by Jordan Baker
"I have a gift to offer to you and to the people of this land," Quenta said, as the large, open pool beneath the statue before them began to fill with cool, blue water, submerging the jeweled sword almost to its hilt. The elven prince touched the edge of the pool and vines began to grow around it, and lilies appeared upon the water, with white flowers blooming upon them. Quenta turned to the elven soldiers that he led, and he nodded to them, then the elves turned and walked from the crowd, spreading new life across the ground with every footstep.
"We will stay until everything has been restored, then we will return home," Quenta said, turning back to Ariana as the elves left the courtyard and made their way out into the city.
"Thank you, Quenta," Ariana said. "The flowers you made are beautiful."
"They are not of my choosing, for they grew of their own accord," Quenta told her, then he looked up at the statue. "It is said that the son of Aria took the shadow into himself and welcomed the fire of dragons that the darkness would be destroyed. Is this the truth of what happened here?"
"It is as close to the truth as anyone knows," Ariana told him.
"To have done such a thing, is both brave and foolish," Quenta said, then he glanced over at Zachary. "We will honor him as a lost prince of Solari as we honor you a princess who will return."
"I am glad," Ariana said. "Borrican and I will return very soon."
"That would be wise," Quenta told her. "While our people are grateful to the dragons, many still remain uneasy at their presence, even among the trees of the red forest."
"I am sure Vale will also be glad to return to the north," Ariana said.
"Yes, that would be for the best," Quenta said. "I must leave now, Ariana, for I do not wish to be in the presence of the mage any longer than I must."
"Zachary cannot stay," Ariana said. "He is dying, Quenta, consumed by the fire that burns within him."
"Then that is also as it should be," he said, then he departed with a nod. "I will see to the elves and do what I can to help heal this land, then I will return home, where I hope to see you soon among the trees."
"Safe travels to you Quenta," Ariana said. "We will see you soon."
Jax ducked past the tall, strange looking elf as he made his way toward the princess, and when he appeared in front of her, she seemed a little surprised at first, as though she had not seen him approach.
"Excuse me," he said. "Highness, I do not believe we have met."
"You are called Jax," Ariana said. "I have heard that you are a thief."
"That is but one of my many talents," he said with a flourishing bow. "Jax Larian, at your service, and I have something that I think would be best kept in your care."
"What is it?" Ariana asked, curiously as Jax fished inside his shirt, then he pulled out a book.
"It is the book," he told her. "The book of the priesthood and the one god."
"And you wish to give such a thing to me?" Ariana frowned.
"No," Jax replied and Ariana took a step back as he opened its pages and turned them toward her. "It is different now. See, it is full of stars."
Ariana stared at the book and saw a beautiful picture of a white flower that she was sure was the same as the ones that floated in the pool beneath the statue, but when she looked up at the thief, she thought she saw what looked like countless tiny stars glimmering in his eyes. Jax blinked and the stars disappeared as though they had never been, and Ariana was suddenly unsure if her eyes had deceived her.
"I will keep it safe," Ariana told him as he smiled at her, then closed the book and handed it to her.
"And I will keep you safe, your highness," Jax said. "It seems that my family has a debt to yours, and it has fallen to me to repay it."
"Thank you, Jax," Ariana said, a little confused by his words but grateful for his offer, but he had already somehow disappeared, and she blinked, not sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
She looked down at the book in her hand and shuddered at all the trouble it had caused, but Ariana also felt as though there was something comforting and familiar about it, that reminded her of a time, long ago, when she had seen stars in the eyes of another the way she thought she had seen them in the eyes of the thief. It was a strange curiosity that no doubt would involve magic of some kind, so she tucked the book under her arm and the crowd parted for her as she made her way toward where the mages, Zachary, Stavros and Calthas, had gathered nearby.
"I have business with the Council of Mages," she said.
"The Council?" Stavros squinted an eye at her.
"Stavros, you are the Head of the Council of Mages, are you not?"
"If the Council exists once more, your highness, then I suppose I am," he said.
"I have a book for you to keep," she said and she held out the book and all three of the mages seemed to take a step back when they saw it. "Have no fear, for I am fairly will not harm you."
"How can you be sure of this?" Calthas asked.
"I said fairly sure," Ariana said as she looked up at the statue and smiled at the sublime expression on his face, that was somehow both joy and sadness at the same time. "No, I am sure of it."
*****
Dash pulled another log from nowhere and tossed it into the fire, and he watched the sparks fly up into the night that surrounded him. In his lonely spot within the vastness of the firmament, the red, orange and yellow flicker of the flames were comforting in their constantly changing liveliness. He thought about opening another jug of sweetwater, but ever since the time when Jax had come to visit him, the drink seemed to have lost its sweetness. And after he had turned down yet another chance to return to the world, everything he ate or drank in this place had become downright sour. Dash knew it had to do his own thoughts, that this place was a kind of reflection of things, and the little bit of magic he knew should have made it more tolerable, were it not for the quiet melancholy that had overcome him.
While a part of him considered drowning such thoughts with strong sweetwater, the way he had for so long before, another part of him wanted to remember everything, to try to understand all the things he had done, and how he had come to deny his oath to his king, to fail the people who had been almost like family to him, and to betray himself. Dash stared at the flickering flames as he tried to piece it all together in his mind, and so lost was he in thought that at first he did not see the figure walking toward him on the other side of the fire. When he finally noticed that someone was there, he realized that he could not really see who it was, for the figure seemed to move and bend with the flames of the fire before him, with flames and shadows that made his eyes feel strange. Not sure if he was simply seeing things, or if he might somehow have another visitor, Dash pulled a bottle of sweetwater from nowhere and held it up toward whoever it was that stood on the other side of his fire.
"Care for a drink?" he asked, doing his best to sound hospitable.
The figure walked around the fire and Dash saw that he was a young man who had wisps of flame around him as he moved, and he also had a kind of darkness that swirled around inside him, a kind of shadow that he did not like, for it reminded him of things he did not want to think about, even though they were exactly the things he had been trying to remember. Dash looked up at the young man's face and he thought he recognized some people he knew in his features, but when he looked into his eyes, that was when he knew exactly who he was.
"Well, you're a lot bigger than the last time I saw you," Dash commented.
"The last time you saw me, you stuck a dagger into my chest."
"One of my many regrets, that was," Dash replied, then he took a strong pull from the jug and he choked as he felt the sweetwater burn his throat. "Truthfully, I'm glad I failed."
"May I see it?"
"My dagger?" Dash frowned, then he fumbled around for a second and pulled the knife from his belt, sheath and all, then he held it up. "Take it."
"You have my thanks," the young man said as he took the blade.
"
You've no need to be polite with me," Dash said. "I hardly deserve it after what I've done."
"That may be," the young man said as he pulled the dagger free from the worn leather that encased it and tossed the sheath back to him. "I have seen things that tell a greater truth about the things you have done, and you are not entirely to blame."
"That's generous of you, but I see them just the same," Dash replied, then he looked at the dagger as its blade glimmered in the firelight. "It's got a good edge except for one spot near the tip where it got nicked and it won't sharpen."
"I remember," the young man said as he held the knife in his hand and stared at it.
Dash nearly dropped his jug of sweetwater as he leapt from the log on which he sat when the fellow turned the blade toward himself and plunged it into his chest. Strange screams echoed in the night sky and the stars that were all around suddenly began to disappear, covered in a sort of darkness like a night fog. Everything went dark and all Dash could see were the glowing embers of the fire that had somehow suddenly died down, nearly to ash, and the young man, who flickered like so many flames as though he was made of fire itself.
"What have you done?" Dash cried as he stepped toward him.
Dark, black blood spilled out of his chest as he pulled the dagger free, then he shoved the dagger into the burning embers, which seared away the blood with an angry hiss. A moment later, he held up the blade and showed it to Dash.
"The shadow shard of is returned," he said, then he flipped the dagger around and held it by the blade as he handed it back to him. "If you wish to do something to atone for your part in things, then hold onto this dagger and never let it be used again."
"I would destroy it if that might make you happy," Dash said as he took the knife, which now felt heavy and cold in his hand, and its metal seemed darker, though he could see that the blade no longer had a piece missing.
"That may not be possible," the young man said. "In this place, it appears that some things are possible, while others are not."
"You noticed that," Dash said.
"I am curious about it," he replied, then he looked at the jug that sat next to the log where Dash had been sitting. "Might I try a little of your sweetwater now?"
"Of course," Dash said, and he slid the dagger into its sheath and shoved it into his belt, then he grabbed the jug and handed it to him. "Take the whole thing if you like."
"Just a taste is all I desire," he replied with a smile, then he took a sip from the jug and handed it back. "Perhaps I will visit you again some time."
"You're leaving?" Dash was confused. "I thought you'd come to kill me."
"As I said, perhaps I will visit you again some time," he replied, then he walked away, and disappeared among the stars in a flicker of flame and shadow.
"Then take the bloody dagger with you," Dash said, after a moment, and he pulled it from his belt and threw it in the direction he had gone, but it landed in the embers of the fire, which suddenly blazed to life once more. Irritated that he had already attempted to get out of the one thing he had been asked to do, he tried to reach into the flames to retrieve the knife, but the fire flared angrily whenever he reached for it, and its heat was enough to sear his fingers, no matter how quickly he tried to reach through the flames, though neither the dagger nor the leather sheath appeared to burn.
"Well, if I can't get at it, then I suppose it's as safe as it can be," he said, then he took a swig from his jug, but the sweetwater had gone sour again, and he spit it out, onto the fire and the flames burned higher into the night.
Out among the vastness of the stars, Aaron walked alone as the shadow and the flames burned within him, in an endless battle of light and dark. It was easier now that the shard of the knife was gone from him, a tiny fragment of shadow that, like a seed, had grown within him for so long. The roots of its power, that had reached down into the center of his being, had finally been cut free and he no longer struggled to keep the darkness from taking hold of him, but it seemed that there was still nothing he could do to completely destroy it without destroying himself. Aaron was not yet ready to attempt such a thing, for he knew there was a chance that it might not succeed, and that could very well risk releasing the shadow once again. At least, for now, in this place, he could do no harm should the darkness take hold of him. Here, he posed a danger to no one, except perhaps to the broken man he had left by the fire.
Aaron could already see the torment in the man, and he wished him no further ill, but he thought about the veiled threat he had made to him before he left, curious that he would say such a thing, and he wondered if it was a thought that was his own, or some remnant of the shadow. It was strange that he would be unsure of such a thing, and he was not so foolish as to underestimate the dark power that still swirled inside him, for he had learned the way it took power over the thoughts of others. Aaron ignored the angry screams of the one who was both sustained and trapped by his flames, and he considered that the only way to keep the shadow from the world might be to stay in this place forever.
Remembering the campfire, the log, and the jug of sweetwater that Dash had apparently conjured from nowhere, Aaron thought about a rock that lay among the trees by the cottage where he had grown up, where he used to like to sit and watch the creatures of the forest, and he turned his head and found that a rock had appeared behind him that was very much like it. Accepting the strangeness of this place, Aaron sat down upon the rock and stared at the stars, thinking about the many things he had seen and those he had met in his travels, and he hoped that they were safe now that they were free from the darkness that he had taken from the world.
"Aaron," a voice whispered in his ear, and he turned and saw a wavering light beside him that shifted and became a face he recognized, but somehow looked different from what he remembered, though he could see that her essence was dark with shadow and a kind of sickness that worried him.
"Ehlena," he said. "Why did you come here?"
"A part of me is here," she said as she became more corporeal for a moment then faded back to a kind of apparition. "The other part of me is still in the world."
"How did you manage that?" he asked, a little curious that she would have done such a thing.
"I am a goddess," she said with a tired smile, and he could see that she was struggling as her form wavered again and became faint.
"Come here," Aaron said to her, and she floated closer to him, then he reached out his hand and placed it on her chest, at the base of her neck.
Ehlena gasped, and she felt as though her very existence was being drawn out of her. Surprised by the force of it, she panicked and grasped his wrist, and was shocked at how she could not break free of him even though Aaron barely touched her with his open palm. It took a moment before she realized that her hands had now become solid and she no longer had to focus her power to become visible. The pull of his power subsided and Ehlena felt a strange warmth flow into her, then Aaron removed his hand and she found herself standing in front of him, feeling like herself again. It was as though there was nothing missing, like she was whole again, even though she could feel the faint pull of her other self that was still in the world. She looked up at Aaron and saw a flicker of shadow and flame disappear from his eyes as he smiled at her.
"What did you do to me?" she asked.
"I took the shadow from you," he said. "And I returned some of what it stole from you."
"How could you do such a thing?" she asked, and Aaron smiled, the tiredness in his eyes matching the way hers had been only a few moments ago, then he sat back down upon the rock and stared out at the stars.
"Tell me," he said. "What does it mean to be a god?"
"That you ask such a question, you must already know the answer, Aaron."
"I suppose that is true," he said, then he smiled at her again, this time with a twinkle of stars dancing in his eyes. "I thought it might give us something to talk about."
"Tell me about the shadow," Ehlena said.
; "The shadow is a god," Aaron told her, then he gave her a suspicious look. "But you already knew that didn't you?"
"You defeated him," she said, the hope and fear of uncertainty plainly evident in her voice.
"Not yet," Aaron said, shaking his head. "It is not such an easy thing to destroy a god, it seems."
"No, it isn't," Ehlena said, her voice quiet.
"Let us talk of other things," Aaron said, sensing that she was a little uncomfortable. "Can you see the world? Can you hear things upon the wind, even in this place?"
"They are very far away, like distant echoes, but I can hear a few things," she told him, then she stepped around to stand in front of him and put her hands on his arms, surprised at first at how hot one of them was and how cold was the other, until she saw the flames flickering in part of his being and the darkness swirling in another part. "Everything we did was for the good of the world."
"I know," he said staring at her with eyes that glittered with infinite stars like the sky all around them. "I also know that you are still Ehlena, my friend, even though you are also the Lady, the goddess Ayra."
"I am," she said, looking up at him. "I will always be who I am."
"I am glad," Aaron said. "Then you can tell me the truth. All of it."
"I will," Ehlena told him, then she leaned up and kissed him, innocently, the way she had before, in a time that seemed so long ago.
"What was that for?" he asked, a bemused smile upon his face.
"Everything," she said, and she rested her head on his lap and stared out at the countless stars that glimmered all around them.
EPILOGUE
Lexi sat upon a rock that lay upon the forest floor, out among the trees near the remains of a small cottage that had burned to the ground, and she watched a squirrel foraging among the undergrowth near the traces of a path that ran through the woods. It was strange that she liked to come to this place, because there was nothing here except the trees and a few animals, most of which would run away at the appearance of the great blue dragon whenever she arrived. She would come here every time Brian invited her to accompany him when he would visit his family at their farm, which was not too far away and when she had visited Lord Kaleb, who had offered her a place at White Falls, which was only a short distance for a dragon. When she visited them, she liked to spend some time at this place, where her friend had once lived, and she felt as though she could hear his voice on the wind, like a faint echo from a great distance, and this was where it began. Another squirrel appeared, interrupting her thoughts, and the first squirrel chirped at it angrily then scampered off into the forest. The other squirrel watched as it ran away, then it hopped over a fallen log and stopped at Lexi's feet and looked up at her.