by David Wells
They followed a well-made trail for the better part of the day. A few trails branched off here and there, but the ravens were still overhead, so the enemy would have no trouble following them. However, Isabel reported that Commander P’Tal had lost nearly a day trying to find a way through the rock wall.
They emerged from the underground passage just before dusk. Alexander felt much better having greater distance from the enemy. He knew P’Tal would try to make up for lost time by pressing on until full dark so he resolved to do the same. They traveled even after nightfall for an hour or so by the light of the night-wisp dust and the glowing orbs of illumination that bobbled in a wide orbit around Clarissa’s head.
They made a hasty camp in a clearing off the side of the trail. Everyone was tired from the long day of travel, so they went to bed without much conversation. There were a number of things Alexander wanted to ask Clarissa, but he decided it would be better to wait until they reached the Valley of the Fairy Queen.
He fretted about the Nether Gate and the ominous warning Mage Atherton’s ghost had given but worried even more about the gleeful proclamation of Malachi Reishi’s ghost that Alexander had doomed the world. Of all the horror stories told about the Reishi War, tales of the shades evoked the greatest fear, mostly because they were so insidious and they couldn’t actually be killed.
Stories of the shades in battle were the worst. A shade would use its host to rush headlong into the fray with wild ferocity. Once its host was struck down, it would simply possess the nearest unsuspecting enemy soldier and continue its rampage. Whole armies broke and fled from the attack of a single shade.
More than anything, Alexander feared that the shades and Phane would somehow join forces to retrieve the Sovereign Stone and open the Nether Gate, resulting in a world terrorized by Phane’s naked ambition and the insatiable lust for suffering of the hordes from the darkness. He had to remind himself that his fears about the Nether Gate and its purpose were only speculation, yet his certainty was growing.
The next day began in the forest but quickly transitioned into a mountain wasteland that Clarissa called the maze. It was a barren and uneven field of giant boulders that seemed to stretch for miles. Clarissa said that the Valley of the Fairy Queen could only be reached through the maze and there was only one true path. Most of those who sought out the fairies became lost in the endless dead ends and the confusing jumble of twists and turns that the seemingly random field of scattered boulders created. The maze was devoid of life and in many places the ground was nothing but bare mountain granite.
Clarissa led the way with a confidence that Alexander found himself doubting after a while. Within an hour of entering the twisted place, he became so disoriented that he started to think he wouldn’t be able to find his way out without a guide.
Even Isabel with Slyder’s help was turned around and led astray. Alexander heard her muttering about the lack of sense the place made. She often stopped when Clarissa calmly took a turn that didn’t seem to be the right course and tried to orient herself to the new direction only to shake her head in confusion.
They traveled through the maze for the rest of the day and into the early hours of the night. Well after dusk, Clarissa stopped in a clearing large enough for them to make camp. They prepared a cold meal before laying out their bedrolls and going to sleep.
Alexander wondered if Commander P’Tal would have as much difficulty navigating through the maze as he knew he would have without the guidance of High Priestess Clarissa.
They would arrive at the home of the fairies tomorrow, and Alexander was starting to feel a bit nervous about their reaction to his request. He was asking a great deal of them and he knew it would cost him but he just didn’t know how much. He’d pledged to pay any price but as he got closer, he wondered what they would demand in exchange for helping him.
He slept fitfully and dreamt of danger swirling all around in the shadows. It was unformed, just outside of the range of his vision but he knew it was there waiting to strike. He woke several times in the night with a start, then calmed himself with the deep breathing techniques he’d learned in Glen Morillian, only to return to the darkness of his dreams.
He woke at dawn to see five ravens watching him from the rocks above. He knew at a glance that they were the enemy’s spies and wondered idly, as he slowly reached for his bow, if they’d been responsible for his nightmares. He usually slept soundly and his dreams were rarely dark or fretful, although he did have more weighing on him now than ever before.
With a fluid motion he rolled to his feet, nocked an arrow, drew his bow, took quick but careful aim and released his arrow at one of the ravens. All five leapt into the air the moment his intent became clear. His arrow grazed one bird on the side of its breast and passed straight through its wing. It squawked angrily as it spiraled to the ground.
The moment Alexander moved for his bow, Anatoly came up quickly with his axe, looking around for the threat. Abigail saw the target of her brother’s wrath and tried to get a shot off before the birds escaped, but she was a moment too late. They dodged behind the top of a boulder and vanished into the early morning.
Alexander stood over the injured raven as it squawked at them. Marla and Clarissa came up on either side of him and looked at the bird with a mixture of sorrow and curiosity.
“Why have you injured this bird, Alexander?” Clarissa asked.
“It has been spelled by one of the wizards tracking me. Five ravens have been following us for days. This is the first time they’ve been close enough to shoot at.”
“I’ve seen these birds as well, High Priestess,” Marla said. “They’re not common in the Pinnacles and these have been in the sky overhead since I met Alexander.”
“Perhaps I can break the spell controlling this bird and render your enemy blind to your course,” Clarissa said.
She began a soft and lilting chant. Her words were more like those of a song than those of a spell. She wove a beautiful melody that echoed around the sheer stone walls of the maze. At the culmination of her spell, the raven screeched as did the four others off in the distance. Alexander watched the colors of the bird change abruptly as the spell broke and faded away. A moment later, it was just a simple raven.
Clarissa bent and cooed softly to the bird. It seemed to understand her wish to help it, almost as if she were speaking to it. The bird hobbled closer to her and she began the words of another spell. After a few minutes of soft rhythmic chanting, Alexander watched the colors of the High Priestess flare and the bird’s wing was mended. It nodded at her a few times before it leapt into the air and took to flight.
“Thank you,” Alexander said. “Without the ravens to track for him, I doubt Commander P’Tal will be able to find his way out of this maze. More importantly, he’ll never find his way into the valley.”
The rest of the day passed much the same as the previous day. They followed Clarissa through the seemingly endless maze of jumbled giant boulders. She wove and wound through the bewildering series of pathways with clear purpose. Late in the afternoon, she stopped and traced her hand along the rock wall of a high cliff that bordered the maze on one side. After a few feet, her hand fell through the rock wall. She smiled to Alexander and his friends.
“The entrance to the valley is hidden by an illusion,” Clarissa said. “There’s actually a crack in the stone of this cliff that reaches all the way to the top but cannot be seen even by me. Please,” she motioned to the stone wall, “push through the wall into the space beyond.”
Alexander looked closely at the wall for any sign of a magical aura but saw none. He felt a sense of wonder and dread. He’d come to rely on his second sight for so much. Now, for the first time that he was aware of, he’d encountered something that didn’t reveal its nature with an aura. He wondered at the power of such an illusion as he passed through it into the narrow crevice. He turned and looked back into the maze as though there was no illusion at all. Apparently, it only worked from one si
de.
Clarissa led them through the winding crack in the cliff face and into the Valley of the Fairy Queen. The crack opened into a thick grassy meadow littered with wild flowers. The air seemed to warm noticeably the moment they stepped from the crevice into the valley itself. It was much like Glen Morillian in that the entire valley was surrounded by impassible mountains on all sides, but this valley was much smaller. The meadow stretched before them and met with a sparse forest of the biggest oak trees Alexander had ever seen. The ancient trees stood hundreds of feet taller than even the biggest fir, with trunks dozens of feet in diameter.
Clarissa took a deep breath of the fragrant air and smiled wistfully. “Welcome to the Valley of the Fairy Queen. Her temple is this way. Be warned, not everything in this place is what it seems. Please don’t wander away from me,” she said as she started off across the meadow.
They didn’t follow a trail because there wasn’t one but instead wound under the ancient oak trees through the dimly lit but lush undergrowth that carpeted the valley floor. Twenty minutes of walking brought them to the central meadow of the valley and to the Fairy Temple.
As they walked, Alexander had the distinct feeling that he was being watched. He looked around for the telltale aura of magic or life, but all he could see was a collage of colors that shone brightly in every direction. It was as if the entire mountain valley was enchanted and the aura of that magic drowned out the colors of everything else.
From the corner of his eye, he occasionally saw a flicker or a glimmer in the trees but when he turned to look, it was always gone. Aside from the obvious magic, the valley was one of the most idyllic and beautiful places he’d ever seen, even in the early dusk. He could only imagine what it might look like in full daylight.
The central meadow had a giant oak tree directly in the middle. It was easily a thousand feet tall and the trunk was nearly a hundred feet across. It was so magnificent that Alexander and his companions stopped to stare at it. The ancient tree was enormous and clearly older than any tree any of them had ever seen. Its colors were rich, bright, and vibrant. Isabel found Alexander’s hand without looking and gave a gentle squeeze.
Clarissa let them all take in the giant oak for a few moments before she broke the spell of its grandeur. “Please, Queen Ilona will be waiting.”
Alexander shook off the beguiling effect of the tree and followed the High Priestess to the Fairy Temple. It was simple, yet evoked a feeling of reverence for life. The temple consisted of a raised, solid granite slab with seven evenly spaced pillars along each of the long sides and four along the front and back. Stone beams rested along the tops of the pillars to form the outline of a room without walls or ceiling. Three stairs led to the interior of the open-air temple.
There was no furniture or adornments of any kind. The only thing inside the temple was a large, circular stone altar in the center. The surface was beveled and filled with water to the edges to form a perfectly smooth reflection of the tree as one approached. In the early evening sky, Alexander could just see the sparkle of starlight through the gaps in the giant tree’s branches.
Clarissa stopped in front of the altar and stood with her head held high. “Queen Ilona, I bring you my love,” she said with reverence and pride. Then she began to sing. Her voice was clear and strong. Although Alexander didn’t know the language, he was struck by the beauty of the music she created with her voice. He glanced at Jack and saw a look of admiration for her talent. His colors shone brightly with pride. Not for himself, but that a human being was capable of making music as beautiful and soulful as her song.
Alexander felt a mixture of wonder and trepidation. Much would be decided in the coming moments. He had fought hard to get here. Now he would find out if his efforts would bear fruit. He took Isabel’s hand and gave her a smile as they listened to the magical song.
Chapter 28
When High Priestess Clarissa stopped singing, she silently bowed her head for a long moment. Alexander realized he was holding his breath when suddenly a brilliant orb of scintillating light spun into existence above the pool of water that formed the surface of the altar. When she stopped spinning, Alexander saw a woman of exquisite beauty, yet only three inches tall, floating above the altar on dragonfly wings. Her hair was golden and her eyes were blue. Her skin was a softly glowing pale white.
Even with her diminutive stature, Alexander could see ancient wisdom and nobility of spirit within her. She was an enchanting creature. More than her physical appearance, Alexander was awed by her colors. They were pure and bright with an intensity that he’d seen only once before, at the Dragon Temple. Not only was she devoted to love and life but she was immensely powerful as well. Her magic seemed to flow from the realm of light itself and shined as if she had an endless supply of power to draw from.
High Priestess Clarissa bowed to her patron. “My Lady, you honor me with your loving presence.”
Ilona smiled brightly and Alexander could actually see her colors flare when she directed her immortal love toward her High Priestess. “You are in my heart always, Clarissa.” The bond between them was clearly profound and powerful.
Alexander knew in that moment that the only love he had ever felt that could match the intensity or sheer power of the fairies’ capacity for love was what he felt for Isabel.
Ilona appraised Alexander and his friends for a moment. It reminded him of the way he looked at another person’s colors, reading much more about their character than they could possibly know. The Fairy Queen looked into their souls and weighed their merit, each in turn, before she spoke. When she looked at Isabel, she glanced up briefly at Slyder sitting on one of the stone beams of the temple and smiled.
“The world is once again in turmoil,” Ilona said. “Once again humanity is at the center of the strife. And again you have come to seek my aid.”
Alexander stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Our need is great. The fate of many hangs in the balance.”
“Indeed. I witnessed the Reishi War firsthand. I saw the cruelty and destruction inflicted on the innocent by the wicked. I wept when Malachi Reishi and his soulless offspring slaughtered many of my sisters and daughters.” Ilona stopped, looking haunted by memories of the distant past. She fixed Alexander with her penetrating gaze and shook her head sadly. “Mankind’s capacity for hate and cruelty is matched only by its capacity for love and charity. I have long puzzled over humanity’s preeminence in the world. You are a short-lived race destined for quick death and yet you seem to be forever at war with yourselves.”
Alexander shook his head. “I have no explanation for it, except that there are those who are so selfish and so driven by an insatiable lust for power over others that they will commit unspeakable atrocities to gain that power. But they are few. Most people just want to live their lives and love their families and friends.”
“Sadly, the lust for power that drives those few is the guiding hand of your history. Bitter experience has taught me to be very selective when dealing with humans. You are the first outsiders who have been invited into our home in two millennia. Your request would never have been granted were it not for Cedric’s warning spell. I know better than most the danger to the world that Phane Reishi represents, yet I am wary of becoming involved again. We took sides in the last war between men, and we paid dearly for it.”
“I understand and share your reluctance,” Alexander said. “I didn’t ask for this war or the responsibility I’ve been given but many depend on me, even if they don’t know it. If I fail, darkness will claim the Seven Isles for a thousand years. Phane will rule as a tyrant and he will not tolerate liberty for anyone anywhere, even here.”
Ilona smiled gently. “I knew Mage Cedric to be an honorable man. It seems he has chosen his champion well. State your request.” She drew herself up like a judge waiting for a confession.
“I must retrieve the Sovereign Stone before Phane does, but I have no way of reaching into the aether, so I’ve come to ask for your h
elp.” Alexander stood and faced her forthrightly.
“You know not what you ask. No fairy would leave her home for any reason save love, and the bond of love to a mortal is certain death.”
Alexander bowed his head sadly. “I know,” he said quietly. “I wish there was another way.”
“I believe you do. What do you intend to do with the Sovereign Stone if you were to retrieve it from the aether?”
“I plan to seal it away in one of Mage Cedric’s Bloodvaults to place it forever out of Phane’s reach.”
“Phane is a deceiver. Perhaps you are his unwitting servant. Since he is unable to retrieve the Stone, he may be using you to achieve that which he cannot, only to take it from you before you can place it beyond his reach.”
That was a possibility Alexander hadn’t considered. He thought it over for a moment but decided that the presence of the shades in the world posed too great a threat. If the shades joined forces with Phane, he would have the Stone as soon as he could get to the Reishi Keep.
“Phane is cunning and manipulative, so I can’t rule out what you suggest, although I don’t believe it to be the case. He has tried to use the powersink at the Reishi Keep and at the Temple of Fire. He has failed on both counts.” Alexander paused and took a deep breath. “Now the danger is greater because the shades are loose in the world.”
Ilona’s eyes grew wide and she spun into a ball of scintillating light for a moment. “How can this be so?” she demanded with clear alarm.
“It’s my fault,” Alexander said as he looked back to Isabel and reached for her hand. She stepped forward next to him and bowed to Ilona as she took his hand. “Isabel touched the mind of a demon that had possessed her horse. It opened a rift to the netherworld within her psyche, and her soul was lost in the darkness. I used my magic to follow her into the dark and bring her back to the world of time and substance.”