A Story: Lairèn Stormchild

[LadyMara]

Hey everyone,
here's a story I'm working on. It takes place in my own fantasyworld.
I hope you enjoy reading it.
My English is not that good, so if I made a mistake, please tell me.
Here's the prologue and the first chapter.
If there are any questions about the characters/places etc, feel free to ask. I tend to forget I'm the only one who knows all the details and backstories

 

[LadyMara]

Prologue
She had dreamed about him, for the first time in many years. She had heard his screams during the fight with the other. The sound of steel on steel and the smell of blood were still in her head.
She sat right up in bed, thinking about what had happened then. She had fallen into darkness, serving the Enemy, he had lured her into it, with his pleasant voice. Another had saved her from his claws, the Lone Traveler, he was called, he had given up his real name long ago and had forgotten it.
She had dreamed about him, how he was created by evil wizards when the Dragon Throne was not existing yet, because he had saved the one he loved. She remembered the pain she had felt when she woke up from that nightmare that falling was, almost killed by the poison of a Seasnake.
But the Lone Traveler and his Enemy were both gone, for over twenty years they were death. Dreaming about them she considered a bad sign. Things were going to change again, just like then.
Dalya stood up and stared into the mirror. The black scar stretched like a cobweb over her leg from the place where the Seasnake had bitten her.
“You’ve been dreaming again.” D’zirn stood behind her. His dark eyes looking into hers through the mirror. She just nodded. “I heard you talk last night.”
She turned away from the mirror, looking in her husband’s eyes. “I dreamed about their last fight, the Enemy being killed with one of my claws and the Lone Traveler asking me to claim his live. He said I owed him a live because he saved mine. But when they fought, I heard no demons or humans scream, only a cats.”
“You heard a cat?” D’zirn looked at her. “Nihin is stirring and probably messing with your dreams. I feel the dark growing stronger. The portal on the island is coming back to life since summer is ending. It won’t be long before Nihin unleashes all its powers on us.”
“You’re not afraid anymore.” She softly touched his face.
“An angry Nightelf telling you the truth can be quite impressive.” He smiled at her. “And Savanna knows me better than I know myself. She is right, I should not make the same mistakes as I did in my former life. I hope I will be braver this time.”
“I believe you will.” she said softly, she didn’t know all the details of D’zirns former life, only that he had been married to Savanna. But that had been another life and didn’t affect this one.
“Speaking about Savanna, we should be going.” she said.
“Yes, new recruits, hope something useful this year. We will need every soldier in a few years.” D’zirn turned away. “I wish there were more of us.”
“We will see. Wake Dalyon and tell him to be useful for once.”
D’zirn laughed and left the room. “Dalyon can be useful if the task is not too boring.”
Dalya smiled and turned back to the mirror. “I hope this dream was a good sign and not an ill omen.” she whispered to herself.

Lairèn, Stormchild
Chapter one, New start
He followed the women to the gate. He looked up at the great obsidian walls of the capital, black with white snowflakes. They were as high as the great trees he had seen in the forest behind him, almost 25 meters high and glowing with a soft, blueish light. He felt small and insignificant, more than ever.
The cityguards, wearing mail and skyblue cloaks looked at him when he walked through the gate, which was almost ten meters high, for a reason he did not know. “Good luck at the recruitment today.” One of them said, smiling. He sighed, he would never go there, no one would allow him to go. He was almost twelve, old enough to go to the recruitments for the first time. But nobody from his village ever went to the recruitments. The royal army and the Dragon Throne were of no concern for them.
And besides that, the recruitments were led by members of the Black Order, and in his village, they were considered evil.
They entered the city. Compared to its walls, it was almost snowwhite. The roads had a soft grey color. The houses only a bit darker, with slate roofs.
“And, like the capital?” one of the women asked him. He nodded and she smiled at him. “It’s said the walls are built by king Duilè the First himself and his dragon.” she said. “He designed the whole city as well. Because of that it’s so wide and open and symmetrical, you can see the hand of a Nightelf in it. Dragons can walk over the mainstreets if they want to and can enter the city through the gate if not flying.” They walked further to the marketsquare in the middle of the city. A great tower made of dark grey stone was build there. “Beneath the city are the docks, the towers basements are leading down there as well. Its fundaments are built on the shores of the river beneath the city. Duilè build it over a waterfall. Only Nightelves come up with ideas like that.” She was silent for a short while. He looked at her, hoping for more details about the city. “Do you see the royal palace up there?” She continued. He looked in the way she pointed. “Queen Savanna lives there. She’s an direct descendant from Moran the First and the most powerful queen since ages. Also her brother, Lord Moran, formerly king Moran the second, lives there.” He saw a huge white building with a lot of towers and a glass dome. Blue flags were caught in the wind, he knew these winds were the forerunners of a great storm. The first autumnstorm of the year came always at his birthday. That was one of the reasons people from his village hated him.
“Where’s the dome made of?” he asked softly, trying not to think of his birthday and the coming storm.
“Sand, magic and dragonsfire.” she answered. “Also made by Duilè. All Elvenclans have their talent, and the talent of the Nightelves is architecture.”
He nodded. He liked his neighbor, she was always kind to him where others were not. Everyone hated him, they thought he was dark or just weird. His purple eyes, pale skin and dark hair made him different from the others in his village. Sometimes they even thought he was evil or cursed. The storm was one of the reasons they thought he was cursed, his teeth were another, they looked like the fangs of a cat. The people knew something about him he did not know, something that made them afraid of him.
“Jorn, listen to me.” she said in a more serious tone. “If I tell you to run, you run, for the Tower. The Black Order will be there to test all the recruits. You need to sneak between them, this is your only chance to escape.”
“Escape?” He looked at her, did she know his thoughts, his deepest wishes? He wanted to escape from his village, from his parents and brothers and sisters. But always someone was watching him, wherever he went.
“The Lady of Life will lead you.” she whispered suddenly. “Trust in her and you will succeed.”
He looked at her and felt more confused than ever. He saw a strange twinkle in her eyes. “Not everyone in our village is stupid like your parents. They know nothing about our kings and if they know who rules us now, it will be an exception. They all think we’re still rules by Annika, who died last year shortly after her husband.” She shook her head. “I’ve seen more of our country than most, but I was at home, the night you were born. If you want to know the truth about yourself, go look for the woman named Lena, she can tell you.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“Just listen, Jorn, just listen. People tell more when you listen carefully and ask the right questions. You only know the right questions when you listen.”
“Why are you talking to the boy?” another woman asked. “He’s no one, don’t talk to him as if he’s a person.”
He felt his heart ache and looked at his neighbor again. –I will help you- she mouthed and winked. He followed them over the market. The last warmth of summer made the flowers that grew on the walls of every house a colorful sight. He wondered if Duilè had planned the flowers as well. He sighed and hoped she would really help him. He knew at least one thing, she was a follower of Zaírd’lona and not Lithai like most villagers. And Zaírd’lona had always been kind to him, in a way no one knew.
The women entered a shop. She looked over her shoulder and stood still in the doorway. “Now!” she whispered. And before he knew what he was doing, he started to run. He ran through the crowds at the marketsquare and hoped no one could find him now.

Dalya watched the row of children, all twelve or almost twelve years old. Ready to receive their first training that could save their lives if Nihin unleashed. She remembered the day she had stood here herself, the first time she held a sword and it felt alive in her hands. None of the children before her would feel that today. No Nightnimfs were among them.
A small boy ran across the courtyard and closed the line. She walked towards him. “You’re late.” she said sternly.
The boy looked up. “I’m sorry, my lady.” he whispered. She barely heard him, the only thing she saw where his purple eyes. She smiled at him.
“Don’t be sorry. Better late than never. Tell me your name.”
“Jorn, my lady.” Dalya frowned. She saw the boy flinch, as if he expected her to hit him.
“Jorn is not a name, it just means ‘boy’ in Elvish.” she said. “What’s your name?”
“If Jorn is not my name, then I have no name, my lady.” the boy said and stared to the ground.
Dalya nodded, but her mind was spinning, a boy without his own name and a Nightnimf as well. She knew it was not his real name, she had seen how people were when they had lost their real name before. And most of the time, the effect had been disastrous.
She walked back and looked at the children. “Who of you has held a sword before and knows how to wield it?”
A tall, slender boy raised his hand. “I, ma’am.” he said.
“What your clan?”
“Hawk, ma’am.” But she already knew before he answered, his face had betrayed his clan like her eyes would betray hers.
“And who trained you, your father?”
“Lady Felain.” he said proudly. “The Lord-Knight’s daughter herself.”
“That’s very good, pick your sword. Jorn, come over here please.” She took a smaller sword of the rack and gave it to him. He held it in one hand. Two swords, how interesting, she thought and gave him a second.
“Hawk, Jorn, I want you to demonstrate the others the art of swordfighting.” she said. Jorn looked at here, fear in his eyes. But she nodded. This was the only way to learn the others the powers of the Nightnimfs and letting him know what he really was.

“… art of swordfighting.” he heard the Swordmasters words echo in his head. The Hawk looked at him and hesitated. The swords felt heavy in his hands. How could he ever show swordfighting to the other children? He had never held a sword before…
“Begin.” the Swordmaster said. The Hawk lashed out with his sword. He staggered back and almost tripped over his own feet, his heart was beating in his throat. Again the sword came near. He raised one of his own. Steel against steel, the sound was like thunder in his ears. He nearly fell over. He raised the other sword as well. Suddenly he knew what to do, the world became clear in a way he had never seen it before. He drove the Hawk back, step by step, and disarmed him. He placed the points of his swords on his chest and his neck. He saw small drops of blood in the neck of his enemy and realized he could smell them as well. He wondered why he could and why he thought of the Hawk as his enemy.
The strange feeling left him as sudden as it had come to him. He felt tired and empty.
“And this is why Nightnimfs are considered the best fighters in the three countries.” He heard the Swordmaster say. “Even if they’ve never held a sword before, they know how to fight and fight better than ones who are trained for years. You can lower the swords now, Jorn.” He looked at her in surprise and did as she said. “Hawk, very well done. I’ll assign you to Lord D’zirn for your further training. I will send my compliments to Lady Felain.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” the Hawk whispered.
“Wait here, all of you.” she demanded and walked away.

“Dalyon, where in Nihin’s name are you?” Dalya yelled as she entered the tower.
“Over here.” she looked up. Dalyon was sitting on the stairs playing with a knife. “What’s the problem?” His purple eyes had a mischievous sparkle in them. He stood up, standing a head taller than she.
“You are going to make yourself useful today. Take all the children outside with you and teach them some basics. Bring the Hawk first to your father.”
“Can’t you do it yourself?” Dalyon asked.
“I found a newborn.” she said. “I’ve reasons when I ask you things, it’s time to grow up, Dalyon.” She looked at her youngest child. “You know that as well. I can’t use your brothers anymore since they all have their own things to do. I’m afraid your time of wandering around is really over. As we speak D’zaron is pledging loyalty to the queen and promises her to serve her as High Questioner, D’zarin is doing a hundred things at the same time and Zarn needs to assist D’elwé.”
“I know, I know.” Dalyon sighed. He pulled back his cloak and revealed his face, half covered with scales. “Should I wear a mask?” he asked. Dalya sighed and looked sadly at him.
“It wasn’t what I wanted for you, you know that. Nykon does as he pleases.” She touched his face. “But we are only here to serve.”
“I do not blame you for the scales, mother, you saved my life and your own by them. But they are children, they will be afraid of me.”
“Perhaps they will, perhaps they will not, I can’t give you the answer.” Dalya said. “Just try. But fear is an healthy emotion, it can save them.” Dalyon nodded and followed her outside. She waved to a guard. “Bring me the Lord Commander, I need to speak with him.” The guard hurried away.
“D’zarin? The newborn is going to be trained by Zarin?” Dalyon asked in surprise. “You just said he already has a hundred things to do.”
“Yes, you don’t have enough patience for training. And since he’s a newborn, he has unknown powers, Zarin can teach him how to control them. Besides, Silwana needs to stand on her own legs and stop with using him for everything, she’s the Marúa now.”
Dalyon nodded. “But he’ll be hard on the boy.”
“We all would. Nihin is stirring, the end is coming. We need warriors.”

Jorn stood still were he had been standing when the Swordmaster had left. She came back with a man who’s face looked half burned. A lost sunbeam crossed over the black half and sparkled of, it were scales, he realized. He had never seen someone with scales before, but he had heard rumors in the village. Scales were signs of Nykon and considered to bring bad luck.
“All of you, come with me, except you.” He noticed his strange, but pleasant voice. The man looked straight at him and he noticed his purple eyes. A smile hinted around his lips. He walked away, the rest of the children following him.
“And what about me, my lady?” he asked.
“Come with me, Jorn.” he followed the Swordmaster, wondering where she was taking him. He noticed how smoothly she moved, like a giant cat. “You must be wondering what just happened.” he nodded. They entered the tower and went to a big room. “The only reason you could defeat the Hawk is because you’re a newborn Nightnimf. Sit down now.” She directed to the couch standing near the fireplace.
“I am a Nightnimf?” he asked, but he felt he had known this for a very long time. He slowly sat down.
“Of course you are, pale skin, dark hair and especially, purple eyes are the marks of a Nightnimf. And the way you fought is also a mark.”
“If you say so, my lady.” He wanted to believe her, but he doubted, he had been used to long.
“My name is Dalya and my clan is Monster. You just saw Dalyon, my youngest son and of my clan. What is your clan?”
He looked at her. “Zaírd’lona’s cat.” he said softly.
“How interesting, a real newborn. How do you know it’s your clan?”
“Zaírd’lona told me herself. She visits me often and is very kind to me.” It was true, the Lady of Life and Death often came by to see him. He saw Dalya smile.
“You need to tell me more about that. I think you were created by Zaírd’lona, like I was created by Nykon. But first, do you want to be trained by one of us and enter the Black Order like all other Nightnimfs?”
“My parents will never allow me to join.” he whispered and felt tears burning in his eyes. “They hate me! They use me as a slave and say that I’m not even a person! But they will never let me go!” Tears were streaming over his cheeks.
Dalya sat down beside him. “You are a Nightnimf, if you want to join us, we will protect you and keep you save. I will talk to your parents.” He felt her touch his face and made him look into her eyes. “My mother hated me as well, she even left my father because of me and my sister Lena. We are all feared because no one really knows what we are, they think we’re demons.” Lena, my sister Lena, he thought, that was the woman who knew more about him. This was too much a coincidence.
Jorn nodded slowly. “What happened to your father?”
“He Returned to the immortality of the Woodelves. At this moment, I’m older than my father in looks.” He saw her smile, but it was a sad smile. “You’ll meet him one day, if you want to learn how to use a bow.”
“If I join, what will I become?” he asked. “I don’t want to be a slave again.”
“I you join, you will be trained by one of us and you will be welcomed as a member of our family. I will try to be your new mother and my husband, Lord D’zirn, will be your new father, and my children will be your brothers and sisters. There are few of us, these days, none of us should be a slave in the hands of ignorant people. We are Zaírnyrelí.”
Jorn looked at her. “What does that mean?”
“Nightnimfs in Elvish.” Dalya said. “But what is your answer, only you can decide on your own fate.”
He looked up at her. “I will join you.” he said, more sure than he felt.
“I had thought so.” Dalya smiled at him. “I’ll make sure Lena finds you a room in the house and some new clothes.”
“My lady? Could I speak to Lena?” he asked.
“Just Dalya.” she looked at him. “Lena will speak with you if you ask her. But first things first, I think D’zarin must be close by now.”
“Who’s D’zarin?”
“D’zarin is my second son, I want him to train you.” He looked at his feet, not knowing what to say.

 

[LadyMara]

Does anyone want to read the second chapter?

 

[LadyMara]

Okay, here's the second chapter.


Chapter two, D’zarin
D’zarin paced through the city. A towerguard had told him his mother wished to see him. The man seemed a bit uneasy around him and hurried of again as soon as he got the chance. He was used to it. He wondered what his mother wanted from him, he had more things to do this day. He was already angry, but did not show it, though people seem to sense it and stayed away from him. Most of the time he liked it when he was left alone because they feared him. Their fear was pleasant in a strange way.
“My Lord Commander?” a woman’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He looked sideways and a bit down. A woman from the countryside was walking beside him, but in her eyes shone a strange light.
“My Lady Zaírd’lona.” he whispered, surprised. He had recognized the glow immediately. Besides, no one would have dared to come close now, except people he knew.
She smiled. “Zarin, you’re the first who has ever recognized me in this form, I’m proud of you.” she said, her voice seemed to come from a distant. “But I have to tell you a few things. First of all, your mother called you because of a newborn. I have created him and took care of him most of the time. But now he’s almost twelve years old and has to learn to be a Nightnimf and not some stupid countryboy who’s never seen anything of the world or did anything. His clan is Zaírd’lona’s Cat, he will grow wings when he is old enough and he will be able to carry souls, like my real cats. He needs someone to learn him to control his powers, carrying souls is really dangerous, especially for a child. You’re control is stronger than I’ve ever seen. I fear the moment you will ever lose control of that fire of yours.”
“I will train him as good as I can, my lady.” Zarin said softly. “I will serve you as you ask.”
“Of course you will. But there’s a thing I wanted to ask you. Are you mad at me?”
“Mad, my lady?” Zarin looked surprised at Zaírd’lona. “Why should I be mad?”
“Because I’m the Mistress of Life and Death.”
Zarin shook his head. “No, I do not blame you for what happened. I only blame myself.”
“Listen carefully now, Nykon told me this wasn’t supposed to happen. The threads of the future are messed up and he’s worried. You must warn Moran, things in prophecy can change now, the future is no longer bound to them. I share Nykons worries.” She smiled a bit. “Sounds strange, doesn’t it, a Allerièn being worried?”
“It worries me greatly. It sounds very strange indeed, cause I’ve always thought of you as forces of nature, not of some sort of people with emotions.”
“We are forces of nature and have emotions, that’s our strength, it makes us care for the world and our people. But things are about to change, Zarin, and Lairèn is needed for that change. Take care of him and I will make sure you don’t have to suffer the pain you feel now again.”
“You don’t have to promise me, my lady.” Zarin looked into the distance. “I will take care of the boy, as long as needed. Don’t reward me for being loyal.”
“I will still reward you in a way. But I leave you now. Farewell, Zarin, may your threads be strong, stronger than the forces that are messing with them.” Zaírd’lona left him.
He walked slowly to the tower. –The threads are messed up- he thought. –It was not supposed to happen, but why did it happen?- He shook his head. –Moran is not going to like this- He sighed, Moran was a kind man, but extremely impatient, even for a Nightelf. He thought of the books he still had to translate from Demonic. Too many things to do, too little time to do everything. And everything had to be done.
“Lost in thought, Zarin?” A familiar voice said.
“Good day, Taniël.” Zarin looked at his friend, his stormgrey hair completely messed up as usual, his black cloak swirling behind him in the wind, a storm was coming.
“Who was that woman? I’d never thought someone would talk to you when you’re irritated.” he gestured in the direction Zaírd’lona was walking.
“Would you believe me if I said Zaírd’lona?” Zarin asked.
“Really?” Taniël looked surprised. “What did she tell you?”
“My mother found a newborn she created. She wants me to take care of him and train him.”
“There’s more than that.” Taniël said. “I’ve been following you and you were talking to long for that.” Some sparkles of curiosity were seen in his grey eyes.
Zarin shook his head. “I’m sorry, Niël, I can’t tell you all she said. My head is still spinning about it and I’m a bit confused about some other things.” No, some things he couldn’t tell anyone yet, expect Zaron and D’elwé perhaps, he thought. Some things need to be a secret.
“I don’t blame you for not telling me. I haven’t told you all about myself and Nyla for a long time. I still remember the look on your face when I showed up with a three year old girl.”
Zarin smiled as he thought about his friends daughter, as stubborn as her father with the same color of hair but bright green eyes. “How’s your little girl doing?”
“Disappointed I left her at Stormbron today with here little brothers and Miranne. She wanted to see the recruitments today, but you and I know that she has other plans. She’s only eight and she already wants to join the army, must be her Wereldan blood.” Taniël smiled as he talked about his daughter. Zarin shook his head, he knew how fond Taniël was of his daughter, but his thoughts wandered off again.
“What happened?” Taniël asked. “You are very distracted.”
“Two members of my guard wanted to attack me, F’luwa warned me but they attacked her instead. Before I had them of her, she was already badly hurt because some others tried to stop me. I feel guilty about letting them hurt her and I’m very angry with them. But I don’t know how to get rid of them without ending up in a political hornets nest.” He felt the heat of anger rushing through his body again, but kept the fire in control.
“Send them to Nowenã, Lars was complaining lately about the number of proper guards and autumn is at our doorstep, and it’s freezing in Nowenã already and later the deep night comes as well. They will regret having angered you.”
“But what about F’luwa? She’s covered with bruises and some cuts. She suffers, not me.”
“Take a month’s wage from them and give it to her to spend on whatever she likes, that will learn them. Even the most stubborn Wereldan soldier understands what you mean with that.”
“Lower Helanian nobles are more stubborn than Wereldans, you know that, even more stubborn than you and you combine your own stubbornness with that of a Wereldan, you lived too long among them.” He hated the lower nobility. Always looking for weakness and advantage, trying to become better from others misery.
Taniël laughed. “That’s true, both. Still do it. You have to learn them that you can do everything to them, make them run around the city on some stupid errands and things like that. You are the Lord Commander, the only ones who can tell you what to do are Queen Savanna herself or one of the Lord-Knights.”
“Perhaps, I’ve never had problems with my authority till they showed up. I’ve been in command of the Guard for eight years now, this never happened before.”
Taniël nodded. “There’s more, but I think that’s something you don’t want to share with me.”
“There is, I will tell you when I’m ready for it, it’s something I need to think about for a while.”
“I’m okay with that. You should talk to Zaron, you tell each other everything. Don’t keep the secrets buried in your heart, it makes you feel horrible.” Taniël fell silent. “Oh, and I just saw Zaron, he was even paler than normal and a bit shaking.”
“He had to swear his oaths for the queen today. He’s the High Questioner now.”
“Nightnimfs at all high positions, the queen wants to make sure she can trust the people she needs.”
“Nihin is stirring, we all know a change is coming.”
“That’s dark talk, even from you, Zarin.” Both men turned around.
“Firon, how are you?” Zarin asked the man in black clothing and wearing a red cloak.
“I’m fine, and you?”
“Angry.” Zarin answered him. “And irritated.”
“I can understand. I heard my parents talk about what happened a few days ago. You can expect some support of my mother tomorrow. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen her angry, but she really was and it’s frightening.” Firon shook his head. “They really did something wrong as even the queen wants to punish them, they will learn not to anger a Nightelf.”
“Or a Nightnimf.” Taniël laughed. “Nowena it is.”
“It’s already freezing cold up there.” Firon said, shivering. “I hate cold.”
“At home it’s cold as well.” Zarin said. “You’re just not used to it, Fir.”
“True, and in the north they hate firemagicians, so I stay in the West, where it’s warm and I can use my magic without problems.”
They reached the tower. “Well, I’m going to see my mother now. Taniël, I hope Nyla will forgive you. Firon, if you see Moran somewhere around the palace, can you ask him to come to the Temple? I need to speak to him about things.” Taniël started to walk off but turned. “A storm is coming, a big storm, the first autumnstorm of the year. For twelve years, the first storm has been the biggest of the whole season and this year it’s even worse. I can feel the power gathering already. A few days and it unleashes. Be careful if you want to go flying, Firon, and beware of the lightning.” He walked away.
“Well, that’s interesting.” Firon said. “But of course I’ll tell Moran and I shall inform my mother about your plans with the guards. I think she’ll agrees, I already pity everyone that crosses you in the future.”
“I hope it does not happen soon.” Zarin touched his left forearm without a thought, feeling the scar beneath his shirt. “I don’t want accidents like eight years ago.”
“I hope so as well, you’ve become more powerful since that day.” Zarin looked at his friend, he looked concerned. “But don’t think about things that can be, future is Nykons land, not ours, we live here and now.” Zarin nodded slowly, he friend did not know yet that Nykons control over the future was weakening. “Sirgaleh e’is íne ‘waide.”
“Sirgaleh e’is íne toi ‘waide.” he answered and entered the tower.

Jorn looked up as a tall, slender man entered the room. He had black hair, a pale skin and deep purple eyes, darker then he had ever seen, almost black. His clothing and cloak were black as well. “You asked for me, mother?” the man asked. Jorn was surprised by his voice, it wasn’t as hard as he expected.
“Yes.” Dalya answered. “This is…”
“It’s good to meet you, Lairèn.” the man said. He looked at the man, the world started to spin and turned black.
He was floating in a dreamworld, but it wasn’t a dream. He heard distant voices…
“It’s a boy.” the first voice said.
“I don’t want him.” a second said.
“It’s your own child, give him his name.” said the first compulsory.
“Never will this monster be my child.” said the second. “He’ll better die.”
“As you wish, but I will not let this child die.”
“You’ve cursed it! You Nightnimfs curs our children to claim them later!”
“I did not curse him, but I shall give him a name.” the first voice said determined. “After that, it’s your concern, I shall ask Zaírd’lona to protect him of all evil you will cause him.”
The second remained silent.
“Lairèn.” Loud and clear the first spoke his name. Vague he saw the shape of a face, long blond hair en two lilac eyes. “Stormchild, I wish you all luck there is in this world, I hope you will forgive me for saving you and turning your life into a living hell.” The voice sounded weird, like she was speaking in a foreign language, a language he could understand now.
The second voice was screaming out of anger, and a third voice, a man’s voice, mixed in the conversation.
“Every child is a living creature and has the right to live.” the first voice was even more determined now.
He felt hard ground and heard the footsteps of the first slowly disappear.
“What now?” the second voice asked.
“Lay him outside, if he survives the storm, we’ll think about something else.” the man said.
Lairèn woke up, someone was holding him.
“Ah, you’re back.” It was D’zarin. “I had not expected make you faint by just saying hello.”
“How.. how do you know… my name?” Lairèn asked avoiding the dark eyes looking at him.
“Zaírd’lona told me who you are, what you are. I met her on my way to the tower.” He could not avoid the eyes anymore. “Where did you dream of?”
“My birth, I think.” he whispered, he did not want to tell this man about himself. Something about him made him uncomfortable, it was the darkness in his eyes.
“Interesting.” Zarin put him on his feet. He noticed how much taller Zarin was. “I’m D’zarin, Zaírd’lona asked me to take care of you and your training.”
Lairèn looked at him. He wondered if he spoke the truth. Dalya smiled at him. “It’s okay, Lairèn, Zarin doesn’t bite. I leave the two of you now, need to see Savanna.” She started to walk out of the room.
“Mother, wait, you must tell her something.” He saw Zarin took a deep breath. “Tell her that Nykon is worried, the threads are mixed up, a strange force changes the future, it’s no longer bound to prophecy. Thing happen that are not supposed to happen.”
Dalya’s eyes darkened. “I will tell her and Thomas.” she left.
“What does that mean?” he asked carefully.
Zarin turned around. “It means nothing is certain anymore.” he said softly. “It means the world is going to change like never before. Not even the Great Clan Wars or the Slaughter changed the world like what’s coming.”
“But what is coming?” he felt cold, the words of the man made him shiver.
“Nihin will unleash all its powers on us soon.” Zarin sighed. “But that’s not of your concern, Rèn, your too young to ponder about things like this.” Zarin took a chair and sat down. “Your first concern is your training. But first you need to tell me about yourself.”
Lairèn only looked at him, he did not want to tell this stranger about himself at all. “You first.” he said, wishing he would not by angered.
“That’s okay. I’m D’zarin, Fire of the Underworld in Demonic. I’m twenty-four years old, I have a twin brother, D’zaron, he is a bit older than I am. I have 2 little brothers, Zarn and Dalyon and two younger sisters, D’zaírna and D’zalya. Oh, and everyone calls me Zarin.” Zarin smiled a bit. “You’re turn.”
“I’m almost twelve now.” he said softly. “When the first autumnstorm comes, it’s my birthday.” He saw the man smiled at him.
“Niël was right, there’s something unnatural about that storm. It’s your name that causes the storm, it means Stormchild.”
Stormchild, he thought, just as the voice in my dream said. How can he know? What does he know about me?
“What are you thinking about?” Zarin asked. He looked a bit concerned.
“About my training.” he said quickly, too quick. Zarin frowned.
“Do not lie to me, Lairèn. I know when people are lying to me and I don’t like it.”
He bit his lip. “I’m sorry…” he whispered, he had seen a shadow moving in Zarins eyes. It made him even more afraid of the man. “I just wondered how you knew the meaning of my name.”
“That’s easy. Your name is build up out of three Elvish words, Djísar, storm, Twyra, child and Loiràn, lonely. Your name means Lonely Stormchild. I’ve no idea what the lonely part means, I hope it’s just because you’re the only member of your clan.”
He nodded slowly. “And what now?”
“Now? You’ll learn to read, write, some history, Elvish, magic and of course fighting.” He sighed. “But I won’t be able to learn you all of it, since I have many other tasks. I think I’ll ask Firon to teach you reading and writing and when you’re ready Elvish, he has more knowledge of Elvish. Taniël can learn you the basics of magic and perhaps some history and tactics. I will teach you fighting myself, you’re a Nightnimf after all.”
“Who are they, those men you speak of?”
“My friends, Firon is officially Prince Firon of Helana, heir of the West. Taniël is the Lord of Stormbron. But this still means nothing to you.” He smiled. “Can you wield magic already?”
He shook his head. “Why do I need to learn so many things?”
“A sword without knowledge is the most dangerous thing there is. All Nightnimfs are members of the Black Order, we are the Queens sworn sword and shield. Without knowledge we can’t do our job.”
“I understand, I think. So I will be a servant of the queen for the rest of my life?”
“I’m a servant of the queen and the Lord Commander of the Guard. I serve only the queen, no one else. You won’t be a slave, you will be a servant, like you can serve Zaírd’lona or Nykon. Being a slave is something else. I’m not a slave, I can do whatever I want to do, but when the queen asks me to do something, I will.”
“You never say no?”
“Never. I’ve sworn loyalty to the queen, for my entire life.” Zarin stood up. “But I’ve to talk to some people. Come with me, we will talk more when we walk.”
He did not move. I don’t want to serve the queen for the rest of my life, he thought, I don’t want to be a slave again. He can tell me anything, but why should I believe him?
“Is there a problem?”
“I don’t want to be a slave.”
“Lairèn, look at me, I swear to you, you will never be a slave again, never. I’ll do everything in my power to prevent that, Zaírd’lona is my witness. I will take care of you as long as you need me. I will teach you everything you need to learn to live in freedom for the rest of your live.”
“Just a promise.” he said. Zarins look darkened, the shadow again, in the edge of his eyes, a black void crawled over the white.
“A Nightnimf cannot break his promises, never. That’s our power and our weakness. I can never break this promise to you.” There was a tremble in his voice. “You have no idea what it means to make a promise. These are not just words, these are chains that bind me for the rest of my life. Never say that again.”
Lairèn felt a familiar sting behind his eyes. Tears were rolling over his cheeks before him knew it. “I didn’t know… In my village promises are easy broken.”
Carefully Zarin dried the tears with the sleeve of his shirt. “No reason to cry, I’m not angry with you. I just forgot you just don’t know much about yourself. Come, some fresh air will clear your mind.”
“Where are we going?” Lairèn asked. He was still not certain if he could trust Zarin or not.
“To the Temple, to see Lord Moran. I need to speak with him.”

 

[LadyMara]

And a third chapter!


Chapter Three, D’zaron
D’Zaron paced through the hall, the queen had not asked for him yet. For the first time in his life he felt really nervous. Today he would be named High Questioner, one of the most powerful man in the three lands. But he did not desire power. There were only two reasons he wanted this function. In the first place, the possibility to hunt down every single dark magician and kill them without being arrested for murder, in the second place to lock up all Lithai heretics, who wanted to clear every speck of darkness form the planet’s surface.
Only two reasons and it where the mayor problems of the Questioners. He smiled, showing his sharp, white teeth for a moment. There was a third reason, being the High Questioner made him inviolable, which meant he could use the Shadow as much as he wanted. He liked the thought of using the Shadow, one of the Underworlds powers. It was his, from the moment he took his first breath, he was born with the Shadow. No one could say he sold his soul for it.
“Ready, Zaron?”
“A ready as I can be, Lord Rèven.” he said without looking over his shoulder. He had known it was Rèven even before he spoke.
“Your no man to sit behind a desk, Zaron, you’re a hunter, even more than Zarin.” Zaron smiled and turned around.
“But this means I can hunt them down, the ones who sold their souls.” He sighed. “But you’re right, my predecessor was corrupt. I need to fix a lot of things first before I can hunt some necromancers. Luckily there always people to torture with the Shadow.”
“You are cruel sometimes.”
“No, I’m damn nervous! I haven’t sworn an oath for years, my last promises was, when was it, about six years ago, I think. I don’t like to promise things.”
“Well, I hope Savanna won’t be too hard on you then.”
“Well, you never know.” Zaron shook his head. “Never thought I would become the High Questioner. It means Zarin and I are the most powerful not nobleman in the three countries. Strange, isn’t it?”
“And I am not powerful you mean?” Rèven asked.
Zaron looked at him. “But Rèven, you are a nobleman. Your father was one of the dukes of Therã.”
“Yeah, but that was a very long time ago.”
“Still counts.” Zaron said. “I wish the queen did not make me wait this long. I’m afraid I’ll trip over my tongue and say something stupid and because it’s a promise, I will be bound to it for the rest of my life!”
“Zaron, calm down. You’ll be fine. I’m the one who made a stupid promise. It made me almost immortal. And someone else is also touched by my mistake.”
“Would you want to live without her? Could you live another life without Mara?” Zaron looked at the older man. “Is it bad that she is touched by it as well?”
“Good question, probably not. I would never made that promise without her, you know. If it wasn’t for her, I’d be death for a long time.”
“Killed by Wereldans or yourself?”
“Myself. I’ve had very dark days, perhaps even darker than the Shadow.”
“You’ve never seen the Void, Rèven. If you had seen the Void you’d know real darkness. I’ve been there, on the edge, looking into the depths, not knowing if I would jump. The storms on the edge make your thoughts spin around and try to push you in. But there’s something that binds me to this world, that prevents me from falling.”
“Zarin, isn’t it? You could never leave your twinbrother behind. And if you fall, he will follow.”
“Zarin won’t follow me. He would do everything to get me back to the light, be he will not follow me. He’s too strong for that. He’s stronger than I am. I can’t resist the call of the Shadow sometimes. He resists his power for eight years now. He has never forgiven himself for that accident.” Zaron shook his head. “If I would do that, I would hate myself forever. Not that I ever lost control, but I’ve hurt people, a lot of people.”
Rèven smiled. “I know, I’ve hurt a lot of people too, and even killed a lot. I hated myself for a while, long ago. Mara told me not to. And when she’s telling you something, you’d better listen, she’s always right, she looks right through people.”
“I know, Niël complained about that many times.” Zaron started to pace through the hall again. “The Shadow is always there, in the depts. of my mind, waiting for a chance to take over. The moment between letting down my guard and falling is the most horrible moment. Once, it almost took me into its grip. When I fall, I’m lost. I’m not my mother, sometimes I wished I was of her clan, it would’ve worked out better.” He fell silent. “These are dark thoughts, but they are always with me, Rèven, always.” Rèven just nodded and smiled sadly.
“Nervous?” An melodic voice said. Zaron immediately turned and bowed deep.
“My Queen.” He looked up in two dark blue dragons eyes. “A bit, hopefully I won’t trip over my own tongue.”
Savanna smiled. “Zaron, I thought that you were fearless.”
“A man without fear is a fool. You need fear to keep yourself save.”
“You sound exactly like your brother, talking like that. But come with me now, I need my new High Questioner.”
“Yes, my Queen.” he said and followed her into the throne room. He pressed his black mask at his face. He straightened his back and tried to ignore the fact that he was nervous and banished the thoughts of the Void to the edges of his mind.
Savanna sat down on the Dragon Throne, made of black stone and decorated with opal. It seemed she was sitting on two gigantic dragonwings. Zaron kneeled before the throne and looked up at here, she seemed a different person. Her dark blue and silver dress and her pale skin were more expressed against the stone. She looked down at him.
“Questioner, you’ve come here to answer my call.” she said, and Zaron remembered he was no longer Zaron, but just a Questioner. “The old High Questioner is corrupt and dishonors his position. I’ve chosen you to replace him.” She was silent for a moment. “Will you take the oaths?”
“I will.” he said, his voice loud and clear.
“Will you swear you always will serve the Dragon Throne, whatever it takes to do so?”
“I will.”
“Will you always be loyal to your queen and lords?”
“I will.”
“Do you swear this to Nykon, the Lord of Fate, Zaírd’lona, The Mistress of Life and Death, and to all the other Allerièní, as well as to Krystaìr Djégìn and the five Diahirí?”
“I will.” he whispered, he felt cold. All strength seemed to leave him. He managed barely not to collapse. “I will, my queen, till death takes me.”
“Rise, my servant.” she said. Zaron did as she asked. “From now you will be the High Questioner, you only follow my commands and the commands of my Hequ’arí.” She handed him a black mask decorated with silver lines. He removed his own simple black mask and pushed the other against his face. A tingling went through his skin as the mask formed to his face.
“Thank you, my queen.” He was feeling faint. Promises were not made lightly, he was bound to them, forever. “Do I have your permission to leave?”
“You may go, High Questioner.” she said. Not his name, but his function. No one knew the identity of the High Questioner, only the Queen and her Lord-Knights. Perhaps some others as well, but he didn’t know who. He left the throne room.
“How did it go?” Rèven asked, he was waiting for him just outside.
“All Allerièní and Krystaìr Djégìn and the Diahirí, all of them.” he said, trying to catch his breath. “Horrible.” He stretched his arm and noticed his hand was trembling still.
“I had not expected Savanna to do this. Only Nykon and Zaírd’lona, and perhaps Krystaìr Djégìn, that had to be enough.” Rèven shook his head. “I’m happy I only serve Zaírd’lona now.”
“And Moran, for the rest of your immortal life.” Zaron mumbled. “Well, I need to get to Lageviã now, a lot of paperwork is waiting for me there.”
“Lucky you. I hope you will release a lot of thieves today. Some have been locked up for weeks for almost nothing.”
“I’ll see. I think I need to release everyone for lack of evidence. The records are poor, investigations incomplete, and the list of prisoners hasn’t been updated for months and the only other list is somewhere in my office. It’s complete mess there.”
“Good luck.” They left the palace. The clouds were gathering above the city. The dark blue flags with a silver dragon on them were caught in the winds.
“A storm is coming, Taniël will like this one.” he said. “Autumn is coming.”
“Niël likes every storm since he was a baby.” Rèven said, smiling. “I remember the day his magic woke up, the result was a huge thunderstorm that almost set a ship afire. Mara was furious, he never did that again. But when a storm was coming, even his mother could not stop him from running to the beach and watching it.”
They reached the Portal House. Zaron noticed the guards looked at the two of them suspiciously. They took the Portal to Lageviã. “Did you see them watch? The High Questioner talking with the Guildmaster of the Cat, like there’s not a single Cat in the dungeons.”
Rèven laughed. “You can talk to whoever you want. The High Questioner can do whatever he wants as long as the Queen agrees, as can I.”
“I think we can catch more necromancers and other dark magicians if we would work together. You can find them, I can arrest them and kill them if they are really guilty.”
Rèven looked thoughtful. “And what is the gain for the Cat?”
“I can release whoever I want. None of the Questioners can question my actions. They must obey me. I can give you your Cats.”
“So you propose to share information.”
“Indeed, but only if you want that, Rèven.”
“Zaron, it’s probably the best idea I’ve ever heard of a Questioner. This is, hopefully, the best way to get rid of those Soulless.” He said after a long pause. “I suggest you clean up the mess and then we talk further. I will talk about this plan with the other Guildmasters.”
“Are there more?”
“Well, no, not exactly, I’m the Guildmaster, but I’m mostly in charge of the Black Cats. Mara is in charge of the Cats and someone else of the Snakes.”
Zaron nodded. “I understand. We could use some Snakes to get more evidence. I may be the High Questioner, but I still can’t kill a Soulless just because I can see he has no soul.”
“You’re about to start a war, Zaron.”
Zaron showed him his sharp teeth. “I’m a Nightnimf, Rèven, we are used to fighting.”
“You’d better hide those teeth of yours now, no one needs to know you are.” A short pause. “It’s even better if they don’t know you are a member of the Black Order.”
“I know, I know. Take care, Rèven, don’t get yourself killed by an angry Anghar.”
“Anghar? I’ve killed over a hundred Anghar in my life. The one that kills me is not yet born or has not left the safety of the Waterelves territories yet.” He smiled. “A vampire killed by an Anghar? Interesting thought of a Servant of the Underworld.” He walked off.
Zaron looked at the building at front of him. “Let’s get started cleaning up this mess.” He entered, ignored the guards and went straight to the High Questioners office, his office. He looked around, piles of papers lay everywhere. He sighed, it will take months to clean this up, he thought. He wandered around a bit looking at the things left in the room. He sensed magic in the wall, wards, to stop people from eavesdropping with magic or just at the door. They were old and weak. Zaron shook his head, took of his cloak and tossed it over a chair.
“Well, first things first.” he whispered and grinned. He stretched out his arms, streams of Shadow flowing from his hands. The darkness crept like mist around him, surrounding him with warmth and cold at the same time. Slowly a web of Shadow was covering the walls of the room. He stood in the middle of the web, weaving spells in it, to protect the room from evil. At last he made a shield to keep everything what was outside outside and what was inside inside. He laughed. The best protection against evil was the Shadow itself. He pulled back the strings and the spells disappeared in the walls. The Shadow whirled around him and vanished in thin air.
“You’re evil. D’zaron.” someone said behind him. He turned around. A beautiful woman with long black hair stood behind him. Her eyes glowing red in the dim room.
“Ravie, nice to see you too.” She smiled.
“My father sends me, we agree with your plans, my Lord Questioner. And it’s Ravéna, not Ravie, only Niël calls me Ravie.”
“I’m sorry, my Lady Ravéna. How are you these days?” he slightly bowed his head.
“Hunting Anghar, like my father, and doing some things for the Snake. They say I’m as talented as Lady Liadna or my mother.”
“You’re the first in times who could surprise me, so that must be true.”
“No, you were just busy using Dark Magic to protect this room. Quite impressive, your control over the Shadow.”
“Thanks. You can use it a bit, can’t you?” He walked to his desk and started to sort out the papers that were piled up on it. It was a long time ago he had spoken to Ravéna, Lord Rèvens daughter and Taniëls younger sister.
“Yes, but only when I’m in need.” she said. “Need a hand? This is the messiest room I’ve seen in my life, and I’ve been in a lot of rooms.”
“Well, if you don’t mind. I need to find the lists of prisoners, they must be here, somewhere, I hope. I promised Rèven to release as many Cats as I can. I think most of them are locked up way too long for their crime.”
Ravéna laughed. “A Questioner at our side, that’s a strange thing, but I like it.”
“The first task of the Questioners is hunting down heretics, all of them, and if I need the Cat to find them all, I will help the Cat.”
“We want those Soulless out of our city as well.”
Someone knocked at the door. Ravéna waved and disappeared through the open window. “Yes?” He touched his face, the mask was still there.
“My Lord High Questioner?” A man entered the room. Zaron knew who he was, his second in command.
“What’s the matter?” he demanded. He had no time for distractions, he needed to find those lists, he needed Rèvens help.
“Your predecessor took the lists of prisoners with him. I have no idea who are in the dungeons and for what crime they’re there.”
“Daírnar íon anem’té!” he cursed in Elvish. “What in Nihin’s name was he thinking?” The man set a step backward. “I need those lists, any idea where the man lives?”
“Ehm, here in Lageviã I believe.”
Zaron sighed, keeping the Shadow in control. “Nihin nai íon elar’ghé.. Well, then I have to pay him a visit. Guide me please.”

 

[LadyMara]

I was wondering, does anyone read my story? If not, I'll delete this thread.
I have a fourth chapter ready, so if you want to read it, just let me know.

 

[NINJA1492]

How could you think no one reads this?
And how dare you even suggest deleting this?
I love it! please keep going!

 

[LadyMara]

Okay, don't worry. Here's the fourth chapter. Enjoy reading!


Chapter Four, Forest of Kings
Lairèn hurried after Zarin through the city, it was hard for him to keep along the Commanders long paces. “Is it a long way to the Temple?” he asked, finally catching up with him.
“No, it’s in the forest outside the city. Do you know the forests name?” Zarin walked slower now. “It’s called the Forest of Kings, Delo’a Talarsím in the language of the Dragons Children.”
“Are the Dragons Children the Elves?” Lairèn asked, wondering why Zarin not just said Elvish like everyone else.
“Yes, they are. But the language we call Elvish, is much older than that. It’s a language from the beginning, the language of the Dragons.” Zarin looked at him. “Drágoní are the first creations of Krystaìr Djégìn after R’beníen, the Breaking, when it broke with Rízair Du’zar.” Lairèn only looked at him, so many strange names. “What does it all mean?”
“It’s the story of creation, Lairèn. It started with Krystaìr and Rízair, together they created our planet, the sun, the moon and Wereldan and Monaria. They created all the living things around us. But when they wanted to make creatures with Ghèrn, a mind, the conflict started. Krystaìr made the Drágoní, powerful creatures who rule the elements. Rízair created the first of the Daimorí, archdemons, creatures of the same power, but they can only use it for destroying. The reaction of Krystaìr were the fourteen Allerièní, all with power over one specific element. Their opponents are the Daimon, they’re like the Daimorí but less powerful.” Zarin was silent for a moment. “But they can’t win from each other, Allerièní and Daimon are immortal, Daimorí can be killed, but their allerian does not stop existing. Their allerian goes back to Nihin, the realm of the Daimorí, and when their strength is returned, the get there old appearance back.”
“But Dragons can die, can’t they?” Lairèn asked. His head was even more spinning with names now. He tried to understand, but some things were not clear to him yet.
“Drágoní become very old, but in the end they die. When the name of a dead Drágon is given to a young one, all knowledge of the old one is given to the young one as well. Drágoní live on in each other. This made the fighting complete senseless and eternal.”
“So, Krystaìr is Good and Rízair is Evil?” Lairèn said after thinking about it for a while. Zarin nodded slowly. “And they are still fighting?” Zarin nodded again. “What did they create after the Allerièní and the Daimon?”
“Us, humans or Mihení, at the side of Djégìn and the Dar at the side of Du’zar. We are fighting this endless war. After us, they saw it was useless to create new species, none would ever win.”
“Why are we still fighting then? If it’s endless?” He had never heard of the Dar before, but decided not to mention it. He would find out where they were soon enough, he thought.
“Because there’s a third power, her name is Amdail’ra. She must rule over our lands again.”
“What does Amdail’ra mean?”
“It means Balance, we cannot live without good and evil, but if Amdail’ra rules, they’re both here but they do not fight anymore.”
Lairèn frowned. “But why are we fighting against evil then? It doesn’t make sense.”
“We fight against evil because Amdail’ra has left us. If we’re not fighting, they overrun us. We need to fight to give Amdail’ra the chance to come back.”
“I’ve never heard of Amdail’ra before.” Lairèn said softly. It was a strange story about strange supernatural beings. He had never heard this story before, but it made sense in some way. He sighed. They had reached the citygates, he noticed. It was the same gate as he had used that morning to enter the city. The guards saluted as they walked past them. The forest lay almost directly behind the citywalls.
“Why is the forest called the Forest of Kings?”
“You’ll see.” Zarin said and smiled.

He took a road into the forest. He loved it, it felt like home. The green trees remembered him of the spruces around their village. It made him calmer, his thoughts became slowly clearer. Talking about the creation made him think about the war he had been fighting for years now, with the rest of the Black Order. He had killed many of the Dar, and many had tried to kill him. The Dar had pulled back, hiding, or roaming the Wereldan lands.
The boy was still following him, looking around like he saw the forest for the first time, no, it was the first time, he remembered himself. He sighed a bit. The first time he had been here, was to visit his grandfather in the city of the Woodelves. It lay deeper into the woods, not close to the road that followed the river Helaina to the north. The trees were bigger deeper in the forest, as high as the walls of Helainã. The city of the Woodelves was probably the most beautiful place he had ever seen. The bridges between the trees, the platforms at the top of them, the views from there over the forest. You could even see the mountains from there, while it was a five week travel to the Shai’n from the city. He had been to the Shai’n only once, with Moran and Dalyon, to find the old city of the Skyelves. He had only good memories here. His mother had once taken Zaron and him to the place where she had found their father, somewhere in the middle of the forest. He could still sense the power of Nihin there, but also the power of the Swords, the power that had saved his father and brought him back to the realm of the living after he had survived five hundred years in the realm of the demons. His mother had taken care of him, she had a weak spot for demons.
“What are these statues?” Lairèn asked suddenly. Zarin looked up, it took a few seconds to realize where he was. Not in the middle of the forest, but still on the road.
“The old kings.” he said. “This first statue is Moran the First.” He looked at the statue, it resembled Lord Moran almost as two drops of water, only the look in his eyes was different.
“They look so real.” the boy whispered. “Was Moran the First our first king? Was he the one who defeated the counsel and took over?”
“Yes.” Zarin walked to a bench standing between two statues. “Come over here and you can ask all questions about them you want. I’ll try to answer them, but I’m not going to tell whole Helana’s history.”
The boy sat down beside him, he feet dangling above the ground. “Did he really defeat the whole counsel on his own?” he asked.
“I don’t know the real story,” he said. “but not the whole counsel was there at that moment. And Moran had his dragon to support him, the great Sh’ran.”
The boy nodded and looked at some of the other statues. “Who’s the one with the sword?”
“Firon the Murderer. He was called so because his grandfather and father were killed in an ambush and someone else took over the throne. He killed that man in a single blow.” The statue was a young elf with a sword above his head, like he was celebrating victory.
“And he? With the hood of his cloak over his head?”
“Duilè the First, the founder of our capital.” Zarin said, looking at it.
“Why is he hooded? Did he hide something?”
“Duilè the First has a long history. Ask Lord Moran about it when you see him. I do not know what exactly happened to him. I only know that Duilè was not his real name, it was Moran.” The hood hid the face, but when you came close to the statue, you saw the resemblance with the first statue.
“So he was like me?”
Zarin laughed. “A bit. Duilè knew his real name was different, but no one believed him. We believe your real name is Lairèn.”
“And that man over there? He looks like a kind man.” Lairèn pointed at a statue of a man carrying a bunch of books.
“Thearan the Wise, the founder of Therã, the city build against the Southern Mountains.”
“Will I see that city?”
“Of course, in time you will see every city in the three lands.” Zarin smiled at the boy who still looked curious at the marble statues. He had seen most cities by now. Only a few of the Wereldan cities he had not seen. He did not want to see them either. “But let’s go to the Temple now. I hope Moran is there waiting for me.” He wished he was still twelve years old and innocent. But he had killed and lost his innocence. It made him feel sad and made his mind wander back to what happened a few days ago.
“Okay.” the boy followed him further up the road.

Lairèn looked at all the statues at the sides of the road. It were all Elves, cloaked and crowned, with different attributes and different creatures at their side. He wondered who they were. Zarins short descriptions did not satisfy his curiosity. Especially Duilè was interesting, he thought. He looked at the last statue, it was like the others, but this Elf had a Wolf beside him and a small dragon on his shoulder. He looked into the distance, a tear rolling over his cheek. Lairèn felt sad. The man looked so lonely. His right hand on the head of the Wolf, his left hand on his sword. At his feet a crumbled city, only one single tower stood upright.
“This is Moran the Second, our last king.” Zarin said. He was standing beside him. “After he stepped aside, his sister, became our first queen.”
“He looks so lonely.” he said. To his surprise, Zarin started to laugh. “Why are you laughing?’
“You’ll see.” Zarin said, smiling. Lairèn only looked at him. What did he mean now? All those strange answers.
“I don’t understand.”
“Lord Moran is at the Temple.” he answered. “You can ask him everything about the kings here. He knows many things, also from former lives, he remembers being them.” Lairèn frowned but said nothing. Something about Zarin made him stop asking, he couldn’t figure out was the problem was. He looked at the statue of Moran again and wondered why he looked sad.
He followed Zarin, enjoying the beautiful colors of the forest in the early spring. Most trees were still green, but some showed already red, orange, yellow and brown leaves and every color between them. He walked to the side of the road, closer to the trees. In the bark were alien carvings.
“Zarin? What are these markings?”
“It’s Elvish writing.” he said, still sounding a bit distracted. “It says; ‘He’ar Tw’lodãin dela hai alorià aeran. D’laihiran Nytaila è Aèrtha íhìl’, what means, This is the territory of the Children of the Drágolãin, the Wooddragon, may Nytaila and Aèrtha be with you.” Lairèn nodded. “If you see this kind of markings,” Zarin went on. “you know you’re entering Elventerritory, and watch your steps when you are. Tw’lodãiní are kind, most of the time, so you can walk in the forest without problems unless you come close to their city. Others are not so kind.”
“Are all the markings the same?”
“Well, not exactly, but most will say, this is the territory of an Elvenclan. May the two protectors of our clan be with you.”
Lairèn nodded. He knew there were fourteen Allerièní, so there must be fourteen Elvenclans a well, and fourteen different kinds of Dragons. So much information, so many things he did not know yet. He felt small and insignificant again, like when he had been looking at Helainã’s walls. “Something wrong?” Zarin asked. Even when he is distracted he notices everything, he thought, never thought he was that sharp.
“I feel stupid.” he said, he had already learned he had to be hones to Zarin, it seemed he could sense it when you tried to lie to him.
Zarin sighed and kneeled before him, so he looked into his eyes. “Lairèn, I’m twice your age. You must not compare yourself with me. You need to find some friends of your own age.”
“Where can I find them?”
“Everywhere, but I shall try to help you a bit, if I can. I need to ask someone a few things before I can.” Lairèn sighed. Why was just answering such a hard thing? “These are things you need to learn yourself. I can’t learn you how to make friends, because I never tried. All my friends have been my friends since I was a baby.” Lairèn noticed he looked distracted again.
“Where are you thinking about?” he asked, when they went on.
Zarin took a deep breath. “Do you know which names people call me?”
“Shadow.” he whispered. “And Murderer.” He hoped Zarin would not be angered again.
“True, both. The first is because I can sneak up behind people and scare the hell out of them. The second, yes, I’ve killed a man. But not many know the real story. The man I killed, wanted to harm princess Silwana, and everyone there saw that. I used my powers on him to stop him.”
“But if you only wanted to stop him, why did you kill him? Zaírd’lona taught me you can’t just kill someone, and if someone kills another, they have a reason for their crime.”
“Zaírd’lona taught you well.” Zarin sighed. “It was an accident. You will hear a lot of stories about me, in the palace and at home, but you need to know, that beside all the tales, I’m just a man. And we make mistakes, that’s in our nature. I lost control over my power and turned the man to ashes.”
Lairèn was quiet. He had heard a lot of tales about the Lord Commander, his sisters, who worked as servants at the palace, used to gossip about him and some others. And at home, they told stories about Nightnimfs that caused nightmares. But instead of being scared, it made him feel more at ease. Zarin was not perfect, like his sisters used to say, perfect and dangerous. He had not thought about their tales before Zarin had asked. “And then?” he asked.
“I promised myself it would never happen again. I trained my control since that day, and I’m know for it. That’s one of the reasons I’m going to train you. Your clan is new, your powers are still unknown, so self-control is very important.
Lairèn said nothing.

Zarin looked at the boy at his side. He did not feel at ease, he noticed, in his presence. He knew very well which tales people told about him since that accident eight years ago. He was sixteen when it happened and could not help it. He sighed, he did not know what to do with Lairèn yet. He wanted to speak to D’zaron and D’elwé, about other things. He closed his eyes, and listened to the sounds of the forest. He sensed Lairèn was sitting without moving in front of him. What had happened, was hard to forget.

“Where are you thinking of?” Lairèn suddenly asked as he saw Zarin had closed his eyes, but he was still walking.
“The problem of that accident is not what others think about you after, but to accept that you made a mistake you couldn’t help. I want to spare you from that, Lairèn, so I will try hard to teach you how to control yourself.
“Where you thinking about that?’
“And other things.” He felt Zarin did not want to talk about this. It was also not about the accident, is was more recent. “Are we almost there?” he asked instead. Zarin nodded.
“We’re almost there. Do you see those gigantic trees over there? That’s the Temple Grove, under those trees is one of the Temples of Diahir.”

 

[mistaahh]

looks awesome!
but have no time to read now, i will in the future tho

 

[NINJA1492]

Great story yet again you should change the name of the thread so more people read it tho

 

[LadyMara]

Great story yet again you should change the name of the thread so more people read it tho

Okay, I'll think of a better title. Any suggestions?

 

[LadyMara]

I mixed up the chapters a bit, so I've already finished chapter six while writing chapter 5.
So here's a start of chapter 5, Shadow. The rest will, hopefully, follow soon. Have fun reading!

Chapter five, Shadow

He followed his second in command into the city. He loved this city, especially at night. He sighed, it was just midday. The marketplace was full and busy, but the crowd gave way as soon as they saw his mask and cloak. No one wanted to cross the new High Questioner, he sensed, he felt their fear. It made him feel better, a bit, he was partly demon after all.
Fear, anger, despair, he could sense it all around him. He felt also the happiness of the children running around, chasing each other, it made him feel alone. It was a long time ago he had been running around like that, no concerns, no fears, no responsibilities. Now he had all three of them. He was not as afraid of instability as Zarin, but he still was. The only difference was that he knew the disastrous consequences of the Shadow and Zarin did not know what his power was or did.
A market trader was yelling at a little girl. Zaron smiled, he recognized a Cat as he saw one. She had probably stolen some money from him. She ran off, joining her friends. Not so innocent, he thought.
They left the marketplace by crossing one of the many bridges over one of the many canals of the city. They walked along the canal. Zaron looked at the greenish water and hoped no Waterelf was hiding down there. He banished the thought of Waterelves, he had other concerns now, the lists.
“My lord?” his second asked suddenly. He did not know the man’s name, and he did not care either. A Questioner had no name.
“Yes?” He looked at the man.
“It’s the house over there, with the roses at the front.”
Zaron sighed, most of the houses had roses at the front. “Which one?” he asked, trying not to sound annoyed.
“The second from the next bridge.”
“Are you afraid?” He already knew the answer. He wondered if the man would lie or not.
“I’ve heard the tales about you, my lord, of what you can do when you’re angry. I’d rather not witness that.”
“Of course. Go back to the headquarters then and tell someone to start on sorting the papers, please. They must be sorted on person and date.”
“As my lord wishes.” the man turned around and walked away. Zaron could sense he was glad.
He looked at the house from the bridge. He knew how much he earned being the High Questioner, and it would never be enough to buy a house like this. Not that he wanted it. He was happy where he lived now, close to the other Nightnimfs, up in the north. He sighed, he did not want to do this, but releasing the Shadow would probably be the only way to get the lists. He felt it stirring in his mind. Sometimes it felt he was the Shadow itself, so tight were they bound.
He walked to the house and knocked at the door. A woman opened the door. She bowed for him. “My lord Questioner, how can I help you?”
“I’d like to speak to the man who lives here.” He didn’t know anything about his predecessor. Only that he had displeased queen Savanna and that he had taken his place.
“Come in, my lord.” The woman led him upstairs. “My husband is waiting for you in his office, the last door at the right.”
“Thank you.” he said. He followed the instructions.
“Enter.” a voice said. He recognized the voice, his second had been right about the place. He entered the room. As soon as he set foot over the doorstep, he felt the fear of the man rolling over him as a wave. “My lord Questioner, how can I help you?” he asked anxiously.
“You know why I’m here.” Zaron said, looking the man in the eye. “I need something you took from my office when you left. The lists of prisoners.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” the man said. “I have nothing to do with the Questioners.”
“Indeed.” Zaron said. “So you’ve no reason to have the lists. You can give them to me now or I’ll make you give them to me.”
“I’ve no idea what lists you mean.” the man said.
Zaron smiled at him, showing him his pointed teeth. “But you have. Since I entered this room, you’re anxious. You fear me, I can feel that. Do you wonder why Savanna replaced you?”
The man looked at him furiously. “The Black Order thinks it can do anything, doesn’t it? Using Dark Magic, you demons!”
Zarons smile widened. “Technically I’m only half demon. Give me the lists now, I know you have them.”
“No, you will release all prisoners and help the Cat! I know our queen favors the Cat above the merchants.”
“The merchants, so they paid for this house.” Zaron was still smiling. It would not be long before he could use the Shadow on this man. He was going to hurt him till he got the lists. “Give me the lists, they do not belong to you.”
“Never, Demon!”
“If that’s the case.” Zaron released the Shadow, it’s dark tentacles wrapping around the man. He followed the Shadow with his mind. First the deep cold, and then, the pain. He pulled back, he did not want to feel the pain the Shadow caused the man. The tentacles lifted the other from his chair. He was screaming soundless, but Zaron could still hear it. The Void filled his eyes. He hated himself when he enjoyed hurting others, but he liked it as well. The man began to lose consciousness. He pulled back the Shadow, placing him gently back in his chair.
“The lists.” he commanded, the Shadow in his voice now.
The man nodded shivering. He pulled open a drawer and handed Zaron the lists, his hands shaking. Zaron took them from him. “Thank you.”
“I will tell the queen about this.”
“Oh no, you won’t.” Zaron smiled at him again. He walked towards the man and made him look into his eyes, into the Void. “You will not tell anyone about this, you will not remember this.” The man drowned in the Void.
He let go off him, smiling. “It was nice to meet you.” he said to his predecessor.
“Are you leaving already, my lord Questioner, you just came in.”
“You look tired, I should leave you to rest.” Zaron said with a polite smile. “Farewell.” He left the room. He looked surprised at the sun. He had been longer inside than he thought, but he had the lists now, that was what counted.

 

[Ella]

Wow this is really good!

 

[LadyMara]

Wow this is really good!

Thanks!

 

[Ella]

Can't wait for chapter 6

 

[LadyMara]

Can't wait for chapter 6

I'll see if I can finish chapter 5 today or tomorrow, this is only the first half.

 

[Ella]

Wow! These are reply long chapters, and I can really get a feel of the setting

 

[NINJA1492]

Oh man, I forgot about how much I loved this story! thanks for updating it!

 

[LadyMara]

Wow! These are reply long chapters, and I can really get a feel of the setting

Ehm, they're about 5 pages in Word each.

 

[LadyMara]

And the second half of chapter 5. Enjoy reading!


“Well, that was interesting.” a soft voice said beside him. “I had never expected the Shadow being used on someone would look like that.”
“Hello again, Ravéna. How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you. And you?”
“Feeling better now I have those damned list. It’s a shame I had to use the Shadow to get them. And I’ve a reason now to suspect half of my Questioners of being corrupt.”
“Well, if that makes you feel better.”
“Sure, I hate half of them. They are stupid and use their position for other purposes then making this world safer. I need to get rid of them before they turn against me. It won’t take long before they notice what I am.”
“As soon as they see your eyes, they will know you’re a Nightnimf.” Ravéna looked at him. “And there’s no way to make your eyes a different color but black. And that’s even worse.”
“True.” he sighed. “I really need to tell them I rule the Questioners now and that they have to listen to me, and nobody else.”
“How do want to do that?”
“Kicking out everyone who opposes me, of course. And bringing back some older Questioners my predecessor send home for being too old. They are the ones I need for what’s coming.”
“Coming? Where are you talking about?” Ravéna looked concerned at him.
“The dark is stirring. I sense the darkness in this city becoming stronger, as Zarin told me about Helainã. Dalyon is wandering around and checking some places. We think the Three Gates might be failing and, perhaps, falling.”
Ravéna stared at him, shocked. “Hunderds of wizards have died building and closing those Gates with the Elders, how can they be falling?”
“No idea, Moran is investigating the case with some other Elves. And pushing Zarin constantly for translations of Demonic writings he digs up.” He paused. “But anyways, because of that, more dark magicians show up all over the lands. I heard even some rumors about a necromancer in Imeria, and that’s asking for a lot of trouble. Hopefully there’s no one attacking Therax’ crown at the moment. I don’t want to clean up an army of zombies.”
“Oh, Zaron, before I forget, are you hungry?”
Zaron frowned. “Always, why?”
“I heard some rumors about two or three Anghar, they’ve been spotted along the coastline. Do you want to come hunting tonight?”
“Sure, but can we handle three Anghar ourselves?”
“I think we can. It would be a shame if we asked someone to come with us when there are only two of them.”
“True.” He was silent for a moment. “I don’t think I can ask Zarin at the moment, he’s in a fight with himself again.”
Ravéna frowned. “What happened?”
“No clue, haven’t spoken him since. I only know that something happened in Helainã and that he’s upset about it.”
“How can you know he’s upset when you haven’t spoken to him?” she asked surprised.
Zaron smiled a bit. “He’s my twinbrother, I just feel it.” He sighed. “Before it’s dark, I want to sort those papers and after that I will go home so I can talk to Zarin. I will be back in Lageviã before midnight.”
“That’s fine, those Anghar won’t be active before midnight anyway. It will spoil the hunt trying to kill them before the moon had risen.”
Zaron nodded, despite he was concerned about his brother, he was looking forward to the hunt. He smiled at Ravéna. “It has been to long we hunted together, Ravie.” he said.
“What… Oh, never mind, you will never learn.” She showed him a bright smile. Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck, standing on her toes though she was wearing high heels already. “I missed you, Zaron, I really missed you when I was on Werelda and had none to talk to.”
Slowly he laid his arms around her waist. “I missed you too, Ravie.” he said softly.
“You’ll always be my best friend. You can understand things about me no one else understands.”
“Your my best friend too.” He felt his heart was beating faster, but not because of her hug. I was afraid she would say she loved me He thought. I’m a fool. He let her go. “We should go back to the Headquarters, there are a lot of things left to do.”
“Sure.” She stepped back and stroke a strand of black hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
He looked at her questioning. “Why would you be sorry? I’ve known for a long time that I’m just a friend, nothing more and I don’t want it to be anything else. You know that I speak the truth.”
She smiled. “Yes, I know. Is your heart still broken then?”
“Broken, half healed, completely healed, no clue.” He sighed. “But at least you believe I have a heart and a soul.”
“You can be the most sadistic, cruel and evil man I’ve ever met, but that’s just not you, that’s more a mask then the one you’re wearing now. I know you, the real you, and I know that you’re a kind person and that you do everything to make Lageviã and the rest of the Empire a better place.” There was a twinkle in her eyes.
“You’d better stop speaking, before I become jealous of the man you fall in love with eventually.” He gave her a teasing push.
Ravéna started to laugh. “Well, I’d better stop indeed. I don’t want you to be jealous with a friend.”
Zaron shifted his head a bit. “You’ve found someone?” She did not look at him, but her cheeks became red. “You’re blushing, Ravie.” He smiled broadly. “Well, who’s the lucky one? I give you my word not to tell anyone.”
“Can’t you promise?” She asked.
Zaron shook his head. “I’ve already made a promise today and I’m not planning to make more for a couple of years. If I make a promise I’m bound to it, there’s no possibility to break the promise even with permission. When I promise you not to tell anyone, I even can’t tell anyone when you’ve told everyone and they all know. I still couldn’t say it.”
“True, Nightnimfs are strange creatures.” She bit her lower lip. “Your word? Don’t tell Taniël, he wouldn’t like it.”
Zaron frowned. “Why not?”
“It’s Firon.”
“Well, I should congratulate him, when you’ve told everyone else. What possible problem could Niël have with you dating Firon anyway?” He looked around him. The had reached the headquarters. “See you in my office?” he asked.
“Sure, I’ll sneak in.” she said and smiled relieved. “You’re the best friend I could wish for.”
Zaron paused. “Why Firon? It really surprises me actually.’
“Yeah, but perhaps it’s only good to have a patient and calm man around me. I mean, Zarin and you are calm most of the time, but not very patient and a bit violent. Firon isn’t. He’s always calm and patient, I don’t even remember the last time he got angry.”
“Me neither.” He turned away and walked to the headquarters.