“I don’t understand. I don’t know why you have to stay. We need you, Voll needs you, and we need to get the Great Mother back.”
“No, that is no longer important. The Great Mother is where she needs to be. It may not be a happy-ending for her, but her part in this prophecy is almost complete.”
“Then the more reason for you to help us.”
“No, son, it does not work that way.”
“Yes it does,” he said.
“The talisman will wait here with me. It not only waits for the one who will take it, but the one who takes it will restore all of the four shards of the broken star known as the Quarterstar. When that child takes the talisman with the first Quarterstar Shard, the events will begin to move very quickly. It will begin with a short awakening of the Time Keep. For a brief moment, the spirit of Dar Drannon in the future will be able to travel to the past and communicate to his daughter, our Great Mother, Traelyn. In fact, he has already done so. He has given her information to start this prophecy. All time lines are now interconnected, even if for the briefest moment.
“This child will have to be very careful at first. He will not realize who he is, and many will want him dead: Those opposed to Wrae magic, and those opposed to Kronn magic, both will want him dead. Only the gods of Wrae can save him, but he will resist, as Wrae is of elven gods and elven magic, and he will have the imprint you and I both share to destroy the elves. So, you can see his dilemma, but the Markenhirth will rise in his new form, created by Naemyn. He will be called the Blue Wraeth, and he must be defeated.
“If the Blue Wraeth is not defeated then the Markenhirth will arise in solid form, crawling from the icy prison below. During this time, the first human king, Dar Drannon will return as well. The one the prophecy speaks of, the one who will fall through this hole, will need the help of a goddess named Fyaa, whom he will not trust, nor should he. He will need the help of Kronn, which he will be attracted to, but that power will be dangerous for him, and he will need the help of elven gods to control it. With all of these actions needing to be in play, he may not succeed.”
“This cannot be real. You are deceived by the elves into thinking that you are what you are not. You will die down here if you don’t leave.”
“I can see where you might think that, but I have been here nearly two months since you first left, and I have had no food and no water since then. I should be dead, but I am not. In fact, I do not crave food or water, or any other cravings that mortal men need to survive: I merely exist, and I am satisfied with that.”
“Father, please.”
“Traegon, go. You must forget me. Forget the war with the elves, as it is already over. Go hide in a quiet village and with a peaceful clan in the south, by the ocean in the Val-Ron Bay, find a woman and have son, and begin the next stage of this prophecy.”
“I cannot leave you father.”
“You must and you will. You must never return. It will do you no good to do so. Consider me dead to this world and move on. Your role is crucial to the future. Traelyn’s father, Dar Drannon will return to this world, and restore this realm.”
“I am not leaving without you!” Traegon shouted, and as soon as he did so, he felt hands from behind grab his shoulders, forcing him to his back and he felt incredibly sleepy.
“You have worn out your welcome, forever,” the Caretaker told him just as Traegon’s vision turned foggy and black.
* * *
He awoke hours later outside. The sun shone in his face and warmed his body as he opened his eyes and looked up to a blue sky with wisps of puffy clouds moving swiftly to the east. He rolled over and pushed himself up and stood rubbing his face as if to rub away any ants or insects that had been crawling on him.
Now he just had to decide if he was going to head north and help Voll and the others, or if he would follow his father’s advice and head south to a quiet village and forget what he had just told him about the end times, and forget everything he had learned about hating elves and destroying the race.
He found his bearings; he was not far from the nearest road that led east to the Valelands. He decided to walk and think. By the time he reached the Valelands he had made up his mind, he would head south to the Val Ron Bay and find a new home, and see if he could find other humans with elven descent just as himself and start anew.
The Weathered Old Man
The children watched the old man finish his tale. They were seated along the edge of the cliff as he floated above the rocky shoreline below. Now that he was finished he glided back to the edge of the cliff where they were seated and started to walk back to the crumbled remains of his home that once was a prestigious school of sorcery and prophecy.
“What happened to the elves?” One of the children asked.
“They migrated west and found their true home - where the fourth Quarterstar Shard was found.”
“What will become of Voll?”
“He will wander the land as a monster and will be shunned by all.”
“That is terrible,” another one gasped.
“But there is a more important question you are not asking,” the old man said smiling baiting the children to ask.
“Dar Drannon!” the eldest child stood up and shouted while grinning expecting praise.
“Very good,” the old man said as he straightened his beard. “What do you think is going to happen to him? Where do you think he went to?”
“I do not know,” the boy admitted, sitting down.
“I will tell you some, but not all. Dar Drannon is indeed a prisoner of Wrae magic, but he is also bound by Kronn magic, and when he returns, or rather escapes, he will attack the realm with a vengeance.”
“Is he evil?” one of the girls asked.
“No, not necessarily so. He is merely a being of circumstance created by the three gods that entered this realm. You could almost say that they created him, even though it was not their intention to do so. The Quarterstar Prophecy has demanded action, and Dar Drannon will be at the center of it before this tale is over. Now you must realize that there will be many more terrible events to transpire before any sense of calmness will ever come to this land. This tale will not come to a happy ending, but it also will not be all bad. In the end, the hermit will get his way, but it will come at a great cost for everyone in the realm. Therefore, it is our place to make sure we go forth and accomplish what we must for this realm to make it a better place.”
“When can we start wise one?” the eldest boy asked.
“Soon,” he said smiling, “very soon.”
Acknowledgements
My first thanks goes to Black Rose Writing for believing in my work.
I would like to express my eternal gratitude for my loving wife who has helped me grow in so many ways. She is my rock and foundation and this book would not have been possible without her.
I also thank Robert Cano for his amazing insight on story structure and continuity.
I thank all of the beta readers who gave me their input and advice along the way.
A big thanks goes to my friend and mentor Stephen Oppenheim.
Thank you to my Aunt Linda Graham and Gary Stoppenbrink for their support.
To my mom who believed even when I did not. I miss you mom.
I would also like to thank all of the people who have helped me along the way Tom Hunt, James Tucker, Loganpaul Eickhoff, Mitch McDaniel, Chris Black, Evan Allen, Sue Allen, Allessia Cowee, Elle Lewis, Robert Cano, Aaron Steinmetz, David Ketcham, and to all of the members past and present who have sat with me at the D&D table.
My love goes to my family. I love every single one of you.
Note from the Author
Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review online—anywhere you are able. Even if it’s just a sentence or two. It would make all the difference and would be very much appreciated.
Thanks!
David
About the Author
David L. McDaniel has a love for words and storytelling. He wandered the halls in high school dreaming up fantastical stories to share with his friends. Now he lives in Northern California putting these tales onto paper as mandated to him by the Rager’s House of Renegades as Word Blade.
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