Ekleipsis (19 page)

§ §

Ciafus addressed the
people, “Dear Council and Sealed of King Salvare, it appears that
the time of the Ekleipsis is indeed at hand. Witnesses around the
Land of the Seekers have yielded clear evidence of a mighty army of
Gottlos stationed there, along with the Dragon known as Rubicund.
We have dwelt in a shadow of peace since the falling of Jagare, but
now that shadow wishes to pull us into the Darkness. The time has
come to share with all of you the secrets which those who watch
over your souls have thought it best to keep hidden for the sake of
protecting the people of Erde.”

Ciafus opened the Book of
Wisdom as he continued, “As you should all well know, King Salvare
did proclaim, ‘When darkness comes, for even now it worketh, and
the wicked one who brings it shows his scarred face, who was given
the deadly wound but was healed by the dragon, know that it is the
time of which Judarius spoke of the Ekleipsis.’”

Looking up from his reading
and taking hold of the book entitled Geheim, Ciafus declared,
“Today I must tell you of the place called Geheim, and we must move
at once to warn the people of Erde to move them to safety. It is at
Geheim that we must wait; for it is written, ‘flee to the place of
hiding which shall be told you.’”

Turning through the pages
of the Book of Wisdom, he continued reading, “When the darkness of
the wicked one shall come, and the shadows shall seem to block out
the light, flee from the sounds of mesmeration
^
. Take not the
mark nor kneel to any image, but run to the land where the dragon
cannot fly. But stay not there, for it will only keep thee for but
a time. Continue past the regions of knowledge, that you may be
covered by the hand of Erde, and nourished by her
tears.”

Once again, staring out
across the people, Ciafus proclaimed, “Dear brothers and sisters,
we must move the people of Erde who still give allegiance to King
Salvare, and those who have not taken the mark of the Wicked One to
Geheim. Geheim lies through the Ascuns Forest where the Dragon
cannot fly, and into the Cadas Mountains whereby Geheim lies
outside of the knowledge of Erde. There, covered by the mountainous
hands of Erde, we shall be nourished by her tears of Lake
Szikla.”

A voice from the crowd
asked abruptly, “And how long do you suggest we stay there Ciafus?
Why are we to believe Jagare will not discover such a
place?”

Ciafus flipped back the
pages, finishing the previous passage, “‘Wait for my witnesses
there, and then shall the daystar rise high above the darkness.
Then shall I return with the glory and power of my father, and with
my faithful servants of the ages. Ye shall see me coming and I
shall quench the darkness from before the eyes of Erde. Then shall
I bring you to New Erde, and ye shall be my people and I shall be
your king. Faint not dear children, for you are forever in my heart
and on my tongue to my father. I go to prepare you a place, whereby
we may dwell, free of the darkness, forever.’”

Murmuring filled the room, echoing
loudly against the acoustic walls. Disagreement, questions, belief
and unbelief, found themselves clashing one against another,
failing to listen to what was heard, along with faith, logic,
understanding, and opinions facing off for battle from each
individual.

“Quiet!” shouted Ciafus to regain
order. Heads turned, as silence was reached once again. “Dear
people, ‘Fear not when the darkness surrounds you, for you will not
be overtaken, for even in death you are freed from its grip.’ We
are told to, ‘Love one another, that ye may be comforted during the
tribulations of this life. Forgive one another that ye may be able
to love with a pure heart.’ My friends please take heed to what the
council has to say. There is much that must be done.”

§ Nesal
§

In Nesal, as the bright warm sun broke
over the trees, the sad songs of the night transposed into vengeful
thunders and lightings. The village was enraged by the actions of
Labo, for now there were wives left without husbands and children
without fathers. The death of Labo was not enough, for the people
cried out for more blood. They had searched for hours to find
Sycress, Labo’s wife. If it would not have been for the dogs, she
may very well have hid beneath her home till night to escape. The
people demanded answers, of which she claimed to have
none.

Two men held Sycress by the
bell, which Nau had rung merely hours ago, while women of the
village screamed out demanding she be put to death. Cries of, “burn
the witch” and “kill the wife and mother of devils” could be heard
from the mouths of some of the most thought-to-be chaste ladies in
Nesal. Rumors of her marked husband and sorcerer son were violently
being used against Sycress, as she wept and continued to deny
having any knowledge of either.

Nau scarcely observed the
vile words being spewed in the village, as Amashai pulled their
children Hisum and Misal tightly to her. She buried their faces
into her dress and tried to cover their ears with her hands. Sorie
stood with Eslar, failing to understand why her husband Tindal was
even giving ear to such desires of the people. Sorie was grieved
and somewhat frightened by the recent deaths, yet she could not
conceive how the lack of mercy toward Sycress would bring comfort
back to Nesal.

The people were demanding
that Sycress be burned at the stake as a witch. The law indeed gave
authority to the council to hear such matters, and to execute
punishment where necessary. The problem lied not with the law and
punishment, but with the hearts of the people and their thirst for
vengeance without first allowing the matter to be heard. There was
no council, thus the people were restless. In their eyes, there was
no one left to punish but Sycress, and Tindal seemed eager to hand
her over to the people.

From the back of the crowd,
an elderly bearded man came forth. Carrying a straight, smooth
wooden staff, with his face covered by the hood of his tan cloak,
he moved effortlessly between the screaming men and women. Standing
between the crowd, before Tindal and the two men holding Sycress,
the man slid back his hood exposing his piercing eyes. The bearded
man was Ashvar, and Tindal was most surprised to have the seer
appear at such an inopportune time.

Standing in front of all of
Nesal, Ashvar directed his thoughts to Tindal, “What is it thou
doest, dear Tindal? Has your heart been seared by the cries of the
people, that you can see only law without mercy? Are you ready to
condemn a soul before the matter can yet be heard? Do you now hold
the high office of the council, one who is to be a just man to the
people, yet have allowed them to persuade you to do that which is
unjust and against such law you claimed to uphold? Do you yet
convict her within thine heart, because you are angry with another?
Are your thoughts so clouded that you are unable to recall that
which you have been taught by the wise men of old? Shall the laws
of Nesal and the Book of Wisdom be laid aside, so that the people
and their judge may have their unruly lusts fulfilled?”

He paused. With no response
from Tindal or the crowd he continued, “Give not this woman over to
death, for she is indeed innocent of the crimes of which she is
charged. Shall the mother be punished for the sins of her child, or
a wife for the sins of her husband? Let it not be so, for let every
man be judged and punished for their own sins. For he that judgeth
his neighbor by another man’s sins, let him also be judged by the
sins of another.”

Turning to the people,
Ashvar continued, “Do not forget mercy and grace, as you mourn and
desire judgment against the wicked. For, would we not desire the
same if we ourselves should be found within their grasps? Today I
have come to warn the people of Nesal of the coming Ekleipsis,
which lies but over the horizon in Trachten. There is much we must
do, for the armies of Darkness do now prepare to destroy all light
from the Land of Erde. Prepare yourselves you people of Nesal, for
the Darkness cometh upon us. Let it not overcome your mortal bodies
nor steal your souls, but let us dwell in the light; finding
ourselves to be good and faithful servants to King Salvare and his
Book of Wisdom.”

Separated Hearts

Vandor and Kayla finally
arrived on the far outskirts of the Land of the Seekers, after
being warned, by the villages on the way, of the Gottlos attacks
and armies dwelling therein. They had traveled a great distance
from Nesal, and were worn. They had seen many people and places
which they had never laid eyes on before in Erde. Many things were
new to them, and would have held their attention more if the desire
to find MaZak had not overwhelmed all their senses.

As they beheld the view
across the horizon, their eagerness to rush into Trachten, to find
MaZak, was somewhat softened by the sight of troops, like ants
covering the landscape before them, in the distance. The army of
Darkness seemed to number greater than told.

For a moment, they gazed
into the distance at a bright light that shone near the southwest
portion of Trachten. Flames seemed to blaze from the same location,
and then vanished. Reality seemed to come to terms within their
mind. How to get into Trachten without being noticed, where to look
once there, how to escape after MaZak was found, and countless
other thoughts rushed wildly through their imaginations. They had
considered none of these things while rushing off foolishly into
the great unknown.

Closer to them due north,
they noticed the kicking up of dust, which appeared to be some type
of small struggle between a number of persons on either side.
Taking note of the glimmering coming forth from the armor of some,
Vandor and Kayla assumed they were numbered among the Sealed. The
larger fellows, of which they contended, must be Gottlos or at
least servants of the Darkness. They pricked Korb and Dove with
their heels, and made advancement toward the fight.

The closer they got, the
more brutal they realized the combat was. Indeed, they saw those
who wore the shining armor of King Salvare. Most of the men
appeared to be in their forties, with one maybe but a few years
older than Vandor and Kayla. The elders used their swords against
the large Gottlos with grace. The younger seemed to hold well his
stance, yet his fundamentals were not as refined.

Vandor and Kayla dismounted
near a large fallen tree. Vandor drew his blade, while agreeing
Kayla could use her bow from there. For a moment, they simply
stared at the beasts which fought the Sealed. The moments by the
stream, with Rayhold and the Gottlo, filled their minds with
pictures so vivid, as if they found themselves there but again.
Anxiety desired entrance into their hearts. Pushing against it,
they refused to stand idle by the way.

Rushing forward into the
brawl, to the back of the foes, Vandor ran his sword into the side
of one of the Gottlos fighting the younger Sealed. Flinching and
grunting in discomfort, the Gottlo turned and slung his blade
toward Vandor. Raising his blade to block the Gottlo’s blow from
his face, the force was too strong for one arm and knocked Vandor
to the ground. Quickly, Vandor sliced the calf of the Gottlo,
rolled, and recovered to his feet. The Gottlo was struck by an
arrow in his left shoulder, which held his sword, followed by
another in the center of his back. He fell to his knees, as Vandor
wasted no time piercing through the Gottlo’s stony heart with the
blade his grandfather had given him.

The Gottlo had fallen forward with
dead weight upon the sword. It took a moment for Vandor to roll
over the heavy foe to withdraw his weapon. Looking over his
shoulder, he could see three more Gottlos running toward them from
the direction of Trachten. “Three more!” he shouted, as he made his
way to battle another one of the Gottlos.

The battle raged on, with Kayla
running low on arrows. She knew she must be more sparing with her
shots, watching mostly for care of Vandor. She could see the
fatigue growing within the men of the Sealed. Sweat rolled down the
contours of their faces, burning their eyes, as they contended
against the foes of Darkness. Continuous blows against their
blades, jarring their clinched grips and tightened muscles, gave
way to exhaustion with every assault. Four Gottlos were dead,
leaving three showing no signs of retreat, with two of the Sealed
lying lifeless, having gone on to meet their Maker.

The younger of the Sealed
had fell beneath the mighty blows of the Gottlo. Vandor took notice
from the corner of his eye, and knew he was the closest. Turning
from his foe, he fought against fatigue with every fiber of his
being, forcing himself toward his fallen comrade. Kayla released an
arrow, which silently pierced between the eyes of the Gottlo of
which Vandor had just fled. The Gottlo fell to the ground,
twitching but for a moment.

Kayla, keeping her eyes
fixed on Vandor, reached to find another arrow. The quiver, across
her back, felt empty. She turned to look, finding one yet remained.
Pulling it forth, she slid it into place, resting it upon her hand
which held the bow, slowly drawing it back against the string. She
focused on the Gottlo, which stood over the fallen Sealed raising
his sword to slay the young man. She feared Vandor would not reach
him in time. She steadied herself, and controlled her breathing. As
her drawn fingers loosened to release the arrow of hope, she was
struck in the back by a mighty force. She felt the arrow slip from
her finger tips. Her eyes closed, and she fell unconscious to the
ground.