“It was all so long ago, Wyldfyre, but I remember as if it were yesterday...”
**********
The sun shone down on the grand palace of Korylth, home of the ruling family of Athyria. Its three tall towers stood proudly over the surrounding city, casting a shadow back over the gardens to the rear of the palace. It was in these gardens that Larieth walked now, admiring the beauty of the various flora that had been collected there. He spent most of his time shapeshifted into his elven form to put people more at ease, even though he had been told repeatedly by the royal family that he needn’t have done so.
His clothing was much more official than Wyldfyre had ever seen him dressed, almost like a uniform of sorts, denoting a certain rank and importance. His exquisite blue robe was embroidered with swirling patterns of gold along its full length, with a few gold stars running over the shoulders.
Larieth found a particularly pleasing spot, a small rise overlooking a flowery motif surrounded almost completely by high hedges, and sat down on a opportunely placed bench; apparently the garden’s designers had thought this a beautiful place to sit and rest, too. It felt like a secret place, hidden from the rest of the world, designed for solitary thought and contemplation, though the bench had space for two people. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and listened carefully to the birds in the air, seeing a couple of them flit back and forth between two trees in the background. Watching them, he could almost feel his own wings at his back, and resolved to take some time away from the palace soon and fly again. It had been too long since he last did that.
After a few minutes, Larieth became aware of footsteps crunching their way along the gravel path leading to this part of the gardens. He turned his head just in time to see the newcomer arrive through the gap in the hedge. He immediately rose and bowed graciously. “King Torvus! Good morning to you, I was not aware you were in the gardens this morning.”
The king of Athyria, tall and fair, dressed in dark and regal green, smiled at Larieth and bowed in return. “Ambassador Larieth, good morning to you as well. I was not aware that I had to schedule my walks in my own garden.”
Larieth chuckled and motioned to the seat behind him. “Would you care to sit with me a while? A morning in such beautiful surroundings as this would be better shared, I feel.”
Torvus nodded and strode up the small rise to the bench, sitting down and motioning for Larieth to do the same. “I do wish you wouldn’t always stand on ceremony around me, dear friend.”
“Friend you certainly are, and a close one at that, but your position still requires respect to be paid, King Torvus.” Larieth sat down comfortably and smiled.
“If it came down to your respect or your friendship, Larieth, I would rather have the latter. Just Torvus is fine when we are without company, that title begins to grate after a little while.” The king sat back a little and sighed. “So, what is on your mind?”
“How is Queen Railea?” Larieth asked, also sitting back. “I hear that Prince Ithera is keeping her up most nights.”
“Railea,” Torvus put a little emphasis on the name, reminding Larieth that he did not have to be so formal, “is doing fine. She is tired, it’s true, Ithera cries out at night and refuses to stop until she is with him. It is a frustrating routine, if he was older I’d be sure that he is only doing it out of mischief.”
Larieth laughed out loud, causing Torvus to smile. “Ah, Torvus, most children are like that! Even the hatchlings from my homeland call out for their mothers at night. I’m sure it is just a phase that he will get through soon enough.”
“Not soon enough, Larieth! I’m afraid Railea already spends more time with Ithera than with me!” The king paused to laugh for a moment and then smiled at his friend. “But surely you did not ask to sit with me just to talk about family? What is on your mind, Larieth?”
The smile on Larieth’s face evaporated and he looked seriously at the king. “Yes, there is something more. I would have had to tell you anyway, but now is as good a time as any. King Torvus, I regret to inform you that I have been recalled to Hyaralene on official business.”
The smile washed away from Torvus’ face as well as he heard the news. “Recalled? But whatever for? How long will you be away?”
“I honestly don’t know, my friend.” Larieth’s voice was deeply coloured with regret. “I was not told any more, only that I have been recalled and this order came from the highest level of the council.” There was a moment of silence between the two, which Larieth felt the need to break. “I am sure this is nothing to do with any transgression between our two races, King Torvus. It is most likely just a formality, a call for me to report back to my superiors. With any luck, I will return within a fortnight or so.”
Torvus nodded and smiled warmly, an expression Larieth was sure he practiced regularly for situations like this. “Be sure that you do, Larieth. When do you leave?”
“This evening,” Larieth sighed. “I am told the council needs to speak urgently with me.”
Torvus frowned and looked away, at the towers climbing above the palace. “That doesn’t sound like they just want you to make a simple report to me, Ambassador.”
“I do hope you don’t believe that I am being dishonest, Torvus. You should know me better than that. I am being truthful when I say I simply do not know why I have been called upon. But I’m sure it is nothing, and you’ll see the truth of that when I return.” Larieth smiled and placed a hand lightly on the king’s shoulder. “You have always been a friend to me, Torvus, ever since I first arrived here. I have never lied to you before, and I do not lie to you now. Our two kingdoms are good friends with each other, I am sure there really is nothing to worry about.”
Rising to his feet, the king gave a short laugh and turned to smile at his friend. “You are absolutely right, Larieth. Return to your homeland and come back quickly, my friend. We will miss you here while you are away.”
Larieth rose with the king and nodded. “I shall, King Torvus. Be well while I am gone, and give my regards to Railea.”
“Consider them given,” Torvus replied. “But now I should be going. I have an official meeting with some of the people, and I have already lingered here longer than I should. Perhaps I will see you again later before you leave?”
“I hope so, Torvus. Take care.”
Larieth watched the elven king leave the small, enclosed part of the garden and then sat back down, returning his attention to the sky. Torvus’ words about the nature of his recall had bothered him, he had to admit that it did not seem like a formality. But then, there was not a lot he could do about it. And it would be so good to fly again.
**********
“I never did see Torvus that evening. How I wish, to the stars and the sky, that I had done. Perhaps my soul would rest more easily if I had.” Larieth sighed as he paused the story for a moment, reflecting on that memory.
Wyldfyre took a moment to allow the story to sink in a little. “But, you knew the king of Athyria? You were an Ambassador?”
Larieth smiled, looking back towards his friend. “Oh yes, I was an Ambassador. Ambassador Larieth, has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? And of course I knew the king - I always said I knew your father, didn’t I? And if you are the prince...”
Wyldfyre snorted a laugh. “I see what you mean. I suppose you must have done. Oh, but wait, does that mean I am...”
“Yes, you are Prince Ithera. I am sorry I have never told you that before. You always did seem satisfied with Wyldfyre, though.”
“Don’t worry, Larieth.” Wyldfyre paused and shook his head, wincing a little from the aching he felt. “I’m over those feelings now, though I still do not understand why you felt the need to keep these things from me.”
The blue dragon sighed and nodded. “Not yet, but you will. Let me continue with the story. As I said, I did not see Torvus again before I left, though I dearly wish I had. He had been held up in his meetings that day, and due to the urgency of the call from the council at Hyaralene, I could wait no longer. I left early that evening, spreading my wings and heading west, out over the mountains towards my homeland...”
**********
After a couple of days flying, breaking only to rest during the evening, Larieth finally touched down in Hyaralene, the capital city of his homeland. The city stretched out along the sides of a steep valley, many of the buildings carved directly out of the valley walls, the hard white rock almost glowing in the light of the overhead afternoon sun.
Tunnels were built back into the valley, extending a network of passages and caverns deep into the ground and hiding the true enormity of the settlement. Any creature lacking a good pair of wings would have had some trouble getting around, though there were some stairways and walkways to make the city more navigable to visitors, and a friendly dragon could always be found to provide lifts, if they were required.
Many dragons were flying through the valley that day, as was normal for the city. Instead of the crowded streets of an elven or human city, though, the three dimensional nature of flight allowed for more flexibility in travelling between the areas of the city, and this kept the city less congested than it would otherwise have been.
Larieth dove through the valley, looking for a specific passageway into the valley face. He spotted it easily, and navigated his way between the other dragons to enter the opening. The tunnels inside were large, big enough to hold four dragons abreast and three atop one another. They were lit by a series of self-sustaining light charms, placed along the walls at regular intervals, and changing colours to indicate any sudden hazard in the tunnels, yellow for an intersection, blue or green for a rise or a fall, red for a left turn, violet for a right turn, and so on.
The blue dragon barely needed to heed the warnings, though, as he weaved his way through the tunnel network to his own home, deep inside the valley wall in a quiet corner of the city. Being an ambassador to another land meant that he didn’t require too much in the way of living space back home, so his abode was fairly sparse. But a home was a home, and it always felt good to return.
Stopping briefly to collect his thoughts and rest a little after spending so long on the wing, Larieth wasted no time at all in requesting a meeting with the head of the council in Hyaralene, the golden dragon Gilfor. He was anxious to know exactly why he had been recalled, and when he could return to put Torvus’ mind at ease.
Larieth was a little frustrated when the message came back to him that he would not be able to see Gilfor until later that evening. Since the recall had been worded so urgently, and required him to leave on the very same evening it had been issued, he had hoped to be seen right away. But if that was Gilfor’s wish, he had no grounds to challenge it, and he settled back in his quarters to sleep for a little while and prepare himself for the meeting.
**********
Larieth awoke a few hours later, feeling refreshed, and with just enough time to find something to eat and compose himself for his meeting with Gilfor. Leaving his abode, he emerged into the Hyaralene tunnel network and began to make his way to Gilfor’s official meeting chamber in the upper levels of the settlement.
Arriving at the chamber a little early, as he had planned, Larieth was met by a young aide of the gold dragon, requesting that he wait in the chamber for Gilfor, who would be arriving shortly. Larieth thanked the aide, who then left to attend to other official duties, leaving the blue dragon to marvel at the chamber.
It was not Larieth’s first time here. Before his days as an ambassador he had been an aide to one of the council members, much like the young dragon who had just departed. As such, he had been required to make frequent visits to the council’s various meeting chambers, relaying messages and taking care of guests while the council members went about their other business.
The chamber itself was domed in shape, perhaps four or five dragon lengths across, there was nothing particularly special about that. What was special, though, was the decoration on the walls. Dragons had used the naturally occurring mineral deposits within rocks to decorate their homes for a long time, using their magical abilities to grow the crystals along the walls and colouring them where required, creating patterns and images. But here the art had been performed to a spectacular degree. There wasn’t a single spot on the walls that was not painted with coloured crystal. Swirls of every colour imaginable mixed with each other, like the walls had been made of multi-coloured liquid that had been frozen in place, creating a beautiful continuous avalanche of colour all around the chamber. To add further effect, light charms to illuminate the walls had been somehow placed within the crystal itself, causing the colours to be projected out, washing across the open space in the chamber. Open light charms, suspended at the very top of the dome, gave out a balancing white light, preventing the effect from becoming too intense.
Larieth spent his time admiring the crystal patterns and picking out abstract pictures from the walls. Before long, he heard the sound of wings beating the air outside the chamber, and moments later Gilfor strode through the entranceway.
“Gilfor, honoured council member,” Larieth bowed his neck deeply in a motion of respect. “I have answered the council’s summons, though I am puzzled as to why such a summons was sent with such urgency and no explanation as to the need.”
The gold dragon settled back on his haunches, bowing his neck to Larieth in acknowledgement. “Ambassador Larieth, I thank you for returning so promptly. Please accept my apologies for the way in which you were recalled, but there is much you do not yet know concerning recent events.”
“Then please, Gilfor, enlighten me.” Larieth felt the worry that had been with him throughout his journey home rise up within him again, and he fought to keep it contained.
Gilfor nodded. “Very well, Ambassador. We have recently received evidence of an elf within Athyria attempting to harness and control the blackest and darkest magics we have knowledge of.”
Larieth was silent for a moment, his stunned expression easily giving away his surprise. “You cannot mean... Surely they would not?”
Gilfor’s solemn expression matched his voice. “Yes, Ambassador Larieth, they have opened the black door.”
“No, that cannot be so!” Larieth exclaimed, holding his paws out in disbelief. “King Torvus would never permit such an act!”
“It is not King Torvus who has committed this transgression. It is someone hiding in the northern part of Athyria, or so we have sensed. King Torvus was not even aware of these events. It has all been very well hidden, even from ourselves, only the most sensitive to shifts in the currents of magic have sensed this, and then only recently.” Gilfor shook his head. “Whoever has done this is doing it alone, whether it is an individual or a group.”
“B-but, why did you have to bring me here to tell me this?” The blue dragon stumbled over his words, the shock showing as he realised that what had happened surpassed even his worst fears. “Why didn’t you place this information in your message to me in Athyria so that I could inform King Torvus? They are our allies, Gilfor!”
The gold dragon nodded slowly, raising his voice a little with his authority. “King Torvus was indeed informed by the same message that brought you back here, Larieth. They are preparing to face whatever onslaught must inevitably be coming.”
“Then why have I been recalled, honoured council member? Surely it serves no purpose that I should be here when our allies are under such a threat?” Larieth fought to regain his composure, but was faced with mental image of his friend, King Torvus, and dear Queen Railea and their son, Prince Ithera. “My place is at their side in this time of need!”
“Your place,” Gilfor raised his voice a little again, “and your duty is with this country and this people. You have been recalled for your own protection, Larieth, and to assist in the preparations for a defence in case the attention of whoever has opened the black door turns this way.”
“Assist in the preparations for... Gilfor, you know that is absurd. There is nothing I can do here that could not be done better by a dozen other dragons. I need to be with the elves, preparing them for what they may have to face, and stopping whoever has caused this, if we can.” Larieth raised his paws in exasperation, not able to fully believe what he was hearing.
Gilfor stepped in close to Larieth, lowering his voice. “Do not presume to defy the council in what is best for our people, Ambassador Larieth.” He sighed and leaned back a little. “I know you have a lot of compassion and friendship for the elven race, Larieth. But do not let that blind you. This is a time of grave danger for all of us, elves and dragons alike. We must all seek to do what is best.”
Larieth shook his head, looking downwards and away from the gold council member. His voice was subdued, but the anger there was undeniable. “And it is the decision of the council that it is best for us to abandon our allies and seek to strengthen only our own defences?”
“It is an elf who has committed this transgression and opened the black door, that makes it an internal affair for Athyria! It is not our place to interfere!” Gilfor raised his voice to just beneath a roar, allowing his own frustration to show.
Larieth matched Gilfor for volume, and raised his eyes to fire an angry look back at him. “How do you know, Gilfor? You said you had no idea if it was an individual or a group - how could you possibly know if it was an elf!”
Now it was Gilfor’s turn to look away, though his angry expression remained, his gaze burning into the crystal patterns on the wall. “When we first felt the shift in power, we had one of our best seers ride the currents of magic with their mind, to try and see what was causing the disturbance. They found the black door, held ajar in the northern part of Athyria. For a moment, and only a moment, they saw an elf, clothed in deepest black, wallowing in the very stench of darkness and wielding the power like they had been born with it. And then...”
“Then?” Larieth pressed, his anger turning to concern.
Gilfor looked back at Larieth, the memory of those moments allowing his anger to find new heights. “Why don’t you go and see Halrin in the medical chambers on the east side of the city and see for yourself? See what that wingless son of a lizard did to him! If our healers ever find his mind again, only the stars know if he will ever regain his full consciousness!”
The blue dragon stepped back, further shocked to hear of such news. “Halrin? But... he was...”
The council member lowered his head and his voice as low as they could go. “My son.”
“By the sky, Gilfor, I’m sorry.” Larieth felt his heart split in two, one half understanding the pain that Gilfor must have been facing, and the other longing to return to Athyria and help his friends there.
Gilfor shook his head. “That is why you have been recalled, Larieth. We will suffer no more harm from this elf.”
“I understand your pain,” Larieth began slowly, “but you must see that in abandoning the elves to protect ourselves, we only open them up to a fate as bad or worse than Halrin has suffered. And once the darkness of the black door has finished with the elves, where then will it turn its attention? That power knows only death and destruction, and it recognises no satisfaction in them. There will never be enough to sate it. We must assist our allies!”
“No!” Gilfor cried. “I will see no more of us suffer! You will stay in Athyria! The council has decided!”
“Curse your wings, Gilfor!” Larieth shouted in return. “I sympathise with you, and with Halrin, I truly do. I share the pain at seeing one of our kind hurt in such a terrible way, but I will not see a whole race left to die because we fear for our own safety! I bid you good day, Gilfor. I am returning to Athyria.”
Ignoring Gilfor’s renewed protests that echoed down the corridor after him, Larieth turned and hurried out of the meeting chamber. Once Gilfor had calmed, or possibly even before, he would no doubt try to stop his return to Athyria by force. Larieth couldn’t allow that to happen, and so he did not even return to his quarters. He emerged quickly from the tunnel network into the wide valley, and immediately climbed into the clouds, heading back to Athyria.
**********
Larieth sighed and smiled weakly at Wyldfyre. “The more I think about it, the more I think I realise what really happened the day I left for Hyaralene at the request of the council. The message must not have reached King Torvus until later that day, perhaps delayed by one of his messengers. He must have assumed I knew what was happening, and was most likely busy trying to deal with the situation when I left, which is why I did not see him again. If only I had... maybe things would have been different.”
Wyldfyre shook his head and squeezed the blue dragon’s paw. “What has happened is already done, Larieth. You cannot change that. I am sure he would have understood. But I have a question, if I may.”
“I know, Wyldfyre. You wish to know of the black door?”
Wyldfyre nodded. “I do, you have never spoken of such a thing before.”
“And with good reason,” the blue dragon replied. “There are plains of reality beyond this one, levels of existence both above and below. Most are so different in nature and origin that we could not comprehend them. The black door is an entranceway into one of these worlds in particular. It can be opened from anywhere on this world, if you have sufficient power and knowledge, and are foolhardy enough to try.”
“But what is so fearful in this other world? The blackest and darkest magics, you said?”
Larieth paused a moment, trying to think of a suitable explanation. “It is hard to explain exactly what the world through the black door is. But imagine two opposites, fire and water for example. They will always seek to cancel each other out, yes? If there is more fire, the water will boil away into nothing. If there is more water, the fire will be extinguished.
“Now imagine the same, but with this world and the one beyond the black door. This world is life, the one beyond the black door is death. And following that same universal law, if the two opposites come into contact, they will seek to cancel each other out.
“It had always been thought to that point that only the dragons knew of this world. The door had been opened once before by our kind, a long time ago, and had caused much destruction before it was finally shut again. Having discovered what evil lurked there, we swore never to open the door again and thought ourselves safe. But we did not reckon on someone else discovering the door and trying to open it themselves. It seems so short sighted of us now.”
Silence descended a moment, until Wyldfyre decided to raise another question. “Why would anyone open such a door? Surely it would mean their destruction as well?”
“A wise question, Wyldfyre.” The blue dragon looked away briefly, considering his reply. “There are some individuals who just desire more and more power, uncaring of the risk. To such people, the power behind the black door would appear irresistible. But the more frightening thing is that the power there actually seems to have acquired some form of intelligence. It wants to be found, and it wants to be released. Once discovered, it calls to those who would use its power and offers them control. Of course, once released by that individual, control is not forthcoming. The dark power of a whole other world is unleashed, using the one who released it as a conduit, and its only goal is the destruction of all our existence. To cancel our world out with its own.”
Wyldfyre shivered at the thought. Such power was unimaginable, and he could understand how some would find it tempting. “But what of the Dark Hoarde? How is the black door connected to them? And why was only this kingdom destroyed? Why is the whole world not at risk?”
“That is yet to be explained,” Larieth replied cryptically. “Listen to the rest of my story, and you will understand...”
**********
Larieth flew faster than he had ever flown before, putting all his strength into every stroke of his wings and riding every air current he could find, resting only when his body threatened to fold beneath him. Even so, Athyria was an agonising two days away, and the blue dragon could do nothing but contemplate the fate of the elven kingdom, as well as his own Intentionally disobeying the will of the council, it just didn’t bear thinking about. Larieth couldn’t remember the last time it had occurred, and he couldn’t think of what the penalty had been. But he was doing what had to be done.
By the time he approached the Athyrian border on the second day, the sun was already setting behind him and the sky ahead was dark and shrouded in gloomy looking clouds, illuminated sporadically by flashes of lightning in the distance. Larieth sensed dark magic at work, the air was thick with it, on a scale he had never felt before, and his heart sank. Was it too late already? What darkness had the world behind the black door unleashed on the land of Athyria?
It wasn’t too long before the blue dragon came across the first large elvish settlement. A red glow had settled on the horizon, with black trails of smoke lazily making their way to merge with the dark clouds above. As he drew closer, the flames licking upwards from the town were clearly visible; over half the buildings were ablaze.
Turning and diving, Larieth brought himself in to land on one of the main streets that had not yet been caught by the fires. He baulked as the stench of death, smoke and black magic overpowered his senses briefly. In that moment, Larieth’s worst fears were confirmed, the black door had been opened, and the power beyond unleashed, with obviously devastating consequences. Looking around, he could hear the roaring of the flames in the next street, now lapping over the top of the buildings and threatening to engulf the street he was in at any moment.
The street looked as if it had been stampeded down. Carts were knocked over, their contents spilled over the cobbles, windows were smashed and door were broken on their hinges. The rampaging crowds that had no doubt been trying to escape whatever terror the black door had unleashed were long gone, though, leaving a ruined town in their wake. Larieth prayed for their safety.
Suddenly, there was a crash from one of the houses just ahead. The door had been thrown open, and stumbling out into the street was a lone elf, looking away from the blue dragon and appearing as if he was having trouble walking.
Larieth took a few paces forwards, raising his voice a little to be heard over the roar of the rapidly encroaching flames and the sound of steadily collapsing masonry. “Friend? Are you all right? What happened here?”
The elf span around on the spot to face the blue dragon, and Larieth’s heart froze. The creature was elf shaped, and maybe it had been an elf before, but it certainly wasn’t now. As Larieth saw the creature more clearly, he noticed its limbs were lengthened, with fingers replaced by claws and disturbingly stained red with blood. Its skin was darkened, streaked with pure black, covered by torn shreds of clothing. The blue dragon realised that this had indeed been an elf, probably very recently. What had the power behind the black door done here?
Staring at Larieth with deep black eyes that somehow glowed with a fierce red intensity, the creature made a growling hiss and bared a set of fangs that the dragon had no desire to see any more close up. From behind him came another growl, louder this time, and Larieth spun round to see another three of the creatures advancing on him from behind.
“What in the sky has happened to you all?” Larieth cried, not expecting an answer. Considering his options, Larieth leapt into the air just as the first creature charged at him, striking with its sharp claws where the dragon’s chest had been only moments before. A powerful beat of Larieth’s wings brought him high enough to be out of reach, and knocked the four creatures in the street backwards.
Swooping low and fast over the parts of the town that were not completely burned to the ground, Larieth saw more of the twisted creatures, but there were no elves remaining in their original forms. Somehow they had been warped, changed into unthinking monsters. Those that hadn’t had apparently died at the others’ claws.
Struggling to hold on to hope and still his rising panic, Larieth turned away from the town and resumed his course towards Korylth. His prayers reached up to the stars once more, pleading that the destruction and darkness had not yet reached Korylth and that there might be some way of preventing it from spreading any further than it already had.
**********
As Larieth flew deeper into Athyria, straining his wings and pushing every muscle in his body that he might fly just a little faster, the stench of darkness only grew stronger. The same scene was repeated again and again as his wings ate up the miles - villages, towns and cities, all burning or destroyed, with seemingly no survivors, save for the twisted creatures that stalked the streets. The creatures were not just restricted to elven forms, though, many animals seemed to have been affected by the darkness as well. They stalked the streets of the cities, and through the forests, which themselves seemed to be withering and dying spontaneously, the death and decay more and more advanced as Larieth approached the capital city.
Before the palace towers became visible, the first sign that Korylth was drawing near, Larieth could see the red haze hanging over the horizon. The city was burning, the fire spilling over the city walls and setting the forest all around the city ablaze. Columns of thick black smoke came into view, the palace towers only dimly visible behind them.
The blue dragon felt his heart break at seeing the once beautiful city in ruin, surrounded by a dead and burning forest that used to be the deepest and most beautiful in any land, The sky overhead was black with cloud and smoke, lightning flashing downwards to meet the palace towers every few seconds.
Sweeping low over the city, Larieth saw the same pattern of ruin and destruction that he had seen in all the other settlements he had flown over. Twisted creatures walked the streets, some laying waste to buildings as yet undemolished, others simply fighting between themselves.
Larieth finally lost control of his emotions, and a silver rain of tears drifted down over the city as he flew, heading towards the palace and fearing the worst. As he swept around the outermost tower, curling in towards the rear of the palace, he was relieved to see that, between all the windows that were belching smoke into the sky, the one he was aiming for did not yet seem to be affected.
As he landed on the balcony outside the royal bedrooms, Larieth shapeshifted into the elf form he usually used while at the palace, allowing him to access the room beyond more easily. The balcony doors were locked securely from the inside, but Larieth was in no mood to be delayed. With a wave of his hand the doors buckled under intense magical pressure and were thrown aside.
Stepping through, the bedroom seemed more or less intact. Lit by light charms suspended high against the ceiling, the large room was fairly devoid of activity. A large four-poster bed stood in one corner of the room, shrouded in cream coloured silks. A few feet away from the bed was the cot that Ithera usually slept in. Slumped over it was a hunched figure, dressed in a flowing, multi-coloured gown, her arms wrapped around the cot.
Larieth quickly stepped towards the figure. “Queen Railea?”
The response drove Larieth into even deeper sorrow as a growl issued from the hunched figure. Standing and turning towards Larieth, the dragon could see that once, this had been the Queen of Athyria, but it was no longer. Her body, now taller with spindly limbs, bore the same face, but with the glowing black eyes and streaked skin that he had seen repeated over so many times on his journey back to Korylth.
The dragon recoiled, momentarily forgetting that he was now on two feet instead of four and stumbling back a little. The creature took that as its opportunity to pounce forward, emitting a screeching roar that seemed to pierce the air itself. Its long claws were bared, aiming for Larieth’s chest as he fell back.
Instinctively, Larieth threw up a hand as the once-Queen fell upon him. Calling upon his magical strength he called upon the air to rise around her as an almost tangible force and strike her in the lower half of her chest, throwing her across the room. There was the sound of snapping bone as her flailing form struck a dresser against one of the walls and her body fell limply down to the floor.
“Queen Railea!” Larieth was instantly on his feet and at her side. He crouched next to her broken form and lifted her head. He braced himself as there was a weak intake of breath, and then noticed that the black eyes were gone, replaced by the more familiar sparkling eyes of the Queen.
“Larieth,” she moaned quietly.
“Don’t speak, Queen Railea, I’ll get you out of here.” Larieth started to carefully place his arms to lift the Queen.
“No... too late... it will take me again.” She sinced as a wave of pain flooded almost visibly through her body. “We tried... protect... Ithera...” Her voice faded as her eyes slowly dimmed to black again, a rising growl escaping her lips before, suddenly, the life left her and she fell to the side, dead.
“Railea...” Larieth whispered under his breath, his voice filled with sorrow. Rising to his feet, the dragon remembered the Queen’s final words and looked towards the cot that she had been hunched over when he first entered.
The cot was gold in colour, and roughly bowl shaped, with a flattened bottom. Over what should have been the open top, however, was a dome of translucent white light, sealing it completely. Around the surface of the bright light crackled sparks of black energy, like tiny lightning bolts working their way around the light, probing it for weaknesses. Through the light, safely sealed in the cot, Larieth could just see the tiny form of Prince Ithera, seemingly undisturbed by the current flow of events.
“Dear little Prince Ithera,” Larieth sighed. “So brave, even now.” He looked back to the lifeless form of the Queen. “It took you while you tried to protect your son.” He fought back the tears that threatened to resurface. “I would have expected no less, dear Railea. He shares your bravery... and I will do as you ask.”
Pressing his hands against the white shell protecting the young prince, Larieth first concentrated on eradicating the dark energy that tried to penetrate it. The black lightning faded as he channelled his energy into the shell, and then pressed his hands through, breaking the seal and carefully removing the prince from the cot.
Almost immediately, the black energy returned and raced around Larieth’s hands. Quickly, he concentrated on raising a barrier around the small child, wrapping himin the same bright white light that had sealed the cot. He looked out of the window, where the gardens beyond, where he had walked only days before, were burning. “You will not get him!” He snarled.
Shifting carefully back to his trueform, Larieth cradled the prince in his front paws, still held inside the shell of light, which was again being bombarded by the black energy. As he turned to duck out of the doorway on to the balcony, there were screams and roars from outside the bedroom door into the palace itself. More of the creatures were trying to get to him, no doubt drawn by what Larieth supposed was likely the last true elf left in the city, if not in the land.
Leaping from the balcony, Larieth climbed swiftly above the clouds, carrying the prince with him. Emotions rose and fell within him, emotions he tried to suppress and failed to. He tried to think of what to do next. Returning to Hyaralene would probably see he and Ithera separated, and Larieth brought to answer for his transgressions. But he had been asked to protect him, and that was exactly what Larieth intended to do.
“I will protect you, dear Prince Ithera, that I promise.” Larieth considered the small form within the bright shell of light. He had now managed to fall asleep, and Larieth could not help but smile. “I will take you far away from this, and you will live to know happiness. You have my vow.”
Larieth turned and headed south, away from Korylth and out of Athyria, on a path that would eventually lead him to the southern humans lands and the coastal village of Illashara.
**********
Wyldfyre stared away blankly for a moment, unable to take in everything that had been explained, so many questions rising in his mind, urgently needing to be answered.
“I’m sorry, Wyldfyre. I’m sorry it all had to turn out like this.” Larieth looked up to the dark sky beyond the stable, streaked with flashes of lightning every few seconds. “The image of your mother’s face when I struck her down still haunts me every day.”
The silver dragon shook his head slowly. “No, that’s all right, Larieth. She was already as good as dead, there was nothing you could have done. She knew that.”
The blue dragon sighed, keeping his gaze fixed on the dark sky. “Thank you, Wyldfyre. Though I keep thinking to myself, she spoke to me as herself after I had struck her - maybe there was a way, if only I’d had time to think about it. Perhaps it had not taken hold of her yet, perhaps it could have been different.”
“But you already said, there were others trying to get to you as you escaped, there was no time to do anything. And you did as she asked, you rescued Ithera...” Wyldfyre paused as he realised his mistake. “You rescued me.”
Larieth looked back at Wyldfyre, and the silver dragon saw the tears forming in the eyes of his friend, now dripping to the floor as the movement of his head shook them from him. “I wish I had ignored that summons, that I had never left Athyria. If I had just waited for Torvus to see me that evening, instead of leaving in such a hurry, I would have known, he would have told me, I’m sure.”
Wyldfyre took Larieth’s paw and squeezed it warmly. “There is no way of knowing what would have happened. It’s in the past now, there’s no way to change it. And, even if you had stayed, you might not have been able to change anything. Worse, you might have been taken by whatever dark magic was set upon the people here.”
Larieth shook his head. “No, that magic was not meant for me.”
The silver dragon blinked in puzzlement. “How do you mean? Did you know what it was?”
Larieth smiled slightly, raising his head a little. “Other than that it came from behind the black door, not at first. But over the days and months that followed I slowly started to figure out what had gone on, through what I could remember, and from the few dragons I had some distant contact with.”
Taking a deep breath, allowing the words to form in his mind, Larieth started to explain. “It was very powerful, that I knew, and the most obvious effect it had was in twisting all the elves into the creatures of the Dark Hoarde. In reality, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, there was no War of the Fallen. Not truly. The Dark Hoarde did not destroy your people in the usual sense of the word. The Dark Hoarde was your people. The magic that was unleashed that night created the Hoarde and destroyed the elven race in one blow.”
Wyldfyre shivered at the thought and closed his eyes sorrowfully. “But how?”
“That was the question. It was important, too, because though I had rescued you from it once, there was no telling if it might strike again. I had to make sure you were protected somehow.” The blue dragon paused again. “But it turned out that the side effects that I had seen, the dying forests, the twisting of the other woodland creatures, were no in fact side effects at all - they were the root cause!
“All magic, dragon, elven, or otherwise, is at the same time different and the same. It is all derived from the same energy that exists in all things, that permeates the very air we breathe, as I have taught you. But the way in which we all absorb that energy, where we take it from, changes it. It makes it our own.
“Dragon magic comes from the air and the sky, as you might expect. We spend so much of our time up there, how could it be any different?” Larieth stopped briefly and casts a sorrowful, longing glance to the sky before looking back to his companion. “But elven magic comes from the earth, from the trees, from nature itself. And because the power behind the black door had escaped using the body of an elven wizard to take shape, it knew that, and used it to its own terrifying advantage.
“It must have a been a testament to the amount of power hidden behind the black door, that it could do what it did on such a large scale. It was also a proof of the intelligence there, to think of such an insidious solution to its problems. Through the elven wizard it had merged with, the power behind the black door flooded this land with its dark energy. It poisoned the very earth, corrupting the magic held there with its own vile darkness. That magic leached up into the trees, slowly killing them, and found its way into the woodland creatures, causing them to twist and change, as I witnessed when I flew back to Korylth.
“All it had to do then was wait, as the elves unthinkingly absorbed the dark magic, as automatically as they would breathe the air around them. Once it was inside them, it quickly went to work, wreaking its destruction with their souls and changing them into the creatures we now call the Dark Hoarde.”
Larieth paused as Wyldfyre took in what he had been told. The silver dragon thought for a moment and then looked back to his friend. “But what about me? How did I not change with the others?”
The blue dragon smiled. “The only thing I could imagine is that the most sensitive to the flow of magic sensed the change. Your mother was always close to the currents, and perhaps she knew what was coming. She used what was left of the pure magic to create a barrier around you, one that the dark magic could not penetrate.”
Wyldfyre suddenly perked up. “But, does that mean there could be others? Others who protected themselves before the magic got to them?”
Larieth shook his head sadly. “I am afraid not, Wyldfyre. That barrier would have fallen if I had not put my own energy to it and taken you away. It was only because I took you out of Athyria and to a land where the magic was still pure that you survived. I don’t think I fully realised it at the time, but the speed of that flight saved you. No-one else could have protected themselves and made it out of Athyria that quickly.”
The silver dragon lowered his head to the ground, sighing sorrowfully. “So I am still alone, then.”
Rising to his feet, Larieth stepped closer to Wyldfyre and brought his head downwards, nuzzling the top of his neck gently. “Never alone, my child. Not while I am still around.”
Wyldfyre leaned his head against Larieth’s, the pain in his neck now fading as his muscles slowly released their tension. “Is there no way to reverse what was done to them? What if the land was cleansed, if we removed the corruption from the magic?”
Larieth sighed and sat back on his haunches. “I wish I could give you some glimmer of hope, Wyldfyre. I do not know what would happen if the darkness was removed from the earth here. But then, I do not know how such a feat would be accomplished in the first place. There is a whole world of dark power hidden behind the black door corrupting this land, and even if that door could be shut, it would take another world of power to cleanse it. It would happen naturally, given time, but it would take centuries and by then the original Hoarde, the bodies of which contained elven souls to begin with, would be dead. Even now, who is to say that their souls were not cast out or destroyed when the dark magic first struck?”
His mind still trying to come to terms with all that had been said, Wyldfyre raised his head again. “But if the dark magic still corrupts this land, why am I not affected by it? You said before that you had to find a way to protect me, in case the dark magic found me again...”
“That question I at least have a complete answer to,” Larieth smiled. “Once I had discovered that the darkness attacked through the magic you took in naturally, I had to find a way to stop you taking in that magic. I broke some rules, I admit, but at that point, given that I was no longer really attached to the dragon nation following my disobedience, that didn’t matter too much to me.”
Wyldfyre smiled, already figuring out the answer. “You gave me dragon magic. Of course, when you taught me to shapeshift and fly. I’ve always noticed that my magic feels stronger when I fly.”
“Yes, I gave you dragon magic. You may not have realised it, but when I taught you those things, I taught you to take power from the air and the sky, rather from the earth. I taught you and protected you at the same time.” Larieth smiled proudly. “Quite a clever solution, I thought.”
“But to do that, you had to break the laws of your people and teach an outsider the magic of your kind.” Wyldfyre’s expression changed slightly from sorrow to apology. “That is why you never took me to see your home? You are exiled, not only from the deed of defying the council to return to Athyria, but also because of what you gave me?”
“From what I heard, Gilfor eventually calmed down. It turned out that the council weren’t all in favour of closing our borders. You were probably too young to remember it, but after I let the council know where I was and that I wouldn’t be returning or resuming my position as ambassador to any other kingdom, I actually received an official apology and an invitation to return home whenever I felt ready.”
“And what about me?” Wyldfyre pressed, determined to hear the truth.
“They don’t know about you, but I made sure of that for your own protection. I feared they would want to take you from me and place you into some other protective custody. But I had promised your mother that I would protect you. That’s why I never took you there.” Larieth looked away a little ashamedly. “That, and because they knew the truth about your people and the black door. All I wanted was for you to be happy, and not have to deal with those pains. But now we have to, and I have to face taking you to Hyaralene and facing whatever may be there waiting for us.”
Wyldfyre suddenly looked back at the blue dragon, wincing at the alight pain he felt from such a quick movement. “But why? You don’t have to take me there, I understand now. We can go back to Illashara, or Aspinara and live our lives there. Where we were happy.”
Larieth sighed and drooped a little, his voice low and quiet. “No, Wyldfyre. I wish we could, but we can’t.”
“But why?”
The blue dragon considered his response before asking plainly. “You haven’t asked me an important question yet: Why did the black door create an army of creatures in the Dark Hoarde, and then not use them to destroy the other races?”
After thinking for a moment, Wyldfyre waved a paw in concession. “I don’t know, why didn’t it?”
“I don’t know,” Larieth replied, a slight ironic grin on his face. “After creating that army, it just stopped. There were some skirmishes along the human border, but nothing more. The Wall was built, through Gateway and beyond, and the Hoarde beyond remained silent. Nothing has happened for twenty years. And then suddenly, we meet Korlath. Remember?”
Wyldfyre’s eyes opened in sudden realisation. “He called himself a master of the Dark Hoarde! You think he opened the black door too?”
Larieth smiled and shook his head. “We saw that black portal, but I do not believe that was the black door. It did not feel right... I would have expected more... intensity from the black door itself. If Korlath had opened the door himself, the power there would not have allowed him to die so easily. It was the same dark energy, but I believe he was being granted access from another source.”
The silver dragon smiled. “So, you think the elf that opened the black door has been making some friends?” Larieth nodded in reply. “But then I still don’t understand why the Dark Hoarde haven’t just attacked with all their forces. They have an entire land of people and creatures, all twisted into those terrible forms. Why not just strike now? Korlath seemed to have little restraint sending his half-finished creations against Aspinara.”
“One thing my people did learn about the power behind the black door, Wyldfyre, was that because it has to manifest through a certain individual before it can take form in this world, it takes on some of the traits of that person. It doesn’t overrule the hatred and will to destroy, those are far too strong, but the way in which those feelings are acted upon changes. In that way, it is more like symbiosis than possession.
“Korlath had a grudge against Aspinara for throwing him out of the market there, as Art told us. He wanted revenge against them, so he was only too happy to use Aspinara as a testing ground for his new creations and that is the way the power manifested its will. Had it succeeded in destroying Aspinara, it would have grown from there, I have no doubt.”
“So why has that not happened here? The Dark Hoarde seems almost docile to anything beyond the border of Aspinara, but whoever the power merged with had enough anger against the elves to destroy them completely, except for me.”
Larieth shook his head. “I’m not sure. Perhaps the elf it merged with had the confidence and knowledge to be able destroy the elves in such a way, but doesn’t know how to do the same to the humans or the dragons, and so is being protective of themselves by holding the Hoarde around him. But from what we saw with Korlath, after twenty years, something is finally happening.
“It is possible whoever is at the centre of this is trying to recruit others that might have more knowledge of how to destroy the other races, using the pretence of sharing the power the black door holds. Korlath struck me as the sort of person who would might be in a situation where he would accept such an offer, brooding in his dilapidated tower all that time with no way to exact his revenge on Aspinara.”
Larieth sighed. “But I don’t know for sure, and that is why we must go to Hyaralene. I must inform the council of what we know before there is another ‘War of the Fallen’. It’s time for me to finally return home.”
