824Llendinel felt Jake move away, leaving only the dancing aura of Isa in the air. She summoned her energy, trying to keep a smile from her face as the Isa nudged at her mind persuasively. She sank slowly into the now-familiar feeling of the Isa, testing its resistance, its support. She felt it begin to pull together, and opened her eyes.
Before her, standing on the water, was a man. He appeared young, resembling a human no more than ten years older than Jake. He was dressed in a simple tunic and trousers of an indefinable colour, somewhere between cream and blue, but somehow neither. The light rested strangely on his skin, seeming both to cling to him and dance away from him at once. His brown hair lightly touched his shoulders, the waves of it reminding her of the sea, and framed his strong face. The deep green of his eyes beckoned to her, teasing her with wisdom within. Around his eye was the telltale tattoo of the Isa, the one before her reminiscent of water, adding a delicacy to his otherwise masculine face. He smiled warmly and stepped towards her.
Llendinel. His voice had an undercurrent of waves, almost undetectable, but impossible not to notice.
Yes.
I am Nénuphari. Will you come with me? He stopped before her and held out a hand, looking protectively down at her. She nodded hesitantly and took his hand, which was warmer than her own, and gripped hers securely. Tentatively, she stepped out onto the water, not at all certain that it would hold her.
You've done this before, murmured Nénuphari. The water, as he promised, supported her easily when she finally put her full weight on it. It felt very different to walking on land. The elastic surface allowed the soles of her dainty feet to sink a little into the water, but held her upright. As she walked, the water pulled at her skin, as if yearning for the warmth of her body back again. The depths of the lake remained undisturbed as they passed over, fish swimming obliviously beneath them. Llendinel smiled in wonderment, and blushed when Nénuphari laughed kindly at her. They stopped at the centre of the lake, and he turned to face her, taking both her hands.
Take a deep breath, he warned. She filled her lungs with air, and they sank suddenly under the surface, leaving a single echo on the surface, slowly rippling across the glassy water.
Nénuphari began to swim easily to the bottom of the lake, pulling Llendinel alongside him with one hand. The water was full of plants, long thin roots stretching from the surface to the floor, wafting seaweed, floating plankton. It was murky, the light from above playing strangely through the water. A collection of rocks became visible, piled up in a large mound. Llendinel frowned, curious, but didn't question the angel. When they reached the bottom, he released her hand, and ran his hands along the rough surface of the rock. Finding a hole at the base, he slipped through, beckoning to Llendinel to follow him. She made her way in after him, only just small enough to squeeze through. The tunnel sloped slowly upwards, and she suddenly immerged into a cave, lit by a strange glowing that seemed to be radiating from Nénuphari. She climbed out of the water, breathing deeply. The pool rippled as drips of water fell from her body. Suddenly realising, she looked around.
Aren't we underwater?
Yes, he said, his voice laced with laughter. Look here. He pointed to the patches of green coating the walls. These plants provide oxygen. Their roots lead up to the surface. His finger followed the green stems back down the hole. Llendinel gazed in wonder. Nénuphari watched her for a moment, smiling, then sat down cross-legged on the rock. She sat opposite him.
What will you tell me? she asked.
I am the last but one link of this chain, he said, his gentle, light tone turned serious. I do not have knowledge or wisdom to tell, but a story. Are you willing to listen?
Llendinel nodded, her blue eyes bright in the darkness, lighting her face with a strange, ethereal glow, as if shining through translucence, or as if the light was thinner around her.
Nénuphari took a deep breath, and then began. There was once a man. His childhood is not important; it does not impact on our tale, although well known in angel-lore. This story begins when he met the love of his life, a young woman called Freyana. She was beautiful. Small and delicate, with jet-black hair and night-dark eyes, he fell in love with her instantly. She captivated him with her vitality. It was as though the very essence of life had been captured within her, and it took his breath away and made him yearn for her with a desperation he couldn't control. He watched her from a distance for as long as he could bear, then one day he pulled together his courage and spoke to her. She instantly saw him for what he was, a serious, determined young man whose heart was as straight as an arrow, and as dangerous. She was intrigued.
They quickly grew close, as close as mortals can be. He was devoted to her, and she hung on his every word. Within a year they were happily married. This is when things began to go wrong.
It soon became clear that it would be difficult for them to have children. Freyana had three consecutive miscarriages, leaving her distraught and unhappy. Her husband loved her as much as ever, and comforted her as best he could, bringing them closer than ever. He persuaded her to stop trying to have children, as he couldn't face seeing her this distraught. She gradually climbed out of her depression, and was as dazzling as she had been before. Only her husband could see the sadness in her eyes, her face that no-one else could see. Only he knew of her terrible grief that she kept buried deep inside.
Four years after they had married, Freyana realised she was with child. She was ecstatic, and so was her husband. He secretly prayed that she would not miscarry, knowing that she couldn't survive the pain again. Happily, all was well, and nine months later, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. There were complications with the birth however, and Freyana passed away three days after. Her husband was understandably beside himself, and threw himself into fatherhood. He loved his daughter dearly. Her eyes quickly darkened from blue, becoming a mirror image of her mother's, and a light covering of black hair was already apparent on her head. After much contemplation, he chose a name for her. He decided upon the nickname he had had for his wife – Freya. His love grew for her day by day, and slowly the pain from Freyana's death faded, even thought the sorrow remained with him forever.
He spent every spare second with his daughter, teaching her about the land they lived on, and about nature and the animals. As he watched her grow, he grew more and more proud of her, and the person she was growing to be.
Five years after the death of his wife, he was walking in a forest near his home, which had been a favourite place of his wife's. He was approached by a woman, like none he had seen before. Tall and fair, her flaxen hair falling straight down to her waist; she was beautiful. Her body was adorned in a gown that was like something from another world. It was of an indescribable colour, changing from an exquisite pale green to a deep plum colour in the same way that shadows moved on her skin. The bodice was delicately patterned with gold thread, a mesmerising, twisting pattern. Her eyes reflected the sky above their heads, an exquisite forget-me-not blue edged with white clouds. Around her neck was a thin chain, with a tiny glass phial hanging on it, resting against the pure whiteness of her neck. There was a delicate black pattern on her face, leading from her eye to her temple, twisting to make an enchanting design. He took a step towards her. She smiled and walked towards him. They both stopped a pace apart. She was as tall as him, they were looking eye to eye.
Hello, she said wordlessly.
His eyes widened in surprise.
Hello, he said back. She smiled.
I am Seraphiniel
He nodded slowly.
I am sorry you lost her, she said quietly.
He didn't move. He knew instinctively that she was talking about Freyana. He could see it in her ever-changing eyes.
She stepped forward, and slowly lifted her hand to his cheek, a strange gesture, yet it felt right. Her skin was cool, smooth. Soothing. He watched her.
Who are you? he asked.
I am an angel, she whispered, and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back, his longing for touch overwhelming him like nothing he had ever experienced. Such it is with all humans who encounter us.
Every night, once Freya was sleeping, he slipped out of the door and met her in the fields. They walked far, talking until daybreak, when he returned to his daughter, as rested and refreshed as if he had had a full nights sleep.
This continued for a fortnight. He learned all that it was possible to know about angels, and fell deeply in love with Seraphiniel. Their love was different to the love he had shared with Freyana; it was not as desperate, as yearning. It did not affect the spirit, but the senses and the mind. She in turn loved him the same way, a way that had been thought impossible by all Isa before, and not experienced by any Isa since.
The fourteenth night after they met, they lay together under the light of the stars and conceived a child. As soon as Seraphiniel felt the stirrings of new life within her, she remembered the prophecy, and fled back to her homeland, bidding farewell to the only man who has ever truly been loved by an angel. She did not know it then, but they would never meet again.
Our story now skips the next eleven years, during which the sadness of losing another love wore away Freya's father's health. Eventually, a month after Freya's sixteenth birthday, he passed away. Three weeks later, Seraphiniel also passed away, leaving Quelin on Freya's doorstep, and throwing the wheel of fate into motion.
Llendinel sat entranced through the story, unmoving. When Nénuphari fell silent she sniffed, and looked down at the ground.
Freya is my sister? she asked.
Nénuphari nodded.
Llendinel could find no words for a moment. Will I ever see her again?
If all goes as it should.
Llendinel bit her lip. Will I ever see my brother again?
In the end, all will come together. It will be soon.
I feel it too, she added hesitantly, after a nervous pause. Her eyes caught his for a second, and he smiled.
I must give you this, he said, pulling his hand from his pocket. In it he held a phial, identical to Quelin's, but containing a deep blue liquid. It glowed, as Quelin's had, fading as soon as it touched her skin.
What is this? she asked quietly, looking at it.
Nénuphari explained what Enciella had told Quelin. When she understood, he stood up, and led her back to the tunnel. They swam up to the surface and stood at the edge of the lake. The water lapped gently against Llendinel's ankles.
Thank you, she said quietly. He did not answer, simply embraced her. She smiled, and watched as he disappeared slowly, dissolving into the water.
She stood beside the lake for a long time, oblivious as night fell – the light retreating into the sky as quietly as it had arrived. It began to feel as though the end was near.
Sooooo, what do you think? Did you expect that at all? I havea feeling I may have made a couple of slips, but I don't know if anyone worked it out or not. What do you think? Yay or nay? Anyway, leave me a review, I have a feeling I will be updating soon! :D