The Shards (20 page)

“Why are they here?” Angeline asked. “Are they alive?”

“No. They are quite dead. They are here because they have no place else to go. They have committed crimes against the living that cannot be forgiven. Their souls are eternally lost and their spirits are drawn to those places where they believe the weave is weak or torn in the hope of escaping their torment. The hollows are closer to the void than anywhere else on earth. When the Lalas die, they leave only emptiness in their wakes. The lost ones are drawn to the spaces left behind. It is the closest that they will ever come to the nothingness they seek!” she explained as they walked. “All those who have given themselves to Colton throughout history cannot return to the earth like the rest of us. All that is organic refuses their entreaties. They have forsaken their rights to be a part of the cloth, and the fabric weaves without them. Their spirits have no place to go. They are exiles in time, and they must remain so eternally. Their freedom would mean our death; the ultimate death that would come with dissolution,” she continued as she led the women across the stone floor. “It is the job of the Drue to keep the hollows secure. Though our realm would afford them no real refuge, they seek it nonetheless. What compels others to stay away, lures the lost ones in.”

“What will happen if they breach your defenses?” Angeline asked.

“It would mean one of two things; either Colton has won and dissolution is imminent, or the Drue have simply failed to carry out their charge,” she said. “The hollows would be the first to collapse if the Dark Lord should be victorious, as they are the closest to the edge,” Etuah explained. “But neither will ever occur,” she said with confidence.

The screams grew louder as they walked and the two sisters found themselves ducking their heads continuously in order to avoid things that they could not see and objects that they were not sure were even there. The ground was covered with a thick dust that scattered with their steps and clouded the air as they walked. A smoky mist clogged their noses and burned their eyes. Tamara covered her mouth and nose with her shawl and Angeline did the same. The pale light coming from Etuah’s body illuminated the immediate vicinity, but it could not penetrate the thickening fumes.

“We are almost across now,” she said. “Heed my words! When you pass this way again, do not look them in the eyes!” Etuah warned.

“Must we go through this awful place once more?” Angeline asked, cringing at the prospect.

“There is no other way,” Etuah answered.

“Other way?” Tamara questioned.

“To Odelot!” she replied, as both Tamara and Angeline looked at each other in shock.

“You know where we are headed?” Tamara asked, stunned.

“Yes. We have been told. And we will assist you as much as we are able. You can no longer travel the routes that you had hoped to. Though it was never safe, it is less so now. We will teach you to navigate the hollows and they will lead you close to your destination,” she explained.

“Who informed you of our journey” Tamara questioned the Drue.

“The Lalas know and thus, so do we,” she answered.

“It seems that others knew as well,” Tamara said, recalling vividly their most recent encounter with the Lady Margot, but Etuah did not respond to her remark.

“Stay close to me,” she said instead, and gripped them more compellingly with her suctioned fingertips. “It is just a bit further now.”

Chapter Twenty-two

It is rare when evil manifests itself so abruptly and unexpectedly in the world. For most, it is painstaking to conceive of a wickedness that knows no mercy and a hate that is blind and rabid and altogether corrupt. To understand the mind of a beast to whom the pain and suffering of the innocent is unimportant is often too much to ask; just the thought of such a one overwhelms the senses. Such iniquity and depravity is and should be incomprehensible to the vast majority. Yet, there are moments in time when just such a savage rears its vile head and imposes itself upon us all; moments that will forever stand out as reminders that the righteous battle must always be waged, and that vigilance and peace go hand in hand. The creature must be confronted whatever form it has assumed and whatever guise it has chosen with which to seduce and destroy. When it strikes at the very heart of life and shakes the foundations of all that is held dear in the world, it must be met with by a force equally as committed and equally as determined. Evil cannot stand unchallenged lest it infects and poisons every living thing around it until they too come to accept its lies for truth, and they too begin to forget what it means to be merciful and compassionate and earthborn.

The Armadiel is such a beast; iniquitous and ungodly, perverted at its core. Its heart is no more than a cold stone within its chest, that lacks even the propensity for feeling. Though it has been unleashed by he whose nature defines wickedness and turpitude, the beast lives by its own rules and forges its own profane battle against all that exists in the shadow of the First. Its unholy alliance with Colton dar Agonthea serves them both. The Evil One resurrected it once again in order to remind his enemies of his power. But, as with any force not reckoned with, it alters the weave forever as soon as it steals its first breath from the very same air that gives it life. Though allies in their wicked resolve, Colton and the beast are not nor never will be friends.

Maringar, Beolan, Bristar and Aliya sat around a heavy wooden table in the depths of Castle Crispen. Spread out before them lay the maps of the mountain, with its tunnels and caves and chambers crisscrossing the parchments like the webs of a hundred spiders intertwined. Their hearts were heavy with concern for their people and the people of the entire world, but they were also encouraged by the sense of community and common purpose that the surfacing of the Armadiel had generated in them all. Aliya stood up in order to replace the charts as the two younger ones prepared to leave the room and begin their righteous crusade.

“Your men await you,” Aliya said with her back to the other three.

“They look to you for inspiration,” Beolan remarked.

“And to you for leadership,” Bristar replied, clasping his son’s arm firmly. “Your mother was not addressing me, my son,” he remarked, as he glanced over his shoulder at is wife.

Beolan nodded solemnly in response, though he was not willing to accept this fully yet.

“Your support emboldens them so profoundly,” he said to Maringar, changing the subject. “I can sense their comfort at your presence.”

“At times like these, we must all find solace where we can. Uncertainty, though a common state, does not feel as menacing when there is no threat before us,” the dwarf said. “It abides peacefully beside all our other emotions, and only plagues us when we are reminded of our vulnerability.”

“It is your job to reassure,” Bristar said to the two younger men. “The torch of leadership is passing even as we sit here. You must assume the mantle of responsibility, though it is a heavy one and one that you must bear for many tiels to come.”

Aliya returned to the three men who had assembled in a small circle by the doorway to the chamber as they spoke.

“Each moment we delay, the beast grows in power and confidence. The time to strike is now!” she said calmly, though her stare was piercing.

“She is correct, of course,” Bristar agreed. “Your horses await you before the gates. It is time to ride. You will join us at the gates, will you not?” he asked his wife.

“Did you think that I would remain here by myself, my darling?” she asked affectionately.

Bristar smiled at her despite the gravity of the moment, and he put one arm around her narrow waist. He then encircled Maringar with his other, drawing him in close. Aliya raised both of her arms as well and firmly grasped Beolan with her right and the elfin King with her left. As a unit, they departed the room and walked somberly down the dim hallway toward the courtyard and the assembled troops who anxiously awaited them outside.

As they emerged from the huge, double doors of the castle onto the cobblestone courtyard, a colossal cheer arose from the body massed before them. It cleaved the silence and echoed off of Silandre, the beautiful mountain to the north. For a brief and fleeting instant, the world felt safe again amidst the fervor of the preparations and the patriotism and exuberance of the population. Beolan embraced his mother in front of the applauding throng and kissed her hand. He bowed humbly to his father who returned his gesture by raising him up and hugging him tightly to his chest. Bristar then grabbed Maringar’s arm and raised it high in the air with his own, while the soldiers cheered and cheered.

“Let them feel the spirit before they march into darkness,” the King whispered to the other three. “It is our responsibility to provide them the joy of these moments whilst we still can.”

Bristar stood by as the two handsome leaders mounted their horses, and then he stepped aside into the background with Aliya close beside him. The two elder monarchs poignantly felt the passing of power concurrently, and they held the other’s hand tightly as the shade of the building enveloped them. At that very moment, the sun pierced the thick cover of clouds in a striation of brilliant rays that illuminated both Maringar’s silver helm and Beolan’s polished Noban bow exactly at the same time, causing them to shine so brightly it appeared as if the Gem of Eternity had manifested itself in their very midst.

“A sign if I ever saw one,” Bristar murmured to his wife.

“Surely this bodes well for them,” she nodded. “It is their moment,” she avowed.

The soldiers saw the phenomenon as well, and the elfin warriors all pulled arrows from their quivers and rubbed them against the strings of their bows as if they were lutes, causing a great and musical sound to rise from their numbers. The dwarves of the Thorndars joined them in praise and recognition of their two leaders, and they drew their axes and picks from their backs and banged them together loudly and unceasingly, which soon required both Beolan’s and Maringar’s combined efforts to settle them down. When the soldiers of Crispen and those of the Thorndars were still once more, the Elfin Prince urged his horse forward a few feet.

“My brother and I…” he began in his clear and sonorous voice as he pointed to Maringar.

Before he could utter another word, an earsplitting outcry erupted from the throng once more in response. He waited a few minutes for the silence to settle in again and then he continued.

“My brother and I are united in our purpose. We know what we must do, and it is not a simple task that lies before us. Until yesterday, we were uncertain as to what scourge had been loosed within our mountain. We were unsure of what poisoned our waters and caused the very rock and soil of Silandre to rise in temperature. Alas, we now are clear,” he continued, and a total hush fell over the entire assemblage. “It grieves me to tell you that the Snake of Recos, the beast of legend, is alive once more. He has been resurrected by none other than the Dark Lord and sent to Crispen in order to deflect us from our path and split the alliance that has been newly created between these good and free peoples of the world.”

A nervous murmur rose through the crowd at the mention of the Armadiel, and Beolan allowed it to continue this time without attempting to still it. Most of the younger elves did not recognize the appellations, and as with Beolan himself initially, they needed to be apprised of the significance of his declaration by those in the multitude who knew more intimately of the histories. Soon, a troubled and more anxious quiet settled upon the people as they awaited their young leader’s next words.

“We cannot allow this disease to spread!” he shouted. “Together, we and our allies are prepared to enter our blessed mountain and eradicate this pestilence from our land!”

Once again, the populace burst into applause, motivated by Beolan’s confidence and strength, though an edgy tension still hung in the air nevertheless. He sensed it and addressed it as forthrightly as he could.

“We will succeed! This evil will not stand!” he shouted. “Though our battle may be a costly one, it is a righteous one and we shall prevail!” he affirmed. “We will purge the mountain of the beast!” he bellowed without a hint of doubt in his voice.

Maringar had slowly urged his horse forward until he was standing alongside Beolan by the time his friend finished speaking. He raised the elfin Lord’s arm high into the air again and he shouted in a clear and steady voice, “Crispen! Crispen! Crispen!” Beolan gladly took up the cheer with him, and together they shouted, “Crispen!” until the entire population joined them. The crescendo quickly rose until it reverberated off of the mountain’s rock surface and flooded the entire valley with the chant, “Crispen! Crispen!”

Beolan and Maringar walked side by side across the paved courtyard and to the front of the assemblage of warriors from both nations. The young elf glanced quickly backward and caught the eyes of both his mother and father before pressing his horse forward into a trot. Maringar spurred his mount in pursuit, and the magnificent black stallion replied with a loud whinny as he rose on his hind legs and pawed the air with his massive hoofs. Within moments, both Beolan and Maringar disappeared through the huge gates of the city as the armies of both races eagerly fell in formation behind them, while they all still chanted fervently in unison.

“It is a new dawn,” Bristar said to Aliya over the din as they retreated into the shadows of the castle and watched the men file out four abreast.

“A moment to mark time by,” she replied.

“By the First, may it last for more than one brief morning!” he professed and he squeezed his wife’s hand.

Chapter Twenty-three

“I awoke one morning not too long ago and it was there, all around us! I must admit that I was quite surprised.”

“Surprised? You were dumbfounded,” Emmeline corrected her. “Your jaw was hanging almost to the ground!” she kidded the gray haired woman sitting in the high backed chair next to hers. “I have never seen you so out of sorts, Gretchen.”

“I confess that I was taken aback at first,” she blushed. “After all, this was not an occurrence that I had ever expected or anticipated. Were you any less shocked than I was?”

“Oh no, sister! I reacted exactly as you did,” she replied. “You asked me when you first arrived if the barrier was erected to keep the enemy out or to keep us in,” she said to Cairn. “Initially, I asked myself that same question. Though it did not feel wrong to any of us, I was uncertain in the beginning,” Emmeline said.

“As was I,” Gretchen concurred. “It was not until the first bolt of power struck it that I understood its reason for being.”

“And then you appeared,” Emmeline continued. “Rella was the first to spot your movements. Her eyesight is particularly good,” she said admiringly of the sister they had been introduced to earlier. “We did not know who you were then, but it was clear to us that you sought out Parth for refuge in the face of this assault, and we decided to try to provide you with a means of entry.”

“None of us knew what the shield was composed of or how to manipulate it. In fact, we did not think that we could alter it at all at first. But Emmeline here is quite extraordinary, and her efforts proved fruitful,” Gretchen said with a slight smile.

The dark skinned sister bowed her head and lowered her eyes in response to the words of her friend.

“The opening you created was more than sufficient for us all,” Robyn commended.

“We saw if from the forest edge and we hoped that it would remain open long enough for us to enter. Our concern was that after we committed ourselves to the attempt, it might close and leave us stranded and exposed,” Filaree related.

“We had no way of sending you a message, though we would have so liked to. Our talents are quite limited,” Emmeline said.

“They are greater than you take credit for, sisters,” Robyn asserted.

“We are learning every day,” Gretchen said, and Emmeline nodded her head in agreement.

The large room was illuminated by the early morning sun that streamed through the high windows of the tower. No artificial light was necessary as it flooded the entire chamber from one end to the other. Cairn and Robyn sat across from Filaree and Davmiran on either side of the table, while Gretchen and Emmeline sat at opposite ends.

“How many sisters are in residence here now?” Robyn asked.

Gretchen hesitated for a moment and looked at Emmeline before responding, who nodded barely noticeably in response.

“We are ten in all,” Gretchen said.

“And the other two?” Robyn inquired further. “Where have they gone?” he asked.

“You know much about us, Chosen. But perhaps we should learn more about you and why you are here before we reveal all of our secrets. After all, these times are strange indeed,” Emmeline cautioned.

“Strange indeed,” Robyn concurred. “I am sorry if I have offended you with my presumptuousness. But you have nothing to fear from us. In fact, I respect your desire to be guarded,” he replied, seemingly satisfied.

“It is not fear that motivates me. And it is not for lack of trust that I hesitate. But, sometimes knowledge can be dangerous, and we do not wish to jeopardize any of you by telling you things that others might be desirous to know.”

“Nor do we wish to jeopardize any of our own,” Gretchen added.

“It is best if we do not know,” Davmiran interjected. “That they are no longer here is sufficient,” he said, his voice soft and other-wordly.

The others all looked at him curiously. He had barely uttered anything up until this statement, and the expression on his youthful face was troubled and confused. Filaree leaned over and laid her hand on top of his.

“What is wrong? What is it that you see?” she asked gently. “Is there something you wish to tell us, Dav?”

His face was drawn and uneasy, and it seemed as if he was trying to recall something that kept eluding him.

“The two sisters are gone. I cannot feel them any longer,” he said, deep in thought.

Emmeline and Gretchen looked hard at each other.

“Gone, young man?” Gretchen questioned. “In what way are they gone?”

His eyes were now shut tight and he appeared to be struggling hard to ascertain something.

“They carry an object that many want, but none need,” he said after a moment, as if in a trance.

“Dav,” Robyn whispered. “Be careful what you say,” he warned him softly.

“None need, save one,” he continued, ignoring Robyn’s advice as if he did not hear him at all.

Cairn’s back arched. “Did you not say to the sisters only a moment ago that knowing that they are gone was enough?” he asked. “What has changed in these few minutes? Are they imperiled?”

“If they are in danger we must know,” Emmeline exclaimed.

“A moment ago, I saw nothing. Now I see much,” he answered. “Their threads have vanished though they have not been severed. They have stepped beyond the weave.”

“I think it would be best if we let the boy rest for a while now,” Robyn interrupted, and he rose and walked to Davmiran’s side. “Come,” he said to him, clearly trying to stop him from continuing to disclose these things to the others.

“Let him speak, Chosen,” Gretchen insisted. “He has not been coerced into revealing anything. What do you fear? You asked the very question of us that he is addressing now.”

“There are things that are best kept hidden, that is all,” Robyn prevaricated. “I asked of you something that I hoped you would not answer and in fact, you responded as I had hoped. Now our sentiments are reversed.”

“Robyn!” Filaree barked. “What could you possibly wish to keep from us? Are we not equals here?” she asked, somewhat affronted by his attitude.

“She asks a legitimate question,” Cairn agreed. “Let the boy continue. If there is something that he knows and that you know, it should be shared amongst us all.”

Robyn sat heavily in his chair and shook his head back and forth.

“I only wished to spare you all some of what a Chosen must endure. If it is necessary for you to know it all, then so be it!” he said. “But the boy need not tell you. I can just as well.”

Davmiran opened his eyes again and looked at Robyn, as a single tear rolled down his pale cheek.

“I am sorry, Dav. It is a painful vision, I know,” his eyes were tender. “I hoped I would not need to speak of it so soon on our quest,” he said to the group.

“We are strong of heart, sir,” Emmeline assured him. “Just tell us the truth, whatever it may be.”

“Yes, Robyn. Tell us. We can handle it,” Filaree was staunch as she poked her chin out and up.

“If your words reveal to us a situation that already is, then you will merely be opening a window for us that we have not yet been able to gaze out from. It will change nothing,” Cairn said.

“I agree. Please do not keep us in the dark any longer,” Emmeline said, anxious to know the fate of Tamara and Angeline.

“It could change more than you might imagine, Cairn,” Robyn said to the scholar. “But, so be it! The fabric weaves of its own will. I have tried and I have failed. Now, we shall all suffer the knowledge,” he declared, and he drew in his breath in preparation for his next words. “There are some places on earth that none dare venture into; some places so disturbing and so disheartening that it would be impossible to emerge from them unscathed if at all. No one chooses to tread there, yet some must. Premoran is one such person, and his strength is well known to us all,” he explained. “I have been there once as well,” Robyn said clearly recalling moments that he dreaded and then he paused for a brief second. When he began to speak again it was obvious that the words weighed heavily upon him. “The pouch you carry with you Dav, is filled with the shards from the hollows.”

As soon as the name was mentioned, the room fell silent. It was not so much the word itself but the way in which Robyn uttered it that caused the reaction. Even though the two sisters from Parth had only met him a short while ago, it was clear to them too that this was not a subject that he spoke lightly about.

“The hollows?” Filaree questioned. “I am unfamiliar with the place. Where is it?”

“I have heard the word before. There are writings that speak of it,” Cairn said, profoundly concerned.

“Then it is by virtue of the pouch that Premoran entrusted to me that I learned of the sisters?” Davmiran asked Robyn softly.

“Yes, it is,” Robyn replied. “They are what remains, and within them they carry the souls of the trees from which they came.”

“Where is this place?” Filaree asked again.

“Alas, there are many such places. They exist wherever a Lalas was and is no longer,” Robyn answered.

“The Forbidden Places?” Emmeline asked, eyebrows arched.

“Yes, sister, the Forbidden Places,” Robyn acknowledged, and he immediately saw the recognition spread painfully across her face and those of the others. “You know of them?” he asked, only slightly surprised.

“Yes, Chosen,” Gretchen answered. “We have studied the Tomes often enough. There is reference made to these dreadful spots, though it has always been unclear as to their derivation and to their location. Are you certain that Tamara and Angeline are in one of these ‘hollows’ as you call them?” she asked.

“There is no doubt, sister,” Davmiran replied immediately. “Of that, I am sure.”

Gretchen bowed her head sullenly and appeared to be deep in thought.

“Do not grieve for them so quickly,” Robyn said. “There is no reason to assume that harm has yet come to them. The hollows can actually provide sanctuary for some,” Robyn explained.

Gretchen stiffened. “Sanctuary? How could such places protect anyone? Are they neither here nor there? Do they not take a part of your soul the moment you trespass within them? Is it not true that no mortal has entered and returned?” she asked.

“I am here,” Robyn said quietly. “I have been there and back. Premoran too,” he continued.

“But you are Chosen, Robyn dar Tamarand,” Emmeline replied. “Tamara and Angeline are merely untrained sisters who have some affinities like most of the rest of us here in Parth it seems. What defenses could they possibly have?”

“And why would they be there to begin with? What would lure them into the Forbidden Places?” Gretchen asked.

“The sisters of whom you speak are quite capable. Was Tamara not the one chosen for the pilgrimage to Liam and Oleander? And did the tree not speak with her and entrust her with an important task? I cannot know what is going on in the hollows. It is beyond my reach. But it has been known to be a place of refuge for those who are strong enough to endure it,” Robyn explained. “If they have entered by invitation, then perhaps they are still safe.”

“Invitation? They are dead places! Who or what could have offered them refuge there?” Emmeline asked.

“The hollows are junctures between the living and the dead. As I said before, they are the places between. Yet, they still harbor the remnants of the power that once was present there. And they need always to be protected,” Robyn said.

“Are you telling us that despite what we have all been led to understand about the Forbidden Places that people reside there?” Cairn asked, baffled.

“Not people, exactly,” Robyn replied. “The guardians; the Drue.”

“Drue? That is an unfamiliar name to me,” Cairn replied.

“I have not heard it before either,” Gretchen concurred and Emmeline nodded agreement.

“You will find only a scant mention of them in the Great Books,” Robyn replied. “I am uncertain whether even the other Chosen know of their existence. I had hoped not to burden you all with this secret.”

“We in Parth are accustomed to keeping confidences. You have no reason to be concerned that we will reveal this to anyone,” Emmeline assured him.

“It is not your intention that I am concerned about, sister,” he replied.

“Be not concerned at all then, Chosen!” Gretchen said. “We are strong of character here. There is little that can be taken from us against our will.”

“You believe that our dear sisters have taken refuge in one of these places with the consent of these beings?” Emmeline asked expectantly.

“They have most definitely,” Davmiran answered for the Chosen. “They have crossed over and thus they are beyond, but they are being guided by the Drue.”

“You know this now for certain?” Filaree asked.

“The shards are communicating with me in their own way, though words are not their medium. I cannot see into these places, but I believe that your friends are safe,” Davmiran answered.

“What made you so reluctant to tell us about the hollows, Robyn?” Filaree questioned. “There is nothing so shocking about this, yet you feared that it would disturb us or be dangerous for us to know about them.”

“What more have you not revealed?” Cairn prodded him, determined to learn the entire truth at this point.

“The hollows are a battlefront, so to speak,” Robyn continued, his former reluctance now gone from his tone. “They are protected by the Drue because they are closer to the void than any other places we could ever encounter. The vacuum that is left behind when a Lalas departs the earth can never be reconciled with the world of the living. They are beyond dead, and Colton dar Agonthea is drawn to them unremittingly, as are all the stranded souls from time untold,” Robyn explained.

“The Dark Lord wishes to enter these places?” Gretchen asked, confused.

“Yes. And all of those whose souls he has taken also desire to, for they have no place to go once their physical forms have perished. They seek out the hollows as places of refuge from their suffering. They think of them as their bridge to dissolution.”

“A means by which they could overcome their anguish and pain,” Davmiran added. “A stepping stone to their ultimate release.”

“So why not let them have these places? They belong to the earth no longer,” Cairn asked.