The Itran people are a resilient bunch. They have seen their land devoured and rebirthed by Time. Destroyed and transformed by Men. They are domesticated beings who possess a deep reverence for the passage of time.

Long ago, the Goddess Yuitra ruled this very land they call Itra. A land held together by time. A land of futures and possibilities. Of memory and history. A land of hope.

It was here where Arla truly began….where Yuitra, the Goddess of Beginnings, Time, and the Unknown, opened the flow of time. As the formidable Queen of the Gods, the balance of the Arlan cosmic order has always been in her hands. After all, she was born first.

And according to her sister, Diné,

she will be the first to die.

***

“Are we there yet?” Obo yawned. “My poor legs need stretching.”

Ginna, who was reading a book, elbowed him in the side.

“Is there something wrong with your memory?” She responded sarcastically. “The commander just said we have to cross eight more hills.”

Obo playfully elbowed her back, then softly placed his chin on Ginna’s shoulder.

“What are you reading anyway?”

Ginna closed her book to show him the cover.

The words, Itra: History & Memory, were displayed in bold, bright colors. And underneath them, there was a golden clock. This particular book chronicled Itran history from the Beginning to the War of Kings.

“Why are you reading about Itran history?” Obo asked, puzzled. “Did you not attend class?”

Ginna rolled her eyes. “Not everything was taught, Obo. Expecting the Crown to teach us everything is a bit foolish.”

Obo nudged his chin against Ginna’s shoulder. “Like what? What have you learned then?”

“Well….” Ginna dragged. “Did you know three of the five Temporal Daggers have been lost since the War of Kings? According to this book, the last time they were seen was when King Mikael came out of the Willow of Memory.”

“The Willow of Memory? Does that even still stand?”

“It was still there when I visited years ago.”

“Maybe we should give it a little blood.” Obo suggested, then poked her in the side. “Maybe, take a peek at the Age of Dust.”

Ginna rolled her eyes. “Why don't you take anything serious? The Willow of Memory is not to be toyed with. Its magic is potent. You would be restless for days.”

Obo let out a loud chuckle. “Love, I have nothing else to do. Why not be restless?”

Ginna lightly smacked him on the knee with her hand. Obo then placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closely into him. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I won’t touch it.” He whispered, before placing another kiss on her forehead. “Well, I’ll try not to.”

Ginna laughed, then lightly pushed him away. “Get off.”

The two then began exchanging small jabs at each other. For a moment, they forgot they were not alone. But then Enu spoke.

“Can you show me the page with the daggers?” He asked loudly, spooking the two lovebirds.

The two quickly whipped their heads towards their friend.

“Can I see the page?” He asked again. “With the daggers.”

Ginna slowly nodded then opened her book to a page where five colorful daggers were illustrated and labeled.

| Dagger of Maturation—a gold dagger adorned with white crystals.

| Dagger of Luck—a black dagger with a shiny, white tip.

| Dagger of Hope—a green dagger with the word Trynia inscribed.

| Dagger of Journey—a gray, short dagger.

| Dagger of Destiny—a lilac, gold encrusted dagger with the word Iunara inscribed.

“Can I hold it?” Enu asked.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Sure.” She answered, then carefully handed him the book.

The book was so heavy that Enu actually dropped the volume onto his lap, causing a slight pain in his knee.

Once he was able to get his handle on the book, he began reading the page. As he did, he slowly glided his fingertips along the page, over each dagger.

“The dagger of luck.” He gasped, then raised his head. “Where could it be?”

Ginna shrugged her shoulders, followed by Obo yelling,

“JA! JA!

“Stop.” Ginna whispered. “He’s sleeping.”

“No he’s not.” Obo scoffed. “Look at his breathing.”

Jaho then opened his eyes and shot daggers at his friend.

“But I was resting.” He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Obo then threw his hat at Jaho.

“Just humor us. I know you were listening. Where do you think the daggers are?”

Jaho slightly shifted in his seat. “Like the book said, they are lost. Mikael hid them before his death. They could be anywhere.”

Enu suddenly slammed the book shut. “Can we look for it?”

Jaho laughed. “Do you not think the crown has tried?”

Enu then ran his hands over his face, clearly frustrated. He needed the dagger of luck.

“What about the trees? The trees must give way.” Enu rushed out.

Jaho shook his head. “It’s too risky to look through them. The magic is still unstable.”

“In all of them? Still?” Ginna asked, eyes wide and curious.

Jaho nodded. “It seems that the absence of Yuitra’s essence has placed the land in an imbalance and it’s gotten worse.”

“I’m not following.” Ginna responded slowly.

“For example, the Trees of Offings.”

“What about them?” Obo asked.

Jaho shifted in his seat again.

“The Trees of Offings still work…” He started slowly. “but you’ll never return if you leave now.”

“What do you mean people can’t return?” Ginna asked.

“People have become lost, separated from their families.” Jaho answered quickly, then took a deep breath. “My great aunt, Kichara, for example, didn’t die in the war. After her sweet love died, she became lost after entering the Tree of Offings.”

Ginna and Obo’s jaws dropped.

“I’m only telling you this, because I trust you.”

Ginna nodded.

“What happened?” Enu asked.

“The Crown tried to retrieve her. But when that didn’t work, the Crown tried to destroy them. When the Timekeepers found out the Crown’s plan, they warned of a great catastrophe if we were to further mess with the workings of Time. Time holds together the world we live in, but the crown has recognized its instability is a threat.”

“A threat?” Obo asked, voice shaky.

Jaho nodded.

“A threat the crown is managing.” He assured the group. “That’s why we have warned people not to visit those trees.”

Obo, Enu, and Ginna all lowered their heads.

After a long moment of silence, Ginna whispered

“Kichara, the General. My hero.”

Jaho smiled. “She did what she thought was right.”

“Do you really believe that?” Ginna whispered.

Jaho turned his head towards the window. “It doesn’t matter what I think. She thought the Trees of Offings would give her the answer. She thought seeing what comes ahead would give her the solution. It was her last hope to end the Great War. She did what she believed was right. She—-”

“But she was wrong.” Enu interrupted.

Jaho, Ginna, and Obo quickly turned their heads towards Enu.

Enu lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized.

“You’re right.” Jaho responded tearfully, then cleared his throat. “She was wrong. Grandfather Prest died two days later, Sharra opened the floods, and she never returned. She sought out a time far ahead for an answer but the war went on and many died.”

Ginna then reached out for Jaho’s left hand and squeezed it tightly.

“But what if you are wrong?” Obo asked suddenly. “What if she made it into a better time? What if she survives even now? What if she found a life finally worth living? A life without war and pain. Without suffering and disaster. Without egos and destruction? Maybe she found an answer for her own problems. An answer to her grief.”

A tear slipped from Jaho’s left eye.“We may never know.”

The carriage suddenly went quiet.

Obo turned his attention back to the window, while Ginna went back to her book.

But Enu wasn’t done.

“And what about the Reverian Ironwood?” Enu asked.

“The Reverian Tree? Tree of the Living Past?”

“Oh wait! I know this.” Ginna suddenly shouted, then flipped to another page in her book. “It says Mikael closed the Reverian Tree two days after he led people from East Itra to safety. They were never seen again.”

Enu slumped back in his seat.

“Is everything okay, my friend?” Jaho asked softly.

Enu couldn’t meet his friend’s gaze.

“You can tell me anything.” Jaho assured. “Even if it concerns my sister.”

Enu quickly raised his head.

“Yourrrr sissster?” He stuttered.

Jaho rolled his eyes. “Jannar is not a great liar and you are not a great whisperer, my friend. And it happens that the walls are very thin on our floor.”

“I—-”

Jaho raised his hand. “I don’t want your apologies.”

Ginna and Obo gave each other a look.

Jaho noticed.

“And you two….” He said loudly, as he pointed in their direction. “Were you both aware of this?”

Ginna and Obo aggressively shook their heads.

Jaho slowly sat back in his seat then folded his arms across his chest.

Enu kept fidgeting with his sleeves while he waited for Jaho to speak.

But before he could, the commander shouted,

“We are here.”