by J. M. Lee
“Here it comes—here it comes—there they go!”
The gust hit the tree and sent the leaves and petals soaring. They spiraled away in a glittering dance, carried by the wind and flying off into the valley. Thousands more waited on the tree’s great boughs to be blown away; even the trunk of the tree had been marked with the dream, Kylan hoped to its very core. Every new leaf and blossom would bear the message.
He put his hand on the tree’s whorled bark and thanked it. Its branches swayed in the wild wind as if waving them on, and so, song sung, the four headed back. In a daze, Kylan said little, shouldering the traveling pack as the others took up their own belongings.
“Do you think it will work?” Amri asked.
Kylan didn’t know how to answer that question, but Tavra did.
“It has already worked, so far as we can control it,” she said. “What people do with the information, once they receive it, will be up to them. All that remains now is to hope my mother may be able to do something more once we bring the truth to her.”
The reality of what Kylan had done struck him as he saw another petal float by. Soon all the Gelfling of the Skarith region would know what the Skeksis had done, and where their missing brothers and sisters had gone. There would no longer be a false peace between the Gelfling and the strange, cruel lords within the Castle of the Crystal. By the end of the day, the first messages would already be delivered. Questions would be asked. Some might reject the message, even after having received it. He hoped there would be a call to unite, but he had already seen that fear could cause division, as it had with Maudra Fara in Stone-in-the-Wood.
Sides would be taken. The All-Maudra would be put in the middle . . . and eventually, the Skeksis would respond, one way or another.
“We better get going,” he said.
Walking single file, they began their journey down the mountains to the valley, toward the Black River. It had been their destination for so long that reaching it seemed like an impossible daydream. But as the trees parted in the wind, they saw its mighty sparkle, and Kylan knew that they would reach it before long. After that, Ha’rar awaited them on the coast of the Silver Sea.
Until then, Naia led their group with Tavra as a guide on her shoulder. Amri took the rear, bearing the Silverling’s sword. Kylan dug Raunip’s book from his traveling pack, searching for the last page he had cornered. Finding it, he read while he walked between the other two, claiming his place in the middle.
GLOSSARY
bell-bird: An ancient, extinct bird whose bones and beaks are said to resonate with Thra’s song.
bola: A Y-shaped length of knotted rope with stones tied to each of the three ends. Used as a weapon, the bola can be swung or thrown, enabling the wielder to ensnare prey.
daeydoim: Six-legged desert-dwelling creatures with large dorsal scales and broad hooves. Frequently domesticated by desert nomads.
firca: A Y-shaped Gelfling wind instrument, played with both hands. It was Gyr the Song Teller’s legendary instrument of choice.
fizzgig: A small furry carnivore native to the Dark Wood. Sometimes kept as a pet.
Grot: A cavern deep in the eastern mountains, rumored to be the home of the mysterious Grottan Gelfling clan.
hooyim: One of the many colorful leaping fish species that migrate in large schools along the northern Sifan coasts. Often called the jewels of the sea.
Landstrider: Long-legged hooved beasts common to the Spriton plains.
maudra: Literally “mother.” The matriarch and wise woman of a Gelfling clan.
maudren: Literally “those of the mother.” The family of a Gelfling maudra.
merkeep: A delicious tuber. It is a traditional food of the Stonewood Gelfling.
muski: Flying quilled eels endemic to the Swamp of Sog. Babies are very small, but adults never stop growing. The oldest known muski was said to be as wide as the Black River.
ninet: One of Thra’s nine orbital seasons caused by the configuration of the three suns. Arcs in which Thra is farthest from the suns are winter ninets; arcs in which Thra is nearest are summer ninets. Each ninet lasts approximately one hundred trine.
swoothu: Flying beetlefur creatures with strange sleeping patterns. Many act as couriers for the Gelfling clans in exchange for food and shelter.
ta: A hot beverage made by mixing boiling water and spices.
Three Brothers: Thra’s three suns: the Great Sun, the Rose Sun, and the Dying Sun.
Three Sisters: Thra’s three moons: the Blue Moon, the Pearl Moon, and the Hidden Moon.
trine: The orbital period of Thra moving around the Great Sun, roughly equivalent to an Earth year.
unamoth: A large-winged pearly white insect that sheds its skin once every unum.
unum: The time for Thra’s largest moon to circle Thra once, roughly equivalent to an Earth month.
vliya: Literally “blue fire.” Gelfling life essence.
vliyaya: Literally “flame of the blue fire.” Gelfling mystic arts.
APPENDIX
The Gelfling Clans
VAPRA
Sigil animal: Unamoth
Maudra: Mayrin, the All-Maudra
The Vapra clan was a beautiful race with white hair, fair skin, and gossamer-winged women. Considered the oldest of the Gelfling clans, the Vapra reside in cliffside villages along the northern coasts, making their capital in Ha’rar. The Vapra’s maudra, Mayrin, doubled as All-Maudra, matriarch leader of all the Gelfling clans. Vapra were skilled at camouflage; their vliyaya focuses on light-changing magic, allowing them to become nearly invisible.
STONEWOOD
Sigil animal: Fizzgig
Maudra: Fara, the Rock Singer
This clan was a proud and ancient people who dwelled on the fertile lands near and within the Dark Wood. They made their main home in Stone-in-the-Wood, the historical home of Jarra-Jen. Many Stonewood Gelfling were valuable guards at the Castle of the Crystal. They were farmers and cobblers and makers of tools. They were inventive, but pastoral; like their sigil animal, they were peaceful but fierce when threatened.
SPRITON
Sigil animal: Landstrider
Maudra: Mera, the Dream Stitcher
Age-old rivals of the Stonewood clan, the Spritons were a warrior race inhabiting the rolling fields south of the Dark Wood. With such bountiful land to raise crops and family, this clan’s territory spread to cover the valley in several villages. Counted among the most fierce fighters of the Gelfling race, the Spriton were often called upon to serve as soldiers for the Skeksis Lords and guards at the Castle of the Crystal.
SIFA
Sigil animal: Hooyim
Maudra: Gem-Eyed Ethri
Found in coastal villages along the Silver Sea, the Sifa were skilled fishermen and sailors, but very superstitious. Explorers by nature, the Sifa were competent in battle—but they truly excelled at survival. Sifan vliyaya focused Gelfling luck magic into inanimate objects; Sifan charms enchanted with different spells were highly desired by travelers, craftsmen, and warriors of all clans.
DOUSAN
Sigil animal: Daeydoim
Maudra: Seethi, the Skin Painter
This clan made their settlements on sandships—amazing constructs of bone and crystal that navigated the Crystal Sea like ocean vessels. Resilient even within the arid climate of the desert, the Dousan thrived. Their culture was shrouded and unsettlingly quiet, their language made of whispers and gestures, their life stories told in the intricate magic tattoos painting their bodies.
DRENCHEN
Sigil animal: Muski
Maudra: Laesid, the Blue Stone Healer
The Drenchen clan was a race of amphibious Gelfling who wallowed in the putrid Swamp of Sog, deep in the southernmost reaches of the Skarith region. Fatter and hairier than the rest of their race, the Drenchen were powerful
in combat, but generally preferred to keep to themselves. Though one of the smallest Gelfling clans, the Drenchen had the largest sense of clan pride; they were loyal to one another, but remained as distant from other clans as possible.
GROTTAN
Sigil animal: Hollerbat
Maudra: Argot, the Shadow Bender
A mysterious, secretive breed who dwelled in perpetual darkness in the Caves of Grot. Generations in the shadows left them with an extreme sensitivity to light—and solid black eyes that could see in the dark and large ears to make out even the faintest of echoes. The Grottan clan is said to number less than three dozen Gelfling, and their life span was said to be unheard of, lasting three to four times as long as other Gelfling.
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