Let's finish out 2022 with the final chapter 1 from the final Ancient Terra volume. Happy reading!
Following
on directly from
AVAELYN:
THE ENSHROUDED WORLD:
The Vallas go to war with each other.
Avaelyn returns to Reaume, no longer enshrouded … but soon another world draws attention, for it is there that the great battle will be fought.
Avior
is veiled.
By myth.
By destruction.
By inverted sacred sites.
On Valaris,
four strangers to the realm prepare to face Torrullin and Elianas, Tristan and
Alusin, and they have a tale that raises terrible alarm. On Akhavar, the
reality of the true enemy surfaces. The Path of Shades must be reopened … and
old foes therefore step into the arena. A vengeful Timekeeper, an ancient
Vallorin with a bone between his teeth, and a wife seeking to undo her husband.
The plight of Avior’s children is discovered, and all fight to save them from the monsters flourishing beneath the shroud created by myth. From dragons to darklings, the field is strewn with horror.
How to
end their reign?
All are called into battle, from the Valleur, Kaval and Guardians to mysterious sorcerers gathered on the volcanic world of Danaan, but is Valla pitted against Valla that causes shudders in the ether.
No matter what, Torrullin will not stand aside, not until every child is safe.
So
many! I am blessed.
~ H.
Waetherhar, novelist ~
The Dome of the Kaval
ELIANAS felt
Torrullin labour for breath, felt his dead weight on the other end of the
tether, and felt him plummet through moisture. He felt also the man’s elation
when he realised he was in the atmosphere of their world, and silently
celebrated with him.
He
heard every word of the interaction between Torrullin and Avaelyn’s sentience,
and tears flowed over his cheeks. How blessed they were. He jerked forward when
Torrullin slammed the grappling hook into bedrock, thanking his foresight for
handing the four men behind him extra tendrils to secure the hold, for they
instantly braced to hold him upright and inside.
The
link to his beloved vanished.
The
tether dematerialised.
All
gods, he whispered internally, closing his eyes, I pray it
worked.
The
loud exclamations around and behind him forced his eyes open, and Elianas
stepped to the edge of the Dragon ogive. And there she was. Avaelyn. Beautiful
Avaelyn. Back in Reaume.
He
fell to his knees, and wept.
Avaelyn
Teroux’s home
A GLOWING blue
coil of light appeared from the cloud cover and with it flames shaped like a
three-pronged hook. It swirled to the north of Roux Island, and thereafter the
flames raced for the ocean, only it didn’t reach the sea, it smashed into the
small outcrop Torrullin had once claimed was an ancient rock that was one giant
column from the ocean floor itself. A massive eruption of light ensued, and
then utter darkness descended.
“Bloody
hell,” Teroux whispered. “Is he … did he …?”
Silence
was next … until they heard a man laugh.
“Knew
it,” Tarlinn declared. “This is why we jumped into that void. Having accepted
himself, he discovered the belief he needed to unveil our world.”
“I
understand now,” Tristan murmured.
They
heard splashes as if someone swam towards Teroux’s island. Looking at each
other, the four men raced for Teroux’s jetty. Skidding to a halt on the slick
stone, they stood at the far end and cast gazes into the inky ocean.
Splash.
Splash.
“There!”
Teroux exclaimed, pointing frantically.
Yes,
there. Arm over arm, a man swan towards them, and then he was close, and they
knew it was Torrullin.
Tristan
hollered, “Wet enough, are you, for a swim this night?”
Treading
water, Torrullin shouted, “Tristan! You made it!”
“Seems
you did, too!”
The
splashes resumed and then they helped him from the water. Despite the fact that
he dripped salt water, the cousins enfolded him in their arms. Alusin smiled
like an idiot, watching everything.
Eventually
Tarlinn asked, “Is she back?”
Torrullin
grinned at him over the clasp. “Avaelyn has returned to Reaume, yes.”
The dwelling on the cliffs
ELIANAS alighted
on the grass where the bench perched near the edge, and simply stood there, his
dark eyes trawling from one end of their home to the other. It was still night,
but in the enveloping darkness he saw everything.
Kneeling,
he placed his palm upon the cold green stalks. Thank you, Avaelyn, from
my heart.
The
world sentience did not reply with words, but he felt a warm, ethereal hand
descend to his crown and briefly rest there. He had, however, heard her speak
to Torrullin via the connection they maintained - him in the Dome, Torrullin blindly
diving into Avaelyn’s atmosphere - and counted himself as eternally blessed.
When
he looked up, Torrullin was before him.
“That
was a fool thing to do,” Elianas grunted, before smiling and adding, “but I am
so glad you succeeded.”
“We
succeeded,” Torrullin murmured.
Rising,
he moved to the man and merely embraced him. Yes, for this, this, there
were no words.
Morning
HAVING asked
for the remaining hours of darkness to reconnect with their home, when the
first sunbeam fell upon the bench in the elements upon the cliff, both men,
sleepless, knew the time had arrived to resume the ever more complicated
mission of the present. Avaelyn had returned to Reaume, thus was that quest
done with, and now it was time to focus on the greater tapestry, as Tarlinn
would say. Sitting with cold mugs between them, watching the ocean light up as
it greeted the day, they wondered who would arrive first to prod them into
renewed action.
It was
Quilla.
The
birdman, though, did not come to prod, he came simply to greet. Appearing
before them, he placed a tiny hand upon a small breast, and bowed. “My lords,
you are returned.”
Simultaneously,
both men raised hands to their brows, touched.
Quilla
smiled. “Reverence, is it? It does fit, doesn’t it?”
“It
does,” Elianas agreed.
“Welcome
home,” Quilla murmured.
Rolling
his shoulders, Torrullin stood. “Thank you, Quilla, and thank you for watching
over everyone.” He snatched up the mugs and sent Elianas a questioning glance.
“You
go,” the dark man replied.
“Take
as long as you need,” Torrullin offered, and indicated for Quilla to follow
him.
Elianas
sat on.
TRISTAN and
Alusin were in the kitchen preparing the kind of breakfast fit for a host
eating in stages. Boiled eggs, sausages, salad, sliced bread, with a pile of
plates to hand. A ‘help yourself when you’re hungry’ meal. Coffee burbled
somewhere, and the orange juice was freshly squeezed.
“Thought
you’d be back on Akhavar already,” Torrullin teased as he entered with Quilla,
wiggling his eyebrows their way.
Alusin
grinned, but Tristan grunted, “Can’t, not until we’ve faced the Syllvan. A
promise we made.”
“Bugger,”
Torrullin stated.
“Pretty
much,” Tristan laughed.
Torrullin
grabbed a plate and loaded up. Already eating as he made his way to the table,
he said, “Thanks. Hungry.” Sitting, he tucked in.
Quilla
soon joined him, his plate as loaded.
“How
does a birdman eat so much?” Torrullin muttered.
“He
does when he’s hungry,” Quilla snapped back, and ignored everyone to eat with
relish.
Teroux
and Tarlinn appeared then, and simply fell in with the ‘help yourself’ meal. A
few minutes later, it was Karydor and Echayn, with Belun and Teighlar in tow.
Belun and Teroux went at each other, laughing and pumping hands, and then
Teroux and the Senlu Emperor sized each other up and, realising no animosity
held sway anymore, backslapped each other resoundingly. Somehow, they fit
around the table, including Tristan and Alusin.
“Any
moment now,” Torrullin said, winking at Teroux.
The
Kaval leader grinned. “I know. Tian won’t wait much longer.”
“Tian
brought everyone,” Tianoman said from the passage, and entered with his entire
family trailing him in.
“Cousin!”
Teroux hollered, scraping his chair back and racing at the man.
“Teroux!”
Torrullin,
leaning back, watched fondly as the cousins gripped each other, both laughing
and crying at the same time. Aislinn waited her turn with a silly grin on her
face, and around them milled Lunik holding Sianora’s hand - excellent,
Torrullin mused - as well as Timare and Zane, and Enlyl and Ashar leaned
against each other shoulder to shoulder watching everything and everyone with
big eyes. Tianoman gripped Alusin to him, happy to see him safe and sound, and
then suddenly demanded an explanation for Tristan’s blue eyes … tuning that
out, Torrullin swivelled his gaze to Karydor at the table, to find his father
waiting for his look. Ah, yes, family, and quite a large one now.
When
Elianas’ hand descended to rest on his shoulder from behind him, Torrullin
closed his eyes. Perfect. His loved ones were in the same space at the same
time.
“We
are blessed,” Elianas murmured in his ear.
Indeed,
oh, indeed.
Later
BELUN returned
to the Dome, which was now in orbit around Avaelyn as a precautionary measure,
and Enlyl and Timare reluctantly went back to Valaris, while Lunik took Sianora
and Zane to Kalgaia, explaining about their task underway there. Ashar went
with them.
That
left Torrullin and Elianas with the three cousins, who could not stop talking,
Karydor, Echayn and Tarlinn, who were wordless, simply listening to those three
try and outdo each other, as well as Alusin and Aislinn, who could not get a
word in, and Tarlinn, Quilla and Gabryl, the latter having joined them a while
ago, sitting now with his father, both quiet, but smiling as they watched
everyone.
In the
informal sitting area overlooking the bridge over the fishpond in the garden,
Torrullin and Elianas sat side by side near the ledge, backs against the stone,
legs stretched out, and merely listened also. This day they would allow the
chaos of many personalities, but tomorrow? Ha.
Teighlar
rose and came to hunker before them. “Knowing you, this isn’t normal for your
home,” he teased.
“Today
is different,” Torrullin murmured.
Sitting
cross-legged, Teighlar nodded. “Alik would love this. That girl is made for a
large family.”
“I’m
surprised she isn’t here,” Elianas put in.
“She’s
in surgery,” Teighlar shrugged. “No doubt she’ll visit soon enough.” He eyed
them. “Gabryl and I will return to Grinwallin to renew family bonds just now,
but before we do, what’s next?”
“We
don’t know yet,” Torrullin said. “Gabryl can’t leave, though, not until he’s
faced the Syllvan.”
Silence
arrived then, as those words penetrated.
Tristan
grunted, “Then let’s get it done, so that we can all go on. You, too,
Torrullin, and you, Elianas. Both of you have been avoiding the Syllvan, and
that’s downright stupid now. They have answers we all need.”
Elianas
grimaced, but didn’t otherwise respond.
“Perhaps
all here should face them,” Teighlar suggested.
“No
way,” Echayn muttered. “I’m going to bend Sabian’s ear for a while, find out
what he knows about shadowy influences.” Echayn summarily vanished before
anyone could stop him and force him into the Sentinel Chamber.
Karydor
stared at the space vacated, grinned, shrugged, and as swiftly disappeared.
“Clearly
not,” Teighlar sighed.
“Tian,”
Aislinn murmured, “let us leave them to it. Teroux can come to us on Akhavar when
done …”
“No
way; I’m coming right now,” that cousin stated. “No Syllvan for me.”
Tianoman
glanced at Torrullin, who laughed. “Go; we’ll join you soon enough.”
“All
right then,” Tianoman nodded. Taking Aislinn’s hand, he dematerialised with
her, and Teroux hastily followed suit, an expression of anticipation on his
face. He, no doubt, wished to wander Akhavar’s mountain halls and renew the
bonds there. Far better that facing a tree trunk able to unmask one’s secrets,
after all.
“Quilla?”
Teighlar prompted.
“I am
not afraid of questions,” the birdman said. “Count me in.”
“An
hour,” Elianas grunted, levering himself upward. “Need to refresh first.” He
strode away, heading for the sleeping area of the dwelling.
“An
hour,” Teighlar echoed, and shifted to the edge, jumped off and went
a-wandering around the garden. Gabryl joined him.
Tristan
and Alusin did the same, but went in a different direction. That left Torrullin
with Quilla and Tarlinn. Quilla ruffled his feathers, and said he would be
back, that the Lifesource would offer him the serenity needed for the Syllvan,
and absconded. Torrullin gazed at Tarlinn, and waited.
The
not so generic man soon kneeled before him. “I wish to assume a place as
family, Torrullin.”
“I
have noticed the differences,” Torrullin nodded. “You are now forever separated
from not only the Throne, but the man you were in the past. Are you whole?”
“I
believe so.”
Rising
then, Torrullin bid the man do the same. Gripping his shoulders, he said, “You
are Tarlinn Aleru, and I welcome you as family.”
When
the One spoke your true name, it set you free. Tarlinn’s knees nearly buckled
as the release overcame him. “Thank you.”
Letting
him go, Torrullin winked. “So. Here we have a full-blood Aleru able to restore
the bloodline … means you’ll have to make little Alerus, of course … and
there’s a full-blood Danae running around, too, able to do the same. Karydor
may need some convincing …” He doubled over in laughter when Tarlinn merely
gaped at him. “I’m just saying that the great lines can be rebuilt.”
“Yes,
well, give me a break, will you? I don’t even remember how to use that part of
me yet.”
“Ha,
trust me, that will not last much longer.”
Shaking
his head, Tarlinn gave him the finger, and jumped off the ledge. Laughing
still, Torrullin went to find Elianas.
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