REALM'S END (BOOK OF FEY 1)

by Jules Hancock

  Suddenly Briok heard a soft whisper. “Yes it’s true the elders might free Lillith, but then you and Gwenth would surely take her place. Can’t you see that child?”

  Briok looked uneasily about the room. He was alone; his parents had gone into the other room to speak privately. Not wanting to bring his parent’s flying, he whispered, “Who’s there? Why do you sound familiar to me? How did you get in here?”

  Briok heard soft chuckling. “Oh, if there were only more time, for this kind of innocent fun, but alas there is not,” the voice sighed. “It’s me, the Rowan. I’m with you for as long as the sacred water’s spell lasts upon you.”

  Briok blinked several times, his blue black eye lashes rising and falling in surprise. “You’ve heard all the conversation then?”

  “Yes of course, and need I remind you lad, I’m in your mind so you don’t need to speak out loud. Just think it, and I will perceive your thoughts clearly enough.”

  “Ok, then is what my parents say true? Is the realm going to end? Will it all be lost?”

  “Yes, it’s sadly true, Briok. The Realm will end whether you go or not, it was always meant to end, it has gone on much longer than anyone would have ever imagined it would. The old writings tell that the Realm was only meant to be a temporary timeline and it’s coming to an end at last.”

  Briok grimaced, “What is this nonsense about being temporary? We have been here for thousands of eons; whole species of people have died out, and been reborn on this world. What about that is temporary? Why should I believe you? It seems you have been hiding too much knowledge from the tribes.”

  “Yes it’s true I have withheld the knowing of this, for a long time now. Sephoria and I tried to share the news long ago, but the truth, literally scared the knowers to death. They died long before their natural times, so it was then that we decided that some knowledge is not meant to be shared. We learned a race can’t handle the knowledge of its own coming destruction. It is too heavy of a burden to bear. Out of our deep love, we chose not to share that knowledge with any more of the tribes of the Realm.”

  “What about the Nextl bird. If our planet is going to pass away why would a Nextl bird decide to reincarnate now? It makes no sense!”

  The Rowan sighed, and Briok sensed the great tree was shrugging. “Even I cannot understand everything the God’s put into play Briok. Perhaps the Nextl has some work of its own to do before the end. I can’t say why it would choose to be reborn now, but that does not change the fact, that this world was created to be temporary, no matter what has happened to time as we understand it. The end is coming, please understand that. Perhaps, you will run into the Gods in the future, then you can ask them to answer your questions.”

  Briok sat quietly considering all he had heard and seen in the last two days. The Rowan had always guided the tribes of the Realm with great care; he would not turn away now even though he feared the outcome. “Alright then, I will continue caring for the human and I will think about going forward to the future, but I have not relinquished my right to choose differently when the times come, so don’t assume I have agreed to that. Understand?”

  “Yes of course I understand you must be true to yourself always. It can be no other way. Please try to remember today not to leave the cavern in the evening by the sea entrance, come back through the great chamber. I had to create diversions yesterday, as to why no one saw you leave at the end of the day.”

  Briok flinched. He had forgotten to go back out through the main entrance. Instead he had in his excitement, simply flown out through the cavern’s main entrance.

  “It has brought no trouble this time. Your care is needed though; you know any timeline can be changed by any one being’s choices. Now it is time for you to finish telling Gwenth of the Realm’s tales, for much will transpire before the end of the day and she will have much need of that knowledge. Come now, do not fear, there are many who have great faith in you.”

  Briok rose and picking up the bag of food his mother had gathered. He flew across the room to where his parents stood talking. Reaching out he encircled them both, hugging them close. “You both are very dear to me and I will honor the Rowan’s vision for now, but you should know that if any chance at all presents itself to save our world I will choose that.” Briok pulled away slowly, he loathed losing physical contact with his parents. A deep stabbing pain tore through his body and he wanted to gasp out loud. He longed to fall down where he hovered and not get up. Breathing deeply he steeled himself, for he realized it was only his heart’s longing. If it was up to him to save his race, he must not succumb to his fears, as he would have in the past. Tonight he would have his awakening ceremony and he must put away the things of his childhood and accept his adult responsibilities. “Father, I will see you at the Rowan in a little while and when we come home tonight mother you can teach me the energy work, so that I may make my initiation.” Looking back and forth between their stricken faces, he could see the toll the fear was taking on them. Already they looked older, their color already fading, ever so slightly. “Please don’t fear so. It is as you have said mother. We still have reason to hope, Gwenth is our relation, which means Lillith and I survive. Perhaps our world will survive too,” Briok said. Turning away he flew swiftly out through the doorway.

  Lindel and Lisl watched silently as Briok flew away from their home. Outside they could see the dawn was long gone, and the day was bright and clear like every other, but neither of them took any pleasure in the day’s beauty.

  “How long do we have, Lisl? Did Sephoria say?”

  “Not exactly, but I believe from what she left unspoken that it is like a waterfall, once the new path is made it will begin to flow quickly,” she said, slipping into Lindel’s open arms. “Oh Lindel, I’m so afraid. What are we going to do?”

  Lindel held her close, letting her sweet scent wash over him. Lisl had always had his heart, even from the very beginning. She had been there when he had done his initiation, and he was so fresh and warm from the stripping away of heavy energy, he had set his eye on her and would have no other. Even after she had told him she was born for the halls of knowledge and would take no mate, he had clung to his belief. Now his laughter bubbled up, as he held her closely. “There may still be hope. I seem to remember at least one time you were wrong.”

  Lisl laughed, “Thank you dear for reminding me. I was wrong, once. Perhaps Sephoria and I will be wrong again. Let’s go about our day and remember that with joy.” She smiled at her mate as she stepped back to look deep into his dark eyes.

  “Good, then we are agreed. We will do what we can to save the children, whether anything else can be done, only the old ones know. Bless you dear Lisl.” Lindel pulled Lisl close, and held her tenderly against his chest. “I only ask that since there is no time for him to have a long energetic coming of age that you bring the boy gently through his initiation. I know the old knowledge speaks of a way.”

  “Yes there is a way, Sephoria and I have been reviewing the songs for months. It’s see now why she insisted that I renew those old studies. My dear, I promise you, no child shall ever know a gentler awakening. He will have his full power, and without the usual trials. He will keep his strength and not exert himself to gain the knowledge.” Lindel let go of Lisl, and her wings lifted her into the air, she hovered above Lindel. “I know it is not often I say the words, but I have loved you, all these many years, and I would have gladly bore you another child, if you had come to my bed.”

  “I know,” he said smiling at her easily. “When I was younger I resented your task and your task master,” he said, flying up to her side. “But eventually, I began to understand that while more children would please me greatly, I was only hiding from the adult I was meant to become, and then once I began the second awakening, I realized you had been wise to stay with your task. Now, it’s already late, I had better go to the Rowan.” Lindel leaned forward and touched his lips gently to Lisl’s brow, before turning and flying out into the da
y.

  Lisl flew out right behind Lindel. She needed to go to the hall of knowledge in order to retrieve several sacred items for the ceremony. It would take most of the day to prepare for Briok’s awakening. Tonight her baby boy would become an adult in the eyes of the Fey.

  Drained of Magic

  After five months of being pregnant, Meredith understood all too clearly that pregnancy for the human female wasn’t for the faint of heart. Exhaustion had become the driving force in Meredith’s life; the God child took all of her energy. Her ankles were swollen and sore, she couldn’t sleep on her stomach and even though she was constantly ravenous, food gave her little pleasure. As a Corvine, Meredith had long been able to reproduce, but she had never desired any of the corvine males and so had not as yet, started a brood of her own. Even so, she could see the strain pregnancy making upon her human form, and it wasn’t just physical changes she was noticing. After the third month of gestation she woke one morning to realize that her magical energy was being dissipated by the growing child at such an alarming rate that her spells were not lasting more than a fortnight. In response to that knowledge, Meredith had hastily resorted to creating a less energy consuming spell, which only needed a smidge of energy to sustain it, by renewing it every morning. James continued to be deceived with the illusion, her father had set in place; that Gwenth was safely tucked in to bed with a cold. Just as she had congratulated herself on fixing that issue, she had had another close call with a visiting neighbor, who stopped in to check on her progress, and out of normal curiosity the neighbor had been inclined to ask after Gwenth. Meredith realized then, she would have to cast a wider spell. That day she had put a forget spell on the old woman and then followed up later by walking down the track from the croft and casting a cascading spell so that as a visitor climbed the long incline toward the cottage, each step closer made the traveler forget on a deeper and deeper level all about Gwenth.

  Each day she had to renew the forgetting spell and at the same time try and reach out creating a wider circle of forgetting, all around the croft, so no matter which way a person might find their way up the hill to the cottage, they would have forgotten about Gwenth completely by the time they arrived. There was one pesky problem with this plan, she wasn’t all too sure how long a person would forget after they left the cottage and made their way down the hillside. She only hoped it wasn’t noted on in the village. Times were growing ever more dangerous. Hysteria was running wild throughout the country; charges of witchcraft were being raised in nearby towns, against innocent women. Meredith wasn’t afraid she would actually be killed, even if they found her out and accused her, for she could always leave, but holding so many spells in place, and trying to follow the cord of energy Gwenth had left behind, while being pregnant for the first time, well it was all a bit more than she could manage. She needed help. No sooner had she expressed that thought, than her sister Reval appeared. She arrived in human form well dressed in human clothes.

  “We thought you would never come to your senses and ask!” Reval blurted out as she rushed forward to embrace Meredith. Holding Meredith away from her, Reval looked the young woman over. “You look tired but marvelous, my dear. You actually look as if you are glowing. Humph, Corvine never glow when they are hatching out eggs, perhaps humans do have a better way.”

  Meredith laughed returning Reval’s hug. “Believe me sister, the humans don’t hold a candle to the Corvines’ way of child birth. I’m simply exhausted. But you must be more careful. What if you had appeared in front of James?”

  Reval waved her dainty hand which always seemed quite out of place surrounded by her great girth. “Oh stop worrying so. Why are you doing that Meredith? You never use to worry so.”

  Meredith smoothed back her ash colored hair. “Sister, come sit down.” She took Reval’s arm and led her to a chair near the fire.

  “Yes thank you little one, it is such a dreary cold business coming into human form. It’s the only thing that keeps me from doing it more often.” Reval let herself sink down into the comfortable rocker. The chair creaked and groaned in protest under Reval’s great weight. Reval rubbed her hands together, warming them before the crackling fire. “Do you have anything wonderful to eat?”

  Meredith’s laughter bubbled up and spilled over. “Never doubt you are a Corvine sister, for food is surely one of your greatest weaknesses! Yes of course I have something to eat. James will be in very shortly do you want to wait and eat with us or would you like to eat now?”

  Revel bolted from the chair with surprising ease. “Oh goody sister, I can eat twice.”

  “My goodness you are hungry. Well sit back down and I will make you a plate of meat with a small garnish of sweets on the side.” Meredith hurried away to the side board.

  Reval sat resting by the fire as she watched Meredith mechanically fixing her a plate of food. From across the room creases were visible on Meredith’s previously flawless skin. “Dear sister, why are you not using your magic? I can see the strain the baby is putting on your body, so why aren’t you using your magic to stay ahead of the exhaustion?”

  Meredith looked across the stone cabin. “I can’t sister, after all the magic the baby is consuming, there is a large spell of forgetting I’m trying to maintain, on top of the daily spell James needs to forget how long Gwenth’s been gone. I simply don’t have enough energy left over to do magic for the cooking and cleaning.” She turned back to cut the lamb pie and slip a generous piece onto the plate. Reaching into the side board, Meredith took out the basket, where she kept bread and sweets. She took out two cookies each with a dab of sweet wild strawberry jam nesting in the center, and placed them on the clay plate as well. Carefully putting the basket away, she stood up and leaned back trying to stretch out the kink in her lower back.

  Reval looked about the cabin, it was clear Meredith was telling her the truth. Meredith wasn’t using magic. Reval couldn’t feel Meredith’s signature on any of the magic about the house. The room looked worn and scruffy. Food scraps lay forgotten on the table and Reval could see the fireplace was in desperate need of having the thick layer of ashes removed. Yet there clearly was someone’s signature, Reval could feel a quiet thrum of magic, calling out like a small lantern in the dark.

  “Here ya go.” Meredith handed the worn and chipped clay plate over to Reval.

  Reval easily ignored the plate’s condition; happily she dug her fork into the lamb pie. “Oh, by the Gods, sister, you can cook! Even without your magic. Humans eat so well.” She forked up another mouthful of the lamb. “Raw lamb never tasted like this.” She thoughtfully chewed the bite as she looked at the pride in her sister’s face. “So did you find the magic that lingers here?”

  Meredith sat down opposite Reval on the bench, she and James used for additional seating. Reaching out she gingerly warmed her hands over the blue flames. “No it’s slipped my mind completely,” she mussed. “That’s odd, I do remember you talking about it, the last time you were here, but I can’t remember when I actually forgot about it.”

  Reval hurriedly finished off the jam cookies, and then sat carefully picking the stray crumbs off her bosom, and popping them hungrily into her mouth. When the crumbs had all been dealt with, Reval snapped her fingers crisply, and the chipped dish was instantly repaired, cleaned and flying itself across the room to the side board. “Right! That is part of the trouble, if you can’t remember about the magic it must be very powerful. A forgetting spell, I should guess, but who makes a spell strong enough to make a princess of the Corvine people forget?” Reval leaned forward, “Sister we’ve got big trouble. We need to find the source of that magic and get it tamped down, and you need to stop stringing out your energy along the perimeter of this place,” she said. “Think now sister, where do you imagine the magic is hidden? You may have already stumbled upon it, and that memory may still within your subconscious.”

  Meredith fumbled a moment as she looked deep into her sister’s black eyes. “I… I don’t know siste
r, really.” Meredith leaned back, forgetting that she was sitting on the bench and fell over onto the floor.

  Reval was instantly cradling Meredith’s head in her hands. “Easy now sister, I’m here now and not a moment too soon as far as I can see. You need to rest.” Reval snapped her fingers, and her magic whisked Meredith off to be settled into her bed. “Lie back now sister, rest. I am going to find that magic and I will send some of the Corvine to keep your perimeter spell in place, so you can stop wasting energy on that. Rest now and I will return tomorrow. Let James care for you tonight. He’s capable of serving your dinner. I have no doubt of that.” And with a twitch of her hand she was gone.

  Later when James came in from the hills, he found Meredith curled up asleep in bed. Quietly he slipped to his daughter’s room, and saw she too was resting. He thought she looked better today, though he knew she hadn’t been sick long, so he knew there was no need worry.

  Closing the door softly James walked over to the side board and took out the lamb pie and cut a large heavy piece dripping with gravy and laid it upon his plate and added a great mound of potatoes also. Being chilled from the late afternoon rain, he moved the small table and chairs near the fire, so he could eat, while he sat warming himself by the fire. Sitting with his dinner in front of the crackling fire, he considered his luck. To find another woman after his Anna had died that was amazing in every way. From her cooking, to her home making skills, and she could work the ewes as easily as himself, as if she had been born to it, which she clearly had not and that he could say she truly loved him, well that was the very essence of good luck. To have this bit of croft and his health and his daughter’s love, what else could a man ask for in life? Looking around the cabin, he could see the little things Meredith had been letting go as her pregnancy had advanced. The hearth needed cleaning out, and he could see cob webs hanging in the far corner. He looked at the stone walls and felt a great sense of satisfaction, this was his and now hers and people be damned if they thought for one minute he would tolerate the gossip about her much longer. James felt his emotions rising up and he squeezed his fists tightly for a moment to discharge the pent up anger.