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The Redemption of Erâth: Book 2, Chapter 15

Chapter 15: A Party of Three

For many moments there was a silence, as Brandyé and Elven stared in shock at where the fierund had plunged into the dark water. It was Kayla who broke it first, approaching them with her bow still in hand. “You are fortunate I happened by, it seems,” she said.

Brandyé stared at her, speechless, but Elven frowned and said, “How is it you happened by at all? It seems a strange coincidence that you should appear just as the beast attacked, and armed.”

Brandyé gaped at him, and hissed, “She saved our lives – you should be grateful!”

“If you must know, I asked her to join us,” said Elỳn. “I thought she might help us with our crossing.”

To Brandyé this sounded more than reasonable, but Elven said, “Then why bring a bow?”

But Kayla merely said, “There are fierundé about,” and indicated the water.

Elven appeared ready to continue the argument, but Elỳn said, “Come – we should not delay. I thank you, Kayla – we might all be dead if you had not come.”

Kayla nodded, and slung the bow over her shoulder. She moved toward the boat, and – somewhat reluctantly, it seemed – Elven moved aside to allow her to board. Elỳn grasped the boat’s stern and with a great heave launched it into the water. In a smooth motion she leapt into the boat with them, and before long the land had disappeared into the mist, and they were floating silently, lost in the darkness.

There were two oars in the bottom of the vessel, and wordlessly Elỳn and Kayla took them up and began to propel them forward, away from the Illuèn’s island and toward the shores of the lake, where they would once more enter into the Trestaé, and resume their journey – to wherever it might lead. Brandyé began to feel uneasy at the thought, knowing that whatever he and Elven might think of their skills in combat, they would nonetheless be at the mercy of the fierundé, and whatever other beasts and creatures might roam the forests as they continued north.

He looked around them into the dark, trying to see where they might be going, but despite the faint glow emanating from both Elỳn and Kayla, he could see nothing but the very edges of the boat. With a nervous curiosity he leaned over the hull and lowered his hand into the water. The lake was icy, and rushed through his fingers – Elỳn and Kayla were clearly moving them at a prodigious pace. “We are moving very fast,” he whispered to Elven. In fact he was unsure why he was whispering, other than it felt unnatural to speak loud in such dark and such silence.

“Do you know where we are going?” Elven whispered back.

“We are traveling northeast,” Elỳn replied. “It is the shortest way between our island and the shore – perhaps ten miles.”

Brandyé withdrew his hand from the water and asked, “How soon do you think we will arrive?”

“Perhaps an hour – perhaps less,” said Elỳn. Then, with a sudden look at Brandyé: “Do not put your hand in the water again; there are many creatures in these waters that would hunger for your fingers.”

With a shiver Brandyé looked back toward the water, suddenly imagining things with scales and spines and jagged, sharp teeth darting here and there just out of sight. His mind was recalled to the last time he had been in a boat in the dark, floating along the Tuiraeth bound to a mast and unable to move. He had been certain then that there were great creatures in the deep, and wondered what manner of beasts might dwell in the immeasurably deeper waters of this lake. Then he recalled with a memory of horror the dreadful sea monster that had swallowed an entire Cosari vessel and sent Khana’s own ship crashing upon the rocks. Frightened, he withdrew further into the boat and did not speak again until nearly an hour has passed, and they were approaching their destination.

By that time a wind had risen, and the mists were lifted; the faintest gloom of day light was beginning to appear in the clouds above, and Brandyé found he could see ahead of them some way. Perhaps half a mile before them rose tall cliffs from the deep waters, and it seemed it was to these that they were now heading. Elỳn appeared to notice his stare, for she said, “There is a rock passage in the cliffs that leads high above the shore. It gives a safe route from the lake, and it is protected from fierundé and other creatures.” […]

Read the complete chapter here.

The Redemption of Erâth: Book 2, Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Hunting of Beasts

Brandyé could not think for a moment what manner of creature or person could possibly attack and wound a people so skilled in combat, and he broke into a run, following the Illuèn themselves toward Athalya’s home. He saw that Elven was trying to keep pace beside him, but his limp prevented him from running fast. He realized he did not care, for he was desperate to know if Athalya was alive – and if Elỳn was safe.

Before long he drew upon her dwelling, and there was a great crowd of Illuèn there, and much light and commotion. Yet for all of it he heard not the sounds the grief, the crying or screaming he associated with death, and hoped that she was not too gravely wounded. For some time he was unable to penetrate the crowd of Illuèn, and by the time he had forced his way through and into the dwelling, Elven was once more by his side, panting. He slipped between two Illuèn carrying long blades, unheeding, and stared: a shocking scene greeted his eyes.

Athalya was lying on the ground, her head cradled in Elỳn’s lap. There were great splashes of silver across the earth and walls, and with a sick horror Brandyé realized it was her blood. Her robes were rent in many places, and a great wound on her neck spilled ever more of her life onto the ground.

At the sight, Elven pushed forward and knelt on the ground beside Elỳn. “We must close the wound!” he cried, and with no cloth to hand he placed both of his hands over the injury and pressed as hard as he could. Silver blood seeped between his fingers, and though he maintained his pressure Brandyé knew Athalya had not long to live.

Elỳn looked to Elven and then to Brandyé, and he saw great tears in her eyes. Brandyé had no experience with such grave injuries apart from Elven’s in the forest, and felt utterly helpless as he moved forward to Athalya’s side. Beside him knelt several other Illuèn, and though he saw Rỳlan among them, he could not understand why they did nothing. “Will you not help her?” he said desperately.

To his astonishment, it was Athalya herself who answered him, though her voice was weak and suffering. “There is no saving me, Brandyé,” she murmured. “There is no stopping the poison that is now in me.”

“What do you mean?” he cried.

“She has been attacked by more than nature,” Elỳn replied tearfully. “A fierund gave her these wounds.”

Shocked, Brandyé looked once more to Athalya. “How is this possible?”

“We know not,” said Elỳn. “But when we are wounded by Darkness, there is no preventing our death. Were we to heal her wounds in an instant, she would still die.”

Brandyé found tears coming to his eyes. “No – it cannot be! There must be a way!”

And with the last of her strength Athalya turned her attention to Brandyé, and raised a hand to him. He took it, noticing the blood on it and not caring that it spilled onto his own hand. “I have lived long, Brandyé,” she said, “and I have done what I must for this world. I am glad to have met you; I ask only that you also do what you must.”

And those were the last words she spoke, and within minutes her breath had stopped, and Brandyé knew she was gone. He was crying great tears, and when he looked to Elven he saw his friend’s face was wet also, and they wept together. Gently they were taken from Athalya’s side, and Brandyé was sure as he looked his last upon her that the glow that emanated from all Illuèn was gone from her body.

“I do not understand,” Elven said when they were outside, and away from the scene. “Why did no one try to save her? Not even Rỳlan – not even their healers! Her wounds were terrible, but they did not even try!” His voice choked as he spoke, and tears still ran down his face.

“The fierundé are not natural creatures,” Brandyé tried to explain, though he too found it difficult to speak. “It is as though Light and Dark collided – neither can survive.”

It took a moment for the import of this realization to hit either of them, and when it did, Elven shuddered and looked about them. “You say neither can survive – do you mean to say there is a fierund lying dead not far from here?” […]

Read the complete chapter here.

The Redemption of Erâth: Book 2, Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Purpose and Power

For some days following their conversation with Athalya, Elven seemed to stay apart from Brandyé, and he saw his friend only occasionally in passing, here and there. He was uncertain what kept him at bay, but thought it had something to do with the history Athalya had recounted to them. He had seen that Elven had been unhappy during most of it, and was surprised; for him there was only a great curiosity in learning about his past, and the events that had led to this point. However, deep in the back of his mind he recalled the look Elven had given him when he had agreed to hear Athalya’s tale, and wondered if there was some resentment there. He would have wished it was not so, but since Elven would not speak with him, there was little he could do.

Instead, Brandyé spent his time with Elỳn, and came to know her and her ways well. She spoke to him of her own past, and the events she had witnessed in her lifetime. As best Brandyé could tell, she was at a minimum three thousand years old, which was a thing that astounded him, and was difficult to comprehend. She had been among the Illuèn of Thaeìn before Goroth had set his armies upon them, and so had not witnessed the terrible massacres that were wrought upon the Illuèn of Aélûr and Cathaï. But it was with great sadness that she described their betrayal by the very men they had been protecting, and the terrible dismay of those who had survived.

Of the battles of the War of Darkness she would say little, but Brandyé learned something of the Dragon Lords, which was a thing that greatly fascinated him. Ever since his grandfather’s tale in the Burrow Wayde in his childhood, which he now recognized as an elaborated version of the final battle of that war, he had been enthralled by the thought of these great winged creatures, and Elỳn’s words reignited this curiosity in him. The dragons were creatures of Darkness, she said, but were not under the influence of the Duithèn. This he did not understand at first, until she pointed out that there was also light that was not under the influence of the Illuèn, and death that occurred without the presence of the Namirèn. They lived in the farthest northern reaches of Thaeìn, and had had little care for men, other than those who lived among them and tended to their needs.

The dragons did not belong to men, she explained, but nor did the men belong to them. Each lived side by side with the other, and where men provided food and shelter for the dragons, they provided a great protection for their companions. At first they had no interest in the coming of Goroth and the settling of Darkness over the world, and remained to the north, keeping to themselves. But something had changed for them, it seemed, for in their darkest hour, when the great city of Vira Weitor was besieged by the armies of Cathaï and about to fall, the dragons descended suddenly upon their enemy, and sent them fleeing in terror.

It was the Dragon Lords who had also brought about the defeat of Goroth, though it was, she said, an accident. In the thick of battle, the dragon of the king of the Dragon Lords sustained a great wound, and in its final throes sent itself crashing upon Goroth. At its claws and flames the demon lord was brought to his knees, and would have recovered had Daevàr not been at their side, and seized this once chance to smite him down.

But despite this victory, many dragons and their lords were wounded or dead, and they retreated once more to the north. “They have not been heard of since,” she told him, “and we suspect they have long since died out. It is a great tragedy, for they were among the most precious of beings in all of Erâth: dark, yet not under the yoke of Darkness.”

“How does that make them precious?” Brandyé asked.

“It is important to know that there are creatures in the world that are not directly under the influence of any of the seven Ageless. It is a sign that the world can survive on its own without their presence. After all, though the Mirèn are no more, life continues on.”

“It is a shame,” Brandyé said. “I would have like to meet a dragon.” […]

Read the complete chapter here.