Alistar reclaimed his chair. “Granted, the relationship the family has with the fairy-demon is odd, but it’s strong. George has become attached, and despite our failure to understand this attachment, George will remain loyal to Payne no matter what.”
“I agree with Alistar,” Celestria added. The goddess put a hand on Lasidious’ knee. “Do you remember what George told you? He said he would sacrifice retrieving his daughter’s soul to protect his family. This means, he’d do the same for Payne.”
“She’s right.” Alistar summoned a bowl of fruit. He continued to speak as he peeled a banana. “If Sharvesa was to take Payne away from the family, who knows how George would react? This whole pet prophet plan of ours could backfire. We should keep Sharvesa away from the family.”
A long period of silence passed before Lasidious stood from the table. An angry look appeared on the Mischievous One’s face as he grabbed the bowl of fruit and threw it across the room. It hit the wall with such force that chunks were sent flying in all directions. “Damn that Book! We were so close to having everything!” The Mischievous One’s temper took over as pieces of furniture began to fly.
Western Luvelles
The Camp of the White Army
The Next Peak, the Peak of Bailem
George and Gregory appeared at the center of the white army’s camp, just outside the tent that housed the Argont Commander. They lowered a heavy chest to the ground and waited for Krasous to exit.
Once the paladin was standing in front of them, Gregory started the conversation. “Krasous, I’d like you to meet the Prophet of Lasidious. He has seen to it that there will be no war fought on the fields of Olis. Your men can go home to their families.”
The Argont Commander lowered his head to symbolize his respect. “Forgive me, Prophet, if I don’t comply. I serve the gods of the white army. I’m sure you’re a great man to carry such a title, but I know nothing of your god. I fail to see why your lord would bother himself with a war whose combatants don’t speak his name in their prayers.”
George nodded to validate the commander’s point before he responded. “When Lord Dowd returns, I’m sure you’ll feel differently. For now, I give you my word that you can break camp. Allow your men to return to their families.”
Krasous’ brow furrowed. “If it’s all the same to you, I shall keep my men in place until Dowd gives the order.”
Gregory responded. “Lord Dowd is on Grayham, recovering in the city of Brandor. Dowd fought side-by-side with Lord Methelborn to put an end to the instigator of our conflict here on Luvelles.”
Krasous stroked his chin. “Why would Dowd fight alongside the dark lord ... and on Grayham, no less? The Order is our sworn enemy.”
Gregory nodded. “I’ll allow Lord Dowd to explain why. Your men owe him their lives for his sacrifice. He may never walk again. He intends to profess his loyalty to Lasidious upon his return.”
George jumped back into the conversation, “Order your men to go home.” The warlock reached down and patted the top of the chest. “Give each of them two of these for their service.”
George waved his hand and the lid opened. The chest was full of Yaloom. “This is a gift from Lasidious. He wants your men to know prosperity. When the moment is right, I’ll return to share his message of love, peace and unity with your legions.” George placed his hand on Gregory’s shoulder. They vanished, leaving Krasous standing in the snow staring at the chest full of wealth.
When George and Gregory reappeared, they were at the center of the camp of the Order. It was sleeting and the air felt colder than it did at the white army’s camp. With a similar speech and a second chest full of coin, Christopher was given a parchment that contained an order from Boyafed to send his men home to their families. Further, the mercenaries were to be paid far greater than they were promised.
To ensure there was no conflict, George personally met with Tygrus. The prophet explained that peace was coming to Luvelles, and Tygrus’ mercenaries would no longer be allowed to be compensated for hurting others. The prophet also suggested that the mercenaries find new employment and become productive members of society.
George and Gregory also left Tygrus standing in the cold with a third and final chest.
CHAPTER 30
A Cracked Gem
Southern Grayham
The Isthmus of Change
5 Peaks have Passed, Late Bailem
MOSLEY STOOD WITH THE ORMESH, RASH, AND HIS FELINE COMPANIONS at the edge of the continent of Southern Grayham. The group looked north across the Isthmus of Change which extended beyond the horizon. The night terror wolf knew there would be many perils ahead. Never had the Wisp of Song given any being a journey that was free from tragedy.
Mosley also knew that his sabertooth escorts might not be enough protection to survive the frigid lands of the Ice Kings. Despite this fear, north was the answer to the wisp’s question, and this was the only way Mosley would acquire the knowledge the sphere was after. The wolf had to be willing to put his feline companions at risk—and he was—after all, they were just cats. He had to find the gate that would take him to the catacombs holding the secrets of the Swayne Enserad in order to have his vengeance on George.
Across the Worlds Governed
by the Crystal Moon
130 Peaks of Bailem Have Passed
Now, fellow soul ... much happened over that 130 Peaks. The worlds were put into stasis by the gods, and a new dragon was created. All worlds were given a moon or moons.
All Yaloom coins were replaced with a currency that bore Lasidious’ image, and any reference to Yaloom’s existence was erased from all literature throughout the worlds. Though the Lasidious coins looked newer than the other, much older coins, the people on the worlds did not realize a change had occurred. The value of the Lasidious coin was the same value as its predecessor, and commerce went on as usual.
The literature on the worlds was also adjusted to add Sharvesa and Kesdelain. The mind of every being was altered, and when stasis was lifted, they had been left with the memories that Sharvesa and Kesdelain had always been exalted.
Peace settled across Southern Grayham, Harvestom, and Luvelles. Alistar, the God of the Harvest, visited George and gave the warlock news of the return of the Crystal Moon to the Temple of the Gods. George delivered this knowledge to Sam and Shalee, telling the monarchs that Lasidious forced Mieonus to return the crystal’s pieces. Because of this, the threat to the worlds was over, and the king and queen could focus on creating a better way of life for their kingdom.
Lasidious made many appearances to the beings on Southern Grayham to deliver his life-changing message of peace, love and unity. The Mischievous One became known to most everyone across the lands of Southern Grayham as a generous deity.
Lasidious reopened the doors to the temple and allowed the beings on Grayham to return to the plateau that rested high atop Griffin Falls. Since that Peak, many prayers were uttered, worshipping the Mischievous One’s name.
Many of the barbarians had also begun to pray to Lasidious after seeing the generosity of the reformed Senate. The same race who once hated the swine living in Brandor now approved of their new king. They understood that it was because of Sam’s vision that all barbarians were better able to thrive.
For the scattered sects of barbarians who rebelled, George had them corralled in secrecy. The warlock then teleported these groups inside the Mountains of Oraness on Luvelles. With the Source living on the new dragon world, George took advantage of the Ancient One’s absence.
With the rest of the Collective unable to watch because of the power surrounding the Source’s old home, the warlock put Maldwin to work. The rat was asked to use his visions to implant a message of peace in the dissenting barbarians’ minds. By the moment George teleported each group back to their homeworld, the barbarians no longer felt the need to rebel.
More than 925,000 souls began praying to Lasidious on Southern Grayham, and since the Peak of that estimation,
the number continued to rise.
Now, fellow soul ... there were also many happenings on Luvelles. Once healed, Boyafed returned to the city of Marcus and assumed his new position as Chancellor of Dark Magic. He made many changes in the way the dark arts were to be employed. He declared that the army would no longer be called the Order. Instead, their name would be changed to the elven phrase, Brugol Thelion, which meant, strength.
Christopher was promoted from his position as Argont Commander to the new leader of the army once he accepted Lasidious as his new lord. Christopher was ordered by Boyafed to change the army’s policies. They would no longer govern the lands of Hyperia by force. Because of this, many rules were implemented to ensure there were peaceful resolutions to the kingdom’s problems.
For those soldiers who wished to remain enlisted or commissioned within this new army, these men were expected to pray to Lasidious twice Peakly and work hand-in-hand with the white army to maintain peace throughout the Lands of Kerkinn.
Further, Christopher was ordered to gather the darkest magic users, and give them the opportunity to stop their abuse of the arts. Those who refused to accept peace as a new way of life were thrown into the swamp that they had polluted with so many deadly, deformed creatures. Brayson helped Boyafed find a magic that was strong enough to ensure that none of these elves would escape their marshy prison.
Boyafed also decided to change the city of Marcus. As a way of poking fun at his new friend, Lord Dowd, he renamed the city, Froland. Every statue, token, idol and altar that was meant to glorify Hosseff was destroyed. The perpetual clouds hovering over Froland were removed. No longer would the city be shadowed by gloom, unless it was part of a natural weather pattern.
The walls surrounding Froland were no longer considered a barrier to keep the less fortunate out of the city. The people living beyond the walls were promised that the army would recreate their homes to bring them up to the standard of living that was enjoyed inside the city. No longer would there be a separation of class. Any elf who wished to earn a living inside the walls—whether they commanded strong magic or not—was welcome to try.
Fellow soul ... the Kingdom of Lavan followed Boyafed’s lead and made many changes to their way of life as well. After healing to the point that he could use his arms to move his wheeled chair, Lord Dowd began his work with Gregory to spread the word of Lasidious. Dowd moved to Lavan and took over as the kingdom’s new sovereign.
Once Krasous accepted Lasidious as his new lord and swore to put off retirement, the Argont Commander was promoted to a new position as leader of the white army. The men who refused to accept Lasidious’ word were removed from their positions within the army and given estates to show the kingdom’s appreciation for their service. These men were not punished for their beliefs, but they were retired and allowed to worship whom they chose. Of the thousands who served in the white army, only 2,793 elves chose retirement. The rest re-enlisted without objection.
The number of those who chose retirement in Boyafed’s reformed army was much higher. Eight thousand, seven hundred sixty-four men chose to continue their service to Hosseff. But because of the nature of their beliefs, a secret guard was implemented to ensure there would be no problems.
In total, between the two armies on Luvelles, more than 121,000 began praying to Lasidious twice Peakly. This did not include the members of their families that totaled another 287,472 souls. The rest of Western Luvelles was starting to take note of the changes, and since the Peak of their last survey, the number of souls who worship Lasidious continued to rise.
There was one other significant change that the armies implemented—a change that Kepler’s scheming mind manipulated with Maldwin’s help. Kepler convinced Maldwin to implant the desire to glorify him in Boyafed and Lord Dowd’s minds. Thanks to Maldwin’s specific visions, both men approached their respective councils with the rat in their arms.
By the moment Maldwin was finished, both councils agreed to meet with Kepler. Once they understood the depth of the cat’s magic, they agreed that his ability, size, strength, white fur, and red glowing eyes would make the cat the perfect choice for Protector of the Realm. The jaguar became viewed as a unified symbol that both armies adopted, and his likeness was placed on their armor.
A new palace was slated for construction for Kepler. It was to be built at the center of the Battlegrounds of Olis. An enormous statue of the jaguar was to be erected to honor his position. This area of Luvelles would be Kepler’s own territory to begin a family. All the jaguar needed was a mate, and thanks to Lasidious, Kepler knew where to find one.
The centaurs on Harvestom spent a considerable amount of their moments with Gregory. They eventually accepted Lasidious’ disciple and deemed him to be a great man.
The blackcoats and browncoats agreed to set aside their differences only after George solicited the help of Maldwin to manipulate the minds. The result of his manipulation: the centaur councils began working to form a unified kingdom.
To keep the centaurs from going to the Temple of the Gods on Harvestom and seeing that the statue of Lasidious was not the same being who appeared to Lasolias when Alistar manipulated the browncoated king, Lasidious made Harvestom’s main temple invisible to all centaurs. The Mischievous One then created two other temples, placing one in the forest of the browncoats and the other in the territory of the blackcoats. A shimmering image of Alistar—as a centaur—became the centaurs’ new idol. Because both kingdoms believed that Alistar’s image was Lasidious, more than 581,000 centaurs began uttering Lasidious’ name twice Peakly.
Further, to keep the centaurs from realizing Alistar was an imposter by seeing the image on the Mischievous One’s new coin, more changes were necessary. While stasis was in effect, Lasidious altered the centaurs’ minds. They were made to fear all two-legs or any other being who used coin to purchase goods. The only exception was those who traveled with George. Both the blackcoats and the browncoats became scavengers and hunters of nature. The Collective was given no knowledge of these deceptions.
Now, fellow soul ... all these events brought us to a very special Peak that happened on the Worlds of the Crystal Moon a fair number of seasons ago. That Peak marked an event that many of the beings on Western Luvelles celebrated as a holiday once per season.
The City of Inspiration
The Peak of Bailem
Brayson and his bride were standing at the top of the steps that led to the entrance of Gregory’s glass palace. A rainbow of color was cast against the walls of the chancellor’s tower as a result of the sun passing through the prisms placed throughout the city. Spring had arrived, and it was a wonderful Peak for a union.
Many beings traveled to Inspiration from the lower three worlds in support of the Head Master. The streets throughout the city were filled as far as the eye could see, and in total, more than 2,080,000 beings were waiting for the couple to utter their vows.
George had teleported to Brandor and brought the royal family and the Senate to Luvelles to celebrate the event.
Shalee’s fashion expertise has been solicited, and after speaking with Brayson and Mary, the couple decided to go with the queen’s recommendations. Shalee used her magic to create dresses, tuxedos, and floral arrangements for more than 5,000 souls.
Sam and Shalee took their positions as honored guests while Sam Junior was sleeping in his mother’s arms.
Gregory assumed his position as Brayson’s Ho Meellon (Best Man) while Susanne was standing beside Mary as her He Meellon (Maid of Honor).
George and Athena were standing beside Sam and Shalee, with the rest of the family behind them. Joshua was also asleep in his mother’s arms while Payne was holding George’s hand, fidgeting something fierce while he wore his first tuxedo that had been tailored to accommodate his wings.
Approaching his first season, Garrin was sitting on George’s other arm. The child’s eyes were wide as he looked down the steps of the palace at the movement of the crowd.
Lor
d Dowd had been provided a platform for his wheeled chair next to Boyafed, and behind them, the officers of both the dark and white armies were in formation. The councils of Luvelles were next, followed by their families. The senators of Brandor were at the rear with the rest of the city behind them, filling the streets.
The one sight that no one expected, and perhaps the most memorable, was the position Kepler had been given. The jaguar had worked with the scholars of Luvelles for more than 30 Peaks. The demon had been designated to marry the couple, providing he spoke in the language of the elves.
Standing at the top of the long flight of stairs, the jaguar lifted his head toward the sky. The Protector of the Realm let out a mighty roar to command everyone’s attention.
Knowing this was going to happen, George used his power to ensure that every child present would not hear the fearsome sound in order to keep them from crying.
Kepler addressed the crowd and welcomed them all before he turned his attention to Brayson and Mary.
“Brayson ... Lle nau belegahtar, Cormelle nau taunya tel’ray.”
“Mary ... Vonimle sula teeri, Lle nau vaunima, Oiy nau ellealla allasse.”
Mary motioned for Kepler to pause so Brayson could tell her what the jaguar had said.
Brayson smiled. “The cat said I’m a mighty warrior, and I have the heart of a lion. He also said your beauty shines bright, and to see you gives him great joy.”
Mary winked at Kepler. “Keep up the good work.”
Kepler returned the wink and then continued to speak in the elven language. (Fellow soul ... I shall translate to make it simple.)
“Today is a Peak to celebrate. Peace has come to Luvelles, and your Head Master has chosen a mate. This union will break the boundaries of race. It will show the beings of this world and others that we are all created equal. This couple sets the standard for others to emulate. If there is anyone here who knows of a reason why this couple should not be joined ... speak now.”
The Eye of Luvelles Page 70
