Avalyne Series 02: The Easterling

by Linda Thackeray

  While it was good to know that Tamsyn’s enchantment would protect them from any goblins, Aeron was still filled with a deep sense of uneasiness. There was danger all around them and none more potent then the darkness he sensed coming from the mountain. Not since being in the presence of Syphia and Balfure had Aeron felt such powerful shadowing.

  ‘Prince,’ Melia noted as she walked along side of him, seeing the subtle shift in his body as they approached the looming mountain. He was shuddering, Melia thought to herself wondering what could make someone so brave and unswerving as her Prince be so shaken.

  ‘Yes Mia,’ he glanced at her briefly before he resumed staring hard at the uneven line of the mountain before them from under a furrowed brow.

  Melia smiled, finding that she liked his little nickname for her and asked gently, ‘Are you alright?’

  ‘Yes, yes,’ he nodded still distracted. ‘Danger draws close to us. I feel it against my skin like a cold hand.’

  ‘Then let a warm one give you strength,’ she replied gently and took his hand in hers and clutched it tight.

  Aeron felt her touch and whatever loomed in the distance was forgotten for a moment as he cast his eye upon her again, looking first at the hand that held his with such affection and then at the face of the one who loved him with as much as he loved her.

  ‘When we are done here, assuming that we survive, I will be returning to Eden Halas.’

  He had hoped to tell his father when he returned to Eden Halas but what passed between himself and Melia whilst there had made it impossible. However, despite his angry words to Halion, he knew he would have to return home at least one last time before quitting his childhood sanctuary for good.

  ‘I thought you did not wish to return home,’ Melia stared at him.

  ‘I have unfinished business there which requires me to make my appearance in my father's court. I owe it to Halion to say what must be said, face to face,’ Aeron replied after a moment. What Tamsyn had told him about his parents made him reconsider his view of his father and for once Aeron felt the need to resolve things with him and Halion before the rift between them became permanent.

  Melia did not ask him to explain because she knew that the reason he had departed Halas so prematurely was because of her.

  ‘What will you tell him?’ She asked, knowing it had to do with his plans for Eden Ardhen and convinced that Halion would not be happy to hear any of it.

  ‘That I am leaving his court permanently,’ Aeron answered, ‘and that I will be taking some of his people with me. I know more than a handful of elves at Eden Halas who will want to come with me. I will not do so without gaining his blessing at least. It is the proper thing to do.’

  Melia could respect that. She sensed that there was more the Prince was not telling her but she left him his secrets because the relationship between Aeron and his father was already a complicated one already without her in the equation.

  ‘It will be strange calling you the Lord of Eden Ardhen,’ Melia said playfully. ‘I have become so used to calling you Prince.’

  ‘It would be easier if you were called the Lady of Eden Ardhen.’ He returned, reminding her that he had asked her hand after her had found her at Tor Iolan.

  ‘Prince...’ she started to say, trying to think of a reason to delay her answer. She still was uncertain that this was the wisest course.

  ‘Marry me and be at my side. I know it will be hard toil but I swear it will be worth it. We can built something together, something that will outlast us. Melia I love you, I will never stop loving you and what time there is for you in the world, I want to spend it at your side.’

  ‘Prince, I told you I cannot give you an answer now. There is too much that is uncertain,’ she said trying not to hurt him. ‘Please, let us wait until this quest is done. I do love you but my heart is torn at this moment. I must know who I am before I can pledge my future to you, do you understand?’

  He did not but Aeron was not about to force her to make a choice she was unprepared for.

  ‘I will not speak of this again until we are finished here,’ he said quietly, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice as he pulled his hand out of her reach and strode some paces ahead.

  Melia watched his back retreat further ahead, hating herself for hurting him after he had opened his heart to her and revealed his innermost dreams and desires for his future. She knew he did not make such revelations lightly and she rebuked herself for not being more sensitive to his feelings.

  Tamsyn who walked behind the two lovers remained silent and watched.

  Chapter Sixteen:

  The Gahara Plateau

  They were coming.

  He had known they were coming for some time now but until their presence stirred the goblins in the Gorge like a nest of insects catching the scent of prey, he had not realized how close they truly were. In reality, his miscalculation was due to the fact that much of his power was fixated on one purpose and very little of it could be spared for anything else. His prescience was limited to his immediate surroundings though in the beginning, he was able to watch a far wider field then he was now able. They were coming and yet there was little he could do to stop them.

  The fear of discovery no longer a consideration. He had rebuked himself enough over the years at what he created at Tor Iolan that nothing an outsider could say to him would equal the venom of his own self loathing. His life's work was twisted into an abomination of horror and his victims had avenged themselves by his total enslavement to them. His entire existence was trapped in the singularity of ensuring they would never leave the mountain while he continued to feed them his own life force.

  There was no escape for any of them.

  That is why he did not fear his visitors because he did not even have the strength to even discern who they were, only that he was their purpose for coming. What was left of his powers was diminishing because his charges were becoming stronger. He had worked tirelessly to reverse what was done to them but to no avail and with their continued incubation, the balance of power between them had shifted from the jailer to prisoner. Soon they would finally leave the mountain because he no longer had the power to stop them.

  And when they did the whole of Avalyne would perish.

  *****

  The foothills of the Gahara Plateau were very much like the rest of the landscape, appearing as if it were abandoned. Tamsyn claimed that not even the goblins dared traverse this terrain and remained at a respectful distance even though they saw no evidence as to what would frighten them so. However, all this changed when they reached the mountains and followed Tamsyn into its cracks. The terrible danger that Aeron had sense emanating from the mountain had become almost commonplace now but until they descended into the dark caverns beneath the great range of rock, neither had been able to appreciate how sinister a realm they were entering.

  Tamsyn led them through twisting passages in the dark, lighting their way with the magic of his staff. They journeyed down the steep incline, into caverns that were once inhabited by the goblins now forced into the Gorge. The lack of sun made the elf uncomfortable but he hid it well, his senses seeking out danger even though at present the walls felt as if they were closing in on him,

  He had not spoken to Melia other than to make a few obligatory remarks about their situation, her welfare or the path they were taking to the mountain. Even though he despised himself for it, he seethed inwardly at Melia’s refusal to give him an answer to his proposal. He supposed she could not be blamed for her reluctance. She had not his years of experience to draw from and her past was very different from his. To Melia, their situation seemed unworkable and while he understood the obstacles they faced, he didn’t share it.

  His thoughts slipped away from Melia when they entered the mouth of a larger cavern. Before they even reached it, the glow coming through the tunnel leading into it was bright, like there was a sun on the other side of the wall. It eclipsed the glow of the Tamsyn’s staff and when
they stepped through, the glow was superseded by a flood of light so bright that it made all three of them flinch. Once their vision cleared however, there was nothing to do but gape in wonder at what they had stumbled upon.

  A city lay before them. A magnificent monument to grandeur was carved out from rock and inlaid with marble. Not since the great dwarf city of Iridia had Aeron seen such astonishingly crafted splendour. Just as he had been in Kyou's home, Aeron admired the skill and dedication it had taken to build this place. He knew this was undoubtedly the work of dwarves but he had no idea that they had built a city so far away from the Western Sphere. He wished Kyou was present for this because he could imagine his friend's excitement at being presented with this ancient treasure.

  There were courtyards and squares, pavilions and fountains, great columns that rose into the ceilings so high Aeron had to wonder how such a diminutive race was capable of carving them. Polished marble covered the floor and it seemed to stretch across floor of the city, prompting Aeron to wonder how they had managed to bring such materials to the mountain so far away from the centre of civilisation. Beneath the Gahara, the city had remained unspoiled, save for the dust that had gathered from being forgotten so long.

  However, what had created the brightness that resembled daylight came from the roof of the cavern. When one looked up to the ceiling of the cavern that housed the city, the facets of millions of gemstones embedded in the rock stared back. There was a fortune beyond the dreams of avarice to be mined from the rock but the dwarves had left untouched because any light source would be reflected through the gems to provide the illusion of day. Even now, the glow from Tamsyn’s staff was reflected on thousands of polished facets.

  ‘I did not know the dwarves built a city here,’ Aeron spoke, his voice low and hushed with awe.

  ‘This was the place form which the race first sprung,’ Tamsyn replied. ‘This is Tal-Shahar, birth place of the dwarfs.’

  'This is Tal-Shahar?' Aeron glanced at Tamsyn as he continued to stare.

  Aeron could well believe it. The dwarfs sprung forth from Tal-Shahar at the same time as men had risen from Lake Tijon. Their arrival into the world, fulfilled the Creator’s plan of the Sacred Three. The three races who would make Avalyne all it could be by working together as one. Elves who would be teachers, men who would be explorers and of course the dwarfs who would be the builders. Unfortunately, Mael's arrival on Avalyne and the Primordial Wars ruined that plan and it had never been righted since.

  'Indeed,' Tamsyn nodded, similarly struck by the magnificent of the place. "They left this city two thousand years ago to explore the rest of Avalyne and found Iridia more to their liking. By the time the goblins had overtaken the mountain the dwarfs were already established in the Starfall Mountains and saw no reason to return. The goblins however, could never enter the city because of the light. It is the jewels that they lust for so much also keeps them out.’

  ‘Good,' Melia retorted, her eyes fixed on the glittering ceiling as she admired the ancient craftsmanship with wondrous awe, 'It is too beautiful to be taken apart.’

  Aeron wondered if his father knew of this city and then supposed that Halion would have given little thought to races that came after the elves once he retreated into the Veil to begin building Eden Halas. For the first time however, Aeron understood his father’s reasons for animosity. He lost his entire family during the Primordial Wars and now it appeared, also the love of his life. To learn that the world was being cleansed for the Creator to bring new races into existence, that must have been surely difficult for him to bear.

  ‘Where are the krisadors?’ Aeron asked suddenly realising that they had been allowed into the city with surprising lack of incident. He knew the creatures had claimed the mountain but since their party had entered the plateau, there had seen no signs of any of the beasts. At first Aeron thought the krisadors might be staying away because of Tamsyn’s presence but now he started to think there might be a more sinister reason at work.

  ‘There.’ Tamsyn said grimly, pointing a head of them.

  They were moving past a number of great columns that framed what appeared to be the city’s main square when Tamsyn’s declaration made them all freeze in their tracks, staring ahead in stunned horror. No, it was not the krisadors that had kept the goblins from reclaiming this mountain. It could not be when the company was faced with the scene of all the creatures lying against the ancient marble floor—all dead.

  Time had bleached their bones. Complete skeletons were lying in scattered collections throughout the cavern as if some great force had swept through the enormous city and fell the creatures where they stood. What had killed them had done it fast and utterly, giving the creatures neither time to escape nor fight back and left no violence upon their bones. It was like staring at a menagerie of skeletons and seeing such mighty creatures, killed with apparent ease, sent a shiver of fear through Aeron and Melia.

  ‘What power could do this?’ Aeron turned to Tamsyn and demanded, expecting the wizard to have some kind of an answer.

  Tamsyn had no answer to give him but his eyes revealed much.

  Aeron saw that he was just as horrified by what they had found though not necessarily surprised. His expression shifted from shock to sorrow, possibly at the realization that the Mage he was trying to redeem may have caused this destruction. It was quite something to see death on such a scale, even if it was of creatures that had no value and were by nature vicious pack hunters. Still, seeing beasts as powerful as krisadors reduced to piles of bones chilled even the strongest of hearts.

  ‘The Mage,’ the wizard whispered softly.

  Aeron stared at him sharply. When Tamsyn fought the Nameless in Iridia, the battle had nearly cost Tamsyn and Dare their lives. Tamsyn's power was great but even Aeron did not think him capable of singlehandedly vanquishing a nest full of krisadors with such totality that their bones now lay in piles like an uncovered graveyard. It was beyond Aeron's comprehension that what he was seeing before him was the work of one man and if it was the work of one man, how in the name of the Celestials could they hope to stop him?

  ‘Do the mages have this kind of power?’ Melia asked the question that Aeron could not.

  ‘Not usually,’ Tamsyn answered, shaking his head as if he were in a daze. ‘However, Edwyn has been dabbling in forces that should not be abused and who knows how it may have affected him. You saw what Balfure was able to do once he harnessed the power of the Shadow Realm.'

  Melia shuddered. She knew. They all did. Sweeping her gaze across the skeletal remains of the krisadors, even in death, they looked fearsome. She could not even begin to imagine their chances if they had been called to fight the number that made up this nest but neither did she condone this total annihilation of them either. 'Then I do not like our chances,' she commented meeting Aeron's gaze.

  ‘Do you really think you can convince him to return to the Order?’ Aeron asked Tamsyn who did not answer immediately. His mind seemed to be elsewhere and Aeron guessed that he was trying to decide if his friend could be salvaged.

  ‘Tamsyn, before we go any further, are you absolutely certain he can be reasoned with?’ Aeron repeated himself.

  For the first time, the wizard's certainty was absent from his eyes. Aeron saw a man who was stunned by what he had seen and was no longer certain of anything. Perhaps in some corner of his mind, he clung to the hope that Edwyn might come to his senses but the evidence of what lay before them had destroyed that belief. Now he was as rudderless as the companions relying on him to be their guide.

  ‘I do not know,’ Tamsyn answered honestly.

  Aeron let out a deep breath, trying to decide what he wished to do. It was no longer about simply finding Melia's mother but rather keeping this menace from leaving these boundaries to wreak havoc upon the rest of Avalyne. A force that could destroy an entire cavern full of krisadors could do much damage beyond this mountain. Avalyne was just beginning to recover from the ravages of the Shadow War; it w
as too soon to find themselves pitted against the forces of a mage gone mad.

  ‘I would prefer that we were not alone in this endeavour,’ Aeron spoke after awhile. ‘Unfortunately this is not to be. This menace must be stopped here and now. It cannot be allowed to leave this mountain. Do you understand?’ He stared at Tamsyn hard.

  ‘Yes,’ the wizard nodded in grim understanding. ‘I do.’

  Aeron turned to Melia, his expression softening as his gaze met hers once more. Forgotten was their earlier quarrel. It seemed trivial when their time together was dwindling fast since it was very likely that neither of them would survive the battle with the Mage. Yet, they still had to try. He looked into her eyes and saw that she understood what was being asked of her and in response, she raised her head high with courage and reminded him all over again why it was he loved her so.

  ‘This was not my plan,’ he whispered softly as his hand reached for her cheek. ‘I wanted a lifetime with you.’

  She held it against her face, savouring the feel of his upturned palm against her skin. She shifted her head slightly and planted a small kiss on his hand. ‘I know.’

  ‘It must end here,’ Aeron explained. ‘You know that.’

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded. ‘Whatever we must do, I will be by your side however it comes to pass.’

  Aeron smiled at her lovingly and whispered, ‘I love you more than my life. You would have made a wonderful Queen for my kingdom in Ardhen.’

  ‘You would have made me happy,’ she answered in turn.

  They kissed each other gently, taking a moment to themselves because it was all that they had left to them. Neither expected to survive the battle with a mage who could do this but dying was permissible if they could take him with them. When they parted, it was with complete acceptance of the dying to come if that was what was required. They were both at heart, idealists who believed in sacrificing themselves for the greater good, no matter how jaded each might sometimes profess to be.