Logar shook his head impatiently and gestured to a couple of knights to approach the hovel. “Search the house!”
“Listen, laddie. You’ll have to get past me to get into my cottage,” challenged the old crone and she waved a stick at him.
“There is no need for such unpleasantries. My grandmother is just wary of strangers.” A young man with a small harp hitched under his arm stepped from the darkness beyond and into the sunlight spilling across the doorway of the dwelling.
Daylon knew instantly that this was the young man from his vision.
*
To describe Leo as scruffy was a little unfair. He had a mop of uncontrollable hair that just looked dishevelled. It was the ‘just out of bed look’ but such that is achieved if you’d got up earlier, actually been dragged through a hedge backwards, then gone back to bed for another forty minutes with your head pressed under the pillow. And only then could you get this look. His hair perched on the top of his head, proud like an ornament on a sideboard, such that you’d sometimes hardly notice the cupboard underneath, which was a shame really because Leo had a good face. Not devilishly handsome, just pleasant-looking with all the bits in the right place. It was just overshadowed by the hair.
Logar turned to Daylon who nodded.
“Thank you. And you are?”
“Leo.”
“And the old lady?”
“You’ll have to ask her. I have only known her as grandmother.”
“You can call me grandmother,” she said.
“What happened here in this village?” asked Logar.
The boy looked down at his feet. “I doubt if I know any more than you do. There was a fire at the chapel. Many died including my parents. Those that remained believed the village to be cursed and slowly dwindled and left, including his lordship. My grandmother refused to leave and brought me up here alone with her.”
“It must be lonely here for a young man.”
“I have my music and the manor house has a library. Sometimes we visit the local town to trade some basic foods or grains. We don’t need much. It is a simple life.”
“Well,” said Logar, “we need you to accompany us back to Ampheus.”
“The castle? Why on earth would a troop of knights come here to take me to Ampheus?”
“There is much to despair at across the Four Realms at this time. I had a vision,” said Daylon. “The chapel and you were in it.”
The boy turned to his grandmother who bit her lip and lowered her head. “Grandmother?”
She nodded to herself.
“Yes, perhaps it is time. A young man needs to find his place in the world. But hear me, knight, I have sworn never to speak of what happened in this village fifteen years ago. You must find that out for yourselves. Leo was too young; he has no recollection of such matters. But be warned, there are those who may have knowledge of that day who may still seek to finish what was started that day.” With that she turned and headed back into her cottage.
“But I am content here. Why would I want to leave? The world around us does not care for a small thatched cottage in this wood.”
“This is not open for discussion,” chided Logar. “Pack your belongings, boy; you will accompany us to Ampheus.”
The boy hugged his grandmother. She took out an old wooden box and lifted the lid, revealing a pendant inside it. “This was your mother’s, let it always remind you of your peaceful and happy upbringing, one full of goodness, and keep it with you at all times.”
The old crone raised an arthritic hand and brushed the boy’s cheek, then shuffled past him back into the cottage. Leo watched as she faded into the dimness beyond the doorway, then he turned and joined the knights, leaving his world behind.
“One further question if I may,” said Daylon as they walked their horses to the edge of the copse. “Were you at the manor last night? We heard a harp playing.”
Leo looked puzzled. “No, but I was practising. Sound can travel quite a distance here at night.”
Logar turned to his sergeant. “Sergeant Wistan. Take five men. Visit the surrounding villages. See what you can find out about what happened here. Then report back to Ampheus as soon as you can.”
*
Their journey back to Ampheus was uneventful. Logar escorted Leo through the castle and to the quarters given over to him. “You are welcome at Ampheus, but there remains much mystery over the seer’s visions and your purpose here. My men are here both to watch you and protect you. Fear not, no harm will come to you while you are at Ampheus. You have my word.”
The knight was about to turn when they heard a delicate polite cough from behind him. He turned and paused. “Oh, Your Highness, this is not the time.”
“Nonsense,” came the soft voice from behind him. It was almost musical. Leo peered round the broad knight to see who was talking.
“I’d like to meet our guest.” For the first time, though reluctantly, Logar backed down. He dutifully stepped aside from the door. In his place stood the most beautiful girl Leo had ever seen.
Leo gasped. He’d perhaps not seen anyone quite so beautiful. She had flaming locks of auburn hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Her skin was the hue of ivory and eyes sparkled like the emerald green of a crystal. She stood in front of him with a smile that reminded him of the light of a clear spring day, and her voice seemingly chimed like the softness of summer rain that bobs the leaves of the flowers with the delicate patter of its fall.
“I am Princess Fayette, daughter of King Armanar and Queen Laila.” She pushed into the room past Logar, ignoring him completely and walked straight up to Leo who was still transfixed.
“So, you are the boy from Daylon’s vision.” She gently touched his hand and gazed at him straight into his eyes.
Leo was mesmerised. Never had he ever met a girl as beautiful as this before. She smiled, before he could say anything, or at least stammer something stupid or embarrassing, then she turned, and with a swirl of her cloak left the room.
As she left she casually remarked, “Well boy, perhaps we will meet again.” And with that she disappeared down the corridor.
After Logar closed the door, well slammed and securely locked it really, there was a pause in the room, a moment’s silence. Leo stood looking at the oak door, then wandered over to a window and looked down at the lake surrounding the fortress. Reflections of the clouds skirted the surface, and then he looked beyond the lake, to the forests that marched to the horizon and to his home. He shrugged, shook his head, then lay on the bed. He folded his arms behind his head, looked up to the stone ceiling and waited, waited to see what would happen next.
*
Sometime later in the afternoon there was a knock on the door. Leo had been dozing; he stretched, swung his legs off the bed and opened the door to find Daylon standing there.
Leo nodded at him. “Daylon, do you think it’s time to give me an explanation as to what I’m doing here?”
Daylon winced and shook his head. “Phewww Leo, straight to the point,” he chuckled. “I’ve been told to show you around. I need to make sure you do not make a nuisance of yourself while you are here and to answer any of your questions. Let’s grab some lunch. I’ll answer your questions as I show you round the castle.”
They entered a small cobbled courtyard. Beautiful flowers hung from trellises and arched walkways, and butterflies and bees could be seen fluttering and buzzing amongst them. Daylon beckoned Leo to sit on a wooden bench while he himself sat on steps facing him.
“Let me give you an explanation, starting first with where you are. Much of this you may already know but don’t interrupt. Sometimes it’s a struggle to make sense of it myself and hence it helps to tell the full story to organise my thoughts.” Daylon took a deep breath.
“This castle is Ampheus, home to King Armanar, descendant of a long and distinguished lin
eage of kings since the early Dark Ages. The King is the ruler of the Four Realms that make up Ancient Earth. The realms are Fire, Air, Water and Earth which represent the lands of the Four Tribes of the Ancient World.”
“This much I know,” said Leo.
“Fine, good good,” said Daylon. “At the time of the Dark Ages the world was a different place to our world now. You may think they are myths. It was a world of noble kings, mighty knights, powerful wizards and such wonderful beasts that you could only believe them to be myths. But in fact they were, or I mean are, very real.”
“Like dragons?” asked Leo.
“Yes, like dragons,” nodded Daylon.
“Everything is documented in the Chronicles of the Ancient World. Each of the realms is dominated by an element. Earth, air, water and fire. Earth represents the element of the Realm of Terramis, from the Golden Mountains in the north to the Midlands in the east. Ampheus is the capital of Terramis. Water is the element of the Realm of Aquamura, from the wetlands to the oceans, which disappear south to the horizon. Air is the element of the Realm of Windstrom, whose tribes fly on the breeze across Ancient Earth. I am Windstrom,” he said wistfully.
Daylon paused, reluctant to continue further. He leant in towards Leo; perhaps to be overheard may result in a terrible curse. He lowered his voice and spoke almost in a whisper. “And then there is Gamura, the Realm of Fire, a land of volcanoes and scorched earth. The home of Gorath.” He made a sign of a cross with his finger across his chest. Perhaps he believed the gesture would protect him from the very evil of Gamura itself.
“Each realm was bequeathed with a totem which, when stacked together, brought balance and peace to our world.”
Daylon circled his hand: “Fire creates earth; earth breathes of air; air replenishes water; water douses fire, and so the cycle of the elements is perpetual for the good of the world.
“Legend has it the totems were held at a holy site, Dryw Henge, though its exact location is now lost in folklore. Dryw Henge was the centremost point of powerful ley lines, which connected the Four Realms. Each totem was protected by a grove of Druids and overseen by a high priest. Druids are worshippers and spiritualists of flora and fauna, and their magic tamed the elemental forces of nature of the realms. This ensured harmony in the four elements.”
Daylon paused, but Leo prompted him to continue. “There was a lowly priest of the Fire Realm, a Druid with unlimited potential. But his talent was, shall we say, unfocused. He was also greedy and ambitious and felt the Druids were weak.
“Given their powers, he felt the Druids should be equal and not subservient to kings. He sensed another force, another element within this world. It scratched at his weaknesses and bent his body and spirit. It pulled him deeper and deeper into its grasp; its radiating influence corrupted his very soul and dragged him inextricably to the deepest, dankest caverns beneath the Mountains of Gharfel. He clawed through the rock with his bare hands and uncovered another totem. There he discovered the Fifth Element, Quintessence, a dark energy lost in time, lost in folklore, but found once again. Dark clouds formed, buffeted by swirling gales; animals and birds scattered as lightning stuck the earth. Man sheltered as the ground trembled from the highest mountains to the bed of the sea. The balance of the elements had been disturbed for ever.
“That Druid was Gorath.”
“I don’t understand,” said Leo. “I thought you said this was a myth, so how could a man survive a thousand years to lead an army against Ampheus today?”
Daylon nodded. “The Fifth Element, Quintessence, bent and reshaped time around it. It prolongs life to whoever wields the fifth element totem. Immortality if you like. The Gorath we face today is the same Gorath who found the fifth element all those centuries ago. The same Gorath who imposes his army on Ampheus as we speak.
Daylon held up his hand and continued his story. “Gorath returned to Dryw Henge triumphant. He held the fifth totem aloft for the other Druids to marvel at; he urged them to believe this gave the Druids the divine right to rule ancient earth.
“However, the other Druids of the Fire Realm could sense what was in his heart. His selfishness, his lust for power and the subjugation of man. So, they defied him. In rage he struck down the Fire Grove and combined the power of the Fire and Quintessence Totems. Gorath then turned on the remaining groves and demanded they lay down their allegiance to him.
“The oldest and wisest Druid of the time was a Druid probably known by many names passed down by myth. Most often we refer to him as ‘Saturnus’. ‘The Life Giver’.
“Saturnus had a vision. A vision of the future, terrifying and unthinkable. He called an alliance of the groves of the Druids of the three remaining elements. They knew they had to stop Gorath and somehow limit his powers.
“They combined the remaining three totems and chanted an incantation so ancient, an incantation never laid down by quill on parchment. It was an incantation which buried through the most impenetrable rocks at the core of the earth; an incantation which reached up to the heavens above, bringing fiery streaks of light across the sky cast from the stars themselves; an incantation which stirred the dark, cold waters of the deepest, darkest trenches in the sea.”
Daylon recited the incantation.
“I climb to earth’s highest peak,
I observe from the clouds where eagles fly,
My feet rest on my mother’s earth,
My hands reach up and touch the gods as they reach for me,
I see the fluttering standards of light and dark, of good and evil,
I am the tree of life; my roots and boughs span distant frontiers,
Fire, water, air, earth nurture me,
Now come strike me, split my boughs,
Let the path of dark and evil reside in isolation,
Without end.”
“They drew the power from Gorath and left him defeated. They bequeathed a world where man would continue to live in peace, free, for the betterment of humanity.”
“However,” said Leo, “Gorath is here now, and I believe his army approaches Ampheus.”
Daylon sighed. “It is true; though greatly diminished, he was not vanquished. Gorath fled back to the Fire Realm with both the Fire and Quintessence Totems. Weakened but intact.
“At the final moment of the battle, Saturnus took pity on the young Druid. Gorath had curled up on the bare ground, he hugged his knees to his chest, still tormented by the Quintessence Totem. It was perhaps a sign of considerable strength to spare Gorath, but also a moment of great weakness.
“Gorath’s pride and ambition continued to haunt him and take hold of him. Unseen to the three other realms, Gorath hid deep in the hot, stinking, barren core of a primordial volcano. He suffered and roared with pain and rage, gradually regaining his strength and his powers.
“He plotted to wreak revenge on those who had opposed him and indoctrinated the people of the Fire Realm. Subjugated any who dared stand in his way with his dark powers. And now he returns stronger than ever to reclaim the other three totems and bring the Four Realms under his rule.”
Daylon paused to let this sink in. Leo hissed as he sucked in breath through his teeth. “And on the bright side?” he suggested hopefully.
Daylon tilted his head and shrugged. “Well all is not lost yet,” he said, though rather less than convincingly to Leo’s mind.
“What of the other Druids?” asked Leo.
Daylon nodded. “Saturnus returned the three totems to the kings and councils of the remaining realms for their safekeeping. When Saturnus presented himself and the final totem to the last of the four realms, Terramis, he turned and bade those present farewell and has never been seen or heard from since.”
Brushing imaginary dirt off his trousers, he said, “Well, all this talking has made me hungry; how about a spot of lunch? I know a cosy little tavern around the corner from here. They do
a fantastic roast hedgehog.”
*
They wandered down to the tavern and took a table by the window. Leo observed Daylon’s hedgehog delicacy. It appeared like someone had simply killed it by beating it flat with a gigantic wooden mallet. It was served up on a dish, its head still attached. Leo was surprised by the size of the hedgehog’s teeth and the fact it appeared to be looking at him. He was definitely relieved he ordered the chicken.
Leo continued to question Daylon. “So, I appreciate the history lesson. But what does this have to do with me?”
Daylon nodded, put down his fork and continued. “Ahhh, perhaps one unforeseen outcome of the Druid’s actions was the creation of a crystal out of the fabric of time itself. Matter from the first star. A crystal with certain innate energy that still binds the four realms together. It is not easy, but a seer or crystal gazer can use the crystal; their deep spiritual nature allows seers to intuitively bond with the crystal to navigate its powers. It can be used to view what is happening in this world and sometimes it prompts us with visions.
“I had been tracking Gorath’s movements until recently. Then the past few weeks I have only been able to see a vision. It is of the chapel and yourself. I have no idea what it means or what it signifies.”
“Unbelievable,” said Leo. “I’m sorry I can’t help you more. I am just a boy. I do not know the significance of these visions.”
“I understand. But I believe it may have something to do with the fate of the chapel ten years ago. When we learn that, then we may understand your part in this. Until then you can stay at Ampheus. You will be safe.”
“So, what does the crystal tell you now you have found me?”
“Well I’m not sure yet,” said Daylon. “The crystal is most powerful and clear at the time of an equinox or solstice. It marks a time in which polarities between this world and the totems are strongest. A portal opens a deep connection, which a seer can nurture to travel in spirit anywhere around the Four Realms.
“It is some time until the next solstice,” Daylon warned.
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