Everflame: The Complete Series

by Dylan Lee Peters

  Maggie ran over and ripped her son away from Nikolas, hugging him and kissing him and crying. Nikolas leaned over Iolana who was still unconscious.

  “Iolana,” he said. “Iolana?”

  Without waking, she spoke:

  “In the world’s most desperate hour of need,

  Earthly elements shall be set free.

  And evil tyrants should beware,

  The coming of an unlikely pair.”

  Then, Iolana slowly opened her eyes and stared, confused, at Nikolas.

  “Iolana?” he asked.

  “Who are you?” she asked. “Where am I?” She sat up and looked around at everything, as if seeing it for the first time. Finally, Nikolas understood. This was part of the cycle.

  “My name is Nikolas,” he said, looking at her. “Your name is Iolana and you are my si… You are my daughter.” She looked at him and blinked. “You had a bad fall, but you’re all right now.”

  “Father?” she said.

  “Yes, Iolana. Let’s go home.”

  BOOK TWO

  THE BURNING MA

  N

  MESSENGER

  Chapter 1: A New Purpose

  Rachael knelt among the crumbled remains of the great statue that once stood high in the White Mountains, the crumbled remains of where an ancient being had once been held captive. Rachael knew nothing of this ancient being, at least nothing more than the stories told within The Book of the Holy. She had no idea of what had happened in this place. She played with a piece of the broken rock in her hands. What happened here, Edgar? Speak to me, sweetie. The snow fell softly as it always did on these peaks. Rachael closed her eyes and tried to reach out with her mind, just as she had been taught to do.

  Edgar…Edgar, do you hear me? She tried to concentrate as hard as she could, trying to stretch her mind as far as possible. How far is possible? she wondered.

  It was no use. If she was reaching him, he wasn’t answering. Rachael slowly came back to her conscious self and shuddered in the cold. Time to keep tracking. She had made her way over half of Ephanlarea in search of Edgar and had nothing to show for it except a chill. She stared into the infinite, white sky. How long had it been since she had last seen Edgar, ten years, possibly more? There were times when she had wondered if she was merely tracking a ghost.

  There has never been any reason to believe that I will find him. I’ve never really been able to reconcile within myself if running out of that house was more for me or for him. Though the fact that I even ask myself that question is, in itself, an answer. Joe always told me that Edgar would leave some day. He wasn’t my boy… but he was, and he was all I had. I can’t explain it, but the minute he ran out that night, I knew, I just knew that he was gone.

  Rachael had driven herself mad over the years, trying to find her lost boy. A nomad she was; regarded warily in every town she had entered. Narrow eyes followed her down every road, whispers always behind her. She had been so close to giving it all up, so close to ending herself. Then she met him, as if a prayer had been answered. He hardened her. He showed her a purpose. He taught her how to track, but most importantly, he told her about Edgar. Secrets. Dark secrets that only a mad person would have believed, but somehow, deep inside of her, she knew that they were true. In her memories she could see it in Edgar’s eyes.

  There was always something electric about him, something that was wild, something that always seemed to be pulling away. But I don’t regret running after him. Not for a second. Knowing what I know now… I’m such a different person now.

  I don’t know if I’ll ever find him again, but I know that I have a purpose now. He’s always been my purpose. Edgar, if you can hear me, baby, I’m coming for you.

  Chapter 2: At the Heart of the Mountain

  Autumnbreeze held her breath every single day before she let her eyes open to the morning. Let them be home, she thought to herself, let them be home…safe. She lay upon the bed Eveneye and Goldenheart had made for her and slowly opened her eyes. She listened intently. No ‘good morning, sweetheart,’ no ‘I missed you, mom.’ Again, she opened her aching eyes to an empty room.

  The time her family had been away from Autumnbreeze had been harder on her than she had thought it would be. She had spent a lot of time crying…too much time crying. The weary bear slowly raised herself off of her mattress and stood alone in the silent bedroom. You can do this, she said to herself, your husband and son need you to be strong. They will return safe. Autumn released a big breath and turned to make her way into the kitchen. Eveneye sat at the kitchen table, pensively. He lifted his head toward Autumnbreeze as she entered the room.

  “Can’t sleep,” she whispered. Eveneye blinked his eyes and nodded. His heart was breaking for Autumnbreeze, but he had lost the ability to put her at ease. He didn’t know what to say anymore. He couldn’t fill the absence of her family with words. He had realized, over time, that it wasn’t worth trying. All he and Goldenheart could do was listen, listen and just be there for her. “I’m going for a walk.”

  Autumnbreeze made for the entrance to the cave and found Goldenheart waiting there for her.

  “I thought I might join you,” Goldenheart said.

  “I, as well,” said Eveneye from behind. He had followed her from the kitchen.

  “I suppose I have been taking too many of these walks on my own lately,” Autumnbreeze said as she bowed her head.

  The three bears proceeded out of the cave, onto the roads of Gray Mountain. Things had changed since the departure of Whiteclaw, Riverpaw and Evercloud. The streets used to be filled with cubs at play, bears conversing about their daily lives to one another. The streets would have been filled with fathers, speaking of their plans and projects, mothers, speaking of their cubs, and cubs, speaking of their dreams. But the Kingdom on Gray Mountain didn’t dream any longer, lest they fall prey to a nightmare.

  No, instead the roads were mostly empty, excepting the random soldier on patrol. That’s what they were now, soldiers. Citizens were a people long forgotten. The sound of laughter had been replaced by the sound of clinking metal. Weapons, armor and spirits were all heavy and laden in steel. The mountain’s name had never felt more appropriate then it did in these days.

  Eveneye had done his best to keep spirits high. He would tell his people that hope was something to hold strongly, firmly, only the way a bear can. It had worked for a while, but the lack of information forthcoming about their searchers had left the Kingdom of Bears nervous, and was slowly eroding that once firmly held hope. It was all anyone spoke to him about anymore. ‘What have you heard?’ they would ask. That was all. Nobody had anything else on their minds. Well, that was not completely true, there was one other thing weighing heavily on the minds of everyone, and that was the Great Tyrant. It had been collectively decided that whatever had been seen in the sky that day was either the Great Tyrant or at least the mark of his return. A certain percentage of the bears on Gray Mountain walked around as if they were expecting the Tyrant to pop out from around every corner. Bears stayed clear of the shadows these days, everyone stayed clear of the shadows these days.

  The work being done by the Protection League brought no comfort to Gray Mountain, especially the work of the Department of Information. Oaktongue’s informants were constantly bringing news of other communities who had taken the same precautions as the bears. Everyone was fortifying their homes, training their citizens, and most detrimentally, spreading the rumors of darkness. Word of a man named the Messenger had spread like wildfire through every human village, town and kingdom in Ephanlarea. The humans had gotten to the point where they doubted if the Messenger wasn’t something more than human. Once word of the Messenger reached the animal kingdoms of Ephanlarea, it was all but a matter of seconds before the connection between the Messenger and the Great Tyrant had been made. Some even guessed that the Messenger was the Great Tyrant. Distress was immediate. Forestmoon doubled the force working to erect a wall around the mountain, and he was pushing Even
eye to approve making the wall ten feet higher than originally planned. Bears would very rarely leave the mountain, not only for fear of what they might meet on the outside, but also because it had become a great hassle to get back onto the mountain. Forestmoon’s officers had grown paranoid and made it hard on everyone. Redriver was seeing to it that there was weaponry in every cave and Firerock had increased the intensity of everyone’s physical training. He was calling it a bear’s ‘civic duty.’ The tension was mounting.

  Ever more disheartening, no news at all had come back about the party searching for the Ancients. That, more than anything else, was sapping the life out of the mountain. Everyone had the same unspoken question on their face. Why? Why no news of the party? Shouldn’t they be hearing something…anything? Oaktongue had recently doubled the amount of informants he was sending out into Ephanlarea and yet, it had brought no news. The public scrutiny of Oaktongue and his methods was growing by the day, and it was showing on the bear’s physique. Oaktongue had lost weight and become jittery, his eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets and the bear always had a strange odor about him. He was breaking under the pressure of the job. Eveneye feared for him. He worried that he may have to remove Oaktongue from his post soon, and not due to incompetence, but simply for his own well-being.

  “Where would you like to walk today, Autumn?” Eveneye asked quietly.

  “I thought we might visit Oaktongue…you know…just in case.”

  Eveneye swallowed and stared into the distance. “Of course,” he answered sympathetically. He knew a trip to Oaktongue would make nothing better for Autumnbreeze, or for Oaktongue, but what could he do? Eveneye felt as though his grasp on his kingdom was failing. He was running out of answers and he wondered how long it would be before scrutiny began to fall on him. Eveneye heaved a heavy sigh and sent a resigned look toward Goldenheart. She returned his gaze with an unspoken understanding and they continued on, toward the cave of the Department of Information.

  Oaktongue sat at a table, deep within his cave. His main advisor sat across from him, obviously uncomfortable and fidgeting. Oaktongue’s paws rested on the arms of his chair, his claws digging slightly into its dark wood. His lips were dry and taught and his eyes darted around his advisor, never making direct contact with him.

  “Give us the day’s report,” Oaktongue said. “Make it quick.”

  “W-w-well, sir,” the advisor stuttered. “There is no real news to speak of.” The advisor cringed as his last words escaped his lips and he turned slightly away from Oaktongue.

  “Leave,” Oaktongue responded without looking at the advisor. The bear didn’t need to be asked twice. He left without a word, thanking his lucky stars all the way out. Oaktongue sat, staring at the floor, dazed. He wasn’t sleeping anymore. Even the energy to scream at his advisor’s inability to provide information had left him. He couldn’t continue this way. He had to come up with a plan. It wouldn’t be long before he’d be released from his position. He’d seen it in the King’s eyes during their last few encounters. But what could he do, make things up? The only news coming forth was about some maniac human called the Messenger. Merely some disturbed man, undoubtedly, but his rumors, given the other events, had been disastrous. Everyone believed he was the Great Tyrant or his servant, at the very least. Damn Eveneye! he thought. I deserve far better than this.

  Another of Oaktongue’s advisors crept into the room. “Sir…Sir, the King is here to speak with you.”

  Oaktongue shook his head in defeat and waived his arm toward the advisor. “Well, don’t keep him waiting.”

  Eveneye, Goldenheart and Autumnbreeze walked into the room where Oaktongue sat, and before any of them had taken a seat or had even spoken a greeting, Oaktongue began to mutter at them.

  “No news…there’s nothing new to report. I don’t know why. There is nothing going on in Ephanlarea except for fear. Everyone is afraid because some crazy human is on a killing rampage and everyone saw some lights in the sky. Seems ridiculous to me, really. I mean, we’re jumping to conclusions, really. I mean…well…don’t you think?”

  The three guests looked at Oaktongue and each took pity on him. Even Autumnbreeze could not help but feel sorry for Oaktongue. Eveneye found the silence awkward and wasted little time before he spoke.

  “I know this has been a most stressful job for you, Oaktongue. I apologize for that. Had I known what I know now, I would not have placed this burden upon you. Perhaps, it is time you give the burden back to me.”

  Oaktongue interrupted. “Your Highness, there is no reason to jump to conclusions. I have everything under control, I promise you. As I was sitting here, I was just developing a plan to improve the quality of information we are receiving.”

  Eveneye’s eyes widened in surprise. “Well,” and he looked toward Autumnbreeze and Goldenheart quite relieved, “I think we would all be comforted to hear it.” Goldenheart nodded encouragingly.

  Oaktongue licked his lips and his jaw grew slack. “Well… Uh, firstly, I would… I mean, that is to say, the changes that are needed… you know…to make things function more smoothly…” Oaktongue’s mouth hung without words as the others stood, expectant and confused. Oaktongue’s head slowly turned to the entranceway and the other bears’ heads followed suit. Standing in the entrance was the advisor who had escorted them into the room. He stood awkwardly, slightly shaking. Then he spoke.

  “I-I think it would be best… if everyone came outside.”

  The air was so still it felt like a dream, almost as if the sound had been sucked from the world. Eveneye could feel his blood pump hard in his temple. He blinked as if to try and shake the dream, but it would not go away. His legs went stiff and his jaw trembled slightly. Standing in front of him, towering high above him, was a giant griffin, and at its feet laid his friend, his brother, the mighty Whiteclaw. The world moved so slowly. To Eveneye’s right, Autumnbreeze moved forward, wailing, though he could not hear the sound that came forth from her mouth. She fell upon the broken body of her husband and howled silently into his fur. Eveneye swung his head slowly to his left. Goldenheart had lost the will to stand. She had fallen to her knees and tears streamed down her face. Eveneye felt his face grow hot; he began to notice all the bears that were surrounding the great beast. All were stricken with grief. This can’t be real, thought Eveneye, it just can’t be.

  Then, suddenly, the giant beast spoke. “I am sorry, King of Bears, this is no bad dream.”

  The crowd stepped back and became very still.

  “Y-you are… Tenturo?” As Eveneye spoke the words, he already knew the answer. This was the ancient being Tenturo. He had returned. The rumors were true.

  “I apologize to you, King, for the conditions of my return. I apologize to all of you. Whiteclaw should never have lost his life because of my and the other Ancients’ mistakes.”

  “I don’t understand… what happened... to Whiteclaw?” Eveneye looked down at the vacant shell that was his friend. Autumnbreeze was still draped over him, sobbing.

  “Whiteclaw was a brave bear, and made a great sacrifice in order to free me from my shackles. He sacrificed his life to defeat the minions sent by the Tyrant. For that I am eternally grateful to Whiteclaw. He deserves to be honored in the highest ways of your society.”

  For the first time since seeing her husband’s dead body, Autumnbreeze uttered words that were intelligible. “What about my son?”

  “Your son is alive, and so is Evercloud. As we speak, they search to free the remaining Ancients. Your Kingdom should also revere them as heroes.”

  The crowd was awed; they had waited so long for this news. They had hoped against all hope that this very day would come, and now that it was here, not one of them could face it with dry eyes. The great Whiteclaw had fallen.

  “What do you wish of us Tenturo? There is not a bear on this mountain who does not wish to do everything they can to assist in returning all of the Ancients to power. We are all in your service.” Eveneye tried to stan
d tall, tried to seem regal, yet he was shaken and his heart was broken. It was apparent to the giant griffin what Whiteclaw had meant to this kingdom of bears.

  “I wish for you to tell me where I may construct a monument to this bear who lays before me, and I wish it to be somewhere I can see from the sky.” Tenturo spoke to Eveneye, however it was Autumnbreeze whose words were heard first.

  “Beside the Everflame. He should be beside the Everflame.”

  “Then it shall be done.” Without another word, Tenturo grasped Whiteclaw’s body in his mighty talons and took flight toward the top of Gray Mountain, where the Everflame burned brightly. Eveneye did not hesitate; he helped Autumnbreeze to her feet and with Goldenheart, they began to run the road that led to the castle atop Gray Mountain.

  The crowd stayed behind, shocked, elated, shaken, and destroyed. Oaktongue looked around at everyone. He felt as though he should say something but couldn’t bring himself to speak. Then, slowly, the voices of the crowd began their murmurs. The Ancients are back? Where have they been all this time? Why didn’t anyone know? The crowd’s paranoia was coming to the forefront. Where is the King going? Doesn’t he owe us an explanation? What killed Whiteclaw? It’ll come for all of us! Oaktongue couldn’t listen to the rumblings any longer.

  “SILENCE!” The crowd went silent immediately and parted to reveal where the bellowing command had come from. Firerock stood amid the crowd, looking stern and annoyed. “What is this? All of you should be ashamed. How long have we been working now? We finally have proof of what we had thought is true, and that our efforts have not been for nothing. This is our vindication. Our purpose is now clearer than ever. Yet all of you mutter your insecurities to each other. I will not stand for it. One of the greatest bears any of us has ever known has just been placed dead before us and you cower and insult his memory. An ancient being that we all hold allegiance to has shown himself to us after ages of disappearance and you bicker and insult his presence. Your King, at this very moment, works with this ancient being, amid the deepest pain he has known, and you ask of him instead of giving to him. I am not proud to be among you. I will join the King and his efforts.” Firerock began to walk away from the crowd and follow the trail of the King. “Do what you may.”