Prologue: Elements of time By Tsumi
Four figures rode across the field toward the old keep. Storm clouds gathered as they approached, their horses floundered, leaving them to approach the keep on foot. Guards waited for them to come.
"Bad odds, my friends. Four to one I believe."
"Arec. Arrow, Wiral and myself will handle the guards, get through them and find Paren"
"All right, Erelyn. Take care, little brother." He faded from sight and dashed past the guards who now advanced on his friends.
Arec ran through the keep, following the feeling of intense pain that had led him this far. He tried to ignore the feelings from his comrades as he found a locked door. He pulled out a set of lock picks and got to work. He got the door open and looked around. The door led onto the top of the high tower. The witch stood with her back to him and Paren lay before her, shirtless and tied to a slab of rock. She held an anthame (1) in one hand and was chanting softly.
Arec looked down at his hands. The ring on his left hand glowed softly. She lowered the knife swiftly, but Arec leapt to intercept her and was thrown back by a shield she turned to him.
"Welcome, little mage-warrior. I knew the rest of you would show up soon"
"Why are you doing this, Dianea? Why betray the circle"
"Because I want the power you five can so easily tap. If I kill one of you, the circle breaks and I can take all of your powers"
"But your cousin "
"Is a weak fool who thinks she can rule this kingdom because the five of you protect her. Without you, she will fall and I will rule"
"Only if you live through this encounter." Arrow stood in the doorway with the other two behind him. He held his bow ready.
"You can't break through my shield with that stick Arrow"
"That's what you think." He released the arrow, which passed the shield and buried itself in her heart.
With her death the shield broke and Arec ran to the slab to free Paren. He was bleeding badly from wounds and was barely breathing.
"Paren, come on! Open your eyes. Please, beloved, look at me." Arec pleaded as he held him close.
"Arec"
"Yes, Paren. It's me. Open up and let me heal you"
"It's too late. I'm dying, Arec"
"No! You promised you'd come with me to the ocean when all this was over Paren. You can't die"
"I love you, Arec." He slumped back and Arec held him. Tears fell unheeded from his eyes and he didn't even notice the blood staining his once white robes.
"Paren, I won't let you leave me. I will follow you"
"Arec, don't." Erelyn grabbed his older brother's hand as it strayed to the anthame still lying on the alter.
"I have to, Erelyn. I can't live without him." He shook off Erelyn's hand and picked up the knife, looking up at his friends. "The circle is broken. We can't repair it with only the four of us, and I can't go back." He lifted the knife and held it even with his chest. "I will find you, Paren, wherever and whenever you go." He stabbed himself and his ring glowed brightly before vanishing with his last breath.
"Arrow, what now?" Wiral asked, taking the knife from his dead friend's hand.
"We follow them, we have no choice." He took the knife. "The circle must be complete, and Dianea might still try to stop them from meeting in the stream of time"
"Is it all we can do?" Erelyn asked.
"Yes"
Arrow held the knife and pressed it to his chest. "Through the stream of time we follow the circle, to complete the cycle." He stabbed himself as the other two drew their blades and killed themselves.
The rings glowed a final time releasing their magic into the stream of time and pushing five souls toward their next lives.
TBC...
1 Anthame is a ritual dagger its often used to cut the circle or to cut herbs not normaly used on flesh of anykind but makes a good sacrifical dagger.
