by Darren Lee
Lian once again was puzzled. “Zaneen?”
Marrow looked at Lian in silence for a moment, and then shook his head at the boy’s ignorance. “Yes, boy, Zaneen. I forget you’ve never been beyond our valley and you have no one to teach you about our world. Our world is Zaneen, home to many people, who live in many different kingdoms.”
Lian smiled a bit, seizing the opportunity to learn more. “How many different kingdoms?”
Marrow turned away from him. “I can’t tell you, Lian,” said Marrow, continuing up the path. “So many, such a vast world beyond our little valley. I do know that the closest country is Kynlynn. Their borders lay just on the other side of the Telindell Mountains.”
Lian spoke up quickly, “Kynlynn? Miss Eva told me about that place today. She said that’s where my mother was from.”
Marrow sighed softly, stopping and turning to face Lian once more. “Did she?”
Lian nodded in excitement towards Marrow. “Yeah, she sure did!”
Marrow gazed at Lian in curiosity. “What else did she tell you about your mother?”
Lian was more than eager to repeat the story. “Well, she said my mother left me with her when I was a baby and she--”
Marrow snorted, interrupting Lian, “Nonsense, boy, nonsense. Eva wasn’t even with us then,” said Marrow. “You were left Lana. Such a young lass. Barely even a woman.”
Lian was confused. “Lana? Who’s Lana?”
Marrow looked at Lian kindly. “She was your caretaker after your mother left you with her. A few years later, she went into the forest and was attacked by a pack of wolves. You’ve been on your own ever since.” Marrow chuckled slightly. “You always wandered the village and the outskirts of the forest just outside the gates. Miss Eva has only been here seven years or so.”
Lian glared at the elder, not wanting to believe that Eva had lied to him. “But…”
Marrow quickly interrupted the boy again. “Now, I’ll hear nothing else of this, boy,” Marrow said sternly. “We still have a ways to go yet. Now come.”
Lian nodded slowly. “Yes, Elder,” he said in a voice filled with despair. Lian followed the elder, his thoughts racing. “That can’t be right…” he thought. “Someone is a liar. Either Miss Eva or Elder Marrow.” The more Lian thought, the more puzzled he became. “How could she know all this? Did she make it up? I really don’t remember seeing her before I was five, so maybe the Elder is telling the truth… I’ll have to ask her as soon as we get back.” Lian continued following Marrow, his thoughts at ease for the time being.
Evening was drawing near as they journeyed farther up the mountain path. Marrow rubbed his hands together as he spoke to Lian. “Do you feel the air?”
Lian remained silent for a moment. “Um yes, I think, Elder,” said Lian hesitantly, not sure how he was supposed to ‘feel the air’ as Marrow had put it.
Marrow continued walking, shaking his head. “The temperature, boy,” he said. “We have not even made it halfway up the mountain, and the temperature has already dropped fifteen degrees. It is one of the things that make traveling the Telindells so treacherous. Much colder at the entrance to Shana’s Pass. Thankfully, we aren’t going near that place.”
Lian remembered Eva’s tale of ogres from earlier that day. “Yes Elder, thankfully.” he said with a hint of relief in his voice.
Marrow pointed up the path. “Almost there now, boy. I hope this place is still standing,” he hopefully. “I haven’t been here since I became Elder almost twenty years ago.”
Lian looked ahead, not seeing what the Elder had pointed at. “How long has it been here?” he asked, wondering what exactly it was.
Marrow continued walking toward the area he had pointed at. “No one knows exactly how long, longer than the village,” said Marrow. “From what we know, around one thousand years give or take a few hundred. The village elders have always watched over this place.”
Lian was intrigued. “This place must be really important if they have been protecting it for that long…” he thought.
Finally, Marrow smiled and let out an excited chuckle. “Here we are!” he announced.
Lian looked around, but all he saw was the cliff’s edge to his left and the mountain to his right. “Where Elder?”
“Through here,” said Marrow as he stepped to the mountain face and began to squeeze through a small opening. “This will be much easier for you, boy. I’m a bit bigger than I was last time,” he said, struggling to squeeze through.
Lian started easing through the opening behind the elder. They emerged into a pitch dark cavern. Lian couldn’t see a thing as he called to Marrow. “Elder… Elder where are you?”
Marrow’s voice echoed through the darkness. “Over here, boy. Stay put for just a moment.”
Lian stood still. Then, the sound of a striking flint rock could be heard along with the brief flash of sparks bouncing along the ground. The cavern filled with light as the Elder lit a torch.
“Come, boy. The chamber is deeper inside, and mind your step,” said Marrow.
They began walking deeper into the cavern until they reached a great chasm.
Marrow looked down to Lian. “Now, don’t look down. It’s a long way to the bottom,” he said as he stepped onto a narrow bridge, seemingly formed naturally across the chasm.
Lian followed Marrow, peering over the edge only to see a dark void with an eerie white mist masking any sign of a bottom. After crossing the bridge, they came to a halt with nothing in front of them but the cavern wall. Lian watched the elder as he ran his hand along the wall, looking for something.
Marrow groaned as his hand ran along the wall. “Now, it should be… here it is,” he said with enthusiasm.
Marrow pushed on the wall, revealing a pressure plate. The plate slid back into the cavern wall, and the cavern began to shake as rocks began to fall from the ceiling. Lian looked around at the falling rocks, some smashing into the cavern floor, others falling endlessly into the chasm. He looked to the elder and saw that the wall was beginning to slide away, revealing a doorway. Soon after, the cave quit shaking, allowing Marrow to enter the newly revealed doorway. Lian followed closely, the light of the torch unable to pierce the darkness of the chamber. Marrow stepped to the side of the doorway and touched the torch to the wall. Light sprang from the wall as flames ignited. Lian’s eyes grew wide as he watched the flame travel around the wall, igniting torches and revealing the chamber’s circular shape.
Marrow looked down at Lian’s astonished face. “That is a pretty neat trick, isn’t it?” he asked playfully. “I had the same expression when I first saw.”
Lian looked to Marrow. “Trick?”
Marrow smiled at Lian. “Yes, you see there is a path along the wall filled with oil.” Marrow pointed towards the pathway as he spoke. “You light the oil, and the flame travels around the room igniting the torches. When we close the chamber the fire quickly consumes the oxygen in the room and extinguishes itself. Understand?”
Lian nodded. “That is a pretty neat trick.”
He looked around the edges of the room, then to the center. On the left, he saw a towering stone statue of a beautiful woman wearing a cloak that draped from her back and tied at the neck. Her upper body was covered only by a piece of cloth covering her breasts. She wore only a short skirt on her bottom half. The statue held a long staff at her side, with her hair hanging well below her waist. To the right was another statue. This one was a man with no facial hair wearing a plain robe. He was holding a staff as well, except his was curved at the top. He had long flowing hair similar to the female’s. Lian noticed that the male statue had pointed ears. In the center, farther back in the room was yet another statue depicting a man kneeling. This statue was plain. Lian could only make out the shape of a man, no details. His arms were extended and placed in them was an old, very unremarkable looking sword. The sword fit in the statue’s hands perfectly. There was a slight curve to it, the blade hidden by the sheath. Both the sword and th
e sheath appeared battered and beaten. It had seen battle. Under the sword stood a plain, worn, wooden table with some old parchment atop it.
Marrow looked to Lian. “Go ahead. Ask away,” he said. “I know you have questions.”
Lian looked to the elder and then around the room. “What is this place?”
Marrow looked around the room as well. “This is a shrine to honor a legendary hero of Zaneen,” he said. “Not many people nowadays know his story. It has been lost to time. All the Elders of our village have safeguarded this place for around a thousand years.”
Lian looked upon the artifacts in awe. “Who’s that?” he asked, pointing to the statue of the man on the right.
“That is a remnant of an age long passed. He is Olbien, the God of Dawn,” said Marrow. Marrow knew Lian wouldn’t be satisfied with such a vague answer. “When the dawn of new life enters our world, Olbien guides it and shapes it. He acts as our shepherd as we live our lives.”
Lian shook his head. “More Gods?” he thought. “This one is the opposite of the one Miss Eva told me about.” Lian took notice of the statue’s pointed ears again, asking, “Why are his ears pointed?”
Marrow smirked a bit. “Simple boy, he is Elven.”
Lian looked at him, puzzled. “Elven?”
Marrow shook his head. Lian was even ignorant of common fairy tales known by most children. “Yes, Elven,” he said. “According to legends, the Elves were very much like us. The only differences were that they had pointed ears and would live far longer than any human.”
Lian stared at the male Elven statue. “What happened to them, Elder?” he asked Lian.
Marrow looked upon the Elven statue. “They no longer exist,” he said. “They were killed out according to legend, hunted down and exterminated.”
Lian sighed in disappointment. Then he pointed toward the female statue. “What about this one?” he asked Lian.
Marrow looked towards the statue. “This is Elintae, the Goddess of--”
Lian quickly interrupted Marrow, “Dusk… she guides our spirits to the next realm.”
Marrow was clearly surprised. “How did you know that, boy?” Then, he smirked a bit. “Let me take a guess. Eva told you of her, did she not?”
Lian nodded. “Yes Elder, earlier today.”
Marrow shook his head, “It is all legend and superstition,” Marrow said with a sigh. “But it is part of our village’s history. I bet she did not tell you that Elintae and Olbien were lovers?” asked Marrow.
Lian shook his head. “No, elder, she didn’t.”
Marrow looked toward both statues. “It is a tragic story, one you will learn in a few moments.”
Lian nodded and approached the statue kneeling as if presenting the sword. “What about this one?” he asked.
The elder walked up to the table and pointed to the parchments. “Very little of this writing can I understand,” he said. “I can only assume it is Elven script or some dead language.” Marrow looked back to Lian. “I know only what the previous elders have passed down to me. It tells the story of Telindell, the hero these mountains were named for. Long ago, a horde of fierce, monstrous warriors appeared in Zaneen. They led campaigns against every country and kingdom. They could topple entire empires without even losing one soldier. This is when the supposed genocide of the Elves happened. According to the story, Olbien wished to protect the life within Zaneen and confronted the horde, but even the god was slain with little effort from the horde. Struck by grief, Elintae scoured Zaneen for a warrior of incredible skill. She found Telindell and presented him with this sword. With it, he could wield the power to save Zaneen and avenge her fallen lover. He confronted the horde here in our very valley. The battle was over almost instantly. The horde had vanished and so had Telindell. All that was left was the sword stabbed into the sands on the beach of the Eternal Sea. Thus, this valley was named Dawn’s Grasp in honor of the slain god. I can only imagine it means that new life will always come. The Dawn will always be within our grasp.”
Lian looked at the sword, almost mesmerized by the story he just had heard. “Wow…” he thought. “He must have been amazing if they built this place in his honor.” Lian looked at the parchment, noticing that there seemed to be more writing there than what Marrow had put into words. “Is that all… all of the story I mean? It just looks like there is a lot more.”
Marrow chuckled. “Yes there is a lot more, but I can’t read it.” Marrow looked to the old parchment once again, “I imagine there isn’t anyone alive other than me who can read whatever type of script this is.” Elder Marrow turned to Lian. “Now, Lian, we must be heading back. Dusk will come soon. We should make it back to the village around nightfall.”
Lian and Marrow exited the chamber. Marrow pressed his hand against the stone plate, releasing it. The cavern began to tremble and shake as the doorway slid shut and once again vanished from visibility. They were making their way to the exit of the cave when a crack of thunder seemed to shake the entire mountain.
“Hmm seems like we are in for a big storm. Should do the crops good,” said Marrow.
Lian quietly followed, his mind still racing with the legends and the story of his mother. Marrow started squeezing through the crack in the wall with Lian following. Lian was nearing the exit when he heard Marrow gasp.
Marrow began to shout frantically, “What is this? Where did they come from…” Marrow’s voice trailed off briefly before he began shouting at Lian. “Lian, hurry. Now!”
Lian exited the cave and peered into the distance towards the Eternal Sea. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he struggled to grasp what he was seeing. In the distance, a black horde of soldiers was marching out of a glowing red light shining from the Eternal Sea. The trees of the forest were being ripped from the ground. Fires were springing to life within the forest alongside the horde’s path. They appeared endless, a legion of death and destruction marching toward his village.
The elder looked sharply to Lian. “Lian, come. We must hurry!” shouted Marrow. “We must warn them before they arrive!”
The elder began running down the rocky path with Lian trying to keep up. Lian’s mind raced with endless thoughts of what was happening. He centered on one thought, “I must save Miss Eva…”
Chapter 3: Emergence
Afternoon sun gleamed down upon Lian and Elder Marrow as they left through the village gates. Eva’s sight focused heavily on the young Lian. She clutched her staff, closing her eyes as she let out a soft sigh. “We are not ready…” she thought, opening her eyes to look upon Lian once again. “Just a boy. A boy in which all our fates are tied... Even mine,” she said to herself before trailing off into silence for a moment. “One boy to save us all.”
The gates swung closed. Eva slowly turned and walked into the village, taking in with each step, the sight of small of children playing with glee, adults tending to their daily chores. Eva slowly shook her head at these sights. The old woman was nearing the healer’s hut when Alrad quickly approached her.
“Lucky for that little brat, the healer says Ebon will wake by morning,” Alrad said, his voice filled with hate.
Eva looked upon Alrad, remaining silent. “Yes, lucky for him… not that any of it will matter,” she thought.
Alrad glared at the old woman, becoming impatient. “Fine. Remain silent, you old bitch. At your age, the village shall soon be rid of you anyways.”
Alrad shook his head and walked past Eva, bumping her for pure malice.
Eva chuckled a bit at that. “No, I shall be rid of this village soon enough…” she said, her words trailing off into laughter.
Alrad stopped in his tracks, glaring back at her. Eva laughed at Alrad’s stare. He spat upon the ground. “Senile old wench…” he muttered before continuing on.
Eva approached the healer’s hut and took note of the healer’s absence. “I think I’ll pay Ebon a visit,” she thought.
Eva entered the hut and saw Ebon lying upon a simple straw b
ed. His head and eye were wrapped in blood-stained cloth bandages.
Eva stared at the boy, an expression of anger overtaking her face. “You are a vile excuse of a young man,” she said hatefully. She slowly shook her head. “Terrorizing young Lian at every chance. You, like many in this wretched village, deserve the vile and horrible fate that awaits you…” Eva’s words trailed off as she turned to leave the hut. Then she stopped and looked back to Ebon. “But after all these years, maybe there is an ounce of compassion left in me.” Eva turned and approached Ebon. She touched her wrinkled fingers to Ebon’s head. “Elintae take you, child,” she said softly.
Ebon’s chest rose as he took in a gasp of air. As he released it, the life within his body flowed out with it, leaving the pale color of death’s embrace on his once ruddy cheeks.
Eva removed her fingers from the now lifeless Ebon. “Now, I must return home while I still can,” she said to herself.
The sun was beginning to set upon the western peaks of the Telindell Mountains as Eva came upon her home.
The old woman turned and looked upon the rest of the village. “It would do no good to warn them,” she thought. “Even if they did flee the valley, Shana’s Pass would have them devoured alive.”
Eva entered her home and approached the chest that had held Lyssa’s ribbon. Upon opening, it she peered at an old sack, moth-eaten and worn. Eva grabbed the sack and removed it from the chest, dust clouding the air from the disturbance. Eva took the sack into the main room of her home. She sat on the rickety old floor, laying her staff next to her and removed a series of candles from the bag. Eva positioned the candles into a small circle directly in front of her. She reached into the pocket of her worn old robe and removed a handful of powder, placing it within the center of the circle. Eva clenched her fist, holding it directly above the powder. Her fingers loosened as her hand opened. A small breeze filled the room, stirring her long silver hair slightly. Green light engulfed the circle of candles. As the light began to fade, a green flame burning on each candle, thick and slow moving smoke began to rise from the powder. The smoke clouded the room before forming a ring above the candles.
