by Linn Tesli
“Now, back to the task at hand. Would you please stop pacing so we can continue?” Pyralis gestured for Archenon to sit. “Rhonja wishes you to know this.” He exhaled heavily, rubbing his neck. He returned to telling the young apprentice the old Tale of Creation.
Archenon crossed his arms over his chest. “I know the words by heart.”
“Yet, you refuse to listen to the words. Now, sit your stubborn behind down, and open those pointed ears of yours wide.” Pyralis shifted in his chair across from Archenon.
His apprentice finally sat in an armchair next to him, folding his hands behind his head.
“Very well, wise one. Ears pointed.”
Relaxing, Pyralis returned to the book in his lap. “Yes, as I was saying.” He took a deep breath and straightened his back before he continued reading from the Book of Creation.
“In the beginning, Mother Nature wept for the loneliness she felt after having spent an eternity alone in the universe. As she wept, her tears became rivers, leading to waterfalls, turning into oceans, and thus creating the first of all elements of the world—water.
“With water came the first sign of life to the world of Aradria. Mother Nature found water to be quite soothing, yet she was not satisfied with her creation. There was no contrast in the scenery. She took a deep breath and blew air into the world so as to make the ocean dance at her will.” Pyralis tilted his head toward Archenon, who huffed and squirmed in his seat.
“I’m paying attention. Mother Nature has created the first two elements. See? Great for her.”
“Great for us,” Pyralis corrected.
“If you say so.” Archenon rolled his eyes and pointed at the book. “Why would you need to read from it when you know how the story goes?”
“Because, my friend, I don’t wish to leave anything out. Every aspect of the story is of great importance. It’s not some child’s bedtime story for me to twist around as I please.”
Archenon leaned back in his seat. “Well, go on then.”
Pyralis cleared his throat and carried on.
“Shivering, as she didn't feel balanced, she rubbed her hands until sparks flew from them and created the sun as water’s counterpart. The world could now be both hot and cold. Still in need of balance, and longing for company, Mother Nature shook her hair, and the gems that lived within the strands of her golden tresses landed as mighty clods of earth at various places around the world.”
Pyralis moved his glasses down the ridge of his nose. “What does this tell you?” His apprentice should already know, but Pyralis was not sure if Archenon understood the significance of Aradrian history.
Archenon slouched in his chair. His hands were turned palms up. Between them, he held the vision of a small sun.
“The sun will allow for growth and yet burn what thrives and return it to nature’s bosom.”
“That is true,” Pyralis said. “Though it belongs to the next part of the story. Please remain attentive.”
Archenon pulled his hands further apart, allowing the ball of light to grow. He watched it for only a moment before smacking them together, killing the light.
“Yes, yes. Go on,” Archenon encouraged.
Pyralis arched a bushy eyebrow but returned to the story.
“In order for her elements to thrive together, she provided them each with properties that would allow them to coexist. She made it so that they all depended on each other in life—and in death. A lone tree sprang forth from the ground as water blended with the qualities of the earth. Air gave the tree breath and so sustained life, aided by the sun, which created warmth and light to allow the tree to blossom.”
Pyralis took a deep breath. “This is where your part of the story comes in.” He continued reading.
“And so it was that the Tree of Aradria took root as the first living entity in the world. As the four elements harmonized, taking and receiving life from one another, there was growth both below and above the ocean.”
“So, this tree—have you seen it?” Archenon asked.
Pyralis brightened, and his lips curved up. “I once travelled there to celebrate winter solstice. It is magnificent.” He closed his eyes momentarily, reliving the memory.
“Is it true its trunk is the size of Vulkan Mountain?” Archenon leaned forward, scratching his cuticles. At least he was somewhat attentive.
“Indeed. It does appear to be. It takes hours to travel around it. The roots bend and stretch in every direction across the Land of Earth. It shapes the untamed landscape of Sonûdor Forest, as well as providing shelter for woodland creatures.” Pyralis blinked and returned to the story.
“As Mother Nature watched her world flourish, she found it to be perfect. Perfection, however, was not her intention. The creatures of both ocean and of land had no minds of their own. They grew, lived, and then died, as was their nature. For as she had created it, all things had to balance, and so what was once earth had to become earth yet again in order to allow new beings to find their place in Aradria.
“And so it was that Mother Nature cut out a piece of her heart and laid it down as a blanket upon the world. The piece of her heart created hopes and desires, blended with her own fear and longing. This was how the spirit of Mother Nature came to shape the hearts and destinies of all the individuals in her world, and thus a piece of her came to inhabit all the elements. It was flawed perfection, as she intended it to be. Mother Nature was finally at peace with her creation. Next, she rested, for a piece of her was in each and every thing.”
Pyralis paused and threw a glance over at the young apprentice, who had his eyes glued to the window that opened onto the courtyard.
“You remember what comes next, I presume?” Pyralis inquired. Archenon was as still as a statue but recited with a sombre voice.
“As all beings now had minds of their own, and with Mother Nature resting, Aradria was thrown into chaos. With no one guiding them, the creatures of the world fought for their lives and their place in the hierarchy. It became a struggle for survival.
“Some who still remembered more harmonious days attempted to contact Mother Nature herself. They sought out the Tree of Aradria, where they summoned her. Eventually, she came. At first she was furious at the interruption of her rest, but when she saw the concern in their hearts, she knew she had to intervene.” Archenon waved his right arm in front of him and yawned.
Pyralis leaned back. “you're bored?”
“Not so much bored as puzzled—should Mother Nature not have foreseen how events would unfold, having given them fear and desire as part of their natures?”
“Balance, my boy. Balance.” Pyralis said before continuing.
“She had to intervene. The solution had to lie in some form of order, which meant she had to provide someone with the power to keep watch over the world she had created when she could not.
“Mother Nature decided to divide her world into five lands, each ruled by a monarch. Drawing power from the elements, she chose five young individuals who each possessed characteristics that specifically matched the best qualities within the element they had been chosen to command.
“She proceeded to give them the power to wield their element, by placing yet more tiny pieces of her heart within each of theirs. In the element of spirit, she placed a strand of each of the elements woven together with a piece of her own spirit. For spirit lived in all things, and so all things must live in it. Mother Nature had chosen well, and soon the world was balanced again.
In the north, the Queen of Earth sat on her throne within Sonûdor Forest. In the south, the King of Fire ruled the land Lycobris from the Vulkan halls, within Vulkan Mountain. In the east, the King of Air tended to sit more on the back of his griffin than on his throne in Caradrea, though such was the nature of air, and his land thrived greatly under his rule. In the west, the Queen of Water kept her home within the towers of Njordhall, and—”
“Dead center of the world sat the High Queen of Spirit in her vibrant castle of light—the
castle of Êvina,” Archenon interrupted.
“Yes, Archenon—exactly so. And to this day, they all rule their chosen lands still.” Pyralis was pleased.
Archenon sat, seemingly transfixed. “Time for some battle practice.” He bounced out of his seat, suddenly energetic, and strode out the door. Pyralis shook his head as Archenon stuck his nose back into the room. “Coming?”
Returning from the land of memory, Pyralis opened his eyes to the bright room of marble. It looked the same as it always had, filled with history. His last lesson with Archenon had been in this library.
Stretching in his chair, his body ached. He had grown old, but the fire within him sustained him until this day. Until his last.
If only he had made Archenon understand, then their relationship might have been different. As it was, he could never tell him all he knew. Things that, if Archenon still possessed a heart, he would understand. Without his heart, however, Archenon’s spirit had vanished, and all sense of reason had been stripped away from him. There was nothing human left inside Archenon now—only a dark void resided within him.
All the decisions Archenon, Gaija, and even Rhonja, had made had led to this point. Pyralis was as much to blame as any of them.
It was as it had been predicted almost a thousand years ago, despite Pyralis’s best efforts to fight their entwined destinies. All he could do now was allow nature to run its course. In the end, he hoped, they would all find redemption.
11
Gryphon Peak
- Everine -
“Next stop, Griffin Peak!” Birken announced from Blaze’s back.
A week had passed since they had escaped the Silverlings. Due north of their current position, the top of Griffin Peak loomed above the treeline. They had no time for relaxing yet, however.
Though they were still a distance away, it was likely the Silverlings had closed in on Birken and Everine. The thought made Everine shudder. On a couple of occasions, they had seen smoke from campfires rising behind them. At the first sign of their pursuers, Birken and Everine had decided not to light any more fires of their own. It had made cooking their meals a bit more challenging, however.
Fortunately, all Ayva really needed was sleep and food every so often. Her small, fragile body looked thin, however, and Everine felt a sting of remorse for not stopping to feed her more often.
“I believe we’ll reach the base of the mountain by nightfall,” Birken said. “I know of a place where we should be safe for the night.”
Everine nodded. Her entire body yearned to relax again. She hadn’t felt safe since before Ayva’s birth, and she expected it was a feeling she would not soon know again.
They rode in silence for the most part. Even the unicorns had their limits, and they had not been able to continue at the reckless pace they had for the first few days after fleeing from Yirin’s glade.
When night fell, they dismounted in the foothills of Griffin Peak. The mountain stretched wide and tall toward the sky, its peak penetrating the cloudbanks overhead. Strong winds from the north had caused extreme abrasion in the surrounding area, and deep rills cut into the mountain’s back, an indication of the frequent heavy rainfalls that plagued this part of Aradria. The local summers, however, would be scorching hot.
Loud squawks rang through the night air, and scores of griffins circled just below the clouds. A stone staircase travelled up the mountainside, turning at odd angles only to disappear into the fog.
They trailed the edge of the foothills. Everine was relieved to escape climbing the dreadful staircase. After a while, they came upon a path leading closer to the ascending walls of stone. The area was rocky, but there were patches of greenery around.
Birken gestured for her to stop. He released Blaze and stepped off the track to a dense area of underbrush growing up against the mountainside. Carefully parting the thicket with his hands, Birken revealed a small cave behind the shrubs with just enough room to host their party.
As always, Birken left to hunt down dinner. After they had filled their stomachs, Ayva fell asleep, and their nightly conversation picked up. Everine found talking with the Earthling comforting; he was not like the men she had known in her past life. While she was apprehensive about how he made a living, she could not help but take a liking to him.
Tonight, however, they would have to talk about his proposition to continue on with him to Bermunnos, a topic she had avoided ever since he had first brought it up. She was still unsure about the right thing to do. There was no way she could justify asking more of him than she already had.
“I do appreciate your invitation to come with you to Bermunnos. It’s just that I don’t know how things will turn out with her.” Everine gestured towards Ayva. “Or me, for that matter. I don’t have a clue as to how she’ll develop.”
“All the more reason you should come with me,” Birken said with absolute certainty.
“I must say I’m tempted. Your home sounds wonderful, but you’ve done so much for us already. I don't wish to burden you with any more.”
He frowned at this. “I can promise you that the two of you have been sparkling gems in a heap of stones. I usually travel alone, you know. This has been kind of nice. I don’t get ‘nice’ a lot.” He lit his pipe.
“Exactly. Birken, you're a fine…” Everine stumbled for the right words, “…a fine Earthling. But I need you to know that I would not be in your company constantly if we were to come with you. I could not see you every day. What I’m trying to say is that Ayva will need a mother who does not get distracted.”
Birken watched her intently as she spoke. She touched the corners of her mouth with her fingertips, self-consciously. Her lips were undoubtedly pale and dried out.
Still frowning, Birken exhaled a puff of smoke into the cave. “You never thought perhaps she could do with a father as well? Besides, it’s always good to share the load with someone.”
The affection in his eyes was enough to decide the matter for Everine.
“Birk, she’s not your load to share,” she said with finality. “Once we cross the border to Caradrea, we’ll go to Cazib, and test our luck there. I’m sure Ayva and I will find a good place to settle. The southern outskirts of Caradrea are said to be quiet, and we can grow what we need in the soil there.”
He shook his head in disagreement, staring at his knuckles. “It’s Silverling country, you know.”
“I do know, which is exactly what makes it a safe place. The Silverlings already own Caradrea, so the Zila’r-nath are far more likely to pursue their vile missions elsewhere. Once they’re home, they’re just that—home.” Everine was not as sure about her plan as she sounded, but she had made her choice.
Birken snorted at her logic but didn't press the matter further.
The rest of the night was spent talking about the places Birken had visited and the many things he had seen on his travels. Everine enjoyed his stories and appreciated the fact that he likely skipped over any gruesomeness and fighting for her sake. His warm voice drew her mind into his tales until she finally slept.
When she awoke, a comforting buckskin covered her body, and her head rested on a bed of moss. Frost gathered in the air as she exhaled. It must have been a cold night, though it had not bothered her. Summer was coming to an end.
Everine stared at Birken as he entered the cave, wishing briefly that he were less kind. After a few polite exchanges while going through their usual morning rituals, they headed back outside. A mountain pass lay ahead; they would reach the Land of Air before noon.
Everine eyed Griffin Peak. Had they been anywhere else on the mountain, they would have had to climb much higher before descending again. The odds of their descent involving a deathly fall would have been much higher.
The path veered off down a small hill where the mountain split open onto a passage to the other side.
At last, the undulating outskirts of the Caradrean plains lay before them—the former domain of the unicorns. It was their birthplace, an
d it had been their sanctuary.
Everine wondered about the cruelties those magical creatures of old must have endured. The free unicorns were near extinction nowadays, and yet here Dandelion was, aiding a woman from Êvina and her frail infant.
The unicorns had once been among the most powerful creatures in the land. As they rode, Everine recalled a conversation with Birken a few nights prior. Birken had explained how, after the Fall of the Elementals, the unicorns had been enslaved by the Silverlings and whipped into submission.
She was appalled at the monstrous way this had been achieved, and how it was still done to this day. The Silverlings would saw off the unicorns’ horns, which were their greatest pride and the inherent source of their magic.
The horns’ incredible healing powers made them especially coveted, but the Silverlings had no knowledge of how to harness its magical powers. Even so, the unicorns were so different from regular horses, and the Silverlings still benefited greatly from their size and speed.
Everine and Birken exited the mountain pass and ventured onto a small footpath that led them further out onto the Caradrean plains. The grass and soil under their feet soon changed to rocks and sand. The landscape opened in front of them and lay in waves, concealing the dips between the ridges of sand.
“I’ll ride with you until you have Cazib in your sight,” Birken insisted.
It would have made more sense for him to head northwest toward Bermunnos after they had gone through the mountain pass, not northeast toward Cazib, but Everine was reluctant to part with him and didn't object.
This was certainly the unicorns’ homeland. Their hooves barely touched the ground, and they all but flew across the warm sand. Everine closed her eyes, allowing the late summer wind to stroke her face. The scent of hot sand and opportunity was liberating. Turning her back on Beregend had been a risk, but, as they rode across the dunes, she had hope that they might stand a chance after all.