For Love of Light and Shadow
V
Ê
In a small hold in the hills, the sun rose bright over straight, green fields and the house stirred as its inhabitants woke to begin the new day's work. In the loft of the barn, the boy called Wufei, nearly a man now, crouched in perfect balance on the uneven boards. His head cocked to the side with the air of attention as sunlight filled with glimmers of golden dust floated about him, lighting on strands of ebony hair and giving his darkened skin an ethereal hue. Had someone seen him in that moment, they would have wept at the sight of heaven; but no one was there, the barn was empty and the illusion soon faded away.
There was darkness rising in the east, a blight that would destroy the lands and their people as surely as disease would kill a field of grain, if left untreated. Wufei knew this. He had seen it through the dim haze of his dreams and thoughts. He used to question the images and snatches of words that came to him by day and by night, but no longer; though the boy knew not of their origin, he knew them to be truth by some innate sense that was solely his own. The darkness was rising in the east and Wufei could see it behind his eyes, could feel it like a demon on his back, and he could no longer ignore it.
He stood up in the light of the sun on the rough board of the barn loft and decided. He had lived at the steading for as long as he could remember, had been a part of that family of lostlings until he drew himself from it, instinctively knowing that he was not of their kind, had never truly been. When he had still been very young and given to needing care from a mother, the kind-hearted Sally told him stories before leaving him to sleep, stories of a beautiful woman with skin the color of the trees, like his own, and sparkling onyx eyes that drew your soul into them. This, Sally had said, was how he came to be at the steading, to be protected and cared for when the woman left to the west, toward the sea. The story saddened the young Wufei, and loneliness and abandonment filled him for he knew the woman Sally described was his own mother, but then the good woman of the house pulled something from her apron pocket and clasped his hand around it, a cold and hard thing.
Wufei touched the clear blue stone at his breast and it warmed with memories and kindness as it had when he opened his young hand that night and looked upon it for the first time. It was left by the beautiful woman, Sally told him, to give to her son when he was old enough to wear it, and know its value. The young Wufei looked upon the stone with eyes of wonder and happiness; it banished his fears and loneliness, whispering sweetness and comfort into his heart like a mother's embrace. He slept that night, wrapped in memories of his mother, and was happy. But with the love in the stone, came an awareness, a knowing that someday a thing would be expected of him to right what was made wrong. The beautiful woman told him as he dreamed, with the sound of waves crashing on smooth shores, that he would have to leave the steading when that time came. Wufei decided, as he stood, and knew that time was upon him.
With the swiftness of falling water, Wufei silently leaped over the ledge of the loft into the barn proper. The animals watched with large liquid eyes, unstartled by his sudden appearance, and he softly touched each one of them in farewell before slipping out the door of the barn. The yard outside the dim and cool building was soft with warmth and the slow breezed caressed his body lovingly as hecrossed the way to the house. He stopped before the steps of the porch and Sally stood there, her braids swaying the slightest bit in the wind, and her sad eyes clearly betrayed her heart's content. Her voice carried gently as she spoke. "You are leaving us now, aren't you Wufei?"
He said nothing in response, only looked at his dearest friend with truthful eyes, to which she smiled. Then she reached into her apron pocket and offered the wrapped bread she found there to him, and he took it. With suddenly bright eyes, Sally impulsively clasped Wufei's hand as he took the bread. "Tread with care, Wufei..." she whispered and like the sun breaking through clouds he smiled at her. An instant after, he was gone and the strong woman was left alone in the yard, the echos of her words falling on the wind.
Dark, fey things loomed nearby the young Sidhe as he ran the shadow ways to the east, and with a coldness touching his heart he avoided them, knowing full well that the time approached when he would have to do battle against them. A dark war was begining in the far lands of Eald, and with fear weighing heavily upon him, Wufei ran to his destiny.
V
Ê
In a small hold in the hills, the sun rose bright over straight, green fields and the house stirred as its inhabitants woke to begin the new day's work. In the loft of the barn, the boy called Wufei, nearly a man now, crouched in perfect balance on the uneven boards. His head cocked to the side with the air of attention as sunlight filled with glimmers of golden dust floated about him, lighting on strands of ebony hair and giving his darkened skin an ethereal hue. Had someone seen him in that moment, they would have wept at the sight of heaven; but no one was there, the barn was empty and the illusion soon faded away.
There was darkness rising in the east, a blight that would destroy the lands and their people as surely as disease would kill a field of grain, if left untreated. Wufei knew this. He had seen it through the dim haze of his dreams and thoughts. He used to question the images and snatches of words that came to him by day and by night, but no longer; though the boy knew not of their origin, he knew them to be truth by some innate sense that was solely his own. The darkness was rising in the east and Wufei could see it behind his eyes, could feel it like a demon on his back, and he could no longer ignore it.
He stood up in the light of the sun on the rough board of the barn loft and decided. He had lived at the steading for as long as he could remember, had been a part of that family of lostlings until he drew himself from it, instinctively knowing that he was not of their kind, had never truly been. When he had still been very young and given to needing care from a mother, the kind-hearted Sally told him stories before leaving him to sleep, stories of a beautiful woman with skin the color of the trees, like his own, and sparkling onyx eyes that drew your soul into them. This, Sally had said, was how he came to be at the steading, to be protected and cared for when the woman left to the west, toward the sea. The story saddened the young Wufei, and loneliness and abandonment filled him for he knew the woman Sally described was his own mother, but then the good woman of the house pulled something from her apron pocket and clasped his hand around it, a cold and hard thing.
Wufei touched the clear blue stone at his breast and it warmed with memories and kindness as it had when he opened his young hand that night and looked upon it for the first time. It was left by the beautiful woman, Sally told him, to give to her son when he was old enough to wear it, and know its value. The young Wufei looked upon the stone with eyes of wonder and happiness; it banished his fears and loneliness, whispering sweetness and comfort into his heart like a mother's embrace. He slept that night, wrapped in memories of his mother, and was happy. But with the love in the stone, came an awareness, a knowing that someday a thing would be expected of him to right what was made wrong. The beautiful woman told him as he dreamed, with the sound of waves crashing on smooth shores, that he would have to leave the steading when that time came. Wufei decided, as he stood, and knew that time was upon him.
With the swiftness of falling water, Wufei silently leaped over the ledge of the loft into the barn proper. The animals watched with large liquid eyes, unstartled by his sudden appearance, and he softly touched each one of them in farewell before slipping out the door of the barn. The yard outside the dim and cool building was soft with warmth and the slow breezed caressed his body lovingly as hecrossed the way to the house. He stopped before the steps of the porch and Sally stood there, her braids swaying the slightest bit in the wind, and her sad eyes clearly betrayed her heart's content. Her voice carried gently as she spoke. "You are leaving us now, aren't you Wufei?"
He said nothing in response, only looked at his dearest friend with truthful eyes, to which she smiled. Then she reached into her apron pocket and offered the wrapped bread she found there to him, and he took it. With suddenly bright eyes, Sally impulsively clasped Wufei's hand as he took the bread. "Tread with care, Wufei..." she whispered and like the sun breaking through clouds he smiled at her. An instant after, he was gone and the strong woman was left alone in the yard, the echos of her words falling on the wind.
Dark, fey things loomed nearby the young Sidhe as he ran the shadow ways to the east, and with a coldness touching his heart he avoided them, knowing full well that the time approached when he would have to do battle against them. A dark war was begining in the far lands of Eald, and with fear weighing heavily upon him, Wufei ran to his destiny.
