Chapter I

The campfire crackled cheerfully as more dry wood was added to it, a lone brilliant spark in the vast grasslands. However, no matter how bright the fire may be, it did nothing to raise the spirits of the young man seated in front of it.

Darius Ralma sat watching the fire without seeing it. A dark brooding mood had settled over him ever since he had returned to the Feltharin southlands - one that he had been unable to shake. Something felt wrong about this place - he just couldn’t decide what it was.

A slight movement, and a soft rustle caught his attention. Fully alert now, Darius’ hand dropped to the hilt of the sword that lay sheathed across his lap. The rustle came again. Glancing warily around, he realized that it was only Aria moving in her sleep.

“I’m definitely too uptight.”, he thought to himself, as he watched the fire cast flickering shadows on her sleeping face, the flames dancing in her red hair. Watching her dream, Darius wished that he could be as peaceful in sleep as she seemed to be.

“How did she get mixed up in all of this anyway?”, he asked the fire. “This is no life for her....”

A sudden realization struck him.

“...Has it really been three years since we were exiled from Trideria?”

The dark mood settled a bit deeper around him, and he suddenly felt very weary. With one last poke at the fire, Darius crossed to where Aria had placed his bedroll.

Carefully placing his sword where it could be drawn in an instant, Darius lay down, drawing his blanket over the sheathed sword.

Despite his exhaustion, Darius was dreading sleep - knowing that the dreams would come again, and that he would have to re-live that night three years ago.

With one last look to where Aria lay sleeping a few feet away, he closed his eyes, and waited for the nightmare to begin again....

* * *

The guard paced in front of the castle’s main gate, the last of the sun’s rays bathing everything in a rosy light as it sank below the horizon. In about ten minutes the portcullis would be lowered, the gates barred, and he could return home to the safety of the castle proper.

It had been a long day, what with the festival and all. At long last, though, all of the travelers had arrived, were inside the castle grounds, and his shift was drawing to an end. The guard couldn’t wait. He couldn’t remember the last time that King Tasraan had called all of the Loremasters together at one time.

“Well, Jonathon old boy,” the guard said to himself, “looks like the end of another day.”

Jonathon looked off across the river into Fairtellin woods trying to catch sight of the lights he kept hearing about. He wondered if there was any truth to the stories of the elves living there.

A shift in shadows out of the corner of his eye brought him spinning around, pointing his spear in the direction of the movement. “Who’s there?” he demanded, feeling foolish as he realized that he was talking to a blank wall.

“Are you talking to anyone in particular?”, a voice called out from the road on the far side of the castle’s bridge. “Or are you just interrogating the wall?”

Turning his attention back to the road, Jonathon saw a large man in armor. The man was well over two meters tall with a weather-stained cloak draped around his shoulders, and a huge sword slung across his back. As the newcomer drew closer, a smile broke out on Jonathon’s face when he recognized the unkempt black hair, and silver eyes.

“Darius, you’re back! How are the Under-Realms this time of the year?”

Darius’ face grew grim, “Not good. Do you know where Tasraan is? Is he here?”

“The King is in the Castle proper. However, he’s called a festival tonight, and invited all of the Loremasters to come together and tell their tales so that they may be compiled together into a volume as a record of the Great War. I doubt if King Tasraan will have time to talk tonight. Aside from the festival, the Ruling Knights and Count Litch are also here, and the Council will probably last well into the night.”

“Humph.” Darius grunted. A wry grin suddenly creased his face as he came to stand beside his friend. “By the way, what exactly were you doing with the wall?”, he asked, jerking his head in the wall’s general direction. “I can find you better opponents if you’re in need of practice…”

“I could have sworn there was a movement.”, the guard said sheepishly. “It was probably just the shadows of the setting sun, but it never hurts to be cautious. Besides, with all of the creatures in the land these days, you never can tell.”

A metallic rumbling caught both of their attention, as the portcullis began to grind into motion.

Darius shook his head in amusement, “They don’t give you much warning, do they?”

“It’s Charris, he thinks it’s funny.”

“Well, maybe we should show him what we think is funny.” Darius said innocently.

Together, they walked inside, still discussing how to get even with Charris. Neither one of them noticed as a shadow detached itself from the wall, and followed them under the lowering portcullis.

With a loud groan of protest, the heavy metal gate lowered into position with a crash of finality....

As they walked through the long tunnel that stretched out under the castle walls, Jonathon caught Darius up on the latest events in the kingdom, and the surrounding countryside.

“...so there Councilor Trent sat, with gruel dripping off of his head, and I swear the serving girl asked ‘would you like anything else with that?’” Jonathon paused for effect, “And, this is the best part, old Trent just sat back and said ‘A spoon would be nice.’”

Darius was trying hard to keep from laughing now, “Well, that’s what he gets for flirting with Nara Fitzgul while she has something in her hands she can throw. Everyone knows she has an unbelievable temper.”

“Not to mention great aim.”, Jonathon laughed. He thought for a moment. “Speaking of girls with tempers, Aria was furious when she found out that you left without her. She stormed around the castle like a crimson thundercloud, ready to spit lightning at anything that moved!”

“I’ll bet she did!”, Darius said smiling, as some of the good humor drained out of him. “I wasn’t about to take her into the Under-Realms though. I had no idea what we would find there, and I almost didn’t make it out myself.”

They reached the end of the tunnel, and were standing under the archway looking out on the main square of the castle commons. Darius took a moment to look around at the scene unfolding before him.

The square was always bustling with activity, but with the festival it was even busier than normal. Tents were being set up beside the normal stalls and booths on Trader’s Row. Craftsmen from all over the district were showing off their wares. Beyond the square, Darius knew that the Inns would be filled to overflowing.

Jonathon finally broke the silence. “I take it that the news is pretty bad then?”

“Worse than we thought. We entered the Under-Realms as planned, and traveled for a couple of days. The farther into the interior we went, the thicker the creatures became.” Darius turned to his friend, his face grim. “The worst part is that not all of those creatures were just dumb beasts. Many of them showed quite a bit of intelligence and cunning. I also discovered about three more exits to the surface that we didn’t know about. Also, the fields holding the creatures in are weakening.”

“This isn’t good at all.” Jonathon looked closer at Darius. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Darius sighed, “The passageway I mapped wasn’t the only main corridor. I counted at least twelve others that I passed. I think that the passageways may crisscross like a giant spider web under the entire continent.”

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The implications weren’t lost on his friend. “If the concentration of creatures is as high as you say, and even half of them find a way to escape to the surface, they could over-run all of Aralistra!”

They walked in silence for a time through the chaos of the square. Finally Jonathon said, “I have to report in, would you like to join me for dinner in the dining hall? I should be done in an hour or two.”

“That sounds good.” Darius said, “let’s just hope Nara Fitzgul isn’t serving....” Darius eyed his friend suspiciously, “…or maybe you’re hoping she is.”

Jonathon hurried off, muttering something about “needing to report in”, the sound of Darius’ laughter following him as he went. As Captain of the palace guards, Jonathon was one of the most valiant men that Darius knew. All of that courage seemed to disappear whenever the raven-haired Nara came around though. Darius wondered if Jonathon would ever get the courage to express his interest.

With two hours to kill, Darius wandered around the Castle grounds for a time, avoiding the shops and people. Finally, wandering into the castle Great Room where the Loremasters were gathered, Darius found himself listening to the high clear voice of a minstrel singing about the legend of the Elves.

The song was enchanting, weaving a tapestry of joy, hope and sadness all into a single melody as it told about the elves arrival in Aralistra, and how they lost their home. The Minstrel let the last haunting note fade away into melancholy silence before wandering away strumming his mandolin softly. Darius wandered the Great Hall thinking about the Under-Realms and the legends of the Great War.

So little was known about that long lost time. Much knowledge had been lost in that war, and in the racial power struggles that followed. It was said that there used to be more than just humans in the land of Aralistra. The legends also tell of a time during the rule of the Atlans when the kingdoms of Aralistra were at peace with each other.

So unlike these days, Darius thought. There was so much mistrust among the three kingdoms that the borders were all but closed. No one dared to venture into Lindelin Forest anymore to see if the legend of the elves were true or not. No one ever came out if they did. Rumors told of an army amassing in the northern kingdom of Malthorm, and of raiding parties returning to Feltharin. Finally, there was the increase in the dark creatures that were beginning to come out at night. So many troubling events these days, Darius mused.

“DARIUS!!!” a female voice called across the hall.

Turning, Darius saw the crowd part before an attractive young woman with fiery red hair and flashing blue eyes. For once, she looked every bit the part of Princess of Trideria, dressed in a flowing velvet gown of emerald green with gold trim. Guests couldn’t help but stare as the usually tomboyish Princess gracefully navigated the crowd.

“Welcome back”, she said with a smile as she scurried up to a surprised Darius, standing on tiptoes to place a light kiss on his cheek.

“Aria --” Darius began, before a light exploded behind his eyes.

Rubbing her knuckles from where they had contacted his jaw, she grumbled “That’s for leaving me here!”

Darius looked around as guests hurriedly returned to their conversations, before returning his gaze to the angry young woman in front of him. He couldn’t see her foot beneath the hem of her gown, but from her stance, and the way her arms were folded across her chest, he could just imagine that she was tapping it, waiting for an explanation. From the look on her face, it had better be a good one.

“Aria, “ Darius began again, gingerly massaging his jaw, “there wasn’t time to say good-bye, and even if there had been, the Under-Realms were just too dangerous for you to come along with us.”

“You took Hector and Walt with you.” she fired back. “I’m every bit as good with a sword as they are, and I have even more experience than....” she trailed off as she noticed the look on his face.

“They didn’t make it...” he said quietly.

“Oh, I di- I didn’t know” she said, the fire draining out of her arguments. She had known the two knights since childhood, and they would be greatly missed. In a small voice she asked, “Are you all right? What happened?”

Glancing around at the milling guests, Darius said, “This may not be the best place to talk about it. Is your father here? I need to speak with him.”

“Daddy’s in Council with the Ruling Knights, it’ll probably last through the night and well into the morning.” She gave him a concerned look. Taking his arm, she said, “You still haven’t answered my question. Are you all right?”

Darius managed a weak smile. “Nothing a hot meal, and a weeks worth of sleep can’t fix.”

As they walked through the groups of people clustered around the storytellers in the Great Hall, people tried not to stare. There were few within the kingdom that didn’t know of her interest in him. Unfortunately for Aria, Darius was one of the ones who didn’t know, or at least seemed not to notice. They made a nice couple, people would think as they passed - the tall dark young man and the unruly young heir to the Triderian throne.

Darius was well known in the land of Aralistra, and had managed to attain quite a reputation for a man in his early twenties. He was one of the few people trusted by the three kingdoms - mainly for his refusal to align himself to any particular kingdom. Though he was born in Feltharin, lately it was Trideria more than anywhere else that seemed to be his home. Many people of the land guessed that eighteen-year-old Aria was the reason.

Darius seemed uninterested in the tales of the Loremasters as they mingled with the crowd – until they reached a group that seemed to consist of mainly young children huddled around an old woman seated on a stool. Aria watched Darius’ face with curiosity as he stopped without warning at the edge of the group and listened to the conversations.

“Tell us again, how our world came to be like it is now.” a young voice begged.

The old woman’s face took on a far away look as she began:

“Long ago, our world wasn’t like it is now. There were many more people than there are these days. There were the three peoples; The Atlans, The Eltheans, and the Gah'Rin, but there were also many others. People weren't afraid of dark nights like tonight. There were no Forbidden Lands where dark creatures lurk.”

“But that was all before the Great War...”

“In those days, our world was joined together with many others. The people traveled back and forth between realms, and all lived in peace. “

“Then, one day, a new portal was found leading to a new world. However, this world was a dark one, filled with many evil creatures. These Evil Ones warred against our realm for many years before they were defeated, however, many of their beasts escaped into our realm, and plague us to this day.“

“When the war was over, our world was shattered. The gates that spanned the Heavens and linked the many worlds together were destroyed. What had once been a lush land filled with vast cities was now a forbidden desert wasteland.”

“Even after the Evil Ones were gone, the peoples that remained continued to war among themselves. The Elves and Dwarves banished us from their lands, and the Atlans had died, taking many of their great secrets with them.”

“The Great Darkness had descended...”

“awww, we’ve heard all that before!”, a boy at the front of the group interrupted. “Tell us about the Unknown Hero.”, a chorus of cheers erupted from the group and the old woman smiled.

“Well, then let me see.... Where do I begin?”, she said with a cheerful glint in her eyes. This story was a favorite of the children.

“Not much is known about him. He was found wandering Aralistra with no memory of who he was or where he came from. People began calling him Nazo Hito - the Mystery Person.”

“The great Jareal himself found him, and took him in. Together they fought the Evil Ones during the Great War. It is said that he was able to control the very forces of nature - just like Jareal - without even being taught!”

“It was the Unknown Hero who beat back the enemy’s beasts at the battle of Shal Sharin, and it was during the battle for Khol’Gazir that he saved Jareal from the Jalk’Jadaar lord.”

“After that, an army was formed. One thousand of the best fighters from each of the three races, the Elves, the Dwarves, and the Atlans chased the Evil Ones across the Barrier Mountains, and into the lands to the west. A great battle was fought, but still, the Evil Ones escaped to the southern continent.”

“Jareal, Nazo Hito, and the Great Council met one last time to discuss how to rid Aralistra of the Evil Ones forever. It was decided that the gateways that were the link to the other worlds, and that were controlled by the enemy, would be destroyed, so that no more Evil Ones could arrive.”

“Jareal and Nazo Hito went on this dangerous mission, into the heart of the enemy, taking only twenty men with them. The Jalk’Jadaar lord tried to escape through the gateway and was stopped by the Unknown Hero. Together Nazo Hito and Jareal shattered the gateways, but in doing so, were lost.”

The old woman paused for effect, firelight adding an orange glow to her gray hair, as the children listened intently.

“But, it is said that when the world is threatened once again by the armies of the Evil Ones, that the Unknown Hero will return again to drive them away for good....”

The old woman met Darius’ gaze as she finished her story, a half smile playing across her aged lips.

“That’s all for tonight children, come see me tomorrow, and I’ll tell you about the Atlans, and how Jareal found the gateways.”

The children scampered away to listen to the other storytellers as Darius and Aria approached the old woman.

“Halla, why do you still insist on filling their heads with old wives tales, and foolishness?” Darius asked.

“I seem to recall a young Darius who used to beg me to tell him that same story.” Halla answered, the smile growing on her face. “Besides, don’t be so quick to doubt the wisdom of old wives.” Halla sat there on her little three-legged stool, the wizened look of untold years in her eyes. “There is a scholar in Falconhome who believes that there may be a good deal of truth to the legends. He has been collecting records and artifacts from the time of the Great War, and is well on his way to proving the existence of the Atlans.”

“What’s his name?” Aria asked, instantly interested. Darius just shook his head, and rolled his eyes in disbelief.

Halla smiled at them with that mysterious smile. “Tristan Telgan, he’s a former scholar from the Aralistran Academy.”

Aria was about to ask more when a bell sounded it’s clear call. Everywhere, groups began to break up and move towards the exits scattered around the hall.

Aria sighed softly, turning to Darius. “I’m supposed to attend the banquet with the Royal Court, for the Loremasters.” she said by way of apology.

“That’s all right”, Darius said, “I’m meeting Jonathon for dinner in the Dining Hall.”

Aria stuck her lower lip out in a mock pout. “Trade with you.”, She pleaded.

Darius shook his head. He knew how much she detested the Court extravagance. Since her mother’s death twelve years previous, Aria had spent more time around the Knights and castle guards. She always felt more at home in the rowdy Dining Hall with the workers than the lush Banquet Hall with the dignitaries.

“All right,” she said finally, “after dinner though, will you spar with me? I’m tired of beating the castle knights, and could use a challenge before I go soft.”

Halla hid a smile as Darius helped her to her feet. Aria turned to her, “Would you sit beside me at the banquet tonight? I’d love to hear more about Darius when he was little.”

“Hey!” Darius started to protest.

The two women smiled innocently at him as they left, already laughing in a conspiring way, making Darius wonder what they were plotting, and whether he’d survive the event.