Evermoore: Chapter Fourteen, pt 2

Continued from part one...



         “You must travel with haste,” Shay said.  “For the Darkness will not linger long before making its next strike, now that the balance has been shifted as so.”

         “And what will it strike next?” Casper asked.

         Stomping vigorously on the remaining cinders of the fire before spreading the ashes around.  The herd were gathered behind them, readying themselves to journey west, towards Haven.  Shay, Sirius, Fayth, and Corindra stood before them, reading to travel east.

         Shay had warned them that although it would be a long journey, they would have to travel quickly.  The Unicorns were weak, hungry, and couldn’t hope to find much food along their journey.  It seemed as though time was catching up with them.  The oldest of the Unicorns, the one’s who had walked upon Evermoore since the Lights first began to shine, appeared old and ancient, and signs of common ailments and sickness’ which their race had never experienced before, began to sweep through them. 

         “The Lake of Compassion,” Shay said.  “If the Darkness takes the lake, the balance will tip in its favor.  It’s shadow will fall upon the Mountain of Courage soon after, and from there, all of Evermoore.  It will come with a force gathered from across all the worlds.  A force made of those who have fallen into the Darkness’s shadow.  At long last, they will be able to step foot upon Evermoore, and they will swarm across our lands, destroying our homes, taking those who are willing, and murdering anyone who opposes them.

         “Its reach is growing, as is its influence,” Shay continued.  “The tiny seeds of Hate and Despair which lie within each of us will be seized upon by the Darkness.  They will feed these seeds until they consume us, and we become servants to its will, rather than our own.”

         Low whispers began to rise amongst the herd.  Fayth shifted nervously, as half of the herd seemed to hang upon every word Shay spoke, while the other half were shaking their heads in disbelief, or mistrust, or anger. 

         “Then what shall we do at Haven?” Casper asked, carefully, as he was aware of the division building amongst his herd.

         “Gather all those who remain untouched or untainted by the Darkness,” Shay said.  “Warn and prepare those who are loyal to Halion and Corazon.  Tell them of what occurred here in the Weirwood, and of the coming shadow if they cannot already see it themselves.  Prepare them for battle.”

         Silence fell across the herd.  Great battles and wars had occurred upon Evermoore before, but not in recent history.  It had been so long since war had come to Evermoore, that many could not remember the name of the foe who once threatened them before, or even what the war had been fought over. 

         Casper spoke, his voice steady, but his eyes betraying his fear.  “Do you believe it will come to battle?”

         Shay nodded.

         “Indeed, a battle is coming.  A battle which will pit friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor, and brother against brother,” he said.

         “Impossible,” said a voice from the herd.

         “Evermoore has moved far beyond war,” said another.

         Shay continued on, undeterred.  “Though Evermoore has not known war since the dark days, it is far from peaceful.  You know this, as well as I.  Envy and suspicion, malice and prejudice, have festered within the races for far too long.  We have not been drawn to war, no, but we have spread ourselves across Evermoore, retreated to forests, or plains, or jungles, or mountains, trusting only in those like ourselves.  Some have exalted themselves over others, taking the best of which the land has to offer, and leaving the rest to scrap and scramble for shelter and comfort. 

         “The Darkness will seize upon this,” he said, speaking louder.  “Many will be drawn and seduced by its lies, feeling they have been wronged by others and deserve justice, or believing they have a right to sit above all the others.  Only when it is too late will they realize their folly, and we will be turned and used tear each other apart to spread destruction to Evermoore for the Darkness’ purposes.  And we will never see how our ends were brought about by our own doing, by our own seeds of Darkness, which lay within each and every one of us.”          

         “Then what hope have we?” Casper said.  “It is true as you say; there are deep divisions amongst the races of Evermoore.  But I know these to be with good reason.  The Arachnids were not our first enemies, nor, I’m sure, will they be our last.  Many have looked upon the Unicorns with the envy you speak of, and there have been many who have attempted to take the Weirwood from us before.  How can we trust those who once sought to destroy us before?  How can we trust the promises of good intentions for the future, when all we have known is distrust in the past?  How can we fight a battle before us, when we must constantly be checking over our shoulders as well?

         “ I say this,” Casper continued.  “We cannot stand beside those who have stood across from us before, lest we desire to have a knife slipped in our backs.  Nay, it will be so easy to unite the remaining free peoples of Evermoore as you wish,” Casper concluded with his lip curled.

         “Perhaps they will not be so eager to stand with you either,” Sirius growled.  Casper turned to Sirius, and a cold glare passed between them. 

         “That is amusing, coming from an Andule Tiger,” Casper said, darkly.

         Sirius bared his fangs, and Casper dug his hooves into the barren earth.  Fayth quickly put a hand on Sirius and scratched him softly behind his ear.  Shay stepped between them, and held his hand towards Casper.  A moment later, Sirius’ fangs retreated behind his fur, and Casper steadied his hooves.

         “The choice is simple,” Shay said.  “Either the people of Evermoore stand together against the Darkness, or we die.”

         Casper sighed, and whispers rose from the herd once more.  He looked past Shay, towards Corindra, who had stood still and silent as Shay had addressed the heard.  “And what of you, Lady Corindra.  With your mother and father‘s passing, you are now are rightful Queen.  So what do command?”

         Corindra’s tangled and brittle main flapped in the wind.  Her gaze passed from Casper to the rest of the herd, who had become silent.

         “My mother and father have passed yes,” she said, solemnly.  “Yet I do not feel like a queen.  For a queen would have a throne, and a realm, and subjects to rule over.  But our throne has been taken, our realm burned, and I have never held any of you as subjects, but instead my kin.  My mother was Queen in title only, but never once did she ask any of you too bend your knee in a sign of fealty, or give a command, save for the one to retreat when the Great Tree was lost.”

         “Yet if you look to me, then I say this,” she said.  “Head Shay’s words, and do as he suggests.  Go to the Mountain of Courage and gather all those who oppose the Darkness and prepare them for battle.  For it as he says; we must stand together or else Evermoore will fall.”

         Several voices arose from the heard at once.  Some shouted their agreement, others shouted in anger.  Several Unicorns dug their hooves in the ground and snorted furiously, while others rose on their hind legs and whinnied with the excitement of battle.

         Casper shook his main, “But my Queen,” he said, frustration layering his voice. “Are we to forget all …”

         “Look around you Casper!” Corindra said, raising her voice suddenly.  She stepped forward and began pacing back and forth in front of the herd.  Though her tangled main blew wildly, and her coat appeared dusty and dirty, she paced before them with the strength and dignity Fayth had always imagined the Unicorns from her stories.  “Our ancestral home is destroyed, the Great Tree has been uprooted and consumed by the earth, and our divinity with it.  Yet you sit here and speak with foolish pride and stubbornness. 

         “We are nothing more than common mortal beings we dismissed and sneered at for so long,” she said, her voice now exasperated.  “And with each moment that passes, our deaths draw nearer.  We cannot hope to regain that which was lost to us, but if we are to die, then have it be for that which we have left.  Evermoore, the world which gave birth to our race, and our home, the Weirwood.  And if we must humble ourselves before the other races so they will stand by our side then so be it!  For what do we have left to exalt ourselves with?  What do we have left to place our pride in?  Or boast of?  Only this; Hope!  Hope that one day, Evermoore, our true home, can be rid of this wretched Darkness, forever!”

         Fayth listened intently, and the herd had grown silent, hanging upon every word she spoke.  Their faces had become as still as their tongues, even Casper‘s.  But now that Corindra had spoken her peace, they turned to him.  And Casper, who had always been loyal to Saphira, and who always loved Halion as a father, lowered his head and spoke softly. 

         “We shall go to the Mountain or Courage then,” he said.  “And do what we can.  If a battle is coming to Evermoore, we shall do all we can to stand against it.  I admit, I do not have much hope the other races will join with us, but I will try nonetheless, for I see the truth in your words, even if they are hard to accept.  But what will you do?  Where will you be going?  And what will you be placing your hope in?”

         Out of the corner of her eyes, Corindra looked to Shay.  Shay stood still, his eyes firmly locked on hers.  Then, Corindra looked to Fayth, who suddenly felt as though a great burden had been placed upon her shoulders. 

         “We will continue that which we started,” Shay said. 

         “Too Jorumangar,” Corindra added.  “Who we hope will have the answers to our questions.”           “I see,” Casper said, doubt thick in his voice.  Then he shook his main and said,  “I do not understand what hope you believe this…girl…brings to us.  Do you really believe she can help to ward off the Darkness from Evermoore.”

         Fayth swallowed, and felt her chest tighten.  The burden felt as though it was pressing harder upon her as her eyes met Corindra‘s, whose had become soft and kind for the first time since they had met.           “I do,” Corindra said, softly but firmly.  “Perhaps I should have all along, instead of now, when I have nothing left to place my hope in.” 

         Casper turned to Fayth, and could see the same doubts in his eyes she had often seen in Corindra’s.  But a moment later he nodded, and sighed in resign.  “Very well,” he said.  “If time is as valuable as you say, then we shall linger here no longer.”

         He turned and called out to the herd.  They stood at attention, and parted themselves so Casper could make his way ahead of them.  When he stood before them, Fayth realized how little of the herd remained from the great host who had come across them in the Weirwood, and had come to their aid in the Great Tree.  Her heart ached when she saw how many remained lifeless on the earth, and would not be buried, nor properly mourned.  They would have to be left as they were, dead on the barren and wasted earth where their bodies would decay into dust, and their bones would sink into the earth to be forgotten. 

         She had healed all she could with what strength she had.  But many had already perished, and some were too far gone for her to heal.  The remaining Unicorns looked weak from their wounds, and ravished from hunger.  Many had lingering wounds she had not healed so as to save her strength.  And now they stood behind Casper, their heads hung low either from weakness, or from sorrow with the realization of what they had become. 

         The sky thundered above them, and the four companions stood before Casper and the herd.  Tiny drops of rain began to fall from the sky.  Fayth looked up into the grey clouds which Lady Sun’s rays could not penetrate, and let the rain splash against her face and in her eyes.  It was as if Evermoore was mourning the loss of the Weirwood, the Unicorns, and the Great Tree of Hope.  Once more Fayth thought of Halion, and the despair he had felt in his final moments before death seized him.  In those final moments, it had seemed Halion had almost welcomed death rather than become consumed by despair, and Fayth wondered if perhaps her father had welcomed death as well, rather than become consumed by hate. 

         Perhaps this was the danger of the Darkness, she thought.  It would take all your compassion, your courage, your hope, and love, and leave you with an empty void.  Then, the Darkness would pour itself into these voids, and fill them with fear, anger, despair, and hate.  It would be so easy to be lost to it. 

         “Ride swiftly,” Shay said, placing his hands upon Casper before bowing.  Casper returned his bow, as did the herd.

         “I hope you find the answers you seek,” Casper said.  “For all our sake.”  Then he turned to Corindra, each glancing to the other’s horn, now dull, brittle, and broken. 

         “May your paths be clear and smooth,” Corindra said.  “And I hope you make it to Haven soon.”

         “As do I,” Casper said.

         The herd circled about and gathered behind Casper as he took his first step to the west.  The herd followed suit, and the companions watched as they traveled into the wasteland that stretched as far as their eyes could see, until they were out of sight. 

         When they were out of sight, they turned to the east, and faced the gaping chasm.

         “I say, are we to go down there?” Sirius asked.

         Shay nodded, and took the first step to descend into the blackness of the chasm.  Further in, the slope grew steep, and they would have to carefully navigate their way down rocky terrain into the blackness, where there were no safe paths waiting for them. 

         “It seems fitting,” Corindra said.  “That to defeat the Darkness we will have to descend into darkness first.”  She had spoken plainly, without either humor or despair. 

         Yet her words made Fayth pause.  Above her the sky began to thunder as the rain began to fall harder, and flashes of lightening both near and far erupted from the sky.  Yet she had forgotten the rain and the cold as Corindra’s words made Fayth think of Saphira’s final words.

         What power does Despair have, if one does not know Hope first.

         Saphira’s words ran through her mind many times over as she looked into the darkness of the chasm below.  This darkness had consumed the Light of Hope, yet it was not extinguished.  For as she pondered Saphira’s words, a ray of hope, which had been a faint flicker she had not noticed before, grew within her. The burden she had felt suddenly seemed lighter. 

         Shay, Corindra, and Sirius were several paces ahead of her, and she moved to catch up. But as she lifted her foot to take her first step towards the Darkness below, something caught her eyes, and she held her foot steady.  Staring at the ground before her, the tiny flicker of hope grew even larger. 

         Stepped around the place her foot was about to land, she continued on into the darkness, towards her companions, with a faint smile on her face.  For in the place where her foot would have landed, a tiny sprout had emerged from the barren waste of the earth, a small brown sprout many would not have noticed, with a tiny green leaf just beginning to blossom.