by G. R. Lyons
Shifting Isles Box Set:
The Prisoner, S.P.I.R.I.T. Division, Return to Tanas
G.R. Lyons
Copyright © 2015 G.R. Lyons
All rights reserved.
The Prisoner
Shifting Isles Series, Book 1
Excerpts from The Book of Creation
IN THE time before Time, there was the One, whose name is legion, part of which is Skelale'kel-oishaugh'en-ar'Rhyvnekoth, though it is Skelroth by which we name the One, and the rest of the One's name cannot be pronounced by any tongue known to Man, nor could any of the race of Men live long enough to speak it in full.
The One has always been, and in the time before Time, Skelroth was alone in the Void, and yet not alone, for the One is everything, and filled even the outermost reaches of the vast darkness with an everlasting light.
Kindling the light into a blazing fire, the One filled the Void with Time, and thus began the counting of the days, years, and ages yet to come, for the Void was still void except for the One's presence, but the coming of Time wrought change in the Void and made it void no longer.
This change wrapped itself in Skelroth's everlasting fire and became its own being, clothed in the form and figure of a woman. Thus did Nyses, Mother of Storms, come to be.
To look upon her, the Mother of Storms is a woman of middle years, with the flawless skin of youth and the silver-grey hair of age. Her eyes are the sapphire blue of the sky, and her raiment is a skirt of seaweed from the oceans and a mantle of clouds from the heavens. On her upraised right palm she holds a dove with a stalk of wheat in its beak, and in her lowered left hand she holds a crab with a trout in its claws. Mother Nyses is in the waves and the storms, the very force of natural chaos and change, and brings harvests and cycles within Time.
Skelroth looked upon the Mother of Storms and was glad.
But soon the Mother's chaos became too powerful within the changes of Time, her strength too potent, her influence too vast. To balance her strength, Skelroth reached into the everlasting fire and formed the Father of Stone to create an anchor against the Mother's power. Thus did Zhagos come to be.
In form, the Father of Stone is a man of middle years with a beard on his face and short but thick hair in the color of a rich brown soil. He is tall and broad and all muscle. He covers his loins with the hide of a wolf and is otherwise naked, adding only a leather harness that holds his blades and his mighty hammer. In one hand, he carries his great ax, the shaft made from the trunk of a mighty oak and the head from sharpened stone. In the other arm, he shelters a lamb, for his strength is not just for violence, but also for protection of the weak. Zhagos is the god of land, strength, and stability, and also perseverance and protection, and his value is honor.
Skelroth looked upon the strength of Zhagos and was glad, but Zhagos alone was not enough to balance the Mother's chaos. At first, Mother Nyses was diverted by mating with Zhagos, but when she grew bored, her storms became more violent, and Skelroth looked upon the destruction and knew balance had not been achieved. Reaching again into the fire, he drew out healing for the wounds made in the Void, and thus was Kalos formed.
Kalos, Father of Healing, is brother to Zhagos, also of middle years, but smaller and lean and entirely hairless. He wears a long robe of sparkling, shifting colors of a range and intensity that cannot be discerned by the eyes of Man. In one upraised fist he holds starlight, and in the other he clutches a beating heart.
Father Kalos sent out his light to heal the wounds wrought by Nyses, and then seduced her with the novelty of his existence. Nyses mated with him, and when she once again grew bored, she returned to Zhagos, and when she inevitably needed change, she returned to Kalos. Thus the Mother is mated with both Fathers, and their strengths are in balance, and Nature is as it should be. Skelroth looked upon their combined powers and rejoiced.
Yet, the Void was still otherwise void, and the One knew the Others needed a creation of their own, so Skelroth reached once again into the fire and plucked out a single burning flame and set it amidst the Void, where it burned and grew and took the shape of a globe. This globe he gave to Nyses, Zhagos, and Kalos to see what they would make of it.
Mother Nyses filled the globe with abysmal oceans and crashing waves, and she filled the waters with fish and the skies with fowl. Then Zhagos went to the core of the globe, took his greatest hammer, and beat the earth to the surface of the oceans, making land for his creatures. He pounded down valleys and struck up mountains, and filled both with elk and wolves, cattle and lambs, and all manner of other land creatures. Kalos took his turn, and formed Man, a creature both of nature and with an ability to harness nature. However, he found that, in the darkness, Man slept and would not wake.
The Mother and Fathers saw this and did not understand, and when they asked Skelroth why Man should sleep and never wake, the One would not answer: They must find the solution themselves.
The Void erupted with work and battle and quarrel between the three mighty powers, yet no answer came to them. After utter frustration and disappointment, they stepped back and rested from their labors, and Mother Nyses took both Fathers to her bed and lay with them.
The seeds of Zhagos and Kalos combined, and the Mother's womb quickened. From them were born the Twins, Inadra and Inaria. In form, the sisters appear opposite, yet are connected at the hip, and so are opposing forces joined for eternity.
Inaria is on the left side, and in form she is a lithe young woman with very short white hair, wearing a long gown of a white so pure that it is blinding to the eyes of Man. The goddess herself is blind, and stands in judgment of honesty, integrity, and cleanliness. She is the guardian of virginity and the preserver of truth, and gives Man an ethics by which to live. Thus she is called the Lady of Purity.
On the right side stands Inadra, a voluptuous young woman with long, flowing black hair, and she is naked, her sensual curves always visible and begging to be touched. She is the goddess of fertility, growth, desires, and appetites, and gives Man the needs that drive him. She is the Lady of Passions.
The beauty of the Twins was great, but their Mother and Fathers wept to see that the darkness of the Void disguised the intensity of their loveliness. So, with Skelroth's permission, Mother Nyses reached into the fire, but quickly snatched her hand back as the flame threatened intense pain, and all she managed to extract was a small and trembling spark. This spark she stretched and formed into a milky globe amidst the Void, and called it Garis. Its feeble light shone through the Void and made the Twins' brilliance a little more apparent, but not nearly enough so.
And when the gods looked down upon the world, they saw Man begin to stir, but still did not wake.
Thus, Zhagos took up his hammer and Kalos his incandescence, and with their greater strengths and endurance they extracted larger sparks from the Creator's eternal fire, and within the Void they fashioned their own globes of light. Zhagos made Sehryl, a ball of fire that gave off light and heat and pierced the void with rays. Seeing the intensity of this light, Kalos tempered his so that it shone and sparkled in myriad colors, and called it Subhadin. It was not as bright as Sehryl, and gave off no heat, but added a fantastic quality to the light and shadows in the Void. All three lights combined to show the brilliance of the Twins, and there was laughter and desire in the Void.
Not to be outdone, the Twins saw the lights their genitors had made, and plucked tiny bits from each one, scattering the bits across the heavens and laying a glittering, adamantine carpet in the sky.
Yet, Man still slept. He stirred with each new light, but did not wake. Skelroth saw this, and felt as though the Void had frozen in Time, though Time continued to run apace.
Skelroth reached once more into the fire, and
drew out a burning force that would put the power of the Twins into motion. Thus did Thrysundir, Lord of Action, come to be.
In form, the Lord of Action is a lithe young man. He has short brown hair, deep brown eyes, and stands entirely naked upon a sundial, one foot in the center and the other one step forward. His hands are fisted at his sides and his eyes pierce the future while he moves constantly forward with his chin held high. Thrysundir made patterns of the Twins' stars and used his strength and his vision to set Garis, Subhadin, and Sehryl in motion, making them moon and suns for the world, and bringing a cycle of time to the land and all its creatures. He channeled Inaria's truth and Inadra's passions into purposeful action, and the world came alive.
Thus, Man awoke and beheld the vast creation of the mighty Seven, and the Void fell away.
THE SEVEN looked down at the world of their creation, and rejoiced. Yet, it was apparent their influence was no longer required, as Man had been given all things necessary to his survival: the waters and their creatures from Nyses, for their sustenance; the land and its beasts from Zhagos, for their shelter; appetites and desires from Inadra, for motivations; truth and the higher virtues from Inaria, for knowing good and evil; choice and subjective values from Thrysundir, for their unique individuality; and their very forms from Kalos, for autonomy and identity.
Man began to explore his world, and the Seven were content to be spectators, watching as Man lived and learned and grew. They saw Man pull himself up from his slumbers on the dirt, hungry and unclad, and walk about the world. They watched Man discover how to feed and clothe himself, create ways to communicate with others, and build sturdier shelters.
Time passed in Man's reckoning, and though the gods made themselves known to Man, they did not interfere. The Seven wanted to see what Man could do on his own, using the gifts given, and marveled at his every new creation.
CENTURIES PASSED, and the Seven watched in awe as simple gathering gave way to cultivation and farming, as day-long hunting became animal husbandry, as clothing made of hides was replaced by lighter and sturdier textiles. Man discovered and invented new tools, new processes, and new ways of living, and people thrived upon the land.
But while some were content to live and work in cooperation and freedom, others did not want to exert their own labor, and instead turned to force, using their superior cruelty or cunning to place themselves above other men. Over time, Man became fractious, and while some sought new frontiers and freer lands, others built up governments and armies and defined imaginary borders upon the land, pitting Man against Man and stirring up war.
Lands were fought over, territories claimed, and people enslaved in many parts of the world. Kings rose up and fought with other kings, power changed hands, and lives were destroyed.
Some moved to the northernmost reaches of the world, and over time became a hardy people, strong enough to endure the driving snows and freezing cold. The icy wasteland was shunned by many other kingdoms; thus, the Falsiners of the north were left in relative peace, though ruled over by their clan leaders and their king.
To the west, the democracy of Tanas sprang up, though it teetered always on the edge of communism, with an attempt to force every man to share equally the fruits of the land, regardless of his needs. It was not long before no man was permitted to own anything, nor was he allowed to choose his own labor: The community decided all things for each person, under the guidance of the Elders who claimed the wisdom to lead.
In the center of the land and toward the east, kingdoms rose and fell in rapid succession, with princes and would-be emperors constantly battling one another, but ultimately always expanding their territories until the lands fell under the power of either Ceynes or Andria, and soon even Andria was gathered under the Ceynesian banner for a time.
To the southeast were the desert dwellers, and the people there developed darker skins as they became accustomed to the blistering heat and sun of their land. This area, known as Indisar, strove constantly in battle against the forces of Ceynes, each seeking to win the territories of the other: the Ceynesians for their knowledge, and the Indisarians for their jewels.
To the south, in the warm, tropical climate of the land known as Erostil, the people shunned war and avoided battle, and kept mostly to themselves. As the years passed, both Ceynes and Indisar sought to win the land of Erostil, but they found the people there so primitive and indecent that the power Ceynes eventually won over them became nominal at best.
Also in the south of the world, sandwiched between Ceynes and Indisar, there was a deep, lush valley, so dense and impenetrable that only a handful of men could explore the land. These men, those born to be magi, used their powers to travel by magic into the depths of this valley, where they built a grand and glittering city nestled amongst the trees, and the rest of the world knew little of its existence, except when the magi returned to the lands of their births. The valley, however, was considered home to the magi, and was called Jadu'n, and was never involved in the wars of men for it could not be penetrated by any army.
While strife and battle raged in much of the world, to the southwest, the people took few leaders and recognized little government. They upheld individual rights, private property, and freedom as the highest ideals, and thus, could not condone some men placing themselves above others. Though long a democracy, this land always bordered on eliminating its government entirely, and the gods knew it was only a matter of time before these people shunned all ideas of control and became truly free. While other peoples struggled for land and power, the men of the southwest struggled for advancement. Thus, their land, known as Agoran, outstripped all others by leaps and bounds in terms of technology and quality of life.
The Seven looked down upon the world, amazed by the peace and advancement of the Agori, and at the destruction of the other lands. Years passed and wars escalated. The Seven were disgusted with what Man had made of the world gifted to him.
In the space of a fraction of a second by Man's counting, the Seven agreed that something must be done, and Father Zhagos rose up, the strongest in arm, and took up his mighty hammer.
Zhagos brought the hammer down upon the land, shaking the world to its very foundation with an explosive crash, sending trees toppling, homes crumbling, and mountains sliding. A great fissure erupted in the land, opening a deep crevasse that splintered outward in several directions.
The Father of Stone swung his arm around again and struck the land a second time, widening and deepening the cracks in the land, wreaking more destruction upon the surface and sending the ocean waves to crash violently upon the coasts.
With a deep breath, Zhagos lifted his hammer one more time and struck a third and final blow. A splintering explosion sounded as the cracks radiated out toward the coasts, and the waters of the ocean ran in, filling the gaps as the land separated into several smaller masses. These slowly drifted apart from one another while new coastlines continued to crumble, and people fell to their knees, dizzy from the drifting motion.
Thus, in the year 2952 by Man's reckoning, came the Breaking of the World, in which the land was split into several Isles. No longer anchored as one land mass, the Isles move about the world, sometimes drifting in isolation without another land in sight for months, and sometimes colliding violently and wreaking further destruction upon the land.
Falsin, Ceynes, Andria, Indisar, Tanas, Jadu'n, Erostil, and Agoran all move their separate ways. Some will thrive while others will fail, and Time continues to flow.
Welcome to the world of the Shifting Isles…
The Prisoner
Chapter 1
GASPING FOR air, Benash lurched to a stop when he reached the fork in the path, his arms flailing to keep himself upright while his boots slid on the loose dirt. He bent forward, planted his hands on his knees, and squeezed his eyes shut against the pain of his burning lungs.
Now, Benash, he thought. You have to go now if you're going to make it.
He lifted one hand to wipe the
sweat from his brow, then braced against his knees again while he glanced from the left fork to the right and back several times.
You can still make it if you go right now.
But he hesitated, as he did every morning, feeling trapped where the paths diverged. The left fork was narrower than the main path behind him, but could still accommodate two men abreast. It looked thoroughly used, the hard-packed dirt making a straight shot through the woods with only the barest hint of a turn here and there until it reached the prison deep within the forest, a full mile from his current location. The right fork, by contrast, was narrow, weed-choked, and full of mysterious shadows as it wound its way in another direction. Benash knew the right fork led to the prison as well—he'd been told as much on a training assignment once, back before he'd earned his Hawk badge—but it made the journey at least a good half-mile longer, and he'd never set foot on the right fork since.
It was tempting, if only for the novelty of it.
As such, it would also be entirely illegal.
But they'd never know, would they? As long as I arrived on time?
Benash straightened, his desire intent upon the right fork. He turned his head at a glacial pace, scanning the area with his eyes, but there were so many obstacles and flickering shadows, it would be impossible by sight alone to know if there was anyone watching him.
Tentatively, he sent out a tiny feeler with his mind, surprised and relieved not to find another mental presence anywhere nearby. Holding his breath, he widened his search until he had nearly reached the town behind him and the prison before him, but still found himself alone in the forest.
He wiped the sweat from his brow again while his heart raced.
Tomorrow, he told himself, pressing his mouth into a grim line and keeping his eyes firmly forward. I'll take the right fork tomorrow.
