Epilogue
The Choice
The Ibian looked toward the large monitor before it. The shadow that filled the screen just sat there, imposing yet unmoving. The Ibian vaguely wondered if the shape formed by the shadow was really a person or if it was just something that had been put there to give some shape or form to the voice that reverberated from the speakers. The shape was clearly male and the voice that accompanied it sounded as if it were male as well though it was hard to tell because the speaker was clearly talking through a device that was designed to disguise the speaker's true voice.
“So, you are telling me that not only has the Moonstone been claimed, but it was split in two and given to this,” The voice paused. “Jonah and Alissa?” There was a slight sound of disgust as the names were spat out. “Why have you not contacted me about this before now? Then you tell me that these two have already gone and awakened her? That should not have been allowed to happen.”
“I know. I am sorry, Lord Aramon.” The Ibian stammered, quaking with fear. “It’s just that we had some new and interesting data that we were able to get our hands on and-“
“Silence!” Lord Aramon commanded. “You said in your report that these two,” He paused again before resuming with disgust once again creeping into his words, “humans have already returned with the Sleeper, correct?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“And your report mentioned something curious about the Moonstone, or rather, Moonstones. If I understand this correctly, the stone which was split in two and given to the humans is still with the humans, yet the original stone seems to have reappeared whole, within the belly of the Sleeper, where it once rested. So that means that there are now three Moonstones in the world, correct?”
“That is correct, Lord. Trying to convince the three Bearers of the Stones to stay in Ib, we are, so that whether the abilities of the original are shared by all three, we may determine. The reports provided by the Bearers so far say that only the one in the Sleeper seems to function as the one that she had before, exactly. For all intents and purposes, no distinction is there between the one in her belly now and the original. The other two seem to have different abilities, though. The one in the male, though the details are vague, seems able to be used as weapon, while the one in the female, similar to the original, seems to have healing properties. Much more study is needed, though, to know exactly the capabilities-“
Lord Aramon cut the Ibian off again.
“What about the immortality? Do the Bearers seem to have gained that as well?”
“That we know not, my Lord. If they would stay with us for a while, perhaps determine that, we could, but it seems that they are set on continuing to the tree as soon as possible.”
“Let them travel freely as they see fit for now. We only need to keep tabs on where they are and what they are doing for now. The fact the Moonstone appears to have permanently multiplied intrigues me. It will take some time for me to figure out my next step. Track them and their movements and report back to me regularly. No more slacking!”
“Yes, my Lord.”
The monitor went black as the signal it was receiving was cut. The Ibian sighed and collapsed with relief that the meeting was over. She liked the two humans and didn’t desire to see any harm come to them, but she was afraid of what was coming if Lord Aramon got his hands on any of them. She knew better than to disobey Lord Aramon, but now she was torn on what to do. How best could she obey Lord Aramon and ensure the safety of the humans she had grown fond of?
#
Alissa sat on the side of the bed in her and Jonah's hotel room that the Ibians had provided them with since their stay was going to be brief. She contemplated the offer Doctor Sliss had made her. The good doctor had insisted she be able to study Alissa's pregnancy and had tried to convince her to stay behind in Ib for that purpose. If she wasn't going to stay, then the doctor was so insistent on studying her physiological changes that she offered to pack up and join them on their quest just to be able to continue her observations. Either way it was clear that Doctor Sliss was not going to let Alissa go unobserved nor be without proper personnel available when it came time for her to give birth. So, either way, Alissa was stuck with the good doctor.
When they had arrived in Ib, they had been greeted with enthusiasm and shown right to the hotel so that they could rest. The Ibians took great interest in Sephira and they marveled at being able to meet the woman from the statue. Soon she was being whisked away by several Ibian women who were taking her to get some proper clothing and shoes that fit her feet while Jonah had wandered off to collect supplies for the next leg of their trip. Making a stop by the house where Kristh lived, he gave the Ibian a breakdown of their journey thus far.
After Jonah and Sephira were gone their separate ways, Alissa went to Doctor Sliss to have the doctor give her a proper checkup and see if she could confirm the pregnancy as well and check on the status of the baby, if she was indeed pregnant. The doctor had confirmed everything including the fact that, for all intents and purposes, the child in Alissa's womb seemed to be doing fine. She said that it showed no abnormalities that she could identify. Alissa thanked her and turned to leave. That was when Doctor Sliss made her the offer.
All the way back to the hotel, Alissa mulled on whether to stay in Ib where she knew she was almost guaranteed to be safe and comfortable with plenty of medical care if necessary or to continue on staying by her husband’s side, facing the dangers of the road together with Sephira and the now obsessed Doctor Sliss. Once she got back to the room, she sat on the bed thinking over her choices over, turning them this way and that trying to figure out both the pros and cons of each.
That was where she still sat as the door opened to the room and Jonah came in. Alissa stood up and walked up to him and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek then led him to the bed, instructing him to sit down. Looking him in the eye, she saw the unwavering love for her there and knew what she had to do. She told him of her visit to Doctor Sliss and of the choice that the doctor had laid before her. Once she had told him everything, including her own thoughts and fears, he tried to speak up but she put her finger to his lips to prevent him from speaking.
Looking him in the eye, she let him know that she had already made her choice.
