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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.

The Redemption of Erâth: Book 2, Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Tale of the Illuèn

In the end, Brandyé and Elven stayed for several months among the Illuèn, and came to learn their ways. It was some time before Elven was well enough to walk again, and longer still before he had overcome his incessant desire for corinthiaë. The Illuèn healer told them that they had discovered a hitherto unknown property of what was commonly known as a pain reliever. Brandyé was curious, but wished heartily that he had never come across the plant. Too many nights had he sat beside Elven, sweating and shivering, crying desperately for more corinthiaë and speaking to people who were not there.

During his time on their island Brandyé discovered many wondrous things, but none so startling as the great population of swans that lived with and among the Illuèn. Great birds of purest white, the glided serenely on the water or settled on the grass near the Illuèn’s homes, and Brandyé recalled the one time he had seen them before, with his grandfather on their journey to Daevàr’s Hut in his youth. “The most graceful birds in all of Erâth,” Reuel had said of them, and Brandyé could not help but agree. He found it peculiar that there were so many living here in the middle of the Trestaé mountains, and asked Elỳn about them.

“You did not think there were only creatures of Darkness?” she asked with a smile. “The swans are our own – creatures of light. They are gentle but powerful, and they remind us of the splendor of the world that once was.”

Sonora, having circled anxiously over Elven during his fever in the forest, finally came to rest with them on the Illuèn’s island, and did not particularly like the swans much at all. To her they were too large, and would not let her near the water. It was a consolation that she was by far faster and more agile than they, and she would often dive headlong in the water of the lake, retrieving a fish and taking it high in the branches with her – always in the view of many swans.

Elỳn introduced Brandyé and Elven to many of the folk, including Elven’s healer, whose name was Rỳlan, and Kayla, who helped him regain his feet afterward. Kayla had been among those who had fought the fierundé, and from her Elven learned many techniques of combat, and they spent much time together.

As for Brandyé, his desire for combat was less than ever, far from the fantasies of glorious battle from his youth. He had seen too much death, first in Consolation and then among the Cosari, and did not wish to learn how to deal it. For him, he was far more interested in learning of the Illuèn, and the nature of their influence upon the world.

“You are clearly not everywhere,” he said to Elỳn, “yet there is light everywhere. I can see you have great control over light and its power, but how is it you can influence what is seen hundreds of miles away?”

“We were responsible for bringing light to Erâth in its earliest days,” she replied, “but we are not ‘light’. Light would exist without us; yet our existence brings light to the world.”

“I do not understand,” said Brandyé. “What were to happen if there were no Illuèn?”

“There will soon enough be none,” Elỳn said with a sad sigh. “We are relinquishing our influence over light, leaving it to the natural course of life. In some centuries, no doubt, we will be no more. You have perhaps seen some of our people that do not appear quite as the others do? They are those who have begun to fade from this world already.”

Brandyé shook his head, for this was difficult for him to grasp. “Where are they going to?”

“Not here,” she said simply, and Brandyé could understand no more of it.

So it was with much of what he encountered during his time with the Illuèn. He could not understand how their orbs of light functioned, and thought it must be magic, though they assured him it was not. They would give no further explanation, however, and he wondered if perhaps the Illuèn themselves no longer knew how their homes had once been built. […]

Read the complete chapter here.

The Redemption of Erâth: Book 2, Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Elỳn

There was no calming these monstrous beasts with a gesture or thought, but as Brandyé braced for death there was suddenly a great flash of light from the trees, and as one the fierundé turned to look at its provenance. Brandyé thought perhaps it was a renewed storm, lightning struck once again, but there was no thunder – only silence.

And then a second great flash came, and one of the fierundé howled in pain, and Brandyé saw an arrow pierce its side, and his eyes widened as they were in an instant beset by people whose existence he could not fathom. From the woods leapt suddenly a dozen folk dressed in robes of purest white, and it seemed to him almost that they shone with a light of their own. Each bore with them a bow, and with each arrow they loosed came another flash, and another, until the very woods seemed alight with a glow brighter than day.

The fierundé turned now, enraged, and fell upon their attackers. With a fearlessness Brandyé could not imagine these newcomers stood their ground, and as the beasts came at them they laid down their bows and drew forth long, curved blades, silver and shining, and they were more than a match for the fangs and claws of the fierundé. For an eternal minute there was only the sound of growls, roars and howls as the fierundé were cut apart, and when it was over four of their number lay dead on the ground, and the remaining three had bolted into the trees.

With hardly a pause, several of their rescuers disappeared into the woods again, and to his astonishment Brandyé learned later that they had in fact hunted down and destroyed the remaining fierundé. Such bravery he had never known, and though they lacked armor he saw that these were soldiers more than any iron-clad constabulary of the Fortunaé, and perhaps more so even than the Cosari. Breathless, Brandyé remained upon his knees and was amazed, for of these people he had not reckoned the ability to do battle, and do it well.

For these were people of a kind far removed from the world he knew; they were a people of dreams, of dismal landscapes far away and long ago. From their dress and manner to the wholesome glow of their skin, he knew their saviors for what they were: Illuèn. It was impossible, of course – as his grandfather had said, as even Ermèn had spoken, the Illuèn, and all races of the ancient world, were either long since gone or never existed at all. He had begun to forget the old dreams he had had of them, of the woman in black and her companions of light, yet here they stood before him, now.

One of them, a leader perhaps, spoke to the others, and in her words Brandyé recognized the language of old: “[Aid his friend; he may die.]” At her commands several of the others bent to Elven, surrounding him so that Brandyé could see little of his friend. He was about to call out to them, ask them when they intended, when the one who had spoken turned to face him, and as he looked upon her face wholly now for the first time his mind reeled, for it was her, the very same that had stood with Schaera and the company of Illuèn and Namirèn at the foot of the broken bridge.

“It…it cannot be.”

And then Elỳn, the one who it could not be, knelt on the ground before him and grasped his shoulders. “[It is you who cannot be.] How is this possible?” She reached to touch his face, and he felt warmth and wonder pass into him. “You are ill,” she said.

Brandyé shook his head. “My friend is ill.”

“He is injured – you are ill. You have…” and she seemed struggle for the word. “Fever.”

And it was only then that Brandyé allowed himself to feel the sickness that had been plaguing him for days, and suddenly a great weakness overcame him and he swayed on his knees. “I had not noticed…” he muttered.

Elỳn gestured to her companions, and two of them came now to Brandyé and lifted him to his feet. “Come,” she said. “You are safe now. You will be well again.”

And despite the insanity of all that had occurred, despite the impossibility of this woman from his dreams being here before him, these words were all Brandyé needed to hear, and he allowed himself to fall into the arms of her companions, and knew nothing more for some while. […]

Read the complete chapter here.