REALM'S END (BOOK OF FEY 1)

by Jules Hancock

  Meredith, James, Hectain shook their heads slowly in agreement.

  “As for you two when we get to where we are going, if you aren’t too busy saving time, maybe there will be time to finish your fight,” she said, sending a withering glance, toward the married couple. “Shame on you both,” she said, her index finger wiggling at them. “Hectain, you will come with me please, we need to talk to the Corvine and see if they are willing to distract the villagers so that we can get the Dembys out of the rafter.”

  Hectain nodded, she had never seen her sister so forceful or sure of herself. She would do whatever Reval asked if for no other reason than to get her alone to ask her about the change in herself.

  “Good now, Meredith show James the Dembys, maybe it will jog his memory, we could use a God’s magic right about now. Briok you help Gwenth pack the baby’s things, we will all be leaving shortly. All right then you all have your orders, get to it.” Reval snapped her fingers, and she and Hectain disappeared.

  Pit Comes Clean

  Pit hurried as fast as his squat legs would carry him, which wasn’t fast at all; he had to talk with both the Rowan and Sephoria. He had to explain what had happened with the Dembys. He knew the Rowan’s memory was long, but he was not sure that it extended as far back as to when he had first arrived. He pressed on, huffing as he climbed through the tunnels towards the Rowan’s sacred heart room. He knew with certainty that his life force was slowly ebbing away. How many eons he had lived he could not say, he could still remember his arrival in the Realm and his mission, which oddly enough hadn’t meant much until recently. Now suddenly as he was winding down and his life was clearly ebbing, the struggle was upon them all, and he found he was hard pressed to carry out his duty.

  He stopped outside the Rowan’s great door and spoke the sacred words, the door swung in and he stepped across the threshold into the golden lit room. The warm energy renewed him almost immediately, and he hurried toward the sacred seat. To his surprise, he saw that Sephoria was waiting there as well, by the looks of it; she was in a deep trance. He hesitated for only a second, whatever happened now; he had to have their help.

  Sephoria lifted her head and turned his way as he approached. “Mind if I help,” she asked? Not waiting for his reply, she shifted the energy in the room and suddenly he was stood directly in front of the seat of the Rowan and the wise woman. “There that’s better. You look peaked,” Sephoria said, to the meteorite.

  “Thank you wise one,” Pit said, bowing low. “I fear your people may wish they had not befriended me, all those long millennia,” he said, staring at the ground. “I’m afraid I really have not been a good friend.”

  Sephoria threw her head back, and laughed heartily. “What? After all these years, you’ve finally come to tell us of your treachery? Funny timing don’t you think?”

  Pit heard the Rowan’s laughter in his mind and understood things weren’t quite as he’d thought. “You mean you’ve known all these years?”

  Sephoria smiled upon the stocky meteorite. “Well, let’s just say we suspected for a long time. You did a pretty good job of hiding yourself, but well… let’s just say we were certain when the fourth Dembys turned up missing. That was all the proof we needed.”

  Pit sat down on his haunches as he tried to take it all in.

  “You look shocked little one,” the Rowan’s voice said, in Pit’s mind.

  Pit looked up at the great benevolent tree and felt the love and strength rolling off it into his own body. Pit bowed low, “Yes great one, I believed all this time that you were unaware of the part I played in the Dembys arrival.”

  The Rowan laughed. “Not so little one, Sephoria and I both had heard the tales as we were growing up of your arrival, and of course the previous keeper, the Great Cedar tree, passed on the legend of a sacred stone that would share of itself, making time travel possible. It was when the fourth portion of the Dembys went missing; we were reminded of the legend and of our suspicions, that you were the stone. Did you not wonder, when Sephoria suggested you use the warm sands in the travel cavern for your health?”

  Pit’s small eyes blinked several times as he understood his mission probably had never been hidden from these two or from their elders either. “But why did you help me? Didn’t you understand it would be the end of your world?”

  Sephoria smiled upon the small meteorite. “Has it never occurred to you, that we knew already our world would end? Nothing lasts forever, not worlds, or tribes, or even ideas. We recognized right away that if you were in fact the keeper of the Dembys, your mission might in fact help save our world, albeit in an unusual way, but certainly it would be a more graceful ending. We have seen you as our potential savior all these years. It did no harm to make room for you within our world, and if you were indeed the keeper of the Dembys, then we might benefit when the time came.”

  Pit looked from the Sephoria to the sacred seat. Once again, he bowed low, and let himself linger in that way for a moment. Finally he raised his eyes. “It would be my great honor to assist your world to evolve then. I see I have been the lucky one all these years to have been taken in by a truly wise people. Can I ask what will become of the red haired girl that you guard?”

  The Rowan’s voice rang out clearly in Pit’s mind, and spoke of all that might yet transpire, if all things fell correctly. Pit’s eyes opened in wonder. Again he bowed low and held the position longer then was required. “You are a truly wise people. I wish I could save your world, for I am afraid that after it passes away, it will become nothing more than a story told round the fires.”

  “Nonsense, worlds evolve as you say, our people will pass away for the most part yes, that’s true but their lives will not be cut short in any real sense, because it was meant for them to give themselves in this time, but our world will continue, our people will grow and change, something that cannot happen here ever as we all know. This world was always meant to be temporary. It would not have lasted even this long, if things had unfolded as the God’s meant for them too. Now at least, our children will travel to the future and seed another world. One that has many eons yet to live, so don’t be sad Pit, we were born for this,” Sephoria voice rang with courage.

  “Come little one, we must make plans to help one another, the time for the child’s return is growing ever nearer,” the Rowan’s voice rang out clear, like a wake up bell in Pit’s mind.

  “Yes soon, but I have to tell you about the Dembys,” Pit said speaking quickly.

  Sephoria cocked her great leafed head and looked at the meteorite standing before her. “What is it, friend?”

  “Well it’s not quite what you think. It may not be important at all but I think you are confused just a bit and later it may matter.”

  “Speak then little one.”

  “I didn’t exactly bring the Dembys here. You see I am the Dembys or rather they and I are one. When I arrived I broke off four parts of my body and let them fall upon your world. I knew they would find save haven and build a beautiful home for themselves. One in which your people could harness to travel in time. Two pieces will arrive soon, I think and I took back the third piece so no one else can use it to leave the Realm. The fourth as I said is still missing.”

  Sephoria laughed again. “Well good on you Pit. You have surprised us both. We figured you had been responsible for the Dembys arrival, but we never considered that you were the Dembys. We had just been discussing how to find the missing Dembys to see if we could assist the return of the children.” Sephoria chuckled. “We never suspected that you were the Dembys. We’ve been afraid of just what you’ve said that someone took the Dembys off world and the child would not be able to return without one to connect with. So you will be able to act as a conduit for the Dembys to connect with and return here. Bravo!”

  Pit smiled, “True, but there is still one piece missing. The one that Ricter used to travel to the future with, I haven’t been able to locate it as of yet. That in itself is very odd.”

&n
bsp; Rowan’s great baritone voice broke through their revelry. “It’s good you have shared this. Who can say how it might affect things. At least for now we know the children can return, and perhaps the others will yet find the missing Dembys.”

  “The enemy surely has the missing piece. If we continue looking for it won’t that endanger more of people,” Sephoria asked Rowan?

  “No let the search continue. Perhaps keeping the missing piece hidden will prove distracting enough for the enemy. We need to direct our attention toward the children, now, unimpeded.”

  Sephoria nodded her head; there was great wisdom in this. “I only wish there was peace for all of us in this time. I still have a hard time reconciling the division that has come to our world.”

  “It is never comfortable to acknowledge the ugliness of one’s own world,” the Rowan’s voice grumbled deeply. “Still we must try to find compassion for those who cannot see the truth. The pain strikes an injury to all of our hearts, something not so easily healed. Compassion may come to be the only balm we have left as we move towards the end of our world. We either choose to move through life from a place of love or a place of fear. Remember that Sephoria, for I sense you too may yet have a great test. Now, come into the inner chamber. Pit, I will make way for you. We need to apprise Lillith so she can prepare as well. It has been a very long time since she has moved in freedom in the world. It is going to take time for her to get used to the idea.”

  Sephoria stood and reached out a branched hand towards Pit. “Take my hand my friend I will lead you within the Rowan’s chamber.”

  Pit reached his stubby arm upward, straining to touch the wise woman’s barked and gnarled fingers. As their fingers touched Pit was surprised to feel the clingy skin of a Fey, and then the room was empty.

  Freeing the Dembys

  Meredith led James into their sleeping room, and pointed out the rafter that held the Dembys.

  “What am I looking at,” James asked?

  “Don’t play dumb, it’s unbecoming of a God,” she hissed at him.

  James looked dumbly, at her for a moment, before the anger took hold again. “You and this God talk. I’m sick of it! It’s you who are a witch, all this time misleading me, using me for your own ends,” he said, clenching his fists. His face began turning a fiery red.

  It was Meredith’s turn to look dumbly back at James. “My own ends, are you kidding me with that line? How would getting pregnant with your child be any end you would suspect me of?”

  James blanched as he looked over at the basket by the bed. It lay empty now as Gwenth had the child while they tried to free this Dembys thing the witches wanted. “Maybe you want to torture her, or use her to control me,” he yelled at her.

  Meredith could barely contain her anger. She wondered what had ever possessed her to love this brute. Suddenly she wondered if he had cast a spell over her, perhaps none of this was how she really felt at all. The thought frightened her. She imagined all their good love spiraling out of control, turning to hatred and bitterness. “James, whether you can remember it or not you are a God. Though I can’t say yet with any certainty, which God, there is no doubt you are a God. Whether you want to believe it or not. I never needed any spell for you because I fell in love with you. Please try to remember, please for the sake of our children,” she pleaded.

  James felt his fear and anger rise up in equal measure. His eyes bore through Meredith like live coals. He knew she had to be lying, but it occurred to him if she was lying why not just put a spell on him, why ask him to help? Was it a hoax, was she using the children to get her way? Even so it seemed everyone was trying to save the family, was he going to go against them all? Hadn’t he rushed home to save his family? He felt his shoulders slump, “Fine. What do you, want me to do?”

  Meredith crossed the room reaching out to James as she came.

  He raised his hands to hold her off, “Stop there, I don’t know that I trust you. You lied to me so just stay back. Just tell me what you need me to do,” he said.

  Meredith stopped short of James. Sighing, she pointed up at the Dembys again. “See that bright bit of thing shining at the rafter’s edge. That is a stone called a Dembys. Gwenth wears one like it at her throat; they are part of one another and part of a larger whole too I think. They come from a different world. It is the world Briok comes from. It stores magic and has been placed there by a strong magical being. Our guess is that you are that being. Reach up and pull it down.”

  James heard Meredith’s words as he looked on the shining light emanating from the rafter. Something nagged at his memory, he felt a strong pull to touch the stone and walked over picked up a chair carried it back and sat it on the floor under the rafter. “Will it hurt me?”

  Meredith shook her head. “I don’t think so, I think it will just break lose your memory, so there might be a bit of a jolt, but I don’t think you will be hurt.”

  James stepped up onto the chair seat and reached up into the rafter. The pull was stronger now, he felt himself longing to touch whatever it was. He stretched his fingers out and felt warmth coming off the thing. James took a deep breath and brushed the tip of the hard stone. He was surprised by its warmth. Then he was flying through the air. He was surrounded by a thick cloud and he felt the sensation of moving quickly through time. Suddenly he was on his knees by the fireplace. He felt sick, his guts were rolling and he barely opened his mouth in time to let the contents of his stomach spill out across the floorboards.

  “What in heaven’s name are you two doing,” Reval asked? “Are you both so daft that you think you can just pull such a strong power source as the Dembys, from the rafters without consequence?” Reval turned towards Meredith, “Are you trying to kill all of us? Because if you have a death wish you were right on target to see it carried out!”

  Meredith hung her head, somehow she had misunderstood. “I thought all he would have to do is touch it and it would bring his memories back.”

  “Yes, yes, it would bring his memories back at a million miles a second. It was nearly ready to blow the smithereens out of this whole place,” Reval shouted as she helped James to his feet.

  Hectain waved her hand and the mess was gone from the room. She waved her hand again and a tea cup full of steaming liquid was in her hand. She walked across to James and held out the cup. “Here this will settle your guts.” She thrust the cup into his hand. “Now don’t piss my sister off, drink it.” She motioned for him to raise the cup to his mouth.

  James raised the cup and drank the sweet burning liquid down. “Hot buttered scotch,” he said. James smacked his lips as he lowered the empty cup. “I thought it would be some witches brew.”

  Hectain laughed. “Where do you think scotch came from lad?”

  James blanched. “I never thought…” his voice faded slowly away.

  “Alright now, Meredith you go and get the children, bring everyone in here, and hurry the Corvine said the villagers are rounding the bend.”

  Meredith ran from the sleeping room. Gwenth and Briok were amusing the baby by the fireplace. “Do you have everything the baby needs,” she asked?

  Gwenth stood up and grabbed the tied up blanket. “Yes and Briok packed food for us too. We’re ready.”

  Meredith reached down and picked up her daughter, tucking the swaddling blanket in tight around her, she waved her hand and the baby was secured to Meredith’s chest by an invisible means. Meredith looked at both the youngsters. “Don’t worry where we are going, no one will take notice of the magic. Come on now, the villagers are close.”

  Briok took up his provision bag and hung it over his shoulder being sure to leave his wings free. Gwenth grabbed her staff and they followed Meredith into the sleeping room.

  Meredith stepped aside and let the children pass into the room, and then she turned back towards the living room and waved her hand. The cottage seemed to tighten in upon itself. The shutters snapped shut and the door became nothing more than a stone wall, as if no entranc
e had ever existed. Meredith then followed the children into the sleeping room, barring that door with magic as well. Hurrying over to where her family stood, she reached out and took her sister Reval’s hand. “I wish the Corvine had been able to distract them longer.”

  “Yes as do I, though I don’t want any of our people to perish over this either. Now the villager’s only recourse is to burn the building down, which of course they will do, but with luck it will be after we have slipped away. Now James listen close, we are here and we will ground the energy as you reach for the Dembys this time. Remember what I told you. Ask for access before you touch it. Everyone reach out and with one hand touch James’ leg, keep the circle closed by touching the shoulder of whoever is next to you. Gwenth and Briok you have less control as of yet, so let the three of us take the brunt of the energy. We will try to guide it, but remember you are strong each in your own way. Fey you may not be completely awakened yet, but your magic is of the old kind, so don’t fear it. Gwenth you have Dembys and the staff, let them guide you. Everyone ready now?”

  Gwenth cried out, “Wait! Guide us where?”

  Reval rolled her eyes at the young woman. “To Briok’s world of course, we still have a world to save!”

  With that James climbed onto the chair and reached up slowly, his mind opened with a supplication to the Dembys. He hoped it was enough.

  They could hear the villagers outside had begun to throw stones at the cottage. The rocks bounced noisily off the reinforced shutters. It appeared that even though there was no way in, the villagers would use their fears to fuel their blood lust. Suddenly a whiff of smoke was in the air. Someone had thrown a burning fag up onto the grass roof. Though it was damp from the recent rains, the grasses smoldered and smoke began to slowly filter down into the cottage.