A Twist of the Sands

by P R Glazier

  ~

  The Gatekeeper felt a strong impact on her chest. It was the human mage; she had slammed all her body weight into her. The Gatekeeper stumbled, the dagger slipped from her grasp and dropped to the floor. One foot slipped off the edge into space, her head flew back and the hood came down. She lashed out with a hand, found something to grasp, it was the human mages sleeve at the shoulder. The Gatekeeper looked behind her, the Rift sat there beckoning, she turned and looked at the human mage who was repeatedly pushing on her chest. The human mage was shouting something, “I will keep my promise Nar’Allia, I will try and save her if I can, but she will have to take her chances down there, in the Rift.”

  The Gatekeeper tried to get a purchase on the stone edge but her booted heal would not grip. She felt her weight shift beyond her centre of gravity and suddenly she was falling, she grasped the hand of the human mage in an attempt to readdress the balance but she had gone too far. The Gatekeeper realised that she was over the edge of the Rift, but a small sense of satisfaction came to her as she realised that she would also pull the human mage over with her, she relaxed her efforts to gain her balance. She was satisfied as the human mage in turn suddenly realised that she too was about to overbalance. The human mage started to try and pull herself back, but it was too late, she didn’t have the weight to counter the body of the dark T’Iea mage. They both fell, down into the waiting power of the Rift below. But the Gatekeeper felt something under her fingers, she looked, she was holding onto a ridge of stone, somehow she had grabbed at it subconsciously. The Gatekeeper heard a clear and loud scream of despair. She hoped it was not her scream, she smiled, thankfully it was not, she grinned thinking it must be the human mage, but no, she was just looking up at the Gatekeeper with a slight smile on her closed mouth as she hung onto the Gatekeeper’s other wrist. She looked up. She found the one who was screaming. She recognised a young T’Iea woman standing on the edge of the rift above looking down, their eyes met, tears streaked the young T’Iea girls face. The Gatekeeper’s heart gave a jump.

  The human mage gave a grunt, “I tried Nar’Allia, now it’s up to you, save her if you can.” The Gatekeeper felt the human mage wriggle free of her grasp and she fell. As she fell the Gatekeeper heard the mage shout, “save her Nar’Allia!”

  The Gatekeeper looked down towards the falling mage, watched as the once smiling face turned to horror. But the human mage was not looking at her she was looking at the young T’Iea above, a look of deep concern on her face.

  Nar’Allia screamed, tears ran down her cheeks as she saw Deanola fall. As the mage met the swirling mass of the rift she seemed to slow and sink slowly into the broiling mass of energy. Nar’Allia gasped as the last she saw of Deanola was an outstretched hand disappear into the mass of the Rift.

  The Gatekeeper looked up once more, looked into the face of the young T’Iea woman kneeling on the edge of the Rift above her, she knew that face from somewhere. The young T’Iea above responded with a flickering smile, she took a bow from her back and quickly holding one end bent down offering the other end to the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper reached out instinctively just managing to grasp the other end of the bow with her now free hand. She hung there. The Gatekeeper looked up at the T’Iea girl, realisation formed, “Narny?” The girl had tears streaming down her cheeks but she nodded encouragingly.

  Something rose within the Gatekeeper’s memory, a thought flickered there. She suddenly realised what she had been, she remembered the forests, she remembered many people. Was she awakening? Had she been dreaming? No, she saw the fresh scars on her wrists and arm where her robe had fallen back from the hand that now held onto the bow. She remembered that bow, remembered the one who had wielded it in times gone by. It all seemed so long ago, seemed so remote. Suddenly she remembered what she had done. All the evil acts that she had been responsible for. A great guilt and despair came over her, she felt dirty in the presence of this other T’Iea. The Gatekeeper felt an overwhelming sadness. She nurtured a small amount of energy within, sent the power shock up the wood of the bow. Saw the young T’Iea gasp as her muscles relaxed involuntarily and the bow slipped from her grasp. The Gatekeeper said, “I’m sorry, forgive me Narny”. She fell all the while looking into the eyes of the young T’Iea girl, all she saw was deep sorrow. Still clutching the bow in her hand she fell, the face got smaller and smaller until all went dark.

  Nar’Allia slumped to the stone in shock, her arm still numbed extended out over the edge of the rock. Deanola had pushed the dark elf mage over the edge, but it was not this selfless act that shocked her, that paled into insignificance, for the dark T’Iea mages hood had flown back, and there clear as anything was revealed a face that she knew, a face that she loved. It was Minervar. She saw her, tried to save her, then they were both gone, Minervar and Deanola both over the edge and into the Rift. Nar’Allia lay now on the edge where the two women had fallen, she could see nothing, a hole in the fume below was closing. The hole closed back into the boiling mass of dark arcane energies. Minervar, she was gone. More tears welled in Nar’Allia’s eyes, she stood, without thinking she made to walk over the edge and into the Rift. She began to fall over the edge, but hands held her, made to lift her, she cared not whose. She struggled half-heartedly. Suddenly her legs would not support her weight, they just buckled beneath her. Someone lifted her like a child, cradled in their arms. She cried loud sobs of despair as she buried her face into the collar of whoever held her.