The Dark Season Saga- the Final Harvest

by Yehya H Safwat

  “Deep below, in the formidable and terrible Dungeon of Bore, exist our prisons housing criminals and war prisoners. One cell has someone belonging to you,” he said turning to the elf, “and the other prisoner belongs to you,” he said, turned to Vikar.

  Both gazed back at him steadily and for a fraction of a second, he hesitated to continue. “Down there you can find the very personal cells of Azurus StormWrath and Thord of the Serador, the Will of Tyrus,” Anarca announced. Shocked mutters broke out amongst the guests. “And they are yours for the taking along with the body of the last Trodon.”

  A stillness fell on the place. No one spoke. No one moved. The whispers had vanished, and I watched Anarca’s face as he stood with his back straight, his chin proudly forward.

  “In return for what?” asked Aeron coldly, breaking the silence.

  Kainto, the Wanokian monk of Nelsia, spoke when Anarca did not respond. “We have been through this before, Edwin. Those three will not join the Chain, whatever the price for refusal is. The Chain was the very reason they have taken that path in the first place, and I don’t think they will submit to its dominion. And quite frankly, despite the loss of Kavlot, they are doing well so far. If you think the lives of their generals and the body of the last Trodon would sway them to your side, you are mistaken. Thousands of lost lives and rivers of blood stand between them and that decision. Besides, what is Eredia’s stand in all of this? Have you forgotten about the land of the Dargos, or do you think the Humans of Ardul will just abandon their beliefs and run to join you?”

  Edwin hesitated, turning to Anarca. The latter spoke. “We haven’t forgotten about Eredia, but you may rest assured that we are not asking them to join the Chain.”

  The Nel spoke up. “So what is the deal you’re planning to present? What is so important that you went through all of this to get your hands on Azurus and Thord?” Then he added with resolve, “I am sure that all sides have realized this by now: the war cannot be won. We all became slaves to this war, racing to increase our arsenals. We are now its tools.”

  “In return for what?” asked the Helgon dwarf angrily.

  The Neligan returned to the room, turning to Edwin. "Lord Valadas is on his way."

  "Finally," said Edwin. "I was starting to worry he wouldn’t come. Do his Dargos accompany him?"

  "They stayed down below, on the roof. He comes alone," answered the Neligan.

  Where are A’tor and Robyn, and why did Valadas come alone ? I wondered.

  With a nod from Edwin, the Neligan closed the door, and a moment later, Valadas entered the room. Briefly, he stood by the door, scanning the assembly. Nodding to his friends and allies, he addressed Edwin.

  "Well, my time is limited. Be quick with it and tell me the details of your offer." Valadas threw a glance at Anarca as he finished then placed his hands behind his back, turning his full attention to Edwin.

  "As you might already know Lord Valadas, a prisoner exchange is proposed by the Chain of Cas”

  “Baneca did mention it, yet we have no details. You sent for us, you sent for the elves and the Oaken Ring and summoned the whole world to hear you. Then you told us to wait until this outrageous contest comes to its end. So by the authority entrusted to me by Temple of Ardul, I ask you, to whom do you offer this deal?”

  “To the remnants of the Order of Eon,” answered Edwin. Confusion spread across the assembly. Then Edwin added, “The Chain of Cas is offering to give back the leaders of the Galad’Vemast and the Serador along with the body of the last Trodon, the cousin of King Hidnor."

  “The victims of betrayal,” said Valadas.

  “There is no betrayal here,” replied Edwin with what seemed to be a somewhat nervous smirk.

  “There is a betrayal, Edwin, and do not correct me,” replied Valadas, glaring at the governor. “Your Neligans were secretly led to the elven lands. The demonic assassin they summoned helped abduct the greatest Brave Elder. That was after he took a life that we all will suffer the loss of. The same happened with the Serador. Same roles, different hands. Lord Thord was betrayed when he went to the halls of King Zas of Sidnia to give him support against the Vile Born. The Traitor King handed the Serador chief to the Council of Steel on a silver platter. As for Lord Akavi’s body, the bloody sands of Bayland tell the story better than all words can do; his death is a shameful war crime.” His voice rose. “Now you dare bring them here and negotiate for them — on Eredian land?”

  “It is good to see you, Lord Valadas,” interjected Anarca calmly, easing the pressure on the governor. “It’s been five years since I’ve seen you last. I remember that night very well.” Uneasy silence reigned as Valadas slowly turned to Anarca, the whole assembly watching with little thought of speaking out. “It is not Edwin who brings your prisoners here, my lord. They are prisoners of war, and we could debate endlessly on the integrity of the techniques of their subdual. The fact is that they are here, and they are yours for the taking.”

  Valadas strode slowly across the room toward the crescent-shaped table, walking around the arch of the pit. “I am interested to hear the other half of the deal."

  Examining the Dargos Lord, to my irritation, I saw that he was fully geared. Does he expect trouble?

  Anarca slowly stood up and walked past the pit, and then he stopped by a window between two elite Neligans. He turned to Valadas and, after a deliberate pause, spoke in a slow, deep voice. “The other half of the deal is a prisoner too. Just a bit more… ancient.”

  Again, whispers passed between guests, but no one wanted to miss a word.

  “Which prisoner are we speaking of?” asked the Grand Dargos.

  Anarca replied, addressing the whole room, "Didn't you all ask yourselves, ‘what is the purpose of Azurus and the Galad'Vemast? What is it that they do deep within the Goshean Bracelet and keep from the knowledge of men?’ Didn’t you ask yourselves what is so important in the Realm of Gosh that the Serador dedicated their entire lives and the lives of generations of their line to it? The attempts of the Vile Born didn’t regain their strength after Diamath defeated them a century ago. Why did they linger? What are they waiting for?” He glanced at Aeron's blackened face. “Can’t you see anything in these two pictures?” He paused, eyes gleaming. “I will tell you.”

  Aeron interrupted angrily, "Beware, Evocke. The area you are dragging us to is forbidden to dwell in. Putting it in the open will have a hefty price."

  Anarca ignored him and went on. "There, deep in the Bracelet surrounding the Realm of Gosh, many caves and labyrinths exist. But there are three caves in particular, deep, light-soaking, dark caves shaped like eyes. The Eyes of Gosh, they are called."

  "Careful," added Aeron again.

  Vikar and Valadas remained silent, still fixing their gaze on the Evocke.

  "I am sure all of you are familiar with the Talorian legend of the deific black giant Gosh, imprisoned deep in the Bracelet."

  The Pateran Zodo angrily stood up addressing Anarca, "Are you serious? Are we really discussing the Goshean legend? This is a child's tale. A story people use to induce fear in their children to bid their obedience.”

  "Is this a fact?" replied Anarca with a devilish smile. Finally, he turned to Aeron.

  Everyone turned to the elf. He was just gazing back at the Evocke and his dark orange eyes burned angrily like a noon sun.

  "Is this story true?" asked the Zenian chief.

  Aeron didn't answer.

  "Why are you even asking, with living proof walking right in front of you?" asked Anarca. He pointed at Dratos, who sat expressionless, turning the necklace of beads over in his hands. Edwin and Ginto exchanged shocked looks like everyone else in the room.

  “The Half-Goshae is named after the Goshae. There is no real evidence of any connection to some imprisoned deity,” Commented the perplexed Tamosie.

  Dratos walked to the center of the room. His legs shifted direction, yet he still walked forward. It looked as if his lower part was trying to move opposite to
his upper half. He stopped below the crate hung above the edge of the pit, which his nine-foot-tall form nearly brushed against, and turned to Anarca. The beads in the necklace shone brighter and hot air smoldered out of his pipe.

  “If you would like, he can demonstrate. Perhaps then you can believe in their heritage.”

  “Are you trying to impress us, wizard?” asked Valadas, repaying Anarca’s challenge. “If this creature does anything to disturb the peace here, twenty Dargos and I will end this meeting in a manner that I promise you won’t like.”

  Anarca exchanged glares with the Grand Dargos. A few painful seconds passed then the Evocke turned and waved for the Half-Goshae to fall back. The latter obeyed –apparently displeased– glaring at the knight as he retreated to the dimly-lit area of the room.

  "I am not trying to impress anyone. I merely want to make your decision easier,” Anarca said to the seated guests. “Yet it makes a little difference. Whether you believe it or not, we intend to give you your prisoners. And if the legend of Gosh proves not to be true, then you shall have them… for free."

  Silence fell on the presence which Kainto broke, asking, "That was an amusing story, but I hope that I misunderstood you. What do you want in return, exactly?"

  "We want Gosh," answered Anarca.

  That was just too much! What kind of a mischievous scenario is this? It was then, when I was about to break and ferociously berate my poor judgment, that I remembered one of Makista’s famous sayings: You need to know when to let go, when to give in to the rough edges of your path and not try to bend them to your needs and beliefs. When you find yourself on a wretched piece of driftwood upon a seething sea submit to the will of the waves and trust they will deliver you.

  Let go, Nimtha. Let Go.

  I had no control over most of what was happening around me, and I had to submit to that fact. I am a watcher, and to those in the scene in front of me, I did not exist. There was nothing expected of me, so I closed my eyes and let my mind drift.

  I called Cresh the Soothing, and I… let go.

  Then at that moment, not knowing if it was a reward or if it was another pain to endure, I opened my eyes to see the dancing visage of Cresh around me do something she never did before. She pointed towards the gulf before disappearing. I looked there and noticed a raft. Between the ships, in that path they’d created earlier, I saw it drifting slowly toward the shore.

  On the raft, I saw three dark figures of different heights. They looked very familiar, like the shadows of some humanoids in an unseen mist. To my surprise, I realized who they were: the Weavers. They were pulling something from the murky waters of the gulf.

  With new detachment, I turned back to the tower. A brief silence had fallen.

  What was the Chain up to, meddling with such a nightmare?

  "This is beyond silly,” came Aeron’s reply. “You have gone too far this time, Evocke, and lost the very basics of common sense. I will not even consider answering your plea."

  Anarca questioned heatedly, "And who judged Gosh? Who has the authority to lock him up for eternity? Under whose laws? Yours? What if we considered him a hero, or even a benign deity? What if by someone else's laws, he deserves freedom?”

  "Hero? Benign?" said Aeron, leaning forward in his seat. "You think he is just some kind of a force that you can ally with and use, don’t you? The same mistake you made with the Itians. You have no clue.” Then he turned toward Edwin and Ginto.

  "When your Neligans sneaked into our lands and killed Gabriel by the aid of that demonic assassin, it seemed to us quite bizarre. Such bold moves are not one of your traits. This is not how you thwart the will of the Galad’Era and you know that. But now we understand. Your masters had yet another hidden aim: Gabriel’s elder brother. You are pawns in this plan, Edwin, so I will give you a taste of what was obscured from you.

  “The Galad'Vemast have dedicated their lives for thousands of years to containing that foul being and protect all of you from his wake. The Serador are not just there to fend against occasional raids of the Vile Born. Zuld was the general of the armies of Gosh. The Serador lost countless lives preventing Zuld’s legions from ravishing your cities. The Brave Elders guard Gosh’s prison and if he manages to escape, the Followers of Tyrus will keep his armies checked. Come back to your senses. I call for whoever agreed to the whims of the Chain of Cas to back down. This conflict will destroy us all."

  Anarca spoke before Aeron's words could awaken the logic in the minds of those assembled. "The Itians are a glorious addition to the ranks of men, and Gosh is already a much-venerated patron. Regardless of your excuses, the Talorians would like to thank you for your service, and reward you for the countless years your kin spent deep in the Bracelet… away from all eyes. As the spokesman of the Chain of Cas and head of Tower Oblivate, I relieve you of your duty."

  Aeron exchanged looks with Valadas, Vikar, and the dwarf, and then he turned toward the unseen owl hovering few feet away from me outside.

  Szene, the Tethian representative, spoke. "Even if this is true and the legend is real, then Gosh was imprisoned according to The Pact of Eon. The Myth says that seven entities united against Gosh and his allies. The pact summoned the Court of the Sky, and Eon sentenced Gosh to eternity behind the Eyes for his foul actions. That’s supposedly why the Order of Eon was created — to safeguard this pact.”

  Anarca smiled. “Perhaps. And how is this relevant? I fail to see why it matters in the least.”

  “Only the Order of Eon can cancel the Pact and summon the Court of the Sky for a new trial,” Szene said. A few of those next to Szene nodded in approval. “All seven members of the Order must approve its dismantling. It is not within the authority of any single one of these four here to decide on such a colossal matter. Only four representatives are here; the Serador, the Oaken Ring, Helgon representing the dwarves of Helmight, and Eredia representing the humans of Ardul.”

  Anarca’s response was ready. “The Erans and the Seventh Seat exist no more, leaving only these four, in addition to the Towers of Cane. We don’t need the approval of all seven towers, and as the head of the Tower Oblivate, I took the liberty to give our consent. This brings us back to our main offer. We are offering to give your heroes back in exchange for abrogating the Pact of Eon.”

  Valadas interrupted again. "I believe that you have forgotten about Eredia. But before you come up with an offer for us, let me refuse in advance.” He turned his back on Anarca and strode toward the exit.

  "There is no offer for you, Dargos. We do not need your approval," quickly replied Anarca, and Valadas stopped by the door. The entire room went quiet again.

  "What?"

  “So how do you intend to undo the pact without Eredia’s cooperation?” asked the Tamosian representative. “According to Szene, those Wardens will not set him free.”

  “I said that we do not need it because we already have it,” replied Anarca coldly. Anarca put something on the edge of the table... the scroll case.

  "Five years ago, I had my first and last failure when Trador tricked us into his slumber. This year, I succeeded where I had failed before. In this case, you will find Eredia's submission to the Chain of Cas: it contains Prince Garold's signature on the plea for dismantling the Pact of Eon. The plea for giving Gosh a new trial… under a new pact, and a new world order.” He looked at the dwarf, elf, and barbarian. “As I said, your alliance will only bring you down. It has already started breaking. Either accept our humble gesture of peace like Eredia did, by taking back your greatest warriors and icons and freeing Gosh or... Or they will get the only treatment slaves should get. We will put them for sale to the world.”

  Not waiting for their comments, he continued, addressing Aeron and Vikar, “Look at yourselves. You are alone, my dear elf, and my dear Serador, alone and far from your past and your people. Wars you are losing, allies you are lacking, kinsmen you are mourning, and time is not merciful to you. This is stubbornness, not courage, and with it you will lead who
ever follows you to their end. You might have represented some powerful and timeless icons, and you might have inspired millions in the past. This was your greatest boon, but not anymore.”

  He raised his voice. "Once the people of Talor see your icons displayed like any other slave or war prisoner, the Chain will have crushed your legend and the epic stories of your struggle will be burnt to ashes. People will stop believing, elf, and once they do, they will run to us."

  "This is your deal?" said the Pateran Zodo angrily.

  “Basically, yes,” answered Anarca blithely.

  The Nel stepped in, responding, “Even if what you say is true, and we Nelsians know that part of it is, you are actively seeking your own destruction…and ours. I think Lord Aeron was right.”

  “Even if you know that Eredia already gave its approval?” Anarca said, looking pointedly at the scroll case.

  Everyone turned to Valadas, who was gazing at the case. The young barbarian stood up and calmly moved around the table. Aeron walked to the door but took a longer path than necessary, going by one of the windows, and stopping beside it. The elite Neligans, irritated by the movement of the latter two, straightened their backs and watched them carefully.

  Szene spoke to the elf, the Serador, and the dwarf, “We mourn your loss, but this is not a deal, this is a declaration of war. They know that it will be rejected and ultimately your leaders will be sold as slaves. This is what they really want.”

  “So why go through all this trouble then? Why don’t we sell them right away?” Anarca asked stuttering lightly as he eyed Dratos.

  She answered wittingly, “You brought the whole world to witness it and eventually you will do that. Freeing Gosh is just nonsense, and you know that. All you want is to break the Order of Eon. You are making its members doubt each other.”

  I managed to notice something unperceived by anyone in there, something manifested in those insane features of the Half-Goshae. Away from the attention of those present, and well out of the argument, Dratos was eyeing Anarca. As odd as it sounds, I noticed his gaze fixed on the Evocke — it carried something I couldn’t decipher.