Return of the Sky Elves
Tiger Ty left the Blue Divide far behind, the vast iridescent expanse of ocean fading to a dim line on the horizon. The aged Wing Rider stretched in his riding leathers, the lined, craggy features of his face breaking into a slow smile. Soon, he would reach his goal. The ancient magic would be theirs, and the Sky Elves would finally return to the Four Lands. The giant Roc beneath him rose upward suddenly, fluttering awkwardly in a sudden thermal updraft for a few seconds as it fought to keep its balance. This Roc was a young one- not yet accustomed to carrying Wing Riders on its back. Still, the birds were dying off, slowly but surely- his own having succumbed to the sickness almost a month ago. Younger, less experienced Rocs would have to fill the ranks, Tiger Ty supposed, until they could finally return to the ancient nesting ground, the kingdom of his ancestors: Wing Hove.
His nostrils caught a faint whiff of sulfur on the morning breeze- barely evident from this high up, but enough to confirm the reports of the others. A black tower of smoke rose far in the distance: Arborlon was burning. For years after the defeat of the Shadowen, the Land Elves had been fighting an increasingly desperate war against the hidden evil. At first, few had recognized their existence- but the release of the ancient magic the Shadowen had held prisoner deep within the bowels of the earth had not destroyed all of them. A few, hidden deep in the Westland beyond the Breakline, had survived.
Tiger Ty's brow darkened with rage at the horror that would soon envelope the Four Lands, an unleashing he could do nothing to prevent. For he knew the purpose of the new Shadowen in attacking the Land Elves. With the destruction of Arborlon, the sacred Ellcrys would be at the mercy of the Shadowen- and with the destruction of the Ellcrys, the Forbidding of legend that sealed the Dagda Mor and his demon followers away from the Four Lands would be broken. Last time that had happened, all the armies of the Four Lands combined hadn't been enough to stop the demon hordes- in the end, only the heroic sacrifice of Wil Ohmsford and the Chosen Amberle had renewed the Forbidding and banished the monsters from the Four Lands once more. Already, Tiger Ty could see that this time, it wouldn't be enough. The final bastion of defense had been overrun, and though the Elves still held the Gardens of Life, it was only a matter of time before the final collapse. And when that happened, he knew, the Four Lands would be doomed.
Except, perhaps, for the talisman he had been sent to retrieve. The Star Stone was said to possess legendary powers, and if it could be brought to bear against the impending threat, the Sky Elves might yet be able to save the Four Lands and defeat the Shadowen and their pawns once and for all. The Roc settled to the ground, a hard landing compared to what the old Wing Rider was used to- but in his eagerness to behold the sacred talisman, he didn't even notice. Unfastening the leather straps of his riding harness, Tiger Ty entered a shallow cleft in the base of the cliff. He shuddered at the sudden feeling of oppressiveness as the rock walls closed about him. There was barely enough room to walk…
This would be a real good place for an ambush, he thought to himself as he edged along the narrow passageway. Tiger Ty told himself he was being overcautious- even he himself hadn't been aware of his mission until the day before. Still, the old Wing Rider hadn't gotten where he was in life by being incautious. An eerie glow lit the passageway ahead, and the walls began to widen to where it was almost comfortable to walk. Tiger Ty began to breath a sigh of relief- and shivered when he felt the lines of power brush against him. There was powerful magic here- ancient magic, earth magic. And he could feel that it all originated from whatever was in the chamber ahead. The rough walls began to smooth out, now made of smooth, cut blocks of polished marble.
Tiger Ty shivered in anticipation. He remembered reading of something similar in the accounts of Wil Ohmsford just before his confrontation with the Reaper and the fertilization of the Ellcrys seed. The glow became warmer, more perceptible in the chill, damp air. What was that up ahead? Could it be the Bloodfire, perhaps, as Wil Ohmsford had encountered it so long ago? Tiger Ty doubted it- but still, it didn't hurt to consider all the possibilities. Abruptly , the passageway ended- and the old Wing Rider was confronted with a spectacle more magnificent than anything he had ever seen before in his life. There, on a raised pedestal in the center of the room lay the object of a thousand fruitless journeys and countless futile attempts to recover it- and Tiger Ty was the only one since the Great Wars to behold the sacred talisman. The Star Stone. Throwing caution to the winds, heedless for once of the possible consequences, Tiger Ty rushed forward to claim the power for his own- and didn't even see the dark, clawed hand as it reached toward him from out of the shadows…