Ilfin of Arc Excerpt: Triskelion

 

EVER AFTER, IF there was an after for any of them, he would regard that night at the campfire as the most pivotal time in his life.

His name was Damin Mur and he was known as the Marsh Devil, but this night he would become the one who ripped masks off. Was there a name for such a creature? Unmasker? Was that a word? Soulslicer? Was he to be known as the Devil Delver?

They were silent after the meal – leftovers from the morning’s rabbit stew – and thus the crackling from the fire was louder than usual. Damin noticed it, and then realised the snapping of burning twigs did not quite cover the terrible sense of expectancy in their surrounds. It felt as if the self-contained world of Arc was waiting, was listening, and was judging. Was it judging him? Or would it use what he discovered in this silence? Was he the harbinger it needed?

Lyra lay with her head on his lap, her eyes closed. She seemed relaxed to the others, but he felt how tense she was and knew she was as aware of his inner struggle. Siri was curled up on his other side, reading a scroll from Joseph’s personal store in his saddlebags. The Messenger loved reading, and so did his sister.

Damin glanced at her briefly and understood she was the one who would gift to him the Ilfin image. Not only was she relaxed and therefore open, but she would understand why he delved her if she sensed an invasion into her thoughts.

Lowering his chin to his chest, Damin closed his eyes and concentrated. Hopefully, the others would think he was in deep thought or dozing where he sat.

Siri’s mind was made of light. The brightness she had inside initially astonished him. His sister was a Healer indeed, and she walked in goodness. He smiled, loving her even more.

Then he saw it.

The image. He knew it was the one he sought, for he had not seen the like before. A silvery-blue curved triangle, a leaf at each point and inside, a triple curl design; it shimmered before his mind’s eye as a mark of benevolence.

A triskelion.

The Ilfin image was beautiful, and it filled him with joy. It meant there was nothing anyone needed to fear from those with that genesis. Even slave masters under this sign upon the plateau were redeemable. He hoped so anyway.

His inner joy threatened to overcome his outer self. Vibrations rippled over his skin. Lyra lifting her head slightly revealed she felt it as well. Of course, she understood why it was happening, and gently squeezed his thigh in support … and warning. No one was to become aware of his reaction.

Forcing motionlessness upon himself, Damin breathed as if entering a deeper kind of sleep. The continuing silence surrounding them told him no one suspected anything. Siri ruffled the parchment as she further unfurled it; she remained unaware also.

He focused next on Lyra and saw the triskelion immediately. Lyra and Siri had now established the pattern he sought when delving for Ilfin. Shifting his attention to Horin, he saw the entire image around him. He was overtly Ilfin and made no apology for it.

Attis, markedly quiet the last few days, was asleep not far from Lyra’s feet. The two of them spent a few hours talking on the ride towards this rest site, and Damin wondered now what passed between them. All he knew was that Attis seemed to have taken on the role of Lyra’s protector.

Abruptly he was wary of what the boy’s mind would reveal and chose instead to move on to Hanna. Her image was Ilfin. Joseph? He delved there, but nothing came forth. It meant the Messenger was blocking his quest, but probably not deliberately. He might be thinking on something else intensively, which created a barrier. He would return to Joseph.

Kay was next. Already Damin suspected the westerner might be the Glonu among them, based purely on where he came from, but the Ilfin image swirled inside him. Damin inhaled another slow breath, aware that he would now fully trust the man from the west.

Lifting his head, he gazed casually around. The night was dark, and their fire was therefore a bright and flickering manipulation of the inkiness they dwelled within. Siri allowed her scroll to furl and then curled into sleep. Hanna and Joseph started a murmuring conversation. He could not hear the words, but the low rumble served to push back the expectancy of the night.

Come, reader, join the great march today …

According to legend, a paradise awaits across the plains, a sanctuary that has survived every impact and every battle. Known as Arc, it is a place of isolation, a place to restart civilisation.

 A fireball grows ever larger in the skies and ancient enemies wing through the spaces; the world Massin is the gathering place for every omen of disaster. Every resident soul faces a choice. Time now to march south to the sanctuary, from the eastern highlands and the western seas, there to escape apocalypse, and the renewal of the war between the Ilfin and Glonu, or stay behind, hoping for a miracle.

 An Elemental will find the sanctuary – Lyra is gifted – a Warrior will defend the dispossessed – the boy Horin will grow up fast – and a Marsh Devil will lead them – Damin spends years preparing for this epic event – but it is also true that a sanctuary is not always a haven. Has the legend lied? Will Arc protect them?

 Prepare for an adventure that will journey from ancient ways of living into high-tech environments. Ilfin of Arc is a dystopian Fantasy tale that flies into star filled spaces – strap in!

ILFIN OF ARC