Chapter 22

Elixir

- The sparkling wines of recovery flow through the veins, rousing a weary spirit -

In the beginning the earth was unformed. And darkness ruled the earth.

And God said, let there be light!

Thonavar’s consciousness flickered.

And there was light!

With a rush, Thonavar surged into the well of his being, his thoughts and senses hurtling forward as his mind tried to keep up and make sense of what was happening around him. Something formed within his thoughts. A distant and faint memory.

Images formed in his head and he saw his mother, Mirya, reading to him as he lay, half-tucked under blankets, in bed. She was reading from the bible. And as usual, he leaned against her, transfixed by the stories, feeling the close warmth of her body. Gradually his eyelids became heavy as her voice, like a sweet and soothing lullaby, sang him to sleep.

There was a buzzing in his ears. Now there was another voice. It sounded strange. Something electronic. Like a computer.

"Vital signs are normal. Heart-rate slightly accelerated. Blood pressure normal. Water loss minimal."

All was still dark and he struggled in panic. Then, as if a screen of white was placed upon his eyes, suddenly, all he could see was white. Gradually, his sight returned and he realized that he was staring up at a blank white ceiling. Groggily, he turned his head sideways and saw the black-robed woman. She smiled sweetly at him. He seemed to be lying down upon an elevated chair. Bright lights from above almost blinded him. He tried to move but he found his hands and legs strapped to the chair.

"Be still child", said a voice. "It will be worse if you struggle."

Then, with a groan, Thonavar remembered everything. It was like standing still in one spot with a thousand sky trains rushing at you in full throttle. Memories attacked him savagely, as he lay limp, his mind taking blow after blow. His head throbbed and he moaned in pain.

"You are going through vacuum-refill. Just try to relax."

It was a familiar voice of a woman. Thonavar’s vision cleared and peering through the thin eyelids, he saw a woman, her fingers tapping meticulously and dexterously on a large keyboard console.

"It is the mind that suffers the most", continued the woman. Her black robes swirled about as she continued tapping her consoles by the side of the room. She appeared nonchalant and uncaring toward his painful plight. Thonavar recalled her strapping him to the very chair he was lying in now.

A fleeting memory of jumping from a great height, with a waxy candlestick between his teeth, formed in his head. The candle had burned with a red-flame. He shook his head, eager to dispel the intrusive images.

His mind was full of questions and buzzed, throbbing painfully, as though it was going to burst. He wanted to ask but he felt too weak to even open his mouth. Suddenly, the image of a smiling man with a white painted face and long red hair expertly twirling a strange scepter leapt to his mind. He banished it with another shake of his head.

"In order to simulate a realistic projection", continued the black-robed woman, as she went about her business, "we place a filter on one’s memories. Without memory, it is easier for one to find the project a realistic experience. For, without memory, a mind’s perception becomes reality. And so, an individual will react to the environment he or she is placed into as naturally as he would in real-life, without the comforting knowledge that it is but a test. And he or she would undoubtedly react to circumstances and situations as if his life depended upon it", continued the woman. She was now filling up a syringe of a dark yellow liquid. "And that is the effect we want to achieve. Real reactions. Real emotions. Real experiences. I should not say ‘real’ though. But I think you follow."

Thonavar began to calm down. He breathed in and out slowly.

"That is good boy. Breathe in and out. Good", encouraged the woman. "Remaining calm will ease the vacuum-refill effect, lending haste to the recovery process."

Thonavar took her advice and breathed. Already, he was starting to feel better. He opened his mouth to speak but a harsh guttural sound came out.

"Ah, do not try to speak boy. Your body is weak. You would tear your throat if you force yourself. I am preparing an elixir to quicken the recovery process", said the woman, tapping the syringe that contained the dark yellow liquid. "And…no bubbles, so that should be fine now", muttered the woman, checking the syringe carefully.

"A testing is designed to measure ability", she continued. "They are part of the comprehensive selection process to join the order."

"The Angerius Order?"

Thonavar’s voice was barely above a whisper.

"Hush, boy. Do not attempt to talk", said the woman, ignoring his question.

"There were…two huge moons in the sky", said Thonavar. Random images flashed through his mind. The woman upon the narrow bridge, the dragon grid, the red-flamed candles and the darkness and lastly, the monster of a man with the curved ram horns. It had been those same horns that gored him.

With a surge, his stomach heaved as he tried to vomit. But nothing came out.

"I feel weak", croaked Thonavar, embarrassed at his weakness and frustrated with his vulnerable state. He was weary, sick and wished to see his parents.

"Hush, child", said the woman, with a look of sympathy. "You will feel better soon. Here, lie back."

The woman in the black robes strode toward Thonavar and held his wrist. Then with years of practice, she expertly stuck the syringe into Thonavar’s arm. The sharp end of the syringe pierced into his skin. But such was her precision and speed that there was no blood and he felt no pain. There was only a dull feeling of something cold and foreign entering his body and spreading all around. Thonavar watched the dark yellow liquid disappearing from the syringe as it emptied, sickeningly slow. Then she pressed down firmly, adding pressure on the small wound. Thonavar was surprised for he could feel her strength and she was strong. Very strong. Her grip was vice-like and almost painful.

"And… there", she said, taking her arm away from his. Thonavar glanced at his arm, which lay limp. A small cut, now a dull red could be seen. But it was sealed. However, the small wound felt itchy and Thonavar longed to scratch at it.

"I have administered the elixir. You should be feeling its effect shortly", she continued, watching him intently, as if expecting something. And as she spoke, the cold feeling suddenly disappeared, replaced by a growing warmth that circulated throughout his body. It was strangely pleasant and the warmth went into his fingers and into his bones. It was like taking a warm shower, only that it was the inside of his body that felt the heat of the hot shower. Heat emanated from within his body and he felt rejuvenated, his strength returning. Such was the rejuvenating effect of the elixir, that Thonavar managed a smile, the sides of his haggard face, splitting into a small grin.

"I feel…stronger", he managed to say. And as he spoke, he felt his weakness disappear. Strength returned to his arms and legs. His voice returned. Thonavar marveled at the power of the medicine given to him.

"Good, you will make a full recovery. Not today. But maybe tomorrow. Which is just as well. For you will need all your strength for tomorrow if you are to make the journey to Sanctum."

"Sanctum?"

"Yes, if your performance in the projection is judged favourably by the council."

"Judged?"

"Yes. There will be a vote. There are five current members of the council. You will require at least three votes in favour to pass."

Thonanvar was about to ask another question when an image of a dark figure appeared on the screen next to the heavily-wired console. Thonavar could not see the man’s face for he was hooded. But the hood slowly turned in his direction and stopped. Thonavar could feel the cold gaze of whoever was within the cowls of the hood resting on him. Then, slowly, he turned back to the woman.

"Send the boy."

The hooded figure spoke softly but Thonavar knew it nothing short of a command.

"He has but just returned. He requires rest", said the woman in response, still moving around busily.

"Alraka", said the hooded figure whispered. And Thonavar knew it was a warning. Clasping her hands together, the woman bowed her head in obedience.

"At once", she said softly. The face on screen disappeared and she turned to Thonavar immediately.

"You are needed", she said, simply. Her hands were clasped before her in the same way he had seen Felix do so.

"Where? For what purpose?"

Thonavar felt stronger than ever, thanks to the miraculous healing powers of the medicine. He sat upright, as the woman called Alraka undid his straps. With a leap, he bounded from the chair. He stretched his muscles tentatively and began rubbing parts of his body that were still stiff.

"For what am I needed?" Thonavar practiced swinging his arms back and forth.

"Alraka? That is your name is it not", asked Thonavar, coming under the blinding white light from above. He searched her face for clues as to his fate.

"What am I needed for?" asked Thonavar, for the third time.

"You have been tested", she said, a smile on her lips. "And now, you shall be judged."