Nightfall (Book 1) (4 page)

I nodded. “Save a D.I.D.” A questioning look crossed her face, but before I could clarify, Arrats interrupted.

“Say nothing.”

Jokingly, I whispered in her ear, “It has changed since Arrats was my age.” She scowled at Arrats, having believed me.

“What?” he asked, since he had not heard my comment.

“Oh, nothing,” I said, and though it was obvious he did not believe me, he put the subject to rest. Eskarne stood and announced that she should be leaving, but that she would see us sometime in the morning. We said our farewells and she left, turning back to wave before disappearing entirely into the darkness.

Arrats, Eskarne, Koldobika, and two others (a girl and a man—neither of which I recognized) stood in the middle of a huge field of lush, knee-length grass. The four of them stood in companionable silence for a while; they were waiting for something, who—or what—I was not certain, but apparently it was important enough that they could stand there nigh on forever, merely waiting.

Two women walked across the field of grass toward them, one with tanned skin, long, brown hair and serpentine wings. The other had skin so dark it was nearly black, and a clean shaven head; though it was quite unusual to see a woman without hair, she was still rather beautiful. Both women looked to be in their twenties but it was obvious that the darker of them was the more battle-hardened. The Lordly man stepped forward and greeted the newcomers, but I could not hear a single word that was spoken.

The day passed and night fell over them, but still they stood there, patiently waiting. The stars above began to dance as if in joy, apparently having sensed what was expected to happen. The stars began creating scenes from some long forgotten history and moved from one scene to the next so fast that there was no time to gather any details. Light filled the land as the sun lifted over the horizon and the stars left, still dancing across the heavens in a bright, silvery blur.

A figure strode purposefully across the fields toward the group and raised a hand in greeting, as he neared them; his back was turned to me, so I could not recognize him and he never turned in my direction. The nobleman bowed solemnly and shimmered for a moment, as if immaterial. Those waiting quickly surrounded the newcomer, greeting him as a long-lost friend whose return had made them overjoyed. He stepped to the girl and pulled her into a hug, whispering something before he pulled away.

The sun slipped fully beyond the horizon and the stars returned in haste, descending in a spiraling funnel of light. The falling stars encircled the young man whose return had been so anxiously awaited and when the orbs of light eventually ascended, he held in his hand a sword which emanated their light. Once back in the heavens the stars returned to their designated places and remained still, leaving the sky looking lifeless after their wild dancing.

~ ~ ~

I sat up and leaned against the wall of the cellar; the stone was cool against the bare skin of my back and it helped to wake me up. As I sat there, my mind drifted to thoughts of Koldobika and the awesome creatures of magic he had told me of, some of which were the dragonfolk. The dragonfolk were a unique race, they had the body of a human, the wings of dragons, and green eyes with vertical slits for pupils. If they chose, they could transform themselves into true dragons, although when that happened there was no chance of regaining their half-human form. While I thought of the dragonfolk, I eventually became drowsy and fell back into the embrace of sleep, though my thoughts did not stray far.

A dragonlady with red-brown hair stood on a mountain cliff, the visible land below was covered by a huge forest and in the distance was a city which appeared to be a grey smudge surrounded by a wall. Because of the distance the wall seemed a mere thread. Above the enormous city hung the glowing orb of the moon, it was huge and looked as if it were floating in the sky, rather than far off in the heavens, as it should have been.

The dragonlady was looking intently at a small, perfectly round globe held in her hands, roughly the size of both her fists placed together. As she looked at the glowing orb she smiled and then looked over to her right and to the edge of the forest that also swept to the sides of the cliff and down around the mountain she stood on, covering the ground for miles in every direction. She held the globe into the air and it disappeared, just as swords did when sent back into Lietha.

She jumped into the sky, her wings keeping her aloft on waves of air and flew toward the distant city. Once she reached the city she landed on the wall and the city could easily be recognized as Caernadvall. The Wall was so tall that few of the buildings could be seen through the low cloud that rested above the rooftops. The moonlight reflected off the top of the clouds and the zenith of a single towering spire that rose from the West Castle, located far to the North of the woman’s position.

The dragonlady waited atop the Wall for a while and then Koldobika flew up from the darkness toward her, held aloft by his own set of wings. The dagger I had given him was secured in his belt. “They found your hiding place?” the woman asked, to which Koldobika nodded his reply. “I got your message.” She smiled reassuringly and they flew back to the mountain ledge where she had been looking into the depths of the globe.

“He is the one with dark, brown hair, taller than the other two, and goes by his birth name,” Koldobika said, as he settled on his own feet atop the cliff. The dragonlady raised an eyebrow in surprise, as he continued, “I think his parents must have accidentally let it slip upon occasion, and when they died he decided to give himself that name in memory of them.” The dragonlady nodded in agreement with his assumption. “I do not know when the day will come—but you will know. Just keep an eye on him.”

“Alright.”

“Farewell, Alaia.” Koldobika handed her a green crystal, which she slipped into a pocket in her robe. “Good luck.” Then he walked into the forest and disappeared, already having returned his borrowed wings to Lietha.

The dragonlady, Alaia, flew back to Caernadvall and glided to the ground, landing silently on her feet in the midst of a plentiful cornfield. She held a hand out before her and a black cloak appeared, hanging from it. She wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and lifted the hood so that her face was hidden from sight; the last thing to disappear behind the cowl was the eerie glow of her green eyes, the telltale mark of the majority of the magical races. Alaia gave a quick look around, assessing the area, before she turned and made her way to a mound of crates stacked at the back of a stone building where she slipped into a small space between two of the large, wooden boxes.

Hours passed and the scene changed to that of morning; three older boys walked a distance from the disheveled pile of crates and around the building, making their way into the streets of the city. Once the humans were a safe enough distance away, Alaia stood and followed them, a bit curious of the sprawling city around her. The boys led through the slowly filling streets and into the thick of a market which brought so many traders and buyers that the people passing through the area were nearly at a standstill. The boys found a place to sell their catches and the dragonlady wandered about the vicinity, doing her best to not make it obvious that she was following anyone.

She waited, sometimes patiently and sometimes not, while the humans went about their business, and followed them on a twisting, turning, and often overlapping, tour of Caernadvall. As evening approached they finally settled down at a site different from the one she had found them at. She watched silently as they ate and entertained one another, long into the dark hours of night. Eventually it was decided that rest was needed and the humans split up, retiring to the places they called home.

Once finished hunting beyond the Wall, Alaia made her way to its top, where she sat looking at the
vast display of the surrounding lands. To one side was the sea of low-hanging clouds covering the enormous city, while on the other side was an ocean of rolling treetops—the leafy canopy of the forest that hid within its reaches the wealth of the magic kingdoms.

After a long time spent in contemplation, she walked to the outer side of the Wall and stood with her hands clasped behind her, likely thinking of something left behind in order to take the assignment she was on. A silent tongue of magic fire interrupted her thoughts, shooting toward her like a streak of lightning and she raced back across the Wall, leaping from its edge and into the darkness below.

The instant feeling of being unable to stop herself mid-fall terrified Alaia and she could feel her lungs restricting in fear. It was almost like the feeling of claustrophobia, with the walls closing in around her with no escape, but now she could not see the wall that was speeding toward her, and at one point it would just appear, right at the end. And so the ground did: suddenly.

~ ~ ~

I sat up in the dark, sweat dripping down my bare back. A minute later I heard a loud thud and a deep grunt from the direction of the Wall. No way, I thought. I quickly untangled myself from my blanket and grabbed my shirt, pulling it over my head as I climbed the stone stairs out of the cellar and saw something green and glowing over at the foot of the Wall. Curious, I jogged over to where I had seen the eerie lights. I heard something move but the person I saw before me remained still. “Alaia?” I asked.

“No.” The voice was that of a female, but it was different from the one in my dream. I was not entirely sure whether I was relieved or disappointed to find that my dream had not actually come to pass in reality. I stopped about four feet from the person and from there I was able to see her face fairly well in the filtered moonlight. Her hair was the same dark brown of my own and she looked about my age, though her face had sharper features and she was inhumanly beautiful. Also, her eyes had a look of terrible, hidden power within their glowing, green depths. She held out her hand, but had to put it right in my face to redirect my attention. She held a folded piece of paper. I cautiously took the proffered parchment and then she disappeared through a hole in the base of the Wall. I thought about following her, but then decided against it and resolved to investigate the next day. With the thoughts of Beyond the Wall forced from my mind for the time being, I walked back to the cellar.

I did not bother with the stairs but dropped myself into the open space that had been separated from our living quarters and slumped to the ground, leaning against the cold stone. I had just seen an elf. I could not believe it, and sat in bewilderment.
Wait,
I thought.
I just saw an elf!
Why, in Lietha, did I not follow her?
I berated myself for only a moment longer, before wondering again over my incredible fortune. After my mind calmed from the incredulity of recent events, I remembered the piece of parchment the elf had given me. I read and then reread the note, in the small patches of moonlight that filtered down through the thin layer of clouds. The letter was from Koldobika and it read:

Itzal Izotz,

I find it pertinent to let you know that I am doing well. I also wanted to warn you to be careful; of what I am not allowed to tell you, so let this warning suffice. Good luck.

Tell no one of this letter. Destroy it.

Koldobika

As I again reread the letter a vision of the wizard slipped into my mind. Koldobika and an elf were having a heated discussion, though the sounds were blurred at first and I could not understand what was being said. They stood suddenly, facing each other. “You must contact him, Koldobika,” the elf said. He
looked familiar, but I had never knowingly met any elves so it was impossible that I could know him.

“Why? What is there to tell him, Basajaun, without giving everything away?”

Basajaun, as Koldobika had called him, glared at the wizard in frustration. “You must tell him that you are safe, surely he will want to hear from you, if what you have said of him is true.”

“How will I get the message to him?”

“Do not bother me with petty and unnecessary questions. Izar is quite capable of making the trip.”

“Are you sure we can risk her leaving?” Koldobika asked, obviously worried about whomever the woman was that they spoke of.

“You will have to hurry, or she will perish because of your procrastination but, yes, for the time being she will be safe on her own.”

“Who are you talking about?” I questioned, thinking for the moment that I was actually in Koldobika’s presence. The wizard looked in my direction, holding his hand up to Basajaun for silence.

“What is it?” the elf asked, sounding uneasy.

Koldobika uttered two simple words, “Itzal Izotz.”

“Has something happened to him?”

“I am not sure, but I can sense that he is near. He must be
scrying us, though I never taught him to do so, so I do not understand how he could.”

“Can he hear us?”

“I am not sure.” The wizard hesitated a moment, then said, “Izotz, if you can hear me then you must leave; return home. We will see each other again soon enough.” The two men slowly disappeared from my sight and hearing, as if they had been mere figures made of mist.

I folded my arms around my knees, unsettled by what Koldobika and the elf had said—and how I had been able to both hear and see what I had, before the wizard had noticed that I could hear them. I wanted to know what the two had been arguing about—since it seemed that they had been speaking of me and the letter I had received. After a while I fell asleep, wrapped in my blanket with the words from Koldobika’s letter running through my head. Only an hour later I was suddenly reawakened.

~ ~ ~

Everyone in Caernadvall was running through the streets, headed away from a certain point as fast as they could. I tried to ask what was happening but no words would come from my mouth. I started running with the frantic crowds but my legs slowed, and then completely stopped. The last of the people disappeared from my view and I still could not move my legs when—from behind me—I heard someone screaming in anger. The sound was strange and carried a harsh and inhuman quality.