“Well done, Calarmindon Bright Fame,” she said through broken tears. “Well done, Deryn of my house. And well done,” her face changed as she beheld the violet eyes of Astyræ, and wonder washed over her expression. “Forgive me, my daughter … but I do not know your name. Yet, in my heart, I feel I know you.”
She looked nervous and felt out of place, but so great was her awe as she beheld the Queen of the Sprites that she stood there speechless for a moment.
“My child, what is your name?” Iolanthe asked again.
“My name is—”
“Astyræ?” came the deep-voiced question of a tall man, who was desperately making his way to the center. “Astyræ, is it you? Is it really you?” he begged with tired eyes.
“Pappa?” she answered in disbelief. “But … how is it possible?”
“Oh, dear girl,” Aius said as he dropped to his knees and hung his head. “I don’t deserve so great a gift! Please, forgive me, I am so sorry for all I have done, for all the mess I’ve made, for all the loss.”
The crowd went silent as the scene unfolded. And she thought long on his words, for it had been many years since she had seen his face or heard his voice, many years that she had wished for a chance to make things whole with him again. Cal squeezed her hand, nodding with encouragement. “Go on,” he whispered to her.
She squeezed his hand back, and then let go of it. One step, and then another; she walked up to the father she never really knew and kneeled before him, wrapping this mighty warrior in her brave, slender arms. “It has been a lifetime since I have dared to hope for a moment such as this. Yes, of course, Pappa … I’m sorry too.”
She threw her arms around her father, and he held her in his own, and they wept and they laughed. All who witnessed felt the unmistakable calling of beauty and redemption in this moment.
The Miller came to the center with flagons of his finest, amber ale, and a small chalice for Deryn. “Alright then … let the singers sing, and the troubadours play, for victory deserves a great feast … and a great feast deserves a great ale!”
“Hurray!” came the shouts and the cheers. Cal took his flagon and walked over to Astyræ to give her one too. “Come on, my lady, the party is waiting for us.” Together, they raised their drinks high, and Cal shouted his words for all to hear. “In the name of the THREE who is SEVEN!”
“May it be so!”
THE END
Afterword
Dear Reader,
It is a surreal experience to pen this letter to you, to think of what comes after the telling of this tale. When I happened upon this story – or rather, as Elder John would say, when I found myself answering the call of beauty – this moment seemed a true impossibility.
Much has happened in my life since that fateful day at the intersection of Bell Shoals and Bloomingdale when I first heard the whispers of Haven. And for all of those happenings, I am most truly grateful. I am grateful that this story indeed had to be told, and that it chose me to do its telling.
I’ll never forget finishing Calvin Miller’s The Singer Trilogy. I had just preached a sermon the Sunday before, and suddenly – or rather, seismically, the seeds of this story crested the dirt and began to reveal themselves to me.
Haven started right there, inspired by the prose of Miller’s books and by the same message that I had spoken the week before:
“I wonder, as I am sure you might have before, why doesn’t God reappear in the burning bush? Why doesn’t he make an appointment with Moses and all of his followers on a regular basis, at a regular time? Tuesday at 3pm sounds good for me. I am sure that we would be quick to remember to remove our shoes before we approached the emblazoned shrub.
I think He knows us a little better than our good intentions. He knows our obsessive natures and our tendencies to ritualize impactful moments … and He has rightfully surmised that we might be less concerned with hearing and meeting the voice of God than we are with seeing the fire and walking barefoot.
I bet He understands that we would be content to wander the mountain where God once spoke, and to invite others to follow likewise, rather than to worshipfully obey the assignment given. I think God is quite familiar with His creation, and so He has in turn provided us not with our predictable longings to revisit the glory days when bushes were ablaze, but has set with in us an intense need to seek and to find the smoky scent of a fiery God.
I am learning that worship is not held in the enshrinement of once-hallowed ground, but rather is found in the preparing of fresh soil to be made holy.”
This Epic is an allegory of sorts, though perhaps not in the on-the-nose kind of way that some allegories have a way of displaying themselves. This is the story of hope. It is also a story of the seeker, the church, the self-righteous, and the prodigal. This is the story of my dearest friends, my cruelest teachers, tragic enemies and … well, redemption.
This is not meant to be a theological treatise, nor a triumph of word designed to produce uniformed disciples; rather, I present to you an epic of ethos; a lens, as C.S. Lewis (Clivesis) might say, whereby we might glimpse a deeper understanding of the heart of God.
Now, don’t get me wrong; there is quite a bit of action, romance, war, and wizardry that makes for a damn good story if you ask me. But if you want to look just below the surface, there is another story altogether, right in the midst of this one.
In case you haven’t gathered or haven’t noticed, let me be the first to point out that nearly every single name in the Epic of Haven, whether person, place, or object, has been chosen with deliberate intention. The Poets are indeed real people, and many of my friends are present throughout these pages, too.
This might not matter to most of you, or change the way you love or hate the story. For me … there was instant depth. The history and mythos of knowing that a name is not just a random assignment of letters, but rather a foreshadowing, brought a gravity of responsibility to tell those parts with a deeper meaning in mind.
Though this trilogy is now completed, there are still many stories to be told in the wonderful world of Aiénor. I long to learn the tragedy of Caedmon and the fall of Terriah, and I still want to experience the Great Darkening of the world through the eyes of Illium. You never know, my friends, when the great stories might start whispering to me all over again.
I pray that you have enjoyed this final chapter in Haven, and that the journey of Cal and Michael and the rest has filled your own heart with a dream of a new and epic way of living.
Seek the light,
R.G.
INDEX
Caution: This Index contains spoilers for Book Three.
CHARACTERS:
Abaddon: dragon of the Nocturnal Raven Army with byzantium colored scales, vile green eyes, and a serpentine body; moves and talks in symmetric synchronicity with his sister dragon, Angrah
Ádhamh: the first man of Aiénor sent by The THREE who is SEVEN to sire the people of Terriah
Ӕðelric: the first High King of Terriah, father of Faramund and Ermendrud
Ӕsc: mighty leader and Lord of the Walha, father of Hildræd
Ahriman: great serpent lord and sire of the dragons (AŽDAHĀ)
Aius: General of the Nocturnal Raven Army; previously was the last steward of Dardanos, father of Astyræ
Alexio: young male attendant of Lord Johanna
Alon: woodcutter of the Western Wreath colony; yellow-bearded jovial brother of Oren
Amaians: self-named group of people who refused the un-light of the Raven Queen; founded the protected city of Shaimira, “New Beginning”
Anahiera: name used in Shaimira for the legendary winged flying horses; revered as the salvation of the people
Angrah: dragon of the Nocturnal Raven Army with byzantium colored scales, vile green eyes, and a serpentine body; moves and talks in symmetric synchronicity with her brother dragon, Abaddon
Annsley: child and remnant companion of Marcum
Arborists: tree-like stewards of the hal
lowed, great burning tree; keepers of ancient magic and prophecies
Ardghal: Sprite, silver-winged arch-herald messenger of the Queen, “Herald of High Valor”
Arianrhod: ancient magical bow given to Astyræ, “Silver Moon”
Armas: leader of Haven’s Northern forces against the Nocturnal Raven Army; died on the Melania battlefield
Arthfael: Sprite, large silver-winged scout leader, “Bear Prince”
Asier: Johanna’s great-grandfather’s grandfather who founded the city of Asier after escaping the cruel desert slavers of the south
Asierians: people from the abandoned city of Asier on the Western Wreath; led by Lord Julen to the new city of Shaimira
Astyræ: beautiful, mysterious woman from the Western Wreath with violet eyes and yellow pupils who accompanies Cal on his quest, daughter of Aius
Aysa: preeminent healer of Shaimira
AŽDAHĀ: name used in Aerebus for the dragons or serpents
Azrael: Owele, mightiest of the warriors, “Angel of Death”
Bakaren: old woman of Asier; member of the council of elders
Barkas: Captain of the Capital Guard for King Illium; crew member aboard the ship Wilderness
Basajuan: Owele, “Lord of the Woods”
Blodeuwedd: Sprite, armorist who made both the sword, Gwarwyn, and bow, Arianihod
Brádách: woodcutter of Haven who walks with a limp after burying an axe in his own foot
Branwen: raven-haired, beautiful wife of Caedmon, before the evil of Šárka corrupted her and turned her into Nogcwren (the Raven Queen)
Caedmon: hero dragon slayer of the ancient Kingdom of Terriah who wielded the magical sword, Gwarwyn; his wife was Branwen before she became the Raven Queen
Calarmindon (Cal): groomsman who is called by The THREE who is SEVEN to seek a new light for the Kingdom of Haven; he rescued the sword Gwarwyn, “Bright Fame”
Cascarie: past King of Haven, father of King Illium
Celrod: round-bellied schoolmaster of Westriver; member of remnant group led by Michael that defended the Halvard
Clivesis: Poet of Kalein; keeper of wisdom and of stories
Črotmir: Commander of the Nocturnal Raven Army; ordered to Haven so that Aius could return to the Western Wreath
Dacain: guardsman for King Illium; crew member aboard the ship Wilderness
Dani: member of Wreather family hiding from the Raven Queen, mother of Delilah
Delilah (Dilly): member of Wreather family hiding from the Raven Queen, sister of Mahlah
Deryn: Sprite, blue-winged warrior who is Cal’s companion and guardian on his journey to find a new light
Determination: three-masted, silver-sailed ship that brought the first colony to the Western Wreath
Diggory: soldier of the Nocturnal Raven Army; befriended by Georgina after the battle of the Halvard
Dorey: archer of Shaimira under Sendoa’s command
Dreamer: Cal’s first horse; ran away into the wilds of the North, but was found by Keily and carried Roshan to the Poets
Durai: Captain of the Nocturnal Raven Army; ashen-skinned hulking commander of Nogcwren’s forces on the Western Wreath
Ealhstan: past lord of the Walha, father of Ӕsc
Edur: Owele, white feathered guide and protector of Cal, “Snow”
Éimhear: High Queen of the Sprites, mother of Queen Iolanthe, Niniané, and Gormlaith; now entombed at the site of the royal tree, Fionnuala
Elder John: Poet of Kalein; humble fisherman helped by his mule Ransom
Elior: God who is Light; also known as The THREE who is SEVEN and the Great Father
Elmer: Arborist, green-haired and leafy-bearded brother of Engelmann; died helping Margarid’s remnant group escape Haven
Engelmann: Arborist, green-haired and mossy-bearded brother of Elmer; died helping Michael’s remnant group escape Haven, “The Hopeful”
Eógan: Sprite, golden-winged healer, “Shepherd of the Weary”
Ermendrud: second son of High King Ӕðelric
Euria: smithy of Shaimira; forged the sword Ikehr for Cal
Evande: Queen of Haven at the time the first branch fell, wife of King Illium
Everard: guardsman for King Illium; crew member aboard the ship Wilderness
Faolan: Sprite, silver-winged Captain of the Host, “Little Wolf”
Faramund: first son of High King Ӕðelric; brought Šárka to Terriah from the Western Wreath, husband of Queen Herrah
Farran: Cal’s third horse, a dapple-grey courser horse that he rode while on the Western Wreath, “Iron”
Fionnuala: the royal Jacaranda tree that birthed the High Queen Éimhear; she is entombed beneath the glass of its crystalized remains
Fryon: older of two Westriver brothers; member of remnant group led by Michael that defended the Halvard
Gabriel: child and remnant companion of Marcum
Garaile: second-in-command of Shaimira’s regular guards under Sendoa
Gelinda: citizen of Shaimira; hosted Cal’s group in her house; descendant of Barkas
Georgina: young farm girl of Haven; member of remnant group led by Michael that defended the Halvard
Goran: woodcutter of the Western Wreath colony; mountain of a man with a big heart and a big appetite
Gormlaith: Sprite, daughter of the High Queen Éimhear
Graunt: archer of Shaimira under Sendoa’s command
Gvidus: woodcutter of the Western Wreath colony; large-bellied and eldest member
Gwarwyn: magical, leaf-shaped sword rescued by Cal from the depths of the Falls of Sarangrael; the hilt blooms as he performs valiant deeds, “Beautiful Dawn”
Haizea: Owele, powerful white winged protector, “Wind of God”
Harmier: merchant of Haven; member of remnant group led by Michael that defended the Halvard
Herrah: past Queen of Terriah, wife of King Faramund
Hildræd: scout leader and sentry of the Walha, son of Lord Ӕsc
HlÍf: giant killed by the Nocturnal Raven Army while protecting the Halvard, wife of Vŏlker
Hollis: Chieftain of the Northern woodcutters; died fighting Nocturnals north of Haven before the war began; fiery-haired uncle of Keily
Huckston: child and remnant companion of Marcum
Ikehr: sword crafted by Euria; in honor of Cal and Uriel saving the people of Shaimira, “Visitation”
Iker: Elder councilman of Shaimira, didn’t believe Cal’s warning of imminent war
Illium: King of Haven at the time the first branch fell; sailed to the Western Wreath, found Shaimira, and died there, “Light Seeker”, “The Lost King”
Iolanthe: Sprite, violet-winged Queen of the Sprites who resides in Islwyn; daughter of the High Queen Éimhear, “Violet Flower”
Isme: herald of the Raven Queen; ashen-faced former nobleman who threatened the people of Asier
Jacaranda: trees that birth Sprites from their fruits
Jhames: Priest King and de facto ruler of Haven who took the Raven Queen’s un-light in order to retain his power and position as ruler, “His Brightness”
Johanna: lord and leader of the hidden realm of Shaimira and Queen of the Amaians; later becomes the steward of Ziohnia, granddaughter of Julen
Johnrey: Corporal of the Northern cavalry, second-in-command of the Haven remnant under Marcum
Jordain: archer of Shaimira under Sendoa’s command
Julen: Lord of the Asierians; lead his people away from Asier and founded the protected city of Shaimira
The Coming Dawn: Epic of Haven Trilogy Book 3 Page 40
