“She is a product of her society and upbringing, yes, but I’m not about to abuse her just because of her birth. She is an elf, just like all of you, as far as I’m concerned. Weren’t the High Elves arbiters of justice and equality between the other elves before Kathra orchestrated the massacre? How could you believe that one of your sisters is so lost as to be irredeemable?” I rebuked her.
Diamiutar, Heilantu and Tavorwen averted their eyes in shame.
“… You… you are right,” Tavorwen admitted. “We cannot condemn her without even giving her an opportunity for redemption.”
“It’s a fool’s errand.” Heilantu insisted. “Even if a shadow elf could be redeemed, it would take a lifetime to undo all that her people have done to her.”
“I’m going to try,” I insisted.
“Well, I’m done standing here, while you all argue.” Creadean declared, and she walked over to sit.
Tavorwen, Narusil, and the maidens who had accompanied the delegation also went and sat.
I felt silly, lecturing my house, my family, about things from their world that they may know more about than me. I shook my head.
“I need some air.” I declared. “Be nice to Clee’Amura. I’ll be back.”
I grabbed my rifles. The weight of the straps on my shoulders felt comforting.
I walked out the door, and began to wander. Aware of my surroundings, but not consciously picking a path. My steps were slow, my eyes darting to the elves scurrying around preparing for the feast in a few hours, but my thoughts were elsewhere.
My foot caught on a step and I stumbled, catching myself.
I looked up and realized I had come to the enormous spruce that held the temple where I had been bound to my matrons. I didn’t know why, but I walked into the great hollow inside the tree. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a figure standing at the peak of the arch of statues, staring at the statue of the Great Father.
“Thank you for coming.” The figure greeted me without turning. “I have been meaning to talk to you, but the threads of fate have been far too dense. Your coming was most timely.”
His voice was calm, and piercing. Overwhelming without being loud, and demanding respect while being gentle. I’d heard that voice once before, during my bonding.
“X’Thallion, am I correct?” I acknowledged him.
The head god of the elves turned to face me. In his current form, he looked much like a normal elf. Tall for an elf, he was a few inches taller than me. Unlike every elven male I’d seen so far, he was muscular and strong, though in a graceful and wiry way. His chestnut brown hair was long and spilled down his back. A circlet crowned his fair brow, far too fair to be a wood elf, and his deep green eyes met mine. The angular lines of his face matched that of the elves who worshiped him. His cloak, tunic, pants and boots looked well maintained, but well used. An ornate and intricately curved bow was unstrung on his back with a quiver, and a long thin blade was sheathed at his side. His hands were bare, with the exclusion of two rings on his right hand and one ring on his left. Unlike the last time he had appeared before me, he wasn’t glowing and his presence didn’t press on me like it had before.
“Ye, good child. I am the Eternal Father of the elven people,” the god acknowledged. “Your service to my children has just begun, but I thank you for all you have done.”
“Thanks… This is an absolute fucking mess, you know that, right?” I scolded him, feeling surprisingly calm for a man talking to a god.
X’Thallion nodded. “Come, we have much to discuss.”
The god extended his arm and branches sprang from the floor, weaving together until they formed a table and two chairs. He sat in one and I walked over and sat, leaning my rifles against the table.
“Strange, but effective weapons.” X’Thallion acknowledged. “They won’t be enough in the coming days.”
My heart sank. “I’ll try and figure out something else.”
With a wave of his hand, X’Thallion created a pair of goblets full of a red-orange liquid. He drank, and the goblet refilled itself.
“I have no doubt that you have criticisms for how I allowed my children to fall into such circumstances.” He opened the conversation.
I took a sip of the drink he provided, unsure how to respond. The liquid was a juice of some sort, sweet and tangy, and I couldn’t place what it was composed of.
“Thomas, son of Peter, you lack the capacity at this time to understand the laws and nuances that bind all divine beings, even Elohim who you called God.” X’Thallion stated once I was comfortable. “And the time required to increase your capacity and understanding is beyond that which you or I have to spare.”
I glanced up at clearly powerful being, with no small concern. Didn’t the Respite give us time? Surely…
My mind latched onto the meaning. Kathra, and probably Ya’av behind her, was plotting something. That much was obvious. But the fact that there was an amount of time that could and couldn’t be spared meant that I had the capacity to remain the victor, but it would be close.
“Are you going to tell me how to beat Kathra and whatever she’s planning?” I pressed the god.
He smirked, “Communing with one who addresses a god so freely is refreshing. No, I cannot relay such information to you, lest I free my matron to do the same with her wayward children.”
I blinked, “Wait, you still consider Ya’av… your matron?”
X’Thallion’s eyes took on a pained look, “What I consider her is irrelevant. She is my matron, and the lineage of my children she has inculcated to revile their father and family are still my children… And for the first time in eight generations, one of the daughters of the lineage of the Night has been freed from her influence. For this, I thank you.”
I cocked my head to the side and tried not to give the god a judgemental glare, but it probably failed.
“You’re telling me that despite her betrayal, you haven’t divorced Ya’av?” I demanded.
X’Thallion met my gaze, unamused. “A god’s word is eternal. There is no such thing as divorce among the divine. I made my oaths and I must abide by them.”
That was an interesting notion.
“But what of her oaths to you?” I countered, “If she doesn’t keep them, why should you keep yours to her?”
X’Thallion sat back, “Oh, but that is the key to wars between the Gods. The offending Gods tread as close to disobedience as they may, while still abiding by word of their vows.”
“What happens when a God breaks their word?” I wondered.
“‘When’…? As far as divine memory can stretch, no such infraction of divine law has ever occurred. No god would willingly perform such an act.” X’Thallion corrected.
I stood dumbfounded, “There are no gods of lies and betrayal?”
“Oh, gods of lies and gods of betrayal are plentiful as far as divinities go, but a God who has given their word must abide by it, even if lies or betrayal are their domain.” X’Thallion informed me, “But their most common ploy is convincing mortals that a Divine Promise has been given, when all that was truly done was a dance of deceitful prose.”
I shook my head at the nuisance.
“Regardless, you have in your care the first daughter of the lineage of the night freed from my matron’s influence in millennia. Care for her well.” X’Thallion instructed. “She will require patience and love to heal the wounds on her soul from my matron’s mistreatment. Keep her close, as many of my children will have great difficulty accepting the extricated night elf, so she will need your protection and aid.”
I immediately became nervous, remembering the initial response of my matrons.
“Fear not, Amura is safe with my daughter Lymarith as we speak.” The patriarchal god assured me.
I took comfort in that.
“I assume you didn’t come here just to thank me for Amura’s change of masters. What did you really want to talk about?” I pressed.
The god drank again, then he spoke. “I know that while you were under Elohim’s stewardship many of the rewards for your actions were adjourned until your afterlife with him in his courts in his celestial plane, but as your afterlife is outside of my domain, I feel obligated to endow upon you a boon, in gratitude for your ventures.”
I was taken aback, “What do you mean? Aren’t my matrons my reward for helping your children?”
X’Thallion shook his head, “No, your relationships with my daughters are more beneficial for my children than they are for you. A reward which rewards the giver more than the receiver is no true reward.”
I sat back, “So, what are you going to do?”
“As the Patriarch of the Exalted Host, I shall bestow upon you a boon of strength.” He informed me, “If you are willing to accept it.”
A gift of strength from a God? My mind wandered to memories of an animated Disney movie about a mortal with god-like strength and I had to admit, that sounded pretty freaking awesome.
“Uh… yeah. I’ll accept it.” I agreed.
“Then the Strength of the Host goes with you.” X’Thallion declared and a strange static spread through my body. “Now, time is a resource we can scant afford to waste, go and know that the Host is with you.”
I took one last drink then stood and offered my hand to the god to shake. He watched the hand for a moment, then accepted it, and we shook.
“I’ll do my best.” I told him, and turned.
Walking from the temple, I felt renewed motivation and energy. Man, having gods that would appear and talk to their people so readily was a strange dynamic. The weight of my rifles on my back definitely seemed easier, and my steps lighter as my feet carried me home. My mind raced through everything the elven god had said. He’d said a lot, and I realized he’d very carefully danced around what he could and couldn’t say. I felt like there was more there than an initial cursory listening had given me.
My mind was so focused that I arrived at my front door well before I even realized I was there. I stood for a second outside my door. I had a lot of thoughts and I needed to process them. There had been a lot that had happened in the last days, and I hadn’t had a lot of time to process it.
Reluctantly, I opened the door and stepped inside. Smells wafted from the kitchen, the matrons were spread throughout the house preparing things for the festivities and the feast.
“Oh, you’ve returned.” Lymarith called, pulling the blue skinned Clee’Amura into the room.