For an instant, as his eyes opened, they glowed silver; a moment later they returned to a deep black. His gaze traveled over the wide horizon visible from the high place where he stood now. The Cathedral of Ages was only accessible to climbers and flyers, and few of either remained yet visible to the common man. Still fewer cared to visit the ancient places, remaining in their own private haunts after the beginning of the unrest among the world of men.
Touching the hilt of the sword on his back gently, the youth thought back to his reason for coming to the deserted high place.
-- Flashback --
He was sitting in the midst of a meadow full of flowers. Mountains rose on all sides, but that did not bother Son of the Dragon. Mountains were not unconquerable to one such as himself. The sky remained a clear and cloudless blue, the fragrance of the flowers rose on the breeze. He closed his eyes and basked in the momentary calm, the heat of the sun beating down on his face.
When he opened his eyes, he was not alone. There she stood. She beckoned to him, bidding him draw nearer. And he did so, warily, but doing as he was bidden. Finally he stood in front of her with his gaze questioning, wondering what she desired.
Her hair blew in the breeze, long dark strands, the color of the midnight sky. Her face clear complexioned, eyes dark and slanted. Mere moments she stood there floating above the ground, allowing him to study her. Then she spoke, the words coming forth clear and strong. Song of the Warrior sang throughout her voice.
"Go to the Dome of the High Ones, you who seek to bring forth justice. There to wait until you receive the sign of the Holy One, the Most Revered One. Seek there the Sword, Justice Incarnate, the judging one. Go now, Son of the Dragon."
He bowed then, recognizing her as a higher being, a spirit messenger of the High Ones; and at his salute she faded away from his vision. Her words still playing on the wind: "Go to the Dome of the High Ones..."
And so he had departed, and so he had come to this place; the Dome of Ancient Times, built of the High Ones.
-- End Flashback --
Now as he stood upon the cliff's edge, he wondered again at the instructions. "Seek there the Sword…" What could it possibly mean? The Cathedral had stood here for millennia and nowhere in that time had any weapon been forged inside its hallowed walls. The gods themselves had forbidden it. And even if such a thing had happened, any weapon would long ago have been removed: The Cathedral consisted only of open rooms, situated above several hundred feet of solid stone. Nowhere in the ancient lays was anything spoken of tunnels or chambers beneath. With the holy place, all things were in the open.
Still, I will do as I have been sent to do: Wait. The warrior stepped back into the shadows of the ruin and disappeared.
Far away another warrior began to grasp his destiny. For a long moment he stood gazing at the object that lay in the center of it all. The artifact flickered along the whole of its length as though made of fire, whilst throughout it the shadows swirled. Awestruck, the fey calmed himself and took care to study the wards that surrounded the sword. Of an extreme age, they radiated a pure power that no one in this day and age wielded; At least, not to Duo's knowledge.
"No wonder this has stayed here for the past millenia. They couldn't get to it through the wards. Pretty straightforward if you know what to look for though."
Slowly the Shadow Fey began to weave his own magic, incorperating fire and shadow into the weaving of the wards, using it as one would use a key in the lock of a house. Even more carefully he began to twist the magic, seeking to release the bonds that kept him from his objective.
And the fire spoke of the dancing flames...
The magic flowed through him, surging into the wards as he cautiously directed its course. A twist here, a slight change there; A humming noise began in the background of his mind, almost as if some invisible musician had begun to play.
...The shadows told of the dark immortal...
He added a touch of shadows now, letting it grow stronger into the weave of the spell. Soothing darkness danced within the fire, matching step and springing in and out of the holes left by its partners. The sound within began a duet.
... And the earth, resounding with the music of the age, sang of gods incarnate.
A touch of earth, the steady feeling that kept the magic grounded, was added to the mix. It flowed in smoothly beneath its pirouetting partners, complementing their grace in a more land bound display. The song rose higher now.
Sing of the swords!
The tower glowed ever brighter, and then the sudden sound of stone shattering. Crystaline shards fell to the ground, and the Shadow Fire burned strong in the hand of its wielder. Duo smiled and raised the sword aloft while a pathway opened beneath him, straight through the center of the tower to the earth below. Without a sound he fell through the floor; five stories straight down.
Dawn broke over the forest, and she stirred uneasily in her sleep. The wards had kept away all physical harm, but could not dissuade the horrors of the dreamworld from making their presence known. Demons ran unchecked in her dreams, familiar faces most of them. With a start, Midii awakened and stared wildly about her. A jaybird stared down in surprise from his perch in a tree at the sudden stirring.
Seeing nothing amiss in the clearing, Midii took the time to stand and stretch. Her joints cracked and muscles protested the movements, but in mere moments they loosened up to allow her freedom of movement. Wearily she gazed again at the perimeter of the clearing, noting the absence of wildlife excepting birds.
"It must have been part of the spell. Warm-blooded creatures on two legs or four."
Stooping, she picked up her belongings, and then chanted the words to release the spell. "Wall of force blocking life, dissipate and cause no strife."
The wards disappeared, leaving behind no trace of the prohibitive magics that had guarded the spy during the night. Midii strode off into trees, her destination a small villa within a short distance. There she could retrieve her horse and resume her journey. Perhaps also obtain some further supplies. The haste of exit had not allowed for any ease of stockpiling.
A few hours of traveling brought her out into the peaceful valley that she sought. Several horses grazed in the long grass that grew there, none of them paying any attention to the arrival of the half-elf. Midii made her way down beside a dappled gray, resting her hand on its flank. "Well, here I am again, Steel Boy. Bet you can't wait to get on the road again."
The horse in question snorted and raised his head, fire in his eyes as he looked at his mistress. She laughed and led him back towards the house. "I need to settle things with the landlord and then we'll go."
Hilderberg emerged from the house as the pair neared it. "Ah, Lady! Welcome to my humble abode. Have you come to take away my customer?" At the spy's answering nod, he gestured expansively with his arms. "Well Lady, I suppose I will allow you to take him away. He has been a most obliging customer, if I do say so myself. Never has he needed any extra care, keeping away from trouble with all diligence. Most delightful in a horse."
They reached the house then, and the man ducked inside to grab his ledger and returned, flipping through the pages to find the right entry. "Ah, here you are. Total price you be owing to this house is two hundred and fifty silver pieces." The half-elf nodded and absently counted out the price for the man, then turned aside to the barn to collect the rest of her tack. Hilderberg counted the money and put it away, marking the account as paid in the ledger. When he returned outdoors, the spy was gone.
The sorceress scowled as she lay across her bed. How in the world does Treize expect me to find this 'master of light', let alone keep him from fulfilling the prophecy? I'm not the god who set this thing in motion. A sigh escaped her lips as she considered her current project. Hopeless would be the way to describe it. However, he won't relent so easily. I should have kept my mouth shut.
Idly she played with the light and shadows in the room. Perhaps if he should miss a portion of his ascension ritual, but still think that he completed it? Or perhaps he can be distracted from his goals…
Shrugging her shoulders, Dorothy sat up and began to plot her course. She did live to serve her cousin, after all.
Heero stared at the country before him with something akin to awe. Of course, no one who saw him would have noticed it through the hard expression on his face, but it was still there. The Shadow Lord was used to the hard cold mountains from which his clan derived their living. Out here however, the hills rolled with life and warmth, and his earth-sense resounded with the call of the trees and plants. With the coolness of his icy heritage the young man denied to others what he felt within himself, however.
It had been long since the Shadow Lords had been called upon for any duty higher than hunting down the winter wolves that terrorized the lower villages during the winter months. That in and of itself was always an interesting proposition; wolves were themselves hunters, and stalking them was always a challenge.
Now however, the challenge was to read the mood of the people of this land, without allowing them to sense his purpose. His innate connection to the earth would hide him from most persons, and his cold demeanor would allow him to bluff his way through most confrontation that might arise. The elders wanted to know what was going on; they would know soon.
Stretching, Heero turned down towards the valley. The time of contemplation and enjoyment was at an end. Now it was time to move forward with the mission he had been assigned. His eyes hardened slightly, seeming almost to be made of ice themselves. Whatever was going on in this land wouldn't be hidden for long.
The hunter had arrived.
----
To those of you who have reviewed this story, my thanks. It is highly gratifying to know that someone is reading and had the courtesy to say so. I will try to keep things understandable as I progress in the storyline, and also ensure better readability. It still might be rough however, and I ask for your understanding as I continue. There is a plot that I am following and I may do some rewriting to ensure better quality. Also, if this chapter is any easier to read, let me know so that I can update the previous ones.
Trev
