Ellas - A dozen years ago

Kane

‘I will bring her,’ Garath said, as he moved to where the entrance to the room must be, though, I myself did not have a clue where it was - the whole room was created from seamless image covered rock.

‘No, Father. I will summon and guide her her. You but need to open the door.’

Garath smiled at her. ‘I forget sometimes what it is you magical ones can do.’ With that he again placed his palms on the wall and the stone melted away to reveal the corridor beyond.

‘And I still wonder at the magic of the Roken, Father. Even after all these years,’ Anna said, with genuine awe in her voice.

Only a few moments later Carthia appeared at the opening, hesitantly looking into the room and the five of us now sat on appropriate stone chairs with Grall in the centre.

‘Come in Cartia,’ Anna said. ‘Your presence has been requested by Grall here,’ and she indicated Grall in his Roken form, who immediately stood and bowed low to Carthia.

‘It is good to meet you, Carthia.’ he said, rising from his bow. ‘Erithain spoke of you many times to my ancestors long ago… though then she did not name you such. She—’

‘You have memories of Erithain?’ Anna blurted. ‘And how is it that you know Carthia who stands before you, is the one Erithain spoke of?’

‘Daughter, all will be revealed… now is a time to listen. Later, I am sure Grall will answer any and all questions that you have,’ Garath said gently.

‘Yes, of course, Father. I apologise, Grall. I was rude—’

‘Nothing to apologise for… Anna. I understand your need for the knowledge I hold. And as Garath has said, I will answer all your questions. But first perhaps we should complete the introductions that formality dictates, and then I will tell you of my people, and how it was we came to his notice, and why it was he tried so very hard to eradicate my race.’

So, one by one we stood, bowed deeply to Grall, and named ourselves.

Grall, who had remained standing throughout, bowed to each of us in turn, and then said, ‘I am named Grall, last of my race, the Grall, the race commonly known by outsiders as the Smalites. Long ago, I had another name, my birth name, but that is now of no consequence, as I am the race, Grall, and I am the repository for the memories of all Grall… all who ever lived.’

‘Now, if you will listen, I will tell you of my people, but first, after you have all sat, I will answer the questions Anna asked of me… of Erithain, and of my knowing of Carthia, here.’

We all sat, all except Carthia who stared in amazement at the chair that had appeared at her side.

‘Sit, Carthia. It is but a magic of the Roken. They shape the stone, or perhaps it is better to say that they are in tune with the world, is that not so, Father? Regardless, sit, and Grall may then begin.’

Grall too sat, his Roken arms crossed over his knees in much the same way that his wolf form had lain.

'Yes, Anna, I have memories of Erithain. She spoke with my distant ancestors at length, for she had learned of our longevity and of how we share and store our collective memories. She wished to ensure that all she told would be known by future generations… not just the Grall, but by all peoples of Ellas.

‘I do not attempt to avoid telling you what you wish to know, Anna, but I will need time to assemble all that Erithain said to my ancestors for these memories are from the most ancient of my forefathers and I will need to meditate a while to retrieve them accurately.'

‘But what of Carthia? You said—’

‘Daughter!’ Garath chided.

‘Carthia I knew as soon as she cleared the trees that day she first came to me. Her image, her likeness, was passed down from the very first of our kind that spoke with Erithain. Such was her importance to the future, to all our futures, that Erithain implored that all Grall should know her likeness almost as part of their own memories.

'Erithain did not name the woman that would come, nor did she say when it would be. But we were to watch for her, and, if necessary, sacrifice all our lives to ensure that she lived to write the last tome.’

At the last word Anna gasped, even as Carthia leapt to her feet, anger and confusion written across her face. ‘What is this nonsense?’ she shouted. ‘How can this woman you talk of be me… I know little of the world around me, let alone this tome you talk of. You speak in riddles, much like Lady Anna and this fool man here.

'I am not the woman you seek… I cannot be.’ Her words trailed off as tears spilled from her eyes, and she fell back into her seat sobbing. ‘It is the dreams, the dreams,’ she whimpered to herself.’

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Anna knelt in front of Carthia and took her in her arms, and though she only said soothing words, I knew that she used her magic to calm Carthia, for it was mere seconds before Carthia sat upright again, looked at all of us in turn, and at Grall last.

‘Forgive me,’ she said. ‘All you said was too much for me to hear… to remember my dreams is painful... her death was almost the end of me. So when you talked of a last tome, it made it all so real… almost not a dream.’

‘I did not mean to upset you so, Carthia. But you I will give my life for… it is as if Erithain knew that it would be so. Let me tell you of my people and of his coming as I promised and perhaps then you will understand more of why she made us know of you.’

‘Wait,’ I said. Images of Alex filled my mind, her likeness to Carthia could be no coincidence. ‘Do you want to hear this, Carthia?’ I asked. ‘And can you, Grall, be sure it is she… and that there is not another who may be who you seek?’

Anna looked at me, puzzlement on her face, but Grall’s eyes held only pity.

‘If there is another, then I have yet to find her, Kane. But in looks, Carthia is as the image my memory holds. But there is more… in her there is a power, I know not what, but she has a destiny that can be seen by those who have the sight.’

Anna nodded as Grall spoke of destiny but remained silent.

For a long moment silence reigned until Carthia spoke, ‘Please continue, Grall. Tell us of your people and of his coming.’

‘Very well, I shall. My tale will be brief… the details will form part of the answers to the many questions I sure you will have over the coming days.

‘My race, the Grall, or the Smalites as we were known by the other races, is an ancient race. We existed on the world that you name Ellas long before the Ellaren, the Roken, or the People came to be.

‘Back then, we were hunters, eaters of meat… and we gorged ourselves on the flesh of other creatures, especially the other sentient races when they began to emerge.

‘It was very easy, you see, for we used our gift. Your stories named us Soothers, and that was our gift. We would lull, or sooth, the senses of our prey… and then kill them all. Far too much for our needs, but it was the kill that we revelled in. I am ashamed to say that in those ancient times we were very vicious creatures.

‘That all changed when Erithain came to us. She, we could not beguile , and that in itself gave us pause, for never before had any creature been able to resist us.

‘Slowly, over many years, Erithain taught us that our gift, our Soothing, was not one to be used as we did — it was something that we should gift to others, to enrich their lives with peace and tranquillity.

'It was hard to accept at first. Many doubted what she said and argued that without meat to eat we would die. It was then that she showed us our true form. For we had the ability to change our form and look as any creature we wished. Indeed, appearing as innocent creatures, or even prey, was how we brought unsuspecting victims close enough for our Soothing to affect them.

‘Her revelation was a shock, for she said that we were beings of pure energy and had no true form. To sustain ourselves we did not need the flesh of other creatures as we would draw what we needed from the energy of the world around us.

‘So gradually our existence changed to become Givers, as we thought of ourselves. We then revelled in the happiness we gifted to the other creatures that we shared the world with.

‘For hundreds of years that was our way… to secretly enhance the lives of others. We could not openly use our gift, for if it was known we would be overwhelmed by those that would wish to use what we could do to their own ends.

‘But then he came. With his honeyed words he lived amongst us for many months, teasing out our deepest secrets. Slowly, he tried to turn us, to make us again use our Soothing to turn others to his needs.

‘We resisted, and that angered him such that he tried to take some of us captive, to force us to his will. He did not know of our true form then, and so his attempts to hold us failed as we shrugged off his bonds.

‘Enraged, he left, and we, in our naivety thought ourselves safe. It was not long after that he used his weapons of destruction against our city, almost eradicating my people.

‘Only those far from our home survived that day, but even those he hunted, ruthlessly destroying any he found with magics that disrupted the energies that made up our bodies.

‘Over the centuries we have taken many forms in order to evade his seekers… and now I am the last.’

Silence fell then for a little while, all of us contemplating the horrific tale Grall had told us, and at a loss as to what to say.

Finally it was Grall who spoke. ‘You should all go to the feast. I am sure that they await you. If I may, Garath, I will remain here and look upon your wondrous mountain home. Many memories of the Roken home I store, but none so grand as the views I see here.’

‘Of course,’ Garath replied. ‘Of course you may. I will leave the the way clear for you to exit if you wish to follow, Grall.’

‘There is no need, Garath. In this form, I am Roken, and I possess the power with stone as you yourselves do. When we adopt a form, we become that creature, with all of its abilities. So please worry not about me. Go, enjoy the welcome home your people have prepared for you.’

We left then, both shocked and amazed at what Grall had said, and yet silence still enveloped us until we reached the great hall, when cheers, greetings, and exuberance overcame our maudlin thoughts.

We stayed a week with the Roken. Anna closeted herself away with Grall digging ever deeper into the memories of his ancestors. Whatever she learned she kept to herself, with always a reply of ‘Nothing of importance,’ to any and all questions I asked.

I took Gremok to one side and told him some of what was to come - of his meeting with my younger self. He did not appear shocked at all, saying only that what I said explained much that he had thought on.

The day that we left, as Gremok and I embraced and wished each other well, I could not help but feel that that day was the last I would ever see him. Even stranger was the feeling that he too felt the same.

####

For the next few years we wandered Ellas gathering people to our cause as his effects on the world showed themselves.

We destroyed his roving bands of Nargu when we found them, Anna ministered to those who gave sign of being under his thrall, and we gave aid to those who had suffered at his hand.

Never once did we talk of a plan, of what we would do when we finally found him. 'We defeated him once and we will do it again.' was all Anna would say.

But I knew that Anna would not be with me when such a day came. She would die to save me, to release me from his bonds, and unknowingly so that I could become Al’kar, and be here now at her side.

No, Anna would not face him again. That task would be mine… and if Grall’s words were true, Carthia too would aid me. Who knows, perhaps there will be others.