A Twist of the Tale

by P R Glazier

  Chapter 35. Once More in the Machine Hall

  So there at last they found themselves within the anti-room of the machine hall. Minervar felt wetness in her eyes, tears overflowed and started to trickle down her cheeks. She stood once more in this place of sorrow remembering two deaths that had occurred here many years before. Being here somehow brought it all back. She heard once more as if an echo in her mind the insane screaming of Tezrin as he fought to fulfil his perverted plans. She felt once more the pang of deep sorrow at seeing Jondris’s body lying there in a pool of his own blood, his life seeping away before her eyes, how she was unable to do anything to save him as she was held immobilised by the blade at her throat. She herself was at that same moment slowly succumbing to the poison that even then coursed through her veins, Tezrin had corrupted her body with the cruel snick of his dagger. She remembered the two spirits, the R’Alacry Fer’Def that had appeared before her and aided her, taught her powers of self-healing that she didn’t know existed. She now knew them to be generated images from At’Lan’T’Ys, images created by the intelligence left behind by the ancient fathers themselves. She shivered as she heard clear in her mind the terrible wail of pure dismay that came from Serinae as she had without hesitation shot her arrow through Tezrin’s neck ending his life and in a split second destroying part of her own.

  Minervar wrapped both her arms tightly about her, no, this place held no fond memories, only evil lay here, fell spirits of the mind and by the Maker she knew how that felt of late. Something brushed against her shoulder, she looked that way a hand rested there, a hand she knew.

  “Momma?”

  Minervar looked at Solvienne, saw the concern on her daughters face. Minervar shrugged and smiled, “nothing, it is nothing.” She walked over to where the two bodies once lay.

  Solvienne walked to the other side of the chamber where Serinae stood her hand extended, a small aperture could be seen in the wall. A portal started to open in front of them, the portal was widening., she breathed a deep breath and held it as they watched the portal opening ready to take them through into the Machine Hall.

  Serinae gave a little snigger and smiling walked forward, “come my friends, come and see what we helped construct all those ages in the past. Come and see the labours of our ancestors.” She smiled at them and walked forward, without any hesitation she passed through the portal and was gone.

  “Oh no you don’t my friend, I am not losing you like this once again. No way,” she ran forward straight into the portal. She almost bumped into Serinae as she stood looking out over the vista that now presented itself in front of them.

  So there they stood, once again within the machine hall. As she looked around her at the massive place, it seemed to Minervar that they had come full circle. The three T’Iea women gaped at the enormity of the place. The wide platform on which they stood ended in a sharp cliff edge beyond which they could see millions upon millions of flashing lights of all colours running across their field of vision. To their left stood the control panels, now silent and dark. Minervar recalled Retta and Tnie sitting there in front of these panels, following the instructions from the ancient scrolls they had been given by the ognod Gruntuk, Retta’s father. They walked to the edge of the platform to see the great machine in its entirety.

  Solvienne stood aghast, even Minervar’s descriptions fell short of actually seeing this place. It was impossible to see the full extent of this place, it ran off and disappeared into the far distance whichever way she looked. It almost looked like a vast city, but where a city would be creating all manner of noise there was total silence here. It felt wrong, so much activity going on below them in complete silence.

  Minervar suddenly got the impression they were not alone, her attention swung around to the far right. She was shocked to see a figure sitting cross-legged upon the ground, back straight and leaning against the rear cavern wall. The figures eyes were closed, hair hung down over the shoulders and down across the figures female breast. Her legs had on soft doeskin breaches that stopped just below the knee, where they met with the top of the boots she wore. Fine stitching in patterns of leaves and flowers covered both the boots and the breeches, her sleeveless leather jerkin similarly fashioned in typical T’Iea’Tarderi make. But over this she wore a bright chainmail shirt. Two arms deeply tanned, the feminine but knotted muscles showing through the brown skin. The muscles of a fighter, for two short swords lay out before her upon the stone floor. Two bronze coloured bracers adorned her arms. Her hands were laid upon her thighs palms upwards. Her breathing came in slow methodical moves. One other thing bothered Minervar, she gasped as she looked at the dirty blood soaked linin wrapped around the figures hands.

  The other two women turned to see what it was that held Minervar’s attention. Solvienne gave a small cry. Serinae smiled broadly. Minervar turned and she placed her hands upon the arms of her companions bidding them wait where they were, but Solvienne had already started towards the figure. As Solvienne approached the figure, the T’Iea woman sitting upon the floor took a deep breath and opened her eyes, they shone blue and bright beneath the deeply tanned skin of her face. Minervar came to stand by the side of Solvienne tears already ran down her cheeks. The T’Iea woman sitting on the floor looked up and a smile shone in her face. More was said in that smile than a million words could have said. The figure stood slowly and the three women embraced. No words were said as Solvienne and Minervar led the other woman back to where Serinae stood looking her arms crossed and a broad slightly mischievous smile upon her lips.

  Serinae looked upon the sun browned face, the smile, the eyes staring back at her, she immediately felt the gaze of someone she knew of old, she thought of a time long ago in a tavern in Tent Town, a small T’Iea girl stood upon a box turning a handle of a spit above a roasting fire, those same bare arms, thinner then, moved a hand in front of her face to remove the wayward fronds of hair from her sun soaked cheeks, just as the same hand did that exact same thing now. Serinae smiled as her gaze went to the women’s hands wrapped in the linin bandages.

  The women looked at her hands, raised them up in front of her, “ah, blisters, nothing more than a few blisters. I made a journey Seri, one that you must have made a long time ago, but I wish I had brought some thicker gloves with me.”

  It was all Minervar could do to stop the tears flowing; her breathing came in spasms as she tried so hard not to burst out crying. But through the sobs of joy she managed to utter one name, “Nar’Allia.” Then the two women were in a tightened embrace, tears from both flowed freely as they stood there enjoying their reunion. They had known one another for long years, but a sudden parting had left them both waiting for this moment, but each realised that this was not the place they would have liked to be reunited. Each felt a sense of loss that now at last they were together but they had run out of time. No time to ask all the questions that they wanted to be answered, no time to live their lives filled to overflowing with adventure and discovery. So, in understanding they both nodded to each other, for at last the final stages had come. This would be it then, perhaps one last final act together for the greater good of all.

  Nar’Allia released her hold on the Minervar, who stood back eyes downcast, cheeks wet with tears. She thought of all she had done, it all seemed to pale into insignificance, it was all just a dream now that Minervar was found. Then she looked at Serinae, a smile crept over her mouth.

  Serinae stepped forward and Nar’Allia ran to her and hugged her close. Neither woman said anything. They had said it all before, many times and now they had at last met once again face to face; there was nothing they could add.

  Minervar said in a voice faltering with emotion, “how, how did you find your way here Narny?”

  Nar’Allia looked at her stepmother thinking on what to say. She was conscious that Serinae was also listening and she had hoped that no one would ask that question of her. “I ummm. Well I found an old passage that led here, a passage that none of us except one
perhaps would have known existed.” She looked at Serinae before she said hesitantly, “An old way, a secret way. One that was formed from an act of love yet changed into one of betrayal.” Nar’Allia continued to look at Serinae. She was unsure how the T’Iea ranger would respond, unsure what emotion would rise within her. She loved Seri for what she thought she was, but love for another can be a powerful force, something that would drive many feelings. Love could change someone forever, change nations, change worlds. Love was at the heart, at the root of everything, love itself is - everything. To not know it would make someone barren, but likewise to know too much could equally destroy. Nar’Allia looked questioningly at Serinae, she scrutinised her face searching for the T’Iea deepest, closest emotional secrets. But in the end Nar’Allia smiled, she saw no malice there, nothing to cause her to mistrust. She knew, just knew that Serinae was whole, was real, was Serinae, just as she expected.

  Serinae smiled and took Nar’Allia’s hands and stared long into her eyes as if gauging something before she finally spoke. “I have so much to thank you for, so much I wanted to say to you. But you know that don’t you?”

  Nar’Allia just stood her hands held by Serinae’s outstretched hands. “Yes, in another time another place perhaps I would have so much to say to you. So much to ask you. Yet now I have the opportunity it all seems to pale into insignificance. We are here, we have a task to do, we have a people to save and redeem, they have waited long enough, suffered long enough. Let us save them Seri, save them all, here, now. It is their one chance, their one hope.”

  Serinae smiled and pursed her lips, she hugged Nar’Allia. “Your courage puts me to shame my sister.”

  Minervar thought of the heavy weight of guilt upon her heart, all the actions she had done, the evil she had been part of. She breathed deeply a smile on her face; she would be free of it, free of the guilt once and for all. She smiled at Nar’Allia and Serinae and said, “no. No we cannot delay.”

  Serinae stepped forward with Nar’Allia and grasped Minervar and Solvienne, the four T’Iea women walked together like old friends. They continued to hold one another as if they felt some great release in that they at last were able to actually revel in the others presence at long last. Then after some time Serinae stepped back.

  Nar’Allia clasped her hands together in front of her and she said whilst she stared into Serinae’s jade green eyes. “We must destroy it Seri, you know that. The machine. It must be destroyed; it is the only way, the only resort to save those of or kin that reside in the east. The rift has hold on them, it could easily take us too if we are not careful.

  Serinae pursed her lips, she looked deep into Nar’Allia’s eyes and said slowly and with much deliberation, “yes, Narny I know. I have known for a long time now. My only regret is that I fear that in destroying the machine we will also witness our own demise in one form or another.”

  Minervar stepped up to her old friend and said, “I think we all suspected as much Seri, do not fear. We are resolved to this fate. We will save many at the cost of a few.”

  Nar’Allia suddenly frowned, she wanted to say something. She needed to resolve something in her heart, something that had been bothering her for some time. If she was indeed going to die then she needed to get this out and in the open, she could not take it with her to the Maker. “Seri? You know I found your Dolan, the one you gave to Héaréa Ĝørtmûnd, I also read some letters, private letters, they were there in your room in Dĩmmĩ’s house. I want to apologise for prying. I hope you will forgive me this intrusion into your personal life.”

  Serinae shrugged, but her lips quivered with supressed emotions. It was a few minutes before she could say anything. “Those events belong to a time long ago, a time very different from now; it matters not, for they no longer have any meaning at least in the present, or in the future perhaps. I put paid to that long ago.”

  Nar’Allia felt encouraged by Serinae’s response so she continued, “I must ask another question of you, I hope I am not being disrespectful.”

  Serinae smiled, “I have no secrets Narny, at least not know, ask what you will, I will answer.”

  Nar’Allia smiled and taking Serinae by the hand she said, “Tezrin, he, well the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran I guess made a Rift portal beneath Gwéldølĩn. Deep in the tunnels, this is how I got to be here. I jumped into the portal, it looked like the Rift in the east, I guessed it would take me to the machine and it did but it also gave choices I think, choices to other places.”

  Serinae dropped her eyes to the ground and nodded. Yes, I arrived here in a similar way but from another starting place. There are certain entrances to the Rift around the world that give such choices of destination. Their history goes back before these times when the elder races had other knowledge and other ideals.

  Nar’Allia nodded. “Tezrin described it as a short cut. A short cut for him to meet with you?”

  Serinae sighed, “yes. Many years ago we both were in the employ of the Grûndén king. But Tezrin had already started to make his dark alliances with the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran. I did not know then, at least for certain. The Grûndén king would sometimes send us on separate errands and missions. I just thought that Tezrin wanted a way for us to meet where the Grûndén could not detect us and become suspicious of his activities.” She paused as if thinking back to those times. “We did meet below the city, whenever we could, down there in the labyrinth below Gwéldølĩn. Somehow Tezrin had found out about the existence of the Rift connection down there. He never told me how he found it; it couldn’t have been the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran for they never used it as a route to and from anywhere. This makes me think that Tezrin had another secret accomplice, someone who knew that the Rift was in fact used by the elder races as a highway for travel. But Tezrin kept this secret. Sometimes it was the only opportunity we had to meet for many years of man at a time. Perhaps that was reason enough for Tezrin not to divulge the whereabouts of the Rift to his masters, I like to think so.” Serinae’s voice faltered, she too a few seconds to compose herself, Minervar held her hand tightly, she looked up and smiled. “I didn’t know where the Rift he used led to and I never asked, I didn’t want to know. He always came to me, I never went to wherever he would go. But after a while my suspicions were aroused, when you love someone with all your being, it is easy to detect the slightest changes in their persona and Tezrin was changing. I shut all such thoughts to the back of my mind, but it hurt greatly and the effort to keep these thoughts locked away was painful.” She dropped her gaze back to the floor, she wiped her hand beneath her eyes.

  Nar’Allia walked forward and embraced her as did Minervar. She told Serinae of her journey through the mines and the labyrinth below the dwarven city in the mountains.

  Serinae took a deep breath and stood back, her eyes were dry, but Nar’Allia’s shoulder was damp. “It was only recently that I fully began to understand the purposes to which the elder races had adapted the Rift. “We always met beneath the city; there is a wide terrace where the labyrinth opens out onto the side of a cliff, we met there, I never had to travel further, so I didn’t actually know where the portal or the Rift connection was located. I never found the landing with the little ferryboat that you described Narny. I guess Tezrin must have built the boat or brought it there.”

  Nar’Allia remembered the platform that she and the Grûndén stepped out upon, the one where she stood aghast at the beauty of the place. She realised that must be the terrace of which Serinae spoke. 

  Solvienne spoke. “But Seri, this means that Tezrin new about the Rift, new that it led to the sanctuaries, I saw similar boats in Elit G’fedrel. He must have known.”

  Serinae just smiled. ““I like to think that there was still some good in him.” She paused once more, no one wanted to interrupt her thoughts. But she sighed and continued. “I must have become careless; in the excitement of our meetings I became increasingly rash perhaps. I think that the Grûndén suspected something and followed me one night.
They did not make their presence known however. The next time I went down the tunnel to meet Tezrin I found a guardian there, a Doglomite had been placed within the tunnels, it was allowed to roam freely and I could no longer gain access. Tezrin was also denied access the other way. I tried on many occasions to get past the thing but it was impossible, I had to wait for Tezrin to return to Gwéldølĩn by normal means before I could meet him.”

  “But the Doglomite is dead Seri, it must have died a long time ago for all that remain are its bones, I saw them myself.”

  Serinae sighed, “yes, Tezrin said that he knew someone who could dispose of the Doglomite. I didn’t ask anything more, but I suspect that the person of whom he spoke was actually a keeper for they have the power to transport such creatures between the voids so why not also understand how to destroy it. But I didn’t care what was done, for in those days what was important to me was our meetings. I somehow denied within myself what Tezrin was becoming; I didn’t want to believe he had made dark alliances, especially with one among the keepers. I was stupid Narny, so stupid. I should have seen, should have known where my denial was leading.” She remained quiet, deep in thought. 

  But eventually she took a deep breath, “but after a while, many years of man passed and my time with the Grûndén was coming to an end, the agreed number of cycles was nearing completion and my masters in the guild wanted me to return to Ter’Resell for they had other tasks for me to complete. Tezrin however they wanted to remain. The Grûndén king had negotiated that one of us would stay, it ended up being Tezrin. So it was I had to make a decision. Deep down I knew that Tezrin was getting deeper into the council of the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran, I think he realised I knew as well. This forced other ideas into my head. The security of Gwéldølĩn was at stake. For the Rift enabled secret access to the city, an army intent on invasion could quiet easily gather in the tunnels below the city and attack. Tezrin still kept this secret though from his masters, but with me gone from the city and out of danger, perhaps Tezrin would have allowed this to happen, perhaps that was what his evil masters intended. I had to make the most difficult decision of my life.”

  Here she wiped her arm across her forehead, her hand shook. This was obviously very painful for her to relate.

  Nar’Allia thought perhaps she had never told this story to any others before.

  Serinae continued her story. “I could not allow the Grûndén as an innocent party to remain in danger. I spoke with someone I trusted in Gwéldølĩn.” She thought for a while, “He told me much, filled in some of the blanks in my life. You know Narny there is a secret society amongst the elder races, they have always guarded their members true identities. This society has but one requirement for membership. That requirement is that the person must have been alive at the time of the building of the great machine or to have passed that membership to a son or daughter, who can then in turn pass it on down the generations. This society was tasked with the knowledge of the Great Machine, to keep its memory and existence alive. There are only a handful of members left now, only a few of the Society once called the Compendium of the Combined. This person in Gwéldølĩn, the one of whom I speak was one of them, but it is of no matter now, harm cannot come to him any longer. It was Ĝørtmûnd Fløwsélld. Ĝørtmûnd told me that he had long suspected that the Compendium of the Combined had a traitor in their midst, he had spent years trying to find out who it may be, but he never managed to identify this person. But anyway, we hatched a plan.

  Ĝørtmûnd played his part well; he approached Tezrin on the pretence of being in league with the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran himself. To prove this he told Tezrin all he knew about the building of the great machine. He took a risk by telling Tezrin that the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran obtained their knowledge of all this from the Compendium of the Combined, he gambled on the traitor being close to the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran that is how they knew about the biplextor devices and the machine itself and how to reprogramme the biplextor devices to make the machine act differently. Tezrin could not deny that Ĝørtmûnd knew things that no other could possibly know, so he placed much trust in him. I suspected that Tezrin knew one other who was a member of the Compendium of the Combined. I am sure this person was not a dark elf, I think this person was a keeper, the same one whom I mentioned before in relation to the killing of the Doglomite in the labyrinth below Gwéldølĩn. This made it far easier for Ĝørtmûnd to persuade Tezrin. Anyway, they had many more meetings and eventually when Ĝørtmûnd was sure he had Tezrin’s trust he told him that the Grûndén suspected Tezrin of having relations with the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran and he advised Tezrin leave via the Rift to save himself from capture and execution.”

  She sighed before carrying on with the story.

  “I’m afraid that our scheming may have had far greater consequences than any of us first imagined. But one day Tezrin announced he had to go away. I played my part difficult as it was, but it was easy asking him not to go, but I knew he would leave as he always did especially now that he thought he was fleeing for his life. I managed to plead with him to allow me to go with him to the Rift connection to say goodbye. I knew he would not allow me to go any further than the gate way and as usual I agreed to this demand. So we went down beneath the city, we stood outside the gateway, he kissed me, my resolve faltered I admit, for I knew that this would possibly be the last I would see of him. But the Maker gave me the strength and I was able to complete what I had agreed with Ĝørtmûnd. Before he passed through Tezrin said I should follow him when I could. he gate closed and that was that. But then all the pretence and stress of what I had just done came flooding to the fore, my life came crashing down, I was in grief, I couldn’t fight it. I left the guild and resolved myself to a life as a mercenary, a hired thief, a hired hunter. I didn’t care, the loss of my love was so painful I just didn’t care, I couldn’t have cared if I lived or died at that point. So I travelled and got paid work whenever I could, I was surprised to find that I was in great demand. But eventually time and events began to ease the memory. I thought I was over my grief and when I was offered a private contract with the Grûndén. I became curious, I wanted to know what had happened in Gwéldølĩn, so I took the opportunity. 

  It was during this time that I met up with Solin in the Smòlt Erûûn. She offered me a position with her and I took it. We travelled back to Amentura. On the way to my great surprise Tezrin apprehended us, he must have been keeping a watchful eye on me after he realised I was not going follow him through the Rift. He introduced himself as a friend and colleague of mine, he made sure that whilst he was around I did not have the chance to be with Solin alone and therefore could not disclose my suspicions to her. Well, much to my dismay Solin offered him a job as well, a position to work alongside me. Tezrin suspected that I knew he had strong ties with the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran, he wanted to keep me in his sight.” Here she giggled, “funny isn’t it. Once we couldn’t be parted for our mutual love, now we couldn’t be parted for our mutual mistrust. I had an unwitting ally in Solin though, I think she became suspicious of his true intent, Tezrin knew he couldn’t achieve anything whilst in her presence so he eventually he disappeared one day, never to return to Amentura.”

  Ĝørtmûnd remained true to his word and never divulged anything of the Rift below the city, or Tezrin’s betrayal. To my great relief all my friends in Gwéldølĩn remained just that, my friends.

  Nar’Allia’s thoughts returned to the Grûndén and the security of their city. Tezrin was still able to use the Rift. She asked Serinae about this.

  Serinae responded, “I discussed this with Solin and she provided an unexpected answer. When we had first met Solin she had given both Tezrin and me a little token each. She joked that they were an emblem of our friendship. These things were little disks that could be programmed to lock and unlock certain things.”

  Here Nar’Allia cried out. “You mean the Dolans Seri.”

  Serinae nodded. “So it was I never heard from Tezrin
or saw him again for many years of man. Then one day years later and out of the blue I received a package, I recognised the hand writing it was Tezrin’s. He sent me a message requesting me to meet with him in Ter’Resell. So I agreed and it was during that meeting he asked me to help him track down and recover that necklace.” I accepted, perhaps out of our old relationship, but also I sort to keep an eye on him, I wanted to know why he needed such a thing. She looked at Minervar and said, “I think my sister that you probably know much of the rest of the story. I’m sorry about dragging you into this all that time ago in the tavern in Corbond.”

  Minervar just took Serinae’s hand and pursed her lips with a sigh.

  Nar’Allia seemed a little confused, she had obviously been thinking about something else for quite a few minutes. She said slowly, “there were three Dolans altogether that Solin had acquired from the Pnook. One we know for sure belonged to Solin, she gave it to us when we left the great wood last time, it opened a secret room in her personal suite of rooms in her house in Amentura, a room full of odd things. The other two have less than clear origins though. One we found in the little cupboard in your old rooms in Amentura Seri. We always thought that one had belonged to you. She looked at Serinae questioningly.

   “Not quite,” was the answer. Solin’s you are right about yes of course, she dabbled with the Dolan’s found out how to change them to unlock whatever she wanted, I remember the excitement on her face when she told us that she had been successful in unlocking the secret of the devices. She suggested we use ours in a similar way, she said that she would change ours accordingly all we had to do was ask. I felt then that these Dolans had some special significance, they obviously weren’t just tokens of historical interest and I was loathed to change mine in any way, at least until we discovered what they were really for, what they were designed to unlock and give access to. But that leaves the other two Dolans. You are almost right Narny, but they were the opposite way around. The one hidden in the key cupboard in my old rooms was Tezrin’s. He gave it to me long ago, I insisted on having it as advanced payment for my services in finding that necklace. I wanted his Dolan and that was the deal, I would find the necklace, he would give me his Dolan. As I said, I never changed it at all, I was reticent to change it and also never found a use for it I guess, for there is nothing that I wish to lock away and hide, apart from the Dolan I was given of course. I gave mine to Ĝørtmûnd, I told him what it could do. He listened and to my great relief agreed to modify it, to use it to control access to the Rift below the city and to keep it secret.

  By this time Solin was continuously trying to implicate Tezrin with the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran, she wouldn’t let it go. One day I lost my temper with her, a stupid reaction, but somehow her telling me what I already suspected, well it angered me. I had to get away so I left the house and wandered the wilds for a while. It gave me time to think. I returned to Ter’Resell, to the ranger’s guild, I intended to tell them everything, but when it came to it I didn’t. My absence from Tezrin tempered my view of everything and I still hoped to change him, return him to the one I loved so much. Also I didn’t know who it was that was aiding Tezrin, it may have been someone in the Guild. So it was I didn’t reveal any of my suspicions. But Tezrin somehow found out I had gone there, he suspected that I had told my masters of his deceit and treachery. I believe he must have placed the arcane ward on the little secret cupboard in my rooms in Solin’s house at around this time. Quite what his intentions were I will never know. Perhaps he just wanted my capture so that he could keep me under control.”

  She looked sorrowfully at Minervar, “I’m so sorry Mini, I didn’t know that you would use it accidentally.” 

  Minervar just shook her head slowly a thin smile on her lips.

  Serinae continued. “I never used the cupboard again, it only contained Tezrin’s Dolan, as I said I always suspected that there was more to those things than met the eye and I wanted his so that he would not discover their true use. I thought no more about it at the time. But of course he had already discovered what they unlocked and used it, gained something of immense power.  But I had no intention of changing it or using it I just left it there. However I hid the key to the cupboard by sowing it into the sleeve of an old sparring jacket. I left a message in Amentura also, a hint as to the key’s location.” She looked up at both Nar’Allia and Minervar and said, “but then you know that don’t you.” She took Minervar’s hands and repeated, “I am truly sorry Mini, had I known what Tezrin had done I would have attempted to ward the cupboard or destroy it. It is one of my deepest regrets that you were placed in such an intolerable and dangerous situation.”

  Minervar kissed Serinae on the forehead, “please Seri do not chastise yourself, you weren’t to know and it was my own silly curiosity that made me place the key in that lock. I just couldn’t let it go.”

  Serine smiled at her and continued. “Ĝørtmûnd adapted my Dolan, he used it to lock the old Grûndén door deep below the city, the Dolan was tuned to control the Grûndén access to the Rift. The Grûndén would never know, they did not use or even remember their access to the sanctuaries, but Ĝørtmûnd knew, he was a member of the Compendium of the Combined, he knew all along where all of the elder races access points were. So he set a lock upon it so access was denied from either direction.”

  Serinae walked away, she went over to the edge of the platform and gazed downwards at the ancient father’s great machine. “You know, I have always tried to do what I thought right at the time. Sometimes these decisions worked out fine, other times not so well.”

  Minervar stepped forward she unstrung the longbow from around her shoulders and held it out towards Serinae, “come Seri, let us do this thing, this decision I am sure is right, we should delay no longer.”

  Serinae looked at the bow, slowly reached out and grasped her long bow once more. More moisture filled her eyes as she thought about all that had happened. She thought of her mother and all her kin who had used this bow before her. It felt good to once more hold the wood, feel the energy within. She felt once more the ancient presence of her people, felt their power, the ancient and mysterious power that accompanied the bow. She caressed the wood slowly with her hand, her eyes closed she had visions of tall trees, unending forests, sunlight streaming through the almost perfectly circular leaves. She pictured her people as they were, content and whole, as one with the world. She knew this forest although it existed many ages before she was born, before anyone was born. For the forest in her mind existed in another world a place covered in such a forest, a time before the axe and the fire, before the building of houses and towns and ships to sail upon the oceans. A time of peace, true peace. Then she ran her fingers up the length of the bow, felt the top notch. Slowly she placed the bottom of the bow in her instep, held the top of the bow, pushed with her knee and with her other hand placed the bow string into its slot in the top of the bow. She thought about all the times she had watched her mother do just this, thought about all the times she had done this simple act herself. The long bow sang to her, the voices of her people of old, the skills of those artisans and the knowledge they possess, she listened, she was sure she could hear their haunting lament.

  Nar’Allia came forward she had taken off the belt on which the two short swords hung, she was holding this out, offering it to Serinae. The ranger looked at the swords, she smiled and just stood there looking. Finally she seemed to come to a decision and taking the belt she made to strap it around her waist.

  “Wait, Seri. There is something else of yours that you need to put on first. “Nar’Allia slipped the chainmail over her head, the rings tinkled melodiously as they always did. This too she held out for Serinae to take. The ranger did so. Last to be offered back to their original owner were the bracers that accompanied the short swords.

  Before long Serinae stood in her garb, she thought of the irony that the last time she had worn these things was right here in this very place. Here she had discarded th
em, thinking that she would never use them again. Yet here it was that she once more took up her chattels, put on the mantle of a ranger, one last time. But there was a problem, she had all her gear once more, yet one thing was missing, her quiver and arrows to shoot with the bow. She looked down to her side were the quiver once would have hung on her belt and sighed.

  A tear ran down Minervar’s cheek, she stared at Serinae, remembered a T’Iea ranger that evening in Corbond. A T’Iea ranger that she was so envious of, someone who had a wealth of life’s experience, someone she admired as the model for her race. Someone who offered the promise of adventure. She remembered she and Jondris had shared a simple innocent meal together in the Tavern in the human town, witnessed a series of events that would change her life and change her forever. She remembered every detail of that evening, that single moment in time that could have quite as easily passed her by under different circumstances. The moment that Serinae had first walked into her life. She shook her head slowly remembering now how much change had happened from that simple meeting. How could one pathway in life, one innocent situation change so much of everything?

  “You may need this lady Serinae,” it was Solvienne who spoke, she was holding out the quiver in one hand.

  Serinae took the quiver slowly, she looked at it long and hard, then she clipped it to her belt and took in a deep breath. “However, I still find myself without a single arrow to fire.”

  Solvienne beamed, she looked very pleased with herself, she withdrew the hand that was behind her back and offered what she held to Serinae.  It was the strange bulbous arrow that Amndo had given her. “Someone gave me this arrow saying that it may be needed before the end, but alas I believe that more than one of those arrows may be needed to bring about the task which we face?”

  Serinae laughed, she took the arrow and placed it within the quiver. “That is not a problem Solvi, you will see.”

  They all glanced down at the quiver and the arrow. A few seconds passed and there replicated in the quiver were a number of arrows, all looking identical to the one that Solvienne had given Serinae, but they had a translucent look about them as if they were only half there. Serinae slipped one slowly from the quiver, she looked at the arrow long and hard, she seemed to inspect it, turned it between her fingers as she did so it became denser, more real somehow. She looked into the eyes of the three T’Iea women. 

  Solvienne took her arm, “Seri, we all knew what this task would entail in the end. We are all with you. The Maker, Eny’Nin’Rel, he will give us strength. We all go willingly even unto death, for we would save our race, save the greater for the loss of a few. Eny’Nin’Rel will reward us, accept us into his halls of this I am sure.”

  Serinae, smiled and looked upon Solvienne, she reached out and holding the young T’Iea head in one trembling hand, closed her eyes and kissed her upon the brow. “Your faith puts mine to shame Solvi. I will see you in those halls of which you speak before long, for we have much to talk about of that I am sure. I look forward to our sitting there in the garden of his creation. We shall see such laughter and enjoy such tales.” Serinae then winked at Solvienne and turning towards Minervar and Nar’Allia said, “as will all of us.”

  Minervar held the hands of both her daughters and smiled, all she could do was smile, no words could explain all of the emotions of joy and fear intermingled in her heart just at that moment. Her whole body felt tingle with anticipation, one final adventure it seemed loomed in front of them. One final experience before the unknown. But then perhaps she would find that the greatest adventure of all may lay before this coming moment.

  Serinae turned. She notched the arrow and looked upwards towards the six shining Brĩschlåûndérgré high above where they all stood. Then without further thought she brought the bow up in one fluid motion and drew upon the bow string looking along the arrow shaft at the shining Grûndén crystal masterpieces that hung high above her. In that moment she remembered Gwéldølĩn, remembered the years she had spent there, smiled as she remembered Dĩmmĩ and how she would now never perhaps fulfil her promise to go back there to that wonderful place and visit her friend once more. She breathed in slowly; she loosed the arrow on its path of destruction. Her eye, all of their eyes followed the path of the arrow as it shot up getting smaller as it flew. Then it disappeared from view all together, lost in the bright light from the globes. It seemed to take an eternity, Serinae feared for one moment that the bow had failed her, here at the last, at the end of it all, her bow had finally let her down. But then a flash of light, so bright that they had to close their eyes. When they reopened them they could see tendrils of destructive energy, tiny and thread like at this distance, but Serinae smiled. One of the great globes became engulfed in the tendrils, it appeared to be swinging slightly, but after a few seconds the threads died and the Brĩschlåûndérgré still hung there in the roof of the cavern where the Grûndén had placed them in an ancient age, a time that very few now remembered.

  Serinae drew another arrow and shot it on a similar path, then without hesitation she shot four more in quick succession before she dropped the bow to her side. They heard a sound like the clap of thunder. Slowly at first, one of the Brĩschlåûndérgré seemed to swing and fall to one side, it nocked against a neighbour and then it fell. Serinae felt sad, that she should be the instrument of destruction of something so beautiful. That she should destroy the great works of the Grûndén. She closed her eyes waiting for the impact. When it came, the great hall shook; an ear splitting crash heralded the great globes weight smashing into the machine below. She said under her breath almost as a prayer, “so begins the next age of this world, may it be an age of peace, an age of understanding, an age of great reconciliation.”

  The four T’Iea walked forward to look over the edge of the parapet. They couldn’t resist seeing with their own eyes the damage such an impact must have had upon the machine. They all held hands and watched even as their fascination turned to horror as two more Brĩschlåûndérgré fell to their destruction upon the machine below. As each globe smashed into a trillion shards of crystal the stored light energy from within seemed to flow outwards like molten metal, sparks erupted from the flow, where each struck the machine a small fire started and spread rapidly. Satisfied that they had instigated the destruction of the machine they walked across back to the wall where the actuator for the portal back to the anteroom was located. Even as they walked another of the Brĩschlåûndérgré fell.

  Serinae placed her hand upon the spot that would actuate the portal. She withdrew it and tried again. She hung her head and turned to face her friends. They all knew that the portal was inoperative; they all knew their only possible route of escape was now closed. Not a word was said as fire and heat spread rapidly out behind them heralding the doom of the great machine.

  They waited in silence aware also that the machine would not die alone.