The Balinor Chronicles II: Souls of Fire
Chapter Three: Traveler
This Chapter is dedicated to The Silver Traveler, who suggested this as a topic for one of The Celestial Herd's stories, and was patient enough to see it in the second Chronicles.
Callista, often called Traveler by her herd mates, was unique among the Celestials. She had been the last born before the end of the Great War and, for some reason or another, her coat never changed color. She remained as white as the day she was born.
It was in the rule of Astrum, son of Arkim, that Traveler's sister was Dreamspeaker. The two were close and Traveler often accompanied her sister to do her work in the Mortal Realms. It was on one of these missions that she met someone she did not intend to meet and did something that she never regretted.
Kamil was an average Shadow. Nothing much more could be said for him, other than that he might be slightly taller than normal. Now, in this time of Shadowian might, the black Unicorns of the Shifter wandered across Terra, for Balinor had not entirely arisen to drive the Shifter threat back to whence it came. (In this day, similar to the future reign of Entia, a Shadow Unicorn could wander with virtual impunity – for one dead would result in six swooping in upon his murderers.)
It was on one such wandering that Kamil ran into someone he did not intend to meet and did something that he never regretted.
As things would happen (and they did), a white mare ran into a black stallion and neither was quite certain as to what was to be done with the other. According to the strictest of both their kinds' laws, each ought to kill the other. However, Traveler was born toward the end of the war of the Twilights and the Celestials, and she knew little of killing and death. And Kamil, though well skilled in the ways of death, had never set eye upon a unicorn as white as the one ahead of him.
Perhaps that was what saved Traveler – Kamil's astoundedness at seeing such a creature like her. Since the Dreamspeakers arose to ground the Watching Pool into Balinor, the only Celestials who had walked the world below had been the Bonded Unicorn – rarely straying from his perch in the Palace – and the Dreamspeakers themselves, who in truth, had little to do with Shadows, especially those of little importance.
The two stood as still as any Unicorn could, staring into the eyes of the one ahead – Kamil in the pale hazel of Traveler; Traveler into the ruby red of Kamil. Neither moved. And here – the most important – Neither killed the other. They just stared.
The staring was what saved Kamil – for Traveler, being so young when the Twilights fled the Valley, had never seen a unicorn as black as the one ahead of her. She would not kill him – but she still had a voice, and if she had screamed, her sister – older and much wiser in the ways of death – would swoop down upon the black unicorn, regardless of crime.
None can say what none now know. None can say how long the two stood transfixed for. It might have been minutes. It might have been a day. They might have stayed longer – in fact, probably would have – had their trances not been broken by a long, high pitched whinny. It was no ordinary whinny though. It was one of distress, pain, and a cry for help. It also echoed with the sound of bells and the scent of roses.
Traveler looked away, ashamed. "I must leave," she said, "for surely, that is my sister, in great need of my help." She turned to go, pale coat shimmering.
Kamil suddenly found his hooves, and did a half-circle around her. "But I cannot let you leave," he replied, "for if that is truly your sister, than surely one of my brothers is there as well…for what else would dare attack a Celestial?"
They might have stood like that along time too, but another whinny broke over the trees. This one was also a call for help, but it was deep, thunderous, and made you want to quail with fright. Kamil hesitated, then turned to gallop away.
But Traveler circled him and was there to meet him as he turned. "But if that is your brother, I should surely not let you go. For my sister could surely not stand up to two."
And so they continued, each circling the other, neither reaching the battle. And as they ran and whirled, Kamil admired the grace and beauty of the mare, and Traveler admired the stallion's pride and strength. But they continued to circle. And they continued, until they reached the end of the world – for truly, truly I say to you, it is the world is flat and it is the sky that is round…
They fell off the edge together, but they did not much fall as fly, still circling, but this time in the sky.
When Traveler arose the next night in the sky, her magnificent Celestial coat reflected the lights of the sky and of the earth, giving her an eerie silver glow – one that looks red when it stays too close to the horizon and reflects too many campfires. So Traveler is once again known as Silver Traveler(except at the Harvest, when she turns russet), and she and Kamil circle each other, again and again, in love and in war.
When Traveler's side faces Terra, all smile and dance in her light. When Kamil's side faces Terra, his brothers rejoice that the Celestial eye is turned. With the night as their camouflage, they run loose upon the world, often with their Lord Protector, the Shifter, close behind.
Since and forth, all such nights have been known as Nights of the Shifter's Moon.