Ecliptica Read online

  It is to this very village that Drake and Zeek were heading. Still three days ride away, they had discussed at great length which piece of the Ecliptica to go after next. Drake had been keen to go to Re’ashar, to secure the piece the Elves held. Zeek however, rightly pointed out that the piece at Re’ashar was safe and in no danger of going anywhere. Drake had to agree that it made sense to leave it where they knew it was safe. So, they had packed up and headed towards Isimir to buy some food, a pony and, at Drake’s insistence, a new weapon for any hand to hand encounters. The ride to Isimir was uneventful and Zeek took the opportunity to tutor Drake during this time. The possibilities of what could be done with a little creativity and a good bit of knowledge were becoming clear to Drake. Zeek also explained much about the history of the Shadow Realm.

  A day’s ride out from Isimir and with the sun setting fast in the sky, Zeek and Drake made camp for the night. For Drake a small fire was simple to start these days and, once he had some kindling and wood, a single word had a warm fire burning. After attempting to levitate a large rock for some time to practice focusing, Drake made himself as comfortable as he could as Zeek slipped into what was becoming his usual evening pastime of telling stories of his history.

  “It often seems to be only a few seasons ago that I flew with my kind, high in the night’s sky, diving in and out of pools of moon light,” Zeek began, “but then I recall my imprisonment, the magical chains which bound my body and soul. Every single day my strength would wane as the years slowly passed. Yet in a place of deepest dark, a small spark still shone.” Taking a short pause to collect his memories, Zeek continued on, “My second keeper, or jailer if you prefer, was a young man named Mouse. He was a quiet man at first, saying and doing little save bringing me food, yet each day he would sit with me. As time passed, he eventually spoke, telling me of his family and his past. He too had been captured, tortured and eventually put to work. He had been given the task of feeding the captives as Dungeon Keeper; however, he was almost always under the watchful eye of the Master of Keys. Mouse had managed to keep himself to himself and the Master knew very little about him. It turned out that Mouse had a keen interest in the dragon race. As my captivity drew ever onward, Mouse became my sole friend. Our friendship grew and Mouse became more upset as my condition worsened. Eventually he agreed to help me ‘free’ myself. Every few days he would bring a palm sized stone into my chamber, in which I would pour a small amount of magic. Mouse left the stones around me in my cell, creating an easily accessible cache of magic, hidden from the Master of Keys’ senses.”

  “Hang on. Hidden caches of magic in stones? Surely he would notice a growing pile of shingle in your cell. I mean, was this Master of Keys blind or just a fool?” Drake interjected.

  “Youngling, it is well known that dragons eat stone to aid with their digestion. Mouse however, was bringing jaden rock, which can hold magical energy, yet it can not be identified by even those with enchanted sight. The ability of this stone was discovered by an ancient Elf long ago, who shared his knowledge with the dragons. This knowledge was passed to very few and was a closely guarded secret.”

  “So you were building a reserve of energy,” Drake interrupted again, “so, how did you…”

  “I was getting to that part, had you not interrupted me.” Zeek sighed; how young and inexperienced Drake was at times. “The Master of Keys was not an educated man, just a creature with a talent for delivering punishment and suffering. Mouse was appalled at how I was treated. Time progressed at its unwavering pace and my reserve built up, many seasons came and went. Eventually, the cache was sufficient to do with as I desired. You see, once a year the leader of the Shadow Realm, Oriomus, would visit me and draw almost all of my strength into his own body. That time had come again; he entered my cell followed by Mouse and the Master of Keys. Drawing his blade from its sheath, he moved towards me to draw my strength. The skin must be broken to allow the flow of energy contained within the body. Mouse, however, could not bear to see my strength reduced again and begged Oriomus to leave me be. The mage placed a hand on the pleading man and incinerated him where he stood; nothing but ash remained of Mouse. Oriomus is without compassion or soul, he is the purest of evils.” Zeek’s emotions at the memory were strong and Drake had to fight not to be taken over by them. Zeek now shared images and feelings with Drake.

  Intense rage had shot through Zeek as he saw Mouse’s death. Drawing on all the surrounding energy from the jaden rocks, Zeek had broken his bonds and pinned Oriomus under a great claw. Blasting flames across the chamber, Zeek had disappeared the Master of Keys in an instant. With renewed strength, his flames melted the enchanted rock that had been the roof of his cell and, curling his claw around the struggling Oriomus, leapt into the sky above. His tired and sore wings fought hard to lift him. Higher and higher he rose into the sky, above the Mountain of Esdraksen. Oriomus was blasting Zeek with spell after spell, trying to break free, but Zeek held him fast. Drawing on all the strength around him, Zeek used one final spell, and his Ecliptica began to burn inside him.

  The rest Drake knew from the legends and stories he had heard as a child. The burning trail of seven red comets in the sky. He knew now that it had been Zeek. He had sacrificed his own body to destroy the leader of the Shadow Realm. Ending the terror and torture that Oriomus had brought to all the Kingdoms. Tears were rolling down Drake’s cheeks as he saw Zeek’s end.

  “Youngling, do not shed your tears for me,” Zeek said softly, “I live on through my Ecliptica. Doing what I did saved many more from the same imprisonment that I endured.”

  The words gave Drake little comfort; in his heart he felt only grief and anger. The last dragon, The Great Dragon, knowingly sacrificed his physical body to put an end to the dark practices of Oriomus.

  . . .

  It was dark, darker than Drake had ever known a night to be. He knew he was awake and he knew his eyes were open, he felt them blinking in the cold air.

  “Zeek?” he reached out with his mind for the familiar presence. Nothing.

  “Is this another test?” Drake added, sitting himself up on the blanket.

  A swift breeze brushed past his face.

  “Hello..,” Drake reached out again with his mind, this time searching, as Zeek had taught him. He felt nothing. Nothing at all, no living mind touched his own. Yet he also felt something, some presence. It was almost like a shadow of a mind.

  Like a shadow…suddenly Drake felt very alone. He reached out for magic, but found none. Using the reserve of magic from within himself, he released a very small amount. “E’lit,” he muttered under his breath, a light globe appeared beside him. His surroundings were grey, as though the colour of the entire world had drained away. Drake turned slowly, looking for any signs of movement.

  “Greetings human,” a voice whispered in the dark. Something brushed past his arm, faster than his eyes could see.

  “A shadow in the dark. Very meaningful. I take it from this rather unimaginative setting, you are from the Shadow Realm?” Drake asked, his feelings calming and his sense of panic subsiding.

  “Very astute. Indeed I am. A shadow of a shadow you might call me,” the voice replied, shifting around Drake, never settling in one place.

  “Well, Shadow of a Shadow, do you have a name?” Drake replied.

  “Names are of no consequence, it is deeds which define. I bring a message of warning. The Ecliptica you seek to restore will bring about a war which you cannot hope to win, and all will lose. Seek not which you do not fully understand,” the voice trailed off.

  “Ah, I see. It’s one of those threats in a warning, sort of message,” Drake jested as he slowly channelled magic into his left palm.

  “You have been told..,” a swift rush to his right side, “…human,” the voice finished.

  Drake quickly raised his hand to the direction of the voice “Efri” he spoke calmly. A fireball shot from his palm toward the voice in the dark.

  A dark chuckle resonated
all around him. Then, as suddenly as it all began, the colour flooded back into the world. Drake stood alone in the clearing, a smouldering tree to one side.

  “Youngling, are you injured?” Zeek’s urgent voice asked. Drake could sense a hint of the panic that Zeek felt. “Our connection was blocked; a spell I have not encountered before.”

  “I’m fine, but it appears we have been drawing some attention to ourselves.” Drake quickly shared the conversation with the shadow.

  “It was a Psimere. A devious and dangerous shadow form. It would seem that we have indeed attracted some very unwanted attention.”

  “How dangerous are these Psimeres, I mean, I’ve never heard of them before?”

  “Few have, that is mostly due to the fact that they don’t tend to survive an encounter with one. You are lucky youngling.”

  “I think that was more about delivering the message than a dangerous encounter. I believe someone in the Shadow Realm has just warned us off.”

  “Indeed.”

  ~ 7 ~

  “Good morning sweet cake.”

  Nethalie’s eyes slowly opened, coming to terms with the morning sun. Someone had called her sweet cake…who on…Rossa.

  The memory of last night’s encounter with the Bluecap stirred up fresh in her mind. Blinking again to clear the sleep, Nethalie saw that Rossa stood beside the bed, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

  “Rossa…” Nethalie said sleepily “I am not a sweet cake.”

  The Bluecap chuckled “Of course you are,” and she walked over to the shutters and swung them open. Groaning, Nethalie buried her head under the sheets, wondering what time had it been when Rossa had finally given in to sleep.

  The room was blissfully quiet for some time, allowing the warm embrace of sleep to return. It was her nose that woke her in the end. A strange and delightfully alluring smell was wafting from the kitchen.

  Rolling out from under the sheet, Nethalie threw on a long shirt that she used for pottering around the house and padded her way into the kitchen.

  An interesting sight greeted her, boxes and tomes were stacked strategically about the room. Atop one pile stood Rossa, a pan of hot liquid bubbling in front of her over the hot stove.

  “Hello again sleepyhead,” she teased as she saw Nethalie enter the room.

  “What’s in the pan?” Nethalie asked, her nose now more than curious and her mouth taking part in this revolution of senses.

  “That is the sweet smell of Chai Leaf Tea. It’s a Bluecap regular for a good morning perk me up. We never start a day without one, unless it’s the third day after a full moon, but that’s another matter altogether.” Turning back to the stove, Rossa began to whistle softly.

  “I’m not sure I want to know what happens on that day. I’m not sure I’m awake enough to take another weird custom yet,” Nethalie sighed as she rubbed the sleep from the corner of her eyes.

  Rossa continued to whistle, caught up in her tune. “Almost ready. There are also some sweet doughs on the table. I could only find two plates in this entire kitchen...two plates! What do you use for side dishes, puddings or cake?”

  Nethalie silently refused to contemplate crockery at this hour of the morning. Instead, she seated herself in a chair at the table in front of the mentioned plates. Rossa poured the tea, gently humming a familiar tune as she went.

  “There we go,” Rossa said as she filled the chipped mugs with tea. The spiced smell was a welcome one as Nethalie wrapped her hands around the mug to warm them.

  “So, what do you know about this golden eyed man?” Nethalie asked as she peered at Rossa over the rim of her mug.

  “I’ve been keeping an eye on him for some time now...I can't say he's been difficult to watch...” She winked as her voice trailed, “he is very interested in the legend of the Ecliptica and the pieces scattered across the realms. I managed to catch up to him once; he seems to spend most of the time talking to himself...so he is definitely a bit loopy. He is, however, a very skilled loony. The last I heard of him, he was making his way to the town of Isimir at the border of the Shadow Realm. I'm also convinced he has some basic understanding of the workings of magic as well.”

  “Do you think he was returning to his master? Or maybe even heading to the next Ecliptica piece?” Nethalie could feel her mind being nudged into wakefulness.

  “I’m not sure, but I guess it's the next piece since he only has three at the moment.”

  “Let me guess. This is where you want to go on a big adventure. It’s a little clichéd don’t you think?”

  Rossa beamed “Well, cliché aside, it would be a great adventure. Besides, he has already found all the easy pieces! The Elves won't let their piece go in a hurry, another is in the Shadow Realm and I heard rumours the final piece is in the ruins at Mount Esdraksen.” Rossa sounded excited at the danger of the final two pieces. Mount Esdraksen was near the very heart of the Shadow realm and was definitely not an easy fee day’s hike to reach.

  “What about the core? I'm sure you know that the Ecliptica has a central piece,” Nethalie almost smugly divulged her newly discovered fact.

  “No..,” a stunned Rossa said “I've never heard anything about it, nor has anyone I've talked to either. As you know, I'm a bit of an enthusiast too. Where did you hear about a core piece?”

  Nethalie was excited, almost giddy, “My mother’s tomes and parchments. There was a drawing next to one of the stories she used to read to me when I was little. Well, it seems to be more of a journal than a story, but still.” She stood and left the room, returning quickly with the tome. “Here we go,” she said, placing it in the only clear space on the crowded table, flipping quickly to the page. “See, six pieces and a larger central one.”

  “This is amazing,” Rossa scanned the page and text, “who was your mother? She must have been a high priestess at least; the seal on this tome is of the High Council Library! There are certainly no records this detailed in the Great Library.”

  “Luciar, daughter of Shan’eu,” Nethalie said quietly.

  “It seems my bows were slightly misplaced last night. I don't know huge amounts about Elves, but I do know about Luciar. I can't believe you're her daughter.”

  “For all the good that's ever come from it. Just try and keep it to yourself please Rossa.” Nethalie’s quiet voice became firm; unbeknown to her it was much like her mother’s.

  Rossa was quiet for some time before she finally spoke again. “I think we should leave first thing after mid-day. That gives us plenty of time to pack and we should be only a day or so behind our Ecliptica thief. Let's get packed up and ready to go Neth. Can I call you Neth? Nethalie seems so formal!” the Bluecap beamed, “or sweet cake of course, it's really up to you...” she winked.

  “Neth is fine, just please never call me sweet cake again,” she said, finishing her tea.

  A few hours later, with the kitchen returned to its normal appearance, Nethalie stood staring at a sling bag on her bed while Rossa was throwing various pieces of clothing out of drawers. The sling bag currently only held a few things: some travelling slacks, under garments, spare boots, some loose fitting shirts and a hat.

  “No...No...No...” said Rossa as she tossed clothes across the room. “What...were you thinking on this day?” she asked, slowly lifting out a beige flannel top her eyebrows raising into an incredulous puzzlement.

  “I could start a new trend,” Nethalie said in a matter of fact voice looking straight at Rossa. The two began trying to suppress laughter. Rossa tossed the top out of the window.

  Belts, socks and a blanket joined the sling bag.

  “Now, what are we missing?” Rossa pondered aloud. She stood and wandered off through the shop. Almost immediately, loud clattering and crashing followed. She returned with a clutch of maps and a small wooden box.

  “It would be a bit daft to try and travel without maps and a compass. Now we just need to deal with goodbyes...and the food obviously!”

  The food part would be easy; t
he goodbyes however would be awkward to say the least. Tre'larr was not the easiest to talk to about anything other than the shop and its wares. Explaining that she was heading off on an adventure would be easier for Kalisle to understand, but difficult to accept. Of course he would want to join her but, being an only child, his father was grooming him to take over the family fishing business. Maybe Rossa would give up and turn back once they reached the Shadow realm. ‘Who am I kidding, I’ve never seen or heard of anyone so determined,’ she thought to herself. As she pondered as to who to look for first she watched as Rossa grabbed an empty bag and headed off to the kitchen stores, a huge smile on her face.

  “Now where did I see that fruit loaf...?”

  ~ 8 ~

  The market place at Port Gol was filled with traders of all types. There were plenty of fishermen, selling their morning catch of flat fish. The smokers stacks were nearby, full of yesterday’s catch of fish, being enriched by the herbs and spices mixed with the smoke. The most prevalent stores however were the fruit, vegetable, meat and wine merchants from neighbouring regions.

  The stalls were a patchwork of colours and sizes. Some were barely big enough to fit in the owner and a small table, while others were run by a whole host of traders who were shouting out prices and naming their wares. Ironmongers, metal merchants, antiquities and gemstones also littered the crowded rows. Here and there a fortune teller could be seen, muttering in hushed tones to a traveller with an open palm and easy pockets.

  The stalls themselves were made of wood and fabric that flapped restlessly in the sea breeze. The gentle knocking of ships against the harbour walls could be heard behind the raucous din of people. The port was one of the key trading points in the northern lands. It was the place where many ships came to dock from the west lands, across the Izcath Sea. Large ships carrying animals for trade and wares from the west lands were moored just outside the breakwaters. Deep sea schooners, smaller fishing boats and a handful of private luxury ships owned by the wealthy made up the packed harbour.