“This is amazing,” Daecrynn wondered, straining his eyes to read the opening declarations of his great-uncle. “I have studied Asutel Thetali’s writings in depth, and I can see how this was derived from them.”
“It was Asutel Thetali’s dream to cast aside the traditions of tyranny and hierarchy that had tied the hands of all elven people since long before the fall of Anda. His original councils were perverted, however. They re-established the ways of Mithuriel, and re-defined the role of the elected Kestiel. Thetali’s progeny became a dynasty, and that dynasty was followed by another. Stagnation is the legacy of the High Kingdom, the legacy of Anda. You are a scion of Asutel Thetali’s line, and kindred to the Great Bard. Perhaps there is hope for you and your house,” Ranteyu speculated. “Perhaps yours is a mind open to the true vision of Tarligean’s founders, and that is why Rayelle wants to assist you.”
“These are bold ideas, but Iacala has no true cities, no real homes for their people,” Daecrynn countered. “Iacala is nothing but a wilderness with a handful of nomads that come together once a year to agree to nothing and do nothing. Certainly there must be a middle ground, and I believe that was what my ancestor was aiming for.”
“The Iacalai are naught but cowards,” castigated Nadali. “Your people’s fear of the sword—your fear of the ‘eh’veyta gah’raen’—have lead you to run from Tanathiel to the farthest western shore, leaving all you owned behind. This is not the pride of the Taergeni, and it certainly is not freedom! We stand for what we have, and we stand for who we are.”
“So that is why you gave Namakiera back to the Empire with less than a wiggle of a blade,” Dillan scoffed.
“This squabbling is wasting our time,” Daecrynn rebuked.
“We had our reasons, and the retreat was tactical. We knew that an army was coming, we just didn’t know when.”
“Indeed,” Ranteyu said, turning away from Nadali. He focused his attention to the sun breaking through the clouds. “When the sun reaches zenith, we will see what stone the center stone’s shadow touches. We will then move in that direction.”
Daecrynn fished a small parchment map from his cloak.
“That will be useless. Once we traverse the Hidden Road, our path will not match anything on the map, though the landmarks be placed there,” Ranteyu explained.
“How bizarre,” Daecrynn marveled. “So the road is variable?”
“Quite. Traveling down this road is dependent on timing and direction; no two journeys down this path are the same. There are rules to be followed, however, and if you follow those rules, you will reach Li’istrani, even the Crystal Towers of D’antarra,” Ranteyu revealed.
The shadow of the central monolith crossed the southwestern pillar, creeping over the stone. The stone shifted in color from its natural dull gray to a pale blue as the shadow crept over it.
“This way. Looks like we are going to Rhia’li’s Pedestal next,” Ranteyu grinned.
“That’s ten days west of Tanathiel,” Nadali noted.
“It’s the farthest of the landmarks from Terthian’s Wheel on any standard map, and traveling off of the ley lines, you are correct,” Ranteyu elucidated, as he hoisted his satchel over the shoulder and hiked to the southwest. “On the Hidden Road however, it is the nearest landmark, when the journey starts at mid-day. Since every landmark after is a shorter distance than the last, no matter which landmark is next, this is going to be a short journey. We should arrive in Li’istrani by tomorrow evening.”
Daecrynn and Nadali exchanged an astounded glance. With a shrug, they followed the Iacalan merchant, whose mood had shifted from almost hostile to joyful. They hiked across a grassy plain, and up a hill with a pathway cut between the glades of grass. A trickle of water ran off from recent rains uphill from the plain to the top of the hill. The top of the hill was large and flat. In the distance, the path led toward distant mountains, with a looming column piercing the cloud ceiling that gathered in the west.
“I imagine it is normal for water to flow uphill along this path?” Daecrynn wondered.
“Absolutely. In fact if it were running downhill, I’d turn around and tell you we went the wrong way,” Ranteyu stated.
It seemed strange that within minutes, they were already at the edge of the forest. The clouds cleared away, and the moon grew high in the sky as nightfall crept quickly.
“Only feels like an hour since noon,” Daecrynn noted, as he fished a lantern from his satchel and lit it. “Yet it’s already the black of night. I don’t even feel like it’s night, yet.”
“It’s wonderful,” Ranteyu sighed happily. “The rules of time are meaningless on this path. Let us pause a moment and wait for Rhi’ayfarri to rise.”
“Rhi’ayfarri?” Nadali asked.
“Another moon,” Ranteyu explained. “We won’t fully see it until we’re in Li’istrani, where our own moon will fade.”
Daecrynn gazed at the sky in wonder, as it seemed that many of the stars in the sky began to double up, with twin stars forming close to them the same color as the original, only paler, almost translucent. Many of the star’s twins were displaced, shifted far from their counterparts.
“That sky looks really strange,” Daecrynn marveled.
“That’s good,” Ranteyu reassured him.
“I knew you’d say that,” Nadali exclaimed.
Peering eastward, Ranteyu quietly pointed as a translucent white disc rose over the hills. Through the disc, the stars shined behind it visibly as it crept over the horizon. The features of the ghost-moon were much like Luna’s but almost in reverse, and of different proportions. The ghost-moon was almost completely full, yet didn’t blot out the solid stars, just their translucent counterparts.
“I have crossed this path over a hundred times,” Ranteyu sighed. “And it is still a marvel.”
“Surreal,” Daecrynn whispered.
Nadali quietly gaped at the ghost-moon.
“Well, we should get moving again. We have until Luna and Rhi’ayfarri overlap to reach Rhia’li’s Pedestal. They are a ways apart so we have plenty of time,” Ranteyu stated. “Nonetheless we shouldn’t keep the Mistress of the Tower waiting.”
They hiked down a forest path, an almost perfectly straight trail cutting through very dense regions of the Mindule’s deepest forests, and somewhere else. Ghost trees juxtaposed the solid trees, and phantom creatures skittered about, light-shadows of fauna from another realm. Within a perceived hour, they reached a vast clearing, with a standing stone built on a scale to humble mountains.
“It sort of just crept on us,” Daecrynn remarked. “You can see it in the horizon of all of Tarligean, save for Destriel. It’s even larger than I imagined it.”
“It was here that Rhia’li herself gave her blessing on the peoples of Anda, after it was destroyed. A new life, and a new hope. Those times are sadly forgotten, even in the minds of the eldest of our kind.”
“It was a long time ago,” Nadali noted.
“Soon, Luna will rise. When it crosses paths with Rhi’ayfarri, and the two moons are one, we will be given our direction,” Ranteyu pointed out.
In minutes, Luna crept over the trees. Like Rhi’ayfarri, it was nearly full. Unlike Rhi’ayfarri, it made the stars dim, and the tint of the sky brighten as it cast its silver light over the great plain where Rhia’li’s Pedestal stood. As they observed the skies, the solid moon of Earth’s light overshadowed the ghost of Rhi’ayfarri, and the two moons became one. A single shadow from the great column was cast over the woods to the northeast.
“Greh,” Ranteyu cursed under his breath.
“What’s the matter?” Nadali asked.
“We must cross Cassadina to reach Treban’s Crossing,” Ranteyu sighed.
“But Cassadina is to the south,” Daecrynn boggled.
“Yes, I know that,” Ranteyu spat. “Haven’t you been paying attention? Your sense of direction is useless on the Hidden Road!”
“Right,” Daecrynn accepted.
�
��The direct path will takes us over the Glass Tomb, and if we deviate from that path we will have to start from the beginning,” Ranteyu lamented.
“The Glass Tomb?”
“There you can see the corpses of soldiers frozen in glass who were there on the day the legions of Ariandi Tuvitor were annihilated,” Ranteyu shuddered. “Their spirits curse the feet of those who stumble across too loudly.”
Daecrynn felt his throat grow stiff, as he tried to comment.
“Perhaps your sword will grant us protection. It’s never easy when the Hidden Road deals this lot,” Ranteyu muttered in dread. “We should go now, before the ghost-moon steps out from behind Luna’s shadow.”
They moved out of the clearing into the forest along the northern end of the monolith. Within minutes, the forests thinned, and the twin ghost-moons had separated. Ranteyu hiked ahead of Daecrynn and Nadali, who warily followed behind. The forest turned to brush, and the brush turned into badlands, along a downward grade into a valley. Black soot floated through the air as they trudge downwards. The twin moons were obscured by the black ash that drifted through the air, carried up by sporadic gusts of wind. Ranteyu came to a sudden stop.
“Careful,” he whispered. “The earth turns to glass here. Avoid looking down if you wish to avoid gazing at death. This is an unholy place.”
Nadali shuddered as she felt a deep chill cross her. “Many souls are trapped in this valley. I can hear their whispers.”
Daecrynn put his hand on her shoulder.
“They want release,” Nadali whispered.
“Keep your ears focused on the living, Lady Murana. Your senses are sharp, but they can carry you into madness,” Ranteyu warned.
Daecrynn turned south, and spied the flickering of torches hovering over the land, vaguely translucent. “Are those the torches of the dead?” he asked.
“No,” Ranteyu guessed as he eyed the flickering lights.
Oro’quiel sung faintly in its scabbard.
“Living or dead, it’s trouble,” Nadali muttered as she drew her battered cyvnar blade.
“It’s only a song of caution I think,” Daecrynn speculated, narrowly gazing down at the hilt. “I sense no urgency from its song yet.”
He caught a glimpse between the flurries of drifting ash of a red and white banner with a golden eagle crest emblazoned upon it. “Madroceans. What in the Verduhn are they doing here?”
“They are not on the Hidden Road,” Ranteyu noted. “If you two can shut up, they won’t see us.”
Daecrynn opened his mouth, ready to protest in pride, but he stopped as the Madroceans moved closer, and within earshot.
“Osordo won’t be pleased. There is no sign of Ariandi’s corpse anywhere here! His cursed sword is nowhere,” the captain on horseback, clad in black groused.
“It was probably carried off by treasure hunters from Risellé, or looters. It’s probably in some arkhazi cave, or in a dragon’s hoard by now,” his lieutenant guessed. “It is not Osordo’s wrath I fear. I suspect that he didn’t wish this mission on us.”
“Oh?” the captain asked. “And what do you know?”
“I think Osordo was acting on the Emperor’s behalf.
“I think you should mind your rank and your own business, Lieutenant. We’ll search the mouth of Toragaan’s Cave, and if we don’t find anything, then it isn’t here,” the captain commanded. “The sooner we ride out of this cursed place, the better.”
“Yes sir,” the lieutenant acceded.
The two soldiers jerked their reins, and the horses disappeared into the flurries of ash. The faint ringing of Oro’quiel faded out with the sounds of the galloping hooves in the distance.
“Xendros isn’t here,” Nadali observed. “A…spirit told me that the Kestiel took it far away from here.”
“Keep your ears focused on the living, Lady Murana,” Ranteyu warned sharply.
As the galloping faded completely, they continued their hike through the desolate plain of ash and glass. Daecrynn sniffled, as the fluttering soot went to war with his sinuses. Nadali hung her head low, as her thoughts conflicted with the voices of the spirits of the last generation, crying out to her with memories of sudden annihilation at the hands of a fireball of virtually infinite luminosity. Below them, a sea of molten glass housed scorched skeletons wielding fire-scorched swords, adorned in fire-scorched chain and plate mail.
The glass beneath their feet returned to softer soil, as they hiked down an incline, leading into the backwoods of Sylshee. The air cleared, as the stars, moon, and ghost-moon became visible again. Down an incline, a clearing awaited. Three standing stones, in a triangular formation glistened with the pale glow of Luna’s light. Three roads intersected between the standing stones, only visible by the subtle contrast against the darkened green of the grass.
“Treban’s crossing,” Ranteyu stated. “The perilous part of the journey is over, I believe. At sunrise, we will know which road to take.”
“I’m just glad I can breathe again,” Daecrynn sighed in relief, sniffing the air deeply. He glanced at Nadali. “You don’t look well,” he observed.
“This is the second time the dead have called to me, d’nani,” Nadali revealed, her eyes wide.
“That is a talent,” Ranteyu noted. “Most people just get chills and a vague sense of dread when they cross that plain.”
“I’m not sure I want this talent,” Nadali shuddered.
“You should speak to Lady Rayelle about it,” Ranteyu suggested. “She probably won’t have the time, but perhaps one of her acolytes can teach you a few techniques to keep it from pulling you into madness.”
“I have no desire to be a witch,” Nadali countered, staring at the east. “Rise, curse you!”
“What is that smell? It’s fragrant, like a flower but tangy in its smell,” Daecrynn wondered.
“K’sarra,” Ranteyu replied. “A wildflower. They grow near Li’istrani.”
The sky grew lavender, as the ghost-moon set in the west. A translucent blue sun rose first, with the morning star Alyaea’s light gently piercing through its disk.
“That is not our sun,” Daecrynn observed.
“There are more suns to rise before you see the one you’re accustomed to,” Ranteyu explained. “Eight suns, grouped loosely together. They will be dwarfed by our own for most of the day.”
“Eight suns?” Daecrynn boggled.
Nadali glared at the horizon as the second blue disk rose in the east.
“Eight primary ones. There are many day-stars in Li’istrani’s sky,” Ranteyu elaborated. “One of them is larger than the others and has yet to rise. I expect it to come up some time after Tarligean’s sun. Judging by our own sky’s stars fading—ours will be the next to rise.”
“Good! The farther I am away from the voices, the better!” Nadali blurted.
A third disk rose in the east, washed out almost completely by the bright yellow of the Earth’s sun. The three shadows of Treban’s Columns pointed to the road leading north.
“That way,” Ranteyu said, hoisting his satchel up from the ground.
As a small cluster of suns rose behind the yellow Sun, blue and translucent, they walked down the dirt road leading toward Vaedon’s Well, south of Tanathiel.
The rest of the journey was short, as the yellow-white sun was outshined by a piercingly bright blue star of D’antarra, and telltale alignments of shadows cast from obscure landmarks directed the way.
XXIV.
Li'istrani
As the four travelers passed beyond the other landmarks, one world seamlessly faded into the next, and the yellow sun faded out in the sky, replaced by more than nine suns of smaller sized. They trekked through a wooded valley, along a small creek. The winter chill gave way to a warm springtime breeze. The scents of the air were fresh, yet alien; unknown, yet fragrant. Down a slope from the creek side, a valley awaited them. Though it ran below the waters of the creek, it was not flooded. A stone tower with a violet crystal cap at the top
glistened in the blue-white of the many suns in the skies over the tower; pristine yet ancient.
“This is where I leave you. The Merchant’s Guild meets in a city a day from here. If you remember what I told you, you can find your way back. If not, I’m sure Rayelle can direct you, though I wouldn’t recommend asking. Poor listeners are one of her pet peeves,” Ranteyu warned.
“What do I owe you for your services?” Daecrynn asked.
“A tax break perhaps,” Ranteyu suggested in jest.
Daecrynn laughed.
“I’ll bill your palace once you are situated again in Andriel. It will be certainly be within your means,” Ranteyu assured. “I would like to establish a continuing business relationship with the Court of the Kestiel, so all transactions will be fair.”
The Legacy of Tirlannon: The Freedom Fighter Page 16