Not long afterwards, Carn is elected by the council to lead the gelfling delegation to the castle of the crystal. King Gawain sent a message with SkekVar requesting to speak with Emperor SkekSo, the reply was an affirmative. However the audience was one required the presence of his daughter and the current governor of the settlement.
With great reluctance they agreed. For the presence of the hostile creatures affected all and if they were to stand a chance against them, all the races must work together.
_
"You were right SkekSo…" SkekVar said as he entered the crystal chamber, "The gelflings are eager for our help. The humans took some convincing but they are willing to cooperate."
"Of course they are. Nothing is easier to manipulate than a cornered animal. Offer them the hand of friendship and they will do anything to save themselves. Even give up their freedom." Emperor SkekSo replied arrogantly.
"And that's when we crush them!" SkekVar closed his primary clawed hands eagerly.
The Emperor's lip curled, "But there's no need…" He threw his head back and raised his hands to the ceiling in near reverence, "…If we offer our protection to the weaker races, save them from these creatures, then they will serve us of their own free will. We will be the Masters of Thra and all the races will bow down before us."
"Wouldn't it be easier to just destroy the villages and enslave the survivors?" SkekVar protests.
"We could do that, yes." SkekSo pondered then his eyes gleamed with cold spite, "But this way they will enslave themselves and we won't have to lift a finger."
"And the creatures?" The General questioned, "What about them?"
"Let me worry about the creatures… Beasts like that have many uses."
_
Upon approaching the castle, King Gawain wasn't certain whether they'd be ambushed or lured into a trap, which was why he'd brought armed escort for his daughter and the others. However, he had future plan in mind should there be a chance of a more 'cordial' alliance.
There at the front gates was one of the vulture creatures – he had to keep remembering they were Skeksis- this one wearing gold robes and cold blue eyes greeted the new comers before leading them into the castle. He was the high-priest of their race, better known as the Ritual-Master, SkekZok. To be polite, they referred to him as your grace.
Once inside the got a good look at them. Aside from their close resemblance to predatory birds – except that they had four arms, sharp teeth, long tails and no wings. For all their strangeness, they were rather energetic and radiantly colored. Many of them wore robes or armor with elaborate, metallic crests and wielding fan-like display devices made from animal parts.
"Greetings! Most welcome you are."
"Thank you, SkekZok. And thank you, Emperor SkekSo."
King Gawain bowed once to the Emperor respectfully. "Indeed, many thanks. You honor our people by receiving our humble delegations."
"The honor is ours." SkekZok replied.
The King then introduced his daughter Irene, who trembled and bowed low. So far so good, none of them appeared to recognize her.
"Please accept this humble offering of fruit and grain from our bountiful lands, as thanks for your kind invitation." Carn praised.
"My people also come bearing gifts." King Gawain motioned for a few of the settlers to bring a chest, and open it to reveal an assortment of jewels and silk from their kingdom.
The Skeksis looked appreciatively at the food; on a closer look some of them were drooling. Their interest increased with the gifts offered to them.
Later they were guests at the banquet were the food was put to good use. The Skeksis table manners were quite frankly, horrid, yet neither gelflings nor humans said anything to be polite.
"Now… SkekVar says you're both considering our offer to help." The Emperor mentioned after finishing his meal.
"Yes."
"We have, Emperor." Carn concurred.
"And?"
"These are worry times Emperor, our lands are under threat from these unknown creatures. Only days ago the podling village of Noy…"
"Yes, Yes. We know this Gelfling."
"Many of my people fear the same would soon befall on our settlements." added King Gawain.
"And as keepers of the crystal, you must be aware of many things hidden from others."
"More than keepers… The Urskeks brought us here to be the new masters of the Crystal. They called us to this place and showed us secrets, secrets that will help the skeksis create a new golden age on Thra. All races together. All races protected by the power of the Crystal. The gelflings, humans and podlings will be the first in our new alliance. You'll be our most trusted friends and allies."
"We are honored, and with the guardians of the crystal as allies, surely the future of both races are assured."
"Indeed. To the alliance of the crystal! To the future!"
"The Crystal! The future!"
_
Raunip and Aughra would continue to search for the lost shard, spending more time within the catacombs and attempting to figure out which was the item that the sought to no avail. Unlike Aughra, who was single-mindfully on this sole task Raunip wished to reconnect with the Gelflings that he and his mother cared for time ago.
Just after the delegations returned from the castle allying themselves with the skeksis, Raunip ventured from his home, only to discover that the Gelflings and Podlings had forgotten them, and that strange beasts now prowled the lands destroying everything in their wake. To his shock and horror, Raunip learned that the Gelflings and the majority of the humans were associating themselves with the vain Skeksis, encouraging them to make weapons and go to war. His words of a peaceful outcome fell to deaf ear.
"My mother and the council are making a terrible mistake aren't they?" Thall, Carn's daughter, asked him.
"Yes."
"Do you think you can stop it?"
"I have to try."
"You don't trust the Skeksis anymore than the human princess Irene and her friend Curdie do you?"
"So they have enough good sense not to." Raunip wondered, "Then why have they not yet convinced the King?"
"They told me too many of their people fear war, yet they fear these strange creatures even more."
"As for answering your question: No, I do not. Have you ever seen a skolkek hunt krollwigs? The way they circle above them for hours? Waiting for the moment to strike? The skolkek watches its prey's every move. Eyes peeled for the first sign of weakness. Looking for an opportunity. It's the same look I see in the eyes of the skeksis."
_
The Skeksis have arrived. Four of them so far. Irene recognized at least three of them: SkekZok, SkekVar and SkekNa.
Curdie had been with the other human settlers on one of the posts when they came to the gelfling village. Now what were they going to do?
The experience in the castle had been full of tension for the young princess. She was afraid any moment the avian creatures would lash out at her or her father in retribution of some sort even as she made polite conversation with one that had been admiring the clothes offered.
Before her father reemerged with Carn and the Skeksis Emperor, Irene caught the eye of another one. Doing a double take, she recalled with a start that it was the same one that looked right at her when she called out SilSol's name on the day of the conjunction.
The green eyed Skeksis made eye contact whimpering calculatingly with a cold smile before disappearing into the shadows but did nothing else.
Now here she was, trying to speak to her father and to Carn.
"Maybe we should try talking to the other creatures the ones that helped us when the earth shook."
"Yet you yourselves said no one has seen them since the day of the conjunction." Carn protested gently.
Irene turned to her father, "But if one of them did want to talk, you would listen to him, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would. But it is not that simple."
Nothing is simple any more.
_
That same evening, Irene and Curdie were stealing a few moments alone wonder what they should do when they heard voices.
"Gelfling. Bah. We should wipe them and those meddling humans out now while their guard is down, no matter what SkekSo says."
"They have their uses SkekZok. Look at this food. This drink. Ours for the taking and we didn't have to lift a finger."
"That's their General SkekVar and SkekZok the high Priest!" Irene whispers to Curdie.
They kept quiet to listen in.
"And the creatures we promised to destroy?" SkekZok inquired.
"They are of no concern. With the weapons these gelflings have made for us, we will easily destroy these monsters they're so worried about."
"So you say."
"You dare question me?"
"Of course not." The ritual master put up his hands in defense.
"We are skeksis. Do you think a herd of mindless beasts is a challenge to us?"
"As you say, but what of the other creatures?"
"Other creatures?"
"Those horrible creatures we saw the day we arrived here. The lumbering beasts with the black eyes. We haven't seen them since that day, have we? And that's what worries me. Where have they been? And what have those disgusting things been up to?"
They heard enough, it's time to go to the King and the others about this. But one wrong movement made enough noise for the two overgrown buzzards to turn and catch a glimpse.
Alarmed the teenagers turned a corner outside but as they edged away, something strong grabbed their arms and covered their mouths to keep them from screaming!
_
In the forest where Raunip and Thall had wandered into they were talking about the Skeksis and what they thought about them, they'd considered going to the humans when…
"No. We can't."
"Why not?"
"Because we're being hunted."
"In the bushes, straight ahead."
Could it be one of the monsters? Adrenaline pumping, they picked whatever they could for a weapon bracing for a fight if need be. On the count of three, they and whatever it was leapt out and yelled.
"Yaaaahhhh!"
"It's you!" Both Curdie and Raunip exclaimed to the other at the same time in surprise.
While they explained what each of them were doing out in the forest, Irene shivered remembering what the Skeksis had said after catching her and Curdie red-handed over hearing their conversation…
_
SkekNa had suggested doing away with them for spying. But SkekZok signaled 'No'.
"You would be wise to forget what you've just heard." The ritual Master glared down at them, "Should one word of this get out…
_
"Listen to me." Curdie was saying, "The settlers have agreed to join the skeksis in planning to attack the creatures and these other beings they mentioned…"
"Maybe it's not too late to stop this."
A twig snapped. They all tensed up.
"It's one of those terrible creatures isn't it? The ones everyone is so afraid of." Thall trembled.
"Come out whoever you are!" Raunip demanded. "Show yourself!"
To their great relief, it was neither a skeksis nor the hostile creatures instead it was one of the peaceful warm vanilla colored creatures that had stopped the Earth crack.
"Now is the time you must come with me."
Confused, they followed the gentle being through the bush down a path into a desert like area before reaching a circular valley. In it, they see what had become of the yellowish beings: they set up the caves as their home, much like the skeksis, each one had an occupation regarding their abilities.
"It's you, the other ones." Raunip gasped.
"Who are they?" Thall inquired.
"We saw them the day the Skeksis appeared." Curdie answered.
"They call themselves the UrRu, but I call them the Mystics…" someone said in podling.
"Kotha!"
"You're alive!"
"Raunip! It is good to see you again old friend." The little podling greeted him with a warm hug then bowed to the two humans, "And greetings to you, Human princess Irene, Friend Curdie."
"I thought you were lost to us forever." Raunip confessed to him in the podling tongue.
"When we heard the village of Noy had been attacked we all feared the worst." Curdie explained.
"Not lost. Saved. By the UrRu." Kotha replied brightly in his native tongue, "The one they call the wanderer – UrGoh – found me in the rubble of my village and brought me here to be healed. Without them, I truly would've been lost. I just they could've done the same for those who lost their life force that day."
"What is he saying?" asked Thall.
"These creatures – the Mystics – saved him when his village was attacked." explained Raunip.
"Of course!" Curdie brightened in understanding. "Thank you all."
"And for saving our lives the day the Earth shook." Irene hugged one of the Mystics.
The gentle creature was mildly surprised yet made no effort to move away. "You are welcome."
"His home was attacked by the same monsters my people are getting ready to fight?" Thall questioned, "Do you think they can help us?"
"I don't know…" Raunip surmised. Maybe if we…"
"No." One of the Mystics said somberly.
"But… I don't understand they won't help us?"
"We are beings of peace, not war. We are lost in this strange land as you are, restless spirit." One gently said to Raunip. "And while we wish no ill on the young ones and their people, a field of conflict and death is not our place."
"Even if it means doing nothing means many spirits will be lost?"
"Is it our place to decide which notes belong in the great song of life? Which sounds are sweet and sour? No one should have to carry that burden. Not even you."
I just can't let something terrible happen."
"Terrible things happen every time the Sun appears over the horizon. Do you truly believe it is your duty to stop them all?"
"Not all… but I have to try and stop this."
"Oh please sir, even if you will not take part fighting... you have to come with me and talk to my father."
_
Graciously, the UrRu welcomed the weary four to spend the rest of the night in the valley.
The sun was rising over the horizon when Raunip's voice calling out their names wake them up.
Just then Irene looked over their shoulders and saw something. Something that inevitably made her scream.
To be continued…
