Keeper of Elements: Chapter Two

Chapter 2

Addie stood in the empty chamber, staring at the space her mother had just occupied. She knew she would not see her family again, except in passing and without acknowledgment. Thoughts of desperation, confusion, loneliness, and emptiness filled her mind. She felt as though a deep void had opened in her heart, leaving her exposed and vulnerable. Why were the Highest here already? Neviah had said days, not hours.
She looked down at her feet and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Once her eyes were closed, images raced in her mind as though she were actually seeing them. She saw first the sun. Following the sun, she flew over the tops of bright green trees, high majestic mountains, and blue jewel-toned waters. She saw waterfalls and lagoons, hills, valleys, canyons, and caves. Finally, she was once again before the sun. She watched as the sun grew dim and she could see what was behind it. The moon and stars shone brightly, illuminating the far reaches of what was beyond everything she knew in her own realm of existence.
“Addie!” Neviah’s voice called her away from the stars and her eyes shot open and she felt herself gasping for air. She felt Neviah’s arms holding her up and she realized she had almost collapsed. She looked up at the seer and saw concern reflected in her eyes.
“Let me fall, Neviah, please. I need to regain my bearings.” Neviah hesitated. “Please, Neviah.” Instead of letting go completely, Neviah held on to her, lowering her to her knees. Neviah stayed by her side, waiting until Addie could hold herself up. Thinking back to what she had seen in those seconds she had closed her eyes, she felt speechless. She looked up at Neviah. “I saw things I have only heard of in stories, things I have never seen with my own eyes. I felt connected to it all somehow and I do not understand why. Do you understand this feeling, Neviah?”
“I believe in more ways than you could imagine. However, I know where my connection lies because I have known it my entire life. You, dear Addie, are just becoming aware and have the disadvantage of now being a young woman. The awareness will be very acute and will have a great impact on you. Despite this, you will have those around you to assist in these changes. There is no need to fear.”
“I am very afraid, Neviah. I do not know what to do.”
“You will.” Neviah cupped her face with her hands, looking directly into her eyes. “Indeed, you will know what to do.” The two young women sat in silence for several minutes, the import of the morning’s events weighing heavily on them both.
Neviah stood to her feet and held her hand to Addie. “Come, Addie. The Highest have just entered the village. We must meet them.”
Addie really had no desire to meet the Highest, but she knew it would be right to do so despite her fears and resigned herself to the task. She grasped Neviah’s hand and followed her into the entry hall.
“Wait a moment, Addie.” Neviah walked away and came back with Addie’s black shawl in hand. “You will need to place this over your head.”
“I am still glowing with that strange light?”
“Yes, dear. The light seems to have become even more prevalent in the last several minutes. Wear the shawl for your sake as well as for the sake of the rest of the village. They will not understand, as I have already said, until the Highest speak to them.”
Addie nodded, placing the shawl over her head, disguising herself even more than when she had to come to Neviah’s earlier that morning. When Neviah nodded her satisfaction, she took Addie’s hand and the two stepped outside and stopped beside the road at the end of Neviah’s walkway. Addie glanced at her fellow villagers that were lined up along the road, many with anxious expressions written all over their faces. They were all looking south, the direction that the Highest would be traveling from.
Love and fondness washed over Addie as she glanced from one face to another. Most of the men held their field tools in hand having rushed from their daily chores to welcome the Highest to the village. Those who were married had their wives standing right beside them, a few wiping their hands on the aprons they wore to protect their clothing from stains. Children were playing in the street, laughing as one started a game of tag. Addie knew from experience that as soon as the traveling entourage came into view, the children would settle down, hiding behind their parents from the highly respected strangers they had only heard spoken of in whispered awe. Her brothers came to mind then, and she looked back to find her family just emerging from their home.
Both her mother and her father had solemn looks, her brothers following behind with the same expression on their faces. Terron and Yuri were twins and were only two years younger than she was. She smiled, tears in her eyes. She would miss them so much. She allowed her eyes to stray to Jirin, her father. He was her voice of reason, even when he wasn’t around. Jirin, a tall man with black hair, built from his years of working the earth, was wise in ways she could never really fathom. There had been whispers over the last few years that he would one day become a village elder because of his wisdom. Many of the village men would come to him seeking advice and she witnessed their high regard of him by their demeanor around Jirin. She, herself, had a deep respect for her father. And she loved him dearly.
She then glanced at her mother. Her mother was her best friend. They had such a relationship that no matter the subject, she would be able to find answers to her questions, answers her mother was always willing to give. Her mother’s name was Adriel. Addie believed that she and her mother had always been close because they shared a love of the Creator. Everything she and her brothers knew of the Creator, her mother had taught them. She had grown up believing that she would gladly pass on everything her mother taught her to her own sons and daughters. She felt as though she took after her mother, and rightly so considering she had always thought that was why she was named Addie, a different and unique form to Adriel. She had embraced the idea, knowing she wanted to be just as nurturing, just as supportive, and hard-working as her mother…and just as loving.
She felt the tears running in streams down her face as the crowd around her became silent and solemn. Her heart leaped in fear and she felt Neviah’s hand grip hers reassuringly in response. Oh, Creator, please give me strength. I am so afraid! She took in a few deep breaths and as she did so, she felt a peace flood through her body. Without thinking and without wondering, she raised her head and boldly watched as the travelers crested the rise in the road and all could see them at last. The Highest had arrived.


Addie reached under her shawl to wipe the tears from her face. She could not meet the Highest in such a state. She watched through the cloth that shielded her lighted face from her friends and neighbors as the Highest approached.
Twelve people walked in a tight formation, six men and six women dressed in plain white cotton tunics and leggings, wearing tanned leather boots. Addie compared them to the field boots she was wearing. The tall boots protected the wearer from thorns and snakes especially. She knew from their previous visit that these twelve were the front guard of the Highest. There would be twelve more guards in the same garb and formation in the rear flanking of the Highest. Each guard carried a sword, a dagger, and a crossbow with arrows. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to do such harm to the Highest as would require so many guards, but then it was better to be prepared than not.
In between the two flanks of guards were the four horse riders, the members of the Highest. She did not know them individually or exactly what each of their responsibilities were. She looked analytically at each member, trying to gauge what they may be like.
The first rider on the left was a man. He had golden-toned skin, bright yellow eyes and pitch black hair. He wasn’t tall or short but of average height. He sat straight up, with a regal bearing, and she could see his eyes flicker from side to side as he appraised the villagers who waited to greet him and his companions.
Beside him rode a woman. Her skin tone was exotic and lovely, dark like the soil Addie’s family worked. Addie decided instantly she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. The woman’s hair was pleated in what seemed like hundreds of braids and pulled back with a leather strap. Her eyes were almost the same color of the man’s skin who sat to her left, but the gold in her eyes seemed brighter and had a sparkle to them. The woman was very petite, like Neviah, but she had the same confidence as the other Highest member and an air of authority that Addie could tell outranked the other riders that journeyed with her. She sat staring straight ahead, but then looked directly at Addie. The look in her eyes softened and seem to animate in recognition causing Addie to look quickly to the next rider.
Addie noted that all the riders were confident of themselves and what they were about, inspiring a respect in her heart for them. Such honest and sincere confidence was truly rare, Addie knew. The second woman rode beside the first and seemed especially energetic. There was a smile on her face that was genuine which lit up her bright blue eyes. Her face was framed by long, untamed black hair.
The last rider was another man, who was tall even in his seat. He was bald and had green eyes. He carried his own sword, which made Addie suddenly realize that the other riders did not, and his hand remained rested on the hilt. His eyes looked around suspiciously, though not at the villagers, but into the forest and behind the houses that lined the roadway. What could possibly be lurking in secret that he should be so anxious? She only knew of the legends in passing, legends of wars and uprisings of citizens. However, the legends had been just that since before her great-grandfather’s time. These legends bespoke of people harming each other, killing without thought. She shivered. This man of the Highest seemed to evoke these images in her mind and she knew not why. Even the guard that served as the escort and protectors of the travelers were merely a formality and befitting the status of the Highest. The rider with the sword had no reason to be suspicious.
The villagers lowered their heads in respect as the Highest rode by, a respect they deserved. The front guards walked past her and before she thought to lower her own head to the mounted individuals, they stopped right in front her, in front of Neviah’s home. Neviah lowered her head and after a moment, Addie followed suit. Her heart was beating faster than she had ever known it to do so. She was convinced it would beat out of her chest and onto the ground in front of her.
“Welcome to our village, members of the Highest.” Neviah lifted her head with an easy confidence, knowing the reason they had come in the first place. Addie looked back up in time to see the riders lower their heads in response, an equal respect between persons regardless of responsibility.
“Greetings to each of you, humble peoples of this humble village. You honor us with your welcome and willingness to accommodate us during our visit, however brief it may be.” The black-haired man belted out his announcement in a deep voice, a tone that Addie knew instantly commanded easily without hesitation. “We do apologize for not sending a notice of our visit, as is the custom, but we are working with borrowed time.”
This particular announcement caused a stir within the crowd amassed on the road and Addie knew that even she would wonder if all was well with their beloved Kydina. The gentleman noticed the uneasiness as well and raised his hand to reclaim the village’s attention.
“Please, do not trouble yourselves with such thoughts at this time. We do, however, come bearing sad news from the council seat.” He looked grimly, then, at the dark woman beside him.
“What Thaba says is true. I fear we bring sad tidings to you on this visit.” The woman’s voice was also commanding but also had a lilting gentleness to it. She raised her head higher and Addie could see tears glistening in her eyes. “Sulwen, the Keeper of the Sun has passed from this life to join the Creator. She returned to him three days past.”
Some of the villagers gasped in surprise and Addie could hear as some cried out in sorrow. Children were taught very young about the Keepers and they grew up relating to them as brothers and sisters. Addie felt her own heart lurch at the loss of Sulwen, despite the fact they had never met.
The woman continued to explain, “We are on borrowed time because the ceremony to instate the new Keeper has yet to be performed. Our time here will be very brief as this ceremony must take place within the next few days.”
Again, the villagers whispered in shock. They all knew that the in-statement ceremony had to be performed within seven days or else the wisdom the previous Keeper gained through their life, as well as the wisdom passed down from the Keepers that had come before would be lost forever. The new Keeper would have to experience everything anew and work to gain the knowledge that had previously accumulated over many generations. Due to this risk, the Highest always ensured that the new Keeper was instated within the first two days after the passing of the previous.
Addie glanced beside herself at Neviah, who was listening intently. She looked back to the dark-skinned woman with a puzzled look on her face and wondered why they were here if such an important task as instating the new Sun Keeper was at risk. Would they not have waited to come to her village to retrieve her as a Chosen Keeper until after the ceremony was performed and everything was right? She felt confused at the logic.
“Please do not be alarmed,” the woman was saying. “All will be well and there will be a new Sun Keeper by the seventh day. Trust in the Creator in all things, as well as in this news you have heard this day. All will be well.” She looked at the villagers, nodding to them in encouragement. “All will be well.” She then turned to Neviah and after a few moments, dismounted her horse. The other three followed her example and then stood together in the street before Neviah’s home. The woman approached Neviah and embraced her warmly, a smile on her face. “Alma always said great things would come from this village. First you, Neviah. Now, we have come again for another important purpose.” She turned to Addie, and seemed to try and read her expression through the shawl that disguised her from everyone she knew. The woman turned to her companions. With only her glance, the others walked passed Addie and Neviah up the path to enter Neviah’s house. Without a word, the woman took Addie’s hand and led her in the same direction as Neviah followed behind. Addie dared not look back to the people she had known all her life, fearful that she would frighten them and that she would likewise be frightened by them as well as by herself.


Addie entered Neviah’s home with the woman holding her hand, standing beside her. Neviah stood, waiting to close the entry door behind them so that they could all have privacy. The three other members of the Highest had taken seats on the floor of Neviah’s sitting area in a semicircle. The woman led Addie to a seat among them, before sitting herself. Neviah sat in between Addie and the Highest the woman had called Thaba. They sat now in a complete circle.
The woman turned to Neviah, once again taking Addie’s hand. “Neviah, please introduce us to your charge.” Neviah took hold of Addie’s other hand.
“Members of the Highest,” Neviah began. “I am honored to present to you this young woman of my village. We know her as Addie.”
Addie sat in stunned silence before she realized what she needed to do. She squeezed Neviah’s hand, signaling for her to go no further. Addie raised her head and glanced at each member of the Highest, her face still covered by her shawl. Her gaze landed on the woman sitting next to her and she began.
“Honored members of the Highest, I find I must speak for myself. I am unsure of the proper etiquette where this is concerned, but I will do what I must. I am known to all who know me as Addie, however, I have been informed that my true name is Aditya. I have just been told this information this morning, not very long before your arrival. I believe it to be true, yet I am confused. Neviah speaks of your coming to see me as though it is an honor and what I have known all my life speaks differently. Then, my mother tells me of my true name and the direction of the Namer who was present at my birth and I wonder even more. Then, when you arrive, you speak of needing to perform the in-statement ceremony for the new Sun Keeper and I wonder why you are here instead of where I feel you need to be.” Addie clenched her free hand into a fist and held her breath, waiting for someone to break the silence she left behind her words. She did not lower her head, but continued to glance at each person in the circle.
The woman to her right tightened her grip on Addie’s hand, then spoke. “Addie, I am Celesta. I will explain more about who I am in time, but for now, we are on borrowed time and must conduct our business quickly. I will tell you that you have nothing to fear. Allow me to introduce you to my comrades.” She tilted her head in the direction of the black-haired man. “He is called Thaba.” She shifted her eyes to the next two in sequence, introducing them in the same manner. “She is Vailea. And he is called Caedmon. Again, who we are and what our purpose is not important at the moment. What is important is that you trust us and not be afraid of why we are here.”
Addie nodded. Celesta smiled and continued.
“Addie, I must ask a question. What is it that you hide under your shawl?”
Fear raced through her again and Addie thought she should get to her feet and run. Yet, her practical nature thought of all that had been spoken that morning. Her mother declared her a Chosen Keeper and Neviah already knew this is why the Highest had come, to take her to the citadels. Her family had said their goodbyes and the other villagers had no idea what had transpired in the last several hours. And here she was, Addie and Aditya at the same time, her glowing face hidden under a shawl as she sat in a circle with members of the Highest. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. Creator, please help me to not be afraid. Please help me to accept this life you have prepared for me. Oh, please. She raised her hands, lifted the shawl from her hair, and revealed herself to the individuals who had sat waiting for her to move or to say anything to answer Celesta’s question. Their eyes grew wide and Neviah gripped her hand again, reassuringly. Then, unexpectedly, Celesta smiled widely and laughed as she threw her arms around Addie, embracing her.
“Thank the Creator for this precious gift! I am relieved!” Celesta pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes. “Oh, Addie, please do not be frightened. Everything will make sense to you very soon. There is much to tell you and much to be done to help you understand all that must be explained.” She turned to Thaba. “Please, Thaba, go speak to the village elders. Make haste.” Thaba stood to his feet and exited Neviah’s home within two breaths. “Vailea, please go speak with Addie’s family. Let them know everything they need to and see what they can tell you as well. Caedmon, I need you to find a mount for Addie, suitable for the journey ahead. Ensure the guards know the situation and act accordingly.” Celesta stood to her feet, raising Addie up with her as Vailea and Caedmon followed Thaba’s footsteps.