name belonged to a mage of the Black Robes.

In a daze she watched as the roses began to wither, and out of the darkness shot forward terrifying images of death and destruction. The flames were bright and hot, and she could smell the sickening stench of smoke coiling off burnt flesh.

He will destroy the world. He will call back the Dark Goddess, and everyone will suffer. You will stop him, my daughter. You will bring him back to light. Alone.

The next thing she knew she was standing in a room in that large looming tower in the west of the city, the magical tower that was surrounded by a vast grove they said was haunted. A soft voice called out to her: she could see no one, but she knew that the one who had spoken was the black-robed mage with the enchanting name. She expected to feel fear, but for a short moment she felt happiness such as she had never felt in her entire life, and her soul expanded in ecstasy, even as it shrivelled in shame and guilt.

But it was brief, that moment of bliss: she was crushed, not from within, but from without, unexpectedly and without warning. A dark shadow moved over her, its seductive touch upon her cheek entwined with a deliberate desire to hurt, so strong that it left her gasping for air. A sorrow descended over her: birds were falling from the sky in mid-flight, and ash and black soot were raining down on the streets of Palanthas, slowly covering the empty world. She sensed more than heard a huge wave of explosion, and then everything went dark and muted, except for the high-pitched whistle ringing in her ears.

After a few disoriented moments, her hearing returned, and she thought she could hear thunder in the distance. She opened her eyes to see the lightning in the sky, but the darkness lingered. She blinked furiously, but the darkness was there to stay, right inside her eyes, and the only thing left in the world without light was the sound of her own pulse hammering wildly in her ears. And then a flash - a single golden symbol in the darkness, an hourglass?

That was it. She regained her sight and for a moment saw herself from above: a tiny figure in white curled up into a ball on the temple floor, cradling her head in her arms, as if protecting herself against invisible blows. But then she was back inside her body again, and she slowly picked herself up from the floor, panting and pale. She tried to stop herself from shaking, but the trembling would not go away.

Her face wet with tears, she sat still for long moments in wordless gratitude, hugging her knees to her chest and smiling to herself.

Paladine had accepted her. He had granted her a vision and would finally put her through a test of faith. And what a test it would be - nothing less than saving the world, and a man's soul. So entirely different from the usual ones, such as tending dying children or walking a sentenced prisoner to his execution. Even though she had asked for something truly spectacular, the vision astonished her; she would have thought Paladine was mistaken, had He not been infallible.

A blackrobe, a servant of the Dark Queen. The more she thought about it and the things she had seen in her vision, the more she began to grow sick at the thought, but she determinedly silenced any doubts as she brought her hands together in a prayer.

"Platinum Father," she whispered. "May your will be done."

She got up from the floor and was hit by a dizzy spell, which caused her to slump against the statue.

She waited for a short while and then staggered out into the morning sun, heading straight to Elistan's rooms.

She did not register the shock in Elistan's face when he opened the door and saw her, his gaze taking in her tangled hair, her parched lips, her trembling body.

"Revered Father," she whispered passionately. "I've had my vision. Tell me all about Raistlin Majere."