The Summoning of Shannara.
Two hundred years have passed since the time of the Ard Rhys, Grianne Ohmsford. Her family has been scattered over the Four Lands. The family of Pen and Cinnaminson has been hunted, for many in the Four Lands still resent the Druids and the Ohmsford family history. The only known descendant is the child of the Elf King, Jaren Elessedil. Yet there are those in hiding that bear their blood.
The shade of Grianne has summoned a lone dwarf to the Valley of Shale, and there, she places a terrible burden on his shoulders. He is told to find Farina Elessedil, the only known descendant of Jerle Shannara, collect as many Druids and others of the races who will stand alongside him, and prepare the Four Lands for a war that can either mean salvation or destruction.
Chapter One:
Gemret rose from his bed early that day. His chambers in Paranor were not the best, but they were comfortable. However, his dreams had been troubling him. Again. He had started to wonder if going to sleep was really worth it now, he was kept awake by the dreams he had of the shade of Grianne Ohmsford.
That name still scared some of the Druids in Paranor. Some of the older ones could still remember the aged woman who had been the Ard Rhys and had reformed the order of the Druids. Before then, there was a Druid Council, in the legendary times of Bremen, and the Second War of the Races, when Jerle Shannara failed to kill the Warlock Lord, Brona. When he died, there was only one Druid, who roamed the Four Lands.
It had been Allanon, who had been influential in the rediscovery of the Sword of Shannara by Shea Ohmsford, the defence against the Demons who broke through the Forbidding, and he was also a major part in the destruction of the Mord Wraiths.
Then it had been the reluctant Walker Boh, who had helped his cousins Par, Coll and Wren Ohmsford rediscover the Sword of Shannara, he was directly involved in the search for the Black Elfstone. Then in the time of Ahren Elessedil, he travelled over the Blue Divide, to find the lost books of science, in a race against the Ilse Witch. With him was Bek Rowe, who was a true descendant of Jerle Shannara, and when the Ilse Witch met him, she found out that it was her little brother. Grianne Ohmsford, the Ilse Witch remembered.
After that, she reformed the Druid order, but apart from that, she was never mentioned for her dark past. Gemret was a historian at heart, odd for a dwarf, and his memory was filled with the stories of Bremen and the others who had formed part of the history of the Four Lands ever since. He was also very friendly with the King of the Elves, Jaren Elessedil. Gemret thought that it was an idea, considering that he was one of the only descendants of the great Shea Ohmsford, even though the Ohmsford blood was diluted immensely. His young daughter, however, was a different matter.
Farina was a direct descendant of Pen Ohmsford, son of Bek and Rue Meridian, on her mother's side. She had the long red hair of Rue, and the Wishsong of Bek. She was wild, and even Jaren had no control over her. She was a Rover at heart, and she was often found in their company. People had disapproved of Jaren marrying a Half-Elf. The child of Pen had married an Elf, as had his child. The blood of the elves ran strongly in the Ohmsford line again. She would not allow any of the Druids, save for Gemret to come near her, and when they saw each other, they talked for long periods of time, for the one thing Farina loved more than flying, was the stories of her family history.
Gemret shuddered at the thought of flying, whether it was on a Roc, Shrike or Airship. He just did not have the stomach for it. He would prefer to walk to the Prekkendorran or the Skull Kingdom rather than fly from Paranor to the Rainbow Lake.
Be that as it may, Gemret knew that he would have to take an airship to the Dragon's Teeth. He wanted to discuss with the shade of Grianne Ohmsford why he had been having the dreams that he had. He wanted to know what they meant. However, he may not have to. He had to make a small detour first.
The young girl tied a rope around her waist, and tied the other end to the giant bird's leg. She looked into its eyes, and spoke with a husky voice.
"Do not worry, Storm, it will not hurt. Will you look after me if anything goes wrong?" The bird nodded, understanding what the girl said. She climbed onto the bird's back, and held onto some feathers. "LET'S GO!" she yelled. The bird screeched, and they flew high into the air. They had been preparing for this trick for several weeks. Sometimes the girl's nerve had failed her, and sometimes the bird had wheeled away at the last moment. But this time they were going to do it.
"Now Storm!" the girl cried, and she hung onto the feathers for dear life. The giant Roc wheeled up towards the sky and performed a complete loop in the air. Storm screeched out in pleasure, and the girl's whoops and yells had attracted a small group on the ground.
One Rover looked up at the blonde haired girl on top of her Roc, and commented to his First Mate.
"If she weren't an Elf Princess, I would have hired her for our crew ages, Raven." Captain Fulten Sedrain looked up at Farina Elessedil with a look of pure awe as the girl performed another loop. "She is a true Rover at heart." He went back into the tavern, as he saw the girl beginning her descent. The others started to filter back into the taverns and shops, until a lone Dwarf stood standing there. His black cowl hid his face from view, but Farina turned her head as the Dwarf spoke.
"Well, you have certainly got better, Farina. However, I cannot see why you cannot be happy on the ground." She ran to him and picked the Dwarf up. Gemret was lifted a good six inches from the ground as he returned the bear hug that the young princess gave him.
"Gemret, it is good to see you again. However, I can sense that something is wrong. It isn't Father is it?"
"No, my young friend. It is nothing to do with your father." Gemret removed his cowl. "Is there somewhere private where we can speak?" Farina led him to her rooms on the other side of the small town, nearest the swamps, where few people lived. Gemret commented that he enjoyed the scenery from the windows.
"You always were a cynic, Gemret. What is it that is so important that you have come to me directly?"
"I have been having dreams recently. From the shade of Grianne Ohmsford, you're descendant. She has summoned me to the Hadeshorn. My dreams have also concerned you. I believe that you are to come with me." Farina surprised Gemret by pulling out a ready packed bag.
"I have been having dreams of Grianne too. They have got worse recently. There is a darkness spreading across the Four Lands, and it grows darker with every dream. I always see specific people being surrounded by the darkness. You, Gemret. Myself. Others, Elves, Humans, Gnomes, Trolls. I do not know what it means, but I think that she is summoning me anyway. When can we leave?"
"As soon as we can get transport out of here." Farina looked at her Roc, Storm.
"Are you ready?" she asked, and Gemret nodded.
"Let's go then."
Down in the Southlands, a man and a woman were hunting. The boar that they had marked out had been avoiding them for over a week now. They wanted to kill it and get this little hunting trip out of the way, so that they could get back to their home, Leah. The woman had found where the boar was hiding, the bushes rustling. There was a shouting of "Leah! Leah!" but the boar ran off. The woman sheathed her sword, and walked out of the woods. Eventually the man caught up with her, and they started arguing.
"Why did you walk out of the woods, Ilenna?" the man berated her, and eventually she snapped.
"I was sick of chasing that boar, We have wasted the best part of a week on that creature. Now let's go back home, and get a wash. Ilenna Leah and her friend from Tyrsis, Jendara Filanda walked back up to the house where they lived. Ilenna had met Jendara when she had got lost in the Mountains of Runne. She had been finding something else to hunt, apparently, but she fell and broke her leg. Jendara found her, and they had been friends ever since. Ilenna was an only child, a direct descendant from Quentin, Rone, and Morgan Leah. The legendary Leahs of old. But when they reached the house where Ilenna lived with her family, they found a surprise.
A Druid was there. Obviously Elven, the blonde hair and pointed ears showed up against the black cowl.
"Ilenna Leah, my name is Selena Elessedil. I must talk with you, urgently." Ilenna apologised to Jendara, and took Selena into the room off the hall where a fire was blazing.
"I recognise the name of Selena Elessedil. You are the half-sister of Farina. I have met her once or twice. You both have your father's eyes. Yet you both look different."
"After Farina's mother died, he married my mother. That is why. The reason I have asked you here is because of a friend. A Dwarf by the name of Gemret has believed by most to have gone missing. He is a Druid. However, he told me where he was going, and he told me to bring you and the Sword to the Valley of Shale."
"You mean the blade over my father's door? Why? That is an ancient blade that he will not throw away because it contains "sentimental value" and that it was carried by all our family members."
"Ilenna, the Sword of Leah has magic in it. You must have heard the stories."
"Yes, yes, yes. The magic of the Druid Allanon and the Hadeshorn, all combined so that Brin Ohmsford could be protected."
"Well done, Ilenna. But I need you to come with me immediately. Gemret will be at the Hadeshorn tonight, and we need to meet him there."
Ilenna walked out of the room, leaving the young Druid alone for a time, while she spoke to Jendara. He nodded, and Selena heard that he would see Ilenna soon, before the door closed and the young woman walked back in.
"You have to let me pack." But Selena cut her short.
"No. We must go now." She noticed that Ilenna had carried the sword of Leah in the room with her, and she pulled Ilenna by the arm to the moored airship that she had arrived in.
"Get in, and tie a lie about you, just in case." Selena said. "We need to get going pretty quickly, if we are to keep our appointment with Gemret and Grianne Ohmsford."