A/N: Okay, it's been waaay too long since I've updated. I apologize with all sincerity, but now that school is out for the summer I can hopefully write more often. But I hope that this chapter is good enough to make up for the wait; today you'll get your first glimpse at Thianc in his new home in the Valley of Fear. Thanx to Silver Spell, Midnight WolfAngel, Rivendellgurl15, Kalyra Shadowdancer (you're right, it is 'imminent' = P), and Ilmare for reviewing and waiting patiently for this chapter.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Entia, the Valley of Fear, the Fiery Fields, Dill, or anything else that I steal from the books and try to pass off as my own.
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The sun rose high and cold over the Valley of Fear. Though it was the same sun that gave warmth and light to the Celestial Valley, it did no such favor to the Shifter's home. The land was a barren wasteland, riddled with flame and ash. Though it was bordered by Demonview, the mountain that was forever in shrouded in winter's cloak, the temperature increased dramatically the farther that was traveled from its snowy peak. A waterfall of fire flowed down one side of the walls, feeding the pools of molten lava that dotted the landscape.
In the center of the Valley of Fear, a huge hole gaped, leading down to unimaginable depths. This was the Pit, the center of the Shifter's slave force. The hundreds of captive animals, humans, and other creatures toiled night and day in the sulfurous cavern, mining and shoveling the coal used to fuel Entia's blacksmiths and weapon makers. While the rest of the valley slept, the Pit remained busy without interruption, providing an endless source of the clatter of hammers and chisels and the flicker of firelight.
To ensure that no slaves escaped, the large, round entrance to the Pit was always guarded by a sentry of Shadow unicorns. They stood for hours at a time, unmoving, iron-hard horns pointed outward, challenging anyone who wished to enter or leave. It was the most disliked duty among the Shadow unicorns; it was a wide-spread belief that their job was fighting, not guarding. But the Shifter insisted, and all the unicorns could do was wait for the watch to change every four hours.
The watch changed at sunrise, and there was a brief period when the Pit was left unguarded. It was during this time that a large shape crept across the valley floor toward the unwatched lip. Upon reaching it, the creature glanced around anxiously and, seeing that he wasn't being watched, descended into the Pit. The sun rose over the edge of the valley but didn't betray his presence, only illuminating the final flick of his moss green tail.
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The creature made his way carefully down into the depths of the Pit. His copper hooves didn't sound as loudly on the stone roadway as did the iron hooves of his herdmates, which he was thankful for when he made unauthorized visits such as this. The light from the numerous fires glinted off of his mint-colored hair, which was still recognizable despite the dirt and soot that got into it from the long hours of training on the Fiery Field. His unicorn horn, made of jade and sharped to a point in the fashion of the Shadow unicorns, speared through the haze and smoke that filled the Pit. The emerald jewel that sat at the base of his horn glowed dully in the gloom and was the same color as the unicorn's eyes. Those eyes were hard and cold, filled with hatred and evil.
The unicorn continued traveling downward for a hundred more feet, then stopped. Stepping off of the spiraling roadway, he made his way toward a small quarry where slaves were busy at work. The workers consisted of two human males, a small fox, three dogs, and several rabbits and hares, all half-starved and in horrible condition. The unicorn smiled, a twisted, evil grin that showed the true nature of the creature. He loved to taunt the slaves, the scrawny fox in particular; she was so weak and quick to anger.
"Vixen," the unicorn said softly, trying to hide his presence and at the same time seem an imposing threat. The small fox paused in her work but otherwise paid him no heed.
Annoyed, the stallion tried again, risking a louder voice. "Vixen!"
The fox stopped and was about to respond when one of the humans spoke first. "What do you want with us? We are just slaves; surely you have better things to do than hinder us in our work."
Eyes blazing, the unicorn turned to the man. "I don't believe that I was addressing you, human. My business is with the vixen."
The young fox shuddered, and the human said, "Dill is the smallest of us. She has to do the most to keep up with amount of work that the Shifter expects of us. Let her be and choose someone else to torment." Though his voice was strong, the man's body trembled, and his deep brown eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty.
"Do not tell me what I can or cannot do!" The green unicorn's roar echoed through the caverns of the Pit. "Know your place, slave-man." Eyes menacing, he advanced toward the human, copper hooves flashing in the firelight. The other slaves in the quarry shrank back away from the threatening unicorn, but the man stood his ground. The stallion was almost upon him when a shout came from the roadway outside the entrance.
"Thianc!"
The green unicorn spun on his haunches, forgetting the human and focusing all attention on the unicorn in the doorway. His eyes blazed with hatred as he looked at the stallion, the leader of the Shifter's army. "Gruetir," he spat.
Gruetir was a huge, muscular stallion, standing almost 18 hands high. His coat seemed to repell the dust and soot that accumulated in the others', and thus remained a deep, glossy black. His horn and hooves were sharpened and made from the strongest and blackest iron. His eyes glowed a fiery red and seemed to be able to pierce flesh and gaze inside a creature's mind and soul. He was the leader of the Shifter's army, denoted by the horn markings carved by Entia himself. He was feared and hated by many, but none more so than Thianc.
"What is your business here, Thianc?" the great Shadow unicorn said.
"I was simply checking up on these slaves," the green unicorn replied, his voice filled with a mocking sort of disrespect. "There have been reports of a lack of product from this quarry, so I dropped by to see what went on here."
Gruetir frowned. "I received no such reports. All stations are producing as expected."
"I didn't tell you about this one," Thianc invented, "because I wanted to investigate it myself. No one else seems to be monitoring the slave output very closely."
"That's enough, Thianc," Gruetir interrupted, sensing the falseness in the green unicorn's voice. "Your duty is to the army, not the slaves. Training was supposed to begin ten minutes ago. Now, come on."
The dark unicorn turned and began traveling up the roadway, his escort of workers right behind him. Thianc sighed and, casting one more hateful glance toward the slaves, followed suit.
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From high above in Castle Entia, the Shifter watched Thianc carefully, as he had the past five years since the green unicorn's arrival in the Valley of Fear. The stallion had grown very quickly, shooting up past 18 hands, making him the tallest unicorn in the Shifter's army. His horn and hooves had grown strong, and his horn needed sharpening every two weeks. Though he was a Celestial by birth, he had quickly adopted the Shadow way of life. The hatred had rapidly filled his heart and soul; his whole body seemed to radiate evil.
But Thianc was not quick to accept the rule of Gruetir and his officers. The two had clashed from the moment they met, which didn't do the army any good. Thianc was led to rebel against the captain and would often skip training and directly disobey orders.
"He's becoming quite a problem."
Entia looked up from his thoughts to the creature who had spoken. Ru Krion stood in the shadows near the door, the perfect spot to observe the Shifter's gazing pool without being near it. A smirk adorned his face.
"It's nothing that we can't fix," replied the Shifter, returning his gaze to the pool. The image in the waters was of the Shadow unicorns training on the Fiery Fields. Thianc stood out among the twilight unicorns, but fought as well as the best of them.
"Is it?" The Shadow's face turned thoughtful. "His disobedience may prove to be the loss of the war."
Entia stood up quickly and turned to face Ru Krion. "Loss of the war? Ru Krion, the war is practically won! Thianc is with us, fighting for our side. You heard the Old Mare; Thianc is the key, the One the Fates Forgot. The side that has him will succeed."
The Shadow nodded. "Yes, she did say that. But the Old Mare also said that he was in complete and total control of his destiny. If he does not follow the rules and respect Gruetir now, what makes you think that he will stay? His heart and mind are dark now, but do not forget that he is still a Celestial, out of the Dreamspeaker. She pains for him, even after all the years; I have seen it. What makes you think that she will not reach out to him, try to win him back through his dreams? If he betrays us to the Light, the war will be lost before it even begins. He is the only Celestial that knows our war tactics and methods."
The Shifter was silent for a moment, taking in what Ru Krion had said. He trusted the Shadow and valued his input. "What you say is true, my friend," Entia said. "I should have thought of that. Yes, the Dreamspeaker will pose a problem. We will have to do something about her."
And with that, the Shifter turned back to his watching pool and the training. As he watched Thianc running and dodging blows from the other unicorns, he started to devise a plan in his mind.
From his place in the shadows, Ru Krion grinned.
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Hey, okay, that's it. I think I meant for it to be longer, but that's how long it is, so there. I hope you liked my insight into the Valley of Fear and Thianc's new life. Sorry for the kinda cliffy thing, but that's how it goes. Oh, two things before I leave. One: I'm currently working on a new Unicorns of Balinor fic. It's called Follow, and it has to do with something from Book 6. That's all I'm going to say about that, so look for it soon! Two: I'm going to start needing prophecies and riddles and stuff. If you're interested in making some, e-mail me!! I'm not going to work through reviews or chapters or anything because I don't want anyone but the person who's making the riddle to have the info and the spoiler. Alrighty? Okay, then please please please review, and I'll try to update sooner than a month and a half next time. = )