Chapter 1
S weet incense filled the air, jasmine and ylang ylang, and the soft flicker of an ever-burning flame soothed her weary soul as Aelrie stepped onto the central dais.
The high priestess was deep in her meditative prayers and had not noticed her arrival.
Aelrie Everstar waited patiently for the priestess to finish.
The high priestess looked small and childlike as she knelt to pray at the altar, swallowed by the long, layered silken robes of white that she wore.
Lindana Goldenbough was the youngest priestess ever to ascend to the lofty title of high priestess in the history of Alfheim in the elven world of Yggdrasil.
Yggdrasil was home to the three races of elves—the Light Elves who lived in mighty, marble-walled cities, the Wood Elves who preferred their homes in the treetops, and the Dark Elves who made their home in the dark caverns of the Evergloom.
There was one other race descended from elves in Yggdrasil, though none acknowledged their legitimacy in the elven pantheon—orcs, viewed as nothing more than belligerent troublemakers.
But far from that, nestled aside Mount Sylver, resplendent in its glimmering white marble, Alfheim was the most precious jewel, the beloved home of the Light Elves. And the Temple of the Starsun was the center of life in Alfheim.
The Starsun was a bright shining star that lit up the night sky on Midsummer’s Eve, making the night appear as day.
All Light Elves bask in its glory during this time of celebration and hold festivals and rituals in its honor.
Their love of the star made the Temple of the Starsun powerful and influential, especially in the political and social matters of the city.
That was why Aelrie’s job was so important.
The high priestess was in a trance, guided by her prayers, swaying slightly with her invocations for the Flame of Neverending Light to burn eternal and bring serenity to Alfheim.
Lindana was petite and fragile-looking with delicate features—tiny, soft hands, and a small heart-shaped face that looked like the porcelain dolls Aelrie always wanted to play with as a child, yet her parents could never afford.
Lindana’s slight frame moved gracefully together with the rhythm of her chanting.
The scene was as beautiful as it was melodic.
No matter how many times she had seen it, watching the priestess in her mid-morning prayers never ceased to amaze Aelrie.
Nothing else in her life could give her this same peaceful, tranquil bliss.
Her mind slipped back to when the young priestess Lindana first rose to the position of high priestess of the Temple of the Starsun ten years ago.
It had caused quite a stir. She had only turned eighty the year of her ascension, but for Light Elves whose lives were the longest of all elves, seventy years marked the beginning of adulthood and the end of childhood as they lived until their six-hundreds.
Both she and Lindana were ninety, an age considered young, and an age at which most elves were still in their studies or apprenticeships. For a young elf to gain so much power, just at the beginning of their adult life, made many feel reluctant to say the least.
Youth was looked at in an idyllic, reminiscent sort of way, and the young also had more leeway for mistakes and transgressions.
Anyone under one hundred was considered capable of the tenets of Light Elf society, such as intelligence, justice, purity, and virtue, but they were not expected to hold the positions of power which set or governed these tenets, as the wisdom of experience and long years lived was everything to the elves.
Even though many regarded her ascension with skepticism because of her young age, Lindana had many supporters and admirers as she was beautiful, with snowy white skin and pale silver hair.
She was also compassionate, giving alms and room and board to the poor Wood Elf refugees from the east who were locked in a great war with the orcs of that region .
Unfortunately, there were many who disapproved of such actions, particularly the Elven Council, a group of elders along with highborn nobles.
They were more of the traditional mindset and believed in insular practices and not interfering with the troubles of the outside world.
Light Elf society had a king, but he was mainly just a figurehead these days.
The Elven Council set the rules and laws and got the king to mandate them, even though it was traditionally supposed to be the other way around.
But Lindana was different. She cared for all elves, no matter their race, and this was something Aelrie sincerely admired about her.
Lindana even cared about the Dark Elves, though there was little love for their Evergloom dwelling brethren in Alfheim.
Her dedication to all was shown by her protection of those who came to the temple to seek help, whether they be Dark Elves who escaped indentured servitude from their cruel society, or Wood Elves who sought refuge from their war with the orcs.
Just the year before, Lindana opened up a ward for these female refugees in the temple to stay at temporarily, until she could find them a job and a room in the city through her connections.
This had ruffled a few feathers as Light Elves had dealings with the Wood Elves, but refused to treat with the Dark Elves, and vice versa.
It had been that way for tens of thousands of years, ever since the war forced the Dark Elves underground, to the Evergloom.
At that time, their names were Ljósálfar and Dokkálfar, ancient names no elf brought up in polite conversation due to the nature of the conflict.
Even though the Dark Elves were stronger and wielded dark magic, the opposite of light magic, the Light Elves were able to win the war.
The power of their light magic won over the dark.
Every Light Elf celebrated the victory, and every Dark Elf resented it.
Now, the Light Elves held power in Yggdrasil, and the Dark Elves were the ones refusing to submit and continued with their own wicked ways, or at least that is what she had been told about them.
Though she’d gotten a glimpse of Dark Elf deserters in the temple, she’d never spoken to one, not because they were different, but because they had their own issues they were dealing with, and she had her job as a temple guard that kept her busy.
Lindana stood up, having finished her prayers, and Aelrie jumped, her hand inadvertently moving to her sword, not expecting her to be finished so quickly.
Some days she would wait here for hours, but she did not mind it.
This charge was more than just a job for her.
Protecting the high priestess gave her life purpose.
Lindana fluttered a shy smile her way. “I am taking it easy on you today.”
“No, my lady,” Aelrie replied, clearing her throat. “I truly do not mind. I would wait for you forever.”
Elves never did anything half-heartedly, and taking a vow for a lifetime of service was no exception. So ardent was this oath of servitude that she had taken a vow of celibacy along with Lindana. Nothing else would ever be more important in her life than her duty to the high priestess .
When she finished her training as a soldier, she thought she would be enlisted into the coveted city guard like all the other cadets aspired.
It was a dull position as nothing ever happened inside the city; all the action was out in the wilds in military service.
But the job was easy, and the pay was steady, and that made it highly sought after for young cadets without a thirst for adventure and no real battle experience besides their training.
She was always the adventurous sort, but during her training, she often worried about her future, so being chosen as personal guard to the high priestess, handpicked by Lindana herself, was a dream come true for her.
She would never forget the day, standing in a row of never-ending cadets as the newly appointed high priestess inspected them.
Lindana had walked past the line of fresh young faces, passing them by without stopping and only giving them a cursory glance before moving on to the next one.
That was until she came to Aelrie. She had stopped in her tracks and looked Aelrie in the eyes.
“I choose this one,” she had said with a smile.
Back to the present, done with her reminiscing, Aelrie watched as Lindana walked past, and the sweet floral scent from the incense followed her. She could not see her face but knew from her mannerisms that the high priestess was still smiling.
“Follow me,” Lindana said, and led Aelrie not to where they usually went after prayers but deeper into the chambers beyond, to her private quarters. “I have something I wish to speak to you about. ”
Aelrie wordlessly followed her charge. She had never been this far back into the temple before because Lindana’s quarters were private only to herself, and guards were placed outside her doors, never inside. The doors were sealed with magic and could only be opened by the high priestess alone.
Lindana raised her pale hand to the white marble door, its surface etched with swirling silver runes. A soft, radiant light bloomed from her palm, and the door slid open, revealing a long corridor flanked by what seemed to be mirrors lining each wall.
She stepped forward, and Aelrie followed close behind.
As they walked, her gaze shifted from side to side, drawn to the gleaming surfaces that stretched into the distance.
The air was filled with the gentle sound of falling water.
Curious, she moved closer to the wall on her right, and a cool mist brushed against her skin.
These were no mirrors, but veils of cascading water so fine and silver, they only seemed like glass.