War of the Never

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HERE...NOW

“Mommy, look.” Four-year-old Alex reached behind to tug his mother's jumper, unable to take his eyes away from the window. His mother’s hand swatted his away.

“But, Mom, it's magic. You gotta look,” he pleaded, but mom wasn't interested. She turned back to the stewardess, who looked at the family with a plastic smile.

The stewardess picked up a glass and began to fill it with ice. She was young, and took care not to drop any ice cubes down her pristine white shirt, but she hesitated as a shiver passed through the aircraft. She was used to turbulence, but this was different, something akin to an electric shock, and she felt the hairs on her arms stand on end. She looked up the aisle into the confused eyes of the senior flight attendant on board the Air America flight. The plane was flying at thirty seven thousand feet above the Atlantic Ocean. This would be a really bad time for anything to go wrong.

Something flashed past the window. Alex’s mother, Heather, leaned over her young son’s shoulder as she gasped, can of club soda falling un-noticed into her lap. Shouts and expletives filled the cabin, as the passengers noticed, at last, what Alex first glimpsed.

They were half-way into a six hour flight from Heathrow to Orlando, Florida. Alex and his family had spent two weeks sightseeing around London. The boy loved the open topped bus tours, but his highlight had been the Armed Forces museum. Alex enjoyed seeing the different things England had to offer. Heather was glad she’d talked Martin, her husband, into choosing a more cultural destination for their holiday.

It was a pity he had to cut his holiday short, and fly home the day before. He was a scientist, carrying out work for the military. He couldn’t talk about it, but Heather wondered if his recall was something to do with what was happening now.

Heather wanted to be home and safe on US soil. She looked out the rounded portal of toughened glass and plastic. Around her, the world was in turmoil. A huge expanse of multi-colored energy stretched as far as the eye could see, along the curvature of the Earth below. Lightning danced across the horizon, fading into the distance. As more people noticed, crowding around the windows, the bing of the seatbelt sign preceded the crackle of the PA system.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking.” The voice was strained and shaking. “Please return to your seats right away, and fasten your seat belts. I am announcing a flight emergency. Reach below your seats and put on your lifejackets. The flight attendants will pass up and down the aircraft if anyone needs assistance. Be assured, we are in no immediate danger, but for obvious reasons, I want to be sure we’re ready for anything. I’ll keep you updated with any news. Please, stay calm, and remain seated.”

Heather felt a scream rising in her throat, but she clung onto Alex as she tried her best to squash it down. She didn’t want to panic her son. Perhaps it was the stoic and unflinching British passengers on board, but a hush came over the plane, everyone doing their best to remain calm. She could tell from the wary glances and stiff postures that the passengers were scared as hell. The flight attendants walked slowly and calmly up and down the cabin, smiling all the time. Heather saw the fear in their eyes, hiding beneath the veneer of professionalism. Perhaps it’ll all be fine, she thought. Her breathing steadied, and looking out the window again, she was just in time to see a tendril of lightning reach up from the rainbow surface below. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized it was the wrong color. Lightning wasn’t red, was it? Bolts of energy snaked across the port wing, causing sparks to light up the cabin. A huge impact rocked the airframe, blowing a hole two feet wide in the tip of the port wing. A spider web of electricity passed inwards, across the surface of the wing. The airframe shook violently, before the plane was pitched into darkness. Heather heard the whine of the engines begin to wind down, and bit on her lip to stifle a scream.

“Mommy, I’m scared.” Alex cried.

The plane lurched, plummeting downwards with a force that lifted the unsecured flight attendants off their feet and threw them like rag dolls against the roof and over-head compartments. Screams filled the cabin, as the panic bubbling beneath the surface eventually broke free.

IN THE COCKPIT, THE pilot and co-pilot sat in total darkness, gaping at the dark consoles before them. This aircraft, a Boeing 777-400, was state of the art in every way. It was one of the first commercial aircraft to employ ‘fly-by-wire’ technology, where computers passed any movement of the conventional yoke and pedal arrangement to the control surfaces of the plane. Everything was dead; the displays, indicators, the computers, were all gone. The pilot glanced at the co-pilot, seeing his own fear reflected in the other’s eyes. Without the displays, they might have managed. Without the computers, they had no way to control the aircraft.

After a few seconds, however, the Senior Captain’s training kicked in, and he grasped the yoke. He rested his feet on the rudder pedals and turned to his junior co-pilot.

“Pull the mechanical bypass. I need to see if I can level this bitch out.” The plane rolled to port. The damaged wing couldn’t generate the lift required. “The bypass. Now!”

The shocked co-pilot shook himself out of the funk of terror, and reached to the overhead console. He grabbed a red T-shaped lever, and looked across at his captain who nodded. He pulled the lever.

The controls bucked violently under the pilot’s hands. Control was passed from the now defunct computers systems, to the arrangement of rods and cables used to fly a conventional aircraft. “Grab hold. Help me pull up!”

The co-pilot saw his friend’s arm muscles bunch as he strained to pull the wheel towards him. He took his controls and applied his own strength. Slowly, degree by degree, the aircraft’s roll halted. The mechanical dial of the artificial horizon wavered as another shudder caused a further slip to port, but the two pilots fought the battle of their lives. They won this one, as the plane levelled out. They were still losing altitude, but at least they were back in control.

Sweat rolled down their faces. The engines were dead, the electricity to feed the fuel into them now gone. The mechanical dial on the twin overhead altimeters was spinning rapidly anit-clockwise, passing through eleven thousand feet, but they couldn’t pull up any further. To do so would stop the air flowing over the wings, risking a stall, which would turn the plane from a glider into a very expensive brick. The view from ahead was filled with the glittering, lightning swept surface of the phenomenon that caused their current predicament.

“You know, it’s actually kinda beautiful,” said the young co-pilot, breathing heavily.

His senior snorted. “Yeah, I suppose so. It’s just unfortunate that it’s probably going to kill us all on impact.” He reached across to grasp his friend’s hand. “It’s been a pleasure.”

SANCTUARY-IN ORBIT

Tenybris strode down the corridor, stooping as he passed through the molten mess of the security bulkhead. His seven foot form barely fit through an opening designed for smaller creatures. He kept his true form; humanoid, with long ebony hair and impossibly dark eyes, but anyone beholding this being would know his appearance held a terrible force inside. Malevolence emanated from him, and even as the crew fought futilely, they battled an overwhelming terror that leeched the courage from their souls.

The magical shield around him flashed with the impact of thousands of projectiles bouncing futilely off it. The doorway at the end led into a large open area filled with tables and chairs.

Along one side was a serving area, still littered with steaming dishes. Tenybris hadn’t actually eaten in millennia; the souls he consumed provided all the sustenance he required, but the smell of the alien food invoked a different hunger. One he hadn’t felt for such a long time.

Visions of feasts from his early years came unbidden to his mind. Memories of beasts, roasting on a spit above an open fire, caused his mouth to water.

What is wrong with me? he thought. I don’t need this. I am above such lowly needs. I am a god!

With a gesture, the food disappeared, but a tiny voice sounded in his head. ‘If you’re above such lowly needs, why did you send the source of the need away?’

Tenybris shook his head, banishing the voice, wondering where it originated. It was familiar, but impossible; no, the owner of that voice died a long time ago. He took in his surroundings. Whilst his shield was under assault from the corridor behind, the area ahead was empty. He suspected this was a trap. He smiled mirthlessly, his eyes narrowing.  These pitiful insects thought they could defeat him.

Openings from other corridors fed into the hall. Tenybris stopped abruptly as an armored figure stepped out from one of them, running headlong towards him. Flame erupted from some sort of shoulder mounted weapon, and the shield flared as the rocket exploded. The man didn’t stop, however, and flung himself at Tenybris, hammering uselessly at the barrier. Tenybris heard the whining of the motors strain as the figure sought to reach him with a physical assault, but even his exo-skeleton enhanced strength couldn’t reach the figure inside.

Tenybris sneered as he reached out a hand toward the soldier. He dimly perceived more of the armored forms entering from the other corridors, to cover him from all angles.  It was time for a statement.

A flick of his Elven wrist started an ungodly scream of pain to emit from the figure attacking him. Blue flames shot out of the joints where the neck met the head. The speaker attached to the armored helmet flew out, bouncing off the bulkhead as flames erupted from the opening. The visor lit up from within as the soldier burned in his suit.

Tenybris lifted the figure off the ground, impervious to the magical fire. The elbow and knee joints of the suit glowed, and the surface of the breastplate cracked.

Another gesture and the suit flew through the air, knocking two of the others to the deck. Tenybris felt their terror as they watched their companion’s life wink out. The suit of armor melted into the deck plate, becoming a puddle of metal mixed with blood and bone.

He walked forward, reaching into the mass to wrench the man’s skull from his shoulders.

Tenybris cast a spell. Everyone throughout the fleet could now hear him and see the scene before him. “I will burn each and every one of you.” His voice filled the ship, as did the vision he held in his hand. The burnt flesh dripped off the soldier’s skull. Everyone aboard had the stench of seared flesh in their nostrils.  “You have seen what is happening below on the planet. It is only my need for these... ships, that keeps your pitiful souls within your bodies.”

To demonstrate, he took the souls of the two crewmen closest to him. Their companions watched in horror as the man and woman grasped their heads. They screamed. The sounds echoed off the bulkheads, amplifying it and feeding it back to their comrades.

Dread and hopelessness filled the two victims’ hearts as the spell spread its rot, ripping the life from every cell of their body; tears of pain and loss ran down their faces as their eyes widened in shock and denial. They looked around pleadingly at their stricken crewmates and friends, begging them to save them. As they collapsed on the deck, the cries reduced to a mewling sound, dying as their essence was stolen. 

The loss of a soul was horrible to witness, but even worse was seeing the animated shell stand up afterwards; once a person they had all known, only lifeless husks remained. Their former friends retreated, terrified of what they’d become.

Tenybris laughed. The effect was like glass shattering. “Now, who’s next?” He turned to the group of armored figures ahead, smiling as his eyes narrowed. His arm shot out.

“Wait!” The shout came over the internal speakers. “All hands stand down and withdraw.”

Tenybris lowered his hand, halting the spell, and watched as the soldiers retreated into the corridors. Within seconds he was alone, except for the two soulless husks.

A robotic drone appeared from above, hovering in front of Tenybris. A holographic projector activated and a tall, grey haired man appeared. His face was drawn and his blue eyes red-rimmed. “I’m Admiral C’aan. We surrender. Please...don’t kill any more of my people.”

Tenybris blinked. Instead of standing on the bridge of the ship, half a kilometre away, C’aan stood in person before him. The admiral looked around in confusion for an instant, before his eyes settled on Tenybris. The Elf seethed inside; he barely restrained the urge to take this man’s soul. Tenybris bit back his fury. He needed him; for now at least.

When he arrived on the planet below, the leadership assembled to meet him. He remembered the pitiful aura of pride they exuded, thinking their actions had released him from his prison to save them. Tenybris smiled, recalling the expression on their faces as he consumed their leader. Their terror mounted as he took them, one by one, leeching their life-force into him, along with all their knowledge and memories.

He still didn’t know how his escape had come about. He knew the Beast had carried out his plan, back on the blue planet, but he was supposed to return to Teralia, not Sanctuary. Even now, he felt the trickle of magic infuse his being, but this trickle should be a flood. Somehow, something had happened to foil his plan. The Beast was silent, most likely gone, he accepted.

The knowledge inside him assured him the mighty portal machines, that allowed travel to everywhere in reality, would take months to reactivate, if indeed they could be.

The Liberi had been his next objective. If he could consume and use their ability to create portals between worlds, he could escape Sanctuary, and follow the taste of magic back to its source.

The capture of the Liberi eluded him. He seethed, as he remembered the first time he encountered one. The soul stealing spell rebounded, causing a wave of nausea to pass through him. The young warrior had pounced on him, ripping her nails down his cheek, causing the first physical harm to his body in eons. His slaves had swamped the warrior, hundreds of bodies overcoming and ripping her apart. The child was no more than nine or ten years of age, and Tenybris had so looked forward to the sweet taste of innocence. His inability to even sense the soul confused him. Worse, was the refusal of the loosened soul upon death to obey his will. It didn’t pass into the Never. The soul went somewhere else. Tenybris had no idea where.

He shrugged, bringing himself back to the present. His hunger was sated and his power grew. He knew that until he regained the link with the Darkness, he would have but a shadow of his former might. His blood sang with the magic that seeped slowly back into his soul; too slowly. The Veil still existed. He would have to take direct action. Without the portal machines and the Liberi, these ships were the only way off this world.

Tenybris grasped C’aan by the throat, bringing him close enough to smell the salt of his tears. He recalled a memory from the planet below, feeding it back into the admiral’s mind. Two screaming children held in a female’s arms before she leapt at her attackers. “Your wife was very brave, Admiral. She fought for a time, attempting to save your children.”

Tenybris grinned at the wide eyed fury he stoked. “In the end, all she succeeded in doing was to give them a ringside seat for her murder. It scared them, Admiral. They cried and screamed. For as long as it took me to consume them.”

Tenybris released his grip. The admiral slumped to his knees, sobbing as the image of his children rising soulless, to stand and fight in Tenybris’s, army filled his head. Throughout the fleet, people stiffened and cried. They witnessed similar scenes of their own families being consumed.

“I have their souls!” screamed Tenybris in everyone’s head. “Serve me, and they may one day be returned to you, whole. Defy me, and you will watch as I torture and consume your loved ones, one by one.”

Tenybris smiled. It was all a lie. The souls he took were his. Their essence fuelled his rising power. He would never give them up.

He felt the despair and reluctant acceptance pass through the ships. He had them. Now, he just had to destroy the Veil, and renew his link with the pit. But first, there was a problem on the planet below.

“Admiral!” The man looked up with red rimmed eyes. “These ships have weapons that will destroy whole cities, do they not?”

The man hesitated, seeming for a second to want to resist. Then he bowed his head. “We have several methods to destroy targets from orbit...”

Tenybris watched as the admiral struggled how to address the being before him. “You may call me, Master,” he said. The title his Beast had used was familiar, and suited the situation.

C’aan’s eyes narrowed for the briefest instant.

Tenybris saw the hesitation, but did nothing. A nagging feeling within made him pity this insignificant worm. In the early days of his conquest he might have just taken the soul and used the terror to provoke obedience from below. Now? The voice whispered to his subconscious. Was sparing him weak? Tenybris was conflicted. Besides, he needed him and his ships right now.

“There is a city on the southern continent, here.” He flashed the location into the admiral’s brain. “I want it destroyed. Now!”

C’aan bowed, any thoughts of defiance gone, as he raised his wrist comm to issue the order. He couldn’t know the reason for Tenybris being here, using the ships weapons to do what he could not.

Below, in the city he targeted, were the remains of the Liberi. Only a few dozen remained on planet, the rest having been overwhelmed as individuals. These others, however, had organised themselves, and were defending the city as they evacuated the populace though their portals. It was slow. There were millions of people in the city, and each Liberi could only create a portal large enough for a few people to pass through at a time, but souls Tenybris needed were escaping. His forces were being held back. This enraged him. The Liberi must die. In seconds, the city would be dust and fire.

THE GLADE

Gwenyth landed light on her feet. The fall seemed endless, as she let the living rope given to her by Gak, the Brownie chieftain, play through her fingers. She fell for hours, into a pitch black pit that sucked every bit of warmth from her body. Just as her fingers numbed to the point where she lost her grip, the blackness gave way to an angry red glow.

She stood in a nightmare pit, tinged the color of blood. Her senses, even her skin, crawled as evil rushed over her. Every breath she struggled to draw into her lungs burned, and her eyes watered as if she cried a flood of tears. Worse, much worse, was the feeling of complete wrongness surrounding her.

Gwen wasn’t from this world. She’d been born on Earth, but arrived here over sixteen years ago, reborn as a baby, after her own daughter travelled back in time to save her from a fate worse than death. So, the feeling she felt now was totally alien to her.

“Why are you here, child?”

Gwen flinched at the sound coming from all directions at once. The voice provoked a memory from her subconscious, something to do with blades, and a black board mounted on a wall. It was cold, and the hatred in it assaulted her as she turned to face the embodiment of pure, undiluted evil. The red glow of the pit was everywhere, except in this creature. It sucked in the light. Even as it stepped across the glowing floor, its feet dampened the fire, sucking it into itself, consuming the dark energy of hatred.

The creature laughed, and Gwen shivered as the terror threatened to overcome her, but within her soul, a memory awakened.  “So, this is what Hell feels like. I have to admit, the color scheme fits, even if it’s a little clichéd.”

She looked up into the glowing embers that marked where the creature’s eyes should be. She thought they narrowed for a second, but the thing advanced toward her. As it grew closer, Gwen craned her neck. The creature was over twenty feet high, but somehow she knew it wasn’t real. She sensed deception, and she closed her eyes for a second, stretching out her perception.

As she did so, the being morphed. It shank down to become the true creature before her, and it was wretched. It writhed and lunged across the ground, stretching its malformed limbs out to grasp her, but each time it did, it recoiled from an invisible shield. Gwenyth looked up and back around her, seeing a silvered cocoon flowing outward. Her breathing abruptly eased, and the oppression turned into determination. She wasn’t beaten. The Darkness couldn’t touch her.

“The Veil hasn’t fallen as you’d hoped, has it?” she said, as she stepped closer to the pitiful form on the ground before her. “You expected to receive much more energy than you have. You can’t reach Tenybris, can’t renew your link. You’ve failed.” Suddenly, history revealed itself to Gwenyth.

She stood rooted to the spot as images flashed before her. Dimly, she remembered some of the religious mumbo jumbo from her former life, of a being known as the Devil. Back then she’d been a scientist, and hadn’t believed it. Now, she knew she was wrong; mostly.

There never was a Devil, or if there ever was, he was a pawn of the force anchored in this place. All evil, every single aspect of every wicked belief in the universe, came from this pit. Visions flew through her mind, hundreds, thousands of images of evil, a few which she recognised.

Foremost was always the horned and cleft footed demon, commonly known as Lucifer, though as the vision shifted, Gwenyth saw the subtle changes the Darkness used to make it fit into other world’s mythologies.

Then there were the other beings she knew from...Earth? That was where she was from, wasn’t it? A black dog-shape with a reversed head, mingled with a green armored, horned, grinning figure. A multi-armed, blue-skinned being, stood alongside a gargoyle shape with a grotesque twisting tongue.

“Not quite as impressive as we thought, is it Kore?” Filumé stepped out of the shadows, accompanied by the smaller bearded figure.

“A have tae admit, I expected more, after the way you described the creature, Gwen,” said the Dwelven Prince.

Gwenyth grinned. “It’s good to see you two as well.” She’d wondered where they were, and feared they’d been killed in the fall.

“Awk, it’ll take more than a wee fall to kill us, isn’t that right, Filumé?” He slapped his tall, golden haired friend on the back, walking forward to embrace Gwenyth.

“Well, I’m glad you’re ok, but where were you? I didn’t see you when I landed?”

Filumé snorted. “We didn’t have the benefit of a rope to hang onto as we fell, so we landed quite a distance away. The place we ended up was dark as pitch, but we saw this glow, and knew this was where we needed to be. It’s taken us a few hours, but it looks like you don’t need our assistance after all.” He nodded at the pitiful creature.

It returned a baleful stare, but its advance toward Gwenyth stopped at the shield surrounding her. Realizing she was untouchable, it reached towards the two others, but Gwenyth moved to intercept it. The creature, however, was faster than it appeared capable of in its diminished form. It leapt off the ground, heading straight for Kore.

Gwen screamed at him, reaching out to try and grab hold, but just as the thing was about to reach Kore, a bolt of blinding blue-white lightning arced from her fingers to engulf it. It hung suspended in the air, inches from Kore’s dumbstruck face. He hadn’t even had time to flinch; such was the speed of the assault.

Gwen held the stance, knowing that if she didn’t, the creature would be free to attack again. “Get behind me, both of you!” Her voice was strained. Inside the ball of energy, the creature writhed in pain, but it struggled against the binding forks. “I can’t hold it for much longer, but it seems it can’t touch me. Stand as close to me as you can.”

She waited until Filumé and Kore entered the protection of the bubble surrounding her before lowering her hand. The creature flew through the space Kore’s head previously occupied. It would have taken it off at the shoulders.

“By the Great Maker, lass. Ye save me life,” Kore whispered in his deep burr.

“Indeed,” said Filumé. “Appearances can be deceptive. Gwen, this creature is not all it seems. Be very careful.”

He hid it well, but Gwen sensed his alarm and concern for her. She blushed, feeling the warmth creep up the back of her neck onto her pale cheeks. If they ever got out of this alive, it was clear she was in for interesting times ahead.

“You have no idea, elf.” The cavern boomed as a cold, desolate voice assaulted their eardrums. The creature vanished, leaving no hint of its existence.

Filumé and Kore fell to their knees, hands over their ears, crying in pain, but Gwenyth stood unaffected. The red glow began to diminish, and along with it the heat it gave to the air. Her breath misted, and she knew with certainty if it wasn’t for the shield around them, they’d be frozen stiff by now. Even with it in place, the two natives of this land began to shiver violently; but again, Gwenyth was unaffected.

In the darkness, a form circled them. It should have been impossible, thought Gwen, but it was even darker than the pitch blackness. At last, she knew this was the true enemy, the one she’d encountered above the forest.

“Decided to show yourself at last?” She smirked as a wave of annoyance came off the being, if that’s what it truly was.

“You made a mistake coming here, child. I warned you what would happen if you did.” Malice dripped from the voice, and Gwen was almost overcome by a wave of hatred directed straight at her.

She gritted her teeth, swallowing the bile rising in her throat. “Funny, all I’m hearing are words. Don’t you have any actions to back them up? Or are you as powerless as I first thought?”

The creature struck, its hand a blur. The shield flared under the barrage of blows and mental assaults, but although she recoiled, Gwen was untouched.

The same couldn’t be said for Filumé and Kore, however. They lay, cowering in terror on the floor. The creature couldn’t physically touch them, but unlike her, they were susceptible to the mental attacks. Gwen and the Darkness reached the same conclusion at the same instant.

She felt it retreat, regaining its strength. Gwenyth felt its power surge for a moment, before diminishing. It was still far too strong for her defeat alone; and unfortunately, alone she was. No one from the land of Teralia could hope to stand against it. Her new friends were about to die, and there was nothing she could do about it...unless.

She knelt on the ground, grabbing their hands. Both were out cold, but Gwen felt their life-force flowing through them. She reached out with her mind, grasping onto the Brownie’s rope which swung above her like a whisp of lightning. Through it, her mind found the forest above, and just as the Darkness struck, her eyelids snapped shut. Words appeared on the canvas of her mind; strange, but familiar at the same time. Gwen’s pupils searched aimlessly until one phrase flashed with unbearable intensity. The words whispered unbidden from her lips, and they flew upwards, the sides of the cavern blurring. Beneath them, a scream followed. A wave of rage hit them, deflecting off the bubble which grew in strength as they approached the surface.

The fall had taken hours, but it took seconds to fly out of the pit into a surreal scene. Gwen slowed them down, flying over the forest to land beside a young female elf and a collection of bush like beings.

Amilee and Gak ran over, embracing her. “You’re alright...oh I was so worried about you, Gwen.” Amilee’s face was wide-eyed and tear stained, but broken by a wide grin. “The whole Lands were shaking. The sky was raining fire down and it looked like everything was ending, but then it just stopped. Then that appeared.”

Gwen followed her finger upwards, noticing the pinkish tinge of the sky for the first time, but that wasn’t what drew her attention. Thousands of feet above her was something from her memories, something she never thought she’d see again. She struggled to find the word for it, but eventually dragged it up from the depths of her mind.

It was an airplane.

SANCTUARY

Awakening was always hard. Laren never knew what to expect after those first few times of seeing murdered children. The drugs were a release from the torture her soul felt, knowing her actions caused the leadership to kill them. So, she hovered reluctantly, just under the veil of consciousness, fighting the need to wake. If she woke, it meant the drugs had worn off, and the only reason for that was they wanted to torment her again.

This time, however, something was different. As she opened her eyes, the normally bright glaring lights were missing. The companions she’d been greeted with each time were gone.

They had always been there, a child in each hand; and as she’d woken, one of the hands tightened to snap a neck. The sound of a neck snapping was horrible, but hearing the other children cry was worse. Laren was aware that on occasions the murdered child was a sibling of one of the others. This made it worse, because she could do nothing.

She remembered back to the only time she had.

“Where am I?” Laren tried to raise her arms to block out the blinding white light glaring down at her, but they were bound to the hard surface of the table beneath her.

A form appeared, leering cruelly. “I think you know where you are, traitor.”

Laren recognized him as one of the Liberi who attacked the island. She’d witnessed him murder one of her friends, and Laren’s blood boiled. She subtly tested the restraints. The left one rocked a little in its housing. She just needed some time.

She clenched her teeth, stretching her awareness out. There were four Liberi in the room with her. She touched each mind, using her talents to implant a suggestion.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Another figure entered Laren’s view, a girl with long, dark green hair. “We were told not to harm her!”

The male stood back. “What are you talking about? I haven’t touched...What?”

“Shit, you’ve really screwed up now.” The female reached for a comm. “We need medical in here. Now!”

The male recoiled from the bloody form on the bench. Her stomach was ripped open and she shook from side to side, groaning in agony.

Laren smiled. The trick Katheryne showed her had worked. She rocked, groaning in what she hoped was pain, as the left restraint snapped.

The male went down with the barbed remains of the restraint buried in his neck. Laren managed to roll to one side, just in time to dodge the impact as Green hammered her fist into the space her face formally inhabited. She latched onto the minds of the other three Liberi, meshing their thoughts, creating one consciousness from three. They dropped like stones, clutching their heads, unable to function.

Laren pulled the pins on the other restraints. Free, she looked around. She stepped over Green, who twitched and threw up. Laren kicked her in the face.

“Stop!” The voice came from speakers dotted around the room, and as it spoke, screens lit up. There were over a dozen, and Laren’s blood ran cold as she saw bodies, children’s corpses, littering the displays.

“This is your doing, Laren.” The voice was flat and emotionless. Utterly cold. “By your actions, you condemned these...poor, unfortunate children to die.”

“You monsters! I didn’t kill them. You did. And by the Maker, I will make you pay for it.” Laren started to fashion a portal.

“I wouldn’t do that.” The disembodied voice appeared in the doorway, his large hands holding the necks of two children, a boy and a girl.

His eyes flashed with eager anticipation, and Laren took a step back. Bile rose as she felt his thoughts.

“Here, you can have this one. I have a spare.” The bitter crack echoed off the walls as he snapped the girl’s neck, before casting her limp body at Laren’s feet.

The boy’s face contorted as his hands ripped against the unbreakable grip holding him. Tears streamed from his eyes, but he couldn’t make a sound.

“This one lives.” He held the child, suspended between two huge fingers. “But only as long as you serve us. If you defy us in any way, another hundred children die.”

Laren’s heart dropped. This was the worst kind of torture, but she knew she had no choice but to help them; help them betray her friends.

So, she had. Laren told everything she could, unable to hold anything back from captors who knew her every thought. She’d told them all she knew about Katheryne, the prophesised Foundation, the saviour; the person who was supposed to defeat Tenybris, and save the universe. She told them all about the place Katheryne created to gather all the Power’s from the multitude of realities, in order to unite them against Tenybris.

They used her knowledge to plan an attack. Thankfully, Laren’s knowledge of Katheryne’s growing strength and power had been outdated, and the attack was beaten back. In fact, of all the Liberi the leadership had twisted to their will, a bare six dozen, only three warriors returned. Before they put her back to sleep, Laren saw the confusion on the leadership’s faces. Their pawns had died, but they should have reappeared, here on Sanctuary as children; children they should have been able to twist to their agenda.

The leadership had always been able to renew one of the Liberi when he or she died. It was one of the powers Olumé granted them before he departed. He gifted them with a cadre of five hundred warriors, the Liberi, on the condition they keep them secret until Tenybris was safe inside his prison. Then they would go to work, defeating his supporters, but more importantly, searching for the one person capable of saving them; The Foundation.

Warriors died in battle, even elite ones like the Liberi, but there were souls throughout the realities who possessed the Liberi genome, so the leadership reached back and selected the best warriors to fight against the enemy.

This worked flawlessly for centuries; until a follower of Tenybris managed to gain power on Sanctuary. The man, B’ran, used arts given to him by a creature who escaped the fall of Tenybris to extend his life, and over decades usurp the rightful and ancient government of Sanctuary.

Instead of older warriors, B’ran argued that children were the best soldiers, that if they were bought to Sanctuary early enough and educated in an academy, they could be better controlled. One by one, the old leadership died, some by unnatural means, and B’ran gained premiership. The children replaced the older Liberi.

B’ran liked the children. He would always grant them a private audience in his chambers, shortly after their arrival.

Laren was one of these. As a seven-year-old new arrival, completely traumatised by the death of her family and whole world, she’d been overawed by the invitation to visit with someone as powerful as B’ran. Her innocence blinded her to his true motive. Shortly after her arrival, B’ran gave her a drink laced with a drug that made her drowsy and weak. The memories of that evening were dim, but there was no mistaking what B’ran had done.

It took her a few days, but Laren eventually picked up the courage to confide in one of the older Liberi. She needn’t have bothered. Nobody wanted to know. It was as if the story she told was familiar to them, that if they pursued her accusations, then careers and lives could be ruined. Though she was only seven, she saw the same thing happening to many new arrivals, both boys and girls, none of them over ten years old.

By her tenth birthday Laren had attempted suicide four times. Fortunately for her present self, someone at the academy kept a close eye on their charges. Each time she’d woken up in a brightly lit infirmary, cursing herself for being alive.

Her last attempt had been her most audacious. Laren waited till the middle of the night. Everyone in the dormitory was snoring softly as she got out of bed and opened a portal. She stepped though, into an empty apartment in a building half the world away. Laren had scouted this place out weeks ago, using the pretence of portal practice. She ran a hot bath, close to boiling, and lay down. Using a sharp blade, she cut upwards into the veins on each of her wrists, barely noticing the pain as her life’s blood pumped into the water. She lay, drifting slowly into the release of death’s grasp when, on the edge of consciousness a tall figure appeared. He reached in to lift her gently out of the bath. She tried to fight, but was so far gone by this point her efforts made her pass out.

LAREN AWOKE. SHE WASN’T in the infirmary. The sun shone in through the windows of the apartment. Her wrists were dressed and bandaged, the cuts already healing thanks to her enhanced metabolism.

“Good, you’re awake.”

Laren turned to face the voice, collapsing as a wave of nausea overcame her. The dark figure from her dream entered her view, sitting on the bed beside her. His youthful, fair skinned face held a pair of eyes which slanted upwards. The eyes were a deep brown, and echoed the smile which graced a set of full lips.

He held a glass to her lips. “Here, drink this,” he said. His smile hid an expression of concern.

Laren sipped the cool water. “Who are you? How did you know I was here?”

The older youth sat back, placing the glass on a bedside table. “My name is Toshi. I’m Liberi, as I’m sure you know by now.”

Laren nodded. The Liberi possessed a subconscious link with that could, among other things, be used to communicate with each other. It also indentified them to other Liberi. “Why did you save me? I need to die, Toshi. I can’t take the pain anymore.”

Toshi took the sobbing girl into his arms. His eyes bore into hers and Laren gasped as she felt his mind touch her soul.

A tear rolled down the youth’s cheek, and Laren wondered how he knew her, how long he’d been watching over her. “No, you need to live, Laren.”

Her cries stopped abruptly. She pushed back, far enough to look up into the smiling, tear streaked face. “How do you know my name? I’ve never met you before in my life.” Laren panicked, briefly, before Toshi raised a hand to stroke the side of the girl’s face.

“I swear by the Maker, I will never hurt you, Laren. I do, however, owe you an explanation.” Toshi laid her back onto the pillow and got up, crossing to look out the window. “For a while now, a few of us have watched the more vulnerable students in the academy, making sure you don’t do anything...unwise.” He turned to look straight into her eyes, piercing the barriers she’d built over the years. “I think you know what I mean by vulnerable.”

Laren’s eyes widened, but more than that, her heart leapt. “It was you! You and your friends are the reason I didn’t die before.”

Toshi nodded. “You, and many others, Laren. B’ran has grown bold, and his appetites are increasing. Some children still manage to end their suffering in the only way they see possible, usually when we are off world.”

Toshi bowed his head, and she saw the tears bourn of sadness and rage drop to the carpeted floor of the apartment. All she wanted to do was raise her hand to wipe them away. Never, since she’d arrived on Sanctuary, had she cared about another. That had just changed.

She listened to him, smiling as he talked.  “I’m afraid our numbers are small, and our group is getting smaller. Accidents happen, after all.”

Laren frowned. “I’m sorry. Toshi, I know I’m only a little girl, but I don’t think there are enough of you to take on B’ran. He’s too powerful.”

Toshi sighed, but his eyes twinkled. “Yes, and he has powerful friends; friends who are happy to protect him. Maker knows how he became head of the Leadership. Only a decade ago he was an instructor in the academy.” He sat back on the bed. “But we aren’t planning on toppling the government, not yet anyway. No, we need your help, Laren.”

“What?!” Laren’s mouth dropped open for a second before she managed to sit up without vomiting. “Why do you need my help? I mean, I’m only ten years old. I’m a kid.”

Toshi laughed. Laren felt the affection for her coming from him. It confused and alarmed her for an instant, before she remembered his promise to never hurt her. She believed him, with all her heart.

“You have a skill that would be incredibly useful to us,” he said. Laren looked back in disbelief, so he continued. “All Liberi can communicate with one another, via the link, yes?”

Laren nodded, uncertain where this was going.

Toshi reached over and took her hands. “Laren, you are capable of so much more. Haven’t you wondered how you can listen to more than one person at a time?”

Laren’s eyebrows furrowed. “You mean you can’t do that?”

Toshi shook his head. “No, no other Liberi, as far as we know, has this ability. This link we have is bi-directional only, except in your case. We can only talk to one person at a time, do you understand?”

“Yes,” she said, “but I don’t see how you could use my ability to help you.”

Toshi gazed into her eyes for a long moment, before smiling slightly. “Laren, imagine a situation where we had to coordinate something, an attack on a building, for instance. Normally we’d use communication devices, which can be intercepted. With you linking us together, the enemy would never see us coming.”

Laren smiled. “Yes, I can see how that might be useful.”

Toshi took her hand and kissed it. “Will you live, Laren? Will you survive and help us?”

Laren looked into Toshi’s eyes, searching for any doubt, but finding none. “I’ll need help...I...I’m broken, Toshi. I miss my family and friends so much.” Tears of grief streamed from her eyes for the first time since arriving on Sanctuary. They’d been blocked by the shock of transition into Liberi, and the anger over what had happened with B’ran. Now she needed to remember. And Toshi reached out, taking her into his arms and into his soul.

Over the years, Toshi and Laren’s friendship developed into love. The gangly, dark haired little girl grew into a beauty, with long black hair, and eyes that matched her loves. They were inseparable...until that night on the Island.

LAREN SHRUGGED THE memory away, sitting up on the narrow couch. She pulled the needles from her arms, and cried in the darkness. She was free. Something had happened. For a second she thought it might be a trick. The leadership had played games with her during her captivity, taunting her with hopes of freedom, but as she stretched her enhanced awareness outward, she knew the entire building was empty. In fact, everything was empty.

The Arbiter building stood at the centre of the capital area of Sanctuary. All around stood skyscrapers, reaching miles into the clouds above. All of them were deserted. Stretching outwards, Laren cried. Millions of bodies littered the surface of the planet. Deep down she knew the dead represented a tiny portion of the populace. ‘Where are the rest of them?’ she thought.

Then her heart thumped. Not everything was dead. Laren gasped as she found something impossible.

SANCTUARY

“This is a really bad idea, Derren.” Toshi stood inside the deserted office. The double doors led to a balcony overlooking the plaza below. “We really need to get out of here now, before we’re discovered.”

Derren strode outside to the railing. He grimaced as he turned to face his friend. “Discovered by whom, Tosh? Don’t you feel it?” He shuddered as he looked out at the dead cityscape below. What should have been a vista teeming with the vitality of life, was empty and still. Not a soul moved for hundreds of miles in every direction. “Everyone’s dead.”

Toshi came forward to stand beside his friend. His eyes widened as he took in the sight. Whilst he would never consider Sanctuary his home-that privilege was reserved for the world of his birth-he had lived here long enough to grow attached to it. He shuddered. It was like a graveyard stretching out as far as the eye could see. Gone were the air-cars and small shuttles that filled the skies. The breeze that tousled his dark hair brought nothing but silence. There was none of the sounds and smells that accompanied a world of billions of beings.

Toshi closed his eyes, concentrating as he stretched his awareness out beyond Derren’s capability. Each Liberi was the ultimate warrior, but some of them possessed enhanced skills. One of Toshi’s was his ability to reach out his perception to a fantastic range.

“No, they’re not dead, at least not all the way.” Toshi pointed to southern horizon. “I can sense a few dozen Liberi, mostly children, but a few adults. Here, let me show you.” He laid his hand on Derren’s shoulder, helping him to boost his range to locate their former brothers and sisters.

A few months earlier, an unknown number of Liberi had been corrupted by a creature using the form of Derren’s friend, Dwenn. It used magic to turn them against their friends, so there was no way to know if these Liberi on the other side of the world could be trusted.

Derren frowned as images flashed in his head. “They’re trying to evacuate as many people as they can, but they’re under attack.” He drew his awareness upwards, expanding the view out. He drew a breath inwards. “They’re surrounded by millions of the soulless. Toshi, we need to go and help. I can’t imagine any of the corrupted would be trying to help the people of Sanctuary.”

Toshi’s brows furrowed. “I am alarmed at the absence of Tenybris. This is the last island of life left on this world. I should have though he’d be there, unless...”

Both Derren and Toshi looked skyward.

“Shit,” said Derren. “He’s on one of the ships. Well, that certainly complicates things.”

Toshi snorted. “Agreed, my friend. I can’t foresee him keeping them in orbit long enough for our allies to arrive and destroy them.”

Before Tenybris’s escape, the original plan had been for the fleet, an alliance between the space navies of Dranis IV and Zhibalba, to crush the Sanctuary fleet in orbit and retake the planet as bloodlessly as possible. The plan had been altered, but the ships in orbit had to be destroyed to prevent the possibility of Tenybris using them. The fleet was due here within the week. It was supposed to jump in-system and carry out a lightning strike against the small force that was the Sanctuary space navy.

One of the reasons for this scouting mission had been to assess how far Tenybris had progressed in reactivating the portal machines. Derren and the other Liberi had lived on Sanctuary for years. They knew the theory behind how the machines operated, enough that they knew it should take months to reinitialise. That was if Tenybris didn’t somehow use magic, to accelerate the process.

Now, it appeared their concern was misdirected. The machines below were untouched. The vast majority of the planet was dead or worse, and Tenybris was about to escape with a small but deadly fleet.

Toshi looked up again. Although he couldn’t see the ships with his naked eye, his perception easily picked them up. “It seems our friend is quite impatient.”

Derren grasped the railings, squeezing hard enough to imprint outlines of his fingers into the thin metal. “Maybe we should portal up there, see if we can delay them somehow?”

Toshi looked at his friend, eyes wide. “Are you crazy? Go up there and take on a being that has just destroyed this planet?”

Derren flushed, before smiling his crooked grin. “Yeah, I suppose when you put it like that, that might not be my best idea ever.”

Toshi put his arm around his friend in a brotherly embrace. “I liked your first idea better, let’s go help the others to evacuate. Let’s face it, there’s nothing keeping us here, is th...”

Toshi stopped, his eyes lit up, and a curious smile played across his lips.

Then Derren sensed it as well.

“Laren!” they chorused. 

LAREN TOOK SHELTER behind the couch as two figures stepped through the shimmering circle of nothingness hanging in the air a few feet away. The room was too dark to see their faces, but the link revealed their identities.

What if it’s a trick, she thought. The leadership had become cruel and twisted enough to do it, even if she didn’t know how they could manage it.

“Laren?” said a voice thick with emotion.

She hunkered down behind the couch. “Go away!” she cried. “You’re not real. This...it’s all a lie.” The last words came out in a sob, but something touched her mind, gently caressing her soul; something familiar and unmistakable.

“Toshi?” Laren stood up from her hiding place, her voice breaking. “Is it really you?” Her heart soared as she ran to him.

In under a second they were locked in an embrace borne of desperation. Toshi picked his lover up and spun her around as she clung to him. He gathered her smaller form into his arms, and cradled her like a newborn babe.

Laren reached up, caressing the new lines on his face. “Miss me?”

They kissed, hot tears mingling as they ran down each other’s cheeks.

Derren watched them, smirking. “Now who needs to get a room?”

Laren snorted, untangling herself from Toshi and running into Derren’s embrace. “You asshole!” She gave him a squeeze, before reaching out to drag Toshi into a three way huddle.

Derren grunted. “Hey, loosen up. I know you two are pleased to see each other, but there is a time and a place for this.” His words didn’t prevent him from giving a huge hug in return.

Laren was like a little sister to him. He was glad to have her back, as was evident by the tears he was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide on the back of his hand as he wiped them away.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Suddenly the realisation hit her. She thumped Toshi on the arm.

He grunted. “Now, is that any way to greet someone who came halfway across a galaxy to save you?”

“Yes, if it means you’ve put yourselves in danger,” she replied, glowering at both of them. “I can’t believe you’d be so stupid. You’re going to be captured, like I was!” Her eyes grew wide again.

Toshi stepped in and drew her into his embrace. He held her as her body shook with sobs. He knew she was a hairs breadth away from lapsing into shock, so he poured his calming influence into her, as he had that night when he’d lifted her from the blood filled bath. She’d fought him then, but now she succumbed to his thoughts, as he enveloped her in his love. They stood in each other’s arms for a timeless moment before separating, reluctantly.

Derren put his hand on her arm. “Laren, Tenybris is...was, here.” He saw her eyes widen in alarm. “He’s gone, well not gone exactly. He’s on one of the ships in orbit. We think he’s going to use them to get away from here.”

Laren looked at Toshi. He nodded. “But why would he want to leave?” she asked. “Aren’t all the portals here? He could conquer the whole of reality in a matter of months.”

Derren looked at Toshi. Laren caught the glance. “What don’t I know? The last thing I remember is arriving back here, after the failed attack on the Island. But I haven’t been outside this room in...oh by the Maker, Toshi. How long have I been here?”

Toshi looked down, running a hand through her long ebony hair. She looked up at him, her chestnut eyes red rimmed and bloodshot, but Toshi had never seen her look so beautiful. “We can’t be sure, my love. Time here on Sanctuary runs differently than the rest of reality. You could have been here months, maybe years. We just can’t be certain.” He pulled her close again. “But you’re back, and I’m never going to let you go again, I promise.”

“Ahem.” They looked up, noticing Derren standing, tapping his foot impatiently. “If you’re quite finished, I think we have several thousand people to save?”

Laren looked at Toshi, confusion on her face. He smiled. “It appears there is ‘no rest for the wicked.’” This provoked a vacant stare from Laren. “An Earth expression, my love. We all seem to have picked a few up, though some of us aren’t as skilled in languages as others.” He glanced sideways at his friend.

Derren laughed, the sound musical, even in the darkness. “I can think of a better one to describe where we’re going. Out of the flaming pan, into the fryer.”

Toshi cringed. “Frying pan, into the fire, Derren,” he sighed.

Laren was so out of her depth she stayed silent.

Derren gave his crooked grin. “Whatever...now, how about saving what’s left of this world, and getting home for season seven of Friends?”

Toshi chuckled briefly before becoming serious. “Laren, there in an enclave on the far side of this world. Several Liberi are attempting to hold back Tenybris’s army, while the others open portals to evacuate the populace.” He looked downwards and clenched his fists. “I’m sorry to ask, but if I give you the range, can you probe them? We can’t risk jumping into a group of corrupted Liberi.”

Laren stepped back. She was tired, so tired she didn’t think she’d be able to fight, ever again. But they needed her. Katheryne had given her a gift to supplement her communication ability. She knew instantly when someone she linked with had been subverted by evil. So, she took his hands in hers. “Show me.”

Toshi helped her reach the group on the other side of the world. Her perception stretched around and outwards, encompassing the whole planet, linking with the Liberi defending the diminishing island of life. She breathed a sigh of relief as none bore the taint of corruption, but gasped in alarm as she linked with a single solitary soul, trapped hundreds of miles away. Hundreds of miles upwards, on the ship Tenybris currently inhabited.

The boy, Phili, was eight years old, and had run and hid when the alarms went off. He sat now, cowering in a storage locker under a bridge console, listening as the tactical crew prepared to launch.

“Toshi, we have to get them out of there, now!” She tied him and Derren into Phili’s thoughts. “They’re about to launch kinetics. There’s no way to defend against them.”

There wasn’t. Kinetics weren’t weapons in the traditional sense. There was no explosive payload aboard. They simply used mass and velocity to create enough energy to destroy a target. The two ton munitions, launched at hyper velocity by the ships rail guns, could wipe out a ten mile radius as efficiently as a ten megaton nuke, with none of the radioactive fallout associated with it.

“Laren, link Toshi into the guys on-world,” said Derren. “Tosh, you need to get them to go, now! I know they want to save as many as they can, but they won’t serve any purpose by dying.” He turned to Laren. “Can you link me into Phili? Gently. I don’t want to alarm him.”

Laren squeezed her eyes shut. Toshi began to warn the others, while Derren’s consciousness linked with a terrified child.

‘PHILI, CAN YOU HEAR me?’

Terror greeted his question. The boy had arrived on Sanctuary less than six months earlier, and had been assigned to the flagship, along with a senior handler. A few weeks later his handler departed, leaving him to wander the ship on his own. He’d enjoyed the experience, becoming a little brother to most of the crew; until Tenybris arrived.

‘Phili, you know what’s about to happen, don’t you? Your friends are being forced to fire on the planet. They’re going to kill millions of people. You need to delay them long enough so we can get everyone clear.’  Derren paused, breathing deeply. ‘Phili, do you know what a hero is?’

For a second, Derren thought he hadn’t got through.

‘Yes, but I’m scared.’ The voice whispered in Derren’s brain, as if even this contact would be enough to give him away. ‘Hero’s are brave. How can I be one?’

Derren smiled, projecting the feeling of irony across the link. ‘Phili, right now, I’m terrified; but you know what? People need me to help them, and I intend to do everything I can to do just that. Does that make me a hero?’

A second’s pause. ‘I guess so.’

‘So, guess what you are? You’re a hero, Phili. You’re the only one who can save us. I’ll be under the guns in a few minutes. It’s up to you to keep them busy. Can you do that, little friend?’

Derren felt the hesitation and uncertainty come over the link. He clenched his jaw. How could he expect a child to do this? A moment of regret and shame entered his mind before a feeling of grim determination arose in the child, alone in heavens.

‘Yes, Derren. I can do it.’

Derren’s chest swelled. He fed the pride he felt back through the link, as Phili acted.

PHILI OPENED THE STORAGE compartment’s door. It was a tiny area. Thankfully he was small, even for an eight-year-old. He was careful not to bump anyone’s legs as he crawled out, closing the hatch behind him. The speakers on the bulkheads were counting down. He didn’t have long. As he glanced out from the shadows brought on by the emergency lighting, he saw his target.

Tensing, he launched himself out from under the console, striking the senior weapons officer in the small of his back. The man went down, arching his back enough to allow Phili to wrench the key along with the chain from his neck. He bounded over the consoles, bouncing off the bulkhead into the armored figure that started to raise its weapon. The soldier went down, firing the rifle on full automatic. A hail of hypervelocity projectiles hit the deck above, ricocheting around the bridge. Screams filled the air as flesh was shredded and bones broken, but Phili held tight to the arming key. Using his link to Derren as an anchor, he opened a portal and jumped through.

THE BREATH WHOOSHED from Derren’s lungs as Phili hit him point blank in the chest. They went down in a tumble of arms and legs, coming to rest when Derren hit the wall.

“Ouch!” He sat up, a pale and terrified Phili sprawled across his legs. “Nice work, but you need to work on your portals.” Derren rubbed the bump rising on his head. “Though I don’t imagine you had much time, did you?”

Phili sat upright, clearly in shock. Laren kneeled down beside him, taking his small hands in hers.

“You’re safe now, Phili,” she said softly. “My name’s Laren. That’s Toshi, and I think you know Derren.”

“You saved us all,” said Toshi, before turning to help Derren to his feet. “But we need to go. It won’t be long until they get another ship into position. Phili, you can stay here with Laren. You’ll be safe with her.”

Laren started to protest, but Toshi silenced her with a shake of his head. Releasing Derren he leaned down to kiss Laren softly. “You are in no shape for a fight, my love. Besides, Phili doesn’t want to be left here alone. Do you?”

Phili’s initial horror had diminished, but he was still in shock over what happened, the deaths he’d caused; his friends’ deaths. He managed a slight shake of his head and clung tighter to Laren.

Laren nodded. Derren and Toshi stood for a moment, and then they were gone, stepping through a silver doorway.

AN INSTANT LATER THEY were surrounded by death. Screams echoed off the buildings surrounding the one they were in. Smoke filled the air and the smell of human terror filled their noses.

Derren took in his surroundings. They had jumped into what appeared to be a junction of portals. Around them stood five Liberi, holding portals open to who knew where, as long as it wasn’t here. People surged through them, hundreds every minute; but it wasn’t fast enough.

Toshi grasped his arm and looked skyward. “There’s another ship entering orbit above. They’ll be in range in two minutes.”

Derren nodded, before linking one by one to the other Liberi. Before he’d left, Katheryne had shared something with him. He’d never attempted anything like it, but as his thoughts mingled with the others, their small portals merged, becoming a rift over fifty meters wide.

The crowd rushed forward, rapidly emptying the small staging area. The warriors had cleared and blockaded the cluster of buildings holding the remainder of life on this world, allowing one chokehold to funnel the enemy so that only ten or less could pass at any one time.

Derren and the others rushed outwards, into a warzone. Of the Liberi Toshi had originally found, only a few dozen remained. They were the elders, the most experienced warriors, but one by one they were being overcome, ripped limb from limb by the horde of soulless abominations attacking them. For each of them that fell, a thousand soulless were destroyed; but then another million took their place, swarming inexorably forward.

Derren and Toshi leant their strength to the barrier, fighting for precious moments to allow more to escape. The buildings around them emptied, the throngs of beings running toward the portal. Parents carried youngsters; injured were supported when they fell. All of them looked behind them, eyes wide with terror, awaiting the wave of death to sweep inward.

One by one, the Liberi fell. The perimeter began to shrink, until at last it was time. Derren risked a glance at Toshi, seeing him covered in blood and gore. As he looked down, he realized he was the same.

Both of them faced hundreds of soulless; the barrier was gone, and if they paused to open a portal they’d be overcome, but each instant they kept the throng away from the plaza meant another dozen reached safety.

A noise, like ripping fabric, broke the atmosphere above, as a half dozen contrails arched downward.

The sound of impacts, and the tremors beneath their feet only made them fight harder. The kinetics were being walked across the area by the ship above, ensuring complete destruction. The ripping sound was the air being ignited by the hypervelocity munitions. It grew overpowering, rising above the screams of the escapees. Just as it threatened to rupture their eardrums, the sounds abruptly ceased.

Derren held his arm up to deflect a blow that never fell. All around, the soulless collapsed in heaps. A huge shape blocked out the sun. As it flew overhead, Derren saw the kinetics strike it, shrugged off by the dragon’s magical defences. His magic severed the link between Tenybris and the Soulless, and the remnants of the twisted souls rejoiced in their freedom, before passing into the Never.

‘You know, Derren, one of these days your heroism is going to be the death of us all, don’t you?’ cried Chran.

Toshi whooped. Derren had never seen Toshi whoop before, but before he knew it, he ran across to his friend, and they were whooping and embracing each other; as were most of the remaining people.

“Chran, are you a sight for sire eyes,” said Derren.

“Sore eyes.”

“Shut up, Tosh!” Derren grinned, watching as Chran flew skyward to drive the ship launching the weapons away. The bright sunlight glinted off his golden scales, as his laughter sounded in their minds.

TENYBRIS STRUGGLED to contain the bile. The rebounded spell had hit hard, threatening his consciousness. What is wrong with me? First the Liberi, now this dragon. He watched it disable another ship. Why doesn’t my magic work against them? He remembered the time, eons ago, when he’d bent the dragons to his will. Even then, he could destroy their souls on a whim, but now? Something has changed, he thought. For the first time in his life he felt...fear.

“Get us out of here!” he screamed. The bridge crew stooped over their gore splattered consoles, afraid to look Tenybris in the eye. Bodies and wounded littered the deck, but Tenybris ignored them, and he felt the ship surge as the engines fired. The screen showed the planet slipping slowly below as they broke orbit; too slowly. At this rate, it would take over an hour to reach a point where the ships could enter the Never.

Unlike other planets, Sanctuary didn’t orbit a sun, so the ships only had to escape its gravity well to jump. Looking at the icons of ship after ship illuminate the orange of damage, as the dragon ripped their engines apart, Tenybris knew that by the time they reached that point, over half his small fleet would be gone.

He couldn’t defeat it by magic, and the fleet’s weapons were useless against it. He seethed inside as he felt the remnants of the souls on the planet below, wrenched from his control to escape to the freedom of rebirth in the Never. Tenybris had no idea how the dragon had done it. None of the dragons he’d previously encountered had such ability. He had to escape.

Tenybris closed his eyes, muttering under his breath. A shimmer enveloped him, spreading slowly across the floor. As it got further away, it sped up. By the time it reached the hull of the ship it was expanding at near light speed. Within a few moments, all of his ships, even the damaged ones, were surrounded by a sparkling field of magic. Tenybris flicked his wrist. The planet disappeared from the screen, replaced by the deep black of the void surrounding it.

Tenybris breathed heavily with the exertion. Without his symbiotic link to the pit, his magic was severely weakened. He saw the dragon rushing outwards from the planet, but it was too late. The crew overcame their momentary confusion, and activated the generators to open a hole into the Never. They took the stricken vessels in tow and entered the event horizon.

By the time Chran arrived, the fleet was long gone.

11, 000 FEET ABOVE THE Glade

“I really don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s damn good to have a little airflow over the wings.” The pilot wiped the sweat of his brow. He began a slow bank to starboard. Above was a pink sky which he really didn’t want to go through again. 

The plane had hit the disturbance...hard. Both of them thought the wings were gone as the airframe shook way past its tolerances, but after what seemed an age, they emerged into an island of calm. Like an eye of a hurricane, the violent buffeting ceased. The welcome whine of the engines sounded in the background. Power came back on as soon as they passed through, and now they flew over a verdant green landscape below. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to land, and the gauges showed a little over six hours of fuel remaining.

Thank God for flight engineers and their paranoid design specs, thought the pilot. They had been under the pink sky for an hour, looking for a place to land. Except for a huge flat expanse in the middle of the land mass, they were at a loss. Unfortunately, the 777 wasn’t equipped for rugged landings. Anything short of a paved runway was sure to rip the undercarriage from under them, so they circled, burning the fuel off to minimise the risk of exploding on impact. That might just ruin their day.

‘Hello?’

“What the hell was that?” The co-pilot spat out the coffee the stewardess had bought him. “Did you hear that?”

The pilot’s expression confirmed he had.

‘Hello in the airplane, can you hear me?’

The pilot checked the radio and nav beacons. Nothing. “You heard that, right? I’m not going crazy?”

His junior smiled. “No crazier than I am. After all, we just flew though a field of pink lightning for God’s sake. And now we’re flying over a continent that shouldn’t even exist.”

He looked at his co-pilot, eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

The co-pilot snorted, taking a hand off the yoke to indicate the view from his window as they banked to starboard. “It’s Atlantis. I mean look. We are, sorry, we were, in the middle of the Atlantic. Look down, dude.”

The captain couldn’t fault his co-pilot’s logic. Looking out the window at the dusk blanketed ground proved it. There was a whole continent below them that hadn’t been there a few hours earlier.

‘It’s not Atlantis, at least not as we know it.’ The voice spoke in their minds. ‘This Land is called Teralia, and it was hidden eons before Atlantis was heard of. Now, how about I help you to get that airplane safely onto the ground?’

The two crew of the plane looked at each other, seeing the same slack jawed expression. Then the pilot spoke. “I don’t know who you are, but we can’t land anywhere here. We need a flat expanse of ground, but all we see is forests and plain lands. Plus it’s getting dark. There’s no way we can settle safely down there.”

‘Look again, Captain.’ said the voice in their heads.

Below, a city at the centre of the plain lit up, a beacon so bright it illuminated a shimmering field of what looked like ice. It was huge, miles long and positioned exactly on their current flight path. Both men’s mouths gaped open.

“How?” the co-pilot whispered.

The pilot’s lips twitched at the corners. “Do you really think that’s any more impossible than anything else that’s happened in the last couple of hours?”

The co-pilot nodded. “I guess not. Jeeze, what next? Lions and tigers and bears?”

“Oh my.” The pilot finished the line with grin. He looked into his friend’s eyes. “Ready?

He nodded to his boss, who immediately throttled back. He flipped the flaps to thirty degrees, slowing the plane dramatically. As the light began to fail, they started a gradual decent to the glowing surface below.

Reaching to his left, the pilot activated the PA system. His voice fed back into his own earpiece, confirming he was addressing the passengers. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we will shortly be landing in...God knows where. I can assure you that we will land, however. I don’t know where we are any more than you do, but I’ve been contacted by people, and they seem to be friendly. Please, stay in your seats, I’ll try and make this as smooth as possible.”

He turned the PA off. “What the hell is going on?”

The co-pilot laughed, bordering on hysteria. “Look out there. You think I know? How about we get this can on the ground, then we can ask the voice in our head what the hecks happening.”

‘Probably a good idea, considering you have over three hundred people aboard.’ echoed the voice. ‘I’ll be waiting when you land. I can’t promise all the answers, but I’ll do all I can. Now hurry, we don’t have much time.”

The two men looked at each other. Neither had a clue what the last sentence meant, but they turned front, fighting the stricken plane as it approached the ad-hoc runway. It was still dangerously unstable and required constant trimming to stay level, but with the computers working again, the job was a lot easier. Unfortunately, the plane still thought it was over the mid Atlantic Ocean, so there was no way to let the automatic landing systems bring the plane down safely.

The pilot hadn’t done an unassisted landing in years, but he’d fulfilled the requisite simulator time. His training kicked in as they continued their approach. The shimmering runway grew in their field of vision, the city shining like a lighthouse to guide them in. They passed the nearside end of the expanse of ice, and the pilot pulled back on the yoke, raising the nose to flare the plane at just the correct moment. The undercarriage squealed as the rear wheels touched down. He gently eased the yoke forward, settling the nose gear down. As he held her steady, the co-pilot applied the reverse thrust and eased the airbrakes upward. Too much, at too high an airspeed would sheer them off, but he nudged them perfectly. Their speed bled off rapidly. Before the pair knew, they were coasting slowly enough to apply the wheel brakes.

Seconds later they were still. Jim reached up to cut the fuel flow to the engines. From out back, cheers sounded through the bullet and explosive proof door. The pilot took his quivering hands off the controls. His co-pilot was crying. Suddenly, he realized he was too.

OUTSIDE, ALONGSIDE the makeshift runway, Gwenyth stood in front of over two hundred mounted warriors. Lynnaria stood at her right hand, Filumé and Kore to her left.

“What is this beast, Gwenyth?” asked the Eldar Queen. Her eyes widened in wonder. “I have never heard such a roar. I thought it was about to attack us.”

Filumé leaned forward to look at his mother. “It appears to be calm now, mother. I sensed Gwen talk to it. She seems to have calmed its temper.”

Gwen smiled, then grinned widely as the doors opened, and the emergency slides deployed, inflating with a loud rush of air. Almost as one, the people with her took a step back. Magisters cast spells of protection; warriors readied their weapons. Gwen chuckled.

“WOW! MOM, LOOK. UNICORNS.” Alex’s face was plastered to the window.

Passengers rushed to the left side of the plane to see the fantastical sight outside. The flight attendants were at the emergency exits, opening the doors. Heather watched as the window in the row in front of her fell out onto the wing. On either side of it, yellow slides lined with blinking emergency LED’s inflated.

The PA crackled. “Ladies and Gentlemen, as you can see, we got down safe enough.” The pilot’s voice was level. The relief in it was palpable. “Now, we just need to get off in a calm and orderly fashion. So, please follow the attendant’s instruction to exit the plane. I will remain onboard until you’re all off, then I’ll join you.”

Heather grabbed Alex, dragging him into the central reservation before it became too congested. The three people in the row in front stepped hesitantly though the emergency hatch, freeing space for her and Alex to proceed. The boy squirmed in her arms.

“Mommy, I wanna see the unicorns...wow!”

As they stepped out onto the wing, Heather drew a breath inward. In front of the plane was a huge plateau, and atop it was the most amazing sight she’d ever seen. To say it was a fairy tale castle would do it an injustice. It was magnificent. The plateau itself stretched as far as her vision reached, but the glistening walls and buildings topping it took her breath away.

“We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

“Who’s Toto, mommy?”

“Sweet pea, right now, even I don’t know the answer to that one.”

Overhead, the sky glistened with the same pink lightning she’d seen strike the plane. It gave no light to this place, however. The only illumination came from the city, and the lanterns held by the riders.

“Ma’am, you need to go down the slide.” The flight attendant’s arm gestures mimicked the exit greeting of a normal flight. Her eyebrows sat about an inch over normal. Her manic grin proved she was in shock.

Heather crossed to the edge of the wing. The inflatable slide scared her. People were below, but to jump onto this thing with her four-year-old scared the shit out of her.

“Jesus H. Can you just get off the damned plane?”

Heather rounded on the immaculately suited man. He held a leather briefcase, even though they’d been told not to bring anything other than the clothes they wore.

“Mommy, we need to go down there.” Alex’s words hit her. Her anger dissipated. She’d remember suit guy. Heather grabbed her son, stepping off the edge. She bounced twice, before settling onto the gulley. It was actually fun, and Alex screamed in delight. They fell in a heap at the bottom. The other passengers helped them up, but gave way as they heard the clip clop of something approaching.

A girl, no more than fifteen or sixteen walked towards them. Her long dark hair blew in the gentle breeze of early evening. Alien, yet somehow familiar scents carried to her nose, and Heather felt her heart soar in her chest. She had no idea what provoked such a reaction in her, but she struggled to contain the feeling as the entourage grew close.

Behind the girl were a dozen armored figures, mounted on horses; only they weren’t horses. Gasps of wonder met Heather’s ears, as the other passengers saw a sight from legend.

The unicorns stood over ten feet tall, and they shimmered with an inner light. An aura of love and trust emanated from them. Alex broke free to run forward. Heather grasped after him but missed. “Alex, get back here, right now!”

“They won’t hurt him, Heather.” The girl watched as the massive horned animal reached a shimmering head down and nudged the boy. Alex reached up to rub the creature’s muzzle. The armored rider grinned down at him. “They are incredibly gentle beings; one of many in this world that willingly serve the Light.”

“Who are you?” Heather had become the unofficial spokesperson for the passengers, at least until the pilot arrived. “And how do you know my name?” She looked up at the shining city above. “And where the hell are we?”

Gwenyth snorted. “You have no idea how good it feels to hear someone curse, without the words making something terrible happen.” She giggled at the older woman’s expression, but leaned down in front of her son, touching him gently on the cheek. “Alex, I think your mother needs you right now.” She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Don’t say I told you, but I think she’s a little scared. She needs a big brave boy to hold her hand.”

Alex grinned. He looked back at his mother, and said in a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear, “She says I’m her little hero.”

“And I’m sure you are, Alex.” Gwenyth ushered the boy back to his mother, following behind as he reached her. She looked up at the plane, something she’d never seen before, but remembered like it was yesterday. In her sixteen years of living on this world, she never suspected there was anything more, anything outside the Veil. Until recently she’d lived the life of a normal child, albeit an unusually gifted one.

Everyone in the Lands wielded magic, but Gwenyth possessed so much more. At the age of ten, she surpassed the level of power displayed by the Magisters, the law keepers of the Lands. Unfortunately, after her recent encounter in the pit, she knew it wasn’t enough to defeat the Darkness. The only blessing was her ability to resist the temptation the evil offered.

Even now, she felt its attempt to stretch out, to expand the pit and swallow the forest around it. The Faer barely held it back. Their forces surrounded the mouth of Darkness, buying time for Gwenyth to seek allies; perhaps these new visitors held the key.

She reached the increasing crowd of people around the plane, stopping in front of Heather and her son. She smiled at the dark haired, brown eyed woman as she clutched her son tight in her arms.

Behind her, a man in a grey suit caught her eye, and a shiver passed up her spine before he broke contact and blended back into the crowd.

BELFAST

‘I miss you, Perri. I miss you so much.’ Katheryne tossed and turned under the crisp cotton sheets. ‘How could you leave me like that? I need you...I need my friend.’

‘I’m here, Kat.’ A face with a coy smile surrounded by a shock of auburn curls looked back into her soul. ‘I’ll never leave. Whenever you need me, I’ll be here. I’m your friend.’

Katheryne’s emerald eyes opened. They were wet, as they had been every morning since her best friend died. ‘I need to let go,’ said a tiny voice inside her. She dismissed it.

“You don’t.” Derren draped his arm over her prone form. “Keep your memories. Remember her. We all do.”

Katheryne groaned. She felt like someone had reached into her chest and ripped a chunk from her heart. “I know, and I don’t ever want to forget her; but it’s hard, Derren.” She rolled into him. His muscled arms enveloped her in a tight embrace. “She’s dead, but I still see her.”

She sighed. “If I want, I can step across the path in the Never and see her again. It’s so tempting; God, I miss her.”

She referred to her, and the Liberi’s ability to cross the paths of reality that made up the Never. The Never was the void between space, time and reality. The paths were different realities, where the actions or decisions could break the main time streams, to make an alternate universe. In countless other streams, Perri still existed. In a few of them, she probably hadn’t even met Katheryne.

Derren leaned into her, so his lips were touching her neck. He kissed her, gently. “The Perri you meet won’t be ‘your’ Perri though, will it? Believe me, love, you will know the difference, and your heart will break when you see a different person looking back.”

Derren knew this, because he’d searched for the girl currently in his arms for decades. Every time he thought he’d met his soul mate, the unrequited love of a stranger robbed him of a little part of his heart; until he’d stood in the doorway of this same apartment, meeting her in person for the first time.

They now possessed a single soul, shared between both of them.

Katheryne squirmed against him. His kisses never failed to make her relax. A question kept nagging her. “But why am I dreaming of her? I know she’s dead, Derren. I killed her.”

Katheryne shuddered and held tight to his arms, as he sensed a taste of the depression she was prone to. “There you go again, blaming yourself for everything.” He nipped her playfully on the neck. A hard elbow in the ribs halted his advances.

He gasped in pain. “Sorry, I just wanted to stop you wallowing. You know? The way you used to wallow.”

Derren raised himself up on his elbow, backing up and turning Katheryne so she lay with her face beneath his. He stroked her wet cheeks with the back of his hand.

“It wasn’t your fault, Kat” He kissed her on the lips. “I know you miss her. We all do.”

Derren stopped speaking. His brows furrowed. “You know, it might be an echo.” In response to Katheryne’s confused expression, he continued.

“It’s what you might call a spirit. Sometimes a soul tries to resist, tries to stay in the mortal plane. It can’t, of course, but there are tales of some that leave impressions behind. But the stories I’ve heard are just old wives tales.”

“You mean Perri’s haunting me?”

Derren chuckled, squeezing her gently. “I doubt that. We all said our goodbyes, back at the lab. No, I think this is a normal part of your grieving process, love. I mean, look at what you’ve lost in such a short space of time.”

Katheryne sighed, raising her arms to circle Derren’s neck. First she’d lost her mother, in what everyone thought was a fatal accident. Then her dad died, in another mysterious explosion. Now Perri was gone.

This man, gazing down at her from his impossibly dark eyes, was the one she belonged with.

“What if I lose you too?” she whispered. “I’m so scared, Derren. I can’t protect the ones I love. What if you all die and I’m left here alone? I don’t think I could live.”

Derren leaned in to kiss her cheeks, speaking in his musical, almost English accent. “I will never leave you, my love. We share a soul, remember? There is nothing in the universe strong enough to break us apart, not even death.”

Katheryne drew his hand up, kissing the fingers one by one. She lay for a second, staring at the wall, before closing her eyes and slipping into a fitful sleep.

Derren listened as her breathing deepened, unwilling to let her go. “I will never leave you,” he muttered, before he too fell asleep, for all of three seconds.

The door banged against the wall, jarring them awake as Krista ran into the room.

“You two need to see this, now!” She turned on her heels and rushed back out of the room, leaving two shocked and dishevelled people looking at one another.

Suddenly both sensed the thing Krista was so alarmed about.

“The Veil spell,” Katheryne whispered, “it’s beginning to fail.”

Derren’s eye widened. “And it’s here...on Earth!”

They bounded out of bed, hurriedly dragging on the nearest items of clothing. Within seconds, they sat watching the large flat screen TV set mounted on the wall, Katheryne wearing a baggy t-shirt, and Derren wearing her pink dressing gown.

The late night news anchor sat with papers strewn in from of her, clearly in a panic. The ticker running along the bottom of the screen read, “Breaking News: Mysterious lights sighted in mid Atlantic Ocean. Airliners report huge dome of energy stretching across the horizon.”

The pretty, blonde newscaster put her hand to her ear, clearly listening to instructions arriving over a hidden earpiece. She gave herself a visible shake, gathering the papers together into a tidy stack, before composing herself in front of the camera.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, a short while ago, this station learnt of a situation unfolding in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It appears a huge dome, or shield, has appeared. Reports from aircraft flying over it are mixed and quite vague, but we are very fortunate to have one of our own reporters, John Jeffries, aboard one of the planes. We’re about to talk to him via a Skyphone link...please bear with me.” There was a lengthy pause. “Yes, we have him now.”

A stock photo of a fifty something man appeared on the wall behind her. “John, this is Melissa in the studio. John can you hear me?”

A brief crackle preceded a tinny voice. “Yes, Mel. There’s quite a bit of interference, but I can hear you.” The voice was strained, and cries could be heard in the background.

“John, can you tell us what you’re seeing up there?”

“Yes, of course, Mel.” The voice paused briefly. “We’re at around thirty seven thousand feet above the ocean, currently about five hundred miles off the coast of Ireland. As I look out, all I can see below me is a vast expanse of what I can only describe as pink energy. Multi colored lightning is flickering across its surface. In fact, we’ve just been informed that the captain is increasing altitude to keep us clear. I can’t be sure, and this is rumour, but it appears at least one aircraft might be missing.”

Melissa’s face blanched. “How did you find this out, John? The government has so far declined to comment.” A huge burst of static interrupted her. “John, are you there? John?”

She turned to face the camera. “Ah, it appears we’ve lost the connection to the plane. Keep tuned, ladies and gents. We’ll keep you updated as the news comes in. We’ll be right back after a short break.” The screen changed to display a washing powder advertisement.

The trio sat unmoving for a moment, before Katheryne silenced the sound with a gesture of her wrist. She looked at Derren and Krista, who returned her wide eyed expression.

“I have no idea how I just did that.” Katheryne stared down at her hands, as if they belonged to someone else.

“How did you do it?” Krista asked. “I mean, did you actually want to turn the sound down?”

Katheryne nodded. “Yeah, I was just about to grab the remote, but then I felt something flow through me. It was there for a split second, but then it was away and the sound was gone.”

“Magic!”

They turned to look at Derren, who sat with a smug expression plastered across his face.

“Don’t you see? If this is the Veil spell, and Teralia is actually returning, it means that the magic is here.” He took Katheryne’s hands. “You’re a wizard, Katheryne.”

She shrugged him away, a giggle managing to escape in the tension. “Please, please stop quoting cheesy lines from films. I can’t take it anymore.”  She feigned distress, putting her hands to her temples.

“So, what are we going to do about this?” Krista asked, regaining her no nonsense demeanour.

“I think the first thing we need to do is go and have a look at it,” said Katheryne, “but unfortunately Chran is still on Sanctuary, waiting for the fleet to arrive; which should be in the next few hours if everything goes to plan.”

Derren chuckled. “Tyrran is with them. It’ll go to plan. Believe me, he’d take it as a personal affront if they were a second late.”

Krista and Katheryne smiled.

Tyrran was the young Dranian military commander Toshi had selected as liaison between his people and the Zhibalbans. The pair hit it off instantly, once they discovered their shared affinity and almost obsessive need to plan everything down to the tiniest detail. The others joked about it, but Tyrran worshipped the ground Toshi walked on. They suspected Toshi had used the requirement for a liaison office to put some distance between them. Toshi was actually quite fond of him, but felt he needed to let the young man spread his wings, and go out alone for a while.

Katheryne smiled. “Well, I suppose there’s nothing we can do until then. I could contact Amaré, but she’s busy getting the new dragons oriented. The arrival of so many dragon souls in such a short space of time has kept her pretty busy.”

Amaré was Katheryne’s baby sister, who also happened to be the Queen of Dragonkin. The souls of the Liberi, which had been freed when their bodies were destroyed by the soulless on Sanctuary, had travelled to Dranis IV, where the eggs discovered on the dying planet of Zhibalba Prime had been hidden. It was hoped that their secrecy, coupled with the military might of the planet would keep them safe, until such a time they could make their own minds up about their future. No one was going to tell the fledgling Dragon race what to do.

“We could portal out to one of the islands on the Caribbean?” suggested Katheryne.

Krista shook her head. “No, we need to get close to whatever this is. Chran should be back soon.”

Derren took Katheryne by the hand, leading her to the bedroom. “Then I suggest we get some sleep. I suspect the coming days will be quite interesting.”

Krista looked at the retreating forms, muttering, “As opposed to the incredibly boring lives we normally live?”

She sat down on the sofa, the merriment of the last few moments gone. To the outside world, Krista was a robot, but inside, her heart was breaking. She swallowed her tears, however, curling up on the huge sofa.

‘I love you, Krista. I always will. Remember that.’ She fell asleep, dreaming of the last words her love said to her.

THE NEVER-APPROACHING Sanctuary

Zjokara sat in her chair aboard the Battle cruiser, Satyra. After her actions in her home system, her superiors had decided to promote her, and give her command of this small fleet of allied vessels. Tyrran, the Dranian liaison officer, stood in silence at her right shoulder.

She felt a surge of pride as she watched the quiet efficiency of her crew. Most had been with her for years, in fact, a substantial number of them were her family, as was common on Zhibalban ships.

She suppressed a smile as she turned to the operations station to her left. “Time to horizon, Zlotta?”

The Sub-Commander grinned at her captain’s query. The countdown was clearly displayed at the top of the holographic display hovering at the centre of the bridge, but this was part of the ritual her Captain/sister continued to play. “Two minutes and thirty seconds...now, Captain.”

Tyrran cleared his throat.

“Something wrong, Ty?” Zjokara turned her head on her long reptilian neck, smiling mischievously at him.

Tyrran shifted on his feet. His lips twitched in a barely perceptible smile as he felt the mirth ripple through the bridge crew. “Captain, I must applaud your crew on their efficiency. Thanks to their efforts, it appears we will arrive in high orbit of Sanctuary over...” He checked the timepiece on his wrist, “...two minutes early.”

The Captain’s face dropped, but her amber eyes were full of mischief. “Oh my goodness. I do apologize, my friend.” She turned to Zlotta, struggling to keep her face straight. “Sub-Commander, please arrange for the crew to be flogged every evening for a month, as punishment for outstanding behaviour.”

Zlotta beamed back at her. She stood up to attention.  “Yes, Captain. May I please be excused to report for punishment? After all, as pilot and operations officer, the failure to meet the timetable is mine alone.”

The young man leaned down, bringing his close cropped sandy haired head close enough so only Zjokara could hear, but whispering loud enough to address the immediate crew, including the Sub-Commander. “I really, really, hate you right now.” He smiled, and reached to squeeze his friend’s shoulder. A few weeks ago, this breach of personal space would have sickened her, but Zjokara reached up to pat his hand.

So much had changed. Among the fleet, the crews of the two races intermingled. Even now, there were smatterings of Dranians among the bridge crew, similar to the Dranian ships hosting Zhibalban crew. She couldn’t believe how fast attitudes had changed, but then, she supposed it was hardly surprising. The crews of these few hundred ships were all that remained of a planet of almost five billion beings.

Zjokara stroked the small swell of her own belly, still wondering how it was possible. Her attraction to the gilded dragon had been almost animalistic in its ferocity, but she hadn’t regretted it, even after her mate departed.

Chran was a dragon, a mighty gold, but how could they have conceived? True, when in humanoid form, Chran resembled a Zhibalban male, if an extremely attractive one. Not that it really mattered. The doctors had confirmed it. She was with child. She smiled, and wondered when she would see the father again. Her hearts skipped a beat at the memories of their short time together. Oh, how she wished he was here now.

“Thirty seconds to horizon, Captain.”

The words jarred her out of the daydream. Ahead, a speck of darkness grew. The spacial generators aboard the fleet ripped a hole in the chaos of the Never surrounding them, into normal space. In groups of a dozen, they blinked into reality in high orbit around the planet of Sanctuary, ready to engage the enemy force. All ships were at battle readiness, weapons were armed and countermeasures ready.

‘Two minutes early? Oh, you are a cruel person, Captain.’ Deep laughter sounded in the bridge crew’s minds.

Zjokara stood up, her hearts thundering in her chest, watching a glow envelope the room. In a brief flare which left sparkles in her eyes, Chran appeared, in humanoid form. He was every bit as golden and mighty and desirable as she remembered.

He took two steps, but halted before touching her. It had been a while. The last time he had seen her, she’d been hesitant to flaunt her attraction in public, but now she reached up and drew him into a deep kiss.

Hmm, things have progressed, he thought, responding to the embrace. He ran his fingers down her body, feeling along her back spine ridges through the skin-suit, before stopping abruptly.

Chran raised his head. His eyes widened, but Zjokara smiled up at him. She took his hand and laid the palm on her stomach.

“How?” he asked.

Zjokara shrugged. “Sometimes, the Maker has a plan. It appears we are part of it.” She realized she was crying, but she didn’t care. She loved this being with all her hearts.

Her eyes briefly narrowed. She’d known Chran for such a short time, and even though she was certain she loved him, she had to know he felt the same. All doubt was banished, as he swept her up in his arms and let forth a whoop that had the whole bridge crew, Zhibalban and Dranian alike, cheering and clapping.

A cough interrupted the celebration. Chran turned, Zjokara still cradled like a babe in his arms. Tyrran stood with his arms crossed, trying his best to hide a smile behind his consternation.

By the maker, he’s even taking on Toshi’s mannerisms, thought Chran, grinning widely as the tall, gangly young man spoke.

“Chran, while I am happy to see you,” he indicated the Captain, “even though others are...happier, can you explain where the Sanctuary fleet is?”

Chran placed Zjokara gently onto her feet. “Well, my friend,” he said, becoming serious, “I’m afraid we have a situation. You see, we don’t know.”

ON BOARD AIRFORCE ONE- above the continental USA

Harvey Simpson, President of the United States of America, and arguably the most powerful man on the planet, sat at his desk in the private quarters in the nose cone of the converted Boeing 747, cradling his head in his hands. At this moment in time, he didn’t feel the least bit powerful.

The last two weeks of his life had been rocked by scandal. The mysterious death of his vice president, Celia Arvarez, and the deaths of her Secret Service detail in a shoot out with the National Guard, had sparked an intimate investigation into how she’d come into the role.

Several irregularities had surfaced, including the affair they’d embarked on, only weeks prior to her appointment.

His wife had left him. She knew he slept with other women, of course, but had turned a blind eye as long as the affairs were kept private. She enjoyed the life of luxury and privilege the White House permitted too much to rock the boat. Once the news broke, she publicly denounced her husband as the womanising louse he was.

Dozens of woman appeared from the woodwork, claiming to have been taken advantage of by the powerful, but attractive man.

Harvey knew the wheels were in motion to have him impeached. He’d heard the whispers, and knew it was only a matter of time.

The thing was, he knew he deserved it. The truth was bound to come out eventually, about what he’d done to those kids. He hadn’t wanted to, but at the time he was caught up in some sort of dream. Celia had bewitched him, but he knew he had no way to prove it.

The current crisis proved that America needed a leader, and as low as Harvey felt right now, he was it.

He raised his eyes to meet the two men standing in front of him. One was dressed immaculately in a dark blue uniform, ribbons accompanying the five stars on his lapels. The other was wearing a light grey pinstripe suit.

“Well, gentlemen, can you tell me what the hell I’m supposed to do about this mess?”

The Admiral, currently head of the Joint Chiefs, placed his palms on the desk. He spoke in his Texan drawl. “Mr President, to be frank, I don’t have a damned clue what else we can do. Besides the E4’s we have overflying whatever this thing is, there’s not a lot else we can do, except keep away from it.”

The admiral referred to the radar planes, used for early detection and warning of enemy threats, only they were so much more than that. As well as airborne enemies, the Sentry aircraft could map out huge areas of the planet’s surface.

Unlike WWII, where hundreds of spotter planes were despatched to find the convoys bringing vital aid to the allies, one E4 sentry at high altitude could use its side aperture phased array to find a man taking a piss off a rowing boat between two islands in the Azores.

Unfortunately, the telemetry from the three Sentry’s displayed a huge void in the ocean, stretching from a point off the coast of Bermuda, across to the Canary Islands. It reached as far north as Greenland and approached Ascension Island in the equatorial zone. None of their sophisticated, state of the art sensors could see what lay within.

“What about the Predators?” Harvey looked at his director of the CIA, the people in control of his country’s army of drone aircraft. He’d ordered some despatched to probe the phenomena.

The man looked at his feet, redness rising up his neck. “I’m sorry, Mr President, but everything we’ve sent into that maelstrom just goes dark. I can’t explain it, sir. These things are hardened against nuclear emp bursts, but once they get within a few miles of this thing, they just fall out of the sky and disappear.”

The president looked up. “You mean they fall into that thing? You mean whatever’s in there has access to our technology?”

The sheepish man shook his head. “No sir. They’re designed to self destruct when they lose contact with their controller.”

Harvey bared his teeth. “The same way they are designed to bring me back the data I need? Shit, are you as stupid as you think I am?”

The director flushed. “No sir. I simply meant...”

The President held his palm up in apology. “I know what you meant.” Harvey sat back and sighed. “I’m sorry. I know this is screwed up. None of us know what to do.”

He looked at the admiral. “Any progress on locating the missing 777?”

“No sir.” Shaw hung his head. “It’s either in the water below that dome, or God knows where. Wherever it is, we certainly can’t help it.”

“Shit, that’s all I need.” He got up and poured a large measure of bourbon. He didn’t give a shit about the others.

“Get out!” He turned to them, a feral look in his eye as he saw their confusion. “Get out!” He threw the Waterford crystal glass at the wall, but it simply bounced off the dampening composite to fall onto the thick pile on the floor. He slumped into the large sumptuous leather chair.

“Get out.” The men retreated with lowered heads, closing the door behind them. He got up and dragged a chair to bar the door. He knew the room was bugged with audio and video surveillance, but he only needed a few moments. He went to his briefcase, and carried it to the desk as he sat back down.

It was all finished, Harvey knew, as he opened his briefcase. He opened a walnut box, loading the blued Colt 45 with low velocity hollowpoints. The country needed a leader, but he was painfully inadequate. He cocked the pistol, and put the barrel in his mouth, tasting the gun oil on his tongue.

The door shook and the chair nudged back over half a foot as the Secret Service agents tried to reach him. He looked up, into the eyes of a young man who had dedicated his life to protecting him.

I’m sorry, he thought, as he pulled the trigger.

By the time his Secret Service bodyguards reached him, his brains were splattered over the interior of the cabin.

THE CITADEL

The crystal runway led to the gates of the Citadel. They were formed from flawless marble, sang into place by dwelvish craftsmen thousands of years before, when the Citadel was rebuilt after the return from exile.

The runway wasn’t ice, like the man in the dark clothes with golden stripes thought. The first thing the pilot had done when reaching the ground was to run his hand across the shimmering surface. It wasn’t cold, but was much harder than glass. He’d looked up, confusion and disbelief on his face.

Kore had chuckled at the sight. With Gwenyth’s help, he had fashioned this wonder. The girl’s power was amazing. She channelled much more than magic.

He and his people sang to the stone of this world. Given enough time, an army of his people might have fashioned a smooth rock surface like this, but as she’d taken his hand, his song had deafened them. In the space of a few moments a river of blue crystal arose, flowing obediently as he sang it into shape.

Now, sitting in the banquet hall of the Citadel, Kore looked across at the woman and her son. Gwenyth said these beings, these humans, were important. They sat opposite him across the wide round table. The boy, Alex? was staring at him.

Kore was suddenly ashamed. He was a prince of one of the great races of the Lands, but in the pit he’d cowered.

The sandy haired youth smiled at him and Kore returned it. The boy’s soul sang to him. As Kore smiled, a power entered him, and he knew he’d never again feel the terror and cold he’d felt. The boy was his talisman.

Kore nodded at the boy. They were bonded now. Kore knew he could prevail against the Darkness, but only as long as Alex, his talisman, was safe.

ACROSS FROM KORE, FILUMÉ sat beside his mother. Although the table was round, in order to make people seem equal, Lynnaria sat at the seat nearest the window.

The sunlight streaming into the room revealed so much. The newcomers gave off a resonance. Filumé could almost taste the personality of the new arrivals. Unexplainably, a few of them seemed to belong to the Lands, as if they’d been born here. The boy, for instance, was both familiar and alien at the same time. He smiled as he saw the interaction between the child and his best friend. He sensed something, a bond growing between them as the boy stood beside Kore’s chair

The woman watched as her son talked to a being from the oldest legends of her world. She held her son’s soul in her heart. Filumé smiled at the flow of love intertwining them. They were off the Lands, and didn’t need the protection of the dark suited human with golden stripes.

The silver clothed man was another matter. A cloud surrounded him, and as Filumé watched, it reached out to probe the others seated around the table. Filumé grasped the edges of his seat, about to rise. ‘Wait, my son.’ Filumé froze. It was the same voice that had saved his life in the mountain cavern.

Father?

‘Yes.’ A feeling of sorrow accompanied the word. ‘I am sorry I left you and your mother. It was...’

Filumé felt the conflict. His father had done what he had to do; what he thought was right. After so many thousands of years, his father...hurt.

He had never born any animosity towards his father; his mother ensured that. She knew he’d died for a higher purpose, but now it appeared he wasn’t truly dead.

His mother had told him and others this, many times over the millennia, stating that her husband was playing his part in a plan.

You did what you had to do to save us, Father; but now, I sense you have a plan for me. Filumé heard the laughter. It was filled with grief, but tinged with pride.

‘Oh my son, how I have longed to hold you in my arms. I have watched as you grew up.’ Images filled Filumé’s head, of times ages ago when he’d been a babe. Then his boyhood flashed before him, growing up in the mountain Kingdom of the Dwelves.

You were watching me, all this time? Hot tears sat ready to flow down his cheeks, but he held them back. The grey suited man was staring at him.

‘Yes, you see the threat. Tonight, the Darkness’s last pawn has entered Teralia’

I don’t understand

‘A sickness fills the world that Teralia used to call home. This man represents the blight. Even now, the Darkness is feeding off him. It hungers for the greed and evil this man represents.’

Filumé was stunned. He’d heard tales of the visitors to the Lands in ages past, where they attempted to use the innocence of the People to further their own wicked agendas on their own worlds. The whole idea was alien to him, however. Here in the Lands, nobody wanted for anything. The Lands provided, as they always had, but after his encounter in the pit, Filumé knew there was another force at work here; one that the Light needed help to defeat, once and for all.

‘You are beginning to understand, my son,’ said Olumé. ‘We cannot gain victory here without gaining victory in the world outside. Here tonight, we have the tools that will bring us victory, but in bringing them here, I have introduced another evil.’

I should stop this now, Father. This...man, must not be allowed to continue.

‘No!’

The strength behind the thought shook Filumé to his bones.

‘I’m sorry, my son, but this man must be allowed to bond with the Darkness.’

Filumé clenched his fists. Why, Father? I sense a strength in the boy that will allow us to defeat the Darkness.

A smiling visage filled Filumé’s head. ‘Yes, it would be so easy to defeat Darkness again.’

Again?

‘Yes, Filumé. The Darkness has been defeated once before, in my lifetime, and countless times before, but it always returns.’

The Elven prince sat at the table, his inner thoughts a turmoil. Then, what are we to do? Father, you aren’t making any sense. What should I do?

A feeling of hope swelled his heart, as Gwenyth got up and crossed to the boy’s mother.

‘It’s all part of a plan, my son. Indulge an old man, won’t you? Soon, you’ll know your part, as will everyone else, inside the Veil and without.’

With those last few words, the voice was gone. Filumé was filled with a mixture of loss and pride. He wondered if he’d ever talk to the disembodied soul of his father ever again, but as he looked over the table, at the blossoming friendships, along with the enemy in their midst, he knew he would.

HEATHER GLANCED AT the golden haired elf. The word still stuck every time she thought it. When she’d stood face to face with the girl, Gwenyth, she’d been stunned at her retinue. Hundreds of soldiers on what were clearly unicorns, stood behind her, but it was her immediate companions that stunned her senses. Their upturned, lobeless ears marked them as creatures she’d dreamt of as a child. These were beings from dreams, ones she still told to Alex as bedtime stories; it appeared the bedtime stories were real, at least some of them.

The short, dark bearded figure that currently sat with her son on his knee, telling an incredible story of life under a mountain, looked like a dwarf, the race she had associated with her dream; only his skin looked like living stone.

“He’s a Dwelf.”

Heather jumped. She’d been so engrossed in the sights around, she hadn’t noticed Gwenyth sit down beside her. “A Dwelf? What the heck’s a Dwelf?” She turned in her chair to look straight at the young girl.

Gwen leaned in, taking Heather’s reluctant hands in hers. “I’m sorry. You must be pretty freaked out.”

Heather almost snatched her hand away, but the look in the girl’s eyes was so intense she returned the gentle contact. “Who are you? I mean, you look human, but you’re part of this...this place, wherever it is. And what’s going to happen to us? How do we get home?”

Gwen stood up. Heather went to resist, looking across at Alex.

“He’ll be perfectly safe. Dwelves love children.” Gwen smiled at her, and with a small pressure, Heather followed her as she walked out a door in the tall tower they dined in. The vista opened up. Memories had awakened inside her with her first glimpse of the airplane. Hidden knowledge that somehow became unlocked, was now flooding through her head like a raging tornado.

This woman and her son belonged here. She didn’t know how, but she was certain of the fact.

“You are home, Heather. You and Alex have been part of the Lands, ever since you began to tell him those stories that popped into your head; you know the ones. You’re watching them come to life in front of your eyes right now.”

The woman jerked her head around. “What? What do you mean? I’ve never seen any of this!”

Gwen smiled, nodding to indicate the Glade around them. Before them was the vast plain the aircraft used to land. To the left, a swath of trees swept into what was the forest that surrounded the south side of the hill. On the right, the Lands raised gradually upwards. The foothills rose all around, becoming a vast mountain range that encompassed and guarded this island.

“Are you sure, Heather? Look at this and tell me you don’t know where you are.”

Heather looked at the girl, confusion and disbelief on her face, but as she turned to take in the view, something clicked. The far off mountains drew her gaze. A glow at the top of the tallest one called to her.

“What is that?” she asked.

Gwen looked where she indicated. “Those are the mountains of fire. No one has gone there since the days of Tenybris’s fall.”

“Why?” asked Heather. They’d all been given a brief history lesson during the meal the night they arrived.

“You have to understand, Heather. When the People came back from exile on Sanctuary, they found the female dragons had become little more than animals, and violently dangerous ones. They became what we called Dinors. None of the People could bear going to the mountains, to see beings they had known for centuries, reduced to a perverse shadow of their former selves.

“These were our friends, turned into breeders for Tenybris.” Gwenyth looked down. “Even after the Veil spell was cast, they remained animals for centuries before their intelligence re-emerged. Once that happened, they became a threat. They didn’t know about the Veil spell, or anything outside their mountain home, so the first thing they did was to sterilize themselves, so that Tenybris couldn’t use them like that again. Whatever eggs they had already created were destroyed, or hidden away. Then, they began to venture out. They still can’t fly, but they are huge and deadly creatures.”

Gwenyth looked down at the floor. “They raided the fringes of the Glade, killing and destroying at will. They had no reason to do so, they just hated us for abandoning them...and rightly so.

“The Faer helped us drive them away, back to the mountains. They haven’t ventured outside in centuries. I’m sorry, Heather, they just aren’t safe.”

Heather’s face was flushed. “What am I? Why do I feel like I’ve been here before? It’s like some sort of freaky déjà vu.”

Gwenyth’s brows furrowed. “I can’t be sure, but I think you, and a lot of the others, have a connection to the Lands.

Heather’s eyes widened. “But how is that even possible?”

Gwen took her by the arm, leading her back towards the table. “Why don’t we sit down? There’s a lot to discuss.”

Heather glanced sideways at the girl’s smiling face, and then looked at the gathering before her. Yes, she thought, there was a lot to discuss.

WASHINGTON DC

Henry Semple, the former speaker of the House, and latest President of the USA, sat in the situation room, in the lower basement level of the Whitehouse. People rushed all around. In the corner, the Secretary of State whispered with a gray haired chief justice. The flat screens adorning the walls displayed various scenes of the phenomenon.

The E4 Sentry planes had been withdrawn for now, replaced with a greater number of Predator and Reaper UAV’s, unmanned drones, operated remotely from base stations on the ground. It had been decided the delicate electronics in the manned aircraft might be at risk in the upcoming mission.

Henry, a short, pug featured, balding Vietnam veteran approaching his sixtieth birthday, never expected to inherit the mantle of power. He’d been on the way to Andrews Air force base, like the rest of the senior government, when the head of his Secret Service received a call.  They were being evacuated to safer locations, in light of what was happening in the mid Atlantic. His limo had screamed across traffic and pulled off the freeway, flanked by the two black Chevy Suburban’s filled with more agents. They pulled into a shopping mall car park, just as a Marine Blackhawk helicopter flared in to land. He’d been unceremoniously bundled into it, and landed on the lawn of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue a few short minutes later.

After a hurried explanation, he’d been sworn in, and handed this ungodly clusterfuck to deal with. The former Colonel of Marines was used to thinking on his feet, but this strained his ability.

He struggled to accept the news of Simpson’s death. He’d hated the guy, hated the way he used his position to get away with what Henry considered to be sexual abuse, at best. He’d heard rumors of suicides covered up by the administration. He vowed to ferret out each and every official who had helped him; if he lived long enough to do so.

One of the first decisions he made was to replace the head of the Joint Chiefs of the military with someone he trusted. Willie Shaw had been appointed by Simpson, and had remained his ‘yes man’ for almost two full terms of office. 

“How close are the Raptors now, General?”

A slim framed, dark haired man in a dark blue uniform with five, brand new, shiny stars on each lapel, turned to face his Commander in Chief.

Tom Rankin had been a pilot of an A4 in ‘Nam, and had once saved a certain young US Marine Captain called Henry Semple, along with his whole platoon, when they’d been pinned down in a jungle ambush. That same Captain had made it his mission to find and thank the pilot who had saved over fifty of his men from certain death. They had been fast friends ever since.

Tom used a touch screen on the table in front of him to change the view on the largest of the screens. It shifted to show the view from one of the Keyhole satellites in orbit above the equator.

“Sir, the drones are circling, mapping the border of this thing at a range of ten miles. Any closer and their electronics get fried, and they fall out of the sky.” He touched his screen and the icons of several unmanned drones flashed in blue on the screen. “As of twenty five minutes ago, all commercial flights have landed safely. All other flights are on indefinite hold, sir.” He swiped his fingers across the display. A pair of amber icons appeared. “The Raptors are one hundred ten miles out, ETA on target, one minute forty seconds.

Henry nodded. “Thanks, Tom.” He continued watching as the two F-22 Raptor stealth fighters approached the ten mile point, the distance the phenomena began affecting electronic systems. They’d been tasked for the mission due to their systems being hardened against the electromagnetic pulse released when a nuclear weapon detonated. Their payload was unlike anything they’d ever been designed to carry. In fact, because it was mounted to hard points outside the airframe, it made the stealth capabilities of the aircraft redundant.

The bombs were more a throwback to WW2 in their crudeness. A clockwork fuse replaced the sophisticated electronics of modern nuclear bombs. The explosives packed around the core of plutonium were equipped with chemical triggers.

As the Raptors approached their launch point, they hit full afterburners and rocketed upwards. When they reached a sixty degree angle, they released the munitions, lobbing them like a primitive trebuchet at the target; the glittering dome of pink energy.

The fighters cut afterburners, rolling and pulling back to reverse course before applying full military power. They raced away, passing the speed of sound as the bombs reached the apex of their course, and began to fall toward the dome.

Henry was sweating, as were quite a few others in the room. All idle chit chat halted as they watched the graphic on the screen showing the bombs’ position. The tension in the room was palpable, the only sound heard above the air conditioning being the countdown to detonation.

The fuses were set to explode at a distance of one mile above the surface of whatever this was, and Henry held his breath. Another screen popped up to overlay the main one, showing the video feed from a drone, over one hundred miles from the projected point of impact. Slowly, the countdown decreased to zero.

The bombs worked perfectly. The drone’s feed showed two clear detonations, the camera darkening to attenuate the flash. The satellite picture confirmed the view from orbit.

The bombs were five megaton devices, the largest the Raptors could carry. Henry was the first president in over seventy years to authorise their use as a weapon. He’d wanted to hit this thing with the most powerful tool he had at his disposal. He needn’t have bothered. It didn’t work.

As the cameras regained their normal brightness, it was clear whatever this energy field was, it was completely unaffected.

“Shit!”

Henry turned his head toward the voice, a young colonel on one of the staffs, who was now going beetroot red under the glares of the others in the room.

The President smiled at him. “Son, you just read my mind.”

The room exploded into a frenzy of activity, as phones were raised to ask for updates that would prove useless. They’d just hit this thing with everything they had.

General Rankin turned away from the screens to face his old friend. “Sir, that was the last shot we had. Nothing can get through that thing, either from air or sea.”

He was referring to the attempts by surface ships to approach, but as with everything else electronic, once they got within ten miles, the systems began to fail. Rather than leave a ship with hundreds aboard adrift in the middle of an ocean, Henry had pulled them back.

A similar attempt was made by a 688-Los Angeles class submarine, thinking the disturbance ended at the surface above them, but their sonar bounced back off what appeared to be a solid wall.

As a last ditch attempt, a Navy Seal team had taken a small semi rigid inflatable, right up to the surface. Although from a distance it appeared to consist of lightning, the team leader reported he could actually touch it, that it was a solid wall of energy.

Henry sighed. “You know, Tom, it’s going to take some getting used to, you calling me sir.”

Tom smiled at the obvious attempt to lighten the mood. “Well, sir, you are my Commander in Chief, but if it helps, I’ll still whip your ass at golf on Sunday.”

“Ha! You wish.” The two of them stared at each other for a second, both wondering if they’d live to see Sunday.

Tom grew thoughtful for a second, and then shrugged it off, but Henry knew his friend too well to let it go.

“Out with it, Tom. There’s something about this that’s been bothering you for a while now.”

The General hesitated, but his President and friend continued. “Dammit, Tom. I made you Chief because I trust your judgement, not just because you’re my friend. Now, spill.”

Tom sat down, pulling the chair closer to Henry’s. “Sir, what if we’re going about this all wrong?”

Henry looked back in confusion. “Explain.”

“Well, has this thing, whatever it is, made any sort of offensive move? I went back over the readings, and it hasn’t expanded one foot as far as I can tell. It’s just sitting there. Is it really dangerous?”

Henry’s brows furrowed. “What about the airliner, that’s three hundred people missing, Tom.”

Tom nodded vigorously. Henry knew his friend was excited about something. “Yes sir, but again, I checked. The plane was the closest one to the surface when this thing appeared. Initially it looks like the electronic disturbance reached a lot less than the ten miles it does now.” He raised his hand as his friend was about to butt in. “Yes, I know it’s expanded, but it’s been static at ten miles for over a day now. There’s no reason to think it’ll grow, in fact, I think it’s just a natural side effect of the phenomena.”

Henry sat back in his chair, knitting his fingers together with his elbows on the armrests. “You say the missing one was the closest, but damn, Tom, there were dozens of planes close enough to be effected.”

Again, the General nodded. “Yes, you’re right, but the Boeing 777 was the only fly-by-wire bird within the affected zone. If its computers went down, they lost everything; control surfaces, engines; everything.”

“But surely they have a mechanical bypass.”

“Yes, but by our reckoning, the plane was within a few hundred feet of this thing when it popped into existence. Maybe they didn’t have time to react before they hit it.”

Henry hung his head. “And if the surface of that thing is as solid as the Seal teams said, there’s no way they’d have survived the impact.”

Tom nodded, slowly. “Yes sir. I’m afraid we have to fear the worst, but again, this was not a hostile act, just a tragic accident.”

Henry looked up, taking in the scene around him. He stared at the video feed for a few moments.

“I hope to all that’s Holy you’re right, Tom. Because if whatever’s in there decides to come out fighting, I think we’re all screwed.”

SANCTUARY

Toshi lay with Laren curled up in a ball in his arms. They were in their own bed, in the apartment they shared in the capital district of Sanctuary. The feelings of familiarity and homeliness fought with the strangeness of complete silence. Even with modern materials, the buzz of a billion beings was ever present. Except now it wasn’t.

Besides the few thousand remaining in the city on the south continent, this was a dead world. There were few thousand refugees on other worlds, evacuated by the Liberi. These were now returning, but rebuilding the population of Sanctuary would take centuries.

Laren was taking it hard. She’d undergone months of interrogation and torture at the hands of the previous leadership. He brushed the back of his hand lightly across her cheek, and she murmured something unintelligible. He smiled as he gently disengaged himself from her, grabbing a robe and walking out to stand on the balcony. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes and stretching his perception out to watch the cleanup operation on the other side of the planet.

Millions, no, billions of bodies had to be disposed off. The army of Tenybris was now one huge logistical nightmare. Laren had wanted to help, but Toshi knew it was more to keep herself busy and go to bed exhausted. That didn’t stop the dreams, and the murmurings started as they had every night since she’d woken up.

Toshi took one last look at the pitch black night sky, before returning to bed.

Laren whispered. It was mostly gibberish, but Toshi could make out the word ‘no’ being said, over and over. She was shaking as well, and Toshi knew it wouldn’t be long before the screaming started.

His lover was broken, but he vowed to bring her back from the depths she was plunging towards. The first time he’d seen her, decades earlier, she’d been nine years old, lying unconscious on a hospital bed. Derren had found her, slumped on the floor of the shower room of the academy. She’d taken an overdose, but they’d been in time to save her. He just hoped they’d been in time to save her this time.

Toshi had watched the awkward, disturbed child grow into the beautiful woman before him. When they’d met, after her suicide attempt in the empty apartment, he’d been seventeen years old, almost a man. She’d been ten, a child in his eyes. Over the years the friendship deepened into something much more. Toshi knew he was in love with her, had been for years, in fact, but was afraid to betray the trust she had in him.

So, he bottled his feelings up, hiding them away from sight in a special place in his soul; until the night of her twentieth birthday. He’d arranged a surprise party for her. Derren and Krista were there, along with Chran and a few other friends. Amazingly, she hadn’t had a clue, which was no mean feat when trying to keep a secret from someone who could effectively read minds.

It was a huge success, and they partied into the early hours. It had been held in his apartment, so as the hours went by, the others made their way home, until the only one left was Laren. He remembered thinking she must have stayed behind to thank him, and help him clear up. She knew how much he detested untidiness, and the apartment was a mess.

He was completely taken aback when she pulled him into a passionate kiss. He remembered resisting for maybe half a second, before the pent up emotions of years released in a flood of love.

As he lay now, clinging onto her as her nightmare came upon her, he poured his love into her. He wasn’t sure it did any good, but it was all he could do. Not for the first time over the last few days, he wished Perri was still alive. She’d had a curious ability to take another’s hurt into herself, healing them, almost magically. He was sure she would have been able to help, but she was dead.

A hot tear rolled down his cheek. He hadn’t been there at the end; hadn’t been able to say his goodbyes like the others had. He hadn’t known Perri for long, but she was such a huge personality that she’d made her mark. He missed her.

Laren’s screams halted abruptly. She gave a shiver, and her breathing levelled and relaxed. Toshi’s eyes widened. For the first time since she’d awoken from her drugged coma, Laren was sleeping soundly.

Toshi looked around. His heightened perceptions caught a taste of something for a split second before it was gone. He stiffened, searching for the errant presence.

“Toshi?”

“I’m here, Laren.” He reached up to run his fingers through her long, dark hair.

She took his hand, entwining her fingers in his. “I love you,” she whispered, before falling into a restful sleep.

“And I love you.” He laid his head on the pillow, thanking someone who should be dead. He cried for an hour before falling asleep himself.

THE CITADEL

Marcus L’vel paced the room he’d been given, the briefcase he’d grasped for hours still in his left hand. His grey suit jacket was draped over a large wooden chair in the corner. He looked at it and sneered. Who used wood nowadays? These people might put on a great show, but they were hicks. Primitives.

He crossed to the doors and opened them out to step onto the balcony. He had to admit, it was a spectacular sight. Although it was night time, the world below seemed to glow with an inner illumination, almost like it was alive. Below, he saw the plane sitting on the weird runway. Above, the sky still flashed with pink lightning, but it was something in the distance that drew his attention. The forest to his left stretched as far as the eye could see, yet something at the edge of his perception called to him.

He looked down at his briefcase, then lifted it up to place it on the bed. It was a padded black leather affair, with the standard brass locks and trim, but there was nothing standard about the case itself. He’d had it designed to be as ordinary and inconspicuous as possible, in order to hide its true purpose.

Marcus pressed down on the padded leather, at a point close to the top right corner. There was a perceptible click, and the top surface popped up. He lifted the front and swung it open on a hidden hinge. Everything was made of radio transparent materials, so that airport x-ray machines couldn’t detect the hidden compartment, and he was always careful never to put items which would show up in there. He drew out several sheets of paper, each with around ten pictures of women and children, with ages and brief biography attached. The pictures were of people from various eastern European countries, with a smattering of Far East and African and Middle Easter thrown in for good measure. All had one thing in common. They had given him all the money they had, in return for a better life in the USA.

Oh, he had promised them all their hearts desires. They would have jobs, homes, and access to a standard of life they could never expect in their home countries. The first two promises would be fulfilled, after a fashion.

The human trafficking trade was a growing business, but unfortunately, one that had become a high profile target for the various US government agencies. This prompted the need to stay away from electronic communication as much as possible. The NSA had already closed down several rings, due to poor security practices.

He looked at the pages. He already had their money, ferreted away in several Swiss accounts, but his main income came from the gangs themselves. He was always careful to select the prettiest ‘candidates,’ and his clients paid top dollar.

Shit! he thought. Now what the hell do I do?

He was stuck here, wherever here was. The worst thing was, here he was ordinary; in fact he was even less than that. He’d pissed off quite a few of his fellow passengers on the plane. While he could appear the persona of sincerity and compassion, when initially drawing the ‘cargo’ into his web, his true personality was borderline sociopathic. He treated ordinary people like lower class citizens. The serving class, like shop workers, waitresses, and flight attendants, were slaves in his eyes. He’d been shunned by the other passengers and crew at the meal earlier. He didn’t care. He hated them all.

IN THE PIT, THE DARKNESS seethed. Its plan was failing. By now, Tenybris should be here, and the Lands, along with the whole world outside the Veil should be under its control. Instead, it was being held here by the accursed Faer. While it fought the girl, the Queen’s forces surrounded the pit, casting wards and drawing runes on the sickened trees. Even now, the Darkness felt them reject the sickness inflicting them. It was losing control, and if it didn’t act soon, it would be trapped here; but if it began an all out assault against the Faer, it risked destruction. Without Tenybris, its energy was limited. It needed a conduit such as him to funnel the life energy of the souls above into the pit.

If the Darkness had possessed a head it would have jerked to the side. A taste of pure evil filled its being. In the pit, the Darkness expanded, filling the void below the surface. It was a tiny area, compared to when Tenybris had been here, but it had a hook.  There was, at last, evil here, and it was enough to make the Darkness salivate with hunger.

The emotion was strange, alien, but acceptable to its goals. The Darkness brooded for a while, thinking how to use this new tool. Eventually it smiled. This new being may not possess magic...yet...but he was purely evil, unlike Tenybris had ever been. This...human...could be the tool of victory.

MARCUS DREAMED. UNDER the silken sheets of the Eldar, he smiled as the Darkness engulfed him. He watched his dream, as the other passengers died in agony. His dream-self imagined a knife, as he drew it across the boy, Alex’s, neck. The boy’s mother was already dead, killed at his hand a few moments earlier. She had fought, but he was too strong. 

They would all serve him.

Or die.

DRANIS IV

Amaré’s chest swelled with pride. She stood in the centre of a huge cavern. The surface glistened with the multi-colored hues from millions of precious stones. Stalagmites littered the surface and stalactites veined with precious metals grew down from the ceiling. These random teeth provided the source for the game the young dragons were playing.

“They are fast, aren’t they?”

Amaré smiled at Jira’s comment. It was funny. Even though she’d awakened in dragon form, from a soul of an immature embryo, she was now the Queen of Dragonkin. Jira was effectively years older than her, but she, along with the rest of the newborns, knew she was their chieftain.

Amaré looked upwards, following Jira’s gaze, to watch as two silver bullets raced each other around the impromptu course. The brothers were two of the first to appear and claim their eggs.

“Yes, they are fast.” Amaré’s reptilian features darkened. “But their speed cannot be their only skill. They are Silver’s, Jira. They need to be leaders to the others here.”

“Oh, lighten up, Amaré.” Jira placed a talon on her Queen’s shoulder, chuckling at the sights around. “They are only a few days old; let them have a little fun.”

Amaré smiled. Jira had the curious ability to irresistibly cheer her up. The child’s laughter was infectious. Within seconds, she joined in the mirth. She took in what was going on around her. The cavern echoed with the sounds of dragons. Roars mixed with deep throated laughter. She breathed in the delicious scent of sulphur and ozone, the racial memories within her bubbling up. The life around her had become her family. Greens and browns were the prevalent forms present. The lower castes were smaller, but no less wonderful in her eyes and hearts. Dotted amongst them were a smattering of silvers, the lieutenants of the new nation.

Clutches of eggs lay across the surface of the cavern, predominately greens and browns, but at the centre lay the golden eggs. Only one was missing, Chran having claimed it, weeks ago. The others awaited the souls to bond with them.

Even Amaré didn’t know who the souls would be. She suspected, obviously. There were five gold eggs remaining. The numbers matched, but then, things could change, and Olumé was never one to reveal his plan prematurely.

A silver flash preceded another. The two brothers, Tyran and Cyran landed on the ground before her.

“Did you see, Mother?” Tyran’s wide toothed mouth twisted up at one side as he glanced sideways at his brother. “I beat him for the first time. And I will continue to beat him.”

Cyran raised a jewelled eyebrow. “Tyran spends too must time trying to win, but not enough trying to learn.”

Amaré beamed at the young dragon, but stretched her love out to the smaller brother. “Tyran, your brother is correct, but you have within you the strength to lead.”

She stretched her neck out, indicating the multitude gathering here. “Look at what is happening. Dragons are reborn. But we cannot be a rabble. We need leaders, and you...if you want to be, are one of them.”

For a second, Tyran appeared as a petulant, spoilt child. He obviously wanted to have fun, but inside, his race memory asserted itself.

“How can I be a leader, Mother?” Tyran’s eyes narrowed. “How, when in my previous incarnation I caused so much harm? I don’t deserve this form. I do not deserve to be a dragon.”

Amaré dropped her head. What Tyran said was true. He was one of the former followers of Tenybris, only arriving here to claim an egg after dying back on Sanctuary, murdered by the very being he thought he was serving.

“But you are a dragon, Tyran.” She crossed to him, nuzzling her scaled neck against his. “You are a silver as well. Your soul has to heal, but the challenge before you will help.” She looked at the other glowing form before her. “Cyran here has also demons in his past, don’t you?”

Cyran bowed his head. “Indeed, brother.” With a gesture of his head, a view of a battle unfolded before them. A world surrounded by mighty battle stations shone in the night sky. Thousands of massive Dreadnoughts stood before them as the dragon horde exited the Never. Cyran remembered the blinding lights as the assault began. He remembered the disdain and hatred he’d felt as he wiped a whole continent out in the flame of dragon fire.

“I murdered millions of beings, on that day alone.” He breathed deeply. “I felt their pain and I revelled in it. I savoured it. So, you are not alone in your guilt, brother.”

Jira’s ridged brows narrowed. “We all have pasts that we wish never happened. We also have futures we can use to put things right.” She stretched out her silver wings and took to the air. “But for now, why don’t you two slow coaches watch how it’s really done.”

She rocketed upwards. The two silvers glanced at each other, grins breaking the melancholy, before they jumped up in pursuit.

Amaré’s features softened as she smiled. This was a good day.

ON BOARD THE SANCTUARY flagship

Tenybris slept, but it was not a pleasant experience. Though his race only required two or three hours sleep per night, he hadn’t truly slept in thousands of years, ever since he’d began feeding on souls. Now, with the link to the pit broken, he found the need to sleep grow irresistible. He could, of course, begin feeding again, but the whole process had become distasteful to him. He had no qualms against murdering all these insignificant insects, but for now, he needed them.

The fleet loitered in the Never, hiding from any pursuit while repairs were carried out on the damaged vessels. Over a dozen were beyond repair, so their personnel were distributed among the remaining ships. Within days the fleet would be ready to move; but go where?

Tenybris dreamt of dragons. He stood on a vast plain of verdant green grass. The skies of this world were tinged with pink lightning, and in the heavens a mighty battle raged. Flares of dragon fire mixed with magic assaults and defences. His vision was a jumbled mess of images, but he was sure there were hundreds of red dragons within the chaos above, intermingled with the flashes of gold and silver.

A mighty crash made him turn towards the source, a broken and badly injured brown dragon. All around were the forms of dead or dying beasts. Dozens of greens and browns littered the plain, but not one red was among them.

Tenybris approached the dying dragon. He felt something he hadn’t felt in millennia...pity. As he reached out to stroke the brown’s muzzle, its eyes flickered open. A jewelled pair of sapphire orbs searched his own.

“Help us.” The normally deep booming voice of a dragon came out as a pitiful whisper. “Only you can save us, Tenybris.” The eyes glazed over. The dragon was dead.

Tenybris jerked upright in his bed. How can ‘I’ save them? he thought. And even if I can, do I want to?

His head reeled, and his heart thumped so hard it threatened to jump from his chest. The pity he’d felt in the dream came across into his conscious mind, and accompanying it was another emotion, alien to him for so long...compassion.

He gritted his teeth. These feelings were signs of weakness, and was he not a God? No, he would find the eggs, and it would be he that released the red dragons into the universe. He would return to Teralia, and reclaim his birthright. The magic would be his alone.

He sat on the edge of the bed, forming the words of a spell with silent lips. A dozen globes of silvered light appeared around him. A gesture sent them darting outward, passing through the ships skin and out into the Never beyond. The seekers would search the threads of reality for any sign of the dragon eggs.

He got up and walked to the mirror mounted on the bulkhead. The reflection staring back was strangely different from the one he remembered. The features were softer, almost as if he had grown younger. His long, dark hair shone with a gloss lost centuries before, in the prison he had existed in for so long. His dark eyes glinted in the overhead lighting.

What is happening to me? he thought. Somewhere deep inside, another feeling lurked. It idled at the edges of his being. He didn’t know it yet, but it was guilt.

ABOVE THE ATLANTIC Ocean

Zjokara let out a whoop of excitement as Chran barrel-rolled. She, and his other two passengers were in no danger of falling off; his magic held them securely in place on his back. His lover had never flown this way before, he was sure of that. He smiled at her cries of pleasure, different from those other delightful sounds from the previous evening, but no less pleasing to his ears.

“This is amazing,” she shouted over the roar of the wind. “I have been a pilot for years, but I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

Derren turned to smile at her. “I don’t think my sister would agree with your enthusiasm.” He chuckled at Zjokara’s quizzed expression. “She gets travel sick; badly. It’s fortunate she can travel by portal, otherwise she’d never leave the apartment.”

“There it is!” Katheryne pointed to the horizon ahead. Just cresting it was a dome of pink energy, and as they approached, they saw what looked like lightning flickering across the surface. She stretched out her consciousness, hoping that the close proximity of the dome might allow her access to whatever was inside, but whatever it was made of, it was impervious to their probes. None of them had been able to penetrate the barrier.

Within a matter of seconds, they had over flown the edge of the phenomenon. It rose up steadily beneath them until they were flying just a few dozen feet above it.

Chran stopped, entering a hover, and craning his long golden neck to face his passengers. “If the reports are true, then this thing is solid. I’m going to try landing.”

Katheryne grasped Derren’s hand. Her soul-mate smiled the crooked grin that never failed to make her heart skip a beat.

“Ah, are you sure about this, Chran?” he said.

A chuckle greeted his words as Chran dropped the last two feet to land on the glowing surface. “Yes, my friend. Quite sure.” He turned to look at his passenger’s faces. Katheryne and Derren’s were white with shock. Zjokara’s expression promised retribution later on. He could live with that.

Derren jumped down, his impact making a curious sound, like hitting a bell with a padded bat. He put his hand up to help Katheryne, as she slid down Chran’s golden flank. He caught her in his arms, taking the opportunity to nuzzle her neck. She giggled, and struggled against him. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, and the stubble tickled her neck.

She put a foot onto the surface, still held in one arm as Derren chuckled, musically.

Her foot passed straight though the barrier, as if there was nothing there. Derren only just managed to correct their balance, and grasp her again before she fell through.

“What the hell?” Katheryne was breathing deeply. She clung onto Derren. “Wait a sec, let me down, just a little.” She looked into his eyes. “Don’t let go, okay?”

The smile came from his eyes, but she felt it in her soul. Derren grasped her around the waist as he lowered her so her feet touched the surface; or rather, passed through it. Forks of the dark pink lightning played up along her lower legs.

“This feels really weird, almost like being tickled by feathers.” She gave Derren a hard stare as he snorted. Their games in the bedroom had become even more playful. “Okay, lift me back up.”

Derren grunted. He tried to raise her up, but she wouldn’t budge. He shifted his arms lower down her body, careful not to let her sink any lower into the surface. Bending his knees, he was able to exert his full body strength. Katheryne was pulling as well, but it didn’t seem to be working.

Zjokara jumped down off Chran’s back, just as he morphed into humanoid form. Both ran to help. Each grabbed a jeans clad leg, and pulled upward with all their strength.

Katheryne was getting distraught. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was coming in huge gulps as panic threatened to overcome her.

“Derren, please don’t let me fall...EEK!”

Derren and the others grunted as Katheryne was dragged another six inches downward. He linked to Chran, who immediately shifted back to dragon form.

Chran gently, but firmly latched onto Katheryne’s shoulders and began to lift her up.

“Shit, stop!” cried Katheryne. “You’re hurting me, Chran...shiiit!” Another lurch and Katheryne was buried to her knees. The pink lightning was licking up around her waist now, and Derren could feel the cool caress of its touch.

Just as it seemed that Katheryne was well and truly trapped, her wide eyes glazed over. She went limp, and slumped in Derren’s arms.

“Katheryne...Kat!” he cried. His muscles bunched as he desperately tried to free her. The others renewed their efforts, but as they did, Katheryne’s head jerked up. She muttered something under her breath. The energy engulfing her vanished instantly, and she shot up from her entrapment with such force that Zjokara and Derren collapsed backward to sprawl on the surface of the dome. Chran was so surprised, he lifted her hundreds of feet in the air before he could stop. He flew down, sensing the return of consciousness as Katheryne stirred in his talons. When he was a few feet above the surface, he lowered her gently into Derren’s waiting arms. Throwing her arms around his neck, Katheryne gave him another quick peck. “That’ll have to do you for now.” She grinned, craning her neck to address the others. “Thanks guys, I thought I was stuck there for a minute.”

Chran exchanged a glance with Derren.

“What?” asked Katheryne. “What’s with all the weird looks?”

Zjokara raised herself off the surface, and came over to take one of Katheryne’s hands. “Don’t you remember what you did?”

Katheryne looked at her, her brows furrowing. “What do you mean? You guys just pulled me out.” She looked at the concern on their faces. “Didn’t you?”

“You muttered something,” said Derren. “We didn’t get you out of whatever was holding you. You were stuck fast until you spoke.”

“But I didn’t say anything. I mean, I was scared shitless. I had visions of me falling through this thing.” She looked at Zjokara. “I saw you jump down, and Chran shift...” Her eyes glazed over for a second, before she recovered.

“I can feel it.” She turned to Derren, eyes wide with excitement. “I can feel the magic.”

She held a hand out, palm downwards, and closed her eyes. The others gasped as a funnel of energy snaked from the surface to enclose her hand. Her eyes opened. She saw the concern on their expressions. “It’s okay, I can control it now. Before...well, I didn’t know what it was. It’s a little weird.”

“It seems to have met its match then,” said Derren, smirking. “I always thought you a little weird.” Her stare caused him to falter. “In a completely adorable way, you understand.”

“Hmmph, nice save, but you will pay for that.” She flashed a look that caused a blush to rise on Derren’s cheeks. Then she concentrated, and the energy snapped back into the dome, like an overextended elastic band.

Katheryne disengaged herself from Derren’s arms, putting one foot tentatively on the glowing surface. “It’s okay, you can let me down now.” She stood, and fixed them all with a stare. She extended her arms, indicating their surroundings. “I really don’t know what’s going on here, but one thing I’m pretty certain of, is this...dome, for want of a better word, is the Veil spell, or what’s left of it. As you can see by my...behaviour, the magic is leaking out.”

“Leaking?” The deep booming voice was Chran’s. “I’ve read the prophecy. It said the Veil would fall, and that magic would flood the realms, infusing them with the powers of old. It never said anything about ‘leaks’.”

Derren looked sceptically at his friend. “I’ve never heard about the ‘infusing them with the powers of old.’ Are you sure?”

Chran shrugged his shoulders. “Well, that’s what we were taught at the academy.”

Zjokara snorted, causing them to turn to face her. “Are you saying that both of you have heard different versions of this...prophecy? None of you have even bothered to look at the original?”

Katheryne smiled. Derren and Chran stood like two naughty school boys, being lectured by a teacher after misbehaving in the school playground.

“Well,” muttered Derren, “I was never very attentive in the academy. I spent most of my time and effort annoying B’ran.”

“And I spent most of my time getting him out of trouble, after he’d annoyed B’ran.”

Derren grinned wickedly at his friend. “We got the bastard in the end though, didn’t we?”

He referred to the untimely, and rather violent and painful way B’ran had died. Derren had done it himself. After gleaning every scrap of useful information from him, Derren opened a tiny portal to a system containing a black hole. He’d watched as B’ran was sucked, molecule by molecule, through the portal. At the end, part of him had wanted to end his suffering, but then he remembered the misery this man inflicted on countless others, along with the way he’d usurped the leadership of Sanctuary, turning a world of guardians into a force to conquer the universe.

B’ran deserved the death he’d died.

Chran agreed, nodding at Derren. “Yes, my friend, but as my...” Chran halted. He had no idea how to describe his relationship with Zjokara to the others.

She smiled, taking his arm. “I believe, my ‘mate’ means that neither of you know the correct wording of the prophecy. Might I be right in assuming such?” She looked at them with a slight twitch of her lips, her eye ridges raised.

They looked down at the ground.

“Okay, let me get this straight.” Katheryne stood with hands fisted on her hips, eyes narrowed with a slight flush rising up her neck. “You come here, after searching God knows how long to find me, because I’m this Foundation, this saviour the prophecy talks about; but you don’t even know what the prophecy even says?”

Derren smiled, feigning a confidence he didn’t feel. “I know what it says...mostly.” He crossed to embrace Katheryne. “I know you are the Foundation. I am certain of that. You will rid us of Tenybris.”

She shrugged his arms off, fixing him with a withering stare that caused him to step back. “I might be, but we need to see the prophecy...the original. Where is it?”

Derren looked downcast. “It’s displayed in the foyer of the Arbiter building. It’s engraved on a stone tablet in the middle of the fountain. I’ve walked past it hundreds of times.”

“Typical men,” said Zjokara. “They never pay attention to the normal, everyday things.”

Derren and Chran exchanged a glance. They were both itching to say something, but under the baleful gaze of their respective lovers, they elected that silence was the best idea.

“Well, now that it’s safe to go there,” said Katheryne, “I think it’s about time I paid a visit, to find out ‘exactly’ what I’m supposed to do.”

She closed her eyes, stretching out her awareness to enter the Never. She’d been to Sanctuary before, but even if she hadn’t it would have been easy to find. It was a shining beacon at the centre of all reality. A silver shimmer appeared in the air, a doorway through time and space.

Katheryne turned to the others. “Coming?” She stepped through.

SANCTUARY

Laren awoke in Toshi’s arms. She’d slept the whole night through again, and felt wonderful. This was the third night in a row, and she thanked the Maker for the release from the torment of the dreams.

“Good morning.”

The voice caused a shiver of pleasure to run down her back, as Toshi’s arms drew her into him. She smiled, nuzzling back against him.

“I see I’m not the only one awake,” she whispered, chuckling as Toshi’s lips caressed her neck.

“Hmm?...Oh, well, it’s been a while.”

Laren laughed; a sound which made his soul soar, and his heart jump in his chest. She was back. He drew his hand up her body, feeling her jerk with a combination of tickles and something else. Laren shifted, turning so she was lying on her back. Toshi raised himself up on one elbow, and she gazed intensely into his dark eyes. She raised a hand to stroke his cheek.

“Promise me we’ll be together forever,” she said, tears forming in her eyes.

“Shush, love.” He bent down to kiss the tears away, slowly making his way towards her full, open lips. A gentle kiss at first, just the lightest touch of his lips, caused a gasp of pleasure to come from her beautiful mouth.

Laren drew his mouth to hers as passion took control and their souls melted together.

“I love you, Laren. I always have, from the very first moment I saw you.” Toshi ran his fingers through her lustrous locks, feeling his lover relax into him. He didn’t need a response; he felt the glow of happiness from her soul.

Laren’s eyes flicked open, at the same time as Toshi sensed the new arrivals. She raised her head up to kiss him. “We’ll have more fun later,” she promised, smiling mischievously as she got up to walk to the bathroom.

Toshi got up, pulled on a robe, and went out to the balcony. It was a beautiful day, but then every day was stunning on Sanctuary. The weather control systems saw to that; but Toshi wondered how long it would be before they started to fail. Without people to maintain them, machines would soon break down, and this world would become a different place.

‘Toshi? Are you there, mate?’

Toshi grinned. Yes, my friend. Laren and I are in my apartment. If you’d like breakfast, join us, but give us a few minutes to, ah, get dressed. He felt the knowing amusement flow through the link, followed by concern.

‘How is she, Tosh? We’ve all been worried about her.’

She is well, Derren. In fact, she has fully recovered from her ordeal.

A feeling of confusion accompanied the reply. ‘Are you sure? Tosh, I’ve only been gone a few days, and she was a mess.’

Toshi conveyed a mental shrug. There is something to discuss, but it’s better done in person. See you in thirty minutes.

‘Okay, mate, keep us guessing. See you in thirty.’

Toshi smiled as he felt the mental laugh. Thirty minutes...It’d be tight, but they could save time by showering together. He followed his lover into the bathroom, throwing the robe onto the bed.

ACROSS THE EXPANSE of city planet, Katheryne, Derren, Chran and Zjokara stood in the portal plaza.

“This is amazing, Derren,” said Katheryne, wide eyed as she turned on the spot, taking in the magnificent sight. The plaza itself was vast, a circular expanse with a diameter of over a mile. All around the circumference were huge structures, almost like vacant picture frames, leftovers of the massive deactivated portal machines. This had been the hub of all reality before the leadership, corrupted by the supporters of Tenybris, decided to shut them down and blockade the planet.

Derren took her hand. “I wish you could have seen it when it was still alive.” He gazed wistfully at the buildings, taking in the utter silence. He thought the same things as Toshi had, moments before. “Soon, the machines that run this paradise will begin to break down.” His voice was low, and Katheryne heard the pain in it. “These buildings can only rise so tall by using structural support force fields. Once they fail, the whole planet will be littered with rubble.”

Katheryne took his hand, squeezing it.

They all jumped when the deep silence was interrupted by Zjokara’s wrist com. She raised the device to her mouth. “Zjokara here.”

“It’s good to hear your voice again, Captain.” The voice had a tinge of relief and love. Zlotta had been in command for the last few days, as her captain accompanied Chran to Earth.

“And yours, Sub-Commander.” Zjokara smiled as she looked skyward. “Report, please.”

Zlotta’s voice stretched down from orbit. “As ordered, the fleet has remained in orbit. We have been assisting with the cleanup effort on the southern continent...it’s bad, Captain. There are millions of bodies to dispose of in the immediate area of the enclave alone.”

The enclave was the name initially given to the area the Liberi had held against the soulless. It was a collection of five city blocks surrounding a central plaza. The name had stuck, and the returning refugees had begun to clear the bodies from the surrounding land.

“What about the support systems in the area, Zlotta? Are they holding up?”

“Yes, Captain, at least for the meantime. Unfortunately, all the buildings in the vicinity were residential. Technicians and engineers are very scarce, but our people and the Dranian’s are doing all we can to help.” There was a pause as Zlotta talked to another crew member. “Captain, it appears the only system we foresee having problems with is the weather control. It is a worldwide system, an integrated network of emitters and satellites. There are just not enough of us, even combined, to support it.”

Zjokara sighed. “Thank you, Sub-Commander. I’ll be returning aboard sometime later today. Captain out.” She turned to Derren. “I may have a proposal for you, which might benefit both our peoples, Derren.”

Derren smiled, but there was an undercurrent of tension to it. “While I’m honored you think I’m the leader here, I’m afraid I’m only an ex warrior of a dying world.”

Zjokara raised her eye ridges. “I think you sell yourself short, my young friend.”

Chran snorted. “Less of the young, my love. He’s older than...” He broke off as Derren flashed a warning over the link, but it was too late.

Katheryne rounded on him. “What does he mean, Derren.” Her eyes narrowed. “Come to think of it, I’ve never asked. I always assumed you were around my age.”

Derren’s face went white. “Well, I did say I’d been searching for you for years, love. It’s not my fault you never asked how many.”

Katheryne pushed him, hard, in the chest. “Don’t you dare make this my fault.”

Derren stood, rubbing his torso.

“So, how many years were you looking for me? I take it you’re considerably older than you look.”

Derren looked incredibly sheepish. “It’s doesn’t matter. I love you. What are a few years?”

Chran snorted again, earning a poisoned looked from Derren.

“How many years? Ten? Twenty?” She thumped him in the chest again, eliciting a whoosh of air. Derren went from white to red as he struggled for breath. For a second, Katheryne looked aghast at her new found strength, but she wasn’t about to let him off the hook.

Derren raised both hands, palms towards her. “Okay, enough, Kat.” It came out as a gasp, and Katheryne halted in her tracks, horrified she’d hurt him. Thankfully, he straightened up, rubbing his ribs with both hands. “You know, we need to have a talk about your temper.”

His lopsided grin hid the pain he was clearly in, but he continued. “It was seven.”

“Seven years?” she asked. “Now I don’t understand. What’s the big deal about seven years?”

“Because, it’s not years; its decades.” He crossed to embrace her, putting his arms tentatively around her, lest she lose control again. She stiffened slightly, before looking up into his impossibly dark eyes. They were wide, and his teeth were gritted with pain as he drew in breath.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry...I never meant to...” Her eyes pricked with moisture. “Derren, I’m so sorry.”

Derren winced as Katheryne wrapped her arms around him, causing her to apologize again. He managed a chuckle. “Please, no more sorrys, I don’t think my ribs could cope.”

“Sor...Okay, but here, let me help.” She stepped back, closing her eyes as she concentrated. All of them felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand up.

A glow enveloped Derren’s chest. He gasped as warmth seeped into his bones. It spread through his torso, expanding outward from his sternum. Within seconds the pain was gone. He felt his ribs, eyes wide in wonder.

“How did you do that?” he asked Katheryne. He didn’t get a reply. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted, falling forwards. He caught her, laying her gently on the ground.

Her eyes flickered open. “Hello, you.”

Derren touched the back of his hand to her face. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Katheryne snorted. “Am I hurt? After what I just did to you, you ask me if I’m hurt.” She watched as the others grinned. “I’m fine, just whacked out. That really took it out of me.”

“What was it? Not that I’m complaining, my ribs feel much better. Was it magic?

Katheryne raised herself into a sitting position, and shook her head. “I think so. There are so many random spells swilling through my subconscious.  I thought I’d be able to do it, but I didn’t realize how much it would take out of me. Are you sure you’re okay?”

He grabbed her hand, raising her to her feet and sweeping her into an embrace. “Squeeze as hard as you want, I’m great.”

Katheryne leaned in, savouring the feel of his body, before remembering how mad she was supposed to be with him.

“You are a very...bad... alien,” she said, poking him with her finger after each word, albeit much softer than before. She heard Chran’s deep laughter, and turned to give him a scathing glance. “And don’t think you’re off the hook either. I’ll deal with you in good time, dragon.”

Zjokara grinned, as the glow on Chran’s scales seemed to tarnish.

“Now, how about you tell me how old you actually are,” said Katheryne, smiling slightly.

Derren’s eyes lit up as he gazed down into the emerald embers. “Are you sure you can handle dating an older man?”

“Hmm, depends how much older. I mean, it’s at least seventy years. That’s how long you’ve been searching for me. So, hit me with it.”

“I was twenty three of your years old, when I first dreamt of you,” he said.

“So, ninety three years old...great, I’m in love with a pensioner.”

“Actually, I didn’t start searching for you until I became Liberi.”

Katheryne’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I have a nasty suspicion that I’m not going to like this.”

Derren lifted her hands in his. “Katheryne, I was sixty seven when I died, and was reborn as Liberi.”

Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened, as she tried to find words which wouldn’t come.

Derren gently closed her mouth. “I’m almost one hundred and fifty eight years old, Kat. In fact, my birthday is next week.”

Katheryne turned away. Derren was afraid of another outbreak of temper, but her shoulders shook as a fit of uncontrollable giggles overcame her.

“Maybe we can have a party?” Her laughter turned hysterical. “I can wrap a Zimmer frame in paper and make you guess what it is.”

“Kat, my age is irrelevant.”

“Really? How do you figure that?” Katheryne rounded on him, tears welling from her eyes. “I’m twenty years old, Derren!”

The words hit him like a hammer. To him it didn’t matter. His race was long lived. A century old being falling for a teenager was entirely acceptable on his world, but on Earth, a century old man was someone near the end of his life.

He placed his hands on either side of her face, raising her eyes up to link with his. “Katheryne, we will grow old together.” He saw wild confusion enter her expression, but held tight, gazing into her emerald pools.

“You will be with me through eternity, love.” His crooked grin lit up his face. “Don’t you sense it?”

Katheryne’s eyes lowered. “What? What do you mean?”

Derren chuckled, releasing her, but keeping one hand against her face to flow over her ear and through her golden hair.

“You have changed, love.” His eyes narrowed, and she felt her heart skip as the dark intensity ignited her soul. “You will live along with me, for as long as you wish.”

He saw the doubt in her eyes, and averted his gaze.

Katheryne touched his cheek, drawing him back. “Why are you so sad?”

“Because you had to go through so much, to get to this point,” he said.

She felt warm pebbles flow down her cheeks. “I’ll never lose you?” She clung to him. “I was terrified you’d have to watch me get old and die.”

Derren laughed, brushing his lips against her cheek. “Oh, we will age; just a lot slower than you normally would. My race lives around five hundred of your years. With your power, you can remain young forever.”

She pouted at him. “I don’t want to remain young forever. I think I’ll stick with growing old together, how does that sound?”

His lips broke in a grin. “Sounds like my idea of paradise.”

“Well,” said Chran, showing his pointed teeth as he smiled, “if you are ready, perhaps we should make a move?”

Derren nodded. “First, we have a breakfast appointment with Toshi and Laren.”

“Good, I’m starving,” said Chran.

Derren waved his hand, and a portal appeared in the air before them. “You’re always starving, mate. I just hope Tosh has plenty.” He led Katheryne by the hand through the opening, followed by Chran and Zjokara.

“ARE YOU SURE?” DERREN asked. “She’s dead, Toshi. We saw the body, went to the funeral. I mean, we saw the soul pass into the Never.”

“Which is why you and I are standing out on the balcony discussing this,” Toshi nodded his head in the direction of the door, “instead of talking it through with the others.”

Derren blew a long breath out. “You know, Kat and I had a talk the other night. She thought she still felt Perri’s presence. I told her about some races’ beliefs; that the soul can linger if there is unfinished business. Personally I never believed them, until now.”

“Derren, you’ve seen Laren. Can you think of any other reason for her sudden recovery? Like you said, she was a mess.”

“And now she’s back to her normal, amazing self.” As if to highlight this, the group inside cried with laughter at some joke.

Derren frowned, looking through the open doorway. “Should we tell her?”

Toshi chuckled. “Do you want another beating when she finds out you held the fact that her friend’s soul might still be here, somewhere?”

Derren shrugged, smiling ruefully. “She really has come so far, hasn’t she, my friend?”

Toshi smiled. “We all have. And a lot of that is down to you, Derren.”

Derren snorted. “I doubt that. No, Katheryne is the Foundation. I’m simply a Liberi warrior.”

Toshi gave his friend a curious look, before smacking Derren’s arm on the way to the door. “And who supports the Foundation, eh? Come on, we might as well get this over with.”

Derren followed Toshi through the door, grinning widely at the scene which greeted him. Laren was laughing and smiling, as she listened to the tale of how Perri had saved Katheryne from the worst beating of her life. It was a good story, one he had heard before, but he found his attention being drawn in, as Katheryne described how Perri had savagely beat off three girls, all larger than her, to save her friend.

Toshi crossed to sit beside Laren, who looked up as he sat. She beamed at him as he took her hand, squeezing gently.

Derren put his hands on Katheryne’s shoulders. “There’s something you need to know.”

Katheryne smiled up at him, her grin faltering as she saw his expression. Her eyes darted to Toshi, who wore an identical mask.

“Ok, I’m not going to like what you’re about to tell me.” Katheryne reached up to take one of Derren’s hands. “Am I?”

Derren smiled down at his soul mate. “I don’t think you’ll expect it, even believe it at first, love, but it appears Laren’s miraculous recovery had a little help.”

Laren’s head snapped up. She’d been nuzzling Toshi’s neck. “What do you mean, my ‘miraculous’ recovery? I mean, I just realized I had to leave all that stuff behind. It was hurting me.” She turned to Toshi. “It was hurting us.”

Chran abruptly stood up, knocking his chair over. His head tilted back, and he sniffed the air, before his face broke in a wide grin. “Oh, very clever, my little friend.” He waved a hand, and the others gasped as the ceiling of the apartment dissolved, to reveal the chaos of the Never. This wasn’t what caused their surprise. A tiny globe of dark amber energy dropped towards the window above. Although it was physically unrecognizable, all around the table knew what, knew who, it was.

“Perri?” Katheryne’s voice broke with emotion.

“Perri?” The voice whispered in their heads. “Is that my name?” They sensed confusion in their minds.

The ball flitted to hover before Katheryne. “I know you.” A tendril reached out to caress her cheek. Katheryne cried as her hand passed right through it.

A sense of loss filled them. “Someone’s missing, someone...important.”

They all exchanged glances, eyes meeting others wide with disbelief and wonder.

“Perri, she’s back on Earth,” answered Katheryne.

“I don’t understand. This isn’t Earth?” The voice was confused.

Derren stood up. “I can go and get her. It’ll take me a few minutes.”

Katheryne shook her head. “There’s no need.” She smiled, enigmatically. “Now I’m on Sanctuary, I can do things I never dreamed off...”

She closed her eyes, and the others felt her consciousness expand. They were stunned by the level of control Katheryne displayed, as she searched for what she wanted. She snorted. “Oh, Derren, she’s really going to be pissed off.”

Derren’s brow’s furrowed for a second, before his jaw dropped open as his twin sister appeared in the room. She was in pink Care Bear pyjamas, and had a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.

“Mwat?” Krista’s pale golden hair was a mess. She paused, eyes widening as she took in her abruptly new surroundings. After the briefest pause, however, she regained what little composure she could, while wearing Sunshine Bear on her breast. Her eyes narrowed as she spat white foam out, wielding the purple plastic instrument like a knife. Her bared teeth and lips were still coated with white foam, as was the brush, which splashed it around as she swung it up before her. The whole image reduced them to fits of giggles which, of course, made Krista want to hurt them even more; until she saw, and felt the presence.

“Perri?” squeaked Krista, dropping the brush from her shaking fingers. “How?” Her mouth opened and closed, the shock rendering her speechless.

The globe glided to settle in front of her face. The others watched as tears welled in Krista’s eyes, running down her cheeks to drop like warm rain on the ground. The tendrils reached out to caress her face, passing across her cheek and across her lips. She reached up to touch the sphere, and as she did so, the amber energy enveloped her fingers.

“It’s you!” Krista turned to the others standing gaping at the impossible sight. “It’s really Perri. I can feel her.”

Gasps and exclamations of wonder passed around the room.  Even Zjokara, who had never met Perri, was caught up in the emotions cascading around. She clung to Chran as he trembled. She smiled as she saw the wetness in his eyes.

Katheryne sniffed, crossing to take Krista’s free hand. “We all can, Krista, and it’s wonderful, but we need to know how this happened. Perri, what do you remember.”

A feeling of doubt and confusion emanated from the globe. “I’m not sure, Kat...Kat, Katheryne! That’s your name.” The confusion changed to elation and excitement. “I didn’t know your name a few moments ago, but now I do and...ooh.”

The globe shimmered, before shooting upwards to re-enter the Never.

“No!” cried Krista. “Perri, you can’t leave me again, please.”

A feeling of love washed over all of them, as Perri’s words entered their minds. “I’ll never leave you, any of you, but it looks like I’m stuck in the Never, at least for now.”

Derren looked upwards. “What do you mean, for now?”

“I’m not sure, Derren. I have all my memories back now, but there’s more. I can feel something blocking me, something hiding in my mind...feels really weird, to be honest.”

Toshi chuckled, and everyone turned to him. He raised his eyebows. “It appears we are again the victims of one of Olumé’s plans.”

Comprehension dawned on them, and they gave various gestures of acknowledgement. There seemed to be no end to the twists and turns in the Great One’s master plan, but at least this particular result was a welcome one.

“So will you be able to speak to us whenever we want,” asked Katheryne, “or only when Chran opens up a gateway to the Never?”

“Hey Kat, I’ve died and come back as a ball of energy,” Perri replied, and they felt her mischievous humour emanate from above. “I may not be able to exist for more than a few minutes outside the Never, but remember the promise I made to you on your sixteenth birthday?”

Katheryne grinned at the memory. For her sixteenth birthday Perri organised a surprise paintball session. Kat hated paintball, Perri knew this, but she had an ulterior motive, in the shape of one Tyler Barnes. His family ran the company that organised the games, and Perri knew he had the serious hots for her friend.

Unfortunately, the day ended rather abruptly, when Perri’s over active competitive streak kicked in. She led a charge to capture the enemy flag. She turned to rally her team to the attack, before running flat out into a low hanging branch. She’d been knocked out cold, and the first thing she saw when she woke, was Katheryne and Tyler stooping over her. Katheryne cried and bawled, begging her over and over to wake up.

Perri had opened her eyes fully and murmured dreamily, “Kat, even if I die, I promise I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt your scrawny ass.”

Tyler and her friend laughed in relief. The whole incident sparked a brief romance between them, but Katheryne just wasn’t interested in a long term thing.

Back in the apartment, Katheryne snorted. “Jesus, Perri. Only you would be stubborn enough to cheat death, just to keep a promise.”

“Well, someone has to keep an eye on you. You have a nasty habit of getting yourself into trouble.”

“Ha!” Katheryne raised a finger to point at the orb. “Now that’s definitely a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Just look at where you are now..?” Her mouth abruptly closed, and fresh tears welled in her eyes. Katheryne lowered her head as she cried.

A tendril reached down from above to raise her head back up. “We’ve been through this already, Kat. Yeah, so what, you killed me. But look at all the cool stuff I can do now. I felt Laren’s pain as soon as she woke up. It took me a little while to figure out how to get here. You know me and long distance travel...I always end up lost somewhere; but I got here in the end.”

Laren looked at Toshi, her face beaming. “You knew.”

Toshi shrugged. “I suspected...okay, I strongly suspected, that some essence of Perri was responsible, but I had no idea this would happen.”

Laren addressed the globe. “Thank you, Perri. I think you saved my life. I doubt I would have survived much longer, living with that burden.” Toshi embraced her, and she melted into his arms.

“Urgh...get a room, you two.” They all laughed at Perri’s outburst. She was back, if not in body, then definitely in spirit. “To be fair, up until a few minutes ago, I didn’t know who you were. I just felt the pain...and needed to help.” The globe shimmered.  “Guys, I need to go for a bit. Talking to you all like this is exhausting...even if I have no idea how a ghost can be tired. Anyway, Chran, if you could close the gateway, I’ll be in touch in a few hours.” The tendril reached down again to touch Krista’s face. “I’ll always be here, Kris.” A final feeling of mischief echoed as Chran waved his hand, returning the ceiling to its previous mundane appearance.

He turned to the group, wiping tears off his golden face with the back of his hand. “Well, I suppose we should actually carry out what we came here to do.”

Derren nodded. “Yes, I suppose so, but there’s no point in all of us going. Besides, my sister needs to put some more appropriate attire on. I don’t think we’ll encounter anyone, but they might just die laughing.” He smiled, wickedly.

Krista’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t forget, little brother. I still have those images of you as a baby, and I’m,” she raised her thumb and forefinger so they were a millimetre apart, “this close to using them.”

Her brother’s face paled. “You wouldn’t.”

“Watch me!”

Katheryne started to giggle. “Oh, Krista, you have to show me them.”

“No!” Derren blurted. He concentrated, and a portal appeared. “We don’t have enough time, do we Toshi?” Derren looked pleadingly at his friend.

Toshi hesitated just long enough to cause Derren to flush with panic. “Hmm, I think you’re right. Besides, I for one think those images should never see the light of day.”

Derren nodded in gratitude, but Katheryne wasn’t about to let it go. “I think Krista and I need to have a little chat later, but yes, let’s go.”

Chran stood up with Zjokara. “I’m taking the Captain back to her people. I may stay for a while.” There was a glint in his eye and a twitch at the corner of his mouth as Zjokara squeezed his hand. Her eyes smouldered into his. “We have some unfinished...business.”

Krista gave a small scream. “Maker, everyone is getting some except me!” She stormed off into Laren’s room to retrieve some clothes, leaving the others chuckling in her wake.

THE ARBITER BUILDING brought home how dead Sanctuary had become. The central government sat here for centuries, and it was always a hive of activity. Now the huge arboretum was eerily silent, except for the barely perceptible whirr of the air conditioning, and the tinkling sound of water. The sunlight lanced through the vast panes of plexiglass. At the centre of the area a large fountain splashed streams of water in a gracefully intricate display, which only heightened the desertion. Derren, Katheryne, and Toshi walked towards it.

“Well here it is.” Derren indicated the large plaque, over two metres tall, sitting in the centre of the fountain. A walkway led through the streams to the plinth it sat upon. It was clearly ancient, carved from what looked like a huge slab of black granite. Veins of precious metals flowed through it, like tiny rivulets. The lettering glittered with hues that passed through the whole visible spectrum.

As Katheryne approached, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. This was more than a simple carving. She felt the magic emanate from it, flow into her as her hands were drawn to touch the letters. As her palms ran across them, she felt a rush as something within the stone surged to the surface. A moment’s panic gave way to wonder, as she recognized the fingerprint of the spell. This fragment of magic had lain hidden within the plaque for thousands of years, waiting; waiting for her.

“Well, it’s about time you got here.”

The trio span round to find the source of the voice, an old man, dressed in a brown, homespun robe, tied at the waist with a length of rope. His hair was white, his face lined with age, but there was an unmistakable aura of power emanating from him.

Olumé held his arms out to Katheryne, who rushed in to embrace him. “How do you know it’s me,” she asked. “You said the last time we met, that you were part of Olumé’s soul. If this is another of those parts, how can you know me already?”

Olumé fixed her with a stern stare. “You never fail to amaze me, my dear. Before I explain, however, how about we do the introductions? See? I remembered this time.” He winked at her as she laughed. His eyes shone with mirth.

“Olumé, this is Derren, my...boyfriend?” Katheryne actually blushed. She felt like she was introducing her lover to a favorite uncle.

“Oh, I can already see he’s much more than that.” Olumé released Katheryne, walking over to take Derren’s hand. He pumped it up and down, as a shell-shocked Derren closed his mouth with an audible click. “So, my boy, you’re the one, eh?”

Derren stood wide eyed, but fought through his confusion to speak. He shook his head. “I’m just a...”

“Oh shush.” Olumé laughed, a sound tinged with tiny silver bells. “You’re the one who found the Foundation and brought her here. You share her soul. You’re much more than you realize, my boy.”

He turned to Toshi, who had regained some composure after coming face to face with the figure of legend.

Toshi took the outstretched hand, bowing slightly at the waist. “My Lord, I am Toshi. It is an unexpected honor to meet you.”

Olumé made a dismissive gesture and grimaced. “Oh, less of the ‘My Lord.’ I haven’t been a Lord of anything in millennia. Olumé will do just fine.” He crossed to sit on the lip of the fountain.

“Now, I suppose you want to know why I’m here, but first let me answer your question, Katheryne.” He gestured, and water flowed from the fountain, solidifying into a bench. At his invitation they sat, marvelling at the power of this being.

“You are correct; I am but one part of the soul that was Olumé. While it is not normally possible to separate a soul as I have done, the spell succeeded as planned.” He gave them all a wink. His plans were many and intertwining, and Katheryne had told them about his pride in them. They returned his smile.

“What it also allows, is a link between the different shards of awareness, not unlike the link I created in the Liberi.”

Hearing him talk so calmly, about creating a cadre of elite warriors who just happened to possess the souls of dragons, made Toshi and Derren’s heads reel. Katheryne laughed at their expressions. She remembered feeling as they did now, the last time she’d had a conversation with Olumé.

Olumé clapped his hands, rubbing them together as he grinned, a mischievous expression of glee plastered across his face. “Now, who wants to know why we’re all here?”

Their faces, as they looked at each other in confusion caused his laugh to intensify. “Oh, my, I haven’t laughed so much in ages...and that is actually a pretty accurate statement.” He stood up, crossing to stand behind them. “You should probably do what you came here to do.” With a wave, the plaque rose off its plinth and settled on the ground in front of them. The letters glittered in the sunlight streaming through the windows, and their eyes were drawn in to read the prophecy.

Thousands of years will pass.

Legends will rise, and empires fall,

but at the end, a saviour will be found.

She will be the Foundation of a force

which will rid us of the threat of Tenybris forever.

“You know, I imagined it’d be longer.” Katheryne appeared disappointed.

“Yeah, me too.”

Katheryne glanced at Derren. “You’ve never read it, not even once?”

He shrugged his shoulders, smiling his crooked smile. “Like I said, I was busy.”

Katheryne gasped in exasperation, before the last sentence of the prophecy registered. “You know, ridding the threat of Tenybris is a lot different than defeating him.”

Derren and Toshi looked at her like she was unhinged. “Look, all along I thought I’d have to fight him, but what if I don’t? What if there’s another way?”

Derren shook his head. “Kat, Tenybris is responsible for killing trillions of people. He and his forces wiped whole civilisations off the face of reality.”

“Actually, my boy, he’s not.” Olumé’s eyes gleamed as he addressed them. “Oh, I’m not saying he didn’t do it, all I’m saying is, he wasn’t responsible for the deaths.”

Derren stood up, teeth clenched tight shut. He glanced at Toshi, who recognized the tell tale signs of his friend’s rebellious nature.

“I am not ‘your boy,’ and you cannot seriously think that Tenybris can be saved!” Derren looked at Katheryne. “I’m sorry, love, I think your friend here has become a little unhinged over the centuries.”

Katheryne’s eyes sparked with inner fire. “Derren, remember what Olumé told me, about the bipolar nature of Teralia; that it can only be the bright light of good, or the deepest dark of evil.” She turned to Olumé. “That’s what you mean, isn’t it?”

“A concise explanation, Katheryne. Yes, Tenybris is awake and aware for the first in countless years, but more importantly, he is free of influence from the Darkness. The Veil has not fallen yet, and the Darkness is trapped within. The magic, however, is too strong to contain, as you are no doubt aware.” He crossed to take her hands. “It is time. Now is the only chance we have to save my friend.”

Derren snarled. “Save him? He destroyed my world, killed my family and all my friends.”

Olumé stood up. It was the only time Katheryne had ever seen him anything other than fatherly. His eyes flared with anger for an instant, and they all shrank back under the terrible assault. It was then they realized what they were up against. All along they thought the prophecy was inevitable, that Katheryne was destined to defeat Tenybris, but the level of sheer power flowing over them in waves dwarfed anything they could have ever conceived of.

Thankfully, the shadow passed abruptly. “I’m sorry, my young friends.” Olumé bowed his head, as if he was disappointed in his lapse of self control, “and I’m sorry to you most of all, Derren, but if you would allow me to show you something?” He tilted his head, holding his hand out to Derren.

Derren’s temper ebbed away, and he sank to his seat. “I’m sorry too.” He took the offered hand, smiling. As he did so, images flooded his brain.

“Where am I?” He gasped as he took in the view. A vast continent lay below them. He held tight to Olumé’s hand.

“This is my home, Teralia, sometimes known simply as the Lands.”

Derren’s stomach lurched as they dropped, instantly appearing on a ledge overlooking the sheer face of a mountain taller than Derren had ever seen.

“These are the Mountains of Fire, where the dragons originally called home. Look there.” Olumé pointed, and Derren followed his direction to see two tiny figures, grasping onto barely visible handholds as they climbed. Though it was far away, he knew he watched a young Olumé and Tenybris.

His view expanded as Olumé brought them closer. Suddenly, the blonde haired one, Olumé as a youth, lost his footing. He was a few feet above and to the left of the dark haired Tenybris, so that he wouldn’t drag them both to death if he fell, but as Derren watched, Tenybris let go his own secure perch, jumping to grab a handhold below Olumé. As he reached out with one hand, his other grasped the hand of his friend as he fell past him. His hand gained the rocky outcrop an instant before he took the weight. Olumé swung, crashing into the hard surface of the mountain, but he was alive. Tenybris had saved his life.

Time shifted. Derren saw a slightly older Olumé, as he almost drowned in a fast flowing river. Tenybris, who was always the stronger swimmer, jumped in and with steady strokes, rescued Olumé, dragging him back to calmer waters.

Countless instances of a similar nature played out in Derren’s mind, sometimes with the roles reversed, but one thing remained constant. The love and brotherhood the two of them felt toward the other was unshakeable.

Then the view shifted, and Derren knew many centuries had passed. The two friends were visibly older, as they entered the court of a castle made of colored crystal. As they crossed into the main hall, each of the young elves glimpsed a sight which stole their hearts. The Lord’s daughter, Lynnaria, locked eyes with Olumé, and drank in his soul.

As Derren watched the scene unfold, the two new lovers tentatively approaching each other, he sensed the happiness Tenybris felt for his friend. Yes, there was a tinge of regret. Tenybris thought Lynnaria was wonderful, but he acknowledged the bond growing between her and Olumé, and his heart soared for them.

Derren sensed more than saw the shadow that detached itself from the flickers caused by the lit torches. He tried to shout a warning out, but his voice was soundless. This had already happened. There was nothing anyone could do to prevent it. He watched hopelessly as a tendril snaked out to enter Tenybris’s chest, wrapping itself securely around his heart. He felt the rot sink into Tenybris, saw the flickering embers of jealousy awaken in his soul.

The view shifted again, and Derren watched, as a starkly changed Tenybris tortured and consumed his first victim. He felt the hatred from across the ages. Derren could see his soul, a bright tiny spark surrounded by darkness, and he finally understood.

A wave of Olumé’s hand, and they stood back in the Arbiter building. Derren stood open mouthed, tears prickling the edges of his eyes, and Katheryne ran to him. She pulled his head to her breast, but he raised his eyes to gaze pleadingly into hers.

“Can we save him?” His face was a mask of anguish. “Katheryne, we have to try.”

Katheryne glanced at Toshi, who came over to support his friend. She stood up and faced Olumé. “What do I have to do?”

Olumé’s lips twitched in a smile that conveyed his pride in her. “No more than you already have, my dear.” He looked up, outside at the blue sky. “You have the power to find anything, anyone, and bring them here. This is the only place that he can be stopped, because this is the only place you have this power. You will need assistance. Tenybris will be too strong for you alone, and my time here is almost done.”

Katheryne nodded. “The other Powers?” Olumé tilted his head in agreement, even as he began to fade.

“Katheryne, this is not the final battle, but if it works out as I ‘planned,’” he chuckled one last time, “you will have a mighty ally on your side. Just be careful. Guilt can be a two edged sword.”

And with that last cryptic comment, Olumé, at least the latest shard she’d met, was gone.

THE CITADEL

Marcus L’vel woke with a start, bolting upright in bed. His body was covered in sweat and his heart thundered in his chest, but as the memory of the dream surfaced, a cruel smile played across his thin lips.

There was a wicked gleam in his eye as he pulled his clothes on, knowing where to go and what to do. Unlike normal dreams, this one didn’t fade, but intensified, became more real with each waking moment. He laughed. This was probably the first time anyone had broken and entered in the history of this world.

God they were pathetic, he thought. So self-righteous and innocent and trusting. He’d kept his own company for the last two days since the feast. The elves even bought food to his room, concerned for his wellbeing, they said. To the other passengers, he might as well never have existed. He’d sat by his window the previous day, watching as the others were shown around the walls and courtyards of this castle, or Citadel, as the elves called it, and scoffed at them. They were no more than sheep.

He opened the door to his room, peering out to look up and down the passageway, but as it was the middle of the night, it was deserted. He stepped out into the dim light. The jewels which illuminated the corridor provided enough light to see comfortably, but he didn’t want to be seen, so he kept to the shadows as much as possible. He didn’t know the layout of this place, but was sure the path laid in his head would take him where he needed to go. Marcus had asked how the being he talked to in his dreams knew the layout of this place. The reply had been vague, but it seemed this Citadel was a carbon copy of another one it used to live in. Marcus didn’t actually give a damn. He just didn’t want to get lost.

After an hour of sneaking through the seemingly unending, and thankfully deserted, passageways, he came before a large wooden door, flanked by a pair of intricately carved pillars. The wood shone with an inner glow, and as he ran his finger tips along the smooth grained surface, he felt a pulse of energy course up his arm. It wasn’t painful, in fact it felt pretty good, but he withdrew his hand, quickly. He had more important things to do that get some sort of pleasure fix from an inanimate object.  He tried the handle, expecting the door to be locked, but it swung open, smooth and silently.

Do these people have no concept of security? He took a tentative step forward, in case someone was within, but the room was empty, except for the thousands upon thousands of scrolls, arranged neatly in pigeon holes covering the walls of this vast library. The room stretched back over one hundred meters, and was maybe ten meters high. A normal library might have had ladders to reach the highest shelves, but none were apparent here. Marcus hoped the item he required was within reach.

As he took another step in, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, like he was in the middle of a lightning storm, as he felt the power wash over him. Closing the door behind him, he walked further into the room. It was steeped in shadows, but Marcus knew exactly where to go, as he walked purposely to the far right corner of the room. Thankfully, the scroll lay at head height, and it seemed to glow as it called out to him.

Marcus felt the lure of the Darkness’s power as it drew his soul to the pit, like a moth to a flame. He was a willing pawn, for the promises made would make him more powerful that he could ever have conceived. No more would he operate in the shadows, having to hide his wealth and power. Now he would rule over them all.

He took the scroll, his hands shaking with eager anticipation, unravelling it on one of the tables in the middle of the room. The language was alien to him, but as his eyes took in the flattened page, his lips mouthed the words. Unable to stop, he recited the spell flawlessly. Although Marcus wasn’t a magic user, the power locked within the scroll overcame his shortfall. His felt a tingle in his fingers and toes, which rapidly spread inwards from his extremities until his whole body was encompassed.

His body slumped lifelessly on the floor, as his astral self soared up and out of the Citadel. Drawn by the Darkness, it flew like a hawk toward the heart of the forest, and the pit laying there. The whisper of Marcus’s soul bypassed all the defences erected by the Faer. They were, after all, designed to confine the Darkness, not to prevent an incursion from without. In seconds, Marcus stood before his master, and his soul quailed in horror.

THE DARKNESS PONDERED the pitiful soul before him. It was weak, disgusting, but totally suited to its purpose. During the previous attempts to rise above the Light, and gain precedence and control of the magical core of this world, the Darkness was forced to tease and tempt a pawn; it took centuries to draw the soul in, to twist and defile it enough to carry out its task, but now, this being arrived from outside, and willingly gave himself over. Oh, the man was evil and ambitious, and clearly thought he was the one using the Darkness to gain his own power; it was time to show him how terribly wrong he was.

The Darkness engulfed the spirit of Marcus L’vel, leeching the life force into the pit, which was the physical manifestation of its presence. Never before had the Darkness held a corporeal form, instead opting to use an unwitting pawn to carry out its purpose. The soul emptied, mentally screaming in torment, until all was left was the astral shell of the human’s body. Reaching out, the Darkness poured its essence into it. It left a tiny sliver behind in the pit, so the Faer above would still sense its presence. Now, all that remained was to return it to its body, and the Darkness would, for the first time, walk the world above.

Above, the Faer buttressed their defences against a renewed attack from below. More trees fell as the pit attempted to engulf them all.

The sliver exhausted most of its remaining strength in the attack, but the shadow rose unnoticed, an insignificant presence soaring up into the air, as it raced back to the Citadel.

MARCUS L’VEL, OR AT least, his body, got up, shakily, from the floor of the library. Sensations alien to the Darkness threatened to overwhelm it. The simple act of taking a breath was a wonder, and it smiled as the sensation of touch flew through its mind, when it ran a hand across a table. Even the awareness of the sound of silence in the room made the heart in its chest hammer against the ribs. It was all too much. Something strange crept into the Darkness’s mind...panic rose up.

ENOUGH! With a supreme act of willpower, the Darkness regained control, calming its...his, heartbeat. Yes, the Darkness had a physical presence now. He was the Darkness. He looked, for the first time actually seeing his outstretched hands. He took in the thousands of magical scrolls around him, felt them call out, but a noise outside in the corridor caused him to pause.

He managed to reach the door, and hide behind it as two elves flung it wide, letting in the shafts of sunlight from the windows outside. While the Darkness had been exploring his new body, daylight had broken, and the panic threatened to arise again. He was here, where he obviously should not be, but more than that, he wasn’t ready. The Darkness still had limits on the control of this body. It would take many days of practice and study to find out how his power would manifest itself. So, he used the inattentiveness of the two, who were deep in conversation, to step from behind the door and out into the passage. Thankfully, it was deserted. If he could make it just a short distance away, he could say he got lost, but his concern was unfounded. He managed to make it all the way to the great hall, where the feast had been held, before encountering another being.

The tables held dozens of people, mostly passengers, some who looked at him before lowering their heads, or leaning in to mutter something derogatory to their friends. The being inhabiting Marcus L’vel’s body heard every utterance, felt the disdain these humans felt toward him. He smiled, wickedly, taking in each and every face in the room, until he realized he was being watched. The woman, the one with the little boy, gazed intently at him. For a moment, the Darkness considered confronting her. She would squeal in agony as he stole her soul, but there were too many Eldar here. Though he knew they were powerless against the force held within this body, he couldn’t risk harm coming to it before he fully mastered it. He broke eye contact, entering the passageway which led to his room. There would be time for her, and all life on this world, later. His encounter, however, provoked another unknown sensation within him. The smells assaulting him led to an emptiness at his core. Hunger...he was hungry. His stomach gave a sudden lurch as a groan emitted from it. He hurried along, reaching his room in under a minute, and was gratified to see the elves had left a platter of food on the table.

The Darkness fell on it, shovelling the fruits and berries into his mouth. Juice mixed with saliva flowed down his chin, as he ate for the first time.  The breads were next, followed by the first liquid ever to touch his lips.

The Darkness, leaned back in his chair and laughed. The sound echoed around the room as it grew louder. Oh, how he was going to enjoy being alive.

“IS ANYTHING WRONG, Heather?”

Heather started, and she turned her gaze away from the retreating figure across the room to see Lynnaria looking at her. The Queen’s eyes were edged with concern, but Heather shook her head.

“No, Lynnaria. Nothing’s wrong, it’s just that guy, the one in the grey suit; well, he gives me the creeps.” Heather shivered. “There’s something about him that just isn’t right.”

The Queen gazed in the same direction as Heather. “This is the first time I’ve seen him since the welcoming feast. My subjects say they leave his food, but he never speaks a word, not even to thank them. I assumed he might be afraid of us. Are you saying there may be something we need be concerned about?”

Heather shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve spoken to a couple of the flight attendants...you know what they are, right?” Lynnaria nodded. “Well, apparently he was an absolute pig on the flight. He treated the girls like they were his slaves. I’m not sure if that warrants anything more than dislike, but when he looked at me a moment ago, my skin crawled. It was like he was imagining me dead at his hand.”

Lynnaria’s hand shot up to cover her gasp. “I forget what you and the Captain have tried to explain about life in your world, and the evils you live with everyday. I have grown to know many of the people here, and although some are...unsavoury,” Lynnaria smiled, “I sense no malice in any of them.” She glanced in the direction of the passageway again. “Perhaps I need to meet this...Marcus L’vel. If he is one of the evils of your lands, we should be watchful. There is power within these walls, Heather; power, that if misused, might have dire consequences.”

Heather turned to see the Queen’s lips tighten into a thin line. “In that case, your Majesty, I think keeping an eye on him might be a good idea.”

Lynnaria was about to say something when a young elf entered the hall, and rushed to kneel before her. “Rise, Talwyn.” Her eyes widened when she saw the expression on his face.

“My Queen.” His voiced faltered, so Lynnaria reached down, taking his hand to raise him up.

“Talwyn, relax. Speak slowly and tell me what has happened.”

Rising, the elf straightened the robe he wore. “Sorry, my lady. Master Kortal asked me to run and tell you. Something has happened in the library...Majesty, when we entered the room a few minutes ago, one of the empowered scrolls was laying on the table.”

Heather’s brows furrowed. “Empowered?”

Lynnaria laid her hand on top of Heather’s. “As you know, all being in the Lands possess the ability to work magic.” Heather nodded. “What you may not have grasped yet, is that not all of us can perform all paths of magic.”

“Paths of magic? Isn’t magic just that...magic?”

Lynnaria smiled. “It’s not quite that simple, and it would take me some time to explain, but the way we bypass these shortcomings in ability, is by using empowered scrolls. Scrolls which are imbued with power, so when the spell is read from it, the power within the scroll is released to cast it.”

Talwyn nodded vociferously. “But Majesty...the scroll had been read!”

“What?!” Lynnaria’s eye widened and she stood up in shock. “Tell me, what was the spell, was it dangerous?”

Talwyn looked pensive, but a piercing stare from his ruler provoked a reply. “Not dangerous, my lady...at least not directly. The spell was designed to release the soul from the reader’s body, to allow a projection of it to travel as a spirit.”

Heather and the Queen looked each other in the eye, the pieces dropping into place, simultaneously. The presence of Marcus in the hall, emerging from the passageway coming directly from the wing of the Citadel where the library was situated; his rapid retreat to his own room. All came together.

Lynnaria gestured, and a moment later, Kon appeared on the circular pattern behind and to the right of where they sat. He approached, the expression on his queen’s face revealing something was horribly amiss.

“Kon, we need to move quickly. It appears one of our new guests found himself in possession of a soul projection scroll last night.”

Kon blanched. “But where would he go...” Any color remaining drained from his face. “My Queen, I received reports from the Faer this morning. Last night there was a major test of their defences. Their Warmaster informs me it came close to overcoming them, but since they successfully repelled it, the pit has been shrinking.”

“Shrinking?” the Queen said, “but surely this is good news.” She stopped when she saw the expression on Kon’s face. It was a mixture of wonder and concern.

Kon paced in front of them, his hands clasped behind his back. No one wanted to disturb his train of thought. “I also thought it might be a sign the Faer were on the verge of defeating the Darkness, but after hearing this...” Kon halted, abruptly, his eyes flashing. “Majesty, we need Gwenyth, and every available Magister, now!” Kon muttered, and gestured. A gleaming shield appeared, surrounding his Queen. Runes flashed into being around her feet as Kon continued to cast his most powerful protective spells.

The circle flashed with arrival of over a dozen Magisters, Gwenyth at their fore. She crossed to address her uncle.

“It’s here, isn’t it?” she said.

Heather had had enough. “Okay, is someone going to tell me what the heck is going on? Alex?” The boy, who had been playing with his toy cars, rushed over to his mom. He clearly sensed something was wrong, and clung to her.

Kon turned to address them all, as Magisters continued to enter the hall, either from the many doorways leading to it, or via the travel circle.

“It appears that your friend, Marcus L’vel entered the library last night, and read an empowered scroll which released his soul. I believe he travelled to the pit, and made some sort of pact with the evil within. The attack on the Faer must have been to mask his escape back to his body.”

“But why would he do such a thing?” asked the Queen. “And how would he even know where to go, and how to find the scroll?”

“Because he’s evil.” Heather’s words caused them all to turn toward her. “We have a saying back home, ‘Evil begets evil.’ It means that where there is evil, it will attract evil. The Darkness must have latched onto that shithead the second we entered the Veil.” Heather pulled Alex close. “You guys need to be very careful.”

Kon nodded. “I agree, but we are at least prepared, and the wards on the Citadel should prevent any dark magic being used within its walls; although they have never been tested.” He looked at the passageway leading to Marcus’s quarters. “Besides, what can one human do against over one hundred Magisters?”

“Ahem.” Kon started as Gwen stepped in front of him. She barely came up to his chin, but Kon shrank back from her, raising his palms in a sign of peace.

“I...apologize, Gwenyth. My remark was...inaccurate.”

The sight of this sixteen year old girl, intimidating a century’s old master of offensive and defensive magic, caused a ripple of laughter to pass through the crowd.

A smirk appeared on Gwen’s face. “Uncle, you really need to work on your sense of humour.” With a wink, she turned to her Queen. “Majesty, I think the Magisters may be of little use if this man has, as I suspect, been in contact with the Darkness. He may have been corrupted, or granted some powers the people of the Lands cannot withstand. I should go.”

Kon looked wide eyed. “Gwen, I cannot allow you to face this alone.”

“Kon, I know you mean well, but the power I encountered in the pit is deadly to you, and all the People. Beside’s I won’t be alone...will I Heather?”

Heather’s jaw dropped.

Alex looked up at Gwenyth. “Can I come too, Gweny?”

The young girl kneeled down in front of the four year old. “I’d love you to come, Alex, but this is a sort of a test. You know what a test is, right?” The boy nodded. “Good, so you know that if you go...well, it might be cheating, and you wouldn’t want your mother to be called a cheat, would you?”

“My mommy is a great mom.” Alex looked up at Heather, his expression warm and innocent. “I’ll stay here, mommy. You go kill the bad guy.”

Heather looked horrified. Within a matter of seconds, she’d been roped into confronting not just a guy who made her skin crawl, but one who may now be a servant of some evil being.

“Why do I have to go?” Heather squeaked.

Gwen took her by the hand, leading her a discrete distance away, so Alex couldn’t overhear them. “I need your help, Heather.”

“But why me?” Heather indicated the assembled Magisters. “Won’t those guys be much more use than I will?”

Gwenyth smiled, ruefully. “If this is what I think it is, the Magisters would be swept away like leaves in a storm. No, the only way I was able to withstand it was because I’m human, even though I have a link to the Lands and the magic.” She took Heather’s hands in hers. “You have the same link, Heather. I have no idea how, but you felt it, and now I need your help to defeat this thing.”

“But...but, I thought I was here to save the female dragons, or Dinors, or whatever you call them?” Heather’s face was white and her breathing laboured.

Gwenyth squeezed her hands. “Yes, I think that you will, eventually, carry out that task, but for now, I could really use your help. Will you help me?”

Heather was clearly terrified, but she shrugged her shoulders anyway. “Well, okay, but I don’t know what good I’m gonna be. I don’t know any magic, Gwen.”

Gwenyth smiled in gratitude. “You just be there. Leave the magic to me.” She embraced Heather, whispering, “Now we just need to do this, and try not to get killed.” The fact that she smiled didn’t do anything to calm Heather’s nerves.

“Kon, you and the others get as many people out of this part of the Citadel as you can...quietly. We don’t know, yet, if this man has power, but I don’t want to risk any more lives than possible.”

Kon nodded, and left to issue orders. The Magisters began to lead the passengers in the hall away, in the opposite direction that Heather and Gwenyth headed. The tower where Marcus’s quarters lay was mercifully empty, except for him. All the other passengers staying there had been in the hall eating breakfast. People, humans and elves, rushed from the other openings, crossing the hall to leave in the opposite direction.

After a few minutes, the hall was deserted, except for Gwenyth, Heather, Kon, Lynnaria, and Alex.

The boy rushed to embrace his mother. “I love you mommy.”

“And I love you, sweet pea. Now, why don’t you go with Kon. He might even show you some of those magic tricks of his.”

Kon smiled at the wide eyed expression lighting the boy’s face. He ruffled his hair, lifting Alex onto his shoulders. “Come, child. I think that you have never travelled by magic before.” He crossed with the others to the travel circle.” Alex’s squeal of delight was cut off as they vanished.

Gwen and Heather were alone.

“Ready?” asked Gwenyth, reaching a hand out.

“No,” squeaked Heather, but she took the offering, and they entered the passageway and began climbing the steps.

MARCUS WAS LYING ON his bed when he felt the presence approaching. It was familiar, and as it got closer, the Darkness within recognized the taste of the soul. Yet another alien sensation flowed through the human body, as adrenaline caused a buzz. Fear mixed with exhilaration as he readied himself for battle. He hadn’t had any time to test his newly found powers, but he felt the strength well up within. What was one human, compared to him, even if she was a magic user? Then he sensed another, and a wicked grin broke his face.

Oh, I’m going to enjoy this. What is it the human’s say? A two for one deal...yes, that’s it.

Before he could form another thought, the door blew apart into a thousand splinters. Several hundred flew right at Marcus, and he flinched, feeling physical pain for the first time. He muttered under his breath, and a dark, shimmering shield surrounded him. He unleashed a bolt of dark green lightning at the doorway. It was a blind shot, but he hoped to distract them long enough to shrug his pain away.

Unfortunately for Marcus, Gwenyth was prepared, and the bolt struck a silver sphere, which reflected the energy like a mirror.

Marcus’s barrier flared under the assault. He was still getting used to the body, so was unprepared for the blinding light. Stars drifted across his vision. He made out two vague shapes, highlighted in the sunlight from the windows outside, so he threw another couple of bolts in their direction. This time they impacted the wall on either side of the doorway, punching holes in the stonework. The doorframe collapsed with a crash, filling the room with dust and debris. Though not quite the result he’d expected, this gave Marcus time to recover, and time to realize he wasn’t ready for this fight...yet. The girl was powerful, and had the skill to back it up. His face stung from the multitude of cuts, and blood seeped from a cut on his forehead, obscuring the vision in his left eye.

No, it was time to go. He’d return when he was fully healed and familiar with his capabilities. He crossed to the window, aware of the attempts to break through the wreckage behind him. Dust rose from the pile as the girl threw bolt after bolt of energy into it. He didn’t have much time.

Looking out, he selected a point, far in the distance, near the Mountains of Fire. His magical sight stretched out and selected a spot in the low foothills of the massive range. Closing his eyes, he cast a spell picked from the mind of Tenybris, eons earlier.

GWENYTH GRUNTED AS she pushed the wreckage that remained of the door aside.

“Shit!” Gwen’s knowledge of Earth language had returned with the memories of her past. “He’s gone.”

The room was empty, but she crossed to the open window, followed closely by Heather. The older woman looked out and down, half expecting to see Marcus sprawled on the battlement below.

“I don’t think he climbed or fell, Heather.” Gwen gazed out at the vista before her. “He’s out there, somewhere. Some of the Eldar are capable of line of sight transportation, and from here he could have gone just about anywhere.”

Heather searched the horizon, glancing over the forest and the plains below, before being drawn to the huge range of mountains in the distance.

“Something is up there.” She pointed. “I can feel it, Gwen. It’s...it’s calling me.”

Gwenyth nodded. “It may be time to carry out the task you came here to do.” She turned to Heather. “Marcus is no doubt hiding out there somewhere, but the strength of the Dinor’s would be a great help when we face each other again.” She smirked. “How about it? Are you up for a little adventure?”

Heather slumped down onto the debris strewn bed. “I’m not sure I can handle any more adventure, Gwen. To be honest, I’m terrified.”

Gwen sat down beside her. “I believe you, but can you listen to me for a second?”

Heather hesitated briefly before nodding.

“You’ve just walked up two flights of stairs to face a being that could have killed you without breaking a sweat.” She turned to look Heather in the eyes. “You may be terrified, but you’re one of the bravest cowards I’ve ever met.”

She took Heather’s hand and pulled her up. “Come on. I’m sure Alex will want to know how you drove the bad guy out of the Citadel.”

The last sentence caused a smile to appear on Heather’s lips. She felt an elation rise within her. All her life, she’d had a nagging doubt, something which hovered at the edge of her consciousness, that she was destined to do something wonderful. Then she remembered Alex, and realized she already had.

ON BOARD THE SANCTUARY Flagship

Tenybris dreamt. In the dream he was young, and his friend, Olumé lay exhausted on the ground beside him. They were both soaking wet.

“You know, you really need to learn to swim, Olumé.” Tenybris breathed hard, but managed to smirk at his friend’s bedraggled appearance.

“It’s on my list of things to do,” gasped Olumé, “but after today, I think I’ll make it a priority.” He raised himself up to a sitting position and gave Tenybris a crooked smile. “Thankfully, I have my very own guardian angel looking out for me; one who can swim.”

The boys embraced, laughing as the adrenaline coursed through their veins.

“One day, brother, you will repay the debt,” said Tenybris.

Brother...brother...brother. The word repeated itself over and over in the dream.

Another voice fought to be heard. What was it saying?...Master?

“Master!” The Admiral’s face was inches from Tenybris as he snapped out of the dream. His hand shook him gently.

The man flew backwards, landing in a pile over ten feet away. Tenybris strode over to the prone, groaning figure. His attack had been instinctive, and though he knew he should punish this being for having the audacity to touch him, the dream still played through his mind, calming his anger.

“Admiral, if you wish to remain alive, I suggest you never lay a hand on me again.” Tenybris looked around the bridge. Any raised heads rapidly became studiously attentive to their consoles.

A strange feeling grew inside. As he felt the fear and hatred emanating from the crew, he began to feel...regret. Worse was the accompanying guilt that rose up and threatened to overcome him. He gasped, grabbing the back of a chair to steady himself.

“My Lord, is everything alright?” The Admiral was on his feet, cradling an obviously broken arm.

Tenybris gave himself a visible shake. “I will be in my quarters. Inform me when the fleet is at full readiness.” With that, he walked off the bridge.

What is happening to me? Why do I begin to feel compassion for these beings, when all they feel is hatred?

He reached his quarters, entered and threw himself on the bed. The voice came unbidden, but not unwelcome. ‘Because you are my brother, Tenybris; and nothing will ever change that.’

For the first time in millennia, Tenybris cried.

SANCTUARY

Derren held Katheryne’s hand as they walked through the shallow surf. The water was warm as it lapped up their calves, and the wet sand flowed over their bare toes.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Derren.” Katheryne bit her lower lip, and her voice trembled, but Derren squeezed her hand in reassurance.

He abruptly halted, turning her into his arms to look at her from his midnight blue eyes which smiled into her soul. “Love, I have faith in you...we all do, but if you want to wait...?”

Katheryne shook her head, sighing deeply. “No, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, and besides, if I leave it too long, who knows what mayhem Tenybris might cause.” She sank her head into Derren’s chest, listening to the heart beating in unison with hers. Its rhythm soothed her, just for a moment.

“What if we’re wrong, Derren? What if I bring him here and all of us, even Olumé, are wrong about him?”

“Then we kill him, Kat.” Derren’s expression turned cold, his eyes hard and angry. Although he’d seen Olumé’s vision, and understood Tenybris was not truly evil, this being had murdered his family and destroyed his and countless other worlds.

Katheryne looked into his eyes, and raised her hand to stroke his cheek. “And if we aren’t wrong, and I do manage to save him, do you think you will be able to forgive him?”

Derren’s eyes softened and grew moist, as memories of his home world came unbidden to his mind. Botra and the others were gone, murdered by the forces of Tenybris, but he shook off his grief, replacing it with concern.

“I don’t think I’m angry with Tenybris, not after what I saw in the vision,” said Derren. “I just wonder about Olumé’s last words, concerning his guilt. Imagine the weight Tenybris will have on his shoulders if we do manage to bring him back.”

Katheryne sighed. “Yes, we may save him, but what if he can’t live with himself?”

“Then you will have carried out the prophecy, Kat. You will have ended the threat of Tenybris forever.” He pulled her along after him, walking up the beach to enter the fringes of the jungle. Unlike Katheryne’s artificial Island, which was actually a carbon copy of this one, they were alone. The Powers from the other realities used the construct as a meeting place, so it was always pretty crowded.

“It still amazes me that your island is identical to this one.” Derren put his arm around her and drew her closer.

“Why?” Katheryne looked up, a mischievous expression on her face. “You are literally the man of my dreams, after all.”

Derren smirked, before surprising her by lifting her up in his arms. “If anyone were around, I would scream at the top of my voice how much I love you, Katheryne.” He bent his head down, kissing her tenderly on the lips.

“You know, this is the first time in weeks we’ve been completely alone?” Katheryne’s eyes sparkled with fire.

“Ah, so you’ve bought me here under false pretences?” Derren smiled his crooked smile as he gently laid her back on her feet. “Here I was thinking you just wanted a little peace and quiet.”

She pulled his mouth down to hers, kissing him with a passion that awoke his own inner fire. “Oh, I did; but now I intend to take full advantage of it.”

Derren marvelled at how the shy girl he’d met only a few months ago had grown. She knew what she wanted, and who was he to deny her? Besides, he was looking forward to interrupting the peace and quiet.

They melted to the floor of the jungle, ensconced in the hollow, their special place. The world around them faded as their souls merged in perfect ecstasy.

SANCTUARY

“I can see him.” Katheryne stood in the middle of the portal plaza. The others were in different buildings surrounding it, split up in case this all went horribly wrong. Laren had them all linked together. “He’s still on the ship, but...he’s in pain!”

The others saw the scene through her mind’s eye. Tenybris lay on a bed in a small cabin, writhing and thrashing as he slept. Through the link, the others witnessed the true fall of Tenybris. Guilt had taken its hold on his immortal soul; the depravities he’d inflicted during his thousand year purge of the galaxy now surged up from the part of his soul where the Darkness had imprisoned them, and Tenybris drowned in self loathing.

Each and every victim, the trillions he’d murdered, either in person or by proxy, swam through his mind, flailing the emerging innocence within. They watched as Katheryne revealed his soul.

Derren’s shock came through the link as he saw it. The last time he had, in the vision, the soul had been overwhelmed by the Darkness, but now the essence glowed with life and vitality. Tenybris was free, but at what cost? The glow faltered as it was attacked from within by Tenybris himself.

“We don’t have much time,” he said. “Katheryne, you need to do this now, before it’s too late.”

She nodded. “Ok guys, are you all ready?” She addressed the multitude around her. All the Powers from millions of realities surrounded her. The plaza was carpeted with them, as they sat cross-legged on it. There wasn’t a stretch of bare ground to be seen, and Katheryne smiled as she felt their strength and love flow into her.

Jip, one of the first she’d encountered on her island, stood and came forward to take her hand. “We are ready, Katheryne,” he said in his heavy accent, grasping her hand. “While this is a different task we see before us than any of us imagined, we will lend you our strength.”

Katheryne embraced her friend. “Okay...here goes nothing.” She reached out, enveloping Tenybris’s body in a cocoon of sparkling energy. With an act of supreme will, she transported him through the space and time of the Never, to appear above the raised platform they had erected at the centre of the plaza. It was just high enough so everyone had line of sight. She lowered him gently to the surface, and as the energy field dissipated, Tenybris awoke.

With a snarl he jumped to his feet, erecting a magical barrier. His eyes were wide and feral, and his mouth twisted in a furious grimace. He stood silent, turning around to take in his surroundings, before his gaze settled on Katheryne.

“You!” He spat the word. “Why have you brought me here girl? What do you hope to achieve except your own destruction?”

“Do you want any more blood on your hands, Tenybris?” Katheryne’s eyes burned into his. “Do you need another face to accompany the others in your dreams?” Katheryne saw the anger falter, the flash of rage in Tenybris’s eye grew dim as the memory of the dream surfaced.

“You are nothing to me.” Tenybris tried to keep his voice strong, but it shook. “You are but insects compared to me...I am a...a...god!” The last word came out as a whisper of breath.

“No, Tenybris, you are not a god.” Katheryne’s hands passed straight through the shield, and Tenybris flinched as she took his hands in hers. “You are Tenybris of the Eldar. You are a being of light, and you are the brother of Olumé.”

A spark of understanding lit his eyes, uncertainty battling within his mind. He shook his head. “No!” The sound came out as a sob, before he dropped to his knees, put his head in his hands...and cried.

Katheryne stood silently, pouring her love, and the love of the Powers into him. She just hoped it would be enough.

Tenybris lowered his hands and looked up, his eyes red-rimmed and holding a bottomless pit of despair. “I was all those things...once. But now? I am a wretch, a murderer of entire worlds. I am a demon who needs to die.”

Katheryne heard gasps and cries from the assembled Powers, as the wave of self loathing threatened to overcome them. She felt several of them leave the link as they fainted, but the others took up the slack; it wasn’t enough...she was losing him.

Tenybris swayed on his knees, his head bowed as he began to mutter a spell. Somehow, Katheryne knew the words. It was a spell to heal the body, similar to the one she’d used to heal Derren’s broken ribs, but Tenybris twisted several cantrips within it. Now, instead of drawing energy from the Never to repair damage to the physical body, it was tearing Tenybris apart from within.

Katheryne had to stop him. If he completed the incantation, he’d be lost.

She drew back her hand, clenched her fingers and punched Tenybris...hard. He staggered with the impact, and Katheryne cried and held her broken fingers, but the spell shattered. Tenybris lay semi-conscious at her feet. Katheryne silently mouthed the spell to repair her ruined hand, but by the time the warmth spread into her bones, Tenybris was on his elbows, shaking his head to remove the mist.

He sat up, putting a hand up to touch his jaw. He wiggled it tentatively. “Not broken, surprisingly, but know this, child. I will say the words. The universe will be enriched by my absence.”

“What if I told you we need your help?” Katheryne’s words made him look up sharply, which in turn caused a grimace of pain to cross his features. Katheryne reached down to touch his face, using the residual effect of her spell to repair the damage of her assault. The heat spreading through his face caused his eyes to widen.

“You know magic! How is this possible? This spell is incredibly complex, and you are but a child; but you use it like a healer.” He eventually remembered her question, bowing his head again. “How could I ever be a help to such as you? I am the lowest of the low. I have eaten the souls of children, and enjoyed it. Why would you require assistance from a wretch like me?”

“Because you didn’t enjoy it.”

Tenybris laughed, the sound entirely mirthless. “I seem to remember doing just that. I remember savouring the tastes of the souls as they passed into the pit.”

Katheryne went down on her knee to look him in the eye. “Yes, the pit! Don’t you see, Tenybris? It’s been using you all along!”

“No!” He backed away from Katheryne, rising to his feet. “The Darkness was my servant. It was I who used it to gain power.”

“The power to purge the universe of all life?” Katheryne was making a desperate gamble. What she was doing might backfire and send Tenybris into a rage. It was a tightrope she had to tread.

“Yes, I had to purge the life. I had to make them all obey me, and that was the only way. The Darkness...it...served me.”

Katheryne stood up. Tenybris towered over her petite frame. He was perhaps seven foot tall, but what perplexed Katheryne was his young appearance, even though he was a broken being. His dark hair shone in the sunlight, and his skin was alabaster smooth.

“Do you still want to kill everyone, Tenybris? Do you still want to purge the realities of all life?” She took his hands in hers, squeezing tenderly. “Do you still want everyone to obey you?”

He jerked his fingers from hers. “No, of course I don’t. But...I did, once.”

She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. Don’t you see that? Don’t you realize that your link to the pit is gone, and you’re becoming the person you were before it ensnared you?”

His eyes grew wild and confused. “But...how?”

Derren...now!

Tenybris shook as the visions of thousands of years ago entered him. The memories caused a smile to pass his features. They were familiar to him, welcome thoughts from his past.

He stiffened, as the view shifted to his first meeting with Lynnaria. Time slowed for all of them, as the moment he saw her came into focus. He loved her. Why should he not? Was she not the most beautiful being he’d ever seen? Then he watched as her gaze moved to Olumé, his friend and brother. His heart dropped, just for an instant, as he realized he would never receive that adoring look, but then it soared with happiness as he saw his friend return it. They had found their mates, and he was glad...for all of three seconds.

Tenybris watched the snake of darkness enter his heart, instantly stoking the embers of jealousy. He stood, detached, as the rest of his life unfolded in terrible reality, but he understood, at last, he wasn’t to blame.

The truth, however, still wasn’t enough. Tears streamed down his face and his mouth twisted in anguish.

“None of this matters. I was the one who carried out these acts. Their blood is on my hands. If anyone needs to pay, it is m...”

His words were cut off by another presence. It flooded his consciousness, overwhelming his guilt.

“Perri!” Katheryne gasped. She watched as the spirit of her friend engulfed Tenybris. He fought against her, withdrawing the hurt into the centre of his being, subconsciously trying to protect it, as if it was all he had left.

“It’s not that easy to hide from a dead person, you know.” Perri’s glow intensified, raising Tenybris into the air. They stopped at around ten feet up, clearly battling with each other. The glow shifted briefly into green, before brightening to the golden light of a new sun. The multitude lowered their eyes, unable to withstand it, but it dimmed, abruptly.

Katheryne’s hands shot out and Tenybris’s fall arrested a foot off the floor. She lowered him gently to the surface.

“Perri?” Katheryne looked around, panicking as the essence of her friend faded.

“I’m okay, Kat. That just took a lot out of me. I’m out...for a little while.”

Kat sighed deeply, kneeling down over Tenybris. All around, the crowd shivered with anticipation.

Tenybris’s eye flickered open. The guilt was still there. It always would be. Perri’s power attenuated dark emotions. Without them, the person would never learn, but Tenybris sat up.

“What is your name, child?” Unshed tears were in his eyes, but he allowed her to take his hand, helping him up.

“Ah...my name’s Katheryne...or Kat, to my friends.”

“Then, I think I will call you Kat.”

“CAN WE TRUST HIM?” Derren watched as Tenybris looked out over the dead planet. Even from here, Derren sensed the battle going on inside him.

Katheryne sighed. “I think the main issue is whether he can trust himself.” She indicated the tall elf, standing on the balcony of Toshi and Laren’s apartment. “He’s at a crossroads, Derren. Even with Perri’s help, he’s just hanging in there.” She turned to face him. “I think we need to get him away from Sanctuary. The sight of his latest purge can’t be helping.”

Derren snorted. “Forgive me if I don’t find that statement ironic.”

Katheryne elbowed him in the ribs, provoking a wince of pain. “Now Derren, you know he wasn’t responsible. He was as much a victim as anyone else.”

“Hmm, except he’s still alive,” said Derren.

“Yes, I still live, though I wonder if I should remain so.” Tenybris stood in the doorway. Katheryne and Derren jumped. His approach took them both by surprise. His deep voice was full of pain.

“I’m...” Derren’s sentence was cut off by Tenybris’s raised hand.

“No need for apologies, my friend...” Tenybris’s face darkened. “In fact, I have no right to address you in such a fashion. I have no right to call you a friend.” His jaw hardened, his eyes glistening in the sunlight flowing through the windows. 

“Derren, I don’t expect you to forgive me.” Tenybris wiped the back of his hand across his face. “I’m not sure I will ever forgive myself, but we need to work together. The enemy...the true foe, must be defeated, utterly; but to do so you will need my help. Unfortunately, this in itself poses another possible problem.” He gazed intensely at the Liberi warrior. “I may not be able to resist the draw of the Darkness, once I grow close again.” He dropped his gaze. “I don’t know if I have the strength. I...I may need to be stopped. Permanently.”

Derren’s doubt melted away. “I saw the moment of your corruption. I’m glad you’re free from it at last.” Derren held his hand out to Tenybris. “And to be honest, we need your help...my friend.”

Tenybris looked down at the outstretched hand. Uncertainty crossed his face. By taking this hand, he was agreeing to help these people in their battle against the force which had enslaved him for millennia. He took the hand.

Derren’s lips split in a humourless grin. “If that happens, my friend, I’ll kill you myself.”

Tenybris returned the grin. “I expect nothing less.”

Katheryne rolled her eyes. She mistook the conversation for a male butting heads session.

“Enough!” She made a subtle gesture and Tenybris and Derren separated, as if the other had given them a shock. Two pairs of eyes turned in her direction. “You two need to figure out a way to work together, because if you don’t, both of you are out. We can’t afford to have liabilities like you two risking everything with your...competition?”

Tenybris feigned shock. “But, Kat...I really do want Derren to kill me if I begin to turn.”

“And I really want to kill him,” said Derren, smiling.

At that moment, she saw the bond between them. Tenybris’s eyes flashed with a humour she hadn’t seen before, but recognised from the vision Olumé had shown her. Derren meanwhile, was showing clear affection for this being for the first time, but there was something more.

Katheryne thought back to the moment in the plaza, when she’d seen Tenybris in the flesh for the first time. She remembered wondering at his youthful appearance, when Olumé had always appeared as an old man. True, Olumé was technically dead, but that didn’t explain why he looked so ancient. Then it hit her.

Olumé had split his essence into shards, each one holding a tiny spark of his immortal soul. The life-force within was diminished, limited, so Olumé had sacrificed longevity in order to maintain the power required to fulfil his mission; to return Tenybris, safe and free from the Darkness. This didn’t explain, however, the fire in Derren’s eyes as he interacted with Tenybris; until Katheryne put the final piece into the puzzle.

Derren held one of the shards within his soul. He was Olumé, at least a fragment of him was, and this spark was awakening now, banishing Derren’s enmity toward Tenybris, creating a bond of friendship...no, brotherhood, that had been missing from the universe for thousands of years. For a moment, she was terrified that Derren, the man she loved, would be changed, taken over by Olumé’s essence, but as she sensed its awakening, she breathed a sigh as she realized any influence was purely at the subconscious level. Derren was still Derren, though she wondered how he would react when she told him. That would be a fun conversation, but for now, they had a job to do.

“Well, if you two are quite finished with your little bromance, maybe we can actually get some work done?” She stood with her arms crossed, tapping her toe impatiently.

Tenybris leaned over to stage whisper in Derren’s ear. “Is she always this...demanding.”

Derren smiled, and was about to reply when he saw the almost imperceptible narrowing of his lover’s eyes. “Tenybris, Katheryne is the love of my life.” He crossed to her, and Katheryne cringed as he enveloped her in a huge embrace. “And now I have her arms safely pinned to her sides, yes, she has the annoying habit of getting her own way.”

Katheryne struggled, but not too hard. She grinned. “You are so going to pay for this, you know that, don’t you?”

“Oh, I’m sure we can come to some arrangement.” Derren released her, but kept his hands on her hips. He gazed into her emerald eyes, provoking a mischievous grin. He kissed her, sharp but sweet, on the lips. “Now, before we get...sidetracked, what’s our next move?”

Katheryne thought hard. After returning the Powers to their own dimensions, they had brought Tenybris to the apartment, where he had slept for two full days. During this time, Katheryne transported the Admiral of the Sanctuary fleet back, and after scanning him, decided he could be trusted. It turned out he had been opposed to the Leadership’s plans, but after seeing so many of his friends murdered, had decided to appear loyal to them. He had thought he might serve as an influence for logic and morality in any upcoming battle.

Katheryne sent him back with orders to return the fleet to Sanctuary, where the crew were scanned, weeding out any enemy sympathisers. The fact that Tenybris had returned, and was fighting on the side of light, was denounced as a lie by the majority of them, who had jumped on the Tenebrite cause to further their own agendas. These people were transported by portal to a rather cold and inhospitable world, far from any trade routes. They were left with enough tools and supplies to irk out a meagre existence. It was more than most of them deserved. Tenybris hadn’t been responsible for his actions. They had willingly raped and murdered, among other things.

The fleet combined with the alliance ships, and they were now on their way to Earth. They would enter the solar system at extreme range, and wait in hiding until they were needed.

Chran was with Zjokara, on the flagship. Toshi and Laren had gone to Dranis IV, to update the Quorum and the dragons. Then they planned to travel on to Earth. Krista was already there. She’d had a hard time adjusting to Tenybris’s return.

Krista had suffered badly at the hands of the beast Tenybris created to serve him. She witnessed her first love, Dwenn, someone she’d thought dead, return as a twisted and corrupted being who had tried to kill them all. Then she’d lost Perri, the girl who had healed the hurt of her loss, but while doing so, created a bond that blossomed into true love. The fact that Perri wasn’t truly gone didn’t help to make Tenybris one of her favorite people.

“Well,” said Katheryne, “while I don’t think Krista will welcome you with open arms, I think we need to get going.” She looked up into Tenybris’s dark features. “We need to go to Earth, where the Veil is. Tenybris, the magic there is stronger than anywhere, even if it is only seeping out from under the spell. Are you ready?”

Tenybris bowed his head. “I am ready.” He looked across at Derren. “As long as our bargain stands, Derren. Any sign, however slight, you must destroy me.”

Derren said nothing, but his lips tightened into a thin line as he nodded. A moment’s concentration was enough to open the portal, and they stepped through.

THE GLADE

“Are we there yet, mommy?” Alex asked. Apparently the novelty and wonder of riding a unicorn was wearing off. He sat in front of Kore, on the back of a huge white creature, whose coat glistened in the sunlight.

Heather sat on a similar beast. “Nearly there, sweet pea.” She thought she heard him mutter something about her saying the same thing an hour ago. She couldn’t really blame him. They’d been travelling for two days now, and even she grew tired of the constant movement under her. The Eldar didn’t believe in saddles or stirrups, and while the unicorns were careful to keep their riders safe, Heather had pains in places she never knew existed.

They used empowered scrolls to transport the group of over a hundred Eldar and their mounts, as well as Kore, Heather and Alex, to the foothills of the Mountains of Fire. The first day was enjoyable enough, as Alex was enamoured by his mount, and listened, enraptured, as Kore told him tale after tale of his adventures with Filumé.

As they rode, getting steadily higher up, Heather was stunned at the sheer size of the range. The peaks were shrouded in cloud, the tallest ones rising out of sight. High up in the mist above, she saw the red glows marking the active volcanoes that gave the mountains their name.

The first night, they’d camped at the base of a massive cliff. Heather had no idea why they’d stopped here. How they were going to ascend the sheer surface she had no idea. Maybe they had a magical means to get up there.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, they mounted and approached the cliff. Before her eyes, a path appeared, switch backing up the surface of the cliff. It blended so well with the surface it was invisible unless you were practically on top of it. They spent the whole day riding back and forth across the face of the mountain, gaining height rapidly. They rode two abreast, the path smooth and well worn, but quite narrow. Eventually, they passed through the clouds, and Heather looked up to see the path leading to a saddle between two peaks.

“We should make the gateway to the valley before dusk,” said Filumé. “Then we will camp just inside before entering in the morning.”

“The valley?” Heather hadn’t asked many questions, but imagined great nests of the huge creatures, clinging to the precipices above.

Filumé smiled, as if he knew her thoughts. “The valley is...was, the Dragon’s home. Now the Dinors are the only creatures there. Heather, you should be prepared for the sight that awaits you.”

“What do you mean?”

Filumé shuffled uncomfortably on his mount. “You have, within you, some memory of the race that was Dragonkin?”

Heather nodded. “I’m not sure I’d call it a memory, at least not a conscious one. Part of it’s some sort of signal that’s calling me here. But you’re right; I get flashes, pictures of things that happened thousands of years ago. I can remember flying through the clouds, but the most common memory is of the eggs.”

Filumé looked round in his saddle, glancing nervously at Kore. “What eggs? The Dinor sterilised themselves so Tenybris couldn’t use them. They had no idea he’d been defeated.”

Heather shrugged. “I’m not sure; I just know that ever since I arrived here and the memories within me awoke...if that’s the right word, I’ve had flashes of eggs...hundreds of them.”

“The Queen should hear this, Filumé.” Kore kept his voice calm, unwilling to alarm Alex, and his friend nodded.

“We shall reach the valley soon. I will talk to her. Heather, she will no doubt want to talk to you.”

Heather shrugged her agreement.

ON THE PEAK ABOVE, Marcus watched the steady advance of the Eldar forces. He grinned ruefully, and laughed, a cruel sound tinged with an undercurrent of glee. These people thought to break the beasts living in the valley to their will. Well, the beasts were still in the valley, though they may find them a little hard to deal with in their current state.

With a cackle, he focussed on the red glow of one of the volcanoes, vanishing in a flash of light.

“WHAT WAS THAT?” KON shaded his eyes from the sun descending over the peaks.

“What did you see?” Lynnaria followed his gaze but saw nothing.

“A flash of some sort; similar to a transportation spell.” He lowered his hand. “I may be mistaken, but I think we were being observed.”

Lynnaria’s eyes narrowed. “Marcus L’vel.”

Kon nodded. “A logical assumption, my Queen. I will pass the word to strengthen our protective spells and wards. We expected to encounter the Dinor, not him.”

Their conversation was cut off. Dust billowed behind the galloping hooves of one of the advance scouts, as she raced down the path. The mount slid to a halt, scattering stones and dust. The unicorn’s head bowed in respect to its ruler, and the rider, dust caked and exhausted, bowed to her waist.

“My Lady, I bring grave news.” Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide.

“Say your words, Caryne,” said Lynnaria. “What awaits us above?” Lynnaria’s dread had grown as she ascended the crooked stair.

“Death, my Lady.” Caryne wept. “The valley is dead. As we crested the peak the stench overpowered us. The Dinor are gone, slaughtered.” Caryne swayed on her mount. “The valley is covered with their bodies and the grass is soaked with blood. The entire Dinor race has been wiped out.”

Lynnaria slumped, but was interrupted by the sound of hooves. Mounts gave way to allow Heather and the others through in single file. The unicorns clung effortlessly to the path, allowing the passage.

Filumé bowed. “Mother, Heather has something you need to hear.”

Lynnaria beckoned Heather forward. “Ride beside me, Heather. Tell me on the way.” She turned to the other nearby Eldar. “Pass the word. We gallop from here. Crest the lip of the valley, but go no further until the entire force is assembled. Prepare for attack from any avenue.”

A buzz of tension passed back through the ranks, and the air shimmered as magical shields were erected.

Lynnaria nodded her approval, and with that, turned her mount back up the path. Ensuring Heather was by her side, she silently communicated with their unicorns, who took off like streaks of silver lightning up the mountainside. A rumble issued from behind as the rest of the host followed.

Heather clung on for her life, but after a moment realized the ride was remarkably steady. The unicorn would not let her fall. She was still terrified, however, but she managed to tell the Queen of her dream by the time they crested the lip of the valley.

The two of them sat on their mounts, gazing out over the vast and wide area of green in front of them. In the distance a silver waterfall dropped gracefully from hundreds of feet above.  The sides of the valley were swathed in a dense forest. The valley of the Dinor’s was actually an extinct volcano, Heather realized, but on a scale she could never have imagined. The far side must have been twenty miles away, at least. If not for its contents, the view would have been breathtaking.

As they waited for the others to fan out on either side, Heather and Lynnaria wept. The smell was awful, but the sight far worse. Heather had come here to try and make peace between these tragic beings and the Eldar, but now that was impossible.

The nearest carcase was a little over half a mile away, slaughtered, it appeared, as it ran for the exit to the valley. Heather urged her mount forward. The unicorn trembled beneath her, and Heather reached down to stroke its neck. The Queen, Filumé and Kon accompanied them, as did Kore, after releasing Alex into the care of another. This was no sight for a youngster.

As they approached, Heather got her first glimpse of the beast, and gasped in surprise. “They look like dinosaurs.” The Dinor did look incredibly similar to the reconstructed models in museums back home. “Except, what are those?” She pointed to two shapeless stumps growing out of the prone beast’s back.

“Wings; or what is left of them after Tenybris’s spell.” Lynnaria’s eyes were red-rimmed and moist. She jumped gracefully to the ground, and approaching the body, gently laid a hand on it. It dwarfed her lithe frame, but she drew her hand across the surface as she walked to the head of the creature.

Heather jumped down to join her, although her descent was less graceful, and she grunted as she landed. Walking to join Lynnaria, fresh, warm tears flowed down her cheeks as she saw the face.

“My God, it looks terrified!” Heather’s eyes widened as she took in the expressive features. This was nothing like the exhibits, she decided. This may have been less than a dragon, but she saw the nobility in its features, even through the dead expression of horror.

Lynnaria closed her eyes, and Heather felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. With a flash, Gwenyth appeared a few feet away, instantly taking in the grim scene.

“L’vel.” Gwen’s word was a statement made in a tone that would freeze water. She had stayed behind to organise the hunt for him. She’d been concentrating on the forest, thinking he might be attempting a return to the pit. Now she quailed as she looked out over the valley and the hundreds of dead bodies.

“But...why?” she asked. “Why would he do such a thing?”

“The eggs.”

Everyone turned to look at Heather.

“The eggs from my dreams...they’re real,” she whispered, color draining from her face. “They were here all along.”

Filumé made to disagree, but Lynnaria raised a hand to silence him. “Explain, Heather. How could there be any eggs, when the Dinor were sterile?”

Heather’s expression grew thoughtful. “I’m not sure, but maybe they laid them before the Veil spell was activated. Like you said, they didn’t know Tenybris had been defeated, so maybe they hid the eggs from him, before sterilising themselves.”

“And they’ve hidden them, all this time,” Filumé said, shaking his head, “but why would they do that?”

“Because of us,” Lynnaria said. “Because their race memory would tell them of our enslavement of the dragons in ancient times. They were afraid we’d do the same thing, and use their own offspring against them.”

“But that’s ridiculous,” said Filumé. “We would never have done that.”

Lynnaria crossed to take her son’s hand. “Think, Filumé. The Dinor were little more than animals. Most of their thoughts were instinctive. We were a threat in their eyes, so they hid what could have been used against them.”

Understanding dawned grudgingly on Filumé’s face, before his eyes widened. “The Darkness must have known; must have used L’vel to come here and steal them.”

“I don’t think we’re dealing with Marcus L’vel anymore.” They turned to face Gwenyth. “I think Marcus died that night in the pit. No, what we’re dealing with is something much worse, and now it has hundreds of dragon eggs.”

Kore stepped forward. “That may be, my lady, but he has no way to hatch them.” He saw the blank look on Heather’s face. “Eggs can only be nurtured in two ways. The first is by dragon fire, but as you know, the Dinor were rendered lower than dragons by Tenybris. As well as flight, the spell stripped them of their fire.” Kore stopped, cocking his head to one side as a thought tumbled around in his brain. “That’s why there were so many eggs! Without their fire, Tenybris would have had to send forces back to collect the eggs, so his dragons could fertilise them.”

“And the Dinor had kept on laying the eggs, because they didn’t know about Tenybris...until the Veil fell,” Filumé finished.

“You said that was the first way,” Heather said. “What’s the other?”

Kore looked at Filumé, grinning as he indicated the dwelf should continue.

“At the base of the mountains, lie pools of water formed by the melting glaciers which shaped the mighty ranges. The pools contain crystals, infused with magic. These stones can, over time, nurture an egg until the soul of the dragon emerges in the embryo. Then the dragon begins to grow over a period of decades. But that avenue is blocked to him. My people know where all such pools lie. They will allow no trespassers.”

Gwen sighed deeply. “Well, he must have some plan. He wouldn’t murder hundreds of innocent beings to steal eggs he had no use for.” She turned around, taking in the gruesome scene again, before her eyes rested on the glow in the distance.

“Dragons use their fire in two ways in the nurturing process, don’t they?” asked Gwenyth. Her voice was cold and low.

Kore nodded. “Yes, the fire imparts the racial knowledge from the host, transferring a sliver of consciousness to the egg, which becomes the soul. The second component is heat, which starts the embryo’s growth.” Kore followed her gaze, his jaw dropping open. “The volcano! He can’t be so foolish.”

Heather screamed, causing everyone around to stare at her. She stood with fists on her hips. “Okay, I know I’m supposed to carry some dragon memories inside me, but would you two mind letting me in on what’s going on here?”

Filumé grinned at her. “You are direct, aren’t you?” Heather briefly returned the grin, but her eyes still flashed with anger. His face straightened. “To answer your question, if what we think Marcus has planned for the eggs comes to pass, all may be lost; for if he incubates the eggs using only the heat of the volcano, the beasts will be born without a soul. Heather, they will be monsters, abominations. They will have all the strength and power of dragon kind, but none of the self control. They will exist only to mindlessly destroy and kill.”

“And we will be unable to withstand them.” All eyes turned to Lynnaria. She stood with her head bowed. “In the last conflict between Eldar and Dragon kind, the Dragons were led by Glyran. He exercised his influence to restrain his people, to prevent them from all out war against us. If these monsters are released upon us, we will not prevail.”

“But how will we stop him?” asked Kon, breaking his silence at last. “That peak is days away by unicorn, and we can’t risk a transportation spell. We have no idea what we’d be transporting into; a trap perhaps.”

Heather watched as the concentration on Gwenyth’s face gave way to a grin. “I think Gwen has an idea.”

Within moments, the grin graced all their faces.

ABOVE THE ATLANTIC Ocean

The trio, Katheryne, Derren, and Tenybris, emerged from the portal into the cool dusk air. There was a salt tang to it, and seagulls cried above, but it was the glow on the horizon which dominated their attention.

Tenybris tensed abruptly. To a normal person he would appear unchanged, but Derren wasn’t normal. His hand went to the short sword at his waist. The blade shone red and gold with the setting sun, as it flashed through the air towards Tenybris’s neck.

“Derren, STOP!” Katheryne raised her hand, and Derren froze in place, the blade in his hand barely touching Tenybris’s neck. A sliver of blood trickled down the razor edge, but Derren’s eyes met hers. There was a grim determination burning in them, but this faded into understanding. Katheryne released the hold, and he carefully withdrew the sword.

Tenybris seethed inside. A battle of wills threatened to rip him apart. The proximity to the magic caused the last vestiges of the darkness hiding within him to rise up. For an instant, he lost control, losing himself as the greed and malice bubbled up from deep inside his soul, grasping onto his consciousness, dragging it back into the abyss of blackness.

The hunger and hatred returned, intoxicating him, and Tenybris imagined the universe at his feet, with him ruling over the ruins of reality.

Then Katheryne was there, pouring her strength and love into him. His mind’s eye was blinded by the light of her soul. From the light, a glowing tendril extended which snaked around him. He felt the blackness slip away from the light she emanated. It shrank away, trying to escape back into its hiding place, but it was too slow. The intensity of Katheryne’s essence overcame the shadows, utterly destroying them.

Tenybris dropped to his knees, looking out in wonder at the barrier on the horizon. A look of amazement etched his features as he turned to face them.

“I’m free. It’s...gone.” Tenybris’s eyes widened in wonder, as they locked with Katheryne’s. “You knew, didn’t you? You knew there was still a sliver of the Darkness within me, waiting to take control.”

Katheryne took his hands, raising him to his feet. “I...suspected. When I probed you, back on Sanctuary, there was a part of your soul I couldn’t touch. I thought it might show itself when we arrived on Earth. When it didn’t, I had to offer it what it wanted...the chance to turn you again.” She squeezed his hands. “I’m sorry, but I had to make it show itself, so I could destroy it.”

“You knew this might happen?” Derren stood aghast, his eyes wide. “Don’t you think a warning might have been advisable? I was a millimetre away from killing him.”

Tenybris turned to him. “She couldn’t warn you, because if she had, I, and the Darkness within me, would have read it in your mind.”

“Read it in my mind?” Derren took a step back. “How long have you been reading our minds?”

Tenybris smiled ruefully. “Since I arrived on Earth, and it’s not a true ability to read minds; more the ability to sense the emotions of the people nearby. It’s quite disconcerting, believe me, especially when I met your sister. She really doesn’t like me much, does she?”

Derren snorted. “I think she’d gut you with a blunt knife, given half a chance.”

Krista hadn’t seen the vision he had, couldn’t understand the being Tenybris was before the Darkness corrupted his soul. When they’d arrived at the apartment, Krista barely restrained herself from attacking him. She’d refused to accompany them on this trip, and Derren hoped Perri could help her. The spirit being followed them from Sanctuary, and was with Krista now, attempting to heal her hurt and bitterness toward Tenybris.

The three of them stood on the side of a mountain on the island of Puerto Rico in the east Caribbean Sea. The height allowed them to see the Veil spell, without getting too close. There was a house on the hill below, and as they watched a woman came out to sit on her veranda, taking a sip from a tall glass. She looked straight at them, and her eyes widened when she saw the three strangers in her own back garden blink out of existence. She reached up to rub her eyes. Shaking her head, she put the glass down and went back inside. She was tired, she thought, and the dim light could play tricks on her sometimes.

Derren watched from behind the diffraction cloak. “Sorry about that.” He grinned. “Did you see the look on her face?”

Katheryne chuckled. “Well, let’s face it; she’s never seen a seven foot tall Elf before.”

Tenybris also smiled. He turned to look out to sea, his gaze passing across the pink glow on the horizon.

“The last time I was on this world, all of this was under water. The only land on Teralia, besides a few small islands, was the Land of the People.” A shadow passed over his face. “A Land which I destroyed.”

Katheryne took his hand as she stood beside him. “And if Olumé is right, it’s a Land that needs your help to save it.”

“Funny how things come full circle, isn’t it, mate.” Derren smiled his crooked grin. “Now, does anyone have any idea how we get in...”

A flash interrupted him. The trio shaded their eyes as the glow in the distance intensified. Lightning wreathed the dome like a crown.

Tenybris’s lips narrowed into a thin line before he spoke. “I think that problem is about to be solved.”

“What’s happening?” asked Katheryne, though she knew the answer, even as she asked the question.

Tenybris’s voice was grim. “The Veil is falling.”

INSIDE THE VEIL

“I can’t believe you talked me into this, Gwenyth.” The pilot heard the musical chuckle come from the jump seat behind him, but couldn’t risk taking his attention away from flying the aircraft. Mountains flashed by on either side of the plane, as they descended toward the glow of the volcano ahead. They were currently passing twelve thousand feet, having flown over some monster peaks exceeding thirty thousand feet, in order to approach the volcano from the right direction.

Gwen got up and looked out the windows. “This is amazing. I know I have memories of flying in these things, but this is the first time I’ve actually done it. The feeling is surreal.”

The pilot looked across at his co-pilot, who rolled his eyes and smiled. Neither of them truly understood what she meant. They knew she was human, not Eldar, like all the others they’d met so far; but they couldn’t get their heads round the fact she was actually an adult woman from their world, who had been reborn here in the Veiled Lands, as a baby, over sixteen years ago.

“So let me get this straight,” said the co-pilot, a cynical smile on his face. “We fly along the side of the volcano, managing to somehow dodge the volcanic ash; you then magically transport to the lip of this ‘active’ volcano, scout it out and zap in the rest of your forces. Have I missed anything?”

Gwen beamed back at him. “Nope, I think that’s about it. Simple, isn’t it?”

He breathed out slowly. “Simple...not the word I’d use to describe this lunatic quest.”

Gwenyth snorted, but her eyes narrowed as the ash dispersed to give them their first clear view of their target. The pool of lava glowed an angry red, as it simmered over a hundred feet below the lip. Volcanic ash filled the air from the other more active peaks in the area. Gwenyth’s spell masked the delicate jet engines from the damaging fumes, but the pilots winced each time they flew through a particularly dense cloud of it. Mysteriously, their target was clear. Nothing except the mirage of heat escaped it, and Gwenyth knew there was strong magic at play.

“We’re getting close, are we low enough yet, Captain?” Gwen was on her tip toes, gazing out the window.

He checked his altimeter. They were passing through ten thousand feet, the height where the plane risked explosive decompression if a door was opened. As it was, they had jury rigged the avionics to allow them a controlled decompression prior to blowing one of the doors.

“Close enough, Gwen. Time for oxygen masks.” Both pilots donned their masks, and the captain flipped a switch on the console. Right away, the two pilots felt their ears pop as the air pressure in the cabin rapidly decreased.

Gwen felt nothing. She’d erected a shield around herself to regulate and protect her. She gave each of the pilots a squeeze on the shoulder and ran back to the rear doors of the plane. As planned, the plane banked to starboard, turning so its right side faced the volcano. Gwen reached up to grasp the emergency release handle, and pulled it as hard as she could. Small explosive charges went off, launching the door outward. The cabin filled with noise and the blast of wind threatened to knock Gwen off her feet, shield or no shield, but she struggled forward and grasped the edge of the doorway.

Looking out, she saw the lip of the Volcano passing rapidly from left to right. She hoped she was right, and that this short distance jump wouldn’t set off any alarm spells Marcus was sure to have set up. In a flash of light, she was gone.

IN THE SKIES OF DRANIS IV

Jira smiled as the dragon host followed her move for move. She sensed the awestruck feelings coming from below as they flew over the planetary capitol. Every citizen looked up as hundreds of dragons soared above them, the sun glinting off their glistening scales.

‘We have done well, child.’ Amaré’s thoughts formed in Jira’s head, along with an intense sense of pride. Over three hundred dragons were in the host, souls of the Liberi warriors defeated by Tenybris’s Soulless on Sanctuary, reborn in dragon form; their true form.

‘I never thought I’d see the day, Amaré. Look at Tyran and Cyran.’

Amaré watched as the two brothers led their squadrons of green and blue dragons in a mock attack on another group led by another two silvers. The two groups collided in mid air, in a clash of fire and feigned violence. Sheathed claws raked the wings of their adversaries, causing no damage, but at each successful strike, the bested dragon withdrew from the battle. All of them fought valiantly, but it was the brothers’ forces which prevailed; more, they decimated the opposing dragons.

Laughter filled their heads, as the brothers playfully mocked the others. There was no enmity or bitterness on either side, however; they were dragons, brothers and sisters of an ancient and noble race, reborn from hope and magic. Even now, though youngsters still, mating pairs formed amongst the host. It would be years until they reached maturity, but the dragons knew their soul mate instinctively.

Below them, the crowd cheered, the sound reaching Amaré and Jira at the same time as another, more ominous signal. Jira gasped as the feeling washed over her, seeing Amaré’s eyes widen in surprise. Below them, the silvers looked up and linked to them. A shudder of alarm passed though the whole host, before Amaré settled them with a tide of her love.

‘The foretold event has come to pass, my children. Now we fulfil our true purpose, the real reason we returned.’ She wheeled, gaining altitude, and smiled as she sensed her family follow her. Before her, the sky turned from blue to the chaos of the Never. ‘To home...we fly to Teralia!’

ON THE VOLCANO

Gwenyth crept up the final few feet and peered over the lip of the crater. The sight made her heart freeze, and a matching ball of ice formed in her stomach. She was too late, she realized, as she saw the seething mass of life swimming in the lava. Screams and cries filled the air, echoing off the slopes of the vast crater. The infant dragons snapped and clawed at their siblings. It was chaos, and Gwen gasped as a slightly larger beast grabbed a newly hatched red form and crushed it, screaming pitifully, in its mouth.

Within the pool, dozens of eggs floated, still un-hatched, jerking with the life within, and desperate to break free into the heat. The interior walls of the crater squirmed with newborns, but before her eye’s, Gwenyth watched as a wave of green energy washed over them. As it passed, the infants swelled in size, becoming mature instantly. The air crackled with magic, and her eyes were drawn to a figure surrounded by large, red scaled reptiles; for that’s what they were. These weren’t dragons. Gwen knew that now.

There were hundreds, possibly thousands of them. It was impossible to judge in the writhing morass. As she watched, her spell of concealment masking her from sight, Marcus’s hand ignited with a blue flame, whipping out to punish the beast that ate the young. Wicked barbs of magic ate into the armored scales. An almighty bellow of pain shook the air, as the beast struggled to free itself from the bonds.

Gwen heard the cruel laughter echo around the crater, as Marcus broke the beast to his will. They were animals, nothing more; but with the strength and power of the dragon race, they were terrible to behold.

‘Come out so I can see you, child.’ Gwenyth reeled as the voice thundered through her mind. It was powerful enough she almost lost her footing, and she slid a few feet down the mountainside, but Marcus’s laughter coursed through her brain. ‘Did you think your little trick might fool me? That I was unaware of your approach?’

A feeling of dread formed at her core, as she looked behind at the retreating aircraft. Two small red forms pursued it, dwarfed by the larger aircraft, but as she watched, they swooped in to attack. Gwen reached out with her mind. The plane, and her two friends, was over five miles away, and growing further every second, but she didn’t care. She used every scrap of her willpower to extend her shield. It stretched out, narrowing to the width of a silken thread, but she succeeded in extending her shield around the plane.

She needn’t have bothered. Her head exploded in pain as they breached the barrier, to rip their claws across the aluminium covering the wings. Her shield might have protected them from Marcus, and the darkness within him, but his creatures were independent of the shadow. Her magically enhanced sight allowed her to see the sheets folding back, ruining the aerodynamics of the plane. Gwen heard the whine of the engines rise in power. She imagined the screams of Paul and Jim as they tried to escape. She tried to drag her gaze away as the reds toyed with the aircraft, and continued to carry out high speed passes, ripping it apart, piece by piece, until finally it fell from the sky like a stone. She witnessed the impact on a distant peak, as the plane exploded in a circle of flame. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

The cruel laughter resounding though her head banished any final vestige of doubt. This wasn’t Marcus L’vel, in any shape or fashion. The voice was the one from the pit.

Rocks sliding down the outside of the crater brought her back to the here and now, as a wicked claw dislodged them. Gwenyth panicked as similar disturbances occurred on either side of her. To her right, a pair of yellow eyes looked into hers from the face of a monster. She flinched as a gout of dragon fire engulfed her. It was intense enough to melt the rock and gravel around her, turning it into glass, but her shield held. On instinct, her hand flew out, and along with the gesture, over a dozen silver darts impacted the large Red as it crested the lip. It howled in pain and fell back.

Gwen knew her attempt to prevent the Darkness’s plan had failed, and she quailed at the deaths of the two pilots. Alone, she was no match for this being and his dragons, so she gritted her teeth and did something that sickened her to her core. She ran away.

BACK IN THE CITADEL, Lynnaria jumped as Gwen appeared unexpectedly beside her. The expression on the girl’s face told her more than words.

“We’re too late,” said the Queen, hope leaving her eyes, replaced by fear.

Gwenyth nodded. “I’m sorry, my lady, but he... It, was waiting for me.”

Lynnaria lowered her head. “It? I assume our worst fears have come to pass? The Darkness has escaped the pit and gained corporeal form?”

Gwenyth wilted. “Even worse, it’s already hatched hundreds of reds. The majority are still feral, and it’ll take him time to break them to his will, but once he does...” Her fists balled at her side, failure cloaking her like an invisible shroud. Around the hall, gloom seemed to seep into the bones of the gathered forces.

A compact form stepped forward. Kore bowed before the Queen, his body stiff with formality as he attempted to mask his defeat. “My lady, we should get as many of the People as possible to my Father’s kingdom; blockade the entrances, collapse the tunnels. We’ll be impregnable to the beasts.” His voice was pleading, almost desperate.

Lynnaria shook her head before smiling kindly at the Dwelven prince. “No, my friend. Thank you for your offer, but I must decline. If we retreat to the mountains, we’ll become prisoners.  I see what you are trying to do... keep me safe, but I won’t leave my people to die.” She put her head in her hands to hide the tears welling in her crystal blue eyes. “Oh Olumé, where is your great plan now?”

Filumé put his arm across his mother’s shoulder, and she reached up to pat the back of his palm. She felt the hand stiffen, however, and heard gasps and cries from the gathered crowd.

She felt the tears flow down her cheeks, warm and salty as they dropped to the tiled floor of the great hall. She flinched as a hand caressed her cheek, stemming their flow as it lifted her chin. Before her stood a figure dressed in a plain brown robe, with a plain rope sash around the waist.

Her mouth dropped open as she looked up into a face much older than the one she remembered, but the breath caught in her lungs as the crooked smile and midnight blue eyes banished any shred of doubt.

“Olumé!” The word came out as a whisper, as the tears of dread turned to joy. She grasped the hand that stroked her cheek with trembling fingers, afraid this was a vision, a trick of her imagination. Her heart soared as she felt the warmth of the skin. She brought it to her lips and kissed it over and over. A wave of joy rippled through the hall, and more people entered as the news spread like wildfire.

“Hello, my love.” Olumé’s eyes welled with unshed tears as he bent down to kiss her tenderly. The dread mantling the crowd disappeared as a shaft of light pierced the gloom of the clouds outside to shine on the couple. Magic unfelt for millennia swept their fear away. Sobs and cheers filled the room.

Gwenyth felt Filumé stagger and almost fall, so she did something she’d wanted to do ever since they met in the forest; she took his hand, squeezing it softly.

It worked. His eyes widened as he looked down at the slender arm entwined in his. His mouth opened, but Gwen shook her head, her eyes twinkling as her lips twitched in a subtle smile. He got the message and grew silent, new emotions boiling within him as he turned to watch the exchange between his mother and the father he’d never met.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around for a while. I’ve,” Olume chuckled, “been a little busy.”

Lynnaria cried as she flew up into his arms, savouring the touch of her husband. Her heart thundered in her chest, but her head reeled. “How?” she whispered. “How is this possible? You died.”

Olumé laughed. He sniffed, wiping the wetness off his cheeks. “Yes, I did, didn’t I?”

As his wife’s brow furrowed, his lip curled up into the crooked grin that never failed to show him as the boy she remembered. The first time she’d seen him, riding through the gates of her father’s walls, she knew she loved him. Now, her feelings were amplified by the loss of millennia.

A flush rose on her wet cheeks. “Damn you!” Lynnaria thumped her hands against his chest. “You left us here, alone.” Her eyes flashed with anger. “You have a son you have never met, and a wife who has thought you dead for thousands of years. I don’t know whether to take you in my arms or take a blade to your neck.”

Olumé backed away, palms raised towards her. “I’d rather the first, if I’m honest. The second would be messy, and might interfere with my plans.”

A shadow passed over his features. “You are right, however. I died, Lynnaria, and at this moment, I’m still dead.”

Lynnaria’s face dropped, and a collective intake of breath passed through the crowd. She put a hand up to her mouth and took a step back. “By the Maker! Are you a spirit, sent here to tease and torment me?”

Olumé took her hands. His smile burnt into her eyes. “No, my love.” He lowered his head. “Though I am but a shard of the soul you once loved, even this miniscule fraction of my whole loves you beyond measure; and if my plan succeeds, all of the fragments scattered throughout time will return to the Lands. I will be alive once more.”

A wistful look passed his face. “But we shall see. There is much to be done, and not much time to do it in. Now, where is she?” He straightened up, looking around.  He locked eyes with Gwenyth. “Ah, there you are, Alice. My, except for the hair, you are so like your daughter.”

Gwen’s eyes widened. “You’ve met my daughter?” Her expression was a mixture of wonder and joy, but her eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m sorry if this question keeps being repeated, but how is this even possible?”

Olumé winked at her. “Now, what sort of magician would I be if I gave away the secret to all my tricks?”

“I know that line,” Heather blurted out. “Well, it’s not exactly the same, but all the magicians on my world say something similar.”

Olumé rounded on her. He smiled, but his eyes twinkled as he examined her every feature. “Ah yes. The bridge between the worlds.” He bowed before her.

Heather blinked in confusion. “What bridge? What do you mean?”

Olumé shook his head, beaming, but looking embarrassed at the same time. “I’m sorry; I need to learn to explain myself before making a random statement like that.”

He turned to his wife, and she felt the power emanating from him, dead or not dead. “I need to reveal everything for the first time. Please, let me finish before interrupting?”

Lynnaria reluctantly nodded her consent. The crowded hall grew quiet. No one wanted to miss this.

Olumé cleared his throat. “I’ll try to keep this as simple as I can. It’s taken me millennia to get to this point, but the divergent paths of my many plans are at last coming together.” He turned to Gwenyth. “To you, my dear, I owe an apology. Your sacrifice has been almost as great as your daughter’s, but your presence here in this timeframe is pivotal to the plan’s success.”

Gwen’s surprised expression drew a snort from Olumé. “So, so like your daughter. She too doubted her strength. No, you see, as you may have surmised already, no being in the Lands can withstand the Darkness. Any Elf, Faer or Dwelf would fall easily under its power; even I would eventually succumb to its corruptive influence. There are few single beings in existence that could resist it the way you can.”

Gwen raised an eyebrow. “Because I’m human?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it,” Olumé said. He breathed deeply, building up the tension in the room. Every eye was on him. Another trait he shared with the master magicians of Earth. “I’ve spent the last few thousand years shaping the genetic make-up of the human race.”

There were several gasps, and an expletive blurted from Heather. Her face reddened, but Olumé crossed to her and took her hands.

“Heather, the proximity of both our worlds, even though the Lands hid behind the Veil, allowed me to develop your race, shape its history. Time moves slower here in the Lands, so while here a few thousand years have passed since the fall of the Veil, outside, in your world, millions of years have passed.”

Heather’s jaw dropped, as the jumbled images in her mind flashed into focus. Besides the eggs, all the other memories were vague and indistinct. Now they flew though her head in blistering clarity. She remembered the last battle, where dozens of dragon kind assaulted Tenybris. She felt the heat as the dragonfire washed over his armies, and her heart dropped with the memory of them withstanding it. Finally her face blanched as she recalled how Tenybris had killed, murdered them so effortlessly, destroying their immortal souls before they could pass to the Never and be reborn.

“Oh my God... the dragons,” Heather gasped, tears streaming down her face. “They’ve been on Earth all along, only we never understood.”

Olumé’s eyes flashed with the fire of pride, but he stayed silent.

Heather’s heart raced as she blurted out the words. “The dinosaurs; we thought an asteroid hitting the planet millions of years ago wiped them out. But the asteroid never happened, did it?”

Olumé shook his head, gently. “No. You are correct, my dear. The creatures you think of as dinosaurs are the dead bodies of the dragons Tenybris destroyed all those years ago.” He bowed his head. All of them saw the tears gather in his eyes. “I lingered here a while after I... died. My link with the Lands was still strong enough to allow me to hover on the edge of the Never.” His lips twitched in a wry smile. “I watched Tenybris as he murdered over a hundred of my dragon friends. Some of them fell here, in the Lands. A few landed in sea’s surrounding them. Over the eons, as the vast continents formed, the bones dispersed around the world.”

Heather looked confused. “But... the archaeologists, they found complete fossils. I mean, there are displays of dinosaurs in most of the big museums.”

Olumé chuckled. “The Chinese are a clever bunch, aren’t they? All it took was to make sure they found the first bone, over two thousand years ago. Once they’d adopted the dragon as their own, they ensured any other finds of random fossils were... adjusted, shall we say. Some were even planted, to be discovered, randomly.” He smiled mischievously. “The myth of the dragons disappeared into legend, and the dinosaurs became scientific fact.”

Heather’s and Gwenyth’s eyes widened as they understood at last, just how much planning had gone into this. They only had a moment to ponder, however, as Olumé addressed the gathering.

His voice rose in volume and intensity, and the power emanating from him washed over the assemblage. “The time is now. For as long as Teralia has existed, Light and Darkness have influenced the core of magic. Both have chosen their Champions in their battles over the years; my father... me, on the side of the Light. Tenybris was the latest pawn of the shadow. Marcus L’vel will be its last, for now the Darkness has taken form.”

Olumé turned to Gwenyth. “This was your task; to come into the Lands and appear invulnerable in front of the Darkness. It needed to defeat this new enemy, so when Marcus arrived, it saw the opportunity. It consumed his soul and poured its essence into the empty shell. At last it’s vulnerable. We can rid the Lands of Darkness forever.” His last words were eager and excited, and the mood passed over the crowd.

Lynnaria stood. Her eyes were red rimmed, and she wrung her hands in fear.  “But what this being has done. Olumé, he... it, has created an abomination. Red dragons are about to scourge the Lands in dragon fire, and we cannot withstand them. They are too many, hundreds, at least... an army of animals who have the might of the dragons of old. How can we survive?”

Olumé smiled, enigmatically. “Yet another plan, my love.” He crossed to embrace her, breathing in the scents of exotic flowers in her hair. “By the Maker, I have missed you.” His tears mixed with hers as they kissed. After a moment they parted. “If this works, we will have time, but we have several tasks ahead of us first.”

He turned again to Heather. “This is where you come in, Heather. That’s what I meant about you being the bridge. I mean you are the bridge between worlds, for within your power, lies the last spark of a true dragon’s soul.”

Heather’s eyes widened. “You mean the memories I’ve got? I’m part dragon?”

A shiver of laughter passed through the crowd at the bewildered expression on her face.

Olumé chuckled again. “No, not quite, but your son is.”

Heather’s mouth dropped open. Murmurs arose throughout the hall as all eyes fell on the young boy playing with his toys on a table beside the throne.

Olumé’s eyes locked with Filumé’s. “Talking of sons, it has been remiss of me not to acknowledge my own.”

Gwenyth felt Filumé stiffen beside her.

“I can feel your anger, my son, and I understand it fully.” Olumé bowed before him. “I only ask that you give me a chance to make up for it, and try to understand, yourself, why I had to do what I did.”

Filumé stood, rigid. A frisson of tension passed through the people. Gwenyth was afraid Filumé would say something he might regret, but she sighed quietly as his hand relaxed its grip.

“I have never born you any animosity, even in death, Father. My mother ensured that,” he said. “I have heard tales of your might all my life. If anyone can save us, you can.”

Olumé bowed his head. “I’m afraid the task of defeating the Darkness must fall to another.” He looked back at the confused expressions. “As I said, even I would eventually become a slave to the Darkness’s power. If I defeated it, it would only be to replace it, and I would be terrible. I would make Tenybris’s conquest seem like a child’s game. No, this time, it is up to outsiders to save us.” He looked at Heather.

“Come walk with me. Gwenyth, would you mind accompanying us?” Olumé took Heather’s hand, leading her towards the balcony. He glanced back over his shoulder. “My love, I shall return shortly.”

On the balcony, Olumé gazed out at the red glow on the horizon, hundreds of miles away. Reaching out his magical sight, he saw the Reds take to the air in their hundreds, circling the crater of the volcano below. He sensed the malevolence of the being that held the beasts in thrall, but returned to the balcony before it became alerted to his.

He turned to the two humans. “Heather, except for Gwenyth, no one on this world will withstand the Darkness. It will destroy the Lands, with or without the creatures it’s created, but even alone it would eventually overcome us all.”

“What about the other passengers?” asked Heather. “I mean, they’re human, can’t they help?”

Olumé chuckled. “I’m afraid most of the others, though they might resist the effects of the Darkness, would be useless in any battle. I’m sorry to say that during my manipulation of your race, where I had to create a few... special beings, such as you and your daughter,” he inclined his head to Gwen, “the side effect was the growth of greed and violence on your world.”

Heather’s face whitened, but before she opened her mouth, Olumé raised his hand. “No matter, Heather. After all this, if we prevail, I intend to put it all right. If all my plans come to fruition, your world will soon be a changed place.”

Heather’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean a changed place?”

Olumé put his hand on her shoulder. “Imagine your world without greed, Heather. I’m not talking about the spell I weaved here so long ago. I mean to bring Teralia back to where it belongs. The Earth, as you call it, is our home. We are all the People, and Earth is, and always will be, a part of the Lands.”

Heather’s head reeled. How would these lands of fantasy and magic exist alongside the world of technology and science?

Olumé read her thoughts. “It will be an... interesting encounter. The rulers of your world will resist, but once the magic is released, the People will come in to their own. Heather, you know there is much evil in your world, most of it nurtured by the unseen enemy. All your war, all the cruelty, resulted from the Darkness influencing the core of susceptible souls on Earth.”

Heather saw pictures in her head. Most were unfamiliar, but a few she knew. There was a savage figure, wrapped in fur, who rode his horde to conquer a whole continent. Then there was another; a small man, tortured and used by others twisted by the darkness. He committed suicide, but his legacy lived on, even up to the life of her parents, who had been inmates of a particularly brutal regime.

Heather’s anger rose. “How could you? How could you let so many people die, just so your... plan... shit!” She grabbed the crystal railings to stop herself going for Olumé’s throat. “Do you realize what my parents went through? They lost their families to those monsters!”

“I know what they went through, Heather.” Olumé stood with his head bowed. “I watched their suffering. Saw their pain as they watched their families march away to their deaths, but at the end, you are here, as I planned.”

“Planned? You Bastard! You killed my grandparents!”

Gwen put her arms around Heather’s sobbing shoulders. “No Heather, Olumé didn’t kill them, don’t you see? It was the Darkness, reaching through the Veil. I doubt it even knew, but it blackened the hearts of these people, turning them to evil.”

Olumé crossed to join them. He put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Thank you Al...sorry, I must remember that you’re Gwenyth here. She is correct, however, Heather. I could not step in when a soul blackened, for if I had, neither of you would have existed. I know that’s no excuse, but I intend to make up for my past meddling by ensuring a bright future for you all.”

Heather turned to face him, her face an unreadable mask. “For Alex’s sake, I’ll help you, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you for the things you’ve done, no matter the goals behind them.”

Olumé’s lips thinned into a line, but he nodded sharply. “Thank you. That is all I ask. Now if you’re ready, could you fetch Alex for me?”

Heather’s face blanched. “He won’t get hurt, will he?”

Olumé smiled reassuringly. “No harm will befall him; he is a rather special little boy, isn’t he?”

Heather couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, I’ve always known he was destined for great things, but never anything like this.” She walked into the hall, returning a moment later with the child holding her hand.

He looked up at Olumé. “My mommy says you need my help.”

Olumé kneeled down in front of him, looking into the eyes that shifted from hazel to blue, then grey, before deepening to a shade of amber. His smile was returned by the boy.

“Yes, Alex,” Olumé said softly. He tapped the boy gently on his chest. “You know what you have in here?”

Alex’s brows furrowed in thought. “My heart? My mommy says I have a special one.”

Olumé gave one of his lopsided grins. “Yes, a very special one. One I’ve been waiting a very long time for. Alex, do you know what trust is?”

Alex stood silent for a second before talking. “Is it when you know someone will never hurt you?”

Olumé chuckled. “Exactly, that’s exactly what it means, Alex.” Olumé took Alex’s hands in his own. “I need you to trust me; do you think you can do that?”

Alex looked up at his mom, who nodded. “I guess so, what do you want me to do?”

Olumé squeezed the boy’s hands. “Nothing, I just need to take some of the special magic in your heart. It might feel a little funny, and I promise it won’t hurt. Is that ok with you, Alex?”

“You promise it won’t hurt?” Alex’s voice rose a little.

Heather came over to kneel down beside Olumé. “It’ll be fine, Sweet Pea. Just try and relax, you know, like you do at the doctors?”

Alex nodded, smiling.

“Are we ready?” Olumé asked, looking around. There was a feeling of expectation hanging over them. None of them knew what was about to happen.

Olumé closed his eyes, and the hairs on everyone’s neck stood on end as magic filled the air.

Alex giggled. “Mommy, this tickles.” His eyes grew suddenly wide as a sphere of golden energy emerged from his chest. It pulsated with power and Gwen and Heather gasped as they felt the life within.

“Wow, mommy, look at the magic.” He beamed at Heather, watching as the globe sped up into the sky. They lost sight of it as it gained speed, hurtling towards the barrier above.

Heather turned to her son. “Are you ok?” She gathered him into her arms, but he struggled.

“I’m fine, mommy. Look.” His eyes were wide as he looked up into the sky. He pointed as he managed to break his arm free of her embrace.

The others followed his gaze, gasping as they saw the pink shield begin to fade. In patches, deep blue sky peered through. Around them, the balconies flooded with people as they emerged to watch the phenomenon.

The Veil was falling.

EARTH – OUTSIDE THE Veil

“Sir, something’s happening!”

Henry Semple jumped awake as Tom shook him, a skill developed years ago in the conflict in Asia. He stood up, accepting the cup of Jamaica Blue coffee. He sniffed, savouring the rich aroma. The Presidency had its perks, and the coffee was one of them. Henry looked up, praying to the God he only vaguely believed in, that he might one day have a normal term.

That wasn’t about to happen any time soon, however. He followed his friend out of the cabin in the nose of Air Force One into the comm centre, a slimmed down version of the Situation Room in the Whitehouse. Curved screens adorned the interior of the aircraft and a small table, actually a large TV screen turned on its side, rested at the centre of the cabin.

“So! Tell me what I’m looking at.” Henry watched as the border depicting the dome flashed on the screen. A digital counter at its side flew downward. Henry’s eyes widened. “What is that?”

He turned to his friend. “Tom, you told me this thing wasn’t growing. Now what the heck’s going on?”

Tom looked at the very young Captain controlling the feed. His hands shook and he gripped the table. Tom met the younger man’s eyes, staring into them for a long second, trying to impart a shred of confidence he didn’t feel.

“Chris, why don’t you bring up the live feed?” Tom smiled at his junior as he managed to overcome his panic and hit the right buttons.

The table turned from a computer generated display to a real time shot taken from a KH-11 (Keyhole) satellite, in orbit above the phenomenon.

“What the heck is that?” Henry’s eyes widened as he saw a huge shape beneath the ghost of pink.

Tom’s voice shook. “It seems to be some kind of land mass, Mr. President. At current estimates it looks similar in size to the whole of the continental United States.”

“Shit!” Henry rubbed his eyes. “So that’s what’s been hiding under that thing. A whole new continent?”

“Sir, you need to see this too.” Tom zoomed the display out to display the planet. Around the world, beacons rose into the atmosphere; pillars of energy hundreds of miles high.

“Where are they coming from?” Henry knew the answer before Tom replied. One of the satellite feeds showed one of the pillars rising from northern Africa, another from the coast of Mexico. Dozens reached into the heavens.

“Pyramids, sir.” Tom moved the mouse, activating an overlay which highlighted the locations of origin.

Henry’s heart raced as he looked at the screen. Giza in Egypt, Chichén Itzá in Mexico, Angkor Wat in Thailand where a few of the familiar names he saw, but there were countless ones he didn’t.

“Do we have eyes on any of them yet?” asked Henry.

Tom shook his head. “Not yet sir. We have retasked drones that are close to the targets, but it’ll be over an hour before we have detailed overheads.”

“Shit!” Henry’s mood matched the rooms. The atmosphere was rich with sweat and he felt the fear among his staff as a palpable presence.

A phone chirped and Tom picked it up, his face draining of what little color remained. “Thank you, Colonel. Yes, sent the feed across.”

“What now?” Henry’s voice held a tinge of dread as Tom selected another data feed. A grainy video of the night sky appeared, and his brows furrowed.

“What am I supposed to be seeing here Tom?” As he watched the blackness on the screen he thought he saw shapes move as sunlight reflected off a shiny surface.

Tom lowered his voice so only Henry heard it. “That was NORAD, Mr President. What we’re looking at is a deep space picture taken from a composite radar/video telescope in orbit over 500 miles above us.”

Henry’s eyes widened as he took in the implications of what he saw on the screen. “Those shapes, they’re space ships?”

Tom nodded. “Dozens of them, maybe hundreds, and they’re headed this way.”

Henry’s fist hammered down on the table. “Dammit, how am I supposed to deal with an attack from outer space when we have no idea what’s happening on our own planet?”

His rant was interrupted by an alarm as the aircraft lurched. Henry was thrown off his feet as the floor fell out from beneath them. Anything not tied down flew through the air as the plane plummeted downwards. He heard screams all around him as his hands managed to get a hold of the table. The cabin was pitch black, not even the emergency lights working.

After what seemed like an hour of terror, but could only have been seconds, he heard the whine of the engines. Gradually, the pandemonium ceased and the plane levelled out. The light came back on to reveal a nightmare.

“Chris!” Tom ran over the crumpled form on the floor. The captain’s neck lay at an impossible angle and his eyes were wide and vacant. Tom cradled what looked like a broken arm and suddenly Henry realized how lucky he was to escape relatively unscathed.

The door opened and several secret service agents ran into the room, their dishevelled appearance evidence of their own disruption. They took in the scene with utmost professionalism, however, and immediately went to work confirming everyone was ok. One of them knelt beside Tom, placing a finger against the prone forms neck. He looked up at his boss and shook his head. Henry nodded his thanks.

He crossed to his friend, laying his hand on his shoulder. “He’s gone, Tom.”

Tom winced as he stood up, his eyes wide. “Shit, Chris was really going places, you know?”

Henry recognised the signs of shock. “Come on, let’s get that arm seen to.”

“Um, Sir? Mr President?”

Henry turned to face a young lieutenant with blood flowing from a gash in his cheek. “Son, you should get that looked at...”

“Sir, you need to see this.” The youngster quailed. He’d just interrupted the most powerful man on Earth.

“One moment, young man.” He beckoned to one of the agents. “Take the General to the medical bay. Tom, do as the doctor tells you. Sit this one out. I’ve got it, ok?”

Tom seemed about to resist, until the agent’s hand brushed against his shoulder, provoking a grimace of pain. “I’ll be right back, sir. Just as soon as the quack patches me up.”

Henry smiled briefly as Tom left. He turned. “Now, what do I need to see, son?”

The lieutenant crossed to his station. The table display was cracked, so he brought the satellite feed up on his screen.

“Oh my God!” Henry’s stared at the display, unable to take his eyes off it. The shield was gone. He looked at a vast green continent covering most of the North Atlantic Ocean.

General Harris, Chief of the Air Force turned round in his chair and stood up. He had a nasty bump on his head, but was otherwise unhurt. “Sir, Admiral Griffin on the Nimitz reports the loss of one aircraft. An F/A18 was coming in to land when it was hit with whatever hit us. There was no ejection, sir. Rescue efforts are underway but it doesn’t look good.”

“Damn. I’m sorry Ted. Please pass my condolences across to the Admiral, along with instructions to launch a sortie to scout that out.” He pointed to the screen.

“Yessir!” said the General.

“And get me a sitrep on those spaceships!”

This was the catalyst needed to return Air Force One to the finely turned machine it was. Operators turned back to their screens, gathering data and issuing orders given by the senior officers in the room.

Henry sat in one of the chairs. His hands shook, and his blood surged with adrenaline. Looking at the screens, he wished he was on the ground with a gun in his hand, instead of here, with so many relying on him.

He looked upwards, wondering if now was a good time to reacquaint himself with his God.

AND SO, IT BEGINS

Passing Jupiter orbit.

Chran turned to Zjokara, his eyes wide in wonder. “I feel it, Zjokara.” He took her hands in his, and she felt the tremble in his fingers.

The Captain’s brows furrowed. What could be significant enough to shock her mate so? “What do you feel, my love?” This show of affection would normally be a breach of the tight etiquette adhered to by her and her crew, but this was one of those times she pushed it aside.

“The magic...Zjokara, the Veil has fallen. Magic has returned to the universe.”

She saw tears as clear as crystal run down his cheeks, a look of rapture upon his face.

“It’s wonderful,” he said in a whisper. “It’s so strange, yet so familiar to me.” His expression hardened, and his grip steadied and tightened. He closed his eyes, and Zjokara knew he spoke with one of the other Liberi.

“I must go. Something is terribly wrong on Earth and they need all the help they can get.” He turned to his lover, his eyes softening again. “I’m sorry, but I need you to stay here. You need to get into orbit as soon as possible. Push your ships as hard as you can. I suspect we will need your weaponry on this day, though how useful it will be against dragons I’m not sure.”

Around the bridge there was a collective intake of breath, and the already tense atmosphere was tinged with an air of fear. All of them were aware how deadly and invulnerable dragons were.

Chran stepped away from Zjokara, his body glowing as he morphed into his dragon form. The sight of his golden magnificence served to bolster the crew, and they stood as one, clapping and cheering. Chran bowed to them, smiling slightly at Zjokara, before disappearing in a flash of light.

“By the Maker, look at him go!” Zlotta said from her console. Her Captain looked at the numbers beside the holographic display as they sped upwards impossibly fast.

Zjokara steeled herself and hit a button to address the crew.

“All hands to battle stations. Prepare to engage the enemy.”

EARTH-20,000 FEET ABOVE Teralia.

“Dandy, do you see what I’m seeing? ‘Cause I’m havin’ a problem believin’ it.”

Dandy, real name Bill Lyons, had inherited the call sign Dandy, after his surname had evolved from Dandylyon at the Academy. “I see it, Crusty, but I’m having as hard a time as you.”

The two pilots were flying at just below the speed of sound. The F35 fighters were supposed to be stealthy, but that hadn’t saved them from the eyes of the creatures rapidly climbing towards them. They were like something from a fairy tale gone wrong. Even from the image on the screens in each jet, it was clear they weren’t coming to play nice.

“Pitcher, this is Baseball, flight of two above target, do you read?”

‘Pitcher,’ was the command centre back on the Nimitz, currently steaming at full speed towards the new continent.

“Go ahead, Baseball. What do you see, son?” The two young pilots blanched as they recognized the voice of the President of the United States.

Dandy was the first to recover. “Ah, sir...ah. Sir, you’re not going to believe this, but shortly after we made landfall, we picked up some uninvited company. Sir, and I shit you not Mr President, at this time there are over a dozen dragons headed our way; and sir, they don’t look friendly.”

The voice changed to the familiar one of the CAG, Commander, Air Group, their boss back on the carrier. “Baseball flight, bug out on vector 175 degrees. We have some friendly’s coming your way.”

Dandy and Crusty breathed a collective sigh of relief. The dragons were still over twenty miles away and 5000 feet below them as they banked as one, and came round to the correct heading.

“Baseball, be aware we have Sentries coming on line. Expect telemetry in two minutes.” Sentries were the converted Boeing 707 AWAC’s aircraft. Their sensors could cover hundreds of miles and be fed to others via secure data links. Soon they would have a 3D map of the sky around them.

“Roger, Pitcher.” Dandy’s voice strained. They’d lost sight of the dragons when their planes turned around, but they should be outstripping them. While terrifying, they didn’t appear overly fast.

Ninety seconds later a tone sounded in Dandy’s helmet along with an indicator flashing on the HUD. They were receiving telemetry from the AWAC’s, so he reached down to switch the multi-function screen to display it, just as his earpiece erupted.

“Baseball, Sentry One-niner; break right and hit your burners, NOW!”

All that saved them from death was the years of training and their lightning reflexes. As they turned sharply right, both pilots were shook by something exploding in the space they’d just vacated. The jets accelerated as raw aviation fuel was dumped into their engines. The pilots grunted as the combined turn and acceleration pressed them back in their seats, before the flight suits pressurised to help the blood flow back to their brains.

Dandy reached with a shaking hand, activating the display, the blood running from his face as he took in their dire situation.

They were surrounded, the dragons easily matched their increasing speed, and their agility outstripped anything the F35’s were capable off.

“Crusty’s voice came over the radio. “Ah, Pitcher...help?”

Dandy heard the panic in his friend’s voice. They were the last words he ever heard as a huge red form appeared, smashing the canopy and dragging him out. The talons pierced his heart almost instantly, ending his suffering, but not before he saw Crusty’s plane dive out of the hairy fur ball to freedom, as dozens of missiles impacted the dragons. A smile graced his dying face.

Fortunately for Dandy, he didn’t survive long enough to see how ineffective the weapons were, and didn’t see the creatures swoop after his friend.

Crusty screamed as the airframe shook. He grunted with the g-forces as he weaved and darted, but the dragons were toying with him. They flitted around him, keeping pace no matter what he did. Another volley of missiles hit their targets, as ineffective as the first. The largest red, the one who’d killed Dandy, stuck to his right wing no matter the manoeuvre. Crusty screamed aloud as the wicked teeth stretched into a grin. The creature rose up, reaching out its talons to pluck him to his death, only to disappear from sight in a blur of red and gold.

‘Fly, you fool!’

Crusty’s eyes widened at the voice in his head, but needed no encouragement. He hit the afterburners, chancing a glance at the display. He choked a cry back as he realized they weren’t pursuing.

CHRAN’S TALONS RIPPED through the red’s chest, closing around its beating heart. He felt it lurch as he tore it out. He watched the fury fade from the beast’s eyes as it died, but no soul emerged to fade into the Never. Chran cast the body away, into the path of two attackers bearing down on him. He heard the crunch as it shattered one of their wings, breaking through the membrane, causing it to spiral down out of the fight, for now. The other dragon hurtled on, ignoring the stricken creature. It hit Chran, but he rolled his golden body with the impact, allowing the red to pull him round until he could grasp it by the neck. Chran used the beast’s own momentum to snap it, letting it go to plummet to the ocean below.

Chran knew these were the easy kills, as he watched the reds rally. They were animals, but they were dragons, with all the might and killer instinct inherent within the race. Chran steeled himself for the battle to come.

THE COMMUNICATIONS room on Air Force One degenerated into a riot as reports flew in from sources around the globe. Strange, no...impossible things were occurring around the world; unexplainable outside the realms of magic, but magic wasn’t real, was it?

Henry’s head was in his hands when Tom sat down in the chair next to him. His arm was in a sling, but otherwise he seemed fine.

“I told you to stay in the sick-bay,” Henry said, looking up.

“I thought I might be more useful here.” Tom took a look around at the chaos. “It looks like I was right.”

Henry laughed for the first time in hours. He held his hand out, pumping his friend’s hard enough to illicit a wince. “Damn good to have you back, Tom; and yeah, I need you. The whole world’s going to hell.”

“Want to give me the quick version?”

Henry breathed out slowly, sitting back in his chair.

“That bad, huh?”

“Actually, Tom, it’s not all bad. Except for the incident with the dragons and the loss of a pilot, the occurrences could be described as...miracles.”

Tom’s eyes widened. “Miracles?”

Henry handed him a tablet computer, indicating he should read the highlights of the report. If his friends eyes were wide before, now they almost popped out of their sockets.

“This is confirmed?”

Henry nodded. “Yes, Tom. In Washington DC, a patient with only days to live, and so doped up on drugs he didn’t know the time of day, got up and walked out of his room and asked for a burger. Doctors report the cancer is gone...totally gone, Tom. And there are hundreds of similar reports. But it’s not just the people. Tom, the rivers in all the drought stricken countries in Africa are flowing again. There is grass growing in the deserts of Nevada, and it’s raining in California; so hard in places that it’s put out all the bush fires.

“Tom, the planet is healing itself. Whatever else is going on, this is nothing short of magical.”

Tom’s head snapped up. “But there’s no such thing as magic.”

“That...um, isn’t strictly true, Mr President.”

The young female voice silenced the entire room in under a second. The two agents by the door reached for their side arms, but dropped them, hissing in pain as they suddenly became too hot to hold. They advanced on the girl, but halted mid-stride, frozen in place. The young man at her side could only be described as dangerous, although deadly might have been more fitting. His dark eyes took in the room like a predator, and a shiver went up Henry’s spine.

Henry swallowed his fear and rose to his feet, shouting, “Who are you, and what have you done to my people?”

The girl’s eyes flashed, not in anger, more with an expression of disbelief. She was clearly nervous, and she fidgeted her hands and bit her bottom lip. Henry couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She reminded him of his first lieutenant, on the morning he’d marched out to meet Charlie.

“Sir, my name is Katheryne Macnair, and I’m from Belfast, Northern Ireland.” Her voice trembled. She indicated the man. “This is Derren. He’s from...somewhere else. We need to talk. Now.”

Henry gripped the edge of his desk. “Release my people, miss. Or there’ll be no talking.”

Katheryne nodded slightly. “Of course I will, Mr President, as soon as you order them not to attack us. We’re here to help, but Derren might get...upset, if someone attempts to harm us.”

Henry paused, looking across at Tom who nodded. “Can they hear me?”

“I’ve only immobilised them sir, they can hear you fine.”

He turned to face the two statues. “Do as she says men. Take your places at the door.”

The two agents jerked as they regained the use of their muscles. They rubbed themselves down, unsure of their own bodies, but stared daggers at Derren, who simply smiled a crooked grin and winked, but they retreated to their stations.

“Now, young lady, would you mind telling me how you got onto the most secure aircraft in the world? And how exactly do you expect to help me?”

Katheryne looked at the chair. “May I?”

Henry indicated they should sit, but Derren remained standing. Katheryne settled herself down.

“Sir we don’t have much time. I’m sure by now you’ve heard about what’s going on around the world. I’m here to tell you why.” Katheryne took a deep breath and leaned in to the table. “Sir, for millions of years, magic has been hidden behind what we call the Veil. Well sir, the Veil has fallen, and magic is returning to the universe.”

Henry sat down heavily. The room was in silence, except for the hum of the computers and the whine of the engines. The tension was palpable.

“I...believe you,” said Henry, in a whisper. “There’s no other explanation, even if I hadn’t seen satellite video footage of a gold dragon taking out over a dozen red ones.” He stared at her. “One of yours, I hope?”

Katheryne smiled as Derren snorted. He looked at the President, his gaze so intense Henry almost flinched, before his crooked grin reappeared and his expression softened.  “His name’s Chran, and yes, he’s one of us.”

Henry’s eyes narrowed. “But who, exactly, are you?” He pointed at Katheryne. “You say you’re from Ireland? How is this possible that you’re in such company; I mean a dragon, and...this young man? If you’ll forgive me, I don’t think you’re from around these parts.”

Derren inclined his head. “No, sir. I’m originally from the Regulan system, but for the last few decades have lived on the planet Sanctuary.”

Henry and Tom exchanged glances. “It appears there is a story to be told, but little time to tell it. Am I correct?”

Katheryne nodded to the President. “Sir, we only have a short time before it all hits the fan. There are forces at work here that you cannot withstand.”

“And you can?” asked Tom. “So far all I’ve seen is one dragon and you two. You expect us to stand aside and put our faith in you?”

“It’s not as if your weapons have been of use so far, have they?” Katheryne cringed at Derren’s words.

Tom rose to his feet. “Listen, young man. We have weapons ten times, a thousand times more powerful than we’ve deployed to date. We are fully able to defend our own planet!”

Derren snickered. “By destroying it? Foolish man.”

“Stop it!” Magic filled the air as Katheryne shocked them both. “We don’t have time for this macho BS, Derren.”

Derren shook his head. “Ouch. I wish you’d stop doing that.” He turned to address Henry and Tom. “I apologize, I never meant to insult you, but you should know the dragons are only a small part of the danger you face.”

Tom nodded, accepting the apology. “But it’s just you three against all of that.” He pointed to the largest remaining display which showed hundreds of dragons flying outwards from a point near the northern shore of the continent. “How can one dragon keep us all safe?”

Katheryne smiled. “Help is on the way, sir; but until it gets here, you need to stay out of the way.”

“Yes,” said Derren. “You need to batter down the hatches.”

Katheryne groaned. “Batten, Derren. Batten down the hatches.”

He smiled his crooked grin. “Whatever. Gentlemen, you need to direct your forces, and those of your allies, not to engage. To do so will only serve to get them killed faster.”

Henry turned to his friend and nodded. “Give the word, Tom, but take us to Defcon one.” There was a collective gasp of air throughout the room. Henry turned to address Katheryne and Derren. “If you guys fail, I plan to nuke that continent back below the Veil it came from.”

Katheryne looked pensive, but it was Derren who spoke. “If we fail, all the nuclear weapons in the world will not be enough.” He took Katheryne’s hand as a shimmering circle appeared in the air. “Wish us luck.” He winked as they stepped through and disappeared.

Henry’s, in fact everyone’s jaws dropped, before activity slowly resumed its normalcy.

“Get us as far away from that thing, as fast as possible,” said the President. “I have a feeling that continent is about to become a very interesting place.”

THE CITADEL

“Well I feel a little cheated, I don’t know about you.” Filumé’s mouth twisted into the crooked grin inherited from his father.

The corners of Gwen’s mouth twitched in reply. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, my Lord.”

They stood on the battlements of the crystalline walls of the Citadel, alongside over a thousand Eldar, Dwelves and Faer. In the far distance the glow on the horizon flared an angry red, but it wasn’t that red they worried about. All around, feet shifted nervously as the enemy began its final attack. Elven eyes picked out the approaching force of over a hundred red dragons.

“So, you didn’t feel it?” Filumé theatrically slumped his shoulders. “Here we are, on the cusp of certain destruction, and she still denies her feelings.”

Kore elbowed his friend in the ribs, eliciting a grunt. “There is a time and a place fer courtship and this isny it!”

Filumé rubbed his ribs, looking up at the army of destruction approaching. “Don’t you realize, my young, short friend, that very soon there shall be neither time nor place left, once those beasts finish with us?”

He started as a hand took his. Gwen squeezed his palm in hers. “Have faith in your father’s plan. Look up at the sky.”

Filumé followed her gaze to see blue sky for the first time in his memory. For over a thousand years the sky had been the pink shade of the Veil spell. The books talked about the blue skies and the sun setting over the mountains in rivers of gold. He had witnessed neither, but now he did, and he marvelled at it.

A glowing orb hurt his eyes as he watched it sink beneath the mountains to the west. The sky was crimson, much more vivid that the pink of the Veil. Filumé’s breath caught in his throat.

“By the Great Maker, such a sight...”

A warm hand grasped his. “It’s called the sun. On this world it’s as natural as the dawn. The sun rises in the east, and sets in the west.”

Filumé started, but stared into Gwen’s eyes. “It was like this, years ago. My mother talked about the day and night; and the seasons.” Filumé’s eyes widened. “Do you have seasons? Do you have summer and winter?” He turned to take in the plain ahead, even as the dragons wheeled above.

“Do you have snow? I would dearly love to see snow.”

Gwen grasped his hand. She was conflicted. Feelings for her husband fought against her emotions. This...Elf, was not her husband. But then, she was no longer her husband’s wife.

“I’m sorry.” She bowed her head and turned away but Filumé reached out and stroked the side of her face.

“I know not where you come from, Gwenyth; but I know where you belong; with me. And if it is out there...” He stretched his arm to the blue sky, “then I will follow you. But you are of the Lands, and we shall always be bound here, as family...if nothing else.”

Gwen lowered her head. “We have no time, but I feel a connection.” She looked up into Filumé’s eyes. “We have something, deep within us. A bond I don’t understand...”

As she reached out her hand and took his, a shock flowed outward. The Citadel shook to its foundation and the people cowered on the battlements. The high towers split open to reveal mirrors that gathered the dying sunlight, focussing it downward to a crystal that rose in the courtyard where the unicorns were tethered. As they watched, the beasts lay down around the rising stone, touching their horns to it. From their contact, a glow began, rising in intensity and area. Soon it covered the whole courtyard, then flowed outward like liquid lightning to cover the surrounding buildings. Shortly after, it encompassed the whole central part of the Citadel.

“What have we done?” Filumé stood gazing at the glistening vortex as it rose above their heads to cover the Citadel in some sort of shield.

“Another of your father’s plans, perhaps?”

“But...that would have meant we...” Filumé at last understood the scale of his father’s scheme. “How? How could he ever imagine I would meet and fall in love..?” He cut the sentence off abruptly. His face reddened and he lowered his eyes.

Gwen smiled and a matching tear flowed down her cheek.

A hand landed on each of their shoulders, shocking them out of their mood. “While I never underestimate the power of love, I’m afraid this has more to do with some magic I taught to Kore’s forefathers, when they rebuilt the Citadel.”

They turned round to see Olumé standing there smiling beside Lynnaria, but their eyes widened as they took in his appearance.

Olumé laughed, the sound as musical as water flowing over stones in a stream. “I told you once the Veil collapsed, the shards of my soul scattered throughout time and space would return, didn’t I?”

Lynnaria stood beaming at her husband’s side, amazement etching her features as well. Olumé was no longer the old man who appeared in the great hall a few hours earlier. Before them stood a tall elf, with long golden hair and piercing dark eyes. He still sported the beard, but this had been trimmed, and it suited him.

Kore shuffled his feet beside him.

“Ba! Love is over rated. Now, let’s get to killin’ dragons.

Olumé grinned down at him. “I admire your bravery, Kore, but I doubt you father would look kindly on me if I let you loose against the storm to come.” He swept his arms outward, indicating the glistening bubble of energy surrounding the entire Citadel. “No, this shall protect us for a short time, until help arrives.”

Gwenyth gaped. “You can’t expect my people...” She blushed at her outburst. Inside, she knew she was human, but these were her people, she knew at last. “...I mean, you can’t expect the people of Earth to help. There’s no way they have anything strong enough to defeat the dragons, never mind the Darkness.”

“Oh, the Darkness can wait a while. I have plans for it, later.” Olumé grinned enigmatically. “And no, Gwen, I have a little surprise in store for these dragons. One I’m sure they will not enjoy.”

A shout from below interrupted the moment. “Here they come!”

They watched as the leading group of dragons wheeled overhead before swooping down towards the battlements.

Filumés eyes narrowed. “What are they doing? Can’t they see the shield?”

As if to prove they couldn’t, the first dragon impacted with an audible crunch of bone and sinew, glancing off the surface to fall to the plain below. It wasn’t dead, but it wouldn’t be fighting anything for a long time. Another red pulled up in barely in time, its outstretched wing touching the surface. It lost control momentarily, but with a scream that shook them to their cores, it flew skyward.

The others arrived in the dozens, soaring and swooping around the Citadel, unsure of what to do next. These were truly animals, without the intelligence born of having a true dragon’s soul, so they did what they knew best. They attacked.

Dragon fire hit from every direction. Flame blossomed like multi-hued flowers against the shield, and the people shrank back from it instinctively. Several screams of panic rose from below, but they were drowned out by the screeches of the beasts as they assaulted the barrier.

“How long will it last, Father? The sun is about to set.” Filumé gestured to the thin sliver of the orb visible above the mountains.

Olumé smiled. “The crystal is designed to store the energy for a short time.” He looked around, expectantly as if something was missing. “Ah, they’re here; a few seconds late, but no matter.” The others looked at him, wondering what he meant. Gwen was about to ask when a ripping sound split the air.

In the sky, thousands of feet above the plain, the indigo tinged sky gave way to a riot of colors, as a portal to the Never opened and out flew hundreds of gold, silver, green and brown shapes. A cry of triumph flew from the crowd as they saw the first true dragons in the skies above Teralia in millennia.

The reds circling the Citadel saw them and flew heavenward to attack. As the crowd watched, over half the dragons dispersed to all the points of the compass, in pursuit of the other reds. The remainder dove upon the reds.

IN THE SKIES ABOVE, Jira roared, and fell upon a group of three reds. A bolt of energy surrounded one of them, and she grinned as the beast fell from the sky. She’d take care of that one presently. The second dragon fell to her razor sharp talons as she spun under it, gutting the creature.

Unfortunately, the remaining red managed to gain purchase on her back and attempted to grab her neck in its jaws. Jira tried, but couldn’t shake the monster off, and she felt a stab of panic as it shrieked its fury and cut into her back with its claws.

Suddenly the weight was gone, and Jira heard a mental chuckle of glee as Tyran dispatched her foe. ‘You need to be careful, sister. There are enough reds for us all. Don’t get greedy!’

Jira smiled. ‘Thank you, Tyran. I must say, what these beasts lack in power, they make up for in ferocity.’ She looked around. The sky above the Citadel was a blur of multi-colored shapes. Bodies collided midair, and dragon magic, both defensive and offensive, caused the atmosphere to shimmer. The opposing forces were evenly matched in numbers, but even with their ferocity, the reds were falling like swatted insects. Tyran rallied his squadron and cut a swathe through their ranks, killing or fatally wounding dozens of the enemy, but there were still plenty to go around. Jira emitted another roar as she rejoined the fray.

She sped up, zipping around the sky with the grace of a hummingbird but the strength of the airborne killing machine she was. Flying at two incoming reds, she banked suddenly to pass between them. She stretched out and ripped the sinew controlling the wing from one of them, then barrel rolled above the other, using its own momentum to slice a brutal gash over twenty foot long from shoulder to hind quarter. Both reds screamed in fury and pain as they fell towards the ground below, but they didn’t reach it alive.

With them disabled, a quartet of green and browns finished them off, ripping them apart. The lesser dragons were similar in size to the reds and had their own magical powers, but the abominations were berserkers. They felt pain, but unless the wound was mortal, they kept on attacking. So Jira and the other silvers flitted through the morass of enemies, ripping and chewing, disabling reds and protecting the lessers from serious harm.

Jira paused to take in the battle. The reds were hopelessly outclassed, and the strategy of keeping the lesser dragons in groups while the silvers fed them wounded reds was working. Unfortunately, one of the lessers had other ideas, and Jira groaned as a solitary green form leapt onto the back of one of the reds.

‘Claude...what are you doing? There are too many reds about for you to go solo.’ Jira had to admire the smaller dragon, however, as she watched him wrench the red’s long neck back far enough to snap it.

‘Why Jira, I thought that might be obvious. Do you think you silvers should have all the fun?’ The thought was accompanied by a gleeful chuckle, and Jira couldn’t help smiling; until she saw two large reds bearing down on the smaller green.

‘Claude!’

She needn’t have worried. Claude flared his wings, stopping in mid air. The reds overshot and Jira felt Claude’s intense amusement as he cast a spell to create over a dozen images of himself. He hit one of the reds with a focussed blast of dragon fire. Jira marvelled at his control as she saw the inch thin stream lance through the red’s scales.

The other continued to fight ghosts until Claude dispatched it with a talon that ripped its chest bone out. Black blood streamed out from the wound as the dying form fell to the plain below.

‘Ha! I love this world! I may just stay here and become a legend.’

Jira though his comment was only half a joke. ‘This world...this universe, hasn’t had magic for millennia, and you want to become some sort of...mascot?’

Laughter filled her head. ‘Jira, we are dragons. I for one will never be a mascot. Now, if these humans decide to adopt me as a minor deity, then who am I to object?’

Claude flew up to face Jira and she laughed as he winked. He was her favorite of all the small group of Liberi/dragons. She met him the day she arrived on Sanctuary, and he had been the only one who shared her cynical views on the leaderships ‘training’. He was mischievous and impetuous, but Jira’s chest swelled at his bravery.

‘You are an idiot, Claude, but I do love you. Now, how about you go back to your group? This battle is almost done, but...’ Jira halted and her face dropped, a look of horror replacing the glee.

‘What is it, Jira? What...oh no!’

IN THE CRATER OF THE volcano, the body of Marcus L’vel lay motionless, sprawled at the edge of the lava pit. The dead eyes looked up at the night sky, unable to see the terrifying vision of evil as it took to the skies, its mighty wings causing a landslide which cast the body into the molten rock. The corpse burst into flames as it sank beneath the surface.

The Darkness bellowed and the skies shook with its rage. Its army was beaten, but the being now inhabited its greatest creation. This red dragon dwarfed the others, and with the Darkness inhabiting it, it wielded the full arsenal of dragon magic, intertwined with its own diabolical powers. Reaching out with its enhanced sight, the Darkness realized today’s fight was lost. The Citadel was unreachable behind the shield, and shortly these new dragons would defeat the lesser reds and turn their attack on it.

No, it would do what it did best; it would hide; but not in its pit this time. Reaching out, it found the perfect place. Surrounded by life which would prevent a direct attack, the large green area in the centre of one of the biggest cities on this blue planet would provide a safe haven while the Darkness planned its next step.

It turned and fled the Lands. For the first time in its eon’s long existence, Teralia was free of evil.

THE REMAINING REDS raced outward from the Lands, following their master’s bidding; to cause as much pain and destruction as possible. Cyran split his force up as much as he could, and managed to take down over a hundred reds with no damage to his own, but there were still dozens bearing down on their targets. The major cities of the eastern coast of the Americas, and the western coasts of Europe and Africa, were about to be struck with a destructive force they could never have imagined.

Cyran cursed; a word he remembered from his youth before becoming Liberi, then a dragon. Amaré had charged him with protecting the people of this world, and he had failed. He knew she wouldn’t be angry, and deep down he knew his squadron had done its best. He stretched out his awareness to the beast he pursued. It was hundreds of miles ahead of him, approaching the coast of a large continent.

“TARGET THE REDS CLOSEST to the cities,” ordered Zjokara. “I’m not sure how effective our weapons will be against their magic defences, but we might be able to distract them.”

Zlotta zoomed the display in as the tactical officer targeted the red closest to a city on the east coast of the large northern continent.

“Ready to fire, Captain,” reported the Sub-commander. “The fleet confirms targets are locked.”

Zjokara grasped the arms of her chair. “Fire all beams!”

All around the planet, from an orbit of 500 miles, the hundreds of vessels fired. Particle beams and lasers lanced through the atmosphere to impact on beings who, unbeknownst to the attackers, had no magical defences. How could they, when they were just animals?

CYRAN ROARED HIS TRIUMPH as twin beams sliced the red in two. His squadron’s voices filled his head with victory cries as their faraway targets fell by the dozen. Inside 20 seconds all were reduced to body parts, falling to the ground or water below.

The only exception was the one a solitary brown managed to catch, a much larger, but slower red.

Elspeth pounced on the red’s back, ripping her claws through the tendon controlling the right wing. The red spiralled down, and Elspeth jumped away, intending to follow the animal down to finish it after impact.

She cried as the red grasped her rear leg, piercing the scales on an unprotected part of her body. The talons drew bright indigo blood as they pulled her downward. They fell together for over a minute before crashing in an impact rivalling a small meteor strike.

Around the area trees toppled with the shock. Elspeth groaned as she untangled herself from the twitching corpse of the red. Thankfully she’d landed on top of it. She gave it a kick.

Elspeth limped away, bleeding profusely from her hindquarters.

“Are you okay?”

Her long neck snapped around toward the trembling voice. A lone female stood at the door of a wrecked dwelling. Looking around Elspeth murmured a series of words, and the scattered stone and wood flew together to reconstruct the house and the forest around it.

The human crouched into a ball as the material surrounded her like a maelstrom before settling into the home she shared with her husband and the zoo of small animals. She rose slowly, looking in wonder at her home. A kitten poked its head around the freshly painted doorframe. The house had never looked so good. It gleamed with newness. Everything had been rebuilt to perfection, along with the rest of the surroundings. The fallen trees were restored with bright green foliage and deep chestnut trunks. The grass surrounding them was a verdant green and the air was...wholesome.

The human breathed deeply, her eyes wide in shock. “Thank you...um, you’re a dragon, right?”

Elspeth looked over her shoulder at the long slender body behind. “Last time I looked, yeah. To be honest I’m still dealing with that fact myself.”

The human chuckled, but took a step forward, pointing at the livid gash on Elspeth’s side. “You’re hurt. Can I help? I hate to see anyth...I mean, anyone, in pain.”

The dragon looked down into a pair of empathic eyes, and her heart leapt as a bond formed.

“What is your name, human?” the smooth lyrical voice asked.

The dark haired being looked up into eyes the color of autumn leaves flecked with gold.

“Sherri.” She held a tiny hand out that was engulfed in the huge but gentle grip of a dragon.

The dragon bowed her head. “I am Elspeth, and I’m very pleased to meet you, Sherri. By the way, I had a pet kitten, a long time ago. I called him Spot. Mostly because he was striped.”

Elspeth cocked her head. “I must go.” She turned around, stretching her wings out. “You might want to stand back. I can’t kick up properly with this injured leg, and I’ve already caused enough damage.” She looked at the corpse of the red with a crooked grin. “I’ll come back soon to take that away; but for now, I need to help save your world.” She winked at the human.

Sherri watched as Elspeth rose unsteadily into the air, smiling as her pets emerged to surround her. They were scared of the dragon. That would change, she was sure. Elspeth would be back.

ABOVE NEW YORK CITY

The Darkness bared foot long razor sharp fangs as it grinned. The city below it teemed with life; humans, weak and pitiful, but so numerous they would provide enough souls to make it unstoppable. Once it quenched the hunger burning in the blood of this mighty red, their essence would join with the soul within.

A roar, reminiscent of two tectonic plates clashing together, echoed around the tall buildings surrounding the vast green area at the centre of this source of food. Saliva dripped from the gaping maw as the Darkness drank in the terror emanating from every single soul on this world.

As it landed, crunching a whole copse of trees under its talons, it heard dozens of strange wailing sounds rushing around the outskirts of this area. Their eyes flashed bright colors as they stopped in huddles, disgorging dozens of puny humans. Several of them approached. The Darkness smiled. Their thoughts amused it. They tried to approach by stealth, but failed miserably. How could they succeed, when their supposed prey could taste their souls?

“TARGET IN SIGHT. CLEAR shot,” whispered Sergeant Scott Davis into his throat mic; as if having a clear shot at this thing would matter. His scope showed an impossible sight. A dragon sat in the middle of Central Park, NYC. And it didn’t look like one of the friendly ones he told his kids about in their bedtime stories.

No, this thing was a monster, and reruns of Godzilla movies came to mind. Something at the core of his being told him this creature was an order of magnitude more lethal. Even from the top of the northeast belfry of the Beresford building, the fear seeped into his bones. His finger trembled on the trigger guard. He tried to ease his breathing to steady his aim, but it became harder to do by the second.

The weapon he held was a world away from the Whitworth single shot musket he used in his bi-yearly Civil War re-enactment group, but while the Barret .50 cal was perfect for killing his fellow man, he knew it’d be useless against the thing filling his view.

“Roger, Tinman. Clear shot acknowledged. Wait.” The command from his commanding officer was terse and to the point. He heard the stress underlying it, even over the radio.

“Shit, they’re getting close, TM!” Terry, his spotter, crouched beside him. His voice shook with the same fear he felt. Scott grimaced as the youngster threatened to break his aim.

Terry’s scope had a much wider view, and he watched the tactical team as they leapfrogged each other. One team member covered his buddy as he moved. All around the beast, over a dozen teams approached it. The dragon seemed to be ignoring them.

Scott saw a different view. He had the beast’s head in his sights, and saw the gleam in its eyes as it raised its head. It looked directly at him, and his stomach lurched as something gripped onto his soul. A sensation of complete and utter despair passed through him. Scott attempted to hold onto his world, but his hands around the rifle slackened as his will left his body, and along with every being in the city succumbed to the draw of the dragon. He dimly registered Terry’s collapse at his side, hearing the scope smash at his side. Everything was over. Scott knew this. The beast below signalled the end of this world, and he knew this was just the beginning.

Scott believed in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Right now he knew this thing might get a little indigestion when it consumed them, and this terrified him to the core. The being below was so evil it dwarfed the capacity to resist. His essence fought against the irresistible draw, but it was hopeless. He was already dead. His soul left his body, streaming with the thousands already in the ether of the city. A feeling of despair seared his soul as he watched them plunge toward the gaping maw of the dragon. He didn’t care. His life was over, he knew that.

Suddenly he sensed something familiar, and he quailed. His spirit rebelled as he felt his four-year-old’s soul drifting among the miasma. Charlie’s spirit cried and dragged itself screaming towards his father’s. They touched for the briefest instant before Charlie fell away, accelerating towards the terror below.

‘NO!’ Something within Scott’s soul rebelled. His family, his son...would not become a slave to this...whatever it is.

Scott abruptly re-entered his body. The cold metal of the rifle rested in his palms and he raised the scope to his right eye. All around he sensed the souls flying into the darkness, but all he saw was the yellow eye as he pulled the trigger. It was only a bullet. A simple lump of lead jacketed in brass, but it had a force behind it the Darkness could never expect, because the feeling was alien to it. Love.

“DAMN, AMARÉ, WHY ARE you letting it do this? You can end this right now.” Katheryne watched as the huge red consumed a city. She grew frustrated. Her infant sister inhabited the body of something that was...off the scale.

“Watch what one single act of love can do.” Amaré said. She winked, but the gesture portrayed much more.

SOULS! AND LIFE, OH, how much I have missed this taste! The Darkness revelled in its victory. Not since the days of Tenybris had it had such satisfaction. The humans were so weak and short lived in comparison to the Eldar souls Tenybris fed it, but there were so many! On the world of Teralia, barely a few thousand beings existed. In this land mass alone there were millions; millions to be used to bolster the Darkness, and help it defeat the light.

There was little light left in this outside world. The souls it consumed came too easily. They didn’t fight for life the way contented souls should.

The souls of the People had screamed their defiance as Tenybris consumed them. These seemed ready to accept their fate. Except for one. The Darkness snapped its head around as it perceived the threat; too late.

A red hot lance pierced its left eye, eating into the dragon brain within. The creature collapsed, and the Darkness screamed in silent fury as it died.

NOOOO!!! Something arose within the being; the Darkness would not let this body, its greatest creation die. It wanted to save this being, so it used the powers within to heal the ruined brain and resurrect the form, something it had never done before. It was a creature of destruction, and in this, its first ever act of creation, it gained something completely unexpected.

KATHERYNE WATCHED AS the Darkness within the dragon became something she recognized. A spark glowed an evil shade of red and intensified until she was certain what it was. She turned to Amaré, wide eyed.

“It’s got a soul!” Katheryne gaped. “How has this...thing, got a soul? It’s a monster! It’s the embodiment of evil.”

She held her fists clenched at her waist. Her voice shook. “Are you saying all we’ve done, all the battles and plans, were to give this thing a soul?”

Amaré nodded. Her eyes narrowed as she perceived her sister’s rage. “Yes, this is the only way. Only with a soul can you truly die. Please, Katheryne, understand.” Amaré grew ghostlike before her and the building she stood on, the whole city around faded.

Suddenly she was in the void again. Below her feet stretched the chaos of the Never, but as she looked up she saw similar orbs. Something clicked. It wasn’t the Never that was infinite any more.

“So, now you know.” The voice was familiar but strange at the same time. Katheryne rounded to see a tall, golden haired figure with a tawny beard. He was younger than that last time she’d seen him.

“Olumé,” she breathed. She glanced around. “I mean, are these... the Never is supposed to be infinite, isn’t it?”

Olumé sat down on a tree trunk from an alien forest. The old man she’d met before was gone, but the eyes of this being were ages older than the one’s she’d gazed into before. He looked up to the other infinite orbs floating around them.

“Those are the Nevers, Katheryne.” He sighed. “I’m afraid a side effect of my meddling has been to create them, and I’m sorry but at the moment even I don’t understand what they are, and what this all means.”

He slumped. “What I do know is that we have to rid our Never of the Darkness, in order to prevail against the others.”

Katheryne blanched. “Others? You mean we might have to fight another war after this one?”

Olumé smiled, and it reminded her of a smile she loved so much.

“You put part of your soul into Derren. Why?”

He sighed. “You knew?” He looked down at where the ground should be.

Katheryne wondered at how many mannerisms he shared with her lover. She loved Derren with all her heart, but loved Olumé also, just in a different way. It’s like he was Derren’s father, which, he sort of was.

She smirked. “Not until recently, no.”

Olume looked up, his expression pleading. “The shard inside Derren is the tiniest part of me. I intended to impart a part of my strength, without much of my personality.” He bowed his head again. “After the encounter at the fountain on Sanctuary, I knew I was wrong.”

Katheryne smiled. “You two are so alike it’s scary. I guess that’s why you bump against each other so much.”

“Hmph. Well, at least you’re happy with the way he turned out, Katheryne.” He smiled, wryly. “That’s all that matters in the scale of things, isn’t it?”

Katheryne crossed to him and sat down on the trunk beside him, looking up and around. “So are you going to tell me what these are?”

Olumé’s melancholy mood changed instantly. He stood up, sweeping his arms out. “I think, and forgive me, but this is only a theory, that these are the other realities.” He paused, rubbing a hand through his beard. “I think in anchoring Tenybris in your reality, and not allowing his essence to exist in the others, the other universes developed separately. I have no idea what exists within them.” He breathed out, and for the first time Katheryne sensed uncertainty in him.

“What, no plan?”

“Ha!” Olumé clapped his hands, smiling widely while chuckling. “Well said, my dear. No, I’m afraid my plans are soon to come to their conclusion, and it is on your world all the paths draw together. After that, who can tell?” He looked into Katheryne’s eyes, and she started as she saw Derren’s eyes reach into hers.

“I really don’t know what will happen next, Katheryne, and I find the feeling...disquieting, but exhilarating at the same time. I have been on a path of certainty for so long. Now? For the first time in countless years, I don’t know.” He winked, and Katheryne had to smile.

“Maybe us mortals can help with that?”

He turned to her and held his arms out. She entered his embrace and laid her head on his chest. A warmth settled over her, a familiarity. Olumé felt...comfortable. She loved the feeling and snuggled in.

“You can indeed, my dear. I suspect we have much to teach one another, your world and mine.” Katheryne felt his arms tighten. “First of all, we need to deal with our very own Darkness, just in case one of those others,” he waved his hand upward, “contains one that has managed to gain control of its reality.”

Katheryne’s brows narrowed. “How is that possible? I thought you...what did you say, anchored Tenybris in this reality.” Her eyes narrowed.  “I thought the Never contained all the paths of all reality. How come those realities are now out there?” She glanced skyward, if there had been a sky.

Olumé paused, pacing around for almost a minute before slumping down on the tree stump. He sat in silence, staring out vacantly. Then he straightened up, standing again. “I’m afraid all this is my fault. You see, I wanted to save Tenybris. All my plans were geared to that purpose. I knew where his prison was. I was with Glyran when Tenybris created it, hiding in a corner of his brain.” Katheryne watched his expression harden.

“You have no idea how much this noble being suffered, being bound to the evil Tenybris became...Oh, I have no doubt your sister had a similar experience, but Glyran was aware of his past the whole time. He remembered Teralia and how his kin lived in peace alongside the Eldar. He was aware of the Darkness twisting Tenybris’s actions, but he let himself die; indeed he led his whole race into extinction, at my request.”

She gasped, but knew Olumé needed to tell this tale.

“Even at the end, part of Glyran’s soul remained his own. As Tenybris created the prison, Glyran allowed me to fashion my own spell. Not only would it hold him indefinitely within this space, it would anchor him in one reality. Even if his supporters existed in others, they would never be able to influence his return, because he wasn’t there to influence.

“From the moment, all those millennia ago, when the trap was sprung, the realities shattered. Instead of there being one Never with all the paths and chaos caused by decisions and random events, each change created a different Never.”

Katheryne’s eyes narrowed. “But Derren and Krista, and the other Liberi, they’ve been travelling through all these dimensions for thousands of years. Are you saying that when they cross out of this reality, they...” She looked around, overcome by the number of orbs littering the void.

“Yes, my dear.” Olumé gestured outward.  “When they travel, they cross over to one of these other Nevers. They would be totally unaware, and I think, for the moment at least, that should remain so.”

Katheryne’s head jerked around. “I won’t lie to Derren.”

Olumé reached over and patted the back of her hand. “Oh, I think we can rely on our little merry band of misfits to keep the secret for a little longer; though I think our friend Toshi might already have an inkling of the truth.”

Katheryne snorted. “Yeah, brain the size of a planet. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

Olumé stood, chuckling. “Yes, he is a smart one. But now we need to go and finish this.” His eyes intensified and bored into Katheryne’s. “It will take more than one form of attack to defeat and destroy the Darkness once and for all. Are you ready?”

Katheryne stared back at him, a moment’s uncertainty threatening to bring back the old feelings of inadequacy, but she steeled herself and nodded.

“Let’s end this...now!”

ENDGAME

Amaré’s form grew in size as she stretched her wings, and plummeted off the side of the Empire State Building. As she soared towards the screaming red monster, she saw the souls it had tried to consume retreat back to their bodies. She felt their elation, but she saddened as she realised the grief when hundreds of loved ones would not return.

The sadness turned to resolute anger as she flared to land in the park, a hundred yards from the roaring beast. It was a monster still, but she felt the fledgling awareness of the soul grow and take control. It might have been easy to kill it while still in its mindless state, but the soul had to be firmly anchored in the form if this final plan of Olumé’s was to succeed, so she waited; waited for the beast to subside, and intelligence fill the yellow eyes.

Its eyes narrowed, and a rumble sounded in its chest. “Who are you?” it sneered, circling around Amaré.

Amaré copied the move, unwilling to let the thing out of her sight. She smiled, and bowed her head slightly. “My name is Amaré, and I am here to destroy you. You are a blight on the universe, one that has existed too long, caused too much pain and suffering. It is time to die.”

The red smiled, its mouth parting to show a wicked grin. “You talk of the impossible. Many have tried to destroy me. Indeed, many have thought they succeeded. But I am eternal.” The Darkness reared on its hind legs. “Even if you do destroy this form, I will still exist. I will skulk away and hide in the deepest darks...and I will wait.” It chucked cruelly. “I am incredibly patient.”

It was Amaré’s turn to smile. “Don’t you sense it? Don’t you feel the difference?”

The red’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t trick me. I am the master of deceit, and I feel the lies drip from your mouth.”

“Ha!” snorted Amaré. “What do I have to gain by lying? Search inside your body. You will find what I talk about. By the simple act of creating life instead of destroying it, you have bound yourself to that form.”

The Darkness sneered again, shaking its head in denial, but Amaré saw a look in those eyes she was certain had never shown itself before. Fear.

“You know, it’s just occurred to me how angry at you I should be.” Amaré smiled at the red. “I mean you, or your minions at least, killed almost my entire family, including me. What you did to me was infinitely worse than death, however.” They continued circling each other. “I should be itching to kill you, to tear you apart, piece by piece, but I’m not going to give in to my anger.”

The red’s eyes narrowed in confusion before igniting in anger. “What makes you think you can defeat me? This is the greatest dragon ever conceived on Teralia; greater than the mighty Glyran of old...” It faltered as Amaré dropped the cloak around her for the briefest instant, and the Darkness saw at last who he faced.

“This can’t be...you...you are dead. I watched your soul pass over to the Never when the Veil spell began; you and all the ancient dragons are gone. This is some sort of trick!” With that he launched himself at Amaré, belching dragon fire and clutching with razor sharp talons. The trees withered and the grass blackened. Small streams flashed into steam, but Amaré stood her ground. At the last moment, just as the Darkness was about to reach her, she leapt skyward, causing the red to pass through thin air and demolish the burning wood as it rolled head over tail.

Amaré smirked. She had its attention now, and was gratified when the beast righted itself and bellowed in fury. She flew up and out, away from the city, and the Darkness followed her. In its fury, the Darkness was unaware they were flying away from its source of energy, and soon they passed over the frozen tundra of the Canadian wilderness. There was nothing for hundreds of miles around. This was the place. She linked with the others, letting them know it was time.

THE DARKNESS FLEW LIKE a bullet, but as fast as it was, the white dragon was too elusive. Or was it white, it thought? As they sped through the air, the sunlight hitting the white scales erupted in all the colours of the spectrum. It didn’t matter. The dragon would soon lie dead at its feet. Once this battle was won, this world would become the stepping stone to its mastery of the realities.

It grinned as it realised the white was heading for the surface. It bared foot long teeth in an eager snarl. The white was faster and more agile than it, and it might have proved a difficult fight in the air, but on the ground the Darkness’s bulk and strength would be more useful. The white had just made a fatal mistake.

AMARÉ LANDED LIGHTLY on her hind quarters, erecting a magical shield just in time. The red overflew her and belched its fire before landing roughly, a short distance away. Forked green lightning reached out to engulf her shield, which barely held under the combined assault. She bolstered it and lashed out with her own attack. Silver spears shot from her talons to pierce the skin of the red. It screamed in unfamiliar agony. Amaré leapt at it, and in its distracted state managed to carve a gouge in its left flank.

The red snapped its head around as she was passing, but was too slow, its pain affecting its reactions. It had never felt pain before. The wound on its side pumped out sickly purple blood which steamed in the cold air. It smoked on the ground, eroding what little fauna scraped a living in this wasteland.

It rounded in time for another assault by Amaré, but this time it was ready. A mirrored surface reflected the bolts back at her, two of them causing a cry as they hit her neck and chest.

The Darkness grasped the opportunity and flew through the air, grasping Amaré with its claws, piercing the thinner scales on her right side. It had to protect the wound on its left, so it ripped and gouged, Amaré screaming her fury and pain. It roared in triumph and pleasure as the white weakened. Crimson blood ran from a hundred cuts on her side, but just as the Darkness tasted victory, she bounded away, landing over half a mile away.

The red dragon grinned, looking down its long snout at the defeated white. Her head drooped close to the ground, and it watched as she limped, favouring her right foreleg. Its wings unfolded, but before it could launch another, final attack, a pain lanced through the root of its right wing. It screamed as a small dark form swung a razor sharp blade, while running so fast his shape blurred into a shimmering silver portal, which closed instantly behind him. The wing dropped lifelessly to the ground.

Any surprise the Darkness felt was interrupted by yet more pain, as a long spear pierced its right shoulder, at the same time as another portal opened up behind it, and Derren raced in to hamstring the beast’s two back legs. Before it could react, both Derren and Krista were gone through another portal. The Darkness howled in desperation, before it looked up into azure eyes.

“How the tables have turned.”

It looked up through sight dimmed with agony to see the white dragon. It blinked, its eyes widening. The blood, the vicious damage the Darkness had inflicted, was gone. It was beaten. The Darkness knew it now.

“Kill me then,” it said. “You have toyed with me enough. But know this. Now I have a soul...yes, I know you spoke truly back in the city; once you kill me, my soul will pass to the Never. I will be reborn, and I will be unstoppable in my pursuit of your destruction.”

Venom dripped from the voice, and Amaré recoiled from the hatred and evil emanating from this single being.

“That’s true,” Amaré nodded before continuing. “But unfortunately for you, your soul, such as it is, won’t reach the Never.”

A ragged laugh came from the red throat, weakened by pain and blood loss. “And how do you expect to stop me? All souls pass on when they die.”

“Not all of them.”

The Darkness’s head snapped around at the familiar voice. His attackers were back, along with a few other strangers, but it was the tall dark elf that left the red dragon reeling. “Or don’t you remember what I did in your name, all those thousands of years ago?”

“You!” The Darkness looked at the assembled group, his eyes stopping on the golden haired elf. “And You! Why are you all still alive when I saw you die?!”

Olumé grinned an identical grin to the dark haired young warrior, and it saw an uncanny resemblance between them.

It smiled. “Tenybris, my master.” It bowed before him. “Why do you do this? We can still be one again. You can still have the universe you so desired.”

The power dripping from the voice was enough to cause a look of concern on the young man’s face, but the girl beside him shook her head. They needn’t have worried.

Tenybris laughed, loudly. “I never desired more than I have here now, abomination. I have friends, old and new, and I love them all.” The group smiled, bolstering the bond between them. “I know you twisted me to your own sick will, used a shred of jealousy that existed for a fleeting instant to turn me into your puppet.”

The Darkness changed tack. “But you can’t kill me, for if you do, you will turn to the darkness and spiral down to...” Its voice cut off as it realised the truth at last.

Olumé chuckled musically. “This is the end to my final plan. And while there will be no darkness in Teralia once you are gone, I’m not willing to risk anything. No, the task of ridding the universe of you falls to another.” He looked sideways as Katheryne came forward.

“My sister said she should have been angry, but wasn’t,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m not her. I felt the grief, still feel it, of my family’s death at your hand. And I hate you and I am going to enjoy this.”

The Darkness truly felt fear for the first time in its existence. It searched the faces, and while it hated them all, the terror provoked a pleading expression on its face. “You won’t do this. You can’t do this. The realities cannot exist without me. There cannot be light without shadow.”

Katheryne and Olumé exchanged a knowing glance, and Toshi gave a small cough. The interaction was completely missed by the others.

She rounded on the beast. “This is going to hurt...I hope.” She closed her eyes and cast a spell Tenybris taught her. He had cried while doing so, the memory of it causing a sweep of guilt, but Perri had been there to ease his pain.

The red dragon began to groan, then whimper, until at last it screamed and thrashed on the ground. They all stepped back lest its final death throws injure them. After only moments the monster stilled. It was dead, but Katheryne opened her eyes to see a pulsing red soul flecked with veins of black. Even the sight of it sickened her, and that was without the corruption coming off it in waves.

“Can you do this?” Derren took her hand, squeezing it gently.

She squeezed it back. “Are you kidding? After what this thing has put us all through, I can do it without losing a wink of sleep.” With a gesture the soul hovered over her hand. She grasped it in her fingers and squeezed.

“This is for my mother, my father, Jules, Perri, and all the trillions of others. I know there’s no Hell, and you’ll just be...gone, but I hope this hurts.” Her pressure caused the red to intensify, and for a moment the others thought the Darkness fought back, but then it was gone, the wind blowing the ashes to the north.

THE CITADEL

“What are they?” Hallor pointed out at the alien beasts basking in a pool at the edge of his elven sight.

“I think they are called heffelumps. The others charging across the plains are called whinoes.” Hallor’s wife, Marissa, smiled. The Darkness was gone, along with its power over her husband. He was fragile, and would be for years, but he would become himself again. That was certain.

He turned to her with tears in his eyes. “Do you think she will ever forgive me?”

Marissa knew what he meant, and a tear rolled down her cheek even as she sighed. How could she answer this question?

“You don’t need to, Mother.” She felt her daughter reading her thoughts, as her love flooded into her heart.

“Gwen!” Marissa turned to embrace her adopted daughter, before her head snapped around. “Hallor, please...don’t hurt her!” It was a gut reaction brought on from the last time she’d seen them together, and she bit her tongue as she witnessed her husband’s reaction.

The ruined elf sat propped up by cushions, barely still alive after the darkness left. He smiled warmly, holding his arms out. His eyes glistened.

“Father!” Gwen ran to him and embraced him. He winced, but he didn’t care.

Tears flowed down his face as he clung onto her, this person he loved so much, but felt so guilty about. The Darkness had used him to try to kill her, and he remembered the feelings and pushed her away.

“Go, child. I don’t deserve your love, when all I returned was hatred.”

Gwen kneeled at his bedside. She took his hand and stroked the back of it. “Father, for over a decade, you held me in your arms every night before bed. You told me the stories of the dragons of old. Look outside. Tell me what you see.”

Hallor raised himself up again. It was barely daybreak, but the light flowing through the crystal windows was different.

“What is that?” he asked.

Gwen smiled and sighed at the same time. “It’s the new dawn, Father. The Darkness is gone. You are free. Besides, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

She smiled as a tall elf, with long golden hair entered the room.

Hallor sat up. “My Lord.” He began to swing his legs out of the bed, but Filumé raised a hand.

“Please, my friend. There is no need to rise. I can see how weak you remain after your ordeal.” Filumé’s words raised a relieved sigh from the bed.

The sight of his queen’s son standing beside a very sheepish looking Gwenyth brought a smile to his face. “Is there something I should know?”

Gwenyth and Filumé blushed simultaneously, before he stiffened and bowed formally.

“Sir, I am here to ask your permission to court your daughter.” Filumé’s voice actually quivered, and Gwen took his hand.

The corners of Hallor’s eyes wrinkled in mirth. “Hmm, I’m not sure. I mean, what are your prospects? I need to ensure my daughter can be provided for.”

Filumé’s face dropped, just as Hallor swung his legs out of his bed and raised himself unsteadily to his feet, waving away his fussing wife.

“Enough, woman. This needs to be done on my own two feet.” Hallor raised himself erect, holding a hand out to the prince. “I can’t think of any better reason to get well again.”

Filumé took the offered hand as Marissa cried.

“WOW”

Derren looked at his love, basking in the glow of their soul as they stood on the tallest tower of The Citadel.

“Yes, is quite a sight, my dear.”

Derren still bristled when Olumé called her that. He had no idea why.

“So, what do we do now?”Chran asked. They were all here. Katheryne stood holding hands with Derren. Chran had his arm around Zjokara, and Toshi embraced Laren.

Even Olumé sat on a chair next to Lynnaria.

One person stood alone. Krista looked out across the Lands, her fingernails tracing lines on her inner palms. She closed her eyes and prayed to the Great Maker that Perri had at last gone to rest. No one had heard from her since she helped Tenybris teach Katheryne the spell that killed the Darkness.

She turned, walking inside. She sat alone in the shadows. A tear flowed down her cheek, and she scowled at her weakness.

“I’m a Liberi,” she muttered, blinking back the tears.

“You know, I always thought you were a bit of a wuss.”

Krista stood up. Normally she might adopt a fighter’s stance, but the voice was so familiar she just stood with her head bowed.

“You’re not real,” she sighed, “Perri is dead, and I am alone.” She started to turn, about to return to the others, only to feel a squeeze on her upper arm. She froze.

“Don’t turn around.”

Krista felt the caress of warmth on her neck. She felt the tenderness, the gentle grasp as the two arms held her and turned her around.

Before her was an elf with hair like autumn leaves, and eyes as dark as the bark of an ancient oak. Her skin was like snow on the distant mountains, but her soul belonged to Krista.

“How?” Krista breathed as she cried, her breath fast and panicked.

Perri raised an eyebrow. “Jeeze, you think I know? I get lost all the time remember? Maybe this is one of those ti....”

Her voice was cut off as Krista’s lips met hers.

TOSHI SIGHED AND GATHERED Laren to his side. “So, how long do we have, Olumé? How long before the real war begins?”

Laren tensed in his arms.  “Real war? Didn’t we just fight one? Didn’t I just suffer?” Her voice was edged with bitterness.

Derren surprised them all.

“The real war began the day I met Katheryne.” He stared at them all, then took her hand. “Don’t you understand? Katheryne is the anchor, the Foundation.” He turned to her. “You are unique. I told you I met your ‘others’ yes?”

She nodded.

“Love, this war may never end, but now I have you, we will prevail.” He looked at the others, reaching a hand out. They accepted. “And with this lot of misfits, we might just win.”

Olumé chuckled. “Oh, I never planned for this one.”