Destination Starlight (14)
The elf peered at the couple in silence before nodding to them. He had acknowledged the statement by the young woman, which had been accurate, and he himself knowing that the body he saw in the starlight was his. He knew that would be considered deceased by now, legally, as several months had passed. “I give you another token for my identification, as it is true." The elf told them, "You both are from and using and online modem service called Synerchat BBS… as Joe Boo and Chelle, right?” The elf said quickly, motioning to Joe and Chelle as he told them their handles there. He grinned as he rattled off the phone number, knowing it by heart and then his usual catch phrase that he had always used on line. He described the others online, precisely and told them things that only the couple knew. The couple gasped loudly. His descriptions of their fellow members had startled them, indicating that he really was who he said he was. There was also no way that the stranger could know of the Bulletin Board Service where the couple connected into it, without having used it himself. Beside him, Natil had gasped too, hearing the concepts of telephones, computers, and other things that she did not understand and did not exist here in this century. “Jesus! N-Nathaniel, it is you!” Chelle gasped making Joe glance at his girlfriend, then back to the elf who nodded slightly. “Where…? How…? B-but… Y-you are dead! Why aren’t you dead?" Her questions pelted the elf who merely grinned. “Well I apparently am not if I am here standing before you.” The elf replied sarcastically, "By our lady… Huggies!" The couple both bolted to embrace him warmly, staggering him. His statement confirmed their suspicions, and it was the only encouragement they needed, realizing it was their fellow member. They warmly held the elf for a brief moment before breaking. “Jesus I’m glad to see you are alive!” Joe said, sharply. “I knew you couldn’t be dead!” “Oh My God…! It’s incredible.” Chelle added, weeping quietly as she stared at their friend, who intern was also a stranger to them. His face was not as they remembered, and the couple both frowned. His look silenced them, when he sensed they had many questions for him. “I am pleased, if not startled, to see you both too.” The elf interrupted, “But not here, not now. What the hell are you doing here?” “We came here looking for you at the store.” Joe said, “I didn’t expect us to be in this place, or hopping timelines. This is something right out of a fantasy book.” “It is real, Joe, Chelle. All of it and be always be mindful here, guard yourselves.” The elf told him as he nodded. He paused, reading their stunned expressions. “Be at peace, for the moment you are both safe. Be thankfully we were here in the north to run across you.” Rijiin said, “You would have been dead or in a dungeon by now, if we had not found you, or had not intervened.” “What does that mean?” Chelle asked, grimacing at his statement. “It means that you both need to be and return to where you belong. You both would have a longer life if you would have remained in the future.” The elf explained, “What I meant by that statement is that this place is a very nasty time, and place that will kill you quickly if you are not wary and mindful. It has many nasty people and factions.” “You mean the Inquisition?” Joe asked. “You got it.” Rijiin replied, “I will help you and get you back to the portal. It will not be an easy journey, if we are seen again. The soldiers no doubt are combing the city and roads for us. I have a place I can take you temporarily that is safe until we can return to the portal and get you both out of here.” Chelle and Joe glanced at each other then to the Elven couple. “We thought you staged and faked your death.” Joe said, “We came here to ask you to resurface and come out of hiding. However, apparently something has happened to you. I do not understand why you look like this and how this can be the past. When we return to the portal, we want you to come with us. Set things to right.” “Unfortunately, I cannot return with you." The elf told them formally, “I have found a different path I walk and a completely different existence…" Joe paused as he peered incredibly at the elf. Rijiin shrugged then nodded at the human couple and their questioning expressions. “It is no consequence… I am happy here, and found my home here.” Rijiin told them, nodding. “But, you have a lot of explaining to do… What happened to you and why do you look so different. It has been over two months. Is this where have you been the whole time?” Chelle demanded as their questions assaulted the elf from both sides. “Peace… How I arrived here was the same as you. I had a teensy problem when I became stranded here, the portal closing on me after my arrival. I found a bit of a major change or two after I arrived also.” The elf said, “I was wounded and had to be healed… sort of subjected to a little change of practical… Magic…” “Practical Magic?” Chelle asked, and she grimaced. “You can call it Wicca if you like.” The elf said, “The power of Natil’s people changed me into an elf from human, ultimately saving my life after a sword ran me through a couple of times. I should be dead, but their intervention with their magical ability and healing changed me. One of the reasons I cannot return with you.” “Well you’d better… Set things to right, they think they found your body in a gully dude. It was massacred into little pieces…” Joe explained, describing the gore in detail. “Unfortunately it is the truth, it is my body.” The elf murmured as he sighed quietly, “It is hard to explain, but a part of me that made up my humanity has been split away from me when I changed into what I am now. That part was returned to the future, leaving me fully Elven and immortal. I cannot explain it any better, but it happened.” Rijiin glanced at the loving look that Natil gave him, having nodded in response to his revelation. “Again it is of no importance and this is not about me, we have to see to your safety.” The elf replied simply. “Do not worry about me. I have everything I need here or want in this place. Be at peace.” Chelle was shaking her head, as was Joe, stunned by his revelation of not wanting to return. As for the elf, he had already seen for himself in the starlight the gore and knowing it was his remains that had been returned to the future. He was free, as the Creatrix has said, no longer bound to one lifetime and century, but living for all times. There was one hitch too that the elf realized… He could never return to the twentieth century ever, not as the previous life he had been before. “By our lady…” The elf murmured, shaking his head, in realization, “Finally I have found peace.” The human couple glanced at each other, as the elf stepped up to placed his arm around the young Harper. He held her and kissed her passionately. Joe, Chelle, both smiled as they did so. He peered lovingly into Natil’s eyes. “Ed' I' arwen, amin leitha, Natili.” He murmured, making her gasp. “Amin sintea.” She replied, and embraced him. The human couple glanced at each other as the elves exchanged another kiss. “Amin mela lle, Natili.” The elf told her, “Sii’ sanea oio. Ten’oio, a’mael.” The Harper grinned and smiled, but it turned into a frown. “Mani na llea ento belea?” She asked, and he shrugged, glancing at the young couple who were still astonished that he spoke a different language and so fluently. “Amin intyea aut- eska…” He replied, “Lye eska, amin winya eska, ar’ na- aut creoso eller.” With that, the Harper hugged Rijiin warmly and tightly, nodding, with tears in her eyes, she peered into his gray eyes. She stepped back. “San’ creoso eska, Rijiini.” Natil told him and he smiled to bow formally. The human couple had peered at the Elves and listened to the exchange, totally blown away by the conversation by them. “Jesus that was amazing!” Joe gasped, “I never knew you could speak a different language. What was that language?" Rijiin grinned at the couple and nodded. “It is Elvish.” “Is this for real?” Chelle asked, “You can take off the make up. Come on, it’s us.” “It is not fake, mistress… Pull an ear if you don’t believe me that it is absolutely real, as are the surroundings, because it is so.” Rijiin offered, “Pull hard, and it will show you that I have changed, and we all are here, in the same space and time, but in a different century.” Chelle stepped forward, grimacing with a sarcastic expression on her face, and she pulled his ear. Her pulling his ear made him wince making her gasp in astonishment. A trickle of his blood appeared on her hands, where her nails had cut him. Rijiin grimaced as he pulled out a rag and dabbed at the blood. “I said pull, not draw blood.” The elf snarled, “Be at peace, I know you didn’t mean it but as you can see, it is true.” Chelle stared in silence at him, astonished by the blood, his immortal blood that flowed freely. “No way…!” Chelle gasped, and glanced at Joe who peered at him in the same astonished silence. “Me being brought here is part of a change that is a second chance Chelle, Joe. It is a new face, a new existence and a new time. I know what you are going to ask again, and I cannot go with you, I would not see the other end of the conduit of energy from which you passed." He explained, "Therefore, I cannot return with you and as I said, do not worry so about me. I am safe here, and very happy here. I have everything I need here or want…” “But you don’t belong here!” The young woman had gasped, and was frowning. His look silenced her and he shook his head slightly. “Wait, you have everything you need…?” Joe stammered out the question, and he frowned at the elf maiden, narrowing his eyes. “What do you mean? Is she your…” “Mate?” Rijiin prompted, "Wife?" The Elf had not been looking at them, when he managed a smile, glancing at the blushing elf maiden. “Take a good guess.” The human couple had exhaled sharply again. Rijiin had disappeared over two months ago, was presumed dead but here he was, living, existing, and having taken a wife, also able to speak a language like he had been doing so and all his life. The young woman and her boyfriend were astonished by the facts and the profound changes of their BBS companion. "J-jesus, you aren't human any more are you?" Joe had exclaimed, half questioned and he nodded. “It is so… Please, I assure you I am fine… Please do not worry so about me. I am free of that time, place, and existence. I am here, not bound by one time, but living for all times as I am immortal, in addition to my changes.” “But t-that’s impossible!” Chelle gasped, making Joe turn and peer at the elf. “It is what it is.” The elf replied simply, “Let's worry about you both, and get you out of here, so you may survive in your own time.” The couple was perplexed by his not wanting to return with them, even though they were glad to see him, and still not understanding why he looked so different. They were also flattered for his concern for them, instead of his own existence, apparently the elf having made his choice. “So how are we going to get out of here?” Joe asked, and the elf turned his head, regarding the couple. “I know the way, but we must do it at nightfall. They guards will be suspicious if we leave too soon after a burning.” The elf maiden, had a look of surprise on her face that he was so eager to leave, even though he wanted to come here and see for himself the horrors of the century in depth, that he now found himself living inside. Sensing her astonishment, he took the Harper in his arms. “I made a mistake, and I am deeply sorry for pulling you into danger like this, my beloved Harper.” He said, grimly frowning at her. He held Natil who peered into his gray eyes, nodding. “I guess I just wanted to experience this century for myself, as I only read about this time and the foulness of the Inquisition.” He said, “My own arrogance got us into this but my ingenuity will get us out. We have to head south, and get them out of here. Soldiers are no doubt combing the city for us and the roads, so we must be diligent and careful to not run into them.” Natil had nodded and had smiled at his revelation. “We should, on the way back, not travel through the cities surrounding Hypperex. We should head east, into Furze then south into Saint Brigid.” Natil suggested, “We should stay clear of the Inquisition held cities for a long time after this.” “Aye…” He said, nodding. “Inquisition…? Fourteenth Century?” Chelle mumbled, “This can’t be. This is still fucking nuts! This has to be the games!” “You stepped through the portal, that opened, and here you are. The portal, conduit from which you traveled, believe me it is all real and you can die here just as quickly. I will do my best to get you out of here, but first we need to get clear of the city.” Rijiin declared sharply, “This is no dream, welcome to reality.” The elf nodded, and he motioned to his companion, “Best we change into our gear.” They went quickly into the next chamber, one at a time, and there they changed into the green and gray leather. A moment later, his Harper returned first into the main chamber, clad in the green and gray leather that shimmered in the dim light, despite the gloomy surroundings. Rijiin went to the chamber, changing quickly and he slid the belt of the dragonhead katana in his belt, and the dagger that matched as he stepped back out. The elfish couple grinned at the astonished expression of human couple for the garb they wore. It was nothing like they had ever seen before, not even at the Renaissance festivals. They were hardly at a festival, being in the real thing, in time itself, very bleak and dark as they were.
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