Evermoore: Chapter Fourteen pt 1

CHAPTER 14

         She squints as hair floats around her vision.  Warm soothing air flows about her as she is thrown playfully above her mothers head, only to fall and be caught moments later.  The child giggles and coos as the world spins wildly before her until firm but gentle hands catch her lightly.           The child is met with a joyful smile from her mother, whose autumn hair and blue eyes glimmer in the bright light of Lady Sun.  The child smiles gleefully as the love they feel for each other passes between them.  The mother tosses the child once more, and laughs brightly as the child giggles once more as well.  The child lands safely in her mother’s arms and lays her head again her mothers silk gown.  Her mother smiles, and kisses her lightly on her soft hair.  These are their favorite moments; moments where each feels nothing but happiness, joy, and comfort, and there is nothing to fear.   

         But then the child startles as there is a crash.  Behind them, the door has been slammed shut, and the child lifts her eyes too her mother for comfort and reassurance.  But her mother’s gentle face has become filled with lines of worry, and she places the child in an ivory crib. 

         The child reaches for her mother, but she is looking towards the man who has just entered their home.

         “Shh,” her mother says, absently, the joy drained from her face.  “I will be near.” 

         She turns as a man enters.  The child smiles at the man, for he is tall, strong, and dressed in white robes draped around his angelic wings.  It is the child’s father, and she loves him.  But the child’s smile fades, as her father walks with a tenseness in his shoulders, and his face cast in the shadows from his wings.

         “Agape,” her mother says, drawing near to him. “Welcome home, my love.”

         Agape turns away at the sound of her voice.  He faces a mirror and spreads his wings as she reaches to embrace him.  The mother holds herself back, and speaks cautiously.  A cold feeling grips the child as she watches her father. 

         “Are you troubled my love?” the mother asks.

         “Troubled,” her father says, his deep and brooding.  The child see’s her father lift his head slightly and looks at himself in the mirror.  As he gazes at his reflection which only he can see, his wings begin to tremble. “Would that my troubles be as simple as that, troubling.”

         A mournful look spreads across her mother‘s face, and she carefully  places a hand upon her father’s wings.  But at her touch the snap open wide as if to repel her away, and she steps in surprise, her own wings spreading slightly. 

         “Agape, my love,” she pleads.  “If you are troubled, please do not endure them alone.  Your time away only strengthens my love for you, and I would gladly hear of your troubles.  Even if there is nothing I can do to ease the pain and suffering you feel, know that you are never alone.”

         He hears her words, and his wings relaxed cease to tremble.  Once more, goes to him, but as she places her hands upon his broad shoulders, his reflection is revealed in the mirror.  The face of her husband, once proud and majestic, has become afflicted with age and weariness.  His skin has become wrinkled, his hair old and brittle, deep lines of worry have become creased across his brow, and his once bright eyes have become dull.  The mother gasps, the child begins to cry, and his wings spread fully once more in a snap, knocking her mother back. 

         Angrily, Agape throws a vase resting on a marble pedestal next to the mirror against the wall, where it crashes into a thousand pieces and falls noisily to the floor.  The child’s mother moves in front of her, shielding her from her father and his anger. 

         “Look upon me,” he says.  “Do you see the troubles I face?  Can you explain them?  No, but I can.”  Angrily, he begins to pace, his wings drawn tightly behind him.  But each step he takes requires great effort and labor.  “Long have I watched the worlds through the Light of Love.  I have seen it since its in beginning.  Since the worlds rose from primordial chaos and love was birthed into the Universe.  It has always shined brightly into the hearts of the mortal races, and I have been there to guide it.  I have seen its Light spread joy to countless, and in turn, it has given me joy as well.  But Love is not shinning as brightly as it has before. 

         “There is a great wind sweeping throughout the worlds, and it is leaving nothing untouched in its wake.  I see Love twisted, turned, abused, and perverted.  It is being forsaken, forgotten, willfully turned from.  Where the Light of Love once shined brightly in all their hearts, a shadow is growing, and Love’s Light cannot pierce the veil of this darkness, for they have covered themselves willingly with it.”

         Agape’s wings fell behind him, and he covered his face once more.  Slowly, Lady Abatha draws near to him, and gently places a hand upon her husband’s shoulder.  This time, he does not recoil at her touch, but welcomes it, though he cannot bring himself to turn and face her.

         “I know this troubles you,” she said.  “But together we will endure this.  For you will always feel love here, with us.”

         He places and old and withered hand upon hers.  They stand together, and the child looks upon her mother and father silently.  She cannot understand words, but she knows enough to know times are troubling. 

         “Thank you my love,” Agape says.  “And I am sorry for my outbursts, but I am just so….tired.”  He turns to her and they embrace in silence.  But as the child looks on, she notices a single feather fall from her father’s wings, drift lightly through the air, before settling on the ground below. 

***

         Fayth was met by a dull grayness as she slowly opened her eyes, the last images of her dream slipping away from her.  She was laying on the ground, a cold, hard, and barren ground, and she ached as each breath was painful.  Wincing, she struggled to her feet, and all her aches and pains slipped away from her thoughts as she beheld the sight before her.

         Where once the Weirwood had stood, there was nothing but wasteland as far as her eyes could see.  Nothing but dust and dirt, with a few scattered rocks and boulders, and a few uprooted tree’s scattered across the terrain.  The sky was dark, and cloudy, and held the rays of Lady Sun at bay, making the air chilly and damp. 

         There were bodies as well.  Bodies of the Unicorns who had ridden to the Great Tree to save them from the Arachnids and the Spider Queen.  They were all laying about, and Fayth could not tell which were badly wounded, or dead. 

         She turned and gasped, for behind her was a gaping chasm.  It looked as though the earth itself had been torn in two, and exposed the darkness beneath the surface of Evermoore.  She realized it was where the Tree of Hope had stood, and where it had been taken by the Darkness. 

         Fayth tore here eyes away from the chasm back to the lifeless bodies laying around her.  They were of Casper’s herd, and she quickly ran amongst them, searching each body to see if they were alive or dead, and hoping to find one of her companions.  She continued searching until she finally found one who was not a Unicorn, but rather a familiar friend, and the one she had been hoping to find all along. 

         “Shay!” she said, springing and falling by his side.

         He was not far from where she had awoken, laying on his face with his swords at his sides and his garments tattered.  Turned him over hastily, she held her breath until she saw his chest move.  However, his breathing was shallow, blood trickled from a corner of his mouth, and she could barely feel his pulse at his wrist and neck.  Across his chest and abdomen were dark bruises and deep gashes. 

         Fayth took Shay into her lap, and placed her hands upon his cheeks.  Closing her eyes, she winced as pain tore through her.  Her legs tighten, her ribs cracked, and thick fog swept over her vision as a spot of pain began pressing against the back of her head.  Her jaw clenched, and she almost lost herself within the fog.  Yet she remained in control, and soon began to cast away the wounds of Shay‘s she had taken upon herself. 

         When the last of his wounds were cast away, she opened her eyes, and pulled her hands away from him.  Shay’s breathing began to deepen, his pulse quickened, and the gashes and bruises across his chest faded.  Then, with a startling deep gasp, Shay’s eyes flew open, and quickly sat upright as he began to cough and gag, blood flying from his mouth as he struggled to take several deep breaths.  His cat-like eyes growing wide in alarm, he turned his head from side to side, taking in the barren wasteland which had once been his adopted home. 

         Fayth carefully placed a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped and spun, his fist raised and ready to strike.  Fearful that the madness of despair still had its hold over him, she lunged beneath his raised fist, throwing her arms around him so he could not strike her. 

         “Shay!” she said quickly, pressing herself against him in a tight embrace.  “It‘s me, Fayth.  It‘s just me.” 

         He struggled at first, but she felt his chest loosen at the sound of her voice, and his arms to fell gently around her.  And together they sat, embracing each other tightly as the cold winds swept by them.

         “Fayth,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.  He squeezed her tightly, and she gladly accepted the warmth radiating from him.  “You are safe, thank the Lady.”

         Fayth could feel his heart beating rapidly from his chest to hers, and she knew the madness of Despair was no threat to him.  She released the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, and pulled her head away to look into his cat-like eyes. 

         “Because of you,” she said.  “Because you came back.”  She loosened her arms and stepped back.  “But how did you know?”

         “Two of Casper’s herd escaped the ambush the Arachnids had laid for you,” Shay replied airily.  He surveyed the now barren wasteland which had once been his home, his gaze falling over each of the Unicorns.  “They were pursued all the way to the Cave of Mysteries, and were within moments of exhaustion when they arrived.  The Arachnid’s almost had them, but instead they were met with their own end,” he said, his fist clenched tightly and his jaw tensed.

         “That‘s right, I remember them escaping,” Fayth said.  “But, you were their prisoner.”

         Shay’s eyes turned to hers again, seemingly reaching far past eyes.

         “Yes, I was.  But they know I am a strong sword in battle, and the Arachnids were our common enemy,” he said.  Then, in a softer voice, he added.  “Furthermore, I gave them no choice.  They would not have been able to keep me bound while they fought the evil who threatened all I care for, all I …love,” he ended slowly.                    

         Fayth looked away quickly and nodded, a knot forming in her throat and her eyes growing moist.  Looking back to the wasteland, she looked over the fallen herd once more.

         “I‘m not sure many others are as lucky as you though,” she said somberly.

         Turning, Shay’s expression became mournful.  He went to the body of the nearest Unicorn, and carefully took its head into his lap.  As Shay searched for signs of life, Fayth noticed how wretched the Unicorn appeared now.  Its fur was gray and brittle, its horn cracked along its base, and broken off near the tip, and its eyes stared lifelessly into the distance.  After holding his ear close to its mouth, and searching its neck for a pulse, Shay drew himself away and passed his hands over the Unicorns still face, closing its eyes.

         Above, the sky thundered, and the grey clouds which kept the rays of Lady Sun at bay began drifting to the west.  Fayth wrapped her arms around herself and shivering as the air took a chill, and a grim look filled Shay‘s face as he looked to the sky. 

         “Even though I haven’t been in Evermoore long, I know that‘s not natural,” Fayth said, referring to the darkened sky.  “What’s happening?” 

         “Evermoore is changing,” he said, distantly.  Rising to his feet, he followed  the clouds as they drifted west, towards the Mountain of Courage.  “We must move swiftly,” he said.  “For now there will be a race against time.  We must do what we can for the wounded, then send word to Halion.  With the Lights of Love and Hope extinguished, the Darkness will want to act swiftly.”

         Halion.  The mention of his name sent Fayth’s mind whirling.  His final moments flashed through her mind, and she remembered not only how his death had looked, but how it had felt.  Shivering, she shook herself, trying to drive them from her mind.  She remembered the pain and the fear, and most hurtful of all to Halion, the despair.  She could feel them piercing through her as vividly now as she had then, and she could still feel the void left within her when she had felt Halion die.

         “Shay…” she said, but he continued as if he hadn’t heard her.

         “They must gather what forces remain loyal to the Avatars and prepare to defend the Lake of Compassion….”

         “Shay..” she said again, her voice gaining strength.

         “We must also continue on to find Jorumangar, and we must hurry.  The strength of Courage and Compassion will wane ever so swiftly with Hope gone, and they will not be able to hold the Darkness at bay…”

         “Shay!” she shouted.  For one brief moment she could not hold back the memories, and they burst through her as water breaks through a damn.

         “What?” he said, impatiently.

         “Halion,” she said, slowly.  “He’s…he’s dead.”

         His eyes flickered wide for a brief moment, before settling into a narrow stare.  With a low and brooding voice, he asked, “What did you say?”

         “Halion is dead,” Fayth repeated.  “He died when the Light of Hope was…”

         She gasped as one of Shay’s hands was suddenly clasped tightly around her neck.  He squeezed it, hard, a short sword clasped tightly in his other hand.  With a fierceness in his eyes, he held the blade high and aimed for her chest. 

         “Do not speak such lies, woman,” he spat. 

         Fayth’s tried pull her self free form his grasp, but he only clenched her tighter as she struggled.  As she gasped for air, panic began to overtake her.  But as she looked into his cat-like eyes, she saw they were different from before.  Clouded with anger and rage, the madness of Despair had taken hold of him once more.  So she forced herself calm and ceased her struggle against him.  Dark spots began to appear in the corner of her eyes, and her lungs screamed for air, but she kept still, forcing her eyes into his, and in what seemed like painful hours later, but was only a moment or two, the madness was swept away for his eyes, and they became calm and clear once more.  With a gasp of horror, he released her. 

         Falling to her knees, Fayth coughed and gagged desperately for air.  Staring at both his hands and blade in shock and horror, he threw the blade away and fell beside her. 

         “Fayth…” he said, his voice filled with exasperation.  “By the Lady, I do not know what came over me, or what I have done.”  He tried to hold her steady and upright so she could catch his breath.  Fayth could feel his arms trembling, and held up a hand so he would be silent.  She straightened herself , her arms and legs feeling shaky and weary.   

         “It’s ok,”  she said.  “It wasn’t you.  I think Despair had taken you again.”

         Shay did not appear comforted.

         “But how…it couldn’t have,” he stammered.  “Can it take you so easily?” he asked, pleading and desperation in his voice.

         Fayth nodded solemnly.  Growing up, she had seen what despair could do before.  How its dark shadow could cloud one’s thoughts and hearts, and drive them to unspeakable acts against others, or themselves.  She thought of Bree, the foster sister the Dark One had used in her dreams to try and trap her.  Despair had plagued Bree most of her life, and for one brief moment when she had slammed the door in Fayth’s face and called her a purple eyed freak, it had nearly driven her to commit an unspeakable act. 

         “Despair is subtle,” Fayth said.  “But when it takes you, you‘re no longer yourself.

         Shay shivered, his arms still trembling.          

         “Halion,” he said carefully a moment later.  Then, he looked to her, his eyes showing his fight against despair. “Is it true?”  Slowly, Fayth nodded.  “But how can you know?  He is with Valar and Corazon, safely within the Tower of the Avatars.”

         “I felt him,” Fayth replied, her throat thickening with each word.  “He died when the Light of Hope was extinguished.”

         Shay listened carefully, sadness washing over his cat-like eyes, before nodding in understanding. 

         “The Lights?” he asked.  Fayth nodded again.

         “He was the one who brought us together, so you could see through my eyes and I could see through yours,” she said.  “I was with him, within the Lights; he watched through me as Saphira was killed, and The Light of Hope began to fade.”  Tears began to well in her eyes as she relieved her experience.  The void within her seemed to grow larger, and she felt empty, and hollow. “Shay, I felt him slipping away, and I tried to pull him back.  I tried as best I could, but with Hope gone, he just…he just…” she couldn’t bring herself to say it, and she could no longer fight. 

         Then, Shay’s arms were around her, and she buried her face in his chest.  The memory was too fresh, too vivid, and her tears flowed as she thought of how Halion had felt in the moments before he slipped away.  Though he had been surrounded by his friends and fellow Avatars, and although he had the love and support of his people behind him, Halion had felt alone and helpless, and thus he allowed Despair to take him.

         And as she thought of Halion, and how his death had occurred because he lost all that was dear to him, all that defined him, she thought of her father. 

         Was this how her own father had died?  Before the Darkness had taken him?  Had he watched and felt the Light of Love become extinguished, and leave a void within the hearts of everyone in the Universe?  She couldn’t imagine how that would feel, and how easy it would be to give in, and let hate consume you.  So then she held her tongue, and gained control of her tears, and decided then to never reveal how Halion had become old, weak, and ravaged by Despair, and then taken by the darkness, to anyone. 

         “He’s gone now,” was all she could see, and Shay’s arms held her tighter, their sorrows passing between them.



         Above, the skies thundered, and the earth began to shake. 

         “If Halion is dead, then time is even shorter than I imagined,” Shay said, pulling away from her and  looking towards the sky.  Beside him now, Fayth’s eyes drifted once more over the barren wasteland.  Out in the distance, a few figures had began to stir and wake.  Within her, something awoke as well. 

         “Why?” she asked, pushing the remaining thoughts of Halion away.  She asked not to be skeptical, but to truly know.  Shay pointed to the sky.

         “The Lights of Evermoore have grown weaker,” he said.  “When they are strong, they keep the Darkness away from Evermoore.  But when Love was lost, the other lights began to weaken, and the Darkness began to seep in.  Though it can not fully take shape, it began to inflict the hearts of us all.  As the Darkness’ strength has grown, Hope, Compassion, and Courage have eroded, and now that Hope is lost as well, Compassion and Courage’s strength will fade swiftly.  Hate is now joined by Despair, and together they will act swiftly against Compassion and Courage.  Once they fail, the avatar of the Darkness will take shape upon Evermoore.”

         He paused and looked to her gravely.

         “The Wraith from the Library,” Fayth said.  She shivered as she thought of the attack, and how she had barely escaped with her life. 

         Shay continued, speaking slow and gravely, like she had never seen him do before.  “Once the Darkness takes its shape upon Evermoore, the veils of Hate, Despair, Fear, and Avarice will take the place of the Lights, and their essence will flow throughout the universe with nothing to abate them.”

         Fayth nodded in understanding, and they set to work. 

         They quickly built a fire with the few scattered pieces of dried timber laying about the wasteland, the set about to the wounded.  Many had begun to wake, but were badly wounded, and near death.  Fayth did what she could, healing those she could by taking their wounds upon herself before casting them away.  Shay brought those she healed were brought to the fire so they could be warmed and regain their strength.  But for those who were too near death, or had already been taken, Fayth could only close their eyes and hope they were at peace. 

         Her strength waned with each Unicorn she healed, yet she pressed on.  A lucky few had escaped with only minor injuries; a deep cut, a broken leg, or a blinded eye.  But there were others whose wounds ran deep, and Fayth had to use all her strength to bring them from the brink of death.  More than once, the wounds she took were too great, and she was nearly lost to the darkness of death; but Shay was there beside her, offering his courage and strength which she used to find her way back. 

         Yet for all the physical wounds she healed, there was nothing she could do for their spirits.  Upon hearing of the loss of Halion, Saphira, and their home, the Unicorns would fight their own battles against the potent aura of Despair.  Worse still, with the loss of the Tree of Hope, came the loss of their divinity.  Their coats and mane’s were no longer soft and spotless white which glimmered in the light of Lady Sun, but were coarse and brittle.  Their eyes no longer gleamed with the light of the stars and Lady Moon, but were shallow and grey.  And their horns, the one aspect which set them apart from all other creatures of myth and legend, were now nothing more than brittle pieces of ivory.  They were dull and brittle, many even broken at the hilt, as the Light of Hope no longer flowed through them. 

         One by one, Fayth healed those she could, and Shay closed the eyes of those she could not.  But all the while, their own sense of loss and despair grew with each Unicorn they healed, for they had not seen either Sirius or Corindra.  They kept the spirits high on the outside, but inside, their fears grew, until at long last, when there were few bodies remaining, they discovered both Sirius and Corindra. 

         Fayth ran to Sirius’ side and knelt beside him.  Ignoring her weariness, she quickly placed her hands upon him and closed her eyes.  Her lungs began to burn, and her mind grew cloudy.  A sea of darkness flooded her mind as a spot on the back of her head began to throb.  She felt herself slipping into an endless fog of confusion and disarray as blood began to flow from wounds which appeared on her arms and legs.  But a gentle yet firm hand was placed upon her shoulder, and a beam of light pierced the murky veil of the fog.  She regained her footy, and steadily waded through the fog and murkiness until her senses returned, and she began to cast the fog away.  The burning within her lungs ceased, as did the throbbing upon her head, and the wounds on her arms and legs faded, but the blood remained on her garments, a lasting stain of the wounds she had taken. 

         She opened her eyes which fell over Sirius.  Shay was knelt beside her, his hand still placed firmly upon her shoulder.  Slowly, breathing became deeper, and his eyes opened.  He turned to Fayth, a managed a weak smile upon his weary face. 

         “My …lady,” he said. 

         “Sirius,” she said warmly.  Smiling, she scratched his favorite spot behind his ear before wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly.  He rested his head upon her shoulder in a grateful manner.  They embraced tightly, and neither noticed Shay as he stepped away.  A few moments later after helping Sirius to his feet, they found Shay standing over the body of a badly wounded Unicorn only a short bit away. 

         Fayth helped Sirius as he took several shaky steps.  But her heart became still and she broke into a short sprint, leaving Sirius behind, as she looked upon the Unicorn Shay was standing over.

         Her insides grew cold.  Like the others, the unicorns coat no longer gleamed, and its main was tangled and tattered.  Its eyes were closed, and its face was scratched and bloody.  Yet all this seemed small and insignificant compared to the jagged stump protruding from its forehead where its horn had once been.  As Fayth came to the Unicorns side, Shay looked to her, pleading and desperation in his eyes, for this Unicorn was his child hood friend.

         Corindra.          

         Sirius hobbled his way towards them, and gasped.  “Oh my,” he said, bending down and sniffing her lightly.  Shay knelt beside her, and gently placed a hand upon chest.  He leaned in closely and placed his hear near her snout.  Lifted his head, words escaped him, and he looked to Fayth with the color drained form his face.

         Fayth knelt beside him, and moved to place her hands upon Corindra.  But Shay quickly grabbed her wrist.  “She is just on the brink of death,” he said, his voice low and weak.

         “I know,” Fayth said, quietly. 

         Their eyes met, and Fayth could see the conflict within him.  Corindra was close to death, and her strength was nearly gone.  Without her, Corindra would soon succumb, and if Fayth tried to heal her, she may not have the strength to pull herself back.  His lips parted to speak, but he could not utter any words.  So Fayth pulled her wrists away from his, and placed them upon Corindra

         Pain coursed through her body like none had ever before.  First, it erupted in her back, tiny cracks all along her spine.  She lost feeling in her legs, just as blinding pain seared across her femur.  She coughed and gagged on blood, as breathing became difficult.  Yet her hands remained still, and she summoned all her strength to focus.

         She was pulled into a black fog, and laid still with her knees pulled to her chest.  The pain began to fade, but the wounds remained as she began to loose all feeling in her legs.  Her mind whirled, and she found herself staring into the blackness of the fog.  It did not scare her, it did not comfort her.  Instead, she felt nothing, and forgot of the world of the living. 

         She could remain here forever, never having to feel anything.  Nobody would find her here, nobody would care, nobody could hurt her, and she could just fade away.  In the tiniest corners of her mind, quiet voices called to her.  They beckoned her to come back, back to the world of the living, back to the place of feelings. No.  She would remain here, and be alone, neither living nor dead, away from their problems, away from her own.  The dark fog gave her escape, and she forgot all the cares she had carried with her mere moments before.

         But out in the distance, a dull glow began to shine through the lifeless fog.  Fayth blinked, hoping it would fade, and she could be alone in the nothingness again.  But it remained.  A lifeless being, laying crumbled within the thick fog. 

         Then, the voices within her grew louder, and her senses began to return.  Her eyes snapped open wide.

         “Corindra!” Fayth called out.

         She struggled to her feet, the pain of the wounds she had taken returning with renewed vigor.  Wincing, she took Corindra’s pains and cast them away.  Her strength returned, and she moved quickly towards Corindra.

         Corindra laid still, her coat dull, her main tangled, and her horn shattered.  She stared blankly into the fog, and Fayth could feel her despair as if it were heat from a fire.  Fayth looked on, unsure of what to do.  She had healed her physical wounds, yet Corindra remained near the brink, gazing into the thick fog as if she wanted nothing more than for it to take her, and she would not step away. 

         “Corindra? Fayth asked, kneeling beside her.  “Come back, you’re healed.”

         But Corindra remained still, and Fayth realized it was not her physical wounds which threatened to take her.

         “Corindra please!” Fayth pleaded, sinking next to her and wrapping her arms around her neck.  She pulled on her, trying to get her to look away from the fog.  But Corindra remained still.  Fayth put herself in front of Corindra, coming between her and the dark fog.  Putting her eyes to Corindra’s, she spoke loudly, “Corindra, you must come back!” she shouted. 

         Corindra’s eyes blinked, and feeling returned to them.  She looked to Fayth, and her despair burst forth as if a damn had been released.  It hit Fayth hard, and she nearly toppled over with a desire to lay still and stare into the fog once more. 

         “No!” Fayth said through clenched teeth.  “You must not give in.  Think of your people.  They need you, now more than ever.  Think of Shay, he needs his closest friend.  Think of the Avatars, think of the Weirwood, think of the Great Tree of Hope.  You must not give in.  They will look to you, and without you they will fall to Despair.  Please Corindra,” Fayth shouted.  Despite her pleading, Corindra was beginning to sink further.  Fayth could feel the life slipping from her, being consumed by her own despair. 

         “Corindra!” Fayth shouted as loud as she could.  But she avoided Fayth’s eyes, and continued to slip away.  She didn’t give any effort to bring herself back, it was as if Corindra wanted to be remain in the fog.  So Fayth pressed harder, urging Corindra to fight on.  She took her despair upon herself, and fought it with Hope.

         “Think of Evermoore!” she shouted.

         Corindra’s eyes snapped open, and Fayth gasped as the despair began to diminish.  It left as though it were fleeing for its very life, and Corindra’s life force began to return.  Then, the fog began to clear, and Fayth could feel her strength returning as she was lifted away.  A moment later, she opened her eyes and gasped as she returned to the land of the living.

         Fayth nearly toppled over, but two strong hand gripped her tightly and she steadied.  She blinked several times, and she found herself with the grayness of the barren wasteland.  Beside her, Corindra began to stir.  Shay, who had steadied Fayth, and Sirius watched Corindra with anxious eyes as the cuts and scratches on her face began to fade.  Fayth turned and watched as well as they last of the faded as though they were never there.  Only the blood remained, always the blood. 

         When the last of the injuries were healed, Corindra’s eyes fluttered, and she took a deep breath.  Fayth looked to Shay, whose eyes jumped from her to Corindra.  She nodded reassuringly, and Shay released her and went to Corindra.  She fell to her hands and knees, and took several deep breaths as she tried as weariness washed over her, and she tried to calm the spinning in her mind.

         “Shay…” Corindra said, softly, her eyes hanging only half open.          

         “Be still,” Shay whispered.  “You are safe, but weak.”

         But Corindra’s eyes were suddenly wide, and she bounded to all fours furiously.  Turning about frantically, she took in the desolate remains of the Weirwood.  Her mouth hanging open wide in disbelief, and her eyes wide with shock and horror.

         “What’s happened?” she said.

         “Be still,” Shay repeated, leaping to her side. 

         She bucked and tossed him away, whinnying furiously as she did.  Turning to the sundered earth which had consumed the Great Tree, and she began to shout curses, before falling to her knees.  Her brittle mane fell in front of her now dull eyes, and tears began to trickle down her snout. 

         The surviving Unicorns who had been resting beside the fire began to gather behind her.  They watched her with renewed sadness and despair as Corindra learned of all they had lost.  The loss of her Queen and mother, the loss of their ancestral home, and the loss of their divinity. 

         Above, the sky turned darker and the clouds continued moving west as Shay, Sirius, and Fayth drew near her.

         “What has happened?” she asked, her voice low enough so only they could hear.  “I feel aches and pains all over myself the like of which I have never felt before.  I feel as though I am no longer, though on the outside I am still whole.  Yet inside, I feel a hollowness, while I feel a burden pressing down upon me.  I feel so weak, and so…tired.  So very tired, and I want nothing more than to escape to the darkness behind my eyes.”

         Fayth understood, as she remembered how she had felt when Halion had died, and a part of her had been ripped away.  “Hope has left you,” she said.  “It’s left you, and been replaced by…”

         Corindra snapped around, her eyes turning fierce.  “What does a child know of such things!” she shouted angrily.  In her anger, she struggled to her feet, and turned to face Fayth, her dull eyes narrowing.  “You,” she sneered.  “You are not of Evermoore, despite the hue of your eyes.  You have never called Evermoore your home, yet you speak as if you understand that which we have guarded since we arose from primordial chaos.”

         Fayth stepped back, startled, and began to reply, but stopped herself as the anger in Corindra’s eyes quickly turned to sorrow.  Turning back to the chasm, her voice shook .  “Yet you are right,” she said.  “The Light of Hope has left us, and we…” she turned back to the remainder of the herd.  She looked at each other them, from their dull eyes to their tangled manes to the cracked and shattered horns upon their brows.  “We are nothing more than common beasts now.”

         She fell to her knees again, and wept loudly.  Above, the sky thundered once more, and Fayth could feel the air grow thick with sadness and despair. 

         Carefully, Shay approached her, and placed a hand upon her now brittle mane.  “You are still the Unicorns of the Weirwood,” he said to her, gently.  But Corindra shook his hand away. 

         “Foolish elfling,” she said, turning away from him.  “What would you know of it?” she spat.  “You have never felt a light burning brightly within you suddenly swept away.  It has left us in darkness, left us as wretched creatures.  I can feel the long fingers of death’s grasp beginning to take hold of me.  I feel tired, weak, my coat is shedding, my main is brittle, my eyes are murky from age and use, and my legs ache with weariness.  There are sharp pains within my bowels that must be the pains of hunger, and I feel my body craving rest.  I yearn for food and water not out of want, but out of need.  We have lost that which was our charge.  We have lost our place in the Universe.  And now that we have lost our purpose, we are being cast aside, forgotten, and forsaken, and I can feel myself dying!” 

         Shay swallowed, and tried to speak gently.  “Corindra, I know you have lost much, but we must mourn later,” he said, though his voice had little conviction.  Fayth could tell he felt cruel and unkind, and that he himself yearned to mourn for Saphira and Weirwood.  “Time is short, and we must continue on to Jorumangar, for the Darkness will not stop…”

         “Then let it come!” Corindra shouted.  Leaping to her feet once more., she began pacing back and forth in front of the gaping chasm.  “Do we even have the strength left to stand against it?  Or did we ever to begin with?  Perhaps our fate was sealed when the Light of Love was extinguished, and we on borrowed time all this while, content in our apathy, and now it is too late.  Or perhaps it’s as the Spider Queen said; the winds of change are coming, and nothing can oppose them.  Perhaps this is the way of the Universe, and we were merely stewards rather than the monarchs we imagined ourselves to be.  Perhaps that is why the Avatars and my father grows old, because his time is near its end, and its just the way of things.”

         The mention of Halion caused Fayth‘s insides to roll.  She looked to Shay whose cat like eyes remained still.  Corindra continued on, her anger growing with each word and step she took.

         “And here I have spent these last years with you, elfling,” she spat.  “Aiding you in your quest to find this…this silly girl, whom you have foolishly placed your hopes to defeat the Darkness in.”  Corindra’s eyes bore into her, and Fayth swallowed as guilt pierced through her like a knife pierces flesh as.  “I should have stayed here, with my people, by my mothers side, or perhaps by my father‘s side as his time draws near.”

         She turned and brushed past them.  The effort was taxing on her, though, and Fayth could see her legs tremble.  Corindra was drawing strength from her anger, an anger she used to cover her pain. 

         “Casper!” she shouted, as she stood before the herd. 

         “I am here, my lady,” came Casper‘s voice from near the fires.  The herd parted for him, and he came forward.  He looked weak and weary, like all the others, his own horn split in half.  His strength was gone, and had left only a think and wrinkled shell of his former self.  He struggled to hold his head high to face Corindra.

         “Gather whom are able to ride, we make for Haven at once.”

         “Corindra…” he said, hesitantly.

         “I said we make for Haven at once!  And I will go to where I am needed and where I belong.  By my father’s side.  I will no longer take place in this foolishness.  If the universe has decided it is our fate to die, then die we shall, but at a place of our choosing.”

         Corindra shoved her way past them, causing Sirius and Shay to leap aside.  Fayth looked after as she passed, but Corindra kept her gaze towards her heard, who had all begun to rise.  Lost for words, Fayth looked to Shay, who seemed equally as lost.  Corindra didn‘t know, and the news would most likely break her. 

         As Corindra began to give orders and the rest of the herd began to follow, Fayth tried to get her attention, but Corindra ignored her until she finally shouted. 

         “Halion is dead!”

         Everything seemed to freeze in place.  The Unicorns al became still, and slowly turned to her.  Fayth felt their eyes bearing down on her, a mix of disbelief, shock, and anger.  Corindra‘s voice had ceased to give orders, and she slowly turned to Fayth.  Anger flared within her eyes which were now dull, and she lowered her head as if she were about to charge. 

         “What did you say, girl?” Corindra said, darkly.

         Fayth swallowed, and her throat suddenly felt thick.  “Halion…“ she said.  “I’m sorry…he’s dead.”

         With her broken horn lowered and swift kick of her hind legs, Corindra charged.  Despite her weakened condition, Corindra charged with the might of great stead.  Having no time to move, Fayth closed her eyes, and braced herself.  Yet Corindra came to halt, the hilt of her horn mere inches away from Fayth’s chest, take slow and deep breaths, and bearing her eyes into Fayth’s. 

         Fayth looked into Corindra’s eyes, and noted that behind the anger, was a great depth of pain. 

         “How…“ Corindra said, her voice barely above a whisper.  “How do you know this?”

         The memory ran through her mind once more, and her eyes began to moisten as the emptiness within her seemed to grow deeper. 

         “I…I felt him,” Fayth said, her voice weak as her throat had become thick.  Fayth saw the anger in Corindra’s eyes melt away, and a deep pain hidden far behind her eyes, came forward.  But only for a moment, as the anger returned suddenly, and the pain was covered and concealed as one covers a well with a stone slab.  In that pain, Fayth saw the truth, the reason for the anger, the reason for her desire to return to Haven. 

         “You know not of what you speak,” Corindra said, turning from her angrily.

         Fayth shook her head, and moved to catch Corindra as she tried to walk away.

         “In the lights,” Fayth said, coming to her side.  “I felt him ….” But Corindra had turned away, and begun to tremble, either from weakness, grief, or perhaps both.  Fayth persisted, but Corindra turned away from her over and over.  Then, when Fayth realized Corindra would not willingly look at her, she said, “You felt him too, didn’t you.” 

         Her eyes flared violently, and she bellowed before rushing past Fayth towards the chasm behind them.  She galloped until she reached the edge, where she whinnied loudly over the chasm.  It echoed far into the depths below and barren wasteland beyond before she collapsed upon the edge, burying her head within herself.  The gaping chasm and the wasteland beyond became filled with her cries as the herd gathered behind them.  Sirius, Fayth, and Shay stood side by side, and Corindra remained alone in her grief. 

         The despair which hung around them began to grow, and Fayth could feel each of theirs grow deeper as Halion‘s death became realized upon them.  Sirius looked at Corindra sorrowfully, thoughts of his own people and the state to which they had fallen ran through him.  Looking to Shay, Fayth could his own conflict,  as he was reminded of the demise of his people, and he became lost for words as he looked upon his oldest friend in her despair. 

         And as Fayth turned back to Corindra, she too, was reminded of past pains and sorrows.  There was nothing one could say which could ease the pain one felt upon loosing their parents, she knew.  So instead, Fayth did what she had always done for those whose path had crossed her own. 

         She ran to Corindra, and fell to her knees beside her.  She sat still, until Corindra, who was staring blankly into the chasm beyond, slowly lifted her head.  As she looked upon Corindra, she realized what a truly wretched creature she had become compared to what she had once been.  However, as Fayth peered into her now dull eyes, she thought nothing of the prideful creature who had treated her as a bother and nuisance, but instead, saw the familiar faces of every child she had ever met, once they had lost their families. 

         Corindra‘s pain and sorrow flowed from her like water flows through a river, and for several moments they held their gazes, with no words spoken between them.  Corindra looked lost, wretched, scared,…and alone.  All of which was all too familiar to Fayth. 

         She was brought back to the times she would sneak out in the middle of the night and climb upon the roofs of her homes to stare into the sky and wonder where her parents were and if they were thinking of her.  Brought back to the times she had grown angry, believing her mother and father had abandoned her as unwanted burden.  Brought back to the times she mourned when she thought they had passed on.  Brought back to the times of loneliness, for it seemed no one in the world understood her.  Brought back to the times she felt wretched, because no one loved her, or thought of her as special.  Then, she was brought back to the times when every other feeling had passed through her, and she resolved to herself that despite all the uncertainty, all the questions, and all the pain, she still, and always would, love them.

         In that instant, the walls which had stood before Fayth’s deepest guarded feelings were torn down, and they flowed freely from her to meet with Corindra‘s.  Their grief and sorrows mingled in the space between them, and Fayth’s pain became Corindra’s, and Corindra’s became Fayth’s.  This was not a moment of healing, for these were wounds that could never be healed completely, only forgotten or dulled over time.  However, as they shared their pains with each other, Fayth’s old pains and Corindra’s new, neither felt as alone as they had mere moments before.

         Moisture appeared in Corindra’s eyes, and her lips began to tremble.  The stubbornness and pride of the Unicorns remained firm within her, but Fayth could sense Corindra push it aside.  Her pain came forward, and Fayth began to feel moisture in her eyes as well.  Then, when their pains were fully joined, Fayth threw her arms around Corindra’s neck, and the walls which stood guard over Corindra’s pain collapsed as well as she laid her head upon Fayth’s shoulder, and wept. 



         Continued in part 2