The shadowed queen, p.10
The Shadowed Queen, page 10
A sense of reverence washes over me as I stand before the imposing entrance of the jungle temple. The stone steps leading upward were worn smooth by centuries of storms and high water levels.
Vines and foliage envelop the temple in a natural embrace as if nature itself sought to hide the temple from the prying eyes of the outside world.
“Follow me guys, stick close,” I whisper to the group and head up the steps. We carefully sidestep pieces of the stairs that have crumbled and fallen away, vines and weeds taking over most of the structure, almost reaching out to trip you.
We make it to the top, and the building looks almost the same as I remembered. A massive, square-shaped stone temple, and several archways fill the entrance, with carved drawings of the Goddess of Death and her varying endeavors. Vines as thick as my arm hang from some of the structures, with massive thorns jutting out every which way. It smells like greenery and rot here, who knows what kinds of things have wandered in and died on this little island.
As we step inside, the dim light filters through the canopy above giving the temple's interior a greenish glow. The air inside is heavy with humidity and spiritual energy. Several hallways jut out in every direction, mostly leading to empty rooms and dead ends, designed to get you turned around. If you took off the roof and looked at the building from above, it would look like a very tight and confusing labyrinth. Getting to the island is the treacherous part yes, but getting to the Colossus is just as difficult.
We travel through the torch-lit, crumbling hallways for a while, single file. Aelinor behind me, Moss behind her, then Jane and Oberon in the back. The only sounds in the corridors are our breathing and boots shuffling on the crumbling stone floors.
"Are we close yet Annabelle? This place is creepy." Aelinor says, tugging on my shirt.
"Yeah, we're almost there, few more turns."
She shivers in response.
After what felt like an eternity walking in the near dark we finally make it. Here, in the heart of the temple, we see her, soaking in a steaming bath. The Autumn Colossus, a massive, ancient mammoth.
I approach the bath, the others cautiously standing behind me.
“Welcome children, you have done well to make it this far.”
“Thank you, My name is Annabelle, we have met before,” I state, bowing.
“Hmm?” she says, turning to get a better look at us, her eyes widen and narrow, like she's trying to force them to focus. “Ah yes, the shadow child, it has been many years dear, how may I assist you?”
“We have come to ask if the Goddess Mors had a temple in this realm, and if you've ever met her?” I reply, still bowing.
“I have met her, very few times, but yes, she visits me in my dreams. Her temple," she lets out a small laugh that echoes around the crumbling room, "this is her temple child.”
“Do I not look familiar to you then?” I ask, grabbing the raven necklace out of my pocket. She cocks her head at me in curiosity. I put the necklace on and ask, “What about now?”
Her eyes go wide. She leans in to look at me closer. Her eyes are milky white, it's clear she's going blind. But I can see the recognition in her gaze as she gets a better look at me. Her trunk slides across the floor, slithering towards me, sniffing at me.
“Mother?” she asks, her voice going soft.
“I am the reincarnation of the Goddess. I need to go deeper into the temple. I wish to speak with her.”
“Reincarnation? So then it is true, they are losing their powers? Mother had spoken to me in a dream... many moons ago. She had told me things were changing, and she would be visiting me less and less. She has not visited in a long time."
A small flash of anger fills my veins, that Mors would visit her, but leave Eleni alone to rot in that tree, never visiting her once. Eleni has been up there all alone all these years. Such a kind-hearted creature, abandoned.
“Yes, this is the Goddess of Water,” I say, pulling Aelinor up next to me, she bows to the Colossus and offers a small smile.
“Oh, this is a treat indeed, well then, sister, of course, you may pass through the temple, it is yours now after all.” She turns and pushes a large tree branch to the side with her trunk, revealing a dusty pathway.
“Before we go, what is your name, sister?”
“My name is Yena.”
“Thank you Yena, Eleni may be paying you a visit soon,” I say with a smile.
She cocks her head to the side again, I can almost see the thoughts connecting in her head, “Eleni? She's alive? Her voice cracks and she stiffens.
“Yes, she's been alive all along, I gave her freedom to travel the lands, she was trapped.”
“You-thank you, Annabelle. Oh, I do look forward to her visit. We have not seen her in centuries. I feared the worst when the Shadow Realm was cut off...”
“She helped us when we didn't have anyone else to turn to. I was merely returning the favor. We are going to go now, thank you for helping us.” I reply and bow again, she bows back, her bones creaking like trees under a heavy wind. She settles back into the hot spring and sighs, her milky eyes set on the skies above, watching for her sister.
I look back at the group, Jane was the only one who hasn't met a Colossus, and surprisingly, she doesn’t seem shocked or scared. She stands less than one hundred feet from a mammoth the size of the castle in Asphelia, and she's smiling at her. Smiling.
We bow our heads in thanks to Yena as we walk past the pool to the pathway she opened up.
I am instantly hit with cobwebs and vines, this path hasn't been used in centuries. I grab a sword out of one of my shadows and begin hacking at the vines, creating a path forward. The path leads us down, a slightly sloped floor bringing us deep underground. The deeper we go, the cooler the air gets, it becomes less humid, and yet heavier. The air down here hasn't circulated in centuries either.
Finally, we make it to the end of the path, a large archway leads out into an open room. The cavernous chamber is illuminated by a soft purple light that seems to emanate from the very walls of the room. The ceiling above is adorned with mesmerizing formations, resembling a cosmic tapestry of stars that twinkle with an otherworldly brilliance.
The walls are a dark, matte grey stone, filled with paintings of the four Goddesses, a story of them creating the earth and all it's creatures. There are paintings of what I would assume is the underworld, souls flying through empty caverns, looking for their homes.
In the center of the chamber, a pool of still, mirror-like water lay, it's shimmering surface like a portal to another realm. The reflection of the stars above dance upon it's surface, creating the illusion of reflecting the heavens themselves.
The group separates off to look around the room. Oberon follows me as I approach the mirror pool, my heart skips a beat, and within it's depths a figure begins to materialize-a hauntingly beautiful presence. This is what I came here for. A face that is mine, and yet, not. She has no scars, no blemishes to be seen, and she's glowing.
Her white hair cascades down like a waterfall, her eyes, the color of the deepest night sky, hold an ageless depth that peer through me.
“Daughter, come closer.” Her voice is deep, sharp, like every word is wasted breath.
I walk forward closer and kneel before the pool, looking down into the waters.
“You finally came, I have been watching you little one, oh how you've grown," an eerie smile grows across her features.
“I have so many questions,” I say, my mind is racing.
“Before you ask, child, let me speak.” I nod, and she continues, “There are many things changing in this world, even now I can feel my connection to this plane thinning. There are nefarious plans at play, but trust in the path we have created for you. Find the Goddesses of Earth and Life, trust no one but yourself. Listen to your heart. You've experienced such loss, my child, and each one made you stronger. You will leave this world changed for the better, fear not, for in death there is not just an end, but a beginning- an eternal cycle that continues beyond the boundaries of time. I will be with you always, even if you cannot see me." She sighs, eyes still locked on mine, then asks, "Now dear, what did you come to ask me?”
For a moment, my mind blanks, I can't think of anything. I sit in awe of the woman before me, this is my mother. my true mother. Oberon elbows me, bringing me back to my thoughts.
“What are the extent of my abilities?” I blurt out, my cheeks flushing at the rush of words.
She chuckles, causing ripples to form on the pool.
“There's much you have not discovered. These things you must discover yourself dear. I could tell you, but you would need to discover the power within yourself regardless. You are the Goddess of Death, there is hardly a limit to what you can do. The Goddesses of Life and Death are the two most powerful of us sisters, as the elders. You will come to understand that as you find the others. You will come into your powers as you grow.”
“Okay, thank you for that," I bite my lip in consideration, glancing to Oberon, who smiles at me, nodding his head back to the pool, "Another question, so I'm not sure how much you were able to see, from where you are. But people have been taking the fog from your portals, and putting it into cuffs that cancel people's magic. With that, I had a theory, can I imbue my magic with jewelry and give it to my allies? So we can create portals to each other? Or so I will always know where they are, like I can with my shadows?”
She looks off into the distance for a moment, looking past me and into Oberon's eyes. I feel a chill run through our bond.
“As a gift dear, I can do this for you. I will create 8 rings, the wearer will be able to create one portal, one only, and you alone will be able to use the rings to track down the wearer. But heed my warning: it is a dangerous game to gift magic to others. Ensure you fully trust who you bestow that burden on.”
“Burden? You sound like you speak from experience, can I ask, who did you give magic to?”
Her eyes grow dull, the starlight blurs from her vision. I can see in her expression she is remembering something painful.
“First, we gave magic to the fae females, to balance the power scales, you know this already. But the one I regret giving magic to, was the Mad King, he was not always mad," an eerie, soft smile graces her lips, " he pledged his loyalty to me, promised he wanted to heal the world. I trusted him, but he had secrets. I gave him the power to see souls, to mold them, he abused it. I do not give this to you lightly, daughter.”
That must be how the Mad King was able to control the fae all those years ago, no one knew how he was able to rise to power so quickly as a fae male, with no magic. He had magic, directly from the Goddess herself. He is probably the first and only male in our history to ever wield true magic.
“Do not judge me, he serves his sentence in the underworld for what he did.”
“I have no right to judge, mother.”
“Indeed," her chin juts out, and she looks down her nose at me, "in any case, I will make you what you ask, in return I need you to keep what I have told you in your thoughts: as you've been told, follow the path, do not stray. We know all, and all will be well if you follow the path we have carved for you.”
I ponder this for a moment. My mind is still reeling with all this information, my heart is pounding in my ears. I finally have the opportunity to speak to the Goddess, and I've completely forgotten what I wanted to ask her.
Oberon edges closer to the pool, bowing his head and closing his eyes.
“May I ask a question, Dark Lady?”
“You may ask it, I will decide if I wish to answer it. I have little patience for the male species nowadays,” she replies with a coldness to her voice.
Without hesitation he asks, “Do you know the whereabouts of Annabelle's sister’s soul? Ophelia? Or her friend Aspen?”
“Ah yes, Aspen Stone’s soul was not able to reincarnate. She currently resides in Asphelia, floating amongst the other wayward souls. The location of Ophelia Daeno’s soul is not known to me, I searched the planes but couldn't find her. My powers are waning, I lose strength every day. I'm sorry dear. Even now the gates to my own city, Regnumors, are barred to me.”
“Regnumors?” I ask, looking back into her eyes, the light had come back. A chill goes up my spine thinking about how this woman, an exact mirror image of me, could be a Goddess. How I could be a Goddess. She's absolutely beautiful, a thought I never could have about myself. Her eyes shine and reflect the light from the sky above. I remember the painting of her in the gallery in Nyxfall. She stood in her armor and had that aura around her. The Goddesses didn’t disappear from the earth at it's creation like we were led to believe. They were here all along, working alongside us. Watching us, lending helping hands. This woman is me, or more accurately, I am her. I see now the path set before me, as the reincarnation of Mors, it all settles in a little better after seeing her this close.
“Yes, the Underworld has a name. Regnumors, as you have Asphelia, I have my Kingdom of Death. As my powers wane, the souls become restless, I am unable to accommodate the masses, I can hear them screaming, unable to rest.” A pained expression twitches across her face, but is quickly replaced by her cold glare.
“Is there a way for me to gain access to your city? I can help.”
She chuckles again, closing her eyes and running a hand through her white curly locks.
“Soon my dear, in time yes, that will be required of you. For now, find the Goddess of Earth. Here,” she reaches a hand up and touches the surface of the water, small ripples echo from her touch. “These are for you, remember my warning. Our magic is dangerous, do not place it in the wrong hands.”
I reach my hand into the pool, the water is surprisingly warm, and feels like pure shadow. Our hands meet and a jolt of electricity shoots up my arm. I stiffen but reach for the rings in her palm. She quickly grabs my hand, pulling my arm under, and places her other hand on top of mine, squeezing. The power rolling off her takes my breath away, my skin burns where she touches me but I say nothing.
“What beautiful skin, pure power. I never thought to heal myself like this, you are a vision,” she says, admiring my hand, at the shadow skin that stops just above my wrist, everywhere she touches, a warm tingle remains. She looks up and into my eyes, looking at every scar, every blemish. “You are so strong, my daughter. I only wish I could've been there for you through your darker times, and for that I am truly sorry.”
I don't know why those words hit me. No one had ever apologized to me for how they treated me, I was only ever scolded for my reactions. “You should've been stronger” “you should've kept your mouth shut.” I was a child. I was a child.
“Thank you, mother. You have no idea how much that means to me.” I reply, struggling to hold back tears. The word mother feels so foreign, it stings coming out.
“I think I do, shadow. I mourn the loss of your childhood, just as you do. You deserved better, you deserved a mother who could brush the dirt off your knees, kiss your scrapes, sing you lullabies. You were that role for your sister, but what about you? No one ever thought to protect you, my child. But then again, your hardships brought you here, to me, and to that I am grateful.” She offers a small smile and squeezes my hand again. These words settle in my chest like bricks. After so many years of questioning, of feeling so alone, I have finally met with the one person who truly understands me. Her presence envelops me in a tender embrace, her words fill the hollow places in my heart, the rest of the world falls away.
She apologized, not for anything she had done, but for the injustices done to me. As she spoke, I felt the weight of absence lift just a little. The pain of my childhood came back -the abuse, the loneliness, the feeling of being abandoned. For so long I yearned for a mother's love, all I could do was give that love to my sister. I sheltered her from everything, I gave her the best childhood I could under the circumstances. No one had ever apologized, no one knew the depth of my pain. I could hardly explain in words the torment I had been through. I couldn’t change the past, but I could find solace in her words, I had grown into a strong resilient person despite it all.
There will always be a part of me that mourns the loss of a childhood I never had, the moments and memories stolen from me. I had found my own way in the world, had forged my own path. I had built a life for myself and Ophelia, with strength I had learned to summon from deep within.
With a final squeeze of my hand, she finally lets go, leaving the rings in my palm. I pull my hand from the pool, feeling the loss of her touch immediately.
“I need to leave you now, my child. Do not falter in your path, I will be here with you every step of the way, even if you do not feel me.”
“We will see the prophecy through. I-” I momentarily lose all words, in this moment nothing I could say feels like it would do justice to how I feel. She has taken the time, used energy she doesn’t have, to meet with us, to make me these rings. I look down at the collection in my hands. Each ring is created from an otherworldly metal.
The centerpiece of each ring is a gem that mirrors the vast expanse of the night sky. Deep mesmerizing hues of celestial purples and midnight blues swirl within the gem, like galaxies in the cosmos.
The gem is cradled by delicate vines, each intricately woven to form a delicate cage to hold the precious jewel in place. These vines with tiny thorns adorn their slender tendrils, adding a touch of danger to their beauty. I run my thumb along the surface of one of the rings, I can feel the hum of her magic -my magic, an echo of the enchantment that Mors blessed the gems with.
“I don't know what else to say, other than thank you.” I finally manage to murmur.
She smiles and I watch as she slowly fades away, leaving us to look into the black pool, reflecting the night sky from above.
I put the rings in the box with the raven necklace and tuck it into my pocket. The idea seemed good at first, to be able to give my friends ways to get out of danger if need be, to be able to know where they are at all times. But now that Mors has told me how the war was really forged, I need to rethink my decision. I can trust my friends to the end of the world but that won't stop darker forces from taking control of them, taking the power for themselves.
