Where Darkness Treads: Book Two—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Eleven: The Unhallowed Ones

An hour later, the Neeri sat upon her unrolled bedroll, contemplating the nights events, while drinking a mug of mulled tea and attempting to relax. The enemy had been driven away, with their tails tucked firmly between their legs. The power Brenna had expended, left her feeling drained and vulnerable. Assigned guards kept a constant vigil, insuring everyone was safe. It was perhaps, three hours until dawn. Her ring showed no evidence of the enemy returning. With a sigh of relief, Brenna crawled under her blanket and promptly drifted off to an exhausted sleep.

Brenna appeared upon one of the burnished golden oak chairs with a forest green cushion and matching arm covers, facing the glistening matching table. Denora and Byrtle Hansworthe sat across from her, with pleasant smiles. She needed answers and was sure both had at least part of them. Moments later, there was a solid knock on the cherry wood door, and two individuals entered the room. One was Estella, wearing a sand-colored robe, with delicate brown sandals, upon her dark slender feet.

The other individual, was the man Brenna had seen standing in the river fishing, when she had first viewed the Andalar Valley. He was a clean-shaven, slim built man, perhaps six feet tall, who had well-groomed wavy brown hair, and blue eyes. He wore a dark long-sleeved tunic, and black britches. Shiny, black polished boots completed his attire. What the Neeri found most fascinating, was the way his eyes appeared to dance with life, which made his charming smile, more infectious.

"What can you tell me about what lays within the sanctuary?" Brenna asked. She stood still, while waiting for an answer. It was vital for her to learn more about what their group faced. With wide, beaming smiles and a nod, both newcomers quietly sat down.

"Brenna, you've met and spoken with Estella before. I would like to introduce you to Seth Andley. He will be taking an active part, in developing some of your advanced skills. He has a great deal of experience, in combating the evil of the Adumorda, in all its forms," Denora revealed with a smile.

"Five mighty gifts were created by Elliana prior to the Great Dying. These five gifts were presented to King Kendrick and four great heroes. In the beginning of the Great Darkness, the king, along with the four heroes fell in battle and the mighty gifts were lost." Byrtle explained.

"With great cunning, a mighty dragon managed to recover all the gifts, save the stone on your staff. This was left behind, in order to summon you. Silent and swift, the dragon flew to the sanctuary, where the last of the mages placed the gifts within its protective walls."

"Is there anything else you would like to ask?" Denora asked.

"We now travel to the sanctuary to recover four artifacts. Is there anything else which needs to be completed, while we are there?"

Denora paused, staring at Brenna with quiet intensity for a moment before answering. Her question triggered a response from her mother, much like the shattering of winter ice upon a river during a spring thaw. "Each year, during springtime, a Neeri would make a pilgrimage to the sanctuary to renew a covenant the Goddess Elliana had made with this world. This renewal has not been completed since the Great Dying," Denora replied solemnly.

"What must I do to complete the ritual?" Brenna urged. She sensed the truth in what she had been told.

"I am not permitted to tell you, as it stands as the final test, for you to prove your worth as a Neeri. Once you have entered the sanctuary, you will intuitively understand what must be done. It has always been this way, for each fledgling Neeri who journeyed there," Denora answered.

"Is this everything you have to tell me about the sanctuary?" Brenna asked, pressing for more detail.

"My daughter, it has been a long time since the covenant has been renewed, it may require more than you can afford to give. If this is the case, then the attempt may claim your life and our cause will suffer greatly. The covenant will be a great challenge which you must face, alone," Denora said, with tears in her eyes.

"You must have greater faith, Sister. Elliana would not have chosen Brenna, if she did not believe she was up to the task," Estella softly commented.

"I will go to the sanctuary and renew the covenant, thus proving my worth as a Neeri," Brenna said with renewed determination.

"Is there anything else you wish to ask," Denora asked quietly.

"Yes, can we continue my training?"

Seth stood, with a nod toward Brenna, with a smile. "Neeri, today we will discuss Transformation and its limits and beneficial aspects. This particular use of A'keen offers benefits. It also demands that you respect the natural world, of which you are a part of."

"Within each Neeri who reaches this level, there are certain innate qualities. These act to pair up, with the base qualities of a certain type of creature in the wild. This is called Sympathetic Mimicry. Your transformation into a particular creature of the natural realm is known as becoming a Kindred Familiar." Seth continued.

Brenna sat quietly listening, fascinated by the exciting possibilities. She could barely contain her emotions.

"It is absolutely vital for you to understand two important laws of nature, before you begin to practice transformation. The first is once you transform, your life is subject to all the natural laws your familiar is subject to. The second and most important law is, if in your kindred familiar form, you should die, then your demise will be absolute also," Seth warned, as his smile vanished.

"How do I transform?"

"Imagine your consciousness expanding outward and say, "Animada Transforma." After the first time, you will know what your kindred familiar form is. From this time onward, you may picture its form in your mind's eye and the change will occur instantly. To return to human form, merely think of yourself in human form," Seth instructed, while stepping back a step.

Brenna slowly stood up she now felt all tingly with excitement.

"Just picture your consciousness expanding and say, "Animada Transforma."

Cautiously, Brenna stood and repeated what she had been told to do. Nothing happened. Disappointed, she tried again and for a moment felt a passing of light, as well as a slight heady rush. For a third time, she tried and felt the slight passing of light again.

"You must concentrate and clear all other thoughts from your mind. This you must practice, until it is second nature to you. You are advancing into high level skills, which will require your utmost attention," Seth urged Brenna, calmly.

Once more, Brenna pictured her consciousness expanding and the passing of light. "Animada Transforma," Brenna softly said. In a rush, she was flying about the training hall. Everything passed by in a blur, while she reveled in the exhilaration of absolute freedom. After a few minutes, Brenna landed and transformed back into her normal self.

"Well done. Your kindred familiar form is a henna falcon, the fastest bird in our world. Use it well, for through this form you may perform tasks which are impossible to do in human form." Byrtle clapped enthusiastically, along with the others.

"It was incredible, I cannot believe how free I felt. Why, it was as if all bonds to being mortal were severed. To fly, glide and dive as a henna falcon was incredible," Brenna said excitedly. She was scarcely able to control herself and kept reliving the feelings.

"Therein lies one of the great pitfalls of our craft. There have been Neeri who chose to experience life as a kindred familiar over the life of a mortal. In all cases, those who did this, died early. They hunted, fed and lived a much shorter lifespan, while ultimately losing contact with their humanity," Denora said to her sadly.

Her mother sat still upon her chair, leaving her to think this over during a period of silence. Everything she did as a Neeri affected all parts of herself and the world around her. Those who chose to remain in kindred familiar form, paid the price for their actions. In effect, this was how balance was maintained, between life and death. Her earlier excitement had now become tempered with reality.

"You have mentioned dragons twice. Once involving a pact with Dragon-Kind. The second time involved the retrieval of the gifts, which now reside in the Sanctuary of the Living Waters. What can you tell me about dragons and our world?" Brenna asked specifically.

She had sensed a large piece was missing from the puzzle laid out before her. Her mother had told her many things would take on a greater meaning, by her discovering them, herself. Without a doubt, Brenna sensed this was one of those things.

"My, my, you have grown inquisitive and now ask questions which have many answers. Dragon-Kind have existed, as long, as the Gods. For good to exist, there must also be evil. Thus, in the origin of Gods, there exists light and darkness. Gods are always born as twins. In the center of the constant turmoil between light and darkness, dragons exist. Their sole purpose is to maintain balance, or else only chaos would rule," Byrtle patiently explained.

"If this is true, where were the dragons when the Great Dying occurred?" Brenna asked, with heightened intensity.

"In order for balance to be returned, those involved, must of their own free will, request assistance. Otherwise, it would be forced upon them and by these actions, the balance would also be destroyed. Thus, Dragon-Kind gave a device to this world, which if used of free will, would call on them for aid," Estella commented.

"Only, King Kendrick never sent the message. For he was ensorcelled by a powerful Darkbinder, who prevented him from doing so. Due to an affair I encouraged, to soften his disposition, both the Darkbinder and sorcery went undetected. Due to my failed diligence, the device remains unused, the alliance collapsed, and the Great Dying occurred," Denora finished quietly.

Brenna knew sensed there was more to the story, for in the darkest shadows, lurked unfathomable evil, which was ancient and incredibly powerful.

"You said, 'in order for good to exist, there must also be evil.'" This also applies to dragons, does it not? For, I have felt the dream touch, of the Unhallowed One, called Sadeene," Brenna asked, while staring without blinking at Denora.

Denora, Byrtle, Estella, and Seth faced her with faces drained of color, and all signs of expression. Their gaze rose to catch Brenna's own, in a desperate rush before once more receding towards the floor. Her mother took a deep breath and stared at her for a moment, as she nodded her head with a grim smile.

"So, it begins. I had thought there would be more time before he would reveal his presence, to teach you what you need to know. If he is already seeking you, it must mean, both he and his Master are now gravely concerned about your growing abilities and power," Denora said while standing once more. She stood, and began to walk back and forth, looking at her, periodically.

"Please, would you tell me about Sadeene and the Unhallowed Ones? I need to know, and this is as good a time as any to learn about them."

"Long ago, before the creation of this world, Bemenah created black dragons, for amusement and named them Unhallowed Ones. Their sole purpose is to destroy and feed upon creatures of the light. During the Great Dying, these dragons assisted in conquering the sentient races," Byrtle said, while tapping the toe of his shoe against the stone floor.

"Then, what happened?" Brenna asked. She found herself performing a balancing act, between wanting to learn all she could and dreading the coming answers.

"Seeing as Bemenah's minions and the Unhallowed ones destroyed the four sentient races, there was no longer enough to eat. They are not immortal but can live thousands of years. The lack of food forced the black dragons into a breeding cycle, wherein females fought against females and males fought males. This, continued until only one of each s*x was left alive."

Denora paused, giving her time to think things through.

"Alright, tell me the rest," Brenna said, while nodding.

"The male who survived is Sadeene, he is a powerful Adumorda Disciple as well; it is he who ensorcelled King Kendrick. He mated with the female. She flew away to lay her eggs in scattered fashion across our world, deep in the dirt and stone and then she died," Denora stated. "The eggs await his call and will serve Bemenah, their master."

"You waited till now, to tell me this? I must inform everyone. How many eggs could she possibly lay?" Brenna fairly screamed at her four teachers.

"We had no choice; you were not ready! As for how many eggs could she lay; it depends on how well she fed. Certainly no more than twenty at best," Seth explained quietly. "One other thing, the hatch-lings grow rather quickly."

Exasperated beyond all control, Brenna stared at her mother for a moment and nodded angrily. With but a single thought, Brenna returned to her form, lying under her blanket. With a sigh, she rolled over and dreamed of black winged creatures, flying high in a sunny sky.