by Reja Emran
His somber eyes showed nothing but spoke much as he surveyed the riotous weather which had broken upon the valleys beyond. He knew that it was the age of the darkness, an age long foreseen by the Elders, an age in which ancient prophecies would be fulfilled. Many would unite under the banner of truth to escape the wrath of the Shadow, but few would be loyal to the cause. The Shadow stirred as storm upon storm came over the skies and absorbed the energies of the chaos. Its minions were awakening from their slumber, dark clouds of crows assembled in the flashing skies and the ground trembled.
The storms were coming.
~ Chapter Three ~
Sunlight streamed through the masses of clouds which enveloped the frosty summits of the magnificent mountains that bordered the exquisite valley. Emerald leaves sprouted out from under the umbrellas of the canopies and bushes were sprinkled with exotic flowers, whose radiance was unique. Water from the fountains gushed gently while rivulets streamed rapidly across the rolling lush hills. This was a valley unique in its splendor, magnificence and purity.
It was the Sacred Glove, a haven and refuge for all the remarkable creatures aligned with good.
In the heart of this valley was a fortress, built out of an elaborate meshwork of leaves and branches of wood which were dripping with dazzling petals. Pale blue orbs glittered around the edges, emitting beams of silver light. In the centre were three magnificent creatures, all standing tall with pride. They were the noble phoenixes. The King Phoenix of this vast realm stood alongside Arean, the Queen and his daughter, Fiona. Their feathers were fiery red sprinkled with golden dust while their eyes were a burgundy tinged with gold, which scanned the arena vigilantly.
In the enclosure others were also present, all waiting to commence the meeting. There were the horses of Arkansage, their silver tails swishing to and fro and their glistening, pure- white wings radiating shine. The leaders were Adriana, a beautiful, intelligent mare and Gorman, a stallion with great courage and wisdom. The silver eyes of these horses sparkled with magic that ran in their blood and for that reason they were rightly hailed as the most powerful of the horses for their abilities were unparalleled by even the best.
This conference included the leaders of the nymphs who were non-aligned with evil of their kind, the tigers, eagles and the elegant leaders of the Elentians from the city of Tyrendale, a neighbor of Sacred Glove and an ally.
"Silence," called the phoenix King, "we have gathered you all here to discuss the crucial matter concerning the Magic Plains." His eyes stormed angrily as he hated the violence that had erupted and shadowed the lands.
"We also seek the advice and council from you wise creatures" added Arean, feeling the same as her husband. “Too long have we remained dormant, occupied in our own lives with no interest in the fate of the Magic Plains but now we have to act quickly or else it may be too late to avert the oncoming danger.”
"Time has passed rapidly. No longer does solitude remain. The firestone is stolen and we need to search for the one who committed such a resentful crime," said Adrianna. She glanced at Gorman and the rest of the Arkansage. All nodded in agreement with some whispered words of dread. Tossing her head, the mare gazed at the rest of the council to hear their views.
"We all know Aria did it!" piped in a nymph, her body clothed in a thin silver cloth and hair dotted with jasmine. “She with the aid of those despicable sprites could have been able to trick Solhaven and steal the stone.”
"I agree," nodded a white tiger named Dijon followed by vigorous agreements from his tribe. All muttered curses to the sorceress and her creatures, which drew glances from the nymphs.
"No," a soft but firm voice came from behind, "Aria cannot take the firestone. Only an Annoxonum can as they know the appropriate enchantment." Everyone stared at the figure that stood steadfastly, with long silver hair flowing gently in the breeze and misty grey eyes like the edges of cold steel, both striking and enigmatic.
It was Sinardin, queen of Tyrendocramius; the city of the Elentian folk, those beings who had been in the world to witness the rising and falling of the evil at the time of Annox. The city had been shortened to Tyrendale when some protested for Cramius was a prince who was detested. Yet several still called it that as those knew of the true sacrifices Cramius had made to save his city and people. The later generations had been heir to rich literature and folklore which spoke of such calamities concerning the stones. Besides her was her husband, King Luminon and their adopted son, Cyrillon al’ Simian whose real heredity was still concealed and the name they had given him was not his own. This boy had been raised in Tyrendale from the tender age of two till manhood but never once had he been told of his real parents. All he had been told was that he was adopted but the loving adoration he showed his parents was awe inspiring.
"That’s preposterous! An Annoxonum protects the firestone. Not steals it!" retorted the nymphs and tigers. A few nymphs had turned red with anger and they did not look very pretty at that moment. “I do not think we should waste our time in finding suspects of a crime when the culprit is obvious. Aria is the sole enemy against us at the moment.”
"No," denied Kerfina, the representative of the eagles, "Raven has been to me and he has said that Solhaven gave passage to another creature not knowing it was evil. We cannot be sure if it is an Annoxonum or not? The dragon knows Aria. He would not allow her to pass his threshold."
Then a storm broke out in which all those present blazed with fury and started opposing each others suggestions. The meeting was in jeopardy as the angry crowd's verbal combating was difficult to curtail and it had resorted to a physical fight. The nymphs had actually torn away some hair and hurled it like a whip at the Elentians, who had unsheathed their swords to defend Sinardin. The threads of control were breaking and violence was bursting forth. Arean warily gazed at the representatives arguing and announced in a deep voice, "To settle this we need to assemble a few parties, giving them several tasks to accomplish. Is this agreeable?"
A murmur of approval resounded amid the fortress and all unanimously accepted this proposal. Several reddened in embarrassment and others muttered soft apologies to one another. Only Sinardin was unaffected except she wore a thin smile on her face as Cyrillon whispered in her ear. It was not a smile of amusement. Then Arean spoke with a commanding voice first addressing the young Elentian.
"Cyrillon al’ Simian, you will follow Kerfina to the Annoxonum and there you will lie in wait until further commands are issued. Do not engage yourself in any skirmish as we may need your aid in other matters along Deadfall Creak or beyond" she said assigning the duties, "Fiona will join the Guardian Aniah, who I believe has been delayed from attending the Council, to search for the firestone. Creatures of Sacred Glove and Elentians of Tyrendale will raise the defenses of their respective cities as I can feel danger moving towards our fortresses. Council dismissed!"
"I will dispatch a nymph to inform Master Ching of Cyrillon's arrival" said the King, "let us now unite and prepare for the inevitable. Discord will only mean our disaster."
"The inevitable doom," whispered Gorman, his voice holding dread and with that he trotted away alongside his clan. Adrianna heard him and said nothing. For once the mare’s sharp tongue had no words. She knew Gorman was right and soon the Arkansage would too need to bend to the wills of Klamath.
That time was not far off.
The companions then took off hastily, to reach their destination. All headed in different directions, fading into the distance, their figures shimmering away into the heavy mist.
***
Cyrillon al’ Simian and Kerfina moved through the grimy slopes of Sevin Jungle, moving stealthily under the shading trees with the former high on his chestnut steed Khazdul and the latter scanning the tree tops for any sign of danger or other creatures. A week of travel had been passed in crossing the edges of the River, moving through the deserted ravines and stumbling on the ridges. The Elentian was weary but he never stopped. In t
he back of his mind, he thought of drinking warm tea with sweet bread while sitting in a fire lit room with his friends. That was the life! No worries, no evil beings sprouting from the ground. Even the stallion walked slowly, hooves hitting hard on the ground and moving clumsily. The small water bag he carried was almost empty as he had avoided drinking the water of these cursed pools. His feet felt as they had been walking for years. It was not that the man was one who was easily tired but it was the air which exhausted air. The darkness, the rancid odour was enough to make him drowsy.
Cyrillon gripped his bow tightly in his fist as his piercing grey eyes penetrated the darkness and his sharp hearing detected the movements of nearby creatures. He sat up a bit straighter in the saddle and gently stroked the stallion’s coat. Khazdul whimpered and the Elentian quieted the horse. He made a signal to Kerfina with his hands to ask how much distance had been covered. In reply the eagle flew faster, zooming towards the north. In her wake followed Cyrillon, his horse galloping through the copse, treading heavily on the rotten grass from which seeped a white mist laden with moisture.
After a while they approached a clearing and through the branches, Ching's cave could be seen along with the mysterious altar, which flashed ever so brightly in the sun which was at its glorious pinnacle shedding an abundance of light on the promising rolling plains of sweet, dewy grass. Kerfina screeched at which another beautiful eagle emerged from the cave. It was Raven. Cyrillon followed and jumped off, tethering his horse near the entrance where the spring was located. The stallion gave the water a wary look, then bent down and took a lap. It was cool to its scorched lips and the stallion then gulped the water feeling refreshed.
Cyrillon brushed off the dried leaves from his green cape, removed his hood and entered the cave, striding towards the voices which he could hear echoing in the distance. As he entered the main room, Kerfina screeched once again to make his entrance known and upon his arrival all stood up.
"Ahh…hello Cyrillon al’ Simian" said an old man warmly, moving in to shake his hand.
"Hello Master Ching" replied Cyrillon, "I bring you warm greetings from Queen Sinardin and King Luminon of the city Tyrendale."
"My old friends," said Ching with a faraway look in his eyes, "beautiful Sinardin and charming Luminon. Allow me to introduce Asra, the Annoxonum's mother and Adam, the Magicka's father. The girls will join us in a short while."
After saying their greetings, Cyrillon took a seat on the wooden stool and placed his weapons besides him while others studied him in awe. His high cheekbones and lean face reflected authority enhanced by his ruggedly handsome features. His eyes were of a mystifying grey revealing little of what he had endured in his life but showing the wisdom locked behind them. The dark locks brushed his shoulders that were hunched in fatigue of the week long travel through the Sevin Jungle. Cyrillon wore a weather-beaten cloak and garment yet his stature was that of a leader, a figure long forgotten in the changing age as were the figures of all the Elentian leaders before him. He didn’t say much but when he spoke, authority reverberated in his voice and reflected upon the noble upbringing he had from the royals for his speech was eloquent and concise. He listened patiently to all the questions asked and answered them in a vague fashion awaiting the arrival of the two women he had come to protect.
Soon Ching informed Cyrillon that the Annoxonum was going to arrive with her Magicka friend as there was a giggle outside the room and Cyrillon stood up in respect as the two entered for the Annoxonum held great honour in the eyes of the Guardian and therefore he would show his utmost respect to the young girl. "Xia, Julian, this is Cyrillon from the Elentian city Tyrendale and Cyrillon this is Xia the Annoxonum and Julian the Magicka" said Ching, introducing the two parties to each other.
Xia brushed back her long, black hair from her eyes and smiled at Cyrillon, "I'm pleased to meet you."
"I too am enchanted by your presence, Cyrillon," said Julian, shaking his hand and studying him with a smile.
Cyrillon gently bowed his head in front of these girls, admiring the two as they were equally resolute and had a strength in them which would be needed near the end. "I’m honored to be of service."
"Come let’s go and eat as I believe you are weary after your long journey," said Asra leading the way to the table, followed by a cluster of the hungry. Ching laid a hand around his daughter’s shoulders and gave a big smile to a frowning Asra. She hesitated then grinned back. After inspecting his weapons, Cyrillon entered the dining hall of the cave and took a seat across Xia, joining into the conversation concerning Sacred Glove and other related matters. However, Kerfina and Raven both noticed that Cyrillon's mind was engaged some place else and that he was anxious but he cloaked his concern in front of these humans with remarkable proficiency. He did not understand why the Queen had sent him here but there must have been some ulterior motive. He gave a smile to the Annoxonum and she plunged into a detailed interview which he answered but wearily though the exuberant girls didn’t seem to notice. The sky was darkening and along with it brought the thin whispers of evil for in the other part of the Magic Plains, a decadent coalition was in the beginning of its formation.
~ Chapter Four ~
"Aniah, reveal yourself!" commanded Arean as she stood beside the Sacred Glove Fortress, eyes sparkling an urgent golden. At once the young Guardian appeared before the phoenix and gently bowed, her mahogany hair falling on her face, flowing softly on her shoulders. Her eyes glinted in the sun as if shining with happiness, but the phoenix knew that the Guardian was anything but happy.
"Stand up dear. You are our equal." Arean then ruffled her feathers, "Have you been informed of the quest you have to embark on?"
"I am aware of it but I’m afraid we must depart immediately to avoid detection." answered Aniah and as if on cue, Fiona descended from the azure fold of the sky and settled next to the Guardian. "Climb on me Guardian and I shall take you to our destination with swiftness."
“I am glad to see that you have been freed from the clutches of that mad woman.” Aniah looked straight into the eyes of the magnificent bird as she spoke, referring to the phoenix’s unfortunate imprisonment at the hands of the sorceress.
“Thank you Guardian.” Fiona looked at the beautiful woman with a glimmer of respect in her eyes for the Guardians were revered highly, especially Aniah. It was rare that a phoenix respected another as an equal but the Guardian never seemed to be awed at all by their race or the rare admiration they showed her.
Without a word Aniah jumped steadily onto the phoenix's back, clutching on a cluster of glossy, crimson feathers. Fiona, clicking her beak, looked expectantly at her mother who responded without delay. "Give them leave to depart!"
All of a sudden the magical barriers encompassing the Glove were lifted to momentarily allow them a safe passage, through which they accelerated disappearing into the cerulean curtains draped over the vast sky, Fiona's vibrant wings barely visible in the hazy distance and swirling clouds. The barrier was closed and Arean too flew off to manage a few matters concerning the white tigers that needed to elect a new leader. The Queen knew who they would choose; it was likely to be Dijon. He was the young cub who had captured all hearts. She agreed to his promotion but yet felt that the tigers would need convincing to chose him as a new leader. Many were still too attached to the dying Chrism who had done wonders but yet she could not exert herself more no matter how much she wanted to.
Somewhere in the woods, camouflaged in the shadows outside Sacred Glove, stood a cloaked figure; its hood drawn up and its body concealed to every fraction. At the Guardian's departure, it followed the phoenix's fiery trail into the depths of the woods, barely rustling a leaf as it advanced.
***
Annor fled to Aria and demanded to speak with her, silvery eyes blazing with a fusion of wrath and aggravation.
"What is it Annor?" inquired Aria, when she noted the look of urgency and horror on Annor's face.
"What demons?" Aria sputtered angrily and for a split second recoiled at the thought of these repulsive beings. "Take me to them. I leave this place for a while and look what has happened."
"But your Highness…" said Annor, dread emerging into the deep tunnels of her eyes. Sprites hated demons like anything but they also feared them, for in history demons had destroyed entire Sprite Trees which sprites held sacred.
"Now!" ordered Aria and dozens of sprites lifted her caravan with tight frowns in Annor’s direction and took their Mistress to the gates of her beloved homeland, Nebula.
Aria was furious when she evaluated the situation. Her soldiers, consisting of sprites and vultures were being driven back by a puny, but sturdy force of demons. Axhelius stood at a distance where he was utilizing his immense range of powers to compel the demons to open the gates, but from the conditions his efforts proved futile. Aria did not blame him for demons were known to posses hard rocks of granite in their heads instead of brains. Axhelius could not persuade a rock or bend it’s will.
After being laid on the coarse, black gravel, Aria rose proudly to meet the leader who towered more than a foot from her face. "I have heard that you demons are blocking our way," spoke Aria battling with her overwhelming apprehension and nausea, "for your information, I own Nebula and you are the trespassers. This entire scene should be the other way round."