Is this the key they've been searching for - story nine
Kriliah and Jalisse locate and speak with The Benevolent Spirit of the Drifting Expanse. Is Zhael the key they’ve been searching for?
I missed the Tuesday posting deadline, again. It seems that Friday is the day for sending out this letter at the moment. I hope that’s OK with you? Here is the penultimate episode.
Here we are again, on board our uncrewed airborne people carrier (UAPC) affectionately known as Drewp. Get settled in your preferred seat on Drewp, relax and let the real world fade away. Meet me in The Comments Lounge at the end of the story so we can gossip about this leg of the trip.
In the last episode: the team connect all the items together and learn more about the key.
In this episode: Kriliah and Jalisse locate and speak with The Benevolent Spirit of the Drifting Expanse. Is this the key they’ve been searching for?
You voted for this map, which I have now named: To’Boam.
NEWS FLASH
The Benevolent Spirit of The Drifting Expanse Speaks
Chief World Correspondent: Malin D’Imu
A Tenich Outpost (the isolated, impenetrable outpost overlooking the Bay and Cliffs of Tenich which guards a mysterious landform) Guard and their chimarii (half fairy, half insect for those of us who have forgotten what a chimarii is), have located and spoken with The Benevolent Spirit of the Drifting Expanse. We were exclusively invited to interview them earlier.
Kriliah and their Company, who have been on a quest to find an unknown key for many moons, ported into the remote lake landscape To’Boam yesterday. Kriliah, exhausted and highly emotional, could not talk to us. Crox, Kriliah’s mentor, gave us this update.
“Kriliah easily located the Mignonette Pearl Lakes here on To’Boam, having been directed to do so by a recent message from an ancestor. The crystal clear reflections that are peculiar to these lakes apparently held the clues to what we’ve been looking for. Kriliah was directed to tap into their recently remembered visualisation skills to mentally hover over each lake. This would allow them to see what was reflected in the water. If Jalisse was able to decode what they found, they would unlock the ability to speak to the Benevolent Spirit directly. Kriliah had been told that the lakes would reveal an old Human name. The same letters would also combine to form a Drifting Expanse name.”
Crox reported that after some hitches and frustrations, both Kriliah and Jalisse had been successful in their tasks. To their surprise, each lake revealed a distorted letter from the ancient Human alphabet. Kriliah described each finding to Jalisse. With a combination of her knowledge of all things ancient and her magic, she was able to decode these. This resulted in the appearance of Hazel / Zhael in the flesh.
The Benevolent Spirit known as Hazel / Zhael addressed the assembled Company. She congratulated them on their tenacity and perseverance in the face of the unknown nature of the quest, but didn’t say much more than that. She indicated that at a world wide newscast tomorrow at high sun, she will share the story of how The Drifting Expanse came into being, with the intention of giving all its beings a sense of where they came from and why they are so special in the broader Cosmos.
When we arrived for the interview, she had retreated leaving instructions for us to interview the Company and to broadcast this news freely throughout The Drifting Expanse. Her deepest wish is for all beings to be available to listen to this life changing news tomorrow.
After the interview, we were obliged to leave To’Boam, although the Company has been permitted to stay as they are an integral part of the story. To’Boam is now a “No Go Zone '' until after the high sun broadcast tomorrow. Nobody can port to and from here and all communications have been suspended.
Zhael has asked all beings to spread the word.
Get ready for the final episode next week!
It seems the key has been found. In the next episode we’ll find out why it is so important to the beings of The Drifting Expanse. So spread the word and join us on Dwerp so we can watch the broadcast. Set a date for next week to find out how this series ends.
In the meantime, you can update your map. Where is To’Boam? Have a look at the map below and update your own version of the free map.
Other stories in this series
Head to the Index Page for all the stories so far. The stories are micro fiction, so I’ll be attempting to keep them under 500 words if I can. This one is 495 words.
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The stories behind the story
Want to find out more about the history of The Drifting Expanse and all it’s places? About Kriliah’s and Jalisse’s skills and powers, and the members of the Company? Visit the world building index available to paid subscribers. Delve deeper into the stories behind the story, with a paid subscription. I have a 10% off offer valid until the end of 2023.
Ahh Debs! Finally I can comment... (you were not the only one this was happening to apparently.... ) I have however been following the journey and can’t wait for the final destination and the reason for the Drifting Expanse... I’m so glad you kept Jalisse in your story too! 🙏🏽