She took the ray of sunlight in her hands, marveling at its beauty, for it did not dim though the sun itself went dark. But still she merely plucked three stars from her braid and gave them to Aeric, then retreated to the tower where the moon shone in its cage.
Aeric left alone, the despair in his heart deeper than the night that fell on the plateaus.
This time, the fiends were waiting for him in great numbers. Down he walked, away from Layla’s tower and into the deep ravines where the moon’s rays could not reach. There the fiends encircled him, claws slashing and mouths gaping to devour. He drew his sword and fought, but each stroke of the blade fell short. One star he hurled at his attackers, then another, but their numbers were too great and the stars’ light too faint to pierce their entire company. Their claws tore his robes and his skin, and blood streamed from him until he could barely stand. Still Aeric fought on, clutching the last star in his hand, knowing that when it left his grasp his last hope would be gone.
At last he fell, and the monsters closed in on him, eager to destroy him and vanquish Day from the lands. But as darkness filled his vision and the numbness of death crept over him, he thought he saw the sky flash silver and heard the distant screams of dying fiends. He thought he saw the moon shining, released from its prison, and a thousand stars swarming around the shadowfiends and shattering them. He thought he heard Layla’s voice and smelled the scent of jasmine. Then oblivion swallowed him.
* * * * *
Sleep carried him on dreamless currents. When he awoke, the pain of his wounds was barely a memory. Layla knelt beside him, clasping his hand in hers. In her other hand, she held the moon, which shone faintly against the encroaching dawn. The stars rested on her hair, her bare arms, and the soft grass which surrounded them. She wore only a thin silver gown, and he saw again the scars that marked her skin. Her heavy black cloak was draped over him, blanketing him in all the peace of night and the rest beyond dreams.
“You came,” he said in astonishment, for they were far from her tower and near the borders of the civilized lands.
“You were right. One warrior cannot face them alone and survive.” Her voice was firm, but her face was drawn with worry. She stroked his arm where the marks of the fiends’ claws still traced dull red lines across his skin. “I will hunt Coroc with you. The lands may not welcome me, but I would rather die than watch death take you.”
“I would rather no one die,” Aeric said, smiling. He took her hand, and they rose and faced the road together. “Perhaps this battle need not end in sorrow, when we’ve both seen our share already.”
Thus they traveled on. Aeric’s heart was filled with joy, though Layla still dreaded their path. The next day they reached the City of Stone, the first of the five great cities of the land. Its walls were marble and they gleamed in the light of day, yet the windows and doors were barricaded and watchmen stood on the battlements ready to cry out warning of the fiends’ attacks. The people rejoiced when Aeric passed through the gates, for they had longed for the sun’s rays to be near them again and for the sun’s keeper to ward off the fiends from their homes.
But when they saw Layla, they drew back in terror. She greeted them with smiles and kind words, but her cloak billowed around her like the darkest midnight and the moon’s rays shone in her eyes. All who saw her knew at once who she was, and they began to murmur when Aeric’s back was turned, for Coroc’s lies lingered in their minds.
Layla trod close beside Aeric as they made their way through the crowded markets of the city. The people parted before them, for they did not dare draw too close to her.
“They think you a traitor because I am with you,” she whispered to him. “Perhaps you should not be seen with me after all.”
“They merely think you strange,” he said as he took her hand in his. “Show them your true nature, and they will know better than to fear you.”
But I am only night and darkness, she thought. What will they love? Still she walked with Aeric through the streets of the city and tried not to care that all who saw her looked on her with displeasure.
Aeric met the people of the city with joy, greeting each as a friend and giving freely of the sun’s rays. When at last they reached the far side of the city, his light was waning, and rays of the moon began to spill from Layla’s cloak.
As they passed through the city gates, a fiend swept down upon them. Those of the city who had followed them screamed and cowered, but Aeric drew his sword and faced the monster. Yet Layla stayed his blade, and from the folds of her cloak she took the moon and bade it shine with its fullest light. The rays struck the fiend with such force that it vanished like smoke, and the people of the city cried out with wonder and delight.
When Layla turned to bid them farewell, their eyes were no longer dark with fear and their smiles were bright with gratitude. The lord of the city bid her and Aeric spend the night at his manor, and they went with him, grateful for warm hearths and soft beds.
“I told you it would be so,” Aeric whispered to her as the lord’s household welcomed them into bright marble halls.
Layla smiled, but her heart was troubled, for she perceived that the people of the city cared only for the power she and Aeric wielded. She slept uneasily, her dreams troubled though she lay on the finest of feather beds, her soul still whispering that no kindness toward her would endure.
When the sun’s light dawned again, the lord of the city sent them on their way with his blessing. Yet none from the city joined them on their quest, for they yet feared Coroc. When the sounds of the city faded away, Aeric and Layla were alone again, and it was many days’ journey before the walls of another city appeared on the horizon.
The road, paved smooth near the city, narrowed into a rough trail that wound through the darkness of an ancient wood. Yet the journey seemed short and filled with light, for they were together, and in each other’s company the dry, empty places of their hearts began to fill. Each spoke long of their sorrows and joys, and they found in each other a confidante without fear or expectations. They sang and laughed together, greeting each turn in the path as a new adventure. Though terrors lurked in the shadows of the forest they fled when the light of the sun and moon were turned upon them.
Aeric knew their road by heart, and he showed Layla the lovely wild places hidden far from the view of the towns—waterfalls that sparkled like crystal and falcons that nested in the rocks and trees as old as the sun and so high their tops vanished into the clouds. Layla saw the world anew by the light of the sun, each sight and sound and taste a delight to her. When the sun’s light waned, Layla spread her cloak over Aeric that he might find rest with no cares to steal his sleep or nightmares to haunt his dreams.
At last the forest gave way to the thatched roofs and cedar walls of the City of Trees. This time, the sight of houses and the sound of voices did not strike as much fear in Layla’s heart, and she passed through the gates with her steps light and a laugh in her voice. It was a strange feeling to bear love for those who might scorn her, but her affection for Aeric had grown strong and shining, and it overflowed until all the world was beautiful in her sight. It now seemed a small thing to love those whom he loved, and it did not matter so much whether any cared for her in return.
When Aeric saw that she looked on the city with compassion, his heart warmed toward her, and he took her hand as they walked the streets. It was near the time of sunset, and those who saw Aeric lamented that the sun would fade so soon and they would be without light once more. He only laughed and watched to see what Layla would do.
When the last ray of sunlight faded, Layla threw back her cloak and silver moonlight flooded the city. The people who followed after them cried out in delight. Those who had shut themselves in their homes for fear of the darkness came forth to see the source of the strange light. When fiends tried to descend on the houses, they did not dare come near, for the moon and the stars blazed too brightly below.
Those with instruments struck up a merry
tune as Aeric and Layla made their way through the streets, and their steps fell into a dance. The people of the city wove in jigs and reels, and Layla released the stars to swirl among them. Children chased the sparkling lights and clapped in delight when they caught them. In the midst of the revelry, Aeric swept her into his arms and they danced together until they were breathless.
Layla wondered if they might not find friends among the people of the land after all. She told many in the city of their quest and asked them to join the hunt. One after another the people followed after them, armed with swords in one hand and lanterns in the other.
“They should not come with us,” Aeric warned her in a whisper. “They do not hold the lights of the earth, and we cannot ask them to do for us what we have done for them.”
“Why not, if they are willing? Perhaps they cannot wield the great lights, but there are other weapons against shadowfiends.” Layla replied as she smiled at the crowd. “I expected harm from the people of this land, and they have shown me welcome instead. Perhaps you were right, and their love is deeper than I credited. If so, why should we expect so little of them now?”
Aeric frowned but did not reply, for the songs ended and the crowd parted, and they saw that they had reached a towering house in the center of the city. The lady of the city emerged and bid them welcome, but her voice was cold and her eyes tired. Her hair was as silver as the moonlight, and her weathered skin bore the scars of many battles. The merry group that had followed them, prepared to slay the fiends, drew back and lowered their weapons, their expressions turning solemn and sensible.
The lady turned a smile upon Aeric, but when she beheld Layla her countenance darkened. She demanded whether Layla had unleashed the fiends upon the lands herself. When Layla answered that the fiends had risen of their own accord, the lady was not satisfied.
“Go your way,” the lady said with a flick of her hand. “And do not disrupt the city with more promises than you can keep. You bring your lights here for a day and a night and think you have saved us, but you have only given us a reprieve in a world that will never change.”
The lady turned away from them, but Layla spoke after her with boldness. “Many years Aeric has brought the light of the sun to you, through more dark perils than you know. Do not turn him away so quickly when he has need of you. We go to hunt Coroc, and if we succeed you will have nothing to fear by day or by night.”
“Do not instruct me,” the lady said harshly. “Perhaps you are not an enemy, but you are certainly a fool. Things are as they are, and I will not listen to false hopes.”
She returned to her house, and the crowd that had sung and danced departed with drooping shoulders and sad murmurs. Each sought their own home and closed the doors and shutters to hoard the light of their lanterns. Layla and Aeric were left alone in the street, the merriness of the night dissolving and leaving them cold and weary.
“Do you think our hope is false?” Layla asked Aeric as they walked through the silent city. “What if we’re wrong, and nothing can change?”
“You have changed,” Aeric said fondly, “and that is proof enough to me that things can be set right.”
He took her hand in his as they turned their faces once more to the wild lands. And though the happiness of the city had faded like mist, they found their own joy was not so fragile. The road sloped downward and the next day’s walk took them through grassy hills and plains. While the sun shone they danced through meadows bright with blue flowers, and when night fell they slept easy by the banks of a sparkling stream, satisfied that they were together and that they had a chance.
But as they journeyed on, the streams widened and spilled over until all the ground was sodden, and they trudged through mud and fog while marsh birds mocked them from the branches of dying trees. The fiends did not come here, for there were few lights to devour in such a lifeless place, but that was a small consolation when their feet ached and the cold and damp seeped into their bones. Aeric still sang as he walked, and Layla still looked for beauty in the eerie sights around them, but weariness covered them and the weight of their quest grew heavier.
At last they emerged from the marshes and followed the banks of the great river. Villages nestled along its banks, filled with mud daub houses with feeble lights shining from tiny windows. Aeric and Layla went forth eagerly, hoping for a meal and a night by a hearth in any home that would open their doors.
But the world they entered was changed. Word had traveled ahead of them, and they found the streets busier with people come to see them as they passed. Carrier pigeons took messages between cities and couriers sped on horses with missives in hand, each bearing rumors of Aeric and Layla and their quest. It was no small thing to the people of the lands that Day walked hand in hand with Night, though none could agree on what it foreshadowed.
“She has ensnared him, and he will betray us,” said some.
“They will stir up the wrath of Coroc and bring destruction down on our heads,” said others.
But others spoke of fiends vanquished by the light of sun and moon together, and of a quest to destroy the greatest fiend, and they whispered of hopes they barely dared to believe. Most of the people in the villages shut their doors in fear or brandished swords in threat as Aeric and Layla passed. None invited them to sit by their hearth fires. Yet when they cast weary glances around, they found that they were not alone. A small company formed behind them, mismatched and over-eager, yet all determined that Day and Night would indeed slay Coroc.
Aeric and Layla’s footsteps dragged, yet they continued on, for those with them fueled their steps with hope and expectations. By the time they reached the City of Rivers where it rose shining at the meeting of many waters, the company with them was seven score in number.
A cry went up as they entered the city. Some cheered that the wielders of the great lights had come to save them once and for all. Others recoiled in fear and shouted warnings to all who would listen. Aeric and Layla strode forward together, sure of their mission though all was chaos around them.
At dusk they stood beneath the spires of the city’s great palace, and the lord of the city came forth to meet them. Though his years were scarcely forty, his hair was gray and his body stooped as if with age, for fear had wrought many hardships on him. His eyes grew dark with displeasure when he saw the mayhem that filled the streets. Aeric greeted him warmly and began to tell him of their quest, but the lord cut short his words.
“I know of your foolhardy mission,” the lord said. “Why have you seen fit to bring unrest to my realm? By raising hope you disrupt the lives of all, and by daring to attack the chief of the fiends you will bring down their wrath more greatly upon us. You might have simply shone the rays of the sun and kept the fiends from us, but no. Instead you will drag us into the fight and put all the lands at risk.”
Aeric’s heart was stung by the lord’s words. “We put none at risk who do not wish to go. I had hoped you would trust my judgement as always. You know I desire the good of the lands.”
“That is not all you desire, is it?” The lord’s gaze rested on Layla, and there was an accusation in his tone. “Perhaps Night has indeed ensnared you and you walk into a trap unaware.”
Then Aeric’s anger grew hot and he turned to the people, bading them think on all he and Layla had done against the fiends. He appealed to the years of protection he had given the city and to the courage Layla had shown in coming to them. He spoke of a promise of truer peace, with no more nightmares and no need to lock the shutters and bar the doors lest monsters steal the very flames of the candles. A few cheered, but more raged against him, calling him a traitor and a destroyer of their peace. Even among the seven score who had followed them into the city, many remembered their fears and turned away.
“See, they will turn against you,” said the lord smugly. “You would do better to shine your light upon the city as you always have and not tempt disaster.”
“I would do better to destroy what is evil, tho
ugh all hate me for it.” Tears burned in Aeric’s eyes as he spoke, for he loved the company of the people and cherished their affection. He saw now that Layla had seen rightly, and that the love of those he protected hinged on conditions. But he would not relinquish the quest, for he knew the lands would know no true life while the fiends endured. Perhaps, he thought, their love would be won back by Coroc’s defeat, but that was a small comfort to him.
Layla, seeing that he was grieved, embraced him and spoke courage to him.
“They hold themselves captive, but they need not hold us so,” she said. “The truth is of greater worth than their love, and your boldness is stronger than the walls of their cities.”
They left the city together, not caring who followed.
* * * * *
They were chased out by many curses from the lord and his citizens, but a company of four and twenty followed after them. They turned northward, and saw for the first time the great snowcapped mountains. One peak rose higher than the others, and its slopes were black as night though the sun’s light was dawning, for Coroc had claimed it as his territory. Their path was marked by the largest river, which flowed down from a spring on that very peak. The land between the city and the mountains was barren and cold, with no place to take shelter from the fiends.
Another company followed at a distance, warriors and lords from the lands who had come to see the fate of those who fought Coroc. Aeric and Layla paid them little mind, for the journey held too many dangers for them to worry over what transpired behind them.
Layla saw the peril their company would face and heard again the threats and accusations in her mind. Her heart was saddened, and for the first time she wondered if she had made a poor choice in leaving her tower. Perhaps she should have left the cities alone and let them blame her, for at least then their lives would have some semblance of peace. Perhaps then they would not have turned against Aeric so easily.
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