She soared into a small clearing and came to a stop in mid-air, her wings fluttering just enough to let her hover. Before her rose a very large solitary tree, the bark silver, the branches drooping with brown and white leaves.
“I did as you asked, they are on their way. Is there something I may do for you while I am here?” Shirl asked, hoping that the answer would be yes, and she could make her escape quickly.
My daughter, you need to open your heart and learn to accept ideas other than your own, an old voice spoke within her mind. When the Spirit Mother was in her tree form, it was the only way they could communicate. It seemed like the nymph had been spending more time as a tree lately than her humanoid form, something that made her heart ache with the loss that was fast approaching.
It wasn’t the first time she’d been advised of that. She just had a hard time actually doing it. She loved the sound of the trees, the leaves whistling as they flowed with a breeze. The birds sang softly in the distance and her feet absentmindedly tapped along with their beautiful cadence. Water trickled just over the hill; the sound of the cool liquid hitting rocks calling her to go for a swim. Everything she ever needed or wanted was right here. Why would she want to disrupt that by involving herself in pointless pursuits of intrigue and revenge?
She heard an inward sigh from her Mistress and she lowered her head in shame.
It’s not just the fairies that you will have to learn to adjust to. The time is fast approaching when you must leave the Glen and travel amongst the other fledgling races of the world, the ancient voice intoned, and she winced at even the notion of leaving her home.
“Why would I do that?” she asked with genuine confusion. What possible need could she serve that would require her to leave home and journey into the world of the Lunkers? The tall humanoids would despise her, and she already had enough of that here at home. Why invite more?
The tree shimmered and very slowly the form retracted into a bent-over old woman, her long white and silver hair laying tangled across her shoulders. “Come here, my daughter,” the woman beckoned, and she quickly sped forward as commanded.
The Spirit Mother sat down on a soft patch of grass and motioned for her to join her. Shirl slowly descended until she sat at her accustomed place on the old woman’s right shoulder; her eyes unable to hide the pity she felt at the other woman’s frail state.
“Yes, my time is nearly here. I may have just enough left to see things start to move, but not enough to watch them finish. Don’t cry, it’s part of nature that all things that are born must die. It’s the natural order. We may live for a very long time, but even we must someday pass and move on to the next world. Just as everything else in this plane of existence,” the Spirit Mother comforted, a soft smile deepening the wrinkles on her face.
“Now, I want you to listen and try not to fight me on this. I know how stubborn you can be, but it’s important that you hear me through and heed my words. After the meeting today, you are going to be traveling with your mother to Forlorn to assist the elves in defending their homeland. I said, don’t fight me on this,” the older woman scolded, seeing the slight shake of Shirl’s head. “The future’s path hangs in the balance from this one focal point. If the elves lose, the Phoenix’s forces will overrun and destroy every living thing they can reach, and our race will perish along with the rest. If they win, then there is a chance to destroy the Phoenix’s evil for good, ensuring the survival of all the races and establishing our permanent presence in the future. There is no middle ground. Either one or the other will happen, and our kin cannot afford to be absent from such a crucial juncture of what will be.”
“Soon, humans, elves, and dwarves will march to Forlorn and we can do no less than offer our aid as well. Your mother will fight me, just as you are right now, but in the end, she will see reason and ensure our participation in the battle ahead,” her elder explained, eyes staring off into the distance.
Then she turned her eyes on the sprite and Shirl felt a quick bout of terror from the resignation in the woman’s eyes. Was she that willing to move on? “Yes dear, my time has come, and I am ready for it. For three thousand years I have done everything I can to protect our race, I’m too exhausted to do it for much longer. Now, you will do as I ask and travel with your mother. Your assignment will begin once you are there. Now listen,” the Spirit Mother commanded, continuing on for a few minutes, relaying cryptic instructions about people she’d never heard of.
Who was Merlin or Willow? Wait, she’d heard that last name before. “Mother, didn’t you send Trek to protect this female elf you’re talking about?” The shapeshifter was one of her few friends in the Glen and she distinctly remembered his departure a few months before on an errand the Spirit Mother had sent him on. Something about protecting a baby?
The older woman nodded. “I did. He has done exactly what I’ve asked, and if all goes well, you two will be reunited again real soon.” The Spirit Mother’s eyes grew distant once more as she called upon her innate magic to see events transpiring in the world. “Excalibur will be found and will soon be in the hands of its rightful heir. Armies will march northeast to Forlorn from the lands to the west. Four Horsemen will ride as one to oppose the forces that stand in defiance of the oblivion the Phoenix offers them. The minotaurs are restless, the Dark Elves are emerging from their caves, and the Mountain Trolls are being rounded up and pressed into service in the Dark Queen’s armies. Dragons are taking flight once more and the jackyls have begun sharpening their claws. The amount of forces facing the free races is staggering and only together will we have any chance of surviving the dark days ahead.”
The Spirit Mother slowly began to return to herself and spoke softly as she continued; the strain in her voice making Shirl wince. “The time is coming when the elves must be made whole again. They have remained apart from each other long enough. Once Excalibur has been returned to the world, there is a genuine chance of healing the old wounds forever. Sea Elves, Highland Elves, Wood Elves, maybe even some Dark Elves, united once more under one flag and with one purpose, finding and destroying that infernal Book of the Dead that has caused all this evil to flourish unchecked for far too long.”
“A mother will die, a child will be born, and you must be there to do as I have commanded and see it through no matter what the cost. I want you to give me your word,” the older woman demanded, and Shirl nodded her head reluctantly, still not given into the idea that she might be leaving her world forever.
“Very good, now go get your things together, your mother is almost here,” the elder woman advised.
Shirl slowly got to her feet and took flight. “As you wish, Spirit Mother,” she intoned, bowing her head and flying away. Her heart ached, and tears flew past as she sped for her room in a nearby tree for what might be the very last time. What was so important about this elven girl that she personally had to leave her home to attend to her? Why had Trek been sent? None of this made sense.
In sorrow, she did as she bid and when she returned to the Spirit Mother a short time later, her birth mother had arrived, and a heated conversation was taking place. She kept her head bowed and tried not to be noticed; it didn’t work. Her birth mother gave her a questioning glare and she ignored it, trying to act like she didn’t know anything about what was going on either.
That wasn’t far from the truth anyways.
When the conversation ended, the Fairy Queen and her escorts quickly took to the air and she was forced to follow swiftly behind them. She spared one last look at her home and silently prayed to whatever Gods existed that she’d see it again.
Good luck, my daughter. As long as you do as I’ve instructed, no harm shall come to you. Stand by what must be and see it through to the end. Lift your spirits and remember what I said about opening yourself up. It’ll save you a lot of hardship during your travels and lighten the load for what is to come. Good bye for now my dear, and good luck.
With a heavy heart, Shirl sent her farewells and tried
to focus on the task at hand. It was difficult because every second she flew east she was getting further away from home; she was not prepared for what had been asked of her. Although she took pride in the Spirit Mother’s confidence in her abilities, she just didn’t know how she would be strong enough to see it through as instructed. How did you tell a pregnant woman she was going to have to die in order to save the world from annihilation?
Phoenix
Rising
Book 2 of the New Age Saga
Timothy Ray
Prologue
Two thousand years ago…
The shadows had fallen across the land; the marks the fading sunset left were cruel in the silent mocking of the darkness that followed. The blackness coveted it all, creeping upon moon shadows; the finger of a homicidal creature. It was not to be considered shadows, for the full moon in all its radiance had not risen far enough from the horizon to cast its light upon the Earth. It was more like a black hole swallowing everything that came near. The land was blanketed in it; the nothing that terrified children. The moon slowly ebbed into the night sky, shedding some feeble light upon the world, pale when compared with the flaming fires of the phoenix emanating from the sun.
The forest below the moon was dark and secretive. Its trees had woven their own blanket with its mouse-eaten holes. Crickets and frogs sang with all their heart’s content. The moon rose into the sky, reaching higher and higher, seeking loopholes for its light, but finding little purchase.
At one of the holes in the blanket of evergreen trees, leaves rustled in their stems from creaking limbs. Somewhere, a wolf howled, crying for redemption and joy, the joy the wild creature felt for the passing of the sun; the beginning of another night. It embodied the need to hunt—kill, in the privacy of shadows.
A figure cloaked in darkness touched the grass of the clearing, momentarily hesitating, then moving swiftly. It glided across the meadow, noticed only by the crickets and the dead. Moonlight caught a brief glint of metal, but the shadowy figure swung its cloak quickly to cover it up. Then it was gone.
Life returned. A cricket led the way as the others followed, their heads bowed as they sang their lonely tune. A deer came into the clearing, the doe’s head cocked, ears perked. After a moment, content, she bent her head and began to eat.
The shadows were no burden to the unheard stranger. She made her way silently through the forest, following a path that had grown familiar within her mind. No grass grew upon the trail; the years had molded the ground too hard for the living. Of course, that didn’t stop the fallen deadwood that littered the ground. The forest, like every other living thing, had its plagues as well; beetles, more often than not. She could smell the freshness of the rain that had fallen during the day. The plants, as sparse as the little ones were, reeked of it. She could also pick up the scent of conifer leaves that routinely fell upon the ground.
The wolf howled again, closer this time. She knew she had nothing to fear but hastened her step anyway. Tonight, there would be no delay or the events that she had foreseen would be in jeopardy. She silently moved through the foliage about her; a snarl appearing upon her beautiful countenance as she thought of something daring to block her way. Its death would be quick, as not to disrupt her plans further. She had been excited earlier, so much so that she had forgotten a necessity on her excursion to the edge of the Pennines—she had run out of gas with five miles left to travel on her planned course. She had left her car, not caring what happened to it. The driver would be found by morning, but by then, it would be too late.
She reached another clearing and peered out from the safety of the trees. A castle surrounded by shadows loomed over her; reaching for the heavens. It was perched upon a hill like a hawk watching for its next meal. A great rock wall blocked the way forward. From where she stood, only the towers and parapets were within sight, but she didn’t need to see in order to know where she was going. She already knew what lay beyond the crumbling walls and gates; she’d flown over it many times on a private plane she had bought a few years before. The pilot lay in a coma at the hospital. She would return to him soon, as promised.
Go back, a voice whispered in her mind. She recognized it immediately; it came from the forest around her. Its feeble attempts to stop her would be in vain.
The clouds passed quickly overhead as they rushed from the castle grounds; even they knew what evil lay within the castle. Which was why it had remained empty for all these years. Not even the bravest wolves ventured onto the grounds or within shouting distance of them. For a moment, she was transfixed by the evil that emanated out of its pores. A howl erupted, forcing its way across the forbidden land. To any normal woman, the howl would have been terrifying, but all she did was grin wider.
There was a ripple across her sight and the image of a barren countryside superimposed itself over that of the castle, but her training kept the magical defenses at bay. She herself was not British, but she knew enough of the culture to know that these lands were forbidden. If not by spoken word, but by the unspoken insight that all of Britain seemed to possess; leave well enough alone.
This is your last chance to turn back, the voice said in its desperate, rough tone.
She laughed aloud, what were they going to do to stop her? She was clear of the trees, straight before her stood the castle and her destiny; what could they possibly do to change what she was about to set on course?
As if in answer, there came a snap of a branch breaking. The noise got louder, and it sounded like a tree was being uprooted. She turned to meet the threat, which was hidden behind a mask of trees. She glanced to the right and barely saved herself from the maul of a wolf as it dove for her. She instinctively put her right hand up and the wolf latched on. It lost its grip and fell to the earth on her left. She drew a dagger which she kept behind her robe on her back. She beckoned to the glaring and snarling wolf.
“Come on then,” she taunted, eager to end this and be on her way.
The wolf looked towards the forest, lowered its head, and fled.
“That’s what I thought,” she muttered. As she was turning back to face the forest, she got sideswiped by a branch, sending her flying toward a tree. The impact would’ve killed her had she not taken it with her shoulder. Any higher and it would’ve been game over. She got up holding her left shoulder, looking for her attacker. Whatever it was, it had retreated. Shaken, she decided it might be a good time to depart this area.
Yes, leave, go home, and never return.
“Bah, you have left me no choice but to go forward, I will not get lost in your forest this night,” she answered. She thought of how foolish she must seem, talking out loud like that for no reason, but who cared? There was no one within earshot. She turned and faced the castle once more.
Sweat appeared on her brow as she thought about the task before her and she absent-mindedly wiped it from her forehead. She knew what lay ahead, what she would have to do to reach her goal, and the many rewards that it would yield. Motivated, she started slowly forward, then at her usual pace as she grew comfortable once more. She crossed the clearing quickly and reentered the forest on the opposite side.
Her studies of the castle reassured her that she could pass onto the castle grounds without tripping any of the less serious defenses, if done right; she had worked too hard to do them wrong now. Her eyes started to glow, but she forced the magic back down, it was not yet the time for that.
Boulders crept up on her from both sides. Her slim body and soft face did not hint at her quick movements as she leapt from one to another. The castle loomed closer as she made her ascent. She left behind her fears of the forest with every leap, forgetting the wolf in every effort to reach her goal. Soon, she would forget that silly mortal fear, and be one with her destiny. Her surefootedness surpassed any before who had attempted the treacherous journey, and none possessed the power or skill that she did.
The clamber over the boulders was a quick and easy one. She stood tall upon the highest
boulder, looking at the castle; her black cloak billowing behind her in waves. The woman in black wore a pair of leather hiking boots, specially padded for soft running and climbing. She also wore a black hunting suit, and a long claymore was strapped across her back. There was power beyond imagining hidden within the sword and it could only be called upon by one who knew how to use it.
She stepped quickly from the rock and walked toward the castle. Statues loomed on both sides. They were stone representations of dragons and they towered over all that dared to approach. The smell of rain dissipated, death and despair quickly taking its place. She saw bones of men who had failed in their tasks, lying about where she walked. She laughed. These men were foolish. Only a woman could give birth to a New World; which is what she would do once she had her treasure.
It had been rumored that any that approached the guardians that didn’t wield the power needed to get by, would die slowly and painfully at their feet. There was no way to reach the castle without passing between them. She had studied well. Only one who had passed the tests could bear arms against others with the prize that many sought; the Book of the Dead. These tests were to prove who was worthy of such a prize. Confidence coursed throughout the woman in black as she strode past the snarling dragons, her long red hair flowing with a breeze. She could feel them probe every inch of her.
Look at us child, embrace us, you are not worthy. No one is worthy.
Yes, spoke up the other dragon. No one is worthy, especially not a bastard child girl that is lost, with no light to show her the way home. Little orphan Annie, look at us.
Their now glowing red eyes bore into her. They looked her up and down like hungry lustful men, searching for her weakness. Her mind felt pulled and torn, but she kept her eyes focused and refused their beckoning call. She could hear them call to her to look upon them, so they could finish her miserable life.
The New Age Saga Box Set Page 46
