Evermoore: Chapter 15 Pt1

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Part 1





It was dark. As dark as anyplace Fayth had ever been before. Dark, and cold. Fayth wrapped her arms around herself, burying her fingers beneath her arms and against her leather tunic, and trying unsuccessfully to control her chattering teeth. The light of the surface was behind them, a mere spec from the surface that had grown smaller the further they descended. Shay’s swords glowed dimly, hardly penetrating the darkness ahead, and hardly providing any warmth against the cold.

He had ignited them early on, when it had became so dark they could not see where their next step would be. He had lit only one at first, and led the companions through safe paths over the rocky and uncertain terrain. Winding around thick stalagmites, over steep hills, or precariously by steep cliffs, they made their way downwards, into the dark. Soon, as the spec of light had became the size of a thimble to their eyes, he was forced to ignite his other sword, which he gave to Fayth. She walked behind Sirius, who followed Shay in the lead, and ahead of Corindra, who struggled behind them.

Sirius had the easiest time. Leaping about with his feline grace, he would often need only a brief glance ahead before bounding forward. Landing without making the slightest noise, he would pause and wait courtesy for the other companions, sniffing the air curiously as he did.

“You move well, Sirius,” Shay said, making a leap of his own, landing beside him. His elfish grace allowed him to land just as softly and easily as Sirius, even while carrying a sword of flames. Fayth rolled her eyes and frowned as she stumbled forward near them, almost tripping over her own feet.

“Years of practice, my good man,” Sirius replied, a smile showing through the flickering of Shay’s swords. “My years spent as a rather smaller creature on Earth had many challenges. One of those challenges included often running away from the canine folk of Earth.” His smile grew wider across his furry face, and he looked upwards as though reliving fond memories in his mind.

“You mean dogs?” Fayth asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Ah yes, such noble creatures, dogs,” Sirius replied airily. “They way they stood sentry at their estates, wary of any intruders save their masters, I cannot think of any creature more noble, or quite so dim. They seemed to enjoy their perceived duty, and had a particular fondness for chasing off the small creatures of Earth. Rascally squirrels, mangy mice, chirping birds, and of course,” he bobbed his head back and forth with a sly grin, “the pesky feline.”

Every joke Fayth had ever heard about the loyalty of dogs, and the snobbishness of cats, ran through her mind.

“They made it so easy, with their astute loyalty and predictability,” Sirius continued. “I often could not resist making a game of it. Any time I happened to spot one a canine‘s standing sentry by their estates windows, or laying on their couches in view of the outside world, or roaming about in their grass lands, I had to make my presence known.”

“Oh?” Shay said.

“Oh yes dear boy. You see, the trick is to wait for the opportune moment. My favorite was always just as these brilliantly dull creatures would lift their legs to relieve themselves. Then, I would show myself. A sleek walk across their fence, a flash of a tail near the bushes, a soft meow while sitting on their roofs. These canines, I tell you, they could not resist but too go into a frenzy. Barking furiously behind their paned glass windows, or running to the end of the ropes which tethered them to their estates, or racing up the nearest tree, where I would sit and watch them.” A soft, over satisfied, chuckle escaped from him. “Ah, such good times.”

Shay laughed with Sirius, but Fayth frowned. “You aren’t talking about poor ole Thunder are you?” she asked.

“Ah, the Golden one eh,” Sirius said. “But yes, he was one of my favorites. Good chap he was, such good sport.”

Fayth grimaced. Thunder had been a Golden Retriever. He had belonged to a nice old couple who lived next door to one of her foster families. Each day as she left for school, ole Thunder would sit on his people’s front porch and watch all the neighborhood kids line up at the bus stop. He never barked or growled, just merely sat on his hind legs and stood tall, until they had all piled on and left. And when they would return home at the end of the day, ole Thunder would be sitting in the same place, watching as the kids unloaded from the bus, and returned to their homes.

Fayth used to think of him as a guardian angel, disguised as a noble dog so as to fool bad people, and watch all the neighborhood kids until they were safe at home. Fayth had only spent a year in that home, and she often thought of ole Thunder long after she left.

“Well I hope you didn’t torture him too much,” Fayth said, smiling fondly at the memories of him. She had always had a fondness for both dogs and cats, and hearing Sirius’ stories of how he would trick and torment the dogs made her think how simple life had seemed on Earth. Simple, but empty.

She also wondered if all cats thought as Sirius did about dogs.

“That sounds very amusing,” Corindra said sharply behind them. “But perhaps you could save your tales for a time when we are resting so as we can concentrate better on our task at hand.”

Fayth lifted the sword, allowing the light from the flames to better illuminate Corindra’s path. Each step Corindra took was carefully taken; careful, and slow. Shay and Sirius waited patiently as Corindra caught up. Then, she moved past them without saying a word. Shay quickly regained the lead, providing her with light from his swords. Meanwhile, Sirius remained on the peak until Fayth reached him.

“Always so …focused, that one,” Sirius said, politely, though Fayth took his meaning.

Shrugging, she said “don’t be so hard on her.”

“I know,” Sirius said with resigned sympathy. “It’s just,” he sighed. “I had hoped her stubbornness and pride would have gone along with her…well perhaps it isn’t kind too say.”

“Probably not,” Fayth agreed, scratching Sirius behind his ear as they began moving forward again. “But I don’t mind it.”

“No?” Sirius said, raising his ear.

Fayth shook her head, watching Corindra as she struggled onward. The descent had not been easy for her, as each step was a struggle. She could not leap about as Sirius and Shay did, and she tired easily. Fayth had often caught her pausing to catch her breath, or rest her legs.

Fayth remembered how they had traveled across the jagged plains to reach the Weirwood. Corindra had led them then, and she had easily navigated the steep slopes, jagged spires, and slippery terrain. But that was when she was a Unicorn. Now, she was just a common beast, as she had said, and the strength and grace she once had was gone.

However, Corindra had not complained, nor accepted any help offered. More than once Shay had offered a steady or helping hand, and each offer was stiffly rebuked with a shake of her main, a snort, and a push forward.

“Then you have a gentler and more patient nature than I do my lady,” Sirius said.

Fayth laughed silently to herself as she watched Corindra press forward. Shay was leading her around a sharp edge that led to a steep drop off into darkness below. He stepped ahead of her, and held his flaming sword so she could see the terrain. With her head lowered, and her teeth clenched, Corindra moved past the sharp cliff, each step carefully planned and taken with care.

Fayth shrugged.

“Its not that,” she said.

“Then what my lady?”

Fayth watched Corindra closely as they navigated past the sharp drop off themselves. Sirius made it past with ease, but Fayth moved a bit slower, being careful of where she stepped so as not to slip or stumble. Shay stayed close and waited until they were safely past, then moved ahead to Corindra, who had continued to push forward, keeping silent about her weakness, and refusing any offer for help.

“It means she hasn’t given into Despair,” Fayth said.

They continued their descent. With Shay holding one of his swords and leading, Fayth holding the other behind them, Sirius having no trouble at all, and Corindra struggling, but making no complaint and refusing any offer of help. Soon, all light from the world above vanished, leaving them alone in the dark.

The dark gave Fayth and eerie feeling. It was cold, and quiet, deathly quiet, like a forest in the middle of the night. She had lost all sense of time, and they only stopped to rest twice. They rested for as long as they could stand to sit still, with Corindra being the only one who slept, and only because she didn’t have the strength to fight it. There was nothing but dust, and rocks, and dirt; nothing they could use to make a fire, and there were only sparse rations to eat.

When Shay opened his pack containing the rest of the dried bread and meat Ole’ Darby had given them, Corindra would look on longingly. But only for a moment, then she would compose herself and accept her ration with indifference. Watching her eat, Fayth could tell the ration was not nearly enough to satisfy Corindra’s new hunger or need for food.

So Fayth took only a few bites of her own ration, and offered the rest to Corindra, choosing a discreet moment when Shay and Sirius went off to survey the area. Corindra had been laying on the ground, her breathing short and labored, and her eyes struggling to stay open as sleep threatened to take her. Without saying a world, Fayth held her palm out towards Corindra, the rest of her bread laying within it.

Shaking her head vigorously, Corindra turned away with a snort. Remembering the pride of the Unicorns, Fayth persisted. She offered once more, and was met with a fierce refusal by Corindra again. But Fayth tried again, and again, and yet again, until finally Corindra turned to her.

The Unicorn had a fierce look in her eye, and her nostrils flared as her upper lip curled. But Fayth returned her glare, holding out her hand with as much stubbornness as Corindra had in refusing it. Corindra inhaled as if to whinny a warming, but paused, as Fayth stood defiantly still.

Their feelings passed between them once again. Corindra’s expression softened, as Fayth lifted her hand once again. The stubbornness had faded from her face as well, and was replaced with one of compassion. Corindra’s eyes shifted between Fayth and the ration. They flickered back and forth several times, before exhaling slowly, and taking the ration from Fayth’s hand. Fayth smiled as Corindra chewed, hanging her head low as if in shame. When she swallowed, she lifted her eyes to meet Fayth‘s.

Fayth placed a finger to her lips, and blew softly. Corindra nodded slightly, before looking away once again.

Standing up to leave, Fayth said in a voice only Corindra could hear, “Your welcome.”

They continued their journey a short time later. The slopes became steeper, the rocks larger, and the passageways along the cliffs narrower. The light from Shay’s sword illuminated less and less of their surroundings, forcing them to gather closer together; even Sirius who walked beside Fayth and beneath the light she carried.

The tension from the dark seemed to be pressing down on them. Nobody spoke, not even a whisper. The air had grown even colder. The silence more still. They did not know where they should be going, nor what they were even looking for.

Then suddenly, the terrain changed. Shay took a step forward, but his foot was stopped sooner than he expected, nearly causing him too stumbled.

“Careful,” he said holding his hand out towards the others before they stepped forward.

“What is it?” Corindra asked.

“The ground… it’s changed…” Shay said.

The flames of his sword danced brightly, but provided little light as he held it forward. He waved it about, checking the area around him, before lowering it towards the ground. He paused, concern spreading across his face before he began waving his sword faster, turning round and round.

“What is it dear boy?” Sirius said, raising one of his ears. “The ground has changed how?”

“It’s…” Shay began, completing one more pass with his swords before stopping. He turned to face them. “….it’s gone,” he said.

“Gone?” Corindra asked.

Fayth raised an eyebrow before looking down herself. She gasped as she realized she was no longer standing on the sloping terrain, but rather something smooth, dark, and invisible beneath the light of her flames.

“It is gone,” Fayth said. “Look!”

Corindra and Sirius looked down, and gasped themselves. The light from Shay’s swords fell beneath the, reaching into the darkness below, if only so slightly. Sirius sank slightly at his knees, and Corindra took a few steps backwards, and gasping again as she realized the steeping slope had vanished behind them as well.

“Where did it go?” Corindra asked, with a slight edge of panic.

Shay lifted his sword and turned around, shining its light in every direction. There was nothing but darkness beyond them, though. Fayth faced the way they had come, but behind her there was, also, nothing. The slope they had descended, and perhaps their only way of returning to the surface, had disappeared as well.

“What are we standing on!” Sirius cried.

“Nothing,” Shay replied. “Everything is gone, just gone.”

Fayth looked above, below, behind, and in front of her. There was still nothing. She stepped forward, testing the darkness they stood on. Her feet found firm footing sure enough, but they were still standing on nothing.

“This is impossible,” she said. “We’re…nowhere.” Her voice echoed seemed hollow, and echoed out into the distant darkness

“What trickery is this?” Corindra said, angrily, but with fear underneath.

Then, a voice echoed from the darkness. From far above and far beneath, in the far distance and yet just at their side, the voice spoke, “It is no trickery, only the place where you have come.”

Fayth’s shoulder clenched, bringing the flaming sword closer to her. The voice was deep, but not harsh, speaking plainly, but with enough edge to show it spoke with seriousness.

“Who’s there?” Shay called out to the darkness. They were met with several moments of silence. “I say who‘s there,” Shay called out again. “We have come looking for someone, and have perhaps lost our way. Can you help us?”

“You should not have come,” the voice replied. “For the living have no quarter with those who have passed beyond.”

“Who are you?” Shay called out again. “Show yourself!”

“I am here, as you are here,” the voice said. “Though I have reason and cause to be here, which you do not. Long has it been since one of the living ventured into the depths. Turn back now,” the voice said firmly. “Back to the surface. Back to the light. Back to the living.”

Fayth glance towards Sirius, who roll his eyes as though he were bored. “Turn back if we could,” he said quietly, meaning for only the companions to hear. “But how can we return the way we came when it seems to have vanished?”

“Quiet!” Corindra snapped, turning a glare upon him.

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but Shay quickly spoke first.

“Our friend has a good point,” he said, holding his sword high above him, turning here and there in vain attempts to illuminate the darkness and hopefully catch glimpse of the owner of the voice. But the darkness remained thick, and any light from his swords did not extend far. “We do not know the way, either in or out. As I said before, we came looking for someone. Someone rumored to be found beneath the surface of Evermore. Once we find him, we would leave as quickly as we came, and would be grateful for any assistance in finding him.”

“The living do not seek the dead,” the voice answered.

“We do not seek one who is dead,” Corindra replied.

“Then the one you seek would not be here.”

“So he’s dead then,” Sirius said, rolling his eyes once more. “I’m not sure what difference it makes, we’d still like to speak with him.”

Corindra glared at Sirius fiercely before hissing, “Is it ever possible for an Andule Tiger to take matters seriously?”

Sirius cocked an eyebrow before the still silence descended upon them once more. For several moments, nothing further was said between them. None seemed to know what to say or ask. Confusion littered their faces as they turned to each other.

“He is here, right?” Fayth asked.

“He must be,” Corindra said. “Both my father and mother said as much.”

“But where is here?” Fayth asked. “This voice…” she said, motioning her free arm around the darkness. “…is saying this is where dead people stay, which I’m sure he means souls, or something like that. Saphira or Halion never said anything about the dead.”

“They did say he was here by choice,” Shay said, slowly. “That he choose exile, and wanted to be forgotten.”

“And obviously few knew of it,” Sirius added. “Not even you knew Lady Corindra.”

Corindra’s nostrils flared as she gave Sirius yet another glare.

“So, are we sure we‘re in the right place?” Fayth asked. “Saphira was going to guide us through the roots of the Tree of Hope, to the Underdark, whatever that is. But now we’re here, after everything else suddenly vanished. Did we take a wrong turn? Are we sure this is where she meant to take us?”

Her eyes flickered between Shay and Corindra. Shay looked at her kindly, but Corindra shook her head impatiently.

“What exactly did you think Underdark implied,” Corindra said. “Of course it is the realm of the dead.”

A chill ran up Fayth‘s spine as her chest tightened and her heart skipped a beat.

“Well, isn‘t this a cheerful place to choose exile,” Sirius said. “Though I suppose it makes sense if one truly wishes to be forgotten.”

“Or hide,” Corindra said.

They exchanged uncertain looks. No one knew what to do. Corindra shook her main and snorted several times as if she was thinking hard. Sirius sat on his hind legs, sniffing the air and raising an ear occasionally before lowering them after he hear or smelled nothing. Shay ran his hand through his hair, her eye brows drawn together and his forehead wrinkled.

“We have need of him now,” Shay said. “So I say we proceed. Despite what this…” now he waved his free arm motioning towards the darkness, “…voice believes.”

Corindra shook her main in annoyance. “Well alright,” she said with a snort. “Then tell us, what shall our heading be?”

Shay sighed, not having an answer, or an idea which direction they should head, as it seemed there was only darkness in each direction. They began talking back and forth, their voices getting louder as Shay made a suggestion, and Corindra regarded it with disdain. Rolling her own eyes, Fayth peered out into the distance, holding her sword a bit higher, preferring to be looking for a solution, rather than contribute nothing to their dilemma. But just as before, there was only darkness.

As Shay and Corindra’s exchange turned to bickering, Fayth tuned them out by thinking of the stories she had read growing up. In all the myths and legends she had come to know, there were many ideas of where the dead went once they passed on from the land of the living. Some bleak, others non- consequential, some hopeful, and others dreadful.

Her arrival on Evermoore had shown her that many of the myths and legends had roots on Evermoore. In face, she had begun to wonder if all the myths and legends were true, on Evermoore. Unicorns, talking tigers, elves, woodland creatures, and living elements. They all began here, on Evermoore, the template for all life in the universe. So maybe, just maybe, the myths and legends of the dead had their beginnings on Evermoore as well.

She peered into the darkness, and perhaps saw her answer.

The bickering between Shay and Corindra became clear in her ears once more.

“Just walk in circles!,” Corindra said, flabbergasted. “Each one bigger than the last! And you think eventually we would find an end to this place.”

“Oh goodie,” Sirius said, laying on all fours and licking his fur lazily. “That won’t take half our lifetimes at all.”

“At least its something that would cover every directions,” Shay said defensively. “Unless you have another idea?”

Fayth pointed out into the distance and spoke, to no one in particular. “How about away from that.”

Corindra squared around towards Fayth, speaking with disdain, “Why that way?” she said. “Is there something about the darkness out there that makes you think…oh…”

Her voice faded to nothing, and Shay and Sirius both stared in the direction Fayth pointed. Out in the darkness, a faint blue glow had appeared. Barely appearing above what they would perceive as the horizon, it flickered, dull and lifeless.

“What do you suppose that is?” Sirius asked, rising to all fours and standing beside Fayth once more.

Shay waved his sword towards the faint glow, narrowing his cat-like eyes. He shook his head a moment later. “I can’t tell,” he said. “Even with my eyes, its too small, all I see is flickering blue.”

Corindra cursed. “I wish mother had told me more of the tales,” she said. “Perhaps one of them mentions a small blue glow.”

As she finished, the blue glow began to grow larger. Still dull, but clearly growing, rising above the horizon as the light of Lady Sun would in the early morning.

Fayth swallowed. “We should go,” she said. The others looked at her. “All the stories say the same thing about lands of the dead,” she continued. “If anything living should come’s in contact with the dead, they usually aren‘t allowed to leave.”

The glow grew larger, rising higher above the horizon, causing the darkness to recede against it. It turned from dull to bright, casting soft blue waves of light that looked like water reflecting off a cave wall. It began to dance in their eyes, it’s light spread as far to their left and right as they could see. It crept closer to them, filling their vision, now flickering brightly.

Shay turned, holding his flaming sword high, and shouted, “RUN!”

They all turned and broke into a run. Corindra galloped ahead with her head lowered. She cursed a moment later as she remembered her horn was now broken. Sirius dove beneath Fayth’s legs and scooped her onto his back, while Shay ran beside them. Matching Sirius stride for stride, he held his sword in front of him as they raced into the darkness. Fayth held her sword high too, but there was nothing but endless darkness ahead.

Behind them, the now bright blue glow continued to grow. It rolled through the darkness like a thick cloud, flickering wildly as it came upon them. Then, they all gasped, as a spread of emotions showered down upon them. Fear, hate, confusion, and above all Despair. The companions could feel them all around them, growing stronger, more potent, as the blue glow rolled closer to them.

It reminded Fayth of times on Earth when she would walk into any given space and sense the emotional states of those around her. Like in a movie theater, where the laughter of the audience spread from one to another, growing stronger with each person until the entire theater was filled with a sense of ecstatic joy. Or in a place where people were arguing, and she could sense the tension and anger grow so thick it almost made it hard for her to breathe.

Fayth turned around, and gazed into the blue cloud. It continued to roll through the darkness, billowing towards them like storm clouds on a mid summers storm. Each time it flickered or pulsed, Fayth felt another wave of emotion fall over her. One of fear, or of anger, or of confusion, but all tinged with Despair.

When it was nearly upon her, voices began to sound in her ears. Voices full of sorrow and agony, fear and hate. Voices crying out about the injustices of having been betrayed or deceived. Others crying out in a desperate search for loved ones. Others simply mourning for the loss of life.

It was just upon them when the emotions and voices grew to their strongest. Sirius lurched, causing Fayth to fall from his back and roll several feet away. Shay buckled at his knees, throwing his hands to his ears, his sword laying lifeless a few feet from him. Corindra whinnied loudly, rising on her hind legs and tossing her head wildly.

The blue continued to rolling towards them, casting away the darkness. The voices sounded loudly in Fayth’s ears, and she could hardly breathe as the emotions pressed against her. She caught sight of her companions, and saw they were in the same disarray as she. She tried to stand, but her legs buckled beneath her as her sense became overwhelmed by the voices and emotions.

Thinking her head would burst, and her ears would pop, she faced the blue, and stared helplessly as it rolled over them. There was one final burst of dreadful emotion, and the voices became a loud and massive blur just as the blue was about to take them. But as they passed through the threshold, and went form being surrounded by darkness to being surrounded by the blue, they were released.

The shouting vanished, as did the pressure felt against her chest. She took a sharp breath, her lungs crying out for air. She quickly stood, and ran to Sirius who was struggling to stand. Shay ran to Corindra, who abruptly shook off his offer for help. They were settled soon enough, and all stood still, staring at the blue flowing around them.

“By the lady,” Shay said breathlessly.

He had found his sword, but held it by his side, the flames extinguished. There was no need to light, though, for the blue provided light of its own. It swam and swirled around them, flowing endlessly in all directions as far as they could see, casting away the darkness.

Fayth’s gaze roamed slowly around the blue, and blinked several times. From the distance, the blue had looked at first like a spec of light, then a rolling cloud. But now she realized the blue was neither of these. Instead it was filled with shapes, familiar shapes, of people and animals, floating aimlessly against one another in a crowded space. The shapes were beings of celestial essence; clear, transparent, separate from the physical world.

“My word,” Sirius said. “Are these…people…?”

“Souls,” Corindra said, with wide eyes. “…of the dead.”

“The river of souls,” Fayth said, thinking of her stories.

Many myths and legends on earth told tales of the dead passing from one world to the other. Many included passage on a river of some kind, with a guide too bring them to wherever they were determined to spend eternity.

The blue began to rattle, faint voices filling their ears, not their minds. Fayth listened closely as a few souls drifted aimlessly by them, pausing for a moment to look them over, before drifting away as aimlessly as they had come. There were souls of all kinds; old and young, strong and weak.

One was of an old man, bearing many scars carved across his face. He wore a suit of armor, dull and scratched, with a faded crest across his chest. His cloak was torn and tattered, flowing behind him as though it were blowing in the wind. He looked at them gruffly, then wrinkled his nose and curled his lips as if to spit on them. His lips stayed still, but Fayth could hear his voice as a whisper in her ears. I was a royal knight. Betrayed by the king I was honor bound to serve and protect. Beheaded for a treason I did not commit, the voice said. His anger was thick, and palatable, and Fayth was relieved as he passed them by.

Next came a little girl who Fayth guessed was barely seven or eight. Her hair was unsettled, her cheeks sunk in, and her tattered garments hung loosely off her skinny body. Her arms were cradled around herself, and she looked to Fayth pleadingly.

Have you seen my teddy? a child’s voice whispered in her ear. I want my teddy. A shallow hopefulness hung between them, until the little girl saw Fayth did not carry her teddy, and it melted into disappointment, then sadness.

There were others. They floated by aimlessly, sparing the companions glances with distant, hungry, fearful, or hateful eyes. A whisper accompanied each, and their sorrow‘s, regrets, anger, and despair hung over them. The youngest were mostly sad, asking for their mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters. The middle aged angry, feeling cheated or betrayed. The oldest exuded regret, often wailing of they way they should have led their lives. Some were human, or of beasts and animals she knew from Earth. But there were others as well, of creatures both large and small she did not know. She heard their whispers as well, but they were in languages she did not know, though the emotions they exuded she could understand well enough.

But they were all dead, and apart of the river of souls.

“Where does this lead?” Sirius asked.

“And do we want to follow it?” Corindra added.

Fayth looked about, turning in every direction, trying her best to ignore the whispers and focus on finding a way out of the river. But in each direction she looked, she saw more of the same. The blue extending as far as she could see, and the souls drifting aimlessly about.

“It doesn’t have a flow,” she said. “They’re all just…drifting,” she said, finishing hesitantly. She did not want to offend the dead.

“The Underdark has few tales,” Shay said. “And none described a place such as this. I don’t know which direction the river is suppose to flow, if any at all.”

“Neither do I,” Corindra said, darkly.

“That is because a lost souls has no place to go.”

They all whirled about, for the voice had returned. It was as deep and ominous as before, however, this time the voice did not reverberate around them, but came from one direction. Peering in the direction they had heard the voice originate from, a strange figure emerged from the pale light of the blue, and begin to stride towards them.

Its silhouette showed the shape of a man, a human man, wearing a dark robe which hung loosely at his feet, and covered his head and face. As he drew near, other features became clear. The black robe was plain, tied at his waist by a thin white cord. Even though his face was covered in the shadows of his robe, they could see it was old and weathered. He carried nothing on his back or at his sides, but in his hands he carried a black tome, similar in size and appearance to the Tome the Muse carried in the Tower of the Avatars. But to Fayth, it was the man’s eyes that stuck her most. They were red, a fiery red which seemed as strange and unusual to her as her violet eyes had appeared to those on Earth. Furthermore, he had directed those fiery eyes at her as he approached them.

Shay stepped forward, stepping partially in front of Fayth, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. “Who are you, stranger?” he asked, his voice strong and steady.

The stranger turned to Shay, casting him an indifferent glance before turning back to Fayth. “I am the Watcher and the Keeper. I watch the events of the universe as they unfold, and keep their records in the Tome.”

His fiery red eyes seemed to flicker as he spoke. He gaze left Fayth, and she released the breath she did know she was holding. The stranger made her uncomfortable. Not just because he seemed transfixed on her, but because unlike the souls which drifted past them, the stranger exuded no emotions of his own.

Sirius cleared his throat. “Are you the warden of this…place, then, good sir?” Sirius asked, as politely as he could, but awkward nonetheless.

The stranger turned to him. “Warden no, for the lost souls need no warden, for they no longer keep either charge, or duty. I am as I said, the Watcher and the Keeper.”

Fayth frowned, feeling frustrated at the strangers short and simple answers.

“Perhaps you can you help us then,” Shay said softening his tone slightly. “We are looking…”

“I know of who you seek, and why,” the stranger said, quick and sternly. “But as I warned you before, you should have turned back. For as I said, the living do not seek the dead, and the dead have nothing for the living.”

Sirius bristled nervously. “Ah indeed, well said, good stranger. I say we take his advice and leave this place. Just show us the way out, and we shall no longer be a bother for you. I for one agree, the living should not loiter with the dead. This place chills me to my bones, and gives me a rather unsettling feeling.”

“The one we seek is not dead,” Shay said quickly. “At least that is not what we were led to believe.”

“I know of what you were led to believe,” the stranger said sharply. “But I say again, turn back now, for the one you seek does not wish to see you. He has nothing too offer the living, nothing they would take willingly anyway. Nor does he have the answers you seek, at least not to the question you think you should ask.”

Confusion fell over the companions.

“And…” Sirius said, shaking his head in feigned amusement after a moment. “…how do you know this?” he asked.

“Because he is the Watcher and the Keeper, didn’t you listen,” Corindra said harshly. “I believe I know who you are stranger. So tell me, how long have you watched us, and why do you delay us now?”

The stranger turned his fiery red eyes to Corindra, and spoke in a tone dismissive of the pride of the Unicorns. “I have watched you long,” he said. “Since you first took it as your charge to defeat the Darkness. I watched you wander through Evermoore. I watched as you searched through myth and legend, looking for hidden gates, and lost secrets. Looking for gates which had no keys, and keys with not gates. I watched as your journey brought you south, to the citadel of Lady Moon’s. I watched as she searched the stars for the one who was lost too Evermoore.”

Both Shay and Corindra’s eyes flickered towards Fayth, as did the strangers fiery eyes. She swallowed as her heart began to race, and continued listening intently.

“I watched as you journeyed through the Crossroads. Searching behind each door, again and again, relentless in your pursuit, a pursuit which nearly drove you too madness. All the while I recorded what watched in the Tome, for that is the charge of the Keeper And with each turn that proved fruitless, driving you further to madness, I was certain you would fail, or perhaps abandon your charge. But then I watched as you found her, the one who was lost to us, the last human of Evermoore, the one I had hoped would remain lost…in the place I had hidden her.”

Fayth’s eyes widened, and Sirius cocked his head in confusion. Both Shay and Corindra’s eyes were narrowed to think slits.

“You were watching all this time, and did nothing!” Shay shouted.

Corindra joined Shay in shouting. “A craven beast you are.”

“It is not my place to intervene, not any longer,” the stranger said, his voice rising over theirs. “And I will not suffer to be called craven, for I have kept my charge dutifully, ever since…”

“You’re Jorumangar!” Fayth shouted.

They all stopped and stared. First to Fayth, then to the stranger. Fayth now met the strangers fiery eyes head on, waiting for his answer.

After a moment, Corindra looked once at Fayth, then once to the stranger. “Well, answer her,” she said, fiercely. “Are you the one we seek, the Dragon?”

The stranger narrowed his eyes, and it looked as though flames were leaping fiercely within them. “Yes,” he said, ominously. “I am the one you seek. Though long has it been since I have been known by that name, that name I still do hold. It has been an age since I have been known by that name, an age since that name struck fear in those who dabbled in shadows and the darkness. An age since the last flight of the Golden clutch. Yet I am still he, Jorumangar.”

His voice echoed all around them once more. It rang past their ears into their minds, then into the their limbs. Fayth trembled slightly at his name, especially when he spoke it. It conjured the memories of her dreams; when his roar sounded loudly over the destruction of the Silver City when he heard of the fate of her father.

Continued in part two due to space