preface

Preface: Goodbyes

 

Today the land was bathed in such a warm and
peaceful sun that it seemed all of nature sat idly holding its breath,
too content to stir and break the pleasant spell. However, underlying
this peace was a note of tension, a subtle promise of changes to come.
It was impossible to describe, but for all the sun shining in the
valley, there was also the presence of darkness, buried deep down where
no eye could witness. This darkness sat smugly, lying just out of
reach; waiting for its turn to take hold of the sadly peaceful valley.
Standing quietly, one might have noticed this pressure and seen that
the land knew something of great importance was occurring, something
that would either bring a new era of peace and prosperity or cast all
life into a condition of desperation, a miserable horror too foul even
to whisper. This moment hung so heavily that the wind forgot to blow
through the trees, and the animals forgot to chatter and chirp. But it
hung most heavily on the shoulders of eight parents, who today could
not be warmed by any sun and felt a numbness known by all who have ever
made a decision with doubt in their mind. Was this the right thing to
do? 

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"Yes" Theolin said to himself, "perhaps? but what a price to pay if we
are wrong." He knew he should not keep torturing himself with this
thought, but still, it would come and go like some unwanted guest. This
seed of uncertainty had long been planted in Theolin's mind, bearing
the fruits of his nightmares and giving life to them in the shadows of
his mind. He and Manelin had spent bitter days contemplating on the
idea proposed by the Earth House. They had immediately seen the logic
of the plan and the precision of its simplicity, which was very
characteristic of those in the Earth Family. Hanvil and Llowen, the
heads of the Earth House and all its extended family, had approached
Manelin and himself with the idea first and after a brief period of
stubborn resistance on both of their parts they had given their
acceptance. In doing so, they had committed the entire House of Fire.
The decision was a difficult one, but they had precious little options
and still less time. So, they had sealed their fate with the Earth
Family and together traveled to both the House of Air and the House of
Water, asking each for their consent. Never before had the Four
Families joined in a common purpose, but the treasure they now sought
to protect had indeed required the magic inherent in each.

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Their collective achievement over the past 30 days had truly been a
testament to the powers of each House. In all his readings Theolin had
never before glimpsed the like of their present exploit and some of
those dusty tombs had dated back to days preceding even the longest
history of the Four Families. Dozens of Family members from each House
of magic had been summoned here to the valley to help build the
treasure chest Theolin now marched towards, very near now to the
trail's end. Theolin had been walking for two days, alone, along the
trail. The sun denied the lateness of the season but the pleasant
weather failed to distract his eyes from the red and yellow leaves,
hanging precariously from the branches of trees in this valley. Theolin
felt uncomfortable here. This forest seemed so empty and still after
the chaos he had only just left behind. These lands were deep in the
heart of the Four Houses territories. The centrality of this location
had been one of the primary reasons it had been picked. Each House had
its own cities, villages, people and culture, but the hearty mountain
land Theolin now walked through had always been a fairly neutral and
quiet region, serving each House as they needed. More importantly, it
was a far reach from the terrible battles occurring at that very moment
in the outlands of the Four Houses. The thought made him quicken his
pace; he dare not leave those devils unchecked a moment longer than
absolutely necessary. As Theolin rounded the turn on the trail, exiting
the dense range of trees, he arrived at his destination and was
immediately reminded of the other reason they had picked this
location.

The Crescent Highlands loomed up impossibly
out of the earth, terrible jagged mountains like a thousand swords
stabbing towards the sky in an almost perfect ring. The eight parents
had agreed to meet here on the valley wall where the earth flattened
creating a natural terrace, overlooking the western half of the
Crescent. Theolin had traveled here to the valley outside the Crescent
Highlands knowing already what he would see, but that expectation had
not quite captured the awesome magnitude of the Earth Family's work.
The uniqueness of the Crescent Highlands was that it had but one narrow
pass that led into the center of its ring of earthen teeth, the
Crescent Gap. This pass would lead one to the inner land of the
Crescent and its small mountain communities. Or rather, it would have
done if it were still there. Theolin stared, awe struck, too surprised
even to gasp. Where the Crescent Gap had allowed a narrow breath of
space in the mountainous ring, now lay a monstrous pinnacle; a spire of
earth easily as grand as the neighboring peaks and yet still being
driven upwards in a drum pulse beat that Theolin could not hear, but
felt in every inch of his body. It was as if he could feel the heart of
the land itself beating with his own.

"Those in the Earth Family should be proud,"
he thought simply, still unable to grasp the entirety of the new
mountain crest choking the former pass. Many of their Family members
had been here, driving the pillar up for a month and now Hanvil and
Llowen, the heads of their House and the two strongest Earth magic
wielders in the land, were somewhere down there, amongst the rubble,
finishing the monumental task. The other House leaders were near as
well, finishing their Families tasks. All extended family had left days
ago to return to battle, the concluding work being done now required
power only the eight parents could provide. But there was no feeling of
pride in this work, only of sadness. The door was being shut and there
would be no easy way to open it again.

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It was a mystery to Theolin how the Fire magic running thick through
his veins was able to heighten his senses. Yet he often remembered the
words of his grandmother, which had once seemed so cryptic.

"Only dead men play with fire. It is
not the magic of our Family that makes us keen. You will always see
what you have to see boy. The peril of our skill requires
every wisp of our attention."

Theolin was not sure what he believed, but he
knew this ignorance did nothing to reduce the sensitivity it concerned.
So it was not with surprise, but with regret that Theolin realized Cam,
the male head of the House of Water, was abandoning his quiet perch
under the nearby willow tree and beginning to pace up and down the
terrace grumbling. Theolin knew what was coming, he had been the one to
speak with Cam and finally win his approval that their plan was a
necessary step. Mikan his wife had not been as unreasonable, and had
proven vital in Cam's begrudging acceptance. Unfortunately, she was not
yet here, so although the questions were not new ones, Theolin
patiently answered them again.

"How do we know they will be any safer in
there?" Cam began at once, thrusting his arm towards the Crescent.
"They should be with us. We can watch out for them, protect them!"

  class='c114'>          
"No we can't." Theolin responded softly. This question he had found was
the most difficult to speak with Cam about. "They are not safe in our
Halls. How many from your Family have betrayed their House for the
promise of power with the Devish?"

Cam stopped pacing abruptly.

"Four. But those water snakes were from the
lesser blood. At least three times removed from the noble line." He
spat the words.

"Yes, but how many of your House's children
did they take to? Her" Theolin felt a nauseating taste in his mouth,
just thinking of Her name "and were they, as you call them, lesser
blood?"

After a long silence, Cam replied with unveiled
malice in his voice,

"Five children, three from a lesser family sixth
removed, one, an only child from a family fourth removed, and one
child? from a High family."

Theolin had already known this answer. The
last child was only once removed from Cam's own noble line and had come
as a terrible blow to the Water House. All the Houses had faced the
betrayal of their Family though none as bad as Water. The House of Fire
had only lost two members to greed, but they had taken one child with
them. The traitors in Theolin's House came from lesser families, and
their betrayal made his blood boil, but he simply could not believe
that they had stolen the child away with them, running to the ranks of
Devish. The children were never the traitors' own; in fact none who had
crossed over to fight with the growing evil had been parents at all.
These children were smuggled away from other families in the House, and
the loss would break their hearts. They would crash against the earth
weeping in frustration and rage and Theolin had seen that in the
parents' eyes a part of them had also been forever taken. The Houses of
Air and Earth had suffered similar losses, proving that no child was
safe. Theolin believed this was the only reason Cam had agreed, and
with Mikan joined the three other Families.

"But what about the Devish in there all
ready?" Cam persisted.

"Yes, I too and troubled by that." Answered
Theolin. It was an unsettling fact they had only recently found out
from the heads of the Air Family, Vinesha and Ravin. "Still, it is said
to only be a small group of primitive Mountain Devish, no more than a
tribal clan. We have four times those numbers in experienced soldiers
who are under the direct order of Lord Captain Tavin."

He would have liked to take care of that clan
himself, but the news of their presence had come long after the Pass
had been shut and there was simply no time to remove them. Fighting
Devish could be tricky at best, and going into a Devish layer showed
either a great trust in one's sense of direction or great
stupidity.

"The Lord Captain will guard the Highlands
well, he is a good man. Any Devish aggression will be unorganized and
sporadic. She has not yet sunk her teeth into this Devish clan and we
haveall assured that she has no chance to do so. Without the
touch of her wicked spirit and depraved control, they will not pose a
great threat to our own."

"May that always be so," Replied Cam with a
grimace - raising his hand to his forehead in symbolic prayer to the
Land. "Her black touch has spread far enough across this earth and sky!
Still, I do not like to leave them in there with any number of Devish
great or small. Can we not leave someone to watch over them?"

"They have the whole of the Crescent
Highlands and all its people, which have endured for ages long since
past. What more could they need?"

"You know very well what I mean." Replied
Cam, becoming more irate. "An Element Wielder? a trained crafter. One
of us! In time they could be more powerful than any who have walked
this land and we would turn Her forces away hand in hand!"

Cam stopped, breathing heavily, a dangerous look
in his eyes. Theolin knew this look and knew the powerful emotions from
where it came. After a few moments silence, he replied in a sharp and
measured tone.

"They are infants Cam. They would make no
more than a tasty snack to even the smallest Devish grunt and you
know they face a fate unspeakably worse if She were to capture
them. Ten cycles of the land will pass before they can even begin to
learn their true existence - learn the art of our Houses. And it will
be six more before the magic in them finally matures and passes beyond
Her grasp. Shall we hand over, in one fell swoop, power that would
otherwise take years for Her to extract?"

Cam stood against Theolin's words, shaking
slightly, clenching his jaw in painful rhythm. He looked like a man
stood amid an angry storm, not wishing to bow down to its fury. Theolin
kept on, feeling the Water Lord's frustration begin to scream in his
own heart.

"For all their potential in this struggle
against the Devish evil they are only liabilities. Have we spent these
last days tearing the earth and sky for nothing? We close the door to
keep Her out, and can spare no wielder, not of Fire, Air, Earth or
Water in our fight against Her. At this moment She reaps the young of
our peoples and devastates the land we have taken oaths to protect. The
Devish Witch cannot obtain the Noble line or all things living will
fall beneath her bloodstained claw!"

"But she is my Daughter!" exploded Cam.

"And he is my Son!" Screamed Theolin. His
anger searing inside him, and his eyes taking on the flickering color
of hot embers.

The two men stood, glaring at one another,
searching for some sign, some indication, that the other did not share
their terrible anguish.

Cam closed his eyes and fell against the side
of a large bolder near to where he stood, hanging his head. When he
opened his eyes again, they looked like the surface of a lake on a
windless morning.

"I am sorry friend Theolin. You are right. We
have done what we must and should not doubt our decision until some
darkness falls. Still it is strange for me to be placing such great
trust outside my own Family. You speak truly though Theolin, and in
these times when members of our own Family choose to betray us, we must
look toward the integrity and wisdom of others."

"It's good to see you boys are getting
along." Said a wispy voice from above their heads.

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Floating down gently onto the valley terrace
were Ravin and Vinesha, the heads of the House of Air, and in their
arms was a very green looking Mikan. Theolin did not envy her flight
with the Air wielders, even within the Air Family, flying was an
ability available to few and only after rigorous training of both magic
and body. There were places humans were not meant to go and in
Theolin's mind, the sky was one of them. Still, the Water Lordess had
to go with them; her own magic had been required inside the Crescent
one last time. As the three came closer to the ground, Mikan began
struggling against the grip of the Air Lord's hands on her arms. They
held her tightly, still gently lowering onto the terrace, and with
exasperated looks on their faces. The closer they came to landing the
more desperate Mikan struggled, until finally she slipped out of their
grasp, stumbled and only managed to say upright by the help of Cam who
had rushed over to meet her. The Air Lords touched the earth as softly
as birds to a branch, and as they did Theolin felt some type of
normality return to the terrace. Vinesha, who had spoken from above,
now spoke again in the alluring way distinctive to those of the Air
Family, as she carefully unclasped her braided hair from the catch on
the collar of her tight leather jerkin.

"We have finished our element of this nest,
my Lords of Fire and Water. Though I do not think Mikan will be joining
us again in the winds any time soon."

This produced a glare from Mikan, who looked
like she had left her stomach somewhere in the clouds.

"Flying may be fine for you and Ravin," Mikan
replied "but the only time water is in the air is when it is plummeting
to the earth. May I never have to fly again."

Ravin gave a short laugh, which seemed to
melt away some of the tension still hanging in the air. "Your presence
in the Crescent was as important as our own my Lordess Water. Breath
deeply, the echoes of your flight will pass."

Mikan sat down on the fallen trunk of a young
Oak and heeded Ravin's advice. After she had collected herself, Cam
bent down towards her, speaking in a quiet voice.

"My Lady wife," he began "we have yet one
more task to complete before the day is done. The mental seal around
the Crescent is waiting for our final touch. We must keep her safe.
Have you the strength?"

"Yes my Husband" Mikan replied wearily,
taking Cam's hand and leading him a short distance along the terrace to
a patch of grass. Here they sat facing the Crescent, assuming a state
of meditative stillness.

"I will never get used to magics such as
these." Theolin thought to himself. "Magic that can not be seen, but
only thought."

Those powerful in water magic could use what
was called the 'Sending'; projecting images from their own
consciousness into the minds of others far away. The final task of the
Water House was to lock a mental seal around the Crescent, allowing no
form of mental image to cross the barrier. The Witch Queen had learned
only a small fraction of this Water magic, but the four Houses had
agreed she should be allowed no opportunity to sway the minds of those
in the Crescent with promises of wealth and power. So, the Water House
had been shutting all paths of magical sending, even at the cost of
locking themselves out. The magical warding had taken nearly as long as
the Earth spire to construct, but to Theolin it was as invisible as the
air he breathed.

This thought brought his attention back upon
Ravin and Vinesha who stood looking up into the depths of their own
House's masterwork.

"Your storm looks as mighty as I have ever
seen my Lord and Lordess," Theolin began, and then noticed the touch of
concern in their eyes. "Have you not accomplished your task? Is the
ring storm that blows around the Crescent peaks not to your
liking?"

Their gaze stayed on the distant peak tops
where even now more clouds gathered, swirling together and lightning
crashed in fierce roars. The Air Family had created this storm to guard
the Crescent highlands from aerial incursions and, as far as Theolin
could see, their work was perfect. The storm blew fiercely around the
far tops of the mountain peaks, but did not stray from their setting
one inch. Instead the ring storm rested like a crown upon the
mountains' head, allowing the surrounding valley its windless sunshine.
This contrast only added to the brutal look of the tempest.

After some time, Vinesha responded, this time
in a voice heavy with shock, and bereft of emotion.

"We saw a Drakanar flying into the Crescent
as we flew out." Her words hit Theolin like a fist in the stomach,
leaving him dumb. Impossible! "At first I was not sure, the rain was so
violent and Ravin and I struggled so just to keep Mikan from slipping
out of our grasp. But then, a bolt of lightning cut through the sky
just behind it and? yes?there it was? it was flying into the Crescent."
She stopped speaking, still staring into the sky.

The silence helped Theolin regain his
composure.

"What? Surely this is not possible. No
Drakanar is powerful enough to fly through that storm. Ravin, tell me
what this means."

Ravin lowered his eyes to meet Theolin's, and
for a moment, Theolin did not think the Air lord even saw him. Then,
shaking his head as if to free his mind of its own clouds he spoke.

"What? Oh? yes. You are right my friend, no
Drakanar could fly through our storm, but there it was -
pushing through the wind. I am not sure I can give an answer to this
mystery but I can tell you one thing, I do not believe that creature,
whatever it was could have made it though the storm alive." Ravin's
voice took a grave tone as he continued in a rare sign of malice. "We
must have seen it halfway through the ring, and as we could not fight
it, for our burden of carrying Mikan, we continued as fast as we could
until we reached a safe enough place and? closed the storm."

These last words Ravin said with an air of
finality, and Theolin knew that at this point, not even the Air Lord
and Lordess would be able to travel those winds. If that was true then
no Drakanar, no matter how strong, could have survived.

"If I didn't know better, I would have
thought you three raised mountains today and not we." Came a burley
voice from the lip of the terrace.

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Trudging up the steep slope Hanvil and Llowen
looked like two small brown bears. Their powerful arms pulled them up
over the crest of the hill and onto the terrace without difficulty.
They were both covered in thick layers of dust and sweat but where
Llowen was all toned muscle and tough skin, Hanvil was bulging,
wobbling and pudgy. He breathed heavily, but looked like he had the
energy to climb another hill twice as high.

"Lord and Lordess Earth," Theolin said, "I
did not even notice the land had stopped shaking from your work. How
goes your mighty spire?"

"We have built enough Lord Fire." Replied
Llowen, "Our work would take long seasons to bring down."

"Truth be told," Hanvil whispered to Theolin
"I lifted the bulk of this mountain out of the belly of the earth
myself. I could indeed lift its twin in half the time if I was allowed
to work in peace with out the impediment of others."

Hanvil smiled and winked at Theolin but then,
realizing Llowen was glaring at him, tried to turn his smile into a
grimace and his wink into an exhausted squint, leaving him with the
strange look of someone who had just eaten a lemon whole. Theolin had
felt a fondness for the Earth Lord almost immediately upon greeting him
into the House of Fire, despite the distressing nature of their
meeting. Even in this stressful hour Theolin found it hard not to laugh
as Hanvil tried to gauge through squinted eyes at whether his cover had
worked.

From the far side of the terrace, Cam and
Mikan returned and Hanvil, abandoning his ridiculous posture, leapt on
an opportunity to shift Llowen's attention.

"Well met My Lords of Water." He began
grandly "Have you built your Water magic wall type thing yet? or"
Hanvil trailed off looking worriedly at Llowen.

Hanvil visibly relaxed as Llowen warmly
greeted both Water Lords in turn.

"We too have finished." Mikan stated,
surprised at such an intense welcoming. "The Crescent will not fall to
the lies of the Devish Witch. They are safe."

"Safe?" Theolin did not know whether Cam
meant this as a question or not. "Do not forget my Lords, that now we
can not reach them from the air, by means of land or through our
Sending. Our work has taken long, but how much longer would it take to
undo?" All the Lords turned toward Cam's dark question. "Theolin, your
House of Fire has played the greatest part in our young's protection,
fighting the Devish across all four Houses' territories while we secure
not only the children of our families but our own children as well. Our
lands could not have stood in our absence without your Family to
command them in battle. You are a good man I know, and have said this
battle with the Devish hoards could have an end within the next seven
cycles of the land. But each of us knows in our hearts that this thing
we have done - we may not be able to undo until the war is over, seven
cycles or no." As Cam finished, a silence spread across the
parents.

Theolin looked to the peaks of the Crescent
Highlands. It no longer felt like a nest for their children, it felt
like a prison. In his mind, the bars that kept their children safe
seemed to unfold around the Crescent and enclose himself. He may be on
the outside, but the prison was his own; it was all of theirs. In the
silence on the terrace, Theolin heard the faint sound of running
footsteps. He turned in time to see Manelin his wife and partner head
to the House of Fire round the corner of the trail leading onto the
terrace. She ran strait to him and they embraced. Theolin felt new
strength rush into his heart just from her presence. But there was no
time for welcomes.

"How do our armies fair my love? What news do
you have?"

Theolin could hardly contain himself, he had
left the battlefields of the Water House's Eastern provinces only a few
days ago but much could have changed. The other parents all gathered
round, not wishing to miss news of their lands.

In a voice heavy with lack of sleep and a
wealth of stress, Manelin answered

"My Lords and husband, I fear too long have
our Families spent their energy here on the slopes of the Crescent
Mountains, The Witch Queen has broken the outer defenses on the
boarders of both the House of Earth and the House of Water. I fear the
House of Air and our own House will follow in the next few days. Her
numbers grow every day as the Devish spawn more of their kind with
their Dark magic. Each House has lost two more members to greed. Those
from the House of Water and our House of Fire have taken children of
lesser families. The Land screams out this injustice, but still our
efforts fall short, the time is now my friends. The Families need their
leaders. We must be gone at once!"

"This is grave news indeed my wife." Replied
Theolin. "Then truly we must depart, though let us finish what we have
gathered here to do. Mikan, it is time for you to finish our final
task. It is time to say goodbye."

Without a word, Mikan, who had braved the sky
in the arms of the Air Lords and passed into the Crescent one last
time, revealed her journey's end. Calling upon the Sending, she located
the images she wanted and sent them as they were into the minds of the
seven other parents?

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A fireplace burned brightly in the corner of the large room. It was
warm, but not uncomfortably so. On the walls, tapestries woven in
shinning golds and reds reflected the flickering firelight. The windows
were shuttered; the air was dry and dense with the scent of oak. In the
corner a man Theolin recognized as Lord-Captain Tavin stood with his
hand placed over his heart in oath. His eyes stared strait ahead over
the twenty-two cots arranged around the room. From each of these, the
small gurgling and breathing noises of infants emerged. Theolin looked
down with eyes he knew were not his own, but Mikan's, into the closest
four cots. There, sleeping soundly, were the four children. Two boys
and two girls. In this image, he focused on the sleeping form of his
son. His vision blurred through Mikan's tears, but he did not notice.
He could feel his own body - on the outside - there too, warm tears ran
down his cheeks. Was this the right thing to do?