Elfsorrow

Deciding sleep would be a long time coming, Erie

Watching the gossamer strands gradually thickening gave her an idea. She traced them down to their source within her consciousness, to the dark pulsating entity she thought of as the heart of the One. Forcing the strands back with her mind as she had been trying wouldn't work, she could see that now. Instead, Erie

Almost at once its energy lessened as it was forced into relative dormancy, feeding only on itself. At the same time Erie

She snuggled up to Denser, feeling the comfort of his gently moving body as he slept. He stirred a little at her touch, then stilled.

It is a lesson consummately learned. You are a very talented mage. Cleress's voice, soothing and quiet, stole into her mind.

Erie

I wondered if you'd be watching, she replied. But don't push your luck.

You must learn to control the One without us as soon as you can. Tonight you understood a tiny part of that control.

Meaning?

That what you felt were the merest tendrils of the potential of the One magic. Myriell was holding back the tide with you.

Erie

Perhaps a thousandth, said Cleress. Minuscule.

Erie

How could I ever hope to control or use the whole?

You ca

What? But Erie

Lya

You still let her die, said Erie

We really did have no choice, Cleress's voice pleaded inside her. As a host for the One, Lya

By 'us' you mean the Al-Drechar.

Initially, said Cleress. But you've seen how the One feeds on the elements around it. And you know what the uncontrolled power can do hundreds of miles distant. Before it killed her, the One would have gorged itself further, making the destruction you witnessed seem as nothing.

All right! snapped Erie

Transferring the One to you was the only way to stop it but keep it alive.

Yes, I-Erie

We would have had to extinguish it, said Cleress, her tone leaden. And we couldn't afford to do that.

Erie

There's something I have to know, she said, fearing the answer. Could you have extinguished the One and kept my daughter alive? Her heart thudded in the silence inside her mind. Could you?

Cleress sighed. It was possible, she said eventually.

Thank you for your honesty, said Erie

Erie

And take your senile witch sister with you.

Erie

Get out. Now.

I'm afraid we can't do that, Erie

Erie

Go. Your touch sickens me. She could barely get her thoughts in order.

It had to be that way, said Myriell.

You let her die for an experiment. She could still be alive. The tears were falling down Erie

And countless numbers would now be consigned to death with no one and nothing to save them. This was no experiment.

Don't give me that. You're lying.

First it would have been all the elves, next everyone on Balaia, said Myriell, like she was listing goods on a cart. And we mean everyone.

Go.

We will not.

You're lying. Lya

Erie

I don't appear to have much choice.

Erie

Please don't think of it like that, urged Cleress, her tone so much softer than her sister's.

How the hell else do you expect me to think? Talk if you must. I'm listening.

Myriell's voice filled her mind once more.

The One opens pathways. Lets you see outlines of possible futures if you know what to look for and if you study for long enough. And we have had all the time in the world to study. There was a sadness to Myriell's voice now, its stridency gone. Before we were even aware of Lya

And as we watched the world through the flow of the mana and harmony, we saw more danger signs, more potential for darkness. It was already apparent a crisis of huge proportions was coming. We could almost taste it. But even we were surprised at its scale and swiftness.

Yes, we could possibly have saved Lya

Erie