by Beaux Riley
The gates to Imrosyn opened. From its innards poured out the familiar looks of Golems, only they were larger and stranger looking. Spikes appeared on their outsides, acting as armor. They continued to come out in droves and pressed to assault the armies quickly.
Stratus called out to Illoke. “How can we handle all of them?!”
“I have brought friends.” Said Illoke smugly. The forests of Ela’syn came to life and from it, the looks of wooden monstrosities approached in droves.
***
Caliya could not believe her father had finally let his leash on her loosen. Not a little bit, but almost entire freedom. She was not being escorted with a plethora of guards. The mission, however, was not an easy one. To travel deep into the forest, to the eastern most part, a place she personally had never traversed. It was hard to do this alone, no map, no trails, only directions from her father.
The deepest part of the forest is a place we’ve never trekked more than once. I placed my father’s tree there. Should there ever come a time we truly needed the aid of nature itself, you can find great power there. Follow the path that this leaf glows. You’ll know what to do when you find it.
“Father, you sent your daughter to her death.” Caliya said as the uneven hills and trees that she’d never laid eyes on, prevented her from making a sense of direction. She could jump easily enough from one place to another and cross these wild trees, but she felt as though the area was beginning to look the same. The day had only started and the sun could occasionally be seen through the trees. Caliya noticed that the valley to the east of Ela’syn City was going in a dip. She could continue to make her way down and by jumping through the tree tops, she would reach the base within moments. As she attempted this, there was a presence about the forest, right as she began downhill. A whisper in her ear from a voice that was not of this world, she heard it.
“Blood of my blood. Why do you stray so far from home?”
Caliya stopped briefly on a branch high above the ground, facing down to the valley below. A single tree with no blockage in sunlight sat encircled by other elderly trees, ones who Caliya could tell were down right ancient. Their roots twisted and twirled so much that the single tree that stood alone was small and did not grow much at all. It was sickly looking, as plants were concerned and she felt as though it could be easily pushed over.
Caliya descended from the branches, landing right near the small tree. The sunlight was great here, so much that she actually felt burning from the sun’s rays. She spoke out.
“Grandfather?” She expected nothing of a response, really. The tree responded to her by losing one of its wilted leaves, of the three or four that still remained. Moments passed and she sat beside one of the trees circled around the old tree and began to sigh.
“No map, no idea what I am supposed to find…” Said Caliya.
“You would call that being lost.” A voice called out to her. She turned her head and saw a face looking straight at her. It was no human being nor elf, but its features resembled that of an ancient elf. A beard of moss and eyes that glowed a sickly green stared back at Caliya. She was startled for several moments and then spoke.
“Is that you grandpa?”
“I haven’t seen you since you were a baby. How old are you now, child?” The elder Dawnsent said. The tree he spoke from had his arms as two massive branches, and his head was a smaller branch that had morphed into his features from life. The old tree stretched from its position that it had remained for the past couple of decades.
Caliya was amazed to see her grandfather for the first time in her life. Although he was speaking to her through an oak tree, it was still the same. The tree’s outer appearance had adapted to the looks that the Elder Dawnsent had in his life before death. A branch twisted from its natural state and resembled the muscles of an arm, with no skin to cover it. Five fingers sprouted, with little bits of leaves on the tips.
“Twelve hundred next week.” She said, studying his appearance. It was as though the tree was continuing to change into his appearance from life, as it split down the middle to form legs with roots for feet. He stretched his limbs, making a creaking sound that was similar to the sound of when trees blew in the wind. He noticed she was concealing her unease.
“What brings you to my neck of the woods, so to speak?” He said smiling.
“We need your help.” She said.
“My help? I doubt I am much good as a wilting tree, young one.” Said the elder.
“The legend of the forest elementals, the forces of nature that can defend the Ela’syn, father believes you can help save us from the Char.” Said Caliya. His eyes swung about as he rubbed his fresh mossy beard.
“To call on those creatures…means your father is very desperate. I taught him to control the very veins of the world, just like my father and how I taught your mother, rest her soul.” The elder mused. “But there is a cost for such magic. It will not be immediate, but I can sense in you that you’ve not taken an ounce of lessons as a druid, have you? No, no you haven’t. I am willing, however, to give you something that, as I said, will cost you in life.”
“What is the cost?” She asked, scared.
“To become a sage, to give up life as a Princess, you will become one with nature, just as I have. That is…the cost for the elements to obey you.” The elder said grimly. She took a moment to consider her choices. Her father let her on her own. To do something that would allow her to change the tides of war, to be something more than a ranger or a simple Princess that would gain the respect she wanted….no the respect she deserved.
“I’m not sure my father would want this.” She said plainly.
“Every father wants more than what he received as a child, for his children. I taught your father, my son to be strong, fair and respect the secrets of his people.” Said the elder. “If he sent you to me, he knew what he was getting into.” Caliya remained silent. She listened intently, still amazed at seeing a tree-person outside the storybooks that her father drew for her so long ago.
The elder tree made an aching sound as he pulled from the base that his body had been set so many years ago. She could hear his pain and tried to reach out to him. “Grandfather, you shouldn’t…”
“No my dear. I am old, and I am quite tired.” He turned smiling at her. “…And I am afraid that I don’t much care for this body anymore. Perhaps…yes…perhaps it is time I took my final rest. That could be what your father meant.”
“I don’t follow…” She said dumbfounded.
“Here.” He placed his hands, shaking leaves as his did, onto his round chest. A hole inside, as Caliya noticed, began to glow. She peered forward, seeing a lump attached from two veins on the bottom and top in the opening of the trunk. If she weren’t the wiser, she’d believed it was his heart.
“Take this, all that remains of me, my remnant’s past.” He said to her. She stared as it began to beat, only for a moment, and went silent once again.
“I…if I take this, you’ll die. Won't you?” She knew the answer. She just didn’t want to believe it. His eyes spoke immense volumes to her.
“By making this part of you, you will gain everything I once was in life.” He said softly. “To teach you what you want to know now would take lifetimes we don’t have.” She reached out, her hands shaking, feeling as though she were about to kill someone. One hand lay softly on the trunk and her other reached inside. She could feel the warmth that emanated. Closer and closer it came into her grasp until she plucked it. She gasped as the strange pale green object clung to her hand. She pulled back and saw the tree that was once her grandfather begin to splinter and crack. It stepped into the bright sunlight and looked deeply into the rays that pierced the forests green roof. The essence of what was once her grandfather left the tiny tree in a great green light and faded in the sunlight.
As Caliya watched in awe, something incredible began to happen. She could feel a flood of knowledge swarming from the tiny object that was becoming p
art of her. Her mind was being drenched with the entire history of the Ela’syn people. She felt the emotions of her grandfather, all of them. Every moment of when he grew up, the love interests in his life, and even his years in solitude as he learned to become a Sage. Caliya felt two warm streams of her own tears escaping down her cheeks. She understood the sacrifice.
Her eyes were heavy. The wind through the trees, the chirping of birds and all the sounds of the forest became a sleepy melody for the elf Princess. She fell to the soft grass between two trees, into a deep sleep.
Caliya felt light. Lighter than normal. She looked around, believing she was in a dream. She turned and looked down to see her body resting in the same place she laid her head only a moment ago. Was she a ghost?”
“Grandfather? Where am I?” She cried out to him.
“This? This is a dream. You and I are sharing a final moment.” He said to her softly reaching his hand out of thin air. He was no longer within the tree, but his actual body, flesh and bone, stood before her. He was younger. This was the Lyst Dawnsent that she saw in her father’s room with the destroyed picture. She took his hand and pulled at him. His body pressed against hers in a deep hug.
“I missed all of you so much. Mom, Grandma…” Caliya began to cry. Her tears floated above her. She looked down at her actual body and saw the same tears running there too.
“This moment can’t last.” He said with some ominous intent. She looked up at him as he wiped her face of the tears. “What happens now, will dig into your mind and grant you all of the knowledge you need. But you will give up something so precious to you in return.”
She tried to speak but words would not form on her lips. He placed both of his hands on her head and her sight went dark. She could see nothing. His image disappeared from her mind as quickly as she gained it.
Moments passed in what seemed like an eternity to Caliya. Doors appeared all around her. All of the doors were wooden and bore the mark of the Ela’syn. As she stood in the middle. All became quiet. An eerie harmony came from the silence.
One by one, the doors opened, and unto Caliya, the contents of every entrance was an eternity of knowledge. The memories of a thousand elves, their lives, their pain and their happiness, it all became hers.
The Princess that entered the forest, would leave, as the Sage.
Chapter 15- Unexpected Allies
The two orbs of flame appeared within what looked to be a room with a forge in the center. Asa appeared at the feet of the Char sisters. He coughed a small bit of black dust that was expelled from his lungs. Asa tried to lunge forward, only to be kicked hard in the back of his head, promptly putting him down on the cold marble floor.
“You’ll be going nowhere, child.” Said Vinesca, as she stared at her nephew on the floor. Sinesca, for a moment had her hand out as if she wanted to reach and help her son up, but the motion was dismissed quickly. She was dependent on Vinesca to get around. Something told her to refrain. Vinesca looked at her sister as she dug a heel into Asa’s back, near his spine. The paladin grunted and tried turning over to face his captors. Vinesca twisted the heel of her foot deeper and forced him to stay down, the pain directly in his back caused him to cry out in anguish. She turned his head right and placed something that looked like a necklace around his neck and several pieces of metal immediately pierced him right under his chin. A strange black stone attached to it began to glow.
“We’ll syphon the essence we need from your son and be done with him.” Said Vinesca as she watched the stone react rather quickly.
“Sister, we need him alive. Please lighten up a bit.” Sinesca pleaded. Vinesca scoffed.
“With those shackles on his wrists, his Light is inert. He is harmless. Isn’t that right, Crowlis?” Vinesca said triumphantly. Asa looked up at the name of the absent paladin to see his former ally in both the Zirris and the Paladine, Archen Crowlis. The old man sat against a wall, only a few feet from Asa.
“Archen!?” Asa tried calling out to the old man, with his face pushed against the floor. The white haired man looked in the direction of Vinesca and nodded.
Archen turned his head. Asa couldn’t tell from his point of view if Archen was chained or if some other unnatural force was keeping him in place.
“Vin. The armies are closing in on the city. We are short on time as it is.” Said Sinesca. Asa listened to his mother speaking. He felt an emptiness inside as she did. Something about it felt wrong. He watched her stumble around until she reached a table at the opposite side of the room. It was almost sad. The feeling escaped him rather quickly as he saw her face. She was completely blinded. Her eyes had been turned a pale white, almost mistakable for a corpse looking him in the face.
Vinesca kicked Asa in his gut, pushing all the wind from his lungs. She finally let off of his back and he began to cough and wheeze violently. Asa managed to crawl over to Crowlis and sat against the wall with his old friend. She looked at the two as they sat next to one another. An idea came to her right then. She pulled from her pocket, a single rune stone. She threw it to a pile square stones that sat right beside the two paladins. The stones began to react quickly. Asa saw firsthand how the golems were 'born'. An elemental standing at least three or more feet taller than either paladin was birthed from the entire stack. "Sister, do you think you can handle the forces outside while I begin?" Vinesca's odd question to Sinesca rose a great amount concern in Asa. His point of view to his mother was now completely blocked off by the rock giant, as it's bulky and smooth body peered at him with two glowing orange eyes.
"I can keep control over the golems, if that is what you're asking. Do what you need to do...the guardians are not even being challenged by the armies below…" Sinesca's voice trailed off. Asa could feel tension between his newly discovered family and that produced an interesting idea to him.
"Can't kill me yourself, huh, MOM?" Asa yelled at his mother. Vinesca, now standing to the left side of the golem, stared at her nephew. The stone was now glowing bright red on his chest. They were halfway to their goal. Vinesca saw for a moment a vision of her seeing him placing with blocks outside Stratus's cottage on the day she left with Sinesca for good. It was the last time Vinesca thought that she would ever see her nephew. Sinesca remained silent. Vinesca made a beeline for Asa, pushing the golem aside and lifted the paladin by his shirt.
"You are alive because of ME, and no one else." She spit in his face as she spoke. "Were you not needed as our catalyst, I'd have killed you on your little turkey moments ago. Now sit down and shut your fu-" Asa head-butted his aunt in the face as hard as he possibly could. He felt a sharp pain in his forehead, almost knocking himself out. She dropped him and was quickly caught by the golem's oversized hands. Blood rushed from her forehead and she quickly turned into her flame form, reaching for Asa in a rage. A thick black smog came between Vinesca and Asa at that exact moment. A figure formed from the darkness in the shape of a man who came between the Char and paladin. Serict appeared before the two. Staring at Serict, she slowly calmed down and cursed under her breath.
"We have a problem." Said Serict. His tone was heavily hinting of worry. Asa was surprised to see the man appear from nowhere. Sinesca turned her head for a moment, hearing something coming from behind her. She remained at the table, out of sight of the others. Her focus remained on the stones upon the table. At least thirty rune stones began to glow violently as she waved her hands over them. One stone shattered, forcing a small smoky white essence to enter her body. She flinched, not knowing what had just happened to the stone.
A swirling vortex appeared just behind Sinesca, she could feel the cold embrace of the portal as it slightly pulled at her hair and body. Outstepped three individuals, following a single one moments after the three. Vinesca, the golem and Serict turned to see their invaders emerge in the center of the room.
***
Illoke counted a total of thirty golems that poured out from the gate. They were stationary, looking about as though waiting on orders
, and it bothered him endlessly. His elven soldiers had formed ranks again, with only a few having lost their lives to the smaller golems that emerged from Stoneholt. The soldiers that he trained and fought alongside were elves of iron will. Even with the small losses they encountered, no one's resolve flinched in the slightest.
Stratus watched as Illoke stood fearlessly in front of his army. The elves did not try to get in front of their leader, only stood in rank and file by his command. It bothered him, and yet, he respected the resolve of the elves. They were fearless or insane. He tended the lean to the latter. Illoke had called for the armies to stay separate, as Stratus was told, due to the lack of compatibility in their strategies. Stratus believed this to be true, with the Ela’syn never fighting alongside the Saebellian people ever in their history. He knew this battle was going change things.
The golems that formed uneven lines in the front of Imrosyn, had brought concern to the Zirris Commander. It was as though they were being ordered to prepare for a rush, but he saw nothing other than the stone monstrosities. A moment passed. Then another, and finally another. His patience had run its course. Stratus called out to his soldiers and they began to charge when a rumbling came from both sides. The gate rose again from Imrosyn and outpoured something Stratus couldn’t understand as he saw it. Strange soldiers in the shape of humans marched out. But they were clearly taller, and bulkier. They had covering their entire body a black rocky soot that looked as if they had been drenched in volcanic ash that caked over the entirety of their bodies. No skin was visible on any of these soldiers, and their only noticeable feature came from their eyes. Two sockets bled out of their rocky appearance in the color of orange. They marched in unison, despite their physique, carrying large varieties of weaponry. They marched passed the thirty golems and formed lines, creating two blockades the armies would have to defeat in order to invade the actual fortress.