The Eternal Flame Read Free Page B

returned to silence.
    Elli started to speak, but Nuic raised his little hand. In a quiet but insistent whisper, he said, “Welcome to the Vale of Echoes, my good priestess. Having not been to the dark realm of Lastrael for several centuries, I’d almost forgotten about this place. But hmmmpff, there’s no doubt about it. So mind your voice: Anything here that’s louder than rustling grass will sound like an avalanche.”
    “And so,” whispered Elli, “those footsteps—”
    “Were just that ball of blue fur over there.” The sprite’s skin, also dark blue, showed a few veins of silver. “And if he’s as brainless as he looks, he probably scares himself with every step he takes.”
    Elli grinned. Eyeing the cub, she said, “I like him, though.” An idea struck her. “Say, do you think he could possibly help us find our way from here to the Lost City of Light?”
    “Unlikely,” grumbled the pinnacle sprite. “He looks stupider than a bubble-headed buffoon. Besides, for that kind of help you’d need to talk with him. That won’t be easy, unless he happens to know the Common Tongue. Or unless, like your friend Tamwyn, you can speak to other creatures through your thoughts.”
    At the mention of Tamwyn, her grin vanished. She glanced down at the bracelet that he’d made for her. Woven from the stems of yellow astral flowers, it now looked brown and brittle.
    “Well, all right,” whispered Nuic ruefully. “You could try, I suppose. Just don’t expect any miracles.”
    Elli turned back to the cub. She covered the radiant amulet almost completely, so that only a small circle of light pushed back the encroaching darkness. With her free hand, she beckoned to the little beast.
    For a long moment, he studied her. He cocked his head to one side, while he sniffed the air uncertainly. At last, he took one small step toward Elli and Nuic—although the sound of his paw hitting the ground started a whole new round of pounding echoes.
    Slowly, he shuffled toward them, always sniffing cautiously. Finally he stood beside Elli. For some time they just looked at each other, neither one moving. Then, very carefully, she reached out her hand and scratched behind his ear. Although his whole body cringed, he didn’t withdraw. And over the fading echoes, she heard him make a sound much like a sigh of pleasure.
    To Elli’s delight, the cub lay down beside her, his furry back rubbing against her leg. He then yawned, wagging his tongue, and curled up for a nap. In seconds, he was breathing slowly and rhythmically.
    “See what I mean?” asked Nuic in a grumpy whisper. “He probably thinks about nothing besides munching berries and napping.”
    Elli replied with a big yawn of her own. “Well, maybe a little nap isn’t such a bad . . .”
    Before she could finish her sentence, she had drifted off into a deep slumber. Unnaturally deep. Nuic, for his part, made no protest. For the sprite, too, had been lulled into enchanted sleep.
    Elli dreamed that she lay curled on her side, resting upon a wide blue sea. Tranquil water surrounded her; the ocean stretched without interruption all the way to the encircling horizon. No boat supported her, however. She was floating right on top of the water.
    Strange as that was, she didn’t feel troubled. In fact, she had never felt so relaxed, so wholly contented. She simply lay there, eyes open, watching the gentle waves around her gather and recede, gather and recede.
    Much like the Rainbow Seas, where she had gone swimming with her friend Brionna, these waters glowed with subtle colors that flowed amidst the bottomless blue. Far beneath the surface, currents of iridescent purple, gold, and green swirled and gathered, mixing together like liquid starlight.
    It’s all so beautiful, she thought dreamily. And so very restful. I wish with all my heart that I could swim in this sea . . . really swim, to be completely one with these waters.
    And then, to her amazement, she saw that her longing was