‘They knew that, without their planet to sustain their physical forms, their future was doomed.’ The guardians became quiet. Their deep, silent mourning affected Issa and she gave up trying to hold back the tears.
The guardians continued. ‘They knew that the darkness would forever hunt them and, one day, find them.
‘Out of the Dark Rift Baelthrom came—formed from the twisted, scattered essence that was Ayeth—following the trail of his kin and wanting to destroy them utterly as he believed they had destroyed him, his home and Lona. He never once blamed himself for all that had happened. For this is the curse of the Fallen Ones, blame. The fallen blame others for all that is wrong in their lives, unable to take responsibility for their own choices and creations.
‘Ayeth became unrecognisable as Baelthrom. He succeeded in destroying all but two of the descendants of the Aralans. But still, some beings on Maioria today carry minute amounts of their blood in their veins, such as the wykiry, the elves and the Tusarzans. It’s small wonder that these are the races most persecuted by Baelthrom.’
Issa’s mouth hung open, a barrage of questions filling her mind. ‘I can’t believe Baelthrom—Ayeth—was chosen by Zanufey to save people and then he fell. Is that what will happen to me if I fail? How can I be sure not to fail? Is that why I’m terrified of “sharing” myself with anyone, as you put it? Well, I’m damn well more terrified now! I don’t even have half the power Ayeth has and even less of his drive and compassion. What hope is there?’
Issa felt sick to her core and very angry. She stared at the floor as the image of the Dark Rift faded completely, leaving the room empty.
‘You have witnessed what is so, and no more,’ said the guardians, their gentle smiles soothing her anger and fear.
Issa sighed and swallowed her emotions. ‘I did ask, I suppose. Can he be reasoned with to stop him destroying everything?’
‘For him to stop feeding off others means he will die, and so will the Dark Rift. He has grown so powerful now, the Dark Rift itself feeds off planets through him.’
‘Then he must be killed,’ said Issa, pursing her lips.
‘No being of the light, whether guardian, goddess or the Great Source of All, will agree to the destruction of another and neither will they tell you what to do,’ said the guardian. ‘That is, and always will be, up to every being alone. But if you ask for wisdom and guidance, it will always be given to you. Before you incarnated on Maioria, you knew very well the things you have witnessed and of which we have spoken. Your soul guides you to fulfil the purpose for which you came.’
‘To destroy Baelthrom,’ Issa said, her face hard and her vengeance growing.
‘It was vengeance that destroyed Ayeth in the beginning.’
Issa dropped her eyes from the wise gazes of the guardians, feeling her cheeks colour. ‘I’m not as advanced or as clever as you. I have simple human feelings, thoughts, emotions—which is why this is hopeless.’
‘Do you think you came to destroy or to restore?’ the guardians said.
Issa caught her breath, wondering if everything she had believed was wrong. No, not wrong; incomplete in some way.
The guardians continued. ‘All the things you’ve seen and learned today, and all the times you have visited Zanufey, the guardian of Aralansia, you have been given the truth. This is a great gift given only to those who are strong enough to handle it—perhaps the greatest gift. More than any other on your planet, you now know the truth of many things. Write it down, share that truth with others, with your Wise Ones; the seers and wizards.’
Issa nodded though she didn’t feel like she deserved this gift or even wanted it. Truth cut deep and painful. She shivered and a potent need filled her. ‘I wish I were with Zanufey.’
The guardians smiled and raised their hands. Issa blinked as they and the chamber began to fade and a warm wind blew.
Issa looked across the blue sand at the impressive, sparkling stone trilithon rising up out of the desert. It was always night here and the sky was filled with stars.
Now she knew why.
There was no sun and no atmosphere. This place—all that was left of Aralansia—was a barren rock, orphaned and abandoned in the great emptiness between the stars. And there weren’t any clouds because the planet and its atmosphere were dead.
She walked towards the trilithon and touched the dark, glittering stone, noting how identical it was to her raven talisman. The stone hummed so low she could barely hear it. She dropped her hand and the humming stopped.
‘All that remains of one of the Star Portals,’ Zanufey said quietly from behind her.
Issa turned to face the goddess. Her perfect chin and lips were set in a faint, compassionate smile and Ehka perched upon her shoulder.
‘The energy and function of the portal remains because of the guardians who nurture it, but its beautiful structure is gone,’ said Zanufey.
‘It hurts to see the destruction of Aralansia and the hope and the loss of her people,’ said Issa, suddenly overcome with sorrow, her eyes glancing over the black hole swirling on Zanufey’s robe. ‘It all seems so hopeless. I don’t understand oblivion or evil or how beings can destroy each other and themselves. How can I win against that which I don’t understand?’
She tried to imagine turning to the darkness and wanting to cut herself off from the light. Wanting to hurt and destroy things and use them for her own pleasure. In this place, her thoughts were more powerful. Darkness entered her heart and mind, the light paled and the stars above looked weak and distant. Zanufey faded into a dark hooded figure that was swallowed by the night. A cold wind tore across the barren desert making her shiver.
Why did the goddess leave her now?
Anger filled her heart. Why did she make her do these stupid things she couldn’t do? It was hopeless. She wished they’d all just left her alone. So what if she’d died a nobody on Little Kammy? Her mother didn’t want her anyway and Asaph had betrayed her by going with her most hated enemy.
Hatred for Cirosa burned in her mind. She would kill her next time. Issa smiled, thinking of murderous revenge. Surely by now she, the Raven Queen, had enough followers and power to destroy Baelthrom and his horde. The people would do whatever she said, she would make them.
The wind howled and it was very dark. Would Zanufey come back? Who cared anyway? She was alone and always would be. She hugged her shoulders.
‘Maion’artheria.’ The voice whispered across the desert, easing the hatred in her heart.
A breeze carrying the barest warmth touched her skin and she closed her eyes blinking back tears. She was not alone and never had been. Light fell across her lids and she opened her eyes. The heavy anger and hatred lifted and she felt lighter, her mind clear. She let go a deep sigh of relief wanting never to feel the dark loneliness again.
Zanufey stood before her once more with Ehka on her shoulder and her robes settling in the calming wind.
‘That is what the darkness creates; anger, hatred, resentment, fear, emptiness, purposelessness,’ said Zanufey. ‘When a being falls so far from the One Source, it can no longer be reached, it can no longer find its way home. But in the eyes of the One Source, that being is never lost or forgotten, and when the Source takes a great in-breath, that being will be returned into the Light. Nothing is ever forgotten or lost, for everything in existence is all a part of the body of the One Source. How could it ever lose a part of itself? Remember these things in your darkest hour.’
‘I know so little…my mind is so small,’ sighed Issa. ‘Why can’t you just tell me what to do? I’ll do it, I promise.’
Zanufey smiled. ‘No being, whether great or small, can be anything other than your guide. Your soul is your closest friend. You have a gift you’ll one day understand; that in you, all things are made whole.’
Issa wondered what she meant. ‘At least I have finally found the sacred mound on Maioria.’ She smiled. ‘I always knew it to be a real place somewhere. But now I’m here, I don’t
know how to return.’
‘It is easy. Just step through the stones,’ said Zanufey.
Issa blinked, looking at the trilithon that led nowhere. Ehka flew over Issa’s head and disappeared into it. She started forwards then looked back, but Zanufey was gone. Wearing a determined smile, Issa stepped through.
9
Seer Training
‘ASAPH told me what he saw in Feygriene’s pool.
I’m pleased he’s found his purpose but sad because my destiny does not lie with him in Draxa,’ Issa said, turning the flame ring around her finger. She stood by the open window where Ehka perched enjoying the late morning sun. The Trinity and Naksu were sitting before her around a simple, pale wood table. They were in a large domed house with white walls and arched windows, and a colourful mosaic spread across the floor. Dar scribbled on parchment as Issa told them of her experience within the sacred mound—or star portal as the guardians had called it.
‘Destiny is not a simple thing that ends when one thing is achieved,’ said Iyena. ‘It goes on and on with achievements all along the way. Our bodies may die but our spirits are eternal, and so, naturally, destiny is eternal. What we have seen in our sacred pools is the Raven Queen and Dawn Bringer together. Do not fear that destiny or death will drive you apart.’
Issa took heart in her words. ‘Perhaps you’re right but I worry. I think that, when the time comes, there’ll be a great battle and we might not survive it.’
‘We all fear the coming battles. That’s why your destiny is to reach out to all who’ll stand against the darkness.’ Suli squinted over her glasses at her. ‘Already you have won over the Karalanths, the wizards, witches and us seers. Even the wykiry come to your aid. With Asaph’s help, you may well have the dragons returning. And, dare I say it, you have the demons of the Murk. You must realise what a vast army you have already.’
Issa looked at the old seer. She was surprised when the seers hadn’t balked at her in-depth account of her Wizard’s Reckoning. She’d been talking non-stop about that and her experience in the star portal for hours and now her voice was hoarse.
‘I didn’t want to make friends with demons.’ Issa rubbed her eyes.
‘But you have, and no one else has ever done that,’ said Dar, not looking up from her scribblings. ‘Also, you found the star portal.’
‘Edarna said it first came to Issa,’ Naksu spoke to Dar. The albino woman had been silent all the time Issa had been there. ‘And I saw in a vision everything coming into motion when the Chosen One entered the sacred mound. That was when Zanufey’s disciple was consecrated and the prophecies set in motion.’
Issa cast her mind back to the first time she’d entered the mound, that feeling of something monumental initiating that could not be stopped. ‘If I’d known then what I know now, I’d probably never have done it,’ she said, wishing for a moment that she was back at home and bored on Little Kammy again.
The seers laughed.
‘And we will be eternally grateful that you did,’ murmured Iyena, nodding her head slowly. ‘At least now there is hope.’
‘Still, the star portal is sacred,’ said Dar. ‘And it can be found only when it wants to be—in the divine right order and timing of things. Only a few ever find it, and usually in the later days of their lives.’
‘So, it becomes clear to us now why you are Zanufey’s chosen,’ said Iyena. ‘That you carry the ancient knowledge—the encryption—of Aralansia in your blood, the planet of whom Zanufey is guardian. We had some understanding of the guardians of Maioria—our great Doon and blessed Woetala, the loving light of Feygriene and the night guardian Zanufey—but the knowledge you bring to us is priceless.’
Iyena stood up, awe in her eyes as she looked into the middle distance. ‘Indeed. We will write down and make copies and protect all that you have told us, Issa. Everything you have said supports and greatly expands our teachings. Thankfully, nothing contradicts.’
She turned to Issa and smiled. ‘As the prophecies have foretold, already the Raven Queen is teaching us and not the other way round. Still, there are things we can teach you while you are with us, for it is clear you will not stay here for long before your destiny calls to you. We have decided, if you would like, to teach you what all our initiates learn.
Also, there are some basic fundamentals about energy that one should understand. It will help you master the Flow very effectively.’
Issa nodded her head vigorously. What there was to learn about magic seemed infinite and she longed to know more.
Iyena continued. ‘After lunch, I will ride with you around Myrn and show you the island. Whilst we ride, I’ll tell you of many things. Lessons amongst nature, under the sun and in the wind, instil a greater, deeper knowledge. Asaph may join us if he wishes.
In the evening, after dark, Naksu will teach you more about magic. Tomorrow, we’ll start early at dawn, and the same the next day until it is time for you to leave.’
‘I would like that very much. Thank you.’ Issa bowed slightly, keen to start learning whatever they could teach her this very minute.
Duskar pranced and tossed his head as they cantered along a track. The forest rushed past on their left, and on the right was a meadow filled with long grasses and blue flowers. Issa had to gallop him ahead of Iyena and Asaph then bring him back just to use up his joyful energy. The afternoon sun was warm but every now and then blew a chill breeze that swirled the fallen leaves into the air.
She cantered Duskar back to the others for the third time, laughing.
‘Maybe it’s Myrn,’ said Issa, breathlessly. ‘He’s so happy and full of life. Look, he doesn’t even mind the other horses.’
Sure enough, Duskar stood close to Ironclad and Iyena’s white horse, Bree, even lifting his nose to sniff them a little.
‘The crystals that create the protective shield around our islands also keep out the negative energies of the Under Flow and anything else,’ said Iyena. ‘It makes you wonder, if we didn’t have those negative energies at all, the whole planet might be more joyful.’
Duskar settled down beside the others but still held his head high and ears pricked forwards as they travelled along the coastal path that circled the island. It was warmer here than Little Kammy, but not as hot as Celene, and it was quite beautiful.
They trotted through deciduous forests clustering at the edges of white cliffs and over rich grasslands where the path passed so close to the edge she could see the deep blue sea swirling against the rocks below. The track frequently wound down into turquoise bays and coves where villages of white-domed houses nestled. The people there smiled and waved at them and many wore simple attire rather than seers’ robes.
‘People come here for healing and respite,’ Iyena explained. ‘Some have settled. Though, unless they wish to become seers, we urge them to return to their homes and share what wisdom they have learned on Myrn with others. Look, here is the eastern most point of the island.’
Iyena slowed Bree to a stop. A couple of hours of easy riding and they had covered the first half of the island. Issa stared over the sea to the horizon, straining to see land.
‘You won’t see Maphrax—it’s too far away, thankfully,’ said Iyena.
‘I would have liked to have seen Tusarza,’ said Issa. ‘It’s sad to think the land of my ancestors is gone.’
Iyena nodded. ‘You can look to the past and see and feel all the things lost and forgotten—even I do—but it helps to realise that our time is now and our hope is for the future. Good things are lost, but they can be created again, bigger and better than before.’
‘All things will be ours again. Drax will be free, one day,’ said Asaph, his eyes shining. ‘I think I’d like a gold painted castle like the one where Ralan and Ark met.’
‘And I hope you’ll be inviting seers to your golden castle when you do,’ Iyena laughed.
‘Of course,’ Asaph nodded as they continued north along the path. Issa grinned, imagining again the great wizard a
nd dragon he had told her about. He’d promised to show her the golden temple someday if she could bear going somewhere so frigidly cold.
They stopped the horses beside a spring where a stone basin had been carved in the rock to collect the water. Letting the horses drink, Issa and Asaph filled up their water canisters whilst Iyena poured elderflower cordial into the ceramic cups she had brought in her saddlebag. She also took out jams, Davonian cheese and oat biscuits to snack on.
Taking a bite of a biscuit, Issa realised the seer hadn’t taught them anything yet. She’d been too busy riding Duskar and enjoying the beauty of Myrn to notice. She studied the older woman. Her white hair was loosely tied back with a blue cord and her slender hands were busy spreading jam on a biscuit.
‘What are you going to teach us?’ Issa asked.
‘You’ve already been learning the lessons for today. That joy and freedom are the greatest gifts to the spirit. When the soul plays, the universe sings.’
Issa glanced at Asaph, who mirrored her befuddled expression, then she laughed. ‘I wish all my lessons at school had been like that.’
Iyena smiled. ‘A long time ago, in the good old days before we all forgot who we are, all we did was play and learn about ourselves and the world, and create. We understood that the universe loved us, that the world was naturally abundant, and that there was enough of everything for everyone.’
Issa tried to imagine such a time. The beauty of such a world filled her with wonder. Could it really have been that way? She wished she lived in such mythical times. It seemed so different to how things were now; a world filled with death and pain and struggle—a world of endless wars… But it had been different on Aralansia too before the darkness came. A world of light and happiness, and wise, joy-filled beings. That world, too, had changed, had fallen, just like Maioria was falling.
Dragons of the Dawn Bringer: The Goddess Prophecies Fantasy Series Book 5 Page 10