by Rex Hazelton
“But how?” the young Woodswane asked the wizard as his chest tightened with fear.
“Cut down a sapling and throw it into the water.”
“Why would something like that help?”
“There's a power in the act of sacrifice that prophecy tells us is a key to the Hammer Bearer's strength.”
“But won't the tree be sacrificed and not me.”
“You miss the point! The tree's death can only represent your own willingness to make sacrifices for Nyeg Warl's sake, nothing more. If it's within you to do such things, like risking your life, the tree will act as a conduit through which your magic can pass, infusing it with the ability to retrieve the hammer from the river's deepest depths.” Bacchanor was explaining the crucial test now facing Jeaf. “On the other hand, if your heart lacks the willingness to sacrifice, then cutting the tree down will be done in vain.”
Following the wizard's directions, the young Woodswane took his sword from its sheath and proceeded to cut down a willow sapling growing at the river's edge. Then bending down on one knee, he lowered the whippy tree onto the water's surface, holding it fast so that the current couldn't pull it out of his hand. But nothing happened.
“What do I do now?” Jeaf spoke in frustration.
“Wasn't Mystlnor your mentor?” the wizened wizard asked.
“Yes!” At the moment he spoke, Jeaf wished with all of his heart that Alynd were there.
“Then use those things he taught you and retrieve your prize!”
Remembering Alynd's teaching about the power of N'Rah, Jeaf focused his life force into the arm that held the tree, allowing it to course outward. Instantly, an amber glow appeared: first, covering his chest, then, running down his arm, and, finally, out onto the sapling until both were immersed in magical light.
The young Woodswane nearly lost his balance when he felt his sense of touch extending out into the water along with the expanding illumination. It was a most peculiar experience, one that he would later have difficulty explaining. Feeling scores of leaves undulating as the water's current tugged at them, Jeaf suddenly realized that he had magically melded with the sapling. Pausing to register the numerous different sensations, he was amazed at being able to feel as bark, leaf, branch and trunk did.
A sudden hunger for rich dark soil filled the Hammer Bearer's mind. Instinctually, he thrust his free hand into the ground and began consuming the nutrients it held. As he did, he absorbed the power of the warl through fingers that were extending outward, probing deeply into the soil, giving him the strength of the tree's own roots. An overwhelming sense of satisfaction coursed through the young Woodswane as he felt the earth's abundant life flowing up through one arm, into his body, out through the other arm and into the sapling, causing the young tree to grow rapidly, stretching its branches farther out into the river.
In time, Jeaf turned his thoughts to the hammer and was surprised to find that he knew where it lay. It was as if Vlad'War's Child were beckoning him. Using his will, the young Woodswane ordered the life that he was absorbing from the soil to flow through one particular branch. Plunging far beneath the river's surface, it began scouring the sandy bottom with dozens of leafy fingers, moving in the direction it was sent. Before long, the branch touched the hammer and a brilliant red light, one that the men could see piercing upward out of the river's depths, was released. Growing in intensity, the hammer's illumination bleed into the amber light, overwhelming it until Jeaf was bathed in a radiant crimson glow, a glow that lit up the approaching night.
“Help me!” the Hammer Bearer cried out as he withdrew his elongated fingers from the soil, so he could use both hands to pull the maturing tree out of the water.
Alerted, the others leapt to his side and exerted their strength to extract the tree out of the river, and as they did, they were all engulfed by the hammer's light and knew all that the Hammer Bearer knew. They, too, felt the resplendent life of the soil and were touched by the tree's heart. All the while, they were overcome with a vision, one where Jeaf was clad in silver armor: a golden cape swept over his broad shoulders, a ruby crown sat upon his head, and huge wings spread out from his shoulders. Hard to behold, his glory was as blinding as reflected sunlight splashing off a brilliantly polished shield. Behind him, ethereal figures, each carrying a ready sword, stood around and above him as far as the eye could see.
When the lion-share of the tree had been brought up on land, the branch that held the hammer in its leafy fingers bowed out of the water. Bending over the toiling men, it dropped the prize back into its sheath as deftly as a jeweler placing a gem atop a ring. When this happened, the crimson light disappeared, the amber glowed returned, and the branch whipped backward, slapping sharply against the river's surface, sending a spray of water over the company. Releasing his hold on the tree, and entrusting its ever-increasing weight entirely in his friends' hands, Jeaf ran over to the sapling's stump and laid his hands on it. Soon, both he and the stump were bathed in amber light.
“Hurry… bring the tree!” Jeaf urged.
Not long afterwards, the men were standing the tree's trunk on top of the stump it had once grown out of. With the maturing tree balancing precariously on the smaller stump that was struggling to keep up with the trunks growth as the Woodswane's touch was urging it to, Jeaf placed one of his hands on the wobbling trunk the men were struggling to control, while the other continued to hold onto the stump. Three heartbeats later, a loud snap resounded through the darkening sky, like the sound of a timber being broken over a giant's knee, and the tree trunk went rigid as the Woodswane's magic joined it to the stump.
Moved by the Hammer Bearer's enchantment, the sapling's roots were racing through the rich earth drawing in the elements needed to make the stump expand enough to match the trunk's increased width. Then, stepping out of the amber glow that bathed the former sapling, the men stood watching the tree continue to grow as it groaned and creaked from the force of the magic working in it. In the end, the illumination faded away, leaving behind a willow tree that looked, by all appearances, as if it were thirty summers old.
Once the exhausted company made it back to camp, they stoked the fire with fresh wood and settled in for a much-needed night's rest.
Bacchanor was the first to break the silence. “Well Tsut'waeh… I imagine you've had your doubts removed by Jeaf's little exhibition.”
“Not only have my doubts been removed, but visions of Parm Warl are dancing in my head!”
The short conversation sent the men into the secret chamber of reflection, the place that exists in each one's mind, to mull over the day's events and try to determine what they might mean. Later, after they had fallen asleep, each dreamt of war, valor, magic, myth, hearth, home, but mostly about Parm Warl.
****
The men, who woke earlier than the sun, had been traveling over the Crystal Plains for some time before the fiery orb finally peaked over the mountain tops now filling the eastern horizon. All the while the Blue River, rolling past the men and back towards the distant Peaceful Sea, was their constant companion.Tsut'waeh, who carried a crown in his saddle bag he had woven out of the rope like branches taken from the miraculous willow used to retrieve the hammer, rode with a posture of dignity he felt was compatible with the wondrous momento he had entrusted himself to carry.
Later that afternoon, the plains began to heap up against the Alabaster Mountains like a bath towel casually tossed against a wall. Grasslands gave way to trees that began to appear in places other than where the river's lifeblood flowed. Once they entered the foothills, the arbors that had been steadily multiplying became a full-fledged forest. Riding deep into the greenwood, under the canopy of the encroaching darkness of another night, Tsut'waeh announced that they had passed into the realm of the Tayn'waeh.
Around the campfire that evening, the young Tayn'waeh told stories of his ancestors' heroism, topping the evening off by explaining their customs so that the others would know what to expect come the following day.
&nbs
p; Just before dinner time, the Company of the Hammer entered Ranah, one of twelve Tayn'waeh villages and Tsut'waeh's home. His father, Zhan, who welcomed them into his home for the evening meal, looked every inch the chieftain that his son said he was.
Once the villagers heard about Tsut'waeh's traveling companions, the scent of legend began drawing them towards Zhan's dwelling, and as they came, they brought gifts of food with them.
The chieftain's house had been built extraordinarily large to accommodate the crowds of people that normally sought an audience with their leader and judge. But it couldn't handle the flood pouring in that day. So many Tayn'waeh had come to take a look at the Hammer Bearer, Jeaf and the others had barely enough elbow room to eat the delicious foods that were heaped up before them. The windows and door had to be left open, so that the overflow of people standing outside would have a chance to see the Promised One, he who had walked out of the mists of mystery and seated himself in the middle of their humble village.
Noticing the diversity of peoples living in the village of Ranah, Jeaf shared this observation with Zhan. “Tsut'waeh didn't tell us that so many others that don't share their lineage live among the Tayn'waeh? For I see those who look like Hadram, I see my own people the Woodswane, and a representation from Nyeg Warl's other realms, as well.”
“Yes! Yes! Of course!” Zhan's eyes sparkled as he spoke. “Though not born a Tayn'waeh, they became one by traveling down the pathway of adoption. As a matter of fact, one of the twelve Tayn'waeh villages is populated almost solely with Forest People.”
Hearing that this enigmatic people held such a prominent place, Jeaf asked a question out of curiosity. “Sir, what do you know of the Forest People?”
“We know them to be those who were cast out of the kingdom's that refused to believe the tales of horror they told about the terrible things they had endured at the hands of monsters like Koyer and Schmar.” Zhan's compassionate face displayed resolve as he added, “But the Tayn'waeh believe them, for our own bitter history has given us ears to hear and eyes to see.”
“It's as they say in Vestylkynd, one must know the truth about themself, before they can know the truth about another. Since most of the people in Nyeg Warl don't want to know the truth about what ails them, then most certainly they wouldn't want to hear the things the Forest People have to say.”
“Sir, if I might ask?” Jeaf repositioned his feet like he was readying himself to catch a heavy burden. “What ails Nyeg Warl?”
“I see you're a man that cuts to the chase. Very good.” Zhan smiled approvingly. “Nyeg Warl has chosen to believe that it can play with fire and not get burned, especially if everyone agrees to believe the fire isn't really that hot.” The Tayn'waeh chieftain leaned forward. “This is how I see it. The Forest People are those who have been molested by a vile magic that uses men like Koyer and Schmar to violate the warl. The majority of Nyeg Warl is willing to sacrifice those like the Forest People upon the altar of wishful thinking, believing that ignoring them will insure their own peace and tranquility. To do otherwise would call for a change in the status quo, something history teaches us is hard to do.”
Looking at the crowd of people who had come to see Jeaf, Zhan added, “Fear and lethargy grips Nyeg Warl's soul. Hence, they place the tag of insanity on their wounded brethren so they won't be confronted with having to examine their own complicity in allowing evil to thrive as it does. In the end, their mental gymnastics allow them to believe that even if some of the Forest People had somehow been hurt, it was only because they deserved it. Of course, this implies that they themselves would never face such a fate, a fate that they think they will avoid because they are fundamentally different, made of sterner stuff, so to speak. But when all is said and done, one still can't play with fire without, in the end, getting burned... Inevitably, the flame that they thought they could control has caught the hem of Nyeg Warl's garment on fire and is threatening to consume her entirely.”
The Tayn'waeh chieftain lifted his muscular arm and gestured towards those who filled the room. Each was the product of a history replete with suffering, and- as such- they had become a people refined. The dross of complacency had long since been burned away, leaving behind those possessing a steel-like resolve, one that would not tolerate injustice. “We, on the other hand, believe the Forest People and have vowed eternal warfare against Ab'Don and his lap dog Koyer. The flood of evil that is washing over Nyeg Warl has not caught the Tayn'waeh unprepared. We are ready to fight and sacrifice our lives, if that is what is needed. Hammer Bearer when you call… we will come!”
Standing to his feet, Zhan took the willow crown Tsut'waeh had woven and placed it on Jeaf's head. Seeing what their leader had done, the crowd cheered. In time, those cheers turned into a feast that would be called, from that day forth, the Feast of the Willow King. For long ago Tayn'waeh prophets foretold how the Hammer Bearer would judge many kingdoms wearing a crown made of willow branches upon his head.
****
Jeaf consented to remain in Ranah until fast horses could be sent to call the other eleven chieftains to a council meeting where he would be the guest of honor. During the days that the young Woodswane had the privilege to live among the dark-skinned Tayn'waeh, he came to love them for their compassion. The openness that he saw displayed in their relationships with one another was delightful to behold. The way that they freely accepted each other, helped Jeaf understand why so many from around Nyeg Warl had decided to call the warl of the Tayn'waeh home.
In due time, the other chieftains arrived, and Jeaf found himself sitting in a council meeting. It was held in the Great Hall of Ranah so that there was room enough for the large entourage each leader had brought with them, as well as space for a sizable representation of Ranah's own citizenry. Three of the chieftains were women. One of these, a judge in the Tayn'waeh village that had become a refuge for Forest People, was an elderly woman of Cassian stock named Hadashah. The other two women and eight men, that comprised the council, had the feel of a warrior about them, as well as a look that the young Woodswane came to recognize was common to those who shouldered the burden of authority, a look he was destined to acquire.
Jeaf was amazed at how readily the Tayn'waeh accepted women into governmental leadership. Though there were records of queens having ruled in Nyeg Warl, they usually did so under the most unusual circumstances. But this was not the case with the Tayn'waeh chieftains. Since this realm consisted of a confederation of democratic villages that were tucked into the forests spreading across the western foothills of the Alabaster Mountains, the chieftains gained their office by the will of the people and not by inheritance. This meant the women were respected highly enough to garner the confidence and support of those whom they lived among.
We don't have sovereigns here. We live according to the will of the people. Jeaf remembered Zhan's explanation of Tayn'waeh law.
One by one, the Company of the Hammer came before the council and told their part of the story. As each chapter of the burgeoning saga unfolded, the audience would whistle until Zhan called them back to order. For this was how they displayed their approval.
Before Jeaf, the last of the company, stepped forward, Tsut'waeh came over to him and placed the leafy crown he was carrying upon the Hammer Bearer's head. This time, the whistling was accompanied with shouts of Willow King!
In time, Zhan clapped his hands together as a sign that the people had spent enough time displaying their astonishment.
“When did you first come to know you were the Hammer Bearer?” White-headed Hadashah asked.
“More than three moons past, I went up onto the roof of my house to rest while my mother, Elamor the Candlemaker, prepared lunch for me and my father.”
Speaking in reverential tones, the people replied, “His mother is a Candle Maker!” Muted whistles were mixed in with the response.
“While resting, I fell into a trance where a ruby crown and a flashing sword were given to me as I stood beside a dirt hill
pocked with holes of varying sizes. The voice of one I took to be the Singer spoke to me, asking if I was willing to remove the foul creatures living in the holes.”
Again, the people spoke in hushed tones as they repeated Jeaf's words. “He was given a crown of rubies!” More whistling echoed off the Great Hall's lacquered wooden walls.
“I agreed to do the disgusting job, even though the stench coming from the holes was nearly incapacitating my ability to breathe. While still engaged in the odious task, I suddenly awoke from the trance. Going below, I told my parents what had happened.
“After hearing about my experience, my mother gave me a special candle she asked me to present to Illumanor, the Candlemaster living in the Eyrie of the Eagle. I was supposed to deliver it at the same time I delivered a great sword my father had made to honor the Eagle King on his fiftieth summer's celebration.”
The hushed whispers returned, as Jeaf began to get a sense of the cadence of how the crowd interacted with those who spoke in the Great Hall, and the people exclaimed, “He was willing to dig into the hill!”
“But before I went on the errand to Eagle's Vale, my father revealed how we both were Fane J'Shrym, explaining the prophecy that taught how the Hammer Bearer would come from this line of people.”
The sheer multitude of whispering voices saying, “The prophecy is fulfilled, for he is Fane J'Shrym,” came together to make a sound like wind blowing through the tree tops.
“Once I reached the Eyrie of the Eagle, I was invited to attend the king's birthday feast so I could present my father's gift to him. While the Bard of Nyeg Warl was singing a song in tribute to the king, I had another vision where I saw the hammer for the first time and was given wings to fly down into the heart of the Thangmor Mountains where it lay.”
Another round of voices, sounding much louder, now said, “He was given wings to fetch the hammer!” The whistling returned in full force.
Once Zhan had restored order to the proceedings, the aged Hadashah went over to Jeaf and hugged him to her breast as tears overflowed her eyes. “You've finally come, the one who is willing to look into the darkness living in his own heart so that he can help rid others of their own!”
