Hope in Deep Waters (an AtE story) Ch. 24

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Letting the Light Out

The world blurred past Kalmar’s vision as he sprinted up the hill, feet pounding and lungs pumping. He could hear voices in the distance, and knew what he needed to do before he could face their owners. With a sigh of relief, he ducked into what remained of Castle Rysen but did not slow his pace until he had clambered down the stairs to the cellar. 

The sight spread before his eyes as he reached the bottom stopped him in his tracks so fast that he tumbled to his knees. Not a single candle was lit, yet the room was bathed in a warm golden glow that burst from the seams between the rocks in the floor. Kalmar wasn’t sure how long he knelt there before he heard more footsteps descend the stairs. Janner, Leeli, and Sara stood at the bottom, surveying the room with awestruck faces.

Without a word, Janner and Leeli took their places on the circle on the floor, which was rimmed with the brightest light of all. Kalmar lifted the ancient stone from where it had been lying on the cellar floor since the morning of Anneira’s rebirth and held it under his arm while he traced the symbol, Leeli played, and Janner said the words. Sara looked on in silent wonder.

The ground rumbled so deeply that it seemed like Aerwiar itself was humming, and the light that poured forth from the shaft was brighter yet than what glowed between the gaps in the cobblestones. With reverence but no hesitation, Kalmar stepped down into the heart of the world, his small form silhouetted for a moment by the brilliant shine. 

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As Kalmar walked past the strange and beautiful plants lining the path through the Fane, he recalled the early fruit and new leaves of the Blackwood. The golden glow that filled the chamber and issued from a point farther up the path reminded him of the previous night’s sunset, and something clicked in his mind. The Maker was doing something so much larger than he had realized. 

The castle had, in fact, been glowing from within- the Maker’s good light was shining forth to begin a restoration that extended beyond Anneira, across the sea, through the forests, and who knew how far beyond. Hadn’t the First Book said something about the Fane keeping the world “alive with light?” It had begun to do that very thing long before anyone could see it clearly, Kalmar realized

 Suddenly, he began to catch a glimpse of the events of the past several months through a different lens. It was like putting on a pair of spectacles. In situations where he had only seen loss and despair and shame before, quiet victories and carefully orchestrated protections became evident. A peace began to settle upon him. The Maker had been and was continually working behind the scenes to prepare him for what he would have to do, and there was nothing Kalmar could have done to totally ruin what the Maker had planned all along. As the young king of a small island set foot into the alcove to meet with the One who was King of all creation, that same Light greeted him and erased any doubt in his mind that it was true.

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When Kalmar emerged from the Fane sometime later, it was clear that a colossal weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“How are you doing?” asked Janner. 

“Good,” he replied, looking back at the Fane after it had slid back into place. “Better than good, actually.”

“We’re all here to help you with what we can. The other Anneirans have a good reason to be excited today,” Leeli reassured him, smiling up toward the sound of the crowd that had been steadily gathering outside.

Sara nodded in agreement.

“Thanks,” Kalmar grinned. “Whatever happens, it’s going to be a great adventure story!” 

Then, taking a deep breath and nodding to his siblings, he opened the door.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks so much to all of you who read my little story and kept encouraging and motivating me by asking for new chapters! That really means a lot. Thanks to @KWingfeather for being my writing buddy a couple of times too. I had a lot of fun writing and illustrating it, so I hope it was just as much fun to read. Thanks to Andrew Peterson for writing an amazing and inspiring series that has captured my imagination (and the imaginations of so many others) for years and will continue to do so, I'm sure. And above all, thanks be to the Creator who is the source of creativity and all things beautiful and good. The things He's been teaching me have greatly influenced this story.

P.S. I'm planning on eventually making a post that contains links to all chapters, plus a cover design. :)