The Land: Forging (Chaos Seeds Book 2)
Read The Land: Forging (Chaos Seeds Book 2) Online
Authors: Aleron Kong
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Epic, #Science Fiction, #Cyberpunk
The Land: Forging
By
Dr. Aleron Kong
This book is dedicated to my friend James who put a book of blank pages into my hand, and told me to write. I absolutely love that you will be naming your new child after me! Aleron totally works for either a boy or a girl!
P.S. – Alerondra has been getting some traction.
Contents
Figures moved at a stately pace along a white marbled
floor inlaid with veins of diamond. Others stood in their assigned places. The same places where they always stood. There did not need to be any concern for someone stepping out of place in the Light Court. Those roles had been established eons before, and had not changed. They would never change.
Three bells chimed to announce the arrival of a new figure to the Light Court. In
practiced
measure, everyone turned to acknowledge the High Chancellor. The tall figure stood dressed in raiment of spun platinum. He took exactly seven short steps forward in honor of the seven higher
planes
and stood quietly. His movement had placed him the center of a stylized golden sun set into the floor.
The Chancellor stood for the predetermined amount of time that all entrants to the Court had to wait. No one knew exactly why that amount of time was required, but that didn’t matter. It was simply the way things were done. That was enough for all present. And if it wasn’t…
well then they had all learned to make it
appear
that it was enough. No one spoke, and no one moved.
Two bells
chimed, and the Chancellor bowed deeply once. He then walked seven times seven steps forward into the Court. His precise stride brought him exactly to the center of another
sun set
into the pristine white marble. Once he stopped, the Chancellor bent into an elaborate bow, his head bent down. This one was created from the red crystal heart of a dying sun. The period of waiting began again. None spoke. The Light Court was the heart of power
for the armies of Light. It had the pristine cleanliness of an operating room and the solemn gravity of a vigil.
After a period of time, a third bell tolled. The High Chancellor straightened and looked at his leader. The King of Light sat on his raised throne. The ivory chair was carved from the skull of a dragon god. It was well known that the King had enjoyed a good hunt before the Exile. His trophies festooned the walls of the Court. To the left of the throne was the tattered banner
from
the capital city that had once spanned several galaxies. To the right was the massive spiraled horn of an evolved unicorn. One
urn that sat on a pedestal behind the King’s throne
was rumored to be a stasis pod that contained the ashes of a phoenix that had heated a planet’s core. No one ever discussed how the King had reached the phoenix. It was also never discussed why, instead of a planet, there was now only an asteroid belt.
In a stately and regal voice, the King spoke, “The High Chancellor is welcomed back to the one and true Court. When last we spoke, I
tasked
you with discovering the source of the disturbances I have felt in The Land. I trust you have not come back without an answer.” The King’s voice did not change at all while speaking, but the threat of horror and agony was understood. In an unspoken law, more immutable that gravity, no one disappointed the King of Light. At least, no one did it twice.
The High Chancellor bowed once again. His arms flowed out to his sides in a slow flourish. When he
stood,
he brought his hands together in a steeple over his chest. “Indeed, my King. Since I was tasked with this assignment, I have turned my sole attention to The Land. At first, I detected nothing out of the ordinary. There were no changes or realignments of ley
line energy. There were also no significant alterations in the Deep Magics. It was only when I began scanning for Higher Energies that I found something.”
The King spoke again, “Are you telling this Court that a denizen of The Land has discovered how to manipulate Chaos or Gravity?” The King
did not even breath into existence that one of the
specks
of life that inhabited The Land could have stumbled upon the ability to use any of the stronger Higher Energies, let alone the strongest, Time.
“Not exactly, my King,” the Chancellor replied. Seeing the King’s expression tighten slightly in impatience, he quickly continued. “There have been no spells cast or manipulations of the Higher Energies that I could detect. What I did
sense,
however, were trace amounts of raw Chaos in various locations around the world. The Land, of course, has various amounts of every magic in existence, but as you know, Chaos cannot remain in a stable form without a massive containment spell. So when I detected these sparks of
energy
and saw that they did not change in character, I was curious to say the least. As I watched the location where I had detected the Chaotic energies, I noticed that there had been changes in the status quo permeating most of those regions. Nothing large enough to disturb our plans, but changes nonetheless.”
The King’s nostrils flared ever so slightly. The Chancellor hastily corrected himself, “Of course I mean y
our
plans, my King.” He wasted no more time moving past his faux pas. “Despite the changes in The Land being minor, I found it concerning that your
majesty detected disturbances at the same time I have found these emanations of Higher Energy.”
“Where are these motes of Chaos coming from?”
“I have not yet discovered that, my King.”
“Have you not found anything else,” the King asked. The leader of the Light Court did not seem pleased with the Chancellor’s progress.
If the platinum clad being were mortal, he would have started sweating. As it was, he still felt a twinge of fear. “I will continue to study these areas, my Lord. I will divine more information, but something happened that I believed you should be made aware of immediately. A pixie chrysalis has been found. More than that, it has made its way into the hands of a Sprite Life Master.”
The King absorbed the information in silence.
“None of our agents are in the area. It is in a small section of The Land called the River Peninsula. At your order, I can start moving assets towards the region,” the High Chancellor continued.
The King just stared at him. The other members of the court looked at the High Chancellor, more than a few silently hoping for his death. Removal of someone from a position of power always opened the possibility for advancement after all. The Chancellor pretended to ignore the attention, not daring to look away from the dais. There was no movement for a long period of time, then a
white-robed
figure leaned forward and whispered into the King’s ear.
The Royal Chamberlain was the only other entity allowed near the throne. No one knew anything about him except that he was a close advisor to the King. His white robes and deep hood hid any clear view of his face or body. He was smaller than most other members of the
Light Court, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. Those who opposed the Chamberlain often found themselves on the wrong side of the King’s favor. Death was the best result that could be expected after that. If there was one other figure in the Court that the High Chancellor feared, it was the secretive figure in white.
The Chamberlain finished giving his advice, and then stepped back behind the throne once more. The King nodded to himself, lost in thought. When he looked at the High Chancellor again, he just thanked him for his service and bid him
to continue
watching The Land closely. The Chancellor bowed
again
and walked out of the Court. If his steps were not quite as slow and measured as before, no one watching would blame him.
The King had dismissed the weakling Chancellor from his mind and from the Court simultaneously. His thoughts were instead focused on an order he had given long ago. An order that he had pondered the utility of in the years since. Self-reflection and doubt were not feelings the King were accustomed to, but it did not change the fact that his decision to unleash a plague that wiped the entire pixie race from the face of The Land had seemed… wasteful.
“Be welcome at the Hearth Tree, Richter of the Mist Village,” Hisako said with a smile. “And welcome home my son, I see you have grown in strength, hopefully in wisdom as well,” the last said with a wry arch of her eyebrow.
“Thank you,
mother. Yes, I have learned much, and found a good friend and ally,” Sion replied with a smile.
Richter walked forward and took her hand, “Hearth Mother, thank you. Sion is more than a friend to me, he is a brother. There is no way I could have accomplished what I have accomplished without him. I formally extend the friendship and welcome of the Mist Village to you and your people. I sincerely hope that you will ask me for any help that you might need.”
A serious look came over her face, “I was hoping that you would say that. There have been small camps of goblins and bugbears seen in the forest between here and the Fire Tip Mountains to the east. They are slaughtering all of the local wildlife and despoiling the Forest. We need to clear them out and learn why they are making inroads
into
the Forest. I will not stand by and watch the Forest of
Nadria
become like the Whisper Woods, overrun with evil creatures. The Forest will be protected, no matter how many battles it takes. Will you help?”
