Mysterious Ring, Magical Ring

by Seven

Disclaimer:  Earth: Final Conflict and its characters are copyrighted by Tribune Entertainment Company.  All rights reserved.

Note from Author:   During "Bliss." The title is from a "Clannad" song...

 

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Liam knelt down in the middle of the stone circle, in the knee-high grass. His dark hair was stirred a little by the breezes that were wafting across the hillsides.

His shakarava activated. And for the first time in months, Liam did not clench his fists over them, or hold his hands rigidly. He simply let them be, watching them.

He didn't know why, but in the Strandhill circle, they no longer seemed alien. In other places, they were a glaring reminder that he was different, that they were not "normal." But somehow, they seemed a part of this circle, like the wind and grass and sky.

Was it because Ma'el had wandered these grounds two millennia ago? Was it because the ancient Taelon had left remnents of his research lying nearby, including the time portal and his secret lab in a rock face?

Liam leaned against one of the stones, a peaceful smile on his face. As his glowing hands brushed the rock, it shifted suddenly, seeming to split down the middle. Liam jerked aside, alarmed--what had he set off?

He stared in astonishment as a small, dark compartment was revealed. Inside was a small collection of notes, neatly bound, on an odd plastic-like substance. Liam reached in and pulled them out, seeing with a shock that they were written in the spidery, lacy Taelon script. With a groan, the huge stone moved back into place, sealing the tiny chamber.

He bit his lips as he slowly turned the small booklet side to side, trying to read it. He knew the Taelon language, but the language variances between what Ma'el had known and what he had learned in his time as a protector were sufficient to confuse him.

It didn't matter, he thought with a small smile. He would ask Da'an later.

Still smiling, he leaned back against the rock circle, staring at the blue sky...