Inside the Chamber of Genesis, at the Statehouse in Barrier Hills, the wall sconces blazed steadily, lighting expansive ceiling in warm orange gold. The smooth mahogany benches were arranged in layered rings, each outer ring at higher level than the previous. Various administrative heads from around Golden Hills were sitting at these smooth benches all facing to the center, towards Aaliyah and her Silver Cadin, Sadabrasi.
'We have a list of those who have been assigned the various positions in the Organizing Committee.' Aaliyah spoke, continuing on her previous dictation. From the raised platform at the centre, it felt like she was looking down on everyone else. 'But it seems like I have been hearing complaints about it since it has been published.'
'My dear fellow Cadins' Sadabrasi, her Silver Cadin counterpart added in support. 'The Organizing Committee has been decided on the basis of performance and nothing else. Why do the many in attendance seem to not understand this concept?'
'And what are your parameters for this performance?' Someone stood up from the last circle. 'You have deemed a few parameters based on exactly what, Lady Aaliyah?'
'Sir Ayse, a report has been published on the parameters, and the reasons as to why those parameters had been chosen. Please read it and not waste the assembly's time in discussing in clearly what was supposed to be your homework.' Aaliyah replied. 'We have followed each and every process dictated for selecting the Seven Swans for the Beads of Seven Festival. It has fallen upon the Barrier Hills to conduct the Beads of Seven after fourteen years, and over the last three years we have been meticulously planning for the same.'
'The process has chosen the current Seven Swans and they are currently undergoing the penance for the same.' Sadabrasi continued on. 'You cannot question the fruits of the labour, question the labour.'
'Which is what I am pointing out, on what basis of have you decided the parameters?' Sir Ayse asked again.
'As mentioned before, Sir Ayse, the report specifies the same.' Aaliyah replied back, her voice steady yet forceful. 'Only a completely disciplined individual can adhere to the strict tradition of the penance. And I assure you during the assessment, none of the sons of the Head Priestess was upto the job.'
'But blatantly ignoring Head Priestess's sons for the Beads of Seven Festival can be detrimental for its organization, Aaliyah.' Another old woman, Brahilda spoke. 'It does not look right that you chose none of them for such an important event.'
'None of them barely passed the requirements.' Sadabrasi answered. 'They are incompetent.'
'This meeting has gone on for far too long.' Aaliyah said firmly. 'Let us adjourn this and discuss about the execution in the next ones. But the decisions on the Seven Swans remains final. There won't be any change.'
There was commotion and disturbance as everyone rose from their desks and started walking towards the exit. The brightly blazing fires slowly dimmed as everyone slowly walked out. Once the room was empty, Sadabrasi walked towards Aaliyah. 'I told you we will be met with clashes like this.'
Aaliyah shook her head. 'I wish their arguments were better. The Beads of Seven Festival is bigger than any Head Priestess and we have not had any in the past fourteen years.' She picked up the rest of the papers on the table, rolled them individually and placed them into her leathercase, buckling it close. 'I doubt one of them have even read one page of it.'
Sadabrasi placed her hand on Aaliyah's shoulder. 'Its alright. They can't do anything about it right now.'
Aaliyah nodded as they calmly strolled to the exit, the flames slowly dimming and the chamber darkened. As she walked out, her secretary jumped out of nowhere, surprising her.
'Dear Seraphina! Nesrin, you know better than to come at me like that.' Aaliyah exclaimed and collecting herself, she looked at Nesrin who looked a bit more worried than usual. 'What is it, now?'
Nesrin pulled out a small piece of paper from her sleeve and adjusted her glasses as peered into it and read. 'You have two visitors, Aurome.'
Aaliyah and Sadabrasi exchanged alarmed glances and immediately stepped closer to Nesrin. 'Do not address her like that out so aloud, girl.' Sadabrasi scolded her.
Nesrin nodded nervously. 'I apologize. Master Arion had brought in a girl today afternoon and Sevianth from IDC is waiting for you in your office.' She said, rushedly.
Aaliyah turned towards Sadabrasi. 'I thought Arion was not involved with anyone.'
Sadabrasi blinked her cloudy greys back at Aaliyah just as confused. 'Even if he is why would he tell his aunt about it?'
Aaliyah shrugged. 'Where is the boy?'
'In the healing billets.' Nesrin answered.
'Good, then it can wait.' Aaliyah turned towards Sadabrasi. 'I will send him across later tonight, but right now-'
'Sevianth, I understand.' Sadabrasi nodded. 'I will see you tomorrow then.'
Aaliyah nodded back at her and started walking towards her office, Nesrin promptly following her. She heels clacked across the bridge, echoing as she brisked her way to the opposite side of the flowing stream. 'I do not want anyone to be around my office when I am talking to Sevianth, Nesrin. I hope that is understood?'
Nesrin nodded silently.
'Do you have any idea what this is about?' she asked opening the main door to her building. Her secretary simply shook her head. Aaliyah frowned at her disappointedly and simply strutted to her office.
As she opened the door, she found the man sitting at her table admiring the valley beneath. He was dressed in the white overcoat that almost reached the floor, his glasses translucent shade of brown, his arms clasped around a file with hardbound covers. The sound of the door opening had reached him and he turned towards Aaliyah. As soon as he saw her, he stood up and bowed.
'I believe it has been quite the busy night, Aurome.'
Aaliyah paused. 'It was quite the busy night, Sevianth.'
Sevianth nodded his head. 'I was told to contact you.'
'Lajos?' Aaliyah asked, already knowing the answer.
'I cannot tell you, Aurome.'
Aaliyah didn't reply as she walked to her chair. Once she sat down, she looked at him straight and asked. 'What brings you here, Sevianth?'
'We have two unsupervised portal openings.'
Aaliyah's breath halted for a second in surprise, but she managed to recover immediately and calmly spoke to him. 'Please explain.'
'One was to Earth and the other one was from Earth. In fact, the latter one helped me notice the first one.' He answered.
'Aren't you in charge of monitoring the portals.'
He nodded reluctantly. 'Yes, I am. That's why I came here. The first one happened a few days ago, when there was a high Interdimensional interaction going on and no alarms were raised. Therefore, it went unnoticed.'
Aaliyah frowned. 'Not everyone knows when that happens. And how did it go unnoticed for so long, Sevianth?' Aaliyah asked. 'What about the second one?'
'It happened today morning.'
'So you believe someone was actually trying to get onto Earth and come back in the span of two days?' Aaliyah asked.
'They knew to look for a portal when there was a high Interdimensional activity going, knowing that everyone would be distracted.'
'No. What I meant is, what is the motive?' Aaliyah pointed out. 'Earth is not where you would want to go for any illicit activity because being on Earth is like loosing a limb. Your elemental powers are at minimal level.'
'Unless there is interdimensional activity happening in that space.'
'Unless you are a runaway.'
Sevianth sighed in defeat. 'Aurome, I do not know the motive. I was asked to come here, in order to inform you about the same.' He said, as he raised the file in his hand and tapped on it.
Aaliyah shrugged and relaxed back on to her chair.
Sevianth pushed his eyeglasses back and opened the file, skimming through it, making sure every relevant information was present. 'Oh, I forgot to mention, the second portal seemed to have unstable energy coming off it.
Aaliyah tilted her head as realization sunk into her. She sank back into her chair and Sevianth looked at her worryingly as she pondered with her hands clasped on her knees.
She slowly placed her hands on her table and leaned towards Sevianth. 'Let this remain between, me, you and Lajos for now. I will need more details on the first opening and where it happened and to where on Earth it happened. Get me the details.'
Sevianth nodded and got up. Before he exited the door, Aaliyah spoke again. 'And Sevianth.'
'Track if another portal is being made from Earth back to Rahas.' Aaliyah replied. 'And monitor it, with utmost diligence.'
Sevianth paused but nodded immediately with an enthusiastic fervour before disappearing out the door. He would be using the staircases inside the mountains for his silent exit. It was necessary that no one knows about his visit to an administrative head in Golden Hills.
When she became sure he had left the premises of her office and the statehouse, Aaliyah stepped outside her office and walked towards her secretary. 'The girl Arion brought, where was she again?'
As if to answer Aaliyah, there was sudden outburst in the distance causing Nesrin to jump. They walked outside and see the fire blazing on the rooftops near the clock tower.
'She is supposed to be there.' Nesrin replied. 'In the healing billets.'
***
The blue light from the pool emanated softly onto Tara's dangling legs. She blinked at the glowing pool and the empty darkness around her. It was silent, not calm. Asking her to creep into it. Tara knew she wouldn't. But she was afraid of what it will show her if she didn't obey it.
The outlines of colorful figurines started appearing hazily in the darkness. The edges slowly sharpened against the darkness as people started swaying against the loud music. Their skin reflected the colors of the lights, a red, a green sometimes a sleepy blue and changed rhythmically at each boom of the music. Her head ached as she looked at the crowd, hoping it would vanish as quick as it appeared. A mop of her favourite shade of blonde hair suddenly caught her eye amongst the crowd of wriggling bodies. He seemed to be enjoying himself, swaying along with them, holding the plastic red cup above his head.
Her heart dropped drastically. She knew what was going to happen. Her eyes sped across the crowd as she spotted the girl, her pretty red curls bouncing, manoeuvring her way through the crowded living room towards her ex-boyfriend.
'No.' She whispered to herself. 'No, no, noo..'
Nobody was listening to her, hell she couldn't hear herself. As the girl neared him, Tara felt herself running, running towards them both hoping to stop the start of a nightmare, a nightmare she had already experienced.
At the moment she almost touched them, they vanished, like a burning candle suddenly extinguished, causing her to lose her balance and topple on the ground.
'Darling.' A voice hissed. Tara looked up at the brick laden wall in front of her. She turned around and saw the large cold blue eyes, almost ready to splice her. Long shards of icicles surrounded it, pointed at her, almost ready to strike her.
And then, in the darkness she saw, a golden chain swishing and striking against it. The eyes and the icicles shattered, as Tara saw a small light glowing at the far end. It slowly took the form of her mother, walking towards her.
She kneeled down at her. 'Find Aaliyah.'
Tara felt the surface below her vanish as she felt herself falling through the gaping hole. She felt her heart rise and fall as she striked the ground. Tara burst open her eyes and jumped up, gasping for air. For a moment nothing registered in her vision and all she could she see were spots of darkness. And then the blackness in her eyes faded away, giving way to a cool bluish white light that looked off against the dark night outside. Well-made beds, with white sheets pulled taut and fluffy pillows were arranged next to each other in neat rows across the large room.
Tara looked across the walls of wood and cobble stones with the ceiling sloping towards the windows, wondering how she ended up here. There were a few people standing at one corner of the room, next to the long pantry filled with different coloured glass bottles, all were light blue robes. One of them noticed Tara and whispered among her group.
Tara felt a small tremble in her hand as one of the men started walking towards her.
'Oh, dear. You are awake. Good.'
'Where am I?' She asked him. His eyes were blue, cold ice blue, like the woman who had attacked Tara.
'All in good hands, dear.' He replied with a smile. 'Don't worry, everything will be fine.'
'No, answer my question, where am I?'
The man paused. 'You are in good hands. It is alright.' As he was saying this, Tara noticed the slight sway of his arms, causing the water in the glass jar next to her shake a little. He leaned towards her, the water slowly moving out of the jar to his hand.
Her slight tremble changed into a full blow terror, and she suddenly felt of a surge of energy within her.
'No!' She bellowed.
She felt the energy burst out of her into rings of blazing flame. The man flipped over and crashed against the opposite wall.
'What in the world!' She heard another voice shout from where the group of women had been standing. A boy around her age stood there at the door, his cloudy white hair starkly reflecting the golden hues of the blaze.
'Did you do this?!' he shouted at her.
'Do not take one more step.' Tara panted; her eyes sharp at the boy.
His expression changed from one of confusion and anger to one of steely focus. He raised his hands around and waved it in a twisted motion, quick and precise. Before Tara even knew what was happening, she felt the pressure of the following wind hitting her chest, causing her to fly backwards across the hallway.
Her fear was now replaced with anger as she watched the boy slowly step into the room. Tara felt the heat around her, the energy pulsating and with a strong newfound focus, she let the fire envelope the rooms, surrounding the boy. Realising what was happening, the boy raised his arms and crossed it downwards with a force, causing the wind to envelope the room in a burst. The fire smoked out immediately and all the light in the left along with the wind.
'Arion.' A stern voice was heard from behind him.
The boy turned around, allowing Tara to see the woman behind him, a tall figure of firmness, her hair pulled back in a half ponytail, straight and neat. She was wearing a long red overcoat, completely hiding the clothes underneath and appeared to float as she walked towards Tara, golden yellow circles filled with mystical letters appearing adrift in the space around her.
'Sleep.' She whispered.
And Tara fell unconscious for the second time in the day.
***
Tara blinked her eyes open.
There was a warm light within the room, the first rays of the morning beaming through the windows. Outside, the mist entangle with the green mountains, almost sprouting in hues of gold.
Tara pushed herself up from the bed as she realised she had been on the same place as she probably had been many hours ago.
'What exactly happened?' She whispered to herself in bewilderment.
'You should be telling me.' A voice very near to her head said, causing Tara to almost fall off the bed.
She peeped slowly to the direction where she had heard the voice. It was the same woman as the day before, she realised. The one who had asked her to sleep.
The one who was now directly looking at her as she drank from elusive white china-cup.
The smell of tea drifted to Tara's nose as her stomach grumbled loudly.
'Tell me, Tara, how long has it been since you have eaten?'
Tara pushed her hands against the bed and got up, standing straight. 'How do you know me?'
'You don't seem very surprised.' The woman commented.
'Well, you would think I should be right?' Tara retorted back. 'With how, things have been going on, I am not really surprised that you would know my name.' She tried to hold the tremble in her voice and in her lips. 'Question is, do you want to kill me or not?'
The woman tilted her head slightly and frowned. 'If I wanted you dead, I do not think you would be retorting back at me like that.'
Tara stood looking at her, clutching her hands tightly.
The woman sighed. 'Relax, girl. I do not intend to do anything to you.'
'What do you want from me?' Her voice broke.
The woman looked up from her tea again and stood up, her eyes suddenly filling with concern. 'Tara, it's alright. I am your aunt, Aaliyah.'
Tara felt her strength wither away, her eyes no longer able to contain her desperation. She broke down into sobs, as Aaliyah rushed to her side and wrapped her arms around her.
'It's alright, it's alright.' She kept repeating as she slowly patted her back.
Moments later, Tara sat on the bed, her hands clutched around a cup of warm tea as Aaliyah sat at the end of the bed, her hands folded.
'My mother had told me to find you.' She spoke finally.
'Well, we are blood. And I am the last person she put her trust in.' Aaliyah replied. 'Why did your mother send you back here?'
'There was this group of people.' Tara started and pursed her lips. 'I don't know if they had been following me or they appeared, but I was at this party and I had left early.'
She looked at her aunt, who was looking at her inquiringly.
'I waiting for the bus, when this woman appeared out of nowhere and stood next to me. I didn't think much of it, but they were these people appearing out of the corner of the alleys and shops. All of them looking at me, pointedly.' Tara paused. 'I don't know, it creeped me out.'
'The woman did she say or do anything?'
'She started speaking to me.' Tara answered. 'Randomly, she came up to me in the dead of the night and then.'
'What happened after that?' Aaliyah asked.
'She asked me when I realised that she was not speaking in English.' Tara said, gulping. 'That was only when I realised that she was not speaking in English'
'And?' Aaliyah enquired.
'And I realised that I understood her perfectly.' Tara replied, her lips trembling slightly. 'I couldn't comprehend what was happening. I lived mostly a normal life, back there you know. I didn't even know we were from another world. My mom, never explained it to me.'
Aaliyah frowned. She had always questioned her sister's decision in this matter. ''What did you do then?'
'I ran. And they started chasing me.' Tara took in a long breath and sighed. 'I wasn't thinking anymore and I kept running. Eventually they closed in on me.' She closed her eyes, not wanting to relive her moments of survival.
'And then what happened?' Aaliyah's voice had lined with concern.
'My mom appeared. She pushed them back with some kind of golden chains and fire blasts. Basically, like a one-man army. Then she opened some kind of portal that took us to some other part of the town.' Tara said remorsefully. 'It gave us a few minutes.'
'What did she tell you?'
'About Rahas, the world I apparently belonged to. And my powers.' Tara said, with a slight tilt of her head. 'Fire, apparently.'
Aaliyah was silent, her eyes closed and her eyebrows scrunched as if she was thinking. 'Was there anything specifically that stood out to you?'
Tara glanced outside into the view. The horizon looked ethereal with the celestial bodies cutting across each other into semicircles.
'They had a pin.'
Aaliyah's eyes pinned up.
'Something like that. Like a circular rings lined up like a flower?'
Aaliyah let out a small gasp and it almost went unnoticed by Tara.
She pressed her fingers on her forehead and pursed her lips. 'Tara, I will need you to stay here for the time being. And until I get back, please do not go anywhere.'
'Well, it's not like I have somewhere to be.' Tara answered. 'I don't even know where exactly I am.'
'I will need you to trust me on this.' Aaliyah replied as she hurriedly got up. 'Give me time. When I get back to you, I will explain everything.'