The scout looked familiar, and when he began to move around I remembered why; he was the figure I saw following my mother the day she was taken.
Patreus scowled. “Hadut the Betrayer. I knew it.”
“Indeed. And although it would be wise to take him down now, it would be considerably more wise to wait until he reports back to Hadlick that Valdren does not exist,” Felgor reasoned. “We must let them think that all is well and there is no threat here.”
“I agree. It is important that I can safely teach and train Valdren, along with my children,” said Patreus.
“The Hope is nearly upon us. Ver’Deiro’s prophecy is imminent.” Felgor spoke the name Ver’Deiro with reverence. He must be important, I thought.
“We should go back. He no doubt has powers; his form has been altered grotesquely due to his use of dark items or the fountain,” Patreus cautioned.
“More likely a dark item. The fountain only bestows temporary powers, and surely Hadut’s misdeeds have earned him a dark item. In fact, there was a notation in the records at Al’Adnim that Hadut was in possession of a dark talisman around his neck, though I do not recall its powers,” Felgor elaborated.
Though I was not familiar with his previous demeanor, I could see that Hadut’s form was altered indeed. His face and body resembled a rodent, but not in the same way that an Uhaareti hunches and resembles a mole. His face protruded outward into nearly a full muzzle or snout. His eyes squinted and his back hunched severely. Hair covered a good portion of his body, but it was not in a coat like an animal; it was normal body hair, but in excess. He sometimes moved on all fours and sometimes bipedal. His every movement seemed burdened and filled with effort, yet he was fast. He was erratic and paranoid, neurotically scurrying around his camp investigating noises. I did not see the benefit or understand the seductive draw to desire such characteristics.
As we descended the barren ash I caught a glimpse of Hadut's talisman. A chord circled his neck and from it dangled a blood-red jeweled amulet set in a bright gold bevel. It shimmered in the flickering campfire light and seemed to glow; a gentle reflective halo hung around it in the smoky air.
#
My stomach groaned with hunger as we made our way silently back through the woods to Patreus’ cabin.
“Who is Hadut? Is he an Uhaareti?” I asked, taking a bite of the jerky Felgor swiped from his camp.
“Hadut was a close childhood friend of Patreus who betrayed one of their other friends named Ver’Deiro. He was an Ahaareti, from above the ground,” Felgor answered.
“Now he is a monster,” added Patreus.
“Who is Ver’Deiro?” I asked, remembering the name from my parents’ conversations with Patreus.
“The prince of Haaret. The king sent him here to rule and save the Haareti from Scievah,” explained Patreus.
“Why did Hadut betray him then?”
“For power and rewards, and because Pere threatened to reveal Hadut’s corruption to his friends. He was not purely of the four daughters of Loula and Tillius, though he had made everyone believe that he was.”
“Who are the four daughters of Loula and Tillius?” I asked.
“It is said that the pure Ahaareti descend from the four daughters of Loula and Tillius, the ancients,” he explained. “But Hadut knew that this would have been overlooked, as Ver’Deiro taught us that actions determine purity, not lineage, since all Ahaareti lines are tainted with impurity. Hadut was persuaded by Pere to turn Ver’Deiro over for rewards and power,” Felgor continued.
“Who is Pere?” My face contorted with confusion. "So many names!" I sighed.
“Your father’s father. Your grandfather,” Felgor responded.
Baffled, I grew silent in my deepened puzzlement.
“There is much he doesn’t know, Felgor. I just got through giving him a very brief history of the ancient times when you showed up,” explained Patreus. “I’m afraid the boy will chew your ears off with questions.”
Felgor laughed. “I’ll indulge him for the walk back. You do know who the Divinae are, don’t you?” he asked me.
“Only that they were the keepers of the stones and were later banished. Patreus told me.”
“Yes. And there are some that believe Gelande had fallen, no longer permitted in Eterna with the other Divinae, for allowing Scievah to deceive him and access the Firestone,” explained Felgor.
“How was Gelande deceived?” I pressed him.
“Before the Firestone Wars Scievah visited Gelande at the Firestone altar. He spoke to Gelande about how beautiful Haaret was; the streams, mountains and seas. Gelande wished to see the lands but feared that leaving his post would go against the king’s orders. Scievah told Gelande that he would watch the stone while Gelande explored Haaret. At first Gelande said no, but Scievah lied to him and told him that he had done the same for the other Divinae. In truth, the other Divinae had denied Scievah’s attempts to get them away from their stones.
“But Gelande took Scievah up on his offer, and while Gelande was away, Scievah touched the stone, causing a massive earthquake that ripped chasms in the ground. Gelande knew then that Scievah fooled him. When Gelande returned Scievah was gone but the stone remained at its altar. Scievah became infused with some of the stone's power and he later learned its language.”
“The stones can talk?” I interrupted.
“It’s not like that. They don’t speak. Rather, they interact with one another. It is a kind of communication, but not like the way you and I are speaking. Knowing how the Firestone interacted with the others allowed Scievah to wield its force. Scievah then had the ability to manipulate its powers and channel or divert them for uses other than sustaining the Bountiful Gifts and prolonging life,” said Felgor.
“The stones prolong life?”
“Yes. In the ancient times Haareti lived for many cycles. But now that Scievah has corrupted the spirit of the groundsmen and diverted the Firestone’s powers, we do not live as long, and much of the beneficial effects of the stone have been depleted or redirected to other misuses.”
“What is a groundsman?”
“Those who live on the ground and beneath it; the Ahaareti and Uhaareti.”
“Well, how did he get the stone for himself if he left it at the altar the day he tricked Gelande?” I asked. "Why didn't he just take it then?"
“That first touch wounded Scievah; it burned him, so he fled. It was only later that he became aware of the immense power he gained from merely touching it. Scievah used that power to create a fountain which flows with a magical water that, when consumed, bestows destructive abilities upon a person for a short period of time.
“With the fountain, Scievah seduced the Ahaareti, particularly Enasz, one of the first four Ahaareti on Haaret, and LeDodd, Enasz’s son. With their strengthened desire for the power of the stones, they procreated a line of similarly impure ancestors through Enasz’s twin daughters, Karah and Kamih, the only other members of their family who did not abandon them for a pure life,” explained Felgor.
“So the four daughters of Loula and Tillius are the pure lines, and the children of Enasz and LeDodd are impure?” I asked.
“Precisely. But don’t get hung up with lineages too much. They are important to some extent, but, as I mentioned earlier, actions determine purity, not lineage,” Felgor replied. “The word ‘purity’ is a bit of a misnomer.”
“Why?”
“Because, for many of us, we strive to live purely, which is at odds with the very nature of our impurity as Ahaareti,” Patreus interjected.
“I don’t understand. Some are pure but also impure?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. We are all impure or corruptible as Ahaareti, but some of us live pure in our hearts. We strive for true purity, while many do not,” Patreus continued. “Many embrace corruption, or simply do not care.”
“Yes. And this split in the lines and hearts of the Ahaareti caused a rift among them, and, over time, Scievah built an army a
nd prepared the impure for a war to take the stones,” Felgor added. “The pure and righteous Haareti assembled as a diversion to protect the stones, while the Divinae each went off to hide the stones from Scievah.
“But Scievah used the language of the Firestone to locate its position. He intercepted Gelande before he was able to hide the stone within a magma pool deep near Haaret’s core. There, Scievah fought Gelande and took the Firestone. With the Firestone's full powers readily accessible, Scievah banished Gelande and the other Divinae. By that time, thankfully, the remaining three stones were already hidden,” Felgor explained.
“What were the names of the other Divinae?” I asked.
“Felsson of the earth, Hemela of the air, and Luna of the water,” replied Patreus.
“Lunaris, is she...”
“Yes.” Patreus interrupted, anticipating my question. “She is named after Luna, because, well, we thought she would be graceful, as Luna was fabled to be.”
I laughed, since Lunaris had always been a bumbling tom-boy. “What happened after the Firestone Wars?” I asked.
“Well, when Scievah took the Firestone there was another massive earthquake, which tore another chasm into the earth, only this time much bigger. That chasm is called the Great Divide. During the quake, Felss Peak erupted with volcanic lava. It bleeds to this very day and has since been called Blood Mountain. The worst of it, however, was what happened to Alapis,” said Patreus.
“What’s Alapis?” I asked.
“You weren't fooling when you said he didn't know anything and would chew my ear off." Felgor erupted in laughter, and Patreus joined.
"My apologies. I don't mean to be a bother..."
"Don't be silly. Alapis is the floating continent in the realm of the air," Felgor continued. "When the earthquake struck, most of Alapis crumbed to the ground over the western shores of Ahaareta. Entire cities, towns, country sides and rivers fell to the ground in a rubble heap that is today known as the Lapis Mountains, though it is more like a graveyard of ruin and despair. Many died there. It is sacred ground to this day. No one goes near it.” Felgor lamented with a pause. "After the warring came the Dark Times. Dark indeed.”
“What are the Dark Times?” I continued.
“The Dark Times are what we call the time period between when Scievah took the Firestone and when Ver’Deiro was born. For Uhaaretu, the realm from which Scievah stole the Firestone, the Dark Times have quite a literal meaning,” Patreus explained. “Uhaaretu used to look as Ahaareta does, with tall trees, rivers, valleys and even a magical radiance that brought light to the deep underground, like the sun does up here. But when Scievah stole the stone, the trees died, the rivers dried up and lava oozed from craters underground. Any light that sustained crops diminished and was soon replaced by soot and smoke. Uhaaretu became a dark and barren wasteland.”
We approached Patreus’ cabin and I snacked a bit more on the jerky.
“I must go. I have some other pressing duties in Uhaaretu. I will be out of touch for some time. In fact, you may not hear from me again until after the Divinae return. From here forth Erdus will be available in my stead if my services are needed,” Felgor instructed. “I shall see you again Valdren,” he said.
“Goodbye Felgor,” I said as I formally shook his roughened hands. Patreus did the same.
“Remain careful until Hadut leaves, then you should be safe to prepare for the coming of the Divinae,” he said.
I took another bite of the jerky and realized there was something soft on it that was not meat. I pulled it from my mouth.
“Is this… lint?” I examined the fuzz.
“Yes, from Hadut's pocket,” Felgor replied over his shoulder as he swaggered away from us.
I could not tell if he was serious or joking again. Then, just as fast as he happened upon us, he was gone. He disappeared, slipping silently back into the night. I slowly turned to Patreus.
“Pocket lint?” Astonished, I began to wonder if Felgor really was invisible. "He picked his pockets?"
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” he grinned. “Felgor is a cunning one.”
#
Patreus and I quietly entered his cabin and went into the sitting room.
“Patreus, you’ve told me much about the world tonight, but I still know nothing of my mother and father.”
“I realize this Valdren. Here, come.” He motioned for me to follow him into his small study.
Patreus' cabin was much larger than my parents. I had been there many times before, but never inside the study. He sold crops at the Sanji market, and his home always had an abundant supply of vegetables that he grew fresh. Patreus provided for his family before selling his products in the market. He kept important business records in his study as well as many books and oddities that adorned the eclectically decorated room.
A lingering waft of pipe smoke filled my nose. The walls in this windowless room were lined with dark wooden shelves, all filled with books and papers. The oak flooring was covered with a thick red woven rug, and a lone leather arm chair sat beside a small table with a thick candle on top. Patreus struck a flint to some paper scraps and lit the candle, causing the room to glow with mystery. His eyes scanned the shelves behind a desk of walnut wood. Some shelves were filled with trinkets and decorative objects he acquired in his travels. Many of them looked ornate and ancient, and all of the metal ones twinkled in the soft flickering candlelight that filled the room.
“Since it has gotten very late,” he said as he rummaged through some dusty old books and reached behind their tattered spines, “read this.” He produced a rather thick and malformed leather-bound book and handed it to me. There was no title, only a strange elongated diamond shaped marking on its spine, like the shape of a spear tip.
“What is it?” I looked it over with childlike bewilderment.
“That is the Hope, Valdren, historical records written by me and your father, among others, shortly after the time we spent with Ver’Deiro. It will provide you with a history of your family, and it chronicles the life of Ver’Deiro.”
“Is Ver'Deiro related to me?”
“No.” Patreus became more serious. “For now just read the historical portions in the chapter titled ‘Genealogies’ to understand who your father and mother are and where they come from. There is much to learn from that book, more than what can be learned from just one quick reading of it. That book will be an important guide for your training.”
“Training to become a man?”
“Training to become a warrior. The warrior you are destined to be.”
CHAPTER 3
I did not sleep a wink that night. After Patreus went to bed I took the book with me into the sitting room. I gathered some hides and tried to read beneath the window facing my parents’ cabin, but it was difficult because there was no light from the moons that night. A drizzle of rain began to fall, followed by the distant rumble of thunder.
It was sometimes said that the moons were brothers, and the sun was their father. For many cycles, there was just one moon, the old moon, until a new moon was born. The father would always favor whichever moon shined brightest, so the brother moons circled around each other for thousands of cycles, sharing their father's love. Some nights the young moon was brighter, other nights the old moon, until one night a comet maiden flew across the black sky. Both brothers were smitten by her beauty, but she fell in love with the elder of the two moons. They were married, and the stars were their children, shining bright. The young moon became jealous of their love, and soon his circling around his brother became the measuring of a warrior about to strike in a fight. One night the young moon pulled out his sword and slashed the old moon into pieces, so that the old moon would never shine bolder and brighter than he. But the glowing stars, when combined, outshine the young moon, even though he will always beam brighter than the broken old moon. It was said that on stormy nights when no moon shines, it means the father remembers his young son's treachery. Thunder is his anger, the rains
are his tears.
My parents’ cabin was dark and far. I could only make out its faint outline in the distance. I remembered Patreus and Felgor’s warning and decided it was best to remain in the windowless study with a lit candle.
I read the history detailed in the Hope. It was a genealogy with descriptions of every Haareti that it contained. There were so many names, so many questions I wanted to ask. I realized that I knew nothing. The amount of knowledge that I did not posses was astonishing. My parents had isolated me from Haaret's overwhelming and terrible history.
The book showed that my father descended from an impure line. His father, Pere, was corrupt and still ruled a large expanse of Scievah’s territory. His mother was Uhaareti, but nothing was marked regarding her name or allegiance. Pere took my father from her and raised him along with Hadlick, his half brother from a different mother. My father, half Uhaareti and half Ahaareti, used to be Chancellor of a portion of the lands his father Pere ruled for Scievah.
Uhaareti are known for secretiveness and digging. That explained why I could move stealthily while Patreus could not. It explained why I burrowed tunnels, why I was “just like my father,” and why I was teased about being like an Uhaareti. But, in fact, I was a mixture of all four races of Haaret.
My mother was from a pure line. Her father, Tumain, was Lapisian. Tumain came to the lowlands to deliver a message from the king. In doing so, he met and married Neira, an Aquidian. They soon had a child, my mother, making my mother half Aquidian and half Lapisian. That explained my mother’s wings. She was half Lapisian, and all Lapisians have wings.
But how did my parents meet? Why did my father turn his back on his impure family? Did this mean I was impure like my father was? My family couldn’t be corrupted if Patreus was our friend. He was pure; I read in the genealogies that he was of the four daughters of Loula and Tillius, the purest Ahaareti lines. Felgor mentioned something about purity being determined by actions and not lineage. He said that all Ahaareti lines were tainted with impurity. But I hadn’t seen this written anywhere. Perhaps my questions were answered in some other part I had not read yet.
The Return of the Fifth Stone Page 4