by Timothy Ray
Lost in thought, his eyes traced the flickering flames and he admired the white to dark orange chaos on display. There was much to contemplate and he was trying unsuccessfully to organize his thoughts into something coherent and expressible.
Leaning back, the cowl barred the firelight from touching his face, the shadows caressing his hardened features. His eyes lost focus; seeing everything and nothing. White smoke swirled across their surface; obscuring his irises completely with their intensifying waves. His mind flowed with the constant changes in the time stream, the tides of the forces in motion sweeping him along. Possible futures shifted with every moment that passed and he tried to focus on one with the most acceptable outcome.
There were too many to process and not enough time to sort through them all.
The moment was fast approaching when he would be cloaked in shadow no longer and the forced daylight would set in motion events beyond his control. His senses reached out and took in the entirety of the world around him in. He heard everything down to the ants milling in their holes to the trees moaning at the weak moonlight. Yet, he was oblivious to all of it, as his mind drifted along the multiple paths his future would take.
An elven woman stepped into the firelight; but he ignored her. Her presence was a beacon of light, her life force pulsing with vibrancy, but it was a distraction to what his mind sought, and he pushed it aside. She sheathed her composite longbow and the arrows flowed with the movement of her body, the shafts shifting slowly over the drifting ashes of the fire. He felt her albino eyes gauging him as she took a seat across the way, awaiting his awakening from the entranced state.
Another light came closer, her wolf companion settling in by her side. His ears twitched as he exchanged a silent conversation with his Mistress, then bolted to his feet and lunged back into the shadows of the forest.
He saw it all, knew every thought that passed between them, but it was background noise to the flow of energy racing throughout his body.
Steadily, he returned to the present, slowly retrieving his mind from the flows of time. The mist cleared and his pale green eyes became aware of their surroundings. “Nothing amiss?” He knew the answer already, but it was expected of him to ask. The night would hold no surprises for them this night.
She sighed. “Why bother? You already know what’s coming. So, what’s the point in me scouting ahead?” she mocked, knowing him too well.
She hadn’t meant any disrespect. They’d been through a lot together, and the trust they had in each other’s abilities was well earned. “I can’t see everything. Things slip through the cracks in my visions, while others are purposely clouded by our enemies. I rely on your eyes and ears to fill those voids.”
“Not enough to make me feel useful,” she growled under her breath. Though meant to be a whisper, he heard it clearly, and couldn’t help but smile. “There’s one thing I don’t understand—”
“Just one?” he broke in, the corner of his mouth lifting.
Her penetrating eyes narrowed. “Funny,” she snapped, but a slight smile lit up her features as well. She had startling white hair to match her eyes, tied up in a ponytail, and the blue tattoos on her face shifted as her smile widened. The tattoos were diamond-shaped and stretched from her forehead to the small corners of her thin lips, one over each eye. She wore a black cloak with dark blue lining and black leather armor underneath. Her hands fiddled with one of her knee pads, as her teeth gnawed at her pink lower lip. “If the boy we’re looking for was one of those two,” she started, waving her hand in the direction the brothers had recently passed, “why didn’t you talk to him now? Why wait?”
He didn’t respond at first, the vestiges of his visions replaying themselves quickly through his mind. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on the most promising, but it slipped from his grasp like grains of fine sand; forever out of reach.
“It wasn’t the right moment,” he told her and felt the exasperation in her responding grunt. Looking at her once more, he dropped his smile; his face stern. “His brother would have resisted and our purpose would have been obscured with questions and blustering. Do not fret, the moment approaches. Before the sun sets tomorrow, we will be back on the road with all this unneeded anticipation behind us.”
She looked towards the massive brute standing unnoticed at his post by the tree. His huge form was cloaked; his stance firm. He didn’t look to being paying attention to their conversation, but she knew better than to try and guess what was going through their companion’s mind. She sneered at his lack of response to her glare. “I don’t know why you need another sword arm; we’ve already got all the brainless testosterone we will ever need right there.” She was trying to provoke a response and only got a snort in return, much to her dissatisfaction.
The mage eyed her suspiciously. She had obviously gotten closer to the brothers than he had intended. He wanted to be near them, not arouse their suspicions, or that of their bodyguards. Things could have spiraled out of his control had she been seen. Anger began to rise and he had to quickly force it back. “Have I ever given you a reason to doubt my judgment? Why do you do so now?” Her face grew lax and her eyebrows drew together. “Just see to your duties and let me worry about the rest of it. Two of our party are approaching from the east. Lead them in.”
She flinched at the rebuke and got to her feet in a rush. She gave him one last glare, then turned and sprinted into the shadows.
He might have been harder on her than he needed to be, but it couldn’t be helped. Much was happening in the world and his path had to be chosen with the utmost care. Any mistakes could prove fatal to not just them, but to every living soul on this island formally known as England.
He glanced at the cloaked hulk to his left, but the towering silhouette had nothing to offer.
Returning to his inner reflection, he widened his mind to receive the world around him. A mind touched his, probing. He welcomed it but kept it on the surface, refusing it entry to the deeper parts of his mind. It was a familiar voice that had grown stronger as the two parties had drawn closer to one another, and tonight would see the first piece of his puzzle slip into place. The game was about to begin, pieces would start sliding across the board, and he wondered which of them would break from cover first.
“Let’s see what you got,” he challenged silently, sending his voice into the netherworld.
Tomorrow would be a new day, and from it would quickly determine the course of events to come. His patience was beginning to wane, all the planning in the world could not prepare him for what came next. Yet, he forcibly quieted his mind of doubts as he sensed the three figures approaching in the darkness.
With fresh determination, he pushed it all aside and rose to greet his guest.
Chapter 2
Storm on the Horizon
I
Erik’s father died when he was thirteen. Even before the crown was placed on his head, he had devoted himself to improving and evolving the elven way of life. They were a proud, steeped in tradition, arrogant race, and it had been an uphill battle his entire life; each step ferociously fought for and bloodied.
Their existence had always been in the shadows, removed from the races of the land, refusing to interfere with the world developing around them. A rootless tribal society, they hid from the ever-growing population of Man, and it almost led to their annihilation. He understood what the “Traditionalist” did not, that they could not return to the shadows and hide any longer, or they would never survive as a species.
They were an ancient people, existing long before the race of Man dropped from the trees and wielded their first spears. His ancestors had looked down upon them, underestimating their potential; seeing them as primeval savage beast that could never be reasoned with. The intelligent ones were few and far between, and his people believed that they’d die out before ever posing a threat to their way of life.
It was this dogmatic superior misunderstanding that led to their eventual forced withdrawal
from the world.
Though other Fairy creatures had toyed with the Humans as they evolved, the Elves were wary and kept their distance. There were five different societies of Elves and each had a differing view of how to treat the invaders encroaching their lands. The Sea Elves were dismissive, they could hide easily beneath the waves, and viewed anything happening to the others as “surface problems”. The Highland Elves wanted to integrate themselves into the Human’s lives, to join with them in building the world, and got shunned by the others for their lunatic ideals. The High Elves were the proudest, superior acting of the four races, and viewed Man as insignificant as rats. They advocated for their destruction, lest the vermin plague spread further. The Wood Elves, his ancestors, were tribal roamers that were content to simply conceal themselves and avoid the Humans at all cost. While the Dark Elves withdrew from everyone, even their own kind, and secluded themselves in the depths of mountains, rarely seen or heard from.
These differing points of view eventually split the Elves apart and each withdrew to their solitary means of existence. Using magic to conceal themselves; they moved deeper into the forests, the mountains, and the seas. The consensus being that Man were warlike barbarians that would kill each other off, and the problems posed would cease to exist with their demise.
Pariahs would occasionally reveal themselves, but were quickly disposed of when discovered. It didn’t happen often, but enough that humans came to know of their existence, if not fully believe in it. They depended on the deep wilderness to conceal themselves, used their magic to dissuade the random groups of humans from trespassing in their territories, and drove deeper in as the centuries passed and Man spread themselves further across the globe.
His ancestors had to have some understanding that sooner or later, they would run out of places to hide. He shook his head as he thought of that period of their history. He tried to imagine what his predecessors had seen, and through their perspective, find an understanding of what their lives had been like. The lack of surviving written records did little to help him in his endeavor. If they had emerged from the forest and revealed themselves, maybe the devastation to come could have been averted? Of course, he had the benefit of hindsight, his ancestors had no idea the evil approaching on the horizon. There existed no record of their beginnings, but many remained of what could have been their end.
The Phoenix had taught the Elves a hard lesson, one written in blood and loss.
During what the Humans called the 21st century, a woman had emerged from an ancient abandoned castle with a book of magic. It had been written by demonic forces in a past so remote that it was believed to be in the time of creation itself. With it in her grasp, she wove her dark magic, seduced the minds of politicians, and made the countries of Man grow distrustful of each other.
At that point in history, Man had spread to every corner of the globe, sapping the Earth of her resources, with no regard to replenishment or impact. There were Elves hidden in dense forest worldwide, separated from one another for thousands of years. They had evolved independently and only regained contact when the technology advanced enough for them to do so. Some of his people rejoiced when those connections were made, but the cause for their celebration was also the cause of their downfall; it was technology that eventually lead Man to his doom.
At the height of her power, the Phoenix orchestrated massacres on a grand scale, and spread disinformation of those involved. She convinced the great leaders of Man that atrocities were being committed by innocent pawns in her game. Even though they protested their innocence, the forged damning evidence was too believable to be ignored.
Finally, they had to turn to their militaries in order to defend themselves from their aggressors. War became the instrument of communication and their advanced technology was wielded with a devastating force unseen in the history of the world. Illegal biological warfare ravaged every nation and the survivors huddled in their bunkers, horrified and fearful of what more was to come.
There were no records of who made the first move in the final act of that civilization, and it didn’t matter; it was the Phoenix who was ultimately responsible for nearly casting Mankind into oblivion. Orders were given, missiles launched, and all organic matter on the Earth was almost completely wiped out.
The apocalypse had begun.
Having anticipated the ramifications of her actions, the Phoenix had protected what was formerly called England from the devastation that rocked the planet. Having gained followers and teaching them the arts of magic, her “coven” erected a protection spell powerful enough to shield the island from the technology sent to wipe it out. It left the coven weak, and many died from the exertion alone.
Yet, she remained powerful beyond reckoning, reinforced by the demonic energy of the book in her possession. As the remnants of government desperately tried to figure out what was going on, she wove another spell that ripped a hole in the fabric of reality, creating a rift between the dimensions. Out of it poured hordes of demons, orcs, goblins, and other unspeakable monsters of hell, that immediately bowed to her and obeyed her every command. She sent them against the already reeling British military, who fell before the masses of nightmarish creatures bearing down on them.
They never had a chance.
Overthrowing the existing government, none in power were spared. She slaughtered millions in the weeks to come. And after it was over, the few survivors were thrown into slavery. With Man defeated, she turned her attention to the forest and the races she knew were hiding within.
Her armies swept in their direction, destroying every form of life in their wake. Long had the Elves hidden behind their magic, and it provided them with a false sense of security. These monsters of legend penetrated their defenses and began the systematic slaughter of their race. Their magic was not enough to stand against the hordes arrayed against them. A newly crowned prince rallied the Elves and with one final ditch effort to repel the army, marched the remains of the Elven military into the field of battle. The last of their magic was employed; but it was not enough.
Thinking the Elves extinct, the Phoenix began reshaping the land into what she believed it should be. It was a dark time and little was written or salvaged from it. Few elves survived to witness what came after; their skills in deception and invisibility barely allowing them to limp on.
For over five centuries they clustered together, using everything at their disposal to remain undetected. In horror, they watched the world around them get ripped apart. Mountains rose and fell. Lakes dried up, while others sprang into being. And the existing life that remained was reforged forever. His ancestors knew that they couldn’t remain hidden, eventually they’d be discovered, and it would mean the end of their race. They began to plan for their eventual enslavement or destruction; for no other possible outcome seemed possible.
The moment never came.
No one knew how, but the Dwarves had survived, while all the other races slowly perished at the hands of the Phoenix. Though believed to be extinct, they had foreseen Man for what they would become, and had withdrawn from the world. Hidden in the deepest parts of the mountains, they had persevered.
When the last bands of Man banded together and rebelled, the Dwarves finally emerged from their mountain fortresses and threw the strength of their armies behind them. With renewed hope, and seeing it for what it was; a last stand, the Elves emerged from their forest and joined them. An army of Fae revealed themselves as well, their magic having shrouded their presence even from their long-lost kin.
For the first time in recorded history, the races were united, and together marched against the Phoenix’s hordes.
Freedom was not even thought of, only the day to day survival of the brethren they fought beside. Battles waged, both sides suffering victories and losses, both giving and taking ground. No one knew what turned the tide in the end, but with both magic and steel, they drove the hordes north towards the sea. With her armies in disarray, the witch once more called o
n her magic. The heavens heaved their wrath upon them. Large meteors fell on the advancing armies and almost wiped them out.
Then with no explanation, it was over.
No one knew what happened to her, at least none he had ever met. There were rumors that she had faced a powerful opponent and fell in battle, but it could not be substantiated. Only scorch marks on the floor of her throne room indicated that something violent had occurred. No hero emerged to claim credit, but whoever it was, had saved them all.
Victory had never been imagined or planned for. The survivors were left standing on the field of battle, really looking at each other for the first time. Man had become aware of their existence; their presence forever revealed. Unable to retreat into the depths of the forest and mountains from whence they came, the races decided that the time had come for them to rebuild civilization together.
However, coexistence was easier talked about than enforced. Arguments raged over the direction their new world would take, and eventually divisions forced them apart. The Dwarves retreated to the forests of the southwest, forever shedding the caves for sunlight. The Elves took the deep forest of the northeastern regions of the island as their home, determined to forge for themselves a new destiny. Fairies faded back into obscurity, rarely seen or heard from again. Man took the largest portions of land, mostly to the south; the northern ranges too devastated for resettlement. Fortresses were built, old rivalries harbored, and the free races grew reclusive and isolated from one another.
Then the crown had been placed on his head and everything began to change.
He had been an avid student of history and feared a repeat of the past if society rushed forward again, unchecked. He had been young and full of dreams of a united government. No race divisions, not one ruling leader, just people striving to make the world better for the betterment of them all. He made it his life’s mission to change the Elven way of life and make those dreams a reality.
