by John Grover
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Sinnia’s minions fell soon after her destruction. On the plains, the great battle ceased. The elves, fairies, and amazons stopped in mid-attack and watched, enthralled as the Ebon warriors disintegrated into piles of hollow armor. They were no more than scrap metal now. Giant spiders dissolved into pools of pus, and the lizard men fled back to their subterranean lairs. As the sun's rays cut through the black mist, blades of grass sprouted on the plains.
Around the lands of Orum, the beauty slowly returned. The haunted forest bloomed as buds formed on the trees. The Gibbelins, snapped out of Sinnia’s sway, returned to their lives of looting and hiding.
Days later, when the leaders had returned from their mission, glowing with the spirits of their ancestors, the three races gathered for a thanksgiving. A new celebration unlike anything before, in the forests of the elves.
Nix returned to White Fern, where he found Edon. The two embraced, exchanging tales of bravery. Then Nix made his way past his best friend, to his wife. She had waited what seemed like a lifetime for her hero to return. For the longest time they embraced and kissed, vowing to never be parted again.
Edon and Lianna watched and smiled. Sadness overshadowed Edon’s moment of joy. Lianna placed her hand on his shoulder. “Come,” she said to him. “There is something I must show you.”
She walked him over to the elfin and amazon tents set up to heal the wounded and escorted him inside one. There, his face lit up like the dawn. From atop a bed of furs and hay, Cyan smiled at him. A healed Juni stood over her, waving her hands and muttering some arcane words. A glowing light submerged Cyan’s wounds.
“My amazon,” Edon said and went to her side.
“Yes…I still breathe.”
They kissed deeply as Lianna left the tent with Juni.
“Where is the hu-man now?” Juni asked.
“He is still sleeping…in my tent,” said Lianna. “Soon we will return to our land, and he will live with us until he heals.”
“How many know?”
“Only a few. Nix and Salane of course. You and I and a few of our warriors. That is all. We have all agreed this would be a great shock to our people. It must be revealed slowly over time. He is quite sick and weak. He will make a full recovery with me. We have bonded since his liberation.”
“It is unbelievable. Our world has changed. It answers so much of who we came from and who are true ancestors were. The true meaning of their songs...”
“Yes, the song they left behind that saved our world. It was locked in their souls. It is still in Salane, Nix, and I. We are part hu-man now. We all feel it. None of us are the same. All of this must be handled delicately. The fourth race has returned home. We must welcome it.”
They stopped at the queen’s tent and Lianna dismissed Juni. Before she departed, Juni looked into her queen’s eyes. “Not all will welcome this, mistress.”
Lianna said nothing as Juni walked away. She entered the tent and sat beside the man as he slept. He was fair-haired. A most unusual trait in their realm. There was no one like him. She ran her fingers through it.
He looked so peaceful, this man whose name she did not know. Lianna saw him as a new beginning and recapturing of the past. It made her glad. For a long time she worried on the continuation of her race. Now, with the return of the fourth, her fears eased.
Months from now, this human would join amazon life. He would live among them and love them. An old race would rejoin the three leadership races, and history would repeat itself.
For now, they all joined hands in Loden forest, in the village of the raven-haired elves, and sang the song, passed down from generation to generation. The song of the ancestors.
AUTHOR’S BIO
John Grover is a dark fiction author residing in Massachusetts. John grew up watching creature double feature with his brother on Saturday afternoons. This fueled his love of monsters, ghosts and the supernatural. He never missed an episode. In his spare time he loves to cook, garden, go to the theater to watch horror movies with his friends, read, talk about food, bake amazing desserts, play with his dog Buffy (yes named after the character in the TV show) and draw-badly.
Some of his favorite TV shows and influences are The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darkside, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica, X-Files, Night Gallery, Monsters, Star Trek, and much more.
He completed a creative writing course at Boston’s Fisher College and is a member of the New England Horror Writers, a chapter of the Horror Writers Association.
Some of his more recent credits include Best New Zombie Tales Vol 1 by Books of the Dead Press, The Book of Cannibals by Living Dead Press, The Vermin Anthology, The Northern Haunts Anthology by Shroud Publishing, The Zombology Series by Library of the Living Dead Press, Morpheus Tales, Wrong World, The Willows, Alien Skin Magazine, Aurora Wolf and more.
He is the author of several collections, including the recently released Feminine Wiles, sixteen tales of wicked women as well as various chapbooks, anthologies, and more. Please visit his website for more information.
Find John on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/John-Grover-Dark-Fiction-Author/163129157108588
Other Fantasy Titles by John Grover
Song of the Ancestors Series
Book I: Web of the Spider Queen
Book II: The Human Condition
Book III: Ballad of the Fallen
Book IV: The Ashes of Orum (Coming Soon)
Visit the Song of the Ancestors Facebook Page for more info about the world of Orum
Possessing the Grimstone
The Books of Braenyn
The Scepter Of Namiss: Books of Braenyn #1
The Fallen Church of Ashburn: Books of Braenyn #2
Family Bonds: Books of Braenyn #3
Tarrow’s Tale: Books of Braenyn #4