“Long ago, when the Firstcomers landed here in the
Palace, they were afraid, lost and helpless. Sefra the Selfshaper found
those High Ones their path. By becoming one with this world she saw that
elves would have to embrace the senses, fears, the joys and dangers of
living to thrive in this world. By following the starsong she saw that
the elves would grow stronger and more fulfilling by seeking their origins
from this world. The starsong and the worldsong became one, blending purpose
together to create a new life for the High Ones. There were opponents of
course...” she sighed. “Haken, Winnowill’s own father, protested the world’s
limitation, sought to find their way back to the stars. Timmain protested
the starsong, sought to lose herself in this world. But at length Sefra
found balance. The wisdom was in the choice, the perfect equlibrium between
wolf and stars. Timmain would have lost herself in the beast, Haken would
have taken them back to stagnation. At length Sefra and Haken found peace,
and even love together, before Haken left the early Wolfriders with Gibra
to found Blue Mountain. Sefra stayed to lead the Wolfriders, and after
she left to explore the world and the stars herself her son Zarhan lead
the Wolfriders with his mate Rahnee, daughter of Valloa and Samael.”
“No...” Cutter shook his head. “Timmorn, Timmain’s
son...he was the She-Wolf’s father.”
“She-Wolf?” Redlance frowned.
“Timmain left the Firstcomers and was never seen
again,” Nightfall corrected him.
“The line passed down through Sefra’s descendents,”
she continued. “Humans came and went, some attacked us, some lived in peace
with us. We moved through the Everwood, travelling north during Zarhan
and Hummer’s time, returning south with Greywolf and Willowgreen. Oh, there
was strife from time to time. Swift-Spear, son of one of Zarhan’s children
tried to war with humans, and when Greywolf exiled him he took his band
north. He led his tribe into ruin and despair; it was only later, several
eights later, when Greywolf took his mate and left the Wolfriders to find
his nephew’s band that the lost elves were saved, that they grew to become
their own tribe.”
“The Go-Backs,” Cutter nodded.
“You remember,” Nightfall beamed.
“That part is right,” Cutter smiled weakly. “The
rest,” he shook his head. “What about Skywise? Tell me about Skywise’s
reign.”
“He’s...he’s the best Chieftain he could ever ask
for,” Nightfall’s eyes glittered with admiration. “He’s my dearest friend
and soul brother. He was born eight years before me, ten years before you.”
She smiled softly. “The humans were advancing in the forest again. Shale
always insisted we stay perfectly hidden, but he wouldn’t raise his voice
against Eyes High even when she broke denhide over and over to climb her
nest and stargaze. Skywise was born up in Eyes High’s nest just after sunset,
that night there were even shooting stars in the sky, everyone knew it
was a sign he was destined for something great. We grew up as best friends,
he even took you under his wing from time to time, even if all you cared
about was making the perfect broth. Sometimes I...I swear I’ve almost touched
his soulname. They thought we’d be sure to Recognize. But,” she looked
over her shoulder at Redlance. “Fate had different plans.
“When Skywise was three eights, Shale stepped down
as chief, as Rain had stepped down for Shale. Shale and Pike both, they
never wanted the burden of being chief. Pike was a full two eights and
two older than Shale, but insisted Shale be blood of chiefs, and when Shale
took the lodestone as his all he could do was wait for Recognition and
an heir. But Skywise...ah, he took to the task. He was the perfect chief
from the first howl, and Foxfur was everything Eyes High had been as chieftess.
We lived in Father Tree for several turns, but then, seven years later,
we left.”
“We...we were driven from our Holt,” Cutter recalled through his many
memories. “The humans captured Redlance. They almost killed him and when
we rescued him they set the forest ablaze. We had to run, run across the
Burning Waste to Sorrow’s End. You and Redlance nearly died.”
“No, no,” Nightfall reassured him. “Those are nightmares
talking, Cutter. We never warred with the humans. Shale kept us hidden,
and Skywise followed. Your sire Bearclaw died in battle with humans. Woodhue
lost his eye to a rogue human hunter when he went hunting outside the Holt’s
bounds. Foxfur once was captured, and Skywise saved her, it was then that
they Recognized. But open war, the kind that haunts you, no. We lived
in peace, through the joys and the sorrows of life in the Holt. No, it
was because of humans that we left, but not in flight from fire. No,” she
shook her head. “Skywise felt...something, something pulling at from beyond
the troll caverns. Little Lightning was already five seasons old, and Softspark
was one, then. Rainsong had just given birth to Wing a season before, Softspark’s
agemate. We had cubs we wanted to grow up free, not hiding in fear from
unpredictable humans. So we loaded provisions and left in search of a new
holt. We crossed the Burning Waste, but not running. We travelled at night
and slept in leather tents during the day. It took us a cycle of the moon,
but then we reached Sorrow’s End.
“It was incredible. Elves just like us. And Skywise,
leading that first party into the village to offer leathers and weapons
of friendship, what a wonder he found there. A haven of safety and peace.
And a soul brother.”
“I was his soul brother...” Cutter murmured softly,
his fists clenching as he thought of Rayek daring to breathe Skywise’s
soulname.
“They understood each other perfectly. Rayek, he
was so worried, so frustrated, when we arrived. I can’t blame him. I would
be afraid if dark-skinned elves stormed the Holt. But in Skywise he saw
the same longing for the old ways and the starsong that drove him. Well,
if we had Rayek’s blessing no one would drive us from Sorrow’s End. Savah,
the Mother of Memory, was taken with us from the start, and delighted that
at last someone would reach Rayek. We were there to stay, or so we thought.
“Seven years passed in Sorrow’s End. Everything
seemed perfect. But then they returned. The humans, exiles from the Everwood.
It seemed we’d never find a home we could call ours alone.”
“And...and Rayek and Skywise left to seek other elves, to reunite all
the lost children of the High Ones?” Cutter asked grimly, sneering.
“You do remember!” Nightfall beamed. “I knew you
would. Yes, Savah continued to look from a presence as she let her spirit
out, but Skywise wanted to explore the physical world and find what other
elves their might be. I remember you wanted to go with them, but no, Skywise
wanted to leave alone, with only his lifemate by his side. He told Rayek
to say in the Sorrow’s End and protect Lightning and Softspark, but Rayek
followed him anyway. They crossed the burning Waste once more, and travelled
through the troll caverns, oddly deserted, to return to the Forest. I’m
told Rayek couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the trees for the first
time.
“They travelled all the way to Blue Mountain. Foxfur
was poisoned by a bite from a wildcat, and would have died, had it not
been for two humans.”
“Nonna and Adar?”
“Yes,” Nightfall smiled. She reached over and ruffled
his hair in a gesture Cutter found far too patronising. She was supposed
to be the younger one, his friend and almost lifemate. But no, she was
the elder, adoring Skywise instead. Now the howl of the first Quest was
reversed to favor Skywise and Rayek...Rayek. He would not begrudge his
friend a good Quest, but Rayek, Rayek? What joke was this?
“Nonna and Adar led Rayek and Skywise all the way
to the foot of Blue Mountain, where they met up with Redlance and me. You
see Savah had been abducted while she went on. Her spirit had been taken,
and all that remained was a warning, a wanring only Lightning could sense,
a warning she had to take to her father. And so the tribe left Sorrow’s
End. The Sun Folk fought us, but in the end we had no choice. We had to
save our chief. Crescent, Strongbow’s cub, she wanted to stay behind with
Woodlock and Rainsong to train the Sun Folk to defend themselves, since
without Rayek and Wolfriders they were left without protectors. And so
Crescent stayed and taught them the art of the hunt, taunt them how to
ride the jackwolf crossbreeds. And we left.
“We had almost found Skywise’s trail when we saw
a beautiful bird in the sky. Immense, with a wingspan of ten wolves easily.
Strongbow shot him down even as Lightning shouted not to. We ate the bird’s
meat – oh Cutter, you made the best roast – even as Lightning told us not.
That’s when the other birds arrived. Giant hawks, even larger than the
fledgling we had eaten. They took us all, one by one, even two by two,
all save Redlance and myself, and the cubs, Lightning and Softspark. We
didn’t know that One-Eye had been spared as well, we could not find him.
And so we found Skywise and Rayek, and told them what had happened.
“We found One-Eye, learned what had happened. We
stormed Blue Mountain the next night and found our tribemates enslaved
by the Gliders. Rain was hauling water, Pike was sweeping corridors. You
were in their kitchens, cooking for them. Strongbow was locked in a cage
like a human’s pet bear, being tortured by Winnowill. As Skywise freed
the rest Rayek hurried up the stairs to rescue Strongbow and Moonshade
and stop Winnowill.
“And that’s when it happened. Recognition. Can you
believe it? After countless eights of stagnation, Recognition had returned
to Blue Mountain. Oh, it took some time, Winnowill tried to fight it, tried
to defeat the Wolfriders, tried to separate Rayek from their ranks and
enslave him to Blue Mountain. But Recognition won out in the end and Winnowill
was cured of her madness. She had seen how living alone only caused stagnation,
she had seen how the outside contained such life, gave her such life.
“We stayed at Blue Mountain for a few eights-of
days, while Winnowill wrestled with the Wolfriders, struggling to remain
the distant Lord she had once been. No sooner had we learned of her Recognition
to Rayek then we learned of a second, equally miraculous joining. Dewshine,
little Dewshine, had Recognized Tyldak the winged elf. Oh, Cutter, I wish
you could remember this. She was so glowing, so full of joy. She had never
really found her Way among the wild Wolfriders. She preferred the moth-fabric
of Sorrow’s End, and feared the journey into the unknown. Where Winnowill
battled Recognition, Dewshine rejoiced in it. And Tyldak, though a little
wary at first of this little sprite he had taken into his chambers, soon
found himself quite infatuated with her.
“That’s when Lord Voll wanted to search for
the Palace. The two Recognitions had brought all of Blue Mountain such
passion, such sudden love of living And so we all set out to find the Palace.
We were nearly in the Frozen Mountains, when the trolls shot down Kureel’s
bird. There was nothing the Blue Mountain Folk could do but retreat, all
save Winnowill. They stayed to fight the Trolls with us. The battle was
fierce, and One-Eye was felled by trolls. We believed him dead. We all
barely lived. Skywise was wounded badly, and Rayek was nearly killed too,
defending him while Winnowill and Rain worked to heal Skywise. But then
the Go-Backs arrived and saved us. They were fighting the trolls too, fighting
for the Palace. There we met Kahvi, Greywolf’s daughter, who had left the
Wolfriders ages ago, presumed long dead. But she hadn’t died, she had become
leader of Swift-Spear’s band. And as soon as she learned the Wolfriders
and Go-Backs were kin, well, she was convinced we had to band together
and save the Palace. Skywise agreed. We had to save the Palace from the
trolls. We had to free it from the troll shield they had built around it.
It was ours. It was the starstuff of the old High Ones. Nothing belonged
to us more than the Palace.”
“The earth...” Cutter croaked weakly. Nightfall
touched his forehead, frowning at the fever’s return. Just when he seemed
to rally his strength, the fever overwhelmed him once more.
“We formed a close bond with the Go-Backs. Pike
found lovemates in Skot and Vaya, Kahvi’s daughter. Kahvi herself took
a fancy to Skywise, and was quite upset to learn Foxfur had no intention
of sharing. And so we went to war with our kin, to retrieve our brithright.
We battled the trolls in two fierce battles, while Redlance stayed behind
to safeguard the children,” she glanced back at her lifemate. “It was a
cruel war. Kahvi was captured by trolls during the first battle and was
killed by Guttlekraw the troll-king. Skywise was almost killed, when fear
paralysed him, but Rayek rushed to his side and helped him to rise. The
Go-Backs lost many in the war, but in the end we were victorious. Redlance
saved all the cubs when the trolls attacked the lodge, and Kahvi’s death
avenged by her daughter, the newly-made Chieftess of the Go-Backs. From
there it was easy to reach the Palace. We found it, broken and ruined,
but alive with all the spirits of the elves before us. And inside, we found
something even more treasured. Sefra, the High One, the last living High
One, transformed from the wolf she had been. She had roamed the world as
wolf, bird, fish, and deer for countless seasons, and now she was returned
to greet her children. Oh, we all cried that day.
“And then, a High One’s miracle. We had found One-Eye’s
body in preserver wrapstuff, dead by not. Rain sensed his soul on the brink
of death, and fought to heal him even as he fought the trolls. But One-Eye’s
spirit escaped, hurtled out of his body by the force of death’s shadow.
His body lived but his soul was gone. We feared him lost for good. But
in the Palace...there he found the power to return to his body, to return
to us.”
“No...” Cutter shook his head. “One-Eye chose to
live in spirit form. He chose...he didn’t fear death...”
“Cutter,” Nightfall frowned. “Why would One-Eye
willingly choose to remain a mere spirit, apart from Clearbrook, apart
from his family? Your dreams make no sense.”
“Death is not the enemy...death...death is...”
“Cutter, rest. Your dreams are clouding your judgement.
We stayed in the Frozen Mountains for several seasons, while Rayek and
Skywise worked to understand the Palace. Winnowill had her cub, and gave
her the Glider name Venka. Pike, Skot and Vaya became lifemated, and the
tribe slowly adjusted to life in the Mountains. It was fine and calm for
three years. Then a call from the Gliders came. Tyldak braved the trolls
still in the mountains to come and tell us what had happened in Blue Mountain.
With their journey to the Palace ended, the Gliders had sunk into deeper
stagnation. Lord Voll was senseless from his solitude, without even Winnowill
about to spar with. Aurek the Egg could not longer control the Egg of Six
Spheres. The two Doors would heed no-one. Brace failed to hold the wall
and several Gliders were killed.
“When those spirits reached the Palace, and inspired
the crystals to glow for the first time in untold time, Rayek and Skywise
knew what had to be done. With Winnowill and Lightning as their guides,
they braved the dangers to reach Blue Mountain and invite the Gliders to
the Palace, to surrender their power to make the Palace fly once more.
But the Gliders were too lost to hear the invitiation or heed the warning
of stagnation’s destruction. Lord Voll had gone thoroughly mad, and was
now holding Dewshine and her infant son Windkin hostage, hoping to steal
the cubling’s power to fuel his fever dreams. The rockshapers had lost
control of their powers and Blue Mountain fell as the Gliders all relinquished
their lives. All that remained were Tyldak and his family, Aroree, Aurek,
and Door. Door was taken in by the humans, and Aurek, once he was nursed
back to health, became Blue Mountain’s guardian, watching over the still
magically charged rocks. Tyldak and Dewshine chose to stay and help rebuild.
Aroree was taken in the Go-Backs, they swore they’d make a warrior out
of her in no time. Cutter...do you remember any of this?”
Cutter shook his head.
“Lightning’s chieftain’s heritage was always apparent.
But now her powers were growing. Venka was showing incredible magic growing
within her. And Rayek, no one ever questioned the powers within him. One
day, some times after Blue Mountain fell, on an ordinary day in the mountains,
Lightning, Rayek, and Venka bought heard a cry, a sharp cry that pierced
their souls. Venka was only a year old, but she cried as if she would die,
and Lightning could never find sleep, so tormented was she. We took the
Palace to Sorrow’s End. We stayed their for one night, long enough for
Savah to see the Palace and for us to see our kin in Sorrow’s End. Crescent
had an entire tribe of jackwolf riders. Wing was only eight and three,
yet already he felt drawn to a Sun Villager in a way not unlike Recognition.
Redlance and Nightfall, who had longed forever for a child of their own,
went into the Palace with Rain and Winnowill, both experienced at inducing
Recognition. By morning Nightfall was carrying Dandelion. Everyone was
thriving, and it hurt our heart to leave them, but we took the Palace to
seek out the cry once more. It took us here, to the New Land.
“It was the cry of the High Ones. The cry they had
uttered as they had been hurled back in time. Rayek was obsessed with it,
insistent on travelling to the future to save them. We told him how it
would disrupt time forever. But he wouldn’t listen, so powerful was the
cry, it was driving him mad. Sefra tried to reason with him. Lightning
tried to explain. Winnowill fretted and cajoled, but he wouldn’t listen.
You...you never did like Rayek. You actually suggested killing him.” She
frowned, biting her lip. “Do you remember that?”
Cutter nodded.
“Skywise gave you a solid thrashing when you spoke
up in council. I can’t say I blame him, you were so irrational. Everyone
was, really. The cry was doing that. The pain in it, I’m surpised those
Firstcomers didn’t go mad from their own grief.
“For a while we feared the end of everything, so
intent was Rayek on his plan. For a moment the Palace disappeared and we
dreaded the end of the world, convinced that Rayek had taken in forward
in time as he had said. But no, no he had simply taken in under the sea,
so that he was Skywise could talk alone and uninterrupted. It took three
days, but at last Rayek came to his senses and with that...that understanding,
the cry vanished from his mind, and from Lightning’s and Venka’s as well.”
“With that final knowledge we were truly free. We
had let pass a chance to ‘save’ our descendants, and with that acknowledged
the wisdom of Sefra’s choice. It was then that our true powers emerged.
With the Palace as our source, our strength, there was no limit to what
we could do.
“We made our home here, in the Thorny Mountain.
We made it our Great Holt, but it was no more our one home than Sorrow’s
End, or Father Tree. With the Palace as our ship, we travelled all over
the world in a blink of the eye. Hands could touch over the greatest spaces.
Quests of all scopes and scales were commonplace. We were free, at last,
to discover the destiny Sefra had set in motion. The Go-Backs had their
Palace, forever. No would take that away from them, no one would take it
away from any of us. Skywise and Rayek, they did that, together. Rayek
and Winnowill became Masters of the Palace, and took it to the stars and
back every day. In the Frozen Mountains, Chieftess Vaya and her lifemates
erected their lodge in the shadow of the Palace to defend it from any invasions.
In Sorrow’s End, Crescent’s Jackwolfriders explored their entire land,
and beyond. They’ve made their own holt in the Forevergreen Forest, where
the Hungtsho moved to, where Crescent Recognized Door. Wing Recognized
his youth’s love Behtia and she bore twins, twins, can you imagine? One
a Wolfrider to the core, the other a calm and serene Sun Villager with
an inner magic that rivals even that of Skywise and Rayek.”
Twins...Cutter felt a chill down his spine. “Ember...” he offered.
“Ember...and Suntop...”
“Yes,” Redlance smiled. “That’s right. See, Cutter,
you’re remembering more each day. Yes, Ember’s a little huntress, and she
should be. Her grandmother Rainsong is blood of chiefs, after all. She’s
formed her own band: Sust and Silver, Cheipar and Lightning, and a few
others, Sun Folk and Wolfriders alike, they follow her when she gets the
questing love and goes off to explore, then return to the Great Holt for
a howl or two. Sometimes when she’s sick of the cold, Vaya comes down with
Pike and Skot and joins Ember for a quest or two. And Suntop, Suntop, he’s
Savah’s best student now that Lightning is grown and Rayek has surpassed
all teaching.”
“Leetah...Leetah, where is she?” Cutter moaned.
“What would she say of this? Nightfall, tell me where Leetah is?”
“Leetah,” Nightfall frowned. It sounded like a Sun
Villager name, but she could not place it. “I’m sorry, Cutter, I don’t
know what you’re–” Cutter sobbed and tossed his head from the fever once
more.
“We should leave him,” Redlance spoke now. “He’s
exhausted.”
“He’ll forget everything I told him in the morning,”
Nightfall sighed.
“Probably,” Redlance nodded sadly.
“How is he?” Skywise asked as the two stepped into
the evening air.
“Still delirious,” Nightfall sighed. “He remembers,
but all his memories, they’re so twisted and confused. He continues to
call for a Leetah. Rayek, do you know what he’s talking about?”
“Leetah,” Rayek frowned, thinking on it. “Oh yes,
Leetah. The midwife in Sorrow’s End. Thinks she hold a shred of healing
power, but in truth she’s only jealous of her sister Shenshen. Quiet, aloof,
reclusive. She...she and I were lovemates for a time, when we were children.
But she was too...too insistent. Always rushing to lifemate even after
I told her she was not the one for me. She...uh...she Recognized Zhantee
the potter as I recall.”
“Hmm,” Nightfall shrugged, finding little connection
between the two elves.
Within the den. Cutter bit back a scream of fury
and frustration. What nightmare was this? Rayek creddited with every achievement,
Skywise and Foxfur Recognising every season, Treestump dead, Dart, Scouter
Newstar and Mender never born. Dewshine a Glider. The Palace never shattered,
the Shards War only a dream, and now now his cubs someone else’s and his
Leetah Zhantee’s mate. Zhantee!
He rolled in bed, burying his face in the furs and
weeping, a choking miserable sound of agony Cutter Kinseeker would have
never allowed himself. Steely silent and sedate tears, never such open
and gut-wrenching horror. To admit that he was capable of that would only
drive him back into the years of pain and grief alone, without Leetah and
the cubs.
That had never happened, he realised. The Palace
had never left, save for three days while Rayek and Skywise debated philosophies.
Leetah and the cubs had never left – Leetah and the cubs had NEVER been
his! That thought propelled him into further weeping sobs. Leetah belonged
to Zhantee. The cubs were Wing’s, Wing who wasn’t dead, but lived, immortal.
Wing who had no wolfblood, as none of them did, as none of them ever had.
The Wolfrider Way had been perverted beyond recognition, reduced to a fool’s
fancy. And only he remembered, only he knew Skywise and Rayek had done
nothing so grand, that the past had never been so bright, that the way
of the wolfsong was not to dream of the dead empty space and the lifeless
stars.
He heard Rayek’s laugh in the distance, and Skywise’s
a moment later. They sounded so...happy!
They were brothers in all but blood, rulers of the
world of two moons. And what was he? What was he?
This was hell.