Intermission #14: Etana

Etana gasped for air as she was slammed into the wall by two strong hands. When she opened her mouth to breathe, she only sucked her wet hair in. She desperately tried to lift her arms to clear her airway, but she felt too weak to even open her eyes, much less move her body.

Two other hands pulled hair away from her face and she breathed in again. “Listen girl,” said a harsh voice said directly into her ear, muffled by a mask. “If I knew anything about your family, they would already be dead. Fulfill your purpose as the second Trina to this world. Otherwise, the next time you challenge me, I’ll kill you along with your remaining sister and find a more suitable Trina.”

There was a silent pause while Etana pulled in more lungfuls of refreshing air. Then she was slammed into the wall again. “Okay?!”

“Yes,” she croaked reflexively.

“You’ve seen too much. Seal your knowledge of me and my abilities with a promise of death.” Nil demanded.

Etana hesitated, more in confusion than reluctance, but she felt Nil’s hands tighten painfully on her shoulders as she remained silent. “I promise as you say,” she coughed out.

With one swift action, Nil threw her face first into the stone ground and two notifications appeared in her vision.

You have sworn to keep Unknown’s secrets to yourself. If you attempt to share one of their secrets, you will have a confirmation message appear before attempting to do so. Sharing Unknown’s secrets will result in your death.

You are afflicted with Concussive Disorientation. For the next 8 seconds you will experience blurred vision, ringing ears, and loss of balance.

Nil’s footsteps echoed away as he ran for the portal ring. Etana didn’t dare shut it down though, despite the portal ring dutifully reporting his departure.

She just lay there for a long time, trying to gather herself from the near death experience she had just been spared. Her disorientation and confusion were so strong, it took her time to make sense of the events that led to her lying there, dirty and bruised on the cold floor. When her accumulated traumas flooded her emotions as her senses slowly returned to her, she didn’t cry. She only grew more angry, more determined. “Now I know how strong they are,” she whispered to herself. “Now I know how strong Vina is to have stood up to Faer,” she told herself.

Glancing at her health, she saw she had lost nearly a quarter of it now. “Twenty-five hundred health.” she muttered to herself as she slowly regained her feet. “How in the world do I recover that much?” Following Nil’s path, she walked tenderly toward the portal ring, finding every inch of her body was sore and felt bruised. Then she shook her head. “Think Etana. What am I doing? Where am I going?”

Focusing on her Aspect of Journey, she saw there didn’t remain a single thread in the large Committee Headquarters. Of the thousands of threads that split off from her body, she saw an extremely thick one pointed to the southeast far in the distance. “Almost the length of the continent away.” she muttered. “It’s near where Vina first arrived in Palitern.” She shook her head and suppressed a laugh when she realized what it meant, fearing how much it might hurt. “Perfect attunement makes this aspect point directly to Trina. So what’s with these ones?” she asked, gingerly touching the slightly less thick threads that spread out in the world. Her fingers passed right through them without exposing their secrets. Opening her map, she saw their destinations superimposed over her travel system. A smile crept onto her face as a sneaking suspicion began to take form in her mind.

Stepping up to the portal ring, she began trying to dial it, receiving several more backlashes for her failures. Refusing to give up, she gingerly pressed her divinity in each again until she found the right balance once more. She sighed in relief when the portal ring activated once more to a destination she had never visited before. “Not exactly where I want to be, darn you Vina,” she muttered, stepping through and out onto the sand on the other side. She looked out in the distance and saw the island that was her actual target. In the distance, on that island, she knew another portal ring existed that she actually wanted, but Vina had disabled it.

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Looking across the choppy ocean waters to the sharp coastal rocks, she saw the distance she would need to cover and almost changed her mind. The memory of her near drowning experience almost overrode her desire to investigate. But something else guided her now, the thread itself almost seemed to be pulling her toward the island in the distance. A moment later, she set her mind to figuring out a way to reach it. Looking around, she didn’t see a boat or any other thing she could float across with. She shivered though as the far western winds blew through her still wet clothing, causing it to stick to her. Her eyes narrowed in irritation as she held up a finger and put a stop to their playful behavior.

“If you’re going to be that way…” Etana whispered as her mind began to recall the moment she had managed to lift herself in Trina’s refuge using her Aspect of Air. “I’m going to put you to work.”

In that moment, she extended her arms, feeling the wind circle her fingers as if caressing them. Gathering her determination, she commanded the currents of air to gather beneath her. A pulsing rush of wind lifted her gently off the ground. Her eyes widened in awe and elation as she found herself hovering. But her divinity was burning down quickly, so with a thought she directed herself toward her target and was then soaring toward the island. The thread seemed to pull her along, but now she felt as though she were not just following it but also embracing it. Her laughter mixed with the sound of the wind, an anthem of newfound freedom and power.

As she neared the island, the thrill of flight began to mingle with a growing sense of dread. The wind, once a playful companion, now seemed a demanding taskmaster as her divinity reserves drained at an alarming rate. Etana gritted her teeth, her eyes locked on the island's shoreline, now tantalizingly close but still out of reach.

Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the dwindling reserves of her divinity. "Come on, come on," she whispered, urging herself forward, willing the winds to carry her those last crucial yards. Below her, the ocean's waves crashed into jagged, menacing rocks, making the prospect of falling not just wet, but deadly.

For a moment, it seemed as if she might fall short, her body beginning to dip perilously close to the hazardous rocks below, the winds becoming less responsive as if burdened by her weight.

With a final surge of determination, she expelled a concentrated burst of her remaining divinity into the air currents beneath her. The wind responded with a powerful gust, catapulting her through the air in a momentary burst of speed. She hit the shore in a forward roll, tumbling into the sand as her feet lost their airborne grace.

For a few seconds, she lay there, heart racing, her body a mix of exhaustion and exhilaration. She had made it. Panting heavily, Etana pushed herself to her feet, dusting the sand off her dress. Looking back at the distance she had covered, her eyes widening in disbelief and pride.

It was a draining experience, no doubt—one that ate up more of her divine reserves than she had anticipated. But as she stood there on the island, her mission now clear and her capabilities broadened, she felt an overwhelming sense of triumph. She had flown. She had commanded the very air to bend to her will, and it had obeyed. Staring for a moment longer, her mind considered what would have happened if she had been able to do this with her fight with Nil. She shook her head a moment later. “He would probably fly too.” A sound behind her alerted her to the fact she wasn’t alone.

On the edge of the forest made up of purple trees, Etana saw a line of dark creatures poke their malformed heads out, their eyes cringing in the morning light. Something larger shifted the trees and stepped out. Its spine was covered in spikes and the claws on its hands reminded her of sewing needles. Its triangularly shaped head had just enough facial features for her suspect it could speak. She wasn’t surprised then when it did.

“Too soon you have come to this place,” It said as it dug its claws into the sand. “You are not ready for these truths.” It raised its head as if to sniff the air. “It would be best if you left.”

Etana’s eyes scanned the treeline, seeing the mass of creatures arrayed against her. The thick thread was so close now, it almost felt like a physical tether drawing her to her goal. “There’s something here isn’t there? Is that why Vina came here?”

“Something.” The creature hissed softly. “Yes, but not what you hope. You may leave, assist me, or die. But I must not be delayed long.”

“I want to know what’s happening here!” Etana declared, focusing on the creature once again.

The six eyes of the creature stared at her for a moment before bobbing its head slowly. “I scared Vina away from this very island. She’ll be upset when she learns I allowed you to stay.” The Darkness rumbled as it turned itself back into the forest slowly. The rest of the creatures turned as well, following it.

“Wait!” Etana called out to the creature as she ran up the sandbank to catch up.