The Ascension Trilogy

by David S Croxford

  "Perhaps they live within the trees. Like the naturists do," Rinne pointed out.

  "Maybe," said Mavok, though he was not convinced.

  As they stood there looking around, the clouds broke and large raindrops fell upon them. They made their way back down the tree.

  Amy greeted them upon their return. "How's it looking?" She asked.

  "The forest does indeed stretch on for miles, there is a mountain to the north about two days march," said Mavok.

  "We saw no signs of human life, but they could be hiding," said Rinne.

  Mavok nodded his agreement. "We will head for the mountain and then return to make a report, there is plenty to search so let's rest and start out again once the rain has stopped."

  The group agreed then settled down under the trees that offered the best protection for the rain that had started breaking through.

  chapter three

  The rain seemed to fall for hours. Rinne sat with her back against a tree and watched the thick drops fall into pools now forming upon the floor. Mavok had climbed up the tree once more, this time Rinne stayed behind, not wanting to get any wetter. He returned sometime after, drenched and shivering. Blankets were pulled out of packs and covered him.

  "Any sign of it stopping?" Rinne asked him.

  Mavok shook his head. "The dark clouds cover the sky and you can see the rain falling. I think we will have to keep moving and try to find some shelter."

  "I hope the others managed to build a shelter in time," she said.

  "With Zalon guiding them they should be fine, it is us that I am worried about," said Mavok "We need to find some better shelter and build some fires"

  "Are we still heading North?" Rinne asked.

  "Yes, get the others ready," said Mavok.

  Rinne ran around and spread the word. The group’s movement was sluggish with many moans about the plan.

  "The quicker we move, the quicker we will be warm again," Mavok shouted.

  The grumbling grew louder, but Mavok could see some smiles among the group and could not help but join in as they moved out of the shelter of the trees and into a drizzle of raindrops.

  It was not long before Rinne was as soaked through as Mavok. Who had dispensed with his blankets as soon as the water had made them redundant. She pushed on, avoiding the pools of water and mud. The temperature was dropping and Rinne shivered.

  "It gets cold as well," Rinne groaned then let the power flow through her, not releasing it. Rinne felt the warmth run through her. It would be good for them to do. Rinne was hesitant to reveal her use of power after it had caused so much damage upon the land. This reminded her once more of Jon and how he would have loved the situation they were in, regardless of the rain.

  Amy joined Rinne and Mavok as they walked through the forest. Rinne could not help but feel annoyed at the woman's presence. She seemed to get close to Mavok as they walked and Rinne noticed her staring on more than one occasion. Rinne's feelings for Mavok had grown during their journey to the new land. She had got to know him better and learnt more about his past. Even the bad deeds he had committed endeared him to her as she could see how much the ascension had changed him.

  "How much further to the mountains?" Amy asked him.

  Rinne walked quicker to move ahead of them but kept within earshot.

  "I would guess at least another day, the rain is still quite heavy and the wind sounds strong from down here," he replied. "It would be dangerous to climb the trees to check."

  "We are making good progress then," Amy pointed out.

  "Yes," said Mavok. "The cold and damp have spurred us on. But we should rest soon"

  "There is not much in the way of food around here, we had hoped to collect more," Amy commented.

  "There is plenty of food if you know what you are looking for," said Mavok. "There are fruits in the trees I have been climbing. There are also animals here, but they hide from our presence."

  'Ha' thought Rinne, relishing Amy's mistake. Amy had once been a cleric from the path of God. Women that follow the path of God were rare as most opted for the path of nature. When given the choice as most clerics would couple with naturists to reproduce. The path of God had always seemed like a waste to Rinne who preferred science and discovery over hope and faith.

  Amy was around thirty years old. Much closer to Mavok's age than she was and this was just another thing that annoyed Rinne.

  Mavok's voice brought Rinne out of her brooding.

  "Rinne, we are stopping," he called out.

  Rinne realised that she had continued walking after they had stopped, feeling embarrassed she walked back to the group.

  "It is a willow," said one of the ascended as Rinne re-joined them. The tree chosen for their campsite had branches that drooped to the floor and seemed quite water tight.

  'Still no fire' Rinne thought, she drew the power back into herself. Even though it was keeping her warm, it also drained her energy and by the time she had sat down, her head was swimming.

  "You look tired," said Mavok "Maybe you should have stayed with the others"

  Rinne shook her head.

  "I am fine, just cold and wet," she replied.

  "Not far until the mountain," he said. "I am heading out to track down some food, will you keep an eye on things here?"

  Rinne nodded.

  "Good, we should be gone for only an hour at most. If anything happens then take them back to the others"

  "We?" Rinne asked.

  "Amy has offered to come with me," he replied.

  "Of course she has," Rinne said under her breath.

  Mavok looked at her.

  "It doesn't matter," she said and then turned away from him.

  "Remember, take them back if there is any trouble and if we don't return"

  Rinne did not say anything and heard him walk away then start giving orders to the others before leaving. She was not sure why but a tear ran down her cheek and Rinne cursed herself for being stupid.

  Mavok left the cover of the tree and stepped back into the rain, followed by Amy. Rinne's reaction confused him, she appeared almost hostile towards Amy and he wondered why.

  "It's still raining," said Amy.

  "We found a wetland to call our home," said Mavok.

  As they continued north a great flash illuminated the forest in a bright light. Followed by a great clap of thunder, that shook the ground causing Amy to jump. For a brief moment Mavok thought he had seen someone standing amongst the trees nearby.

  "Oh," Amy exclaimed. "That made me jump"

  "Quiet," Mavok said. "There is something out there"

  "Out where?" Amy asked.

  "I said be quiet," Mavok hissed and then drew the sword from his belt.

  Another flash of lightning revealed more figures within the trees. Amy had seen them this time and she screamed.

  "Draw your sword and start backing up," Mavok said to her. He heard the sword and the figures began to move among the trees.

  "Whatever happens, do not tell them about the others"

  "Who are they?" Amy asked. Her voice trembled and the strange figure moved out from behind the trees pointing weapons at the two.

  chapter four

  The figures advanced, Mavok counted at least ten in front of them and he could hear others moving around in the trees. The pair carried on backing up until the elves surrounded them, weapons still pointed their way.

  "They're ascended," said Mavok.

  "They don't look like anyone that came with us," Amy said, her voice trembled more so and her sword pointed to the ground.

  The woman was right, the people stood in front of them were not among those who had accompanied them from the land of humans. These ascended dressed in an unusual material, like leather though it had been coloured in greens and browns. Their weapons were bows and long spears made of wood, there did not seem to be any metal used in their construction.

  "Who are you?" Mavok asked them.

  One of them approached, ho
lding a spear aimed at Mavok's heart. The man looked Mavok up and down and then brought his weapon up, using his hand to signal for them to follow. With the weapons of the others pointed at them Mavok thought it reckless to try and fight their way free.

  "What do we do now?" Amy asked.

  "We follow them and find out who they are," replied Mavok.

  "Are they going to kill us?"

  "No, they would have done so already. I think they are curious," Mavok replied. "Where are you taking us?"

  Nobody spoke, as they escorted the pair. Mavok began to think that these elves may not be able to speak as they do.

  "Put your sword away and remain calm," he said to Amy.

  They both put their weapons away and followed the lead ascended as they continued through the forest.

  They walked for a long time and Mavok was feeling fatigued. He had not slept since the journey across the ocean and even then it had been a broken sleep as each wave crashed over them causing cold water to wake him up once more. As they carried on Mavok attempted to communicate with the people that had captured them. He was surprised that they could keep their weapons.

  The trees began to thin out and in the distance Mavok could just make out he base of the mountain through the trees.

  "I think we are going to our planned destination," he said to Amy. She had been quiet since the capture, looking around at the ascended. Amy nodded in agreement.

  By the time they left the cover of the forest the rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to break for dawn. The mountain loomed up in front of them and spread out far, disappearing back into the forest. They walked to the base where they could see a cave that seemed carved into the rock though it was massive in size.

  "Why such a big entrance?" Mavok asked. There was no answer.

  They were ushered into the mouth of the cave and their eyes took a moment to adjust. More ascended moved around the mouth of the cave, some carried dead animals for food, others seemed to be working on clothing or weapons. The newcomers attracted some attention and soon the cave was silent, they walked deeper down the tunnel and it opened into a large cavern.

  The houses were out of the stone and more ascended seemed to be moving around. The news of their captured travelled around and the crowd surrounding them grew, still silent until someone approached them. The man wore a carved wooden circlet on his head and he listened as one of those that captured them whispered in his ear. He walked up to Mavok and held out a hand, Mavok took it and the man smiled.

  "You are not of this land?" the man questioned.

  "We are not, we have travelled a great distance and found ourselves upon this land. We were not aware that anyone inhabited this island," he said.

  "We have been living here for a long time, this is where life began. From the Gods that created this world," Replied the man. "My name is Alack, come with me and we will sit, eat and speak further about why you are here"

  They followed Alack to a large house, made out of the same stone as the mountain. Inside, the smell of food made Mavok's stomach growl. Standing in front of a hearth was an ascended female stirring a large pot and a small child that seemed to be carving a bow.

  "A little young to be making weapons isn't he?" Mavok said to Alack.

  "Young?" Alack asked and looked over to where Mavok pointed. "Oh, well I suppose you would say so. In appearance, he is young but he is in fact well over two hundred years old"

  He knew that the ascended lived for a long time as Zalon had made clear when they had first met him. But the fact that they don't seem to age either was new.

  Alack called the boy over and took the bow, handing it to Mavok. He looked at the curved wood, it was strong but springy and carved into the wood were various animals.

  "It is good work," said Mavok.

  "Tomas is one of our best, he has been creating these bows for well over a century," said Alack.

  Mavok handed the bow back to the boy who ran off back to the area he was working in. "Have you always been this way?" Mavok asked.

  "What way is that?"

  "The scales and long life," Mavok replied.

  Alack shook his head.

  "No, many centuries ago we all began to change. In the end, we all turned into the form that you also share. The boy was one of the last born in the first form"

  "And there is no aging or new children?"

  "We are unable to reproduce. A by-product of the transformation or so we get told."

  "Told?"

  "All in time," said Alack. "Come sit down and eat, you look tired and hungry. You may rest before we continue talking, I am sure that you are as curious as we are about each other"

  Mavok nodded and they sat down in the warm house. Soon the woman that was stirring a pot brought over a bowl of boiled vegetables and meat for both himself and Amy.

  Amy had remained quiet, she still looked terrified by the circumstances they found themselves in. After the small meal they were both shown to a room that held two beds, Amy lay down on hers and rolled over. Mavok thanked Alack and took the other bed. The sounds of people going about their duties outside drifted into the window and Mavok did feel tired, but the situation kept him alert.

  chapter five

  Rinne tried to rest, but the dampness of the forest and Mavok off with Amy kept her awake. It had been several hours and they had not returned, causing Rinne to worry. Most of the ascended slept with a few huddled together talking in whispers. She stood up and walked over to them, they turned to her with worried looks.

  "They should have been back by now," said Alyster, one of the most approachable of their group.

  Rinne nodded. "He said an hour."

  "What are we going to do?" Alyster asked.

  "Mavok told me that if they had not returned then we should head back to the others," said Rinne. It sounded sensible, but she wanted to go after them and make sure that he was safe.

  "Then we should go, there is no point waiting," Alyster sighed.

  Rinne nodded, it was reckless, but she knew in her heart that she should go after them.

  "You head back and tell Zalon what has happened, I will go in search of them," said Rinne. The rest of the elves looked at each other with a confused look. "You remember the way we have travelled?"

  "Yes," said Alyster. "Head south until we reach the coast"

  "Alyster, you are in charge now. Get them back safe and talk to Zalon, he will know what to do."

  Alyster nodded and they all rose, collecting their weapons. With a final farewell, the group headed back towards the beach where the other elves had made camp.

  Rinne breathed deep and then left the cover of the willow. The forest was beginning to brighten and the air was growing warmer, Rinne wished she could sit in the sun and warm up for a while, but if Mavok was in danger then she could not waste any more time. Rinne knew that they were heading north towards the mountain so began to trek that way, keeping close to the trees in case there was any danger around.

  The sword clanked as she walked, Mavok had not yet had the chance to train her in using it, but there was always her power, even though Mavok had forbidden it.

  Rinne shivered and let the power flow through her again, warming her body through but she kept from releasing it. The forest was full of sounds from animals; birds calling and small unseen creatures that scurried through the fallen leaves. Her stomach growled, it had been quite some time since she had last eaten and there was little water left, most she had ensured that the group took with them. Rinne would have to find some for herself, but a lack of knowledge left her wondering where she should start looking.

  This all reminded her of the last time that she found herself alone in a forest. It had been after the tower of the philosophers had collapsed due to her use of the power when they had captured Father and herself. Rinne had not fared well and by a stroke of luck, the naturists who had already encountered Mavok found her, taking Rinne straight to the group and reuniting them.

  Rinne heard some
noise from ahead. Rustling from branches and the crunching of leaves that sounded much more than just the small animals. Rinne moved behind a tree and stayed still as the sound of voices began to drift through the forest, at first she thought it could be Mavok and Amy returning but just as she was about to step from the cover of the tree she realised the voices were not familiar. Soon, three people emerged from behind some other trees close by. Rinne noticed straight away that they were elves, but not any that had come with them. They all held weapons and as they passed by her they spoke of two mysterious people.

  'Mavok and Amy' Rinne thought immediately. 'So they are in trouble'

  Rinne waited until the sound of them had dispersed before leaving her cover. There were more ascended and they lived on this island. Rinne decided that it was best to head back to the others and get help to free them and the others needed to know about the inhabitants. Rinne made her way back, careful to avoid the group that had passed her though they spoke with each other. Covering up most of the noise Rinne made as she went by. It was not long before their voices faded once more and she found herself back at the willow they had spent the night under. Breathing heavy, Rinne took a few moments to rest before setting off again, ignoring the pain now growing in her stomach.

  Rinne did not know how long she ran for but started to become concerned that she had gone the wrong direction. By now she should have at least caught up with the others that had been exploring with them unless they were running at a similar speed to her and had already arrived at the encampment. Rinne decided that she had to climb a tree and see where she was. Picking one that had a thick trunk, Rinne began to climb and pull herself up the tree. Slipping on the wet bark it took Rinne some time to reach the top but by the time she did the sun was high in the sky, signalling that it was noon. Looking around Rinne breathed relief to see the ocean nearby and the mountain far away, the sun on her skin was warm and it took some effort to pull herself away but spurned on by the thought that she was close, Rinne made her way back down the tree and into the coolness of the forest.