Disclaimer: All material is based on Terry Brooks and all names, and
locations are copyrighted by Terry Brooks and Del Rey Books.
Prologue
In the Four Lands, many of the great cities of old had collapsed into ruin. Arborlon, Tyrsis, even Leah and Culhaven had collapsed into rubble and dirt. The making of airships had become illegal in the eyes of the new Order of the South. The Elves no longer had a central city, but instead lived in several small communities in the woods around Arborlon. Every other race still lived more or less in the same communities, if slightly misplaced and renamed. The only good thing that had happened in the last few centuries was the restoration of the Druid Council by Grianne Ohmsford. Her brother's ancestor, Lyra, was a very ambitious individual, who enjoyed traveling the lands and learning more of the older way of life.
Lyra entered the ancient stronghold of Arborlon, glancing around nervously as she carefully made her way through the half-collapsed door. She had spent years preparing for this, and she was going to find what she was looking for. The ancient Elfstones had to be somewhere in here.
As she wandered the streets, she saw several shadows out of the corner of her eye, just out of sight as they scampered past. These random movements made the girl nervous. She couldn't handle much of a fight.
Eventually, Lyra made her way to the castle in the center of the city. She took a quick look around the outside, seeing one thing of interest. The gardens where a certain powerful tree had once stood flowered off to the side of the great palace in front of her.
After her search of the surrounding area, she was satisfied enough to check the great keep of Arborlon without something sneaking up on her back. She slowly slid into the castle, keeping a careful watch of danger in every direction. Stories of the beasts that had overrun the most powerful of cities after the Elves had left filled every corner of the world. She did not want one of those creatures sneaking behind her and attacking. She doubted she would last very long if she had no warning of an attack.
As the bloodline of Bek Ohmsford wandered through the ancient castle of the Elves, she came into a room with a rotten wooden floor. There was a table with maps covering it, and several books, probably about war, strewn across the floor. But it was what was beyond the table where wars were planned that caught the eye of the young girl. On the far side of the conference room, a faint blue glow came out of a box. Lyra made a silent cry of victory as she started carefully across the floor.
Lyra stopped as a board creaked, releasing a sound that reverberated throughout the small room. Then she heard what she feared. A rustling sound filled the air and she glanced around worriedly.
The young girl stumbled back as the walls came alive around her, hideous beasts forming out of nothingness. Gnarled and twisted, they lurched after the terrified Lyra, seeing nothing more than a new meal. She watched as they encircled her, closing her into an inescapable prison of inhuman beasts. As they closed in around her, their eyes glowed with a victorious hunger in the dim light.
Then the eyes changed. The gleaming light of victory vanished as the girl smiled and spoke in a singsong voice. Suddenly, a wall of flame exploded around Lyra. Her frail form stood defiant as the beasts writhed in flaming agony. Unfortunately, she underestimated the power of the creatures.
They rose, flaming, from the floor, which was now also burning. Lyra watched in horror as the box that was just out of her reach burst into flame. Then the beasts again closed in on the frightened child that had wandered into something she knew nothing about. A lone scream rang throughout the ruins of Arborlon, and a dark individual sat in a tower and laughed.
Prologue
In the Four Lands, many of the great cities of old had collapsed into ruin. Arborlon, Tyrsis, even Leah and Culhaven had collapsed into rubble and dirt. The making of airships had become illegal in the eyes of the new Order of the South. The Elves no longer had a central city, but instead lived in several small communities in the woods around Arborlon. Every other race still lived more or less in the same communities, if slightly misplaced and renamed. The only good thing that had happened in the last few centuries was the restoration of the Druid Council by Grianne Ohmsford. Her brother's ancestor, Lyra, was a very ambitious individual, who enjoyed traveling the lands and learning more of the older way of life.
Lyra entered the ancient stronghold of Arborlon, glancing around nervously as she carefully made her way through the half-collapsed door. She had spent years preparing for this, and she was going to find what she was looking for. The ancient Elfstones had to be somewhere in here.
As she wandered the streets, she saw several shadows out of the corner of her eye, just out of sight as they scampered past. These random movements made the girl nervous. She couldn't handle much of a fight.
Eventually, Lyra made her way to the castle in the center of the city. She took a quick look around the outside, seeing one thing of interest. The gardens where a certain powerful tree had once stood flowered off to the side of the great palace in front of her.
After her search of the surrounding area, she was satisfied enough to check the great keep of Arborlon without something sneaking up on her back. She slowly slid into the castle, keeping a careful watch of danger in every direction. Stories of the beasts that had overrun the most powerful of cities after the Elves had left filled every corner of the world. She did not want one of those creatures sneaking behind her and attacking. She doubted she would last very long if she had no warning of an attack.
As the bloodline of Bek Ohmsford wandered through the ancient castle of the Elves, she came into a room with a rotten wooden floor. There was a table with maps covering it, and several books, probably about war, strewn across the floor. But it was what was beyond the table where wars were planned that caught the eye of the young girl. On the far side of the conference room, a faint blue glow came out of a box. Lyra made a silent cry of victory as she started carefully across the floor.
Lyra stopped as a board creaked, releasing a sound that reverberated throughout the small room. Then she heard what she feared. A rustling sound filled the air and she glanced around worriedly.
The young girl stumbled back as the walls came alive around her, hideous beasts forming out of nothingness. Gnarled and twisted, they lurched after the terrified Lyra, seeing nothing more than a new meal. She watched as they encircled her, closing her into an inescapable prison of inhuman beasts. As they closed in around her, their eyes glowed with a victorious hunger in the dim light.
Then the eyes changed. The gleaming light of victory vanished as the girl smiled and spoke in a singsong voice. Suddenly, a wall of flame exploded around Lyra. Her frail form stood defiant as the beasts writhed in flaming agony. Unfortunately, she underestimated the power of the creatures.
They rose, flaming, from the floor, which was now also burning. Lyra watched in horror as the box that was just out of her reach burst into flame. Then the beasts again closed in on the frightened child that had wandered into something she knew nothing about. A lone scream rang throughout the ruins of Arborlon, and a dark individual sat in a tower and laughed.