In the Endless Forest:
Deet could feel the dark power of the corrupted crystal pulsating through her, she could feel the Darkening eating away at her soul. It was an oddly cold sensation that had started in her fingertips and worked it's way up her arm and throughout her body. Deet looked down at her hands, the purple veins etched into her skin were glowing with ominous light. As the Darkening filled her, she was losing control of herself- she could feel her mind slipping away and her thoughts becoming clouded.
The Skeksis, she remembered the battle that had been only the day before and how she had used their own power against them. Brea and Rian had fought by her side. Rian...
His face flashed in her mind, she instinctively turned back from where she had came to see if he had followed her further. Deet was unsure how long ago it had been seince she saw him, time was distorted to her as she wandered in the woods. She saw nothing behind her until she looked at the forest floor, the trail she had walked was now a mirror of herself, dark and purple. The leaves had curled into themselves, flowers had withered and branches had been drawn own to block the path. She again looked at her hands and knew that this was a sign of death, yet she had little fear of the prospect. It was unclear whether this was the fault of the Darkening in her head or her desire to be returned to Thra. With the Darkening inside her she was connected in a deeper way with all of Thra, she would feel it withering under her feet. Not only could she feel it, it was like she was the one causing it, like she was part of the death of Thra.
Deet turned her attention to the sky, past the canopy of thick treetops, she could see the Rose Sun shining above her, but the warmth was too far to reach her icy skin. Further south lay the Dying Sun, practically directly in front of Deet, like it was her guide on her journey. She had no sense of direction and knew she was surely lost in the woods without Hup as her companion, it would be difficult for her to find her own way.
Deet pushed further into the dense trees, following the glimmer of the Dying Sun. I hope this is right, she heard a small voice in her head whisper. You only have chance.
Stone-in-the-Wood:
"The Skeksis are not of Thra," Gurjin looked down at the bodies of the once rulers of the crystal.
"What should we do with their bodies then?," Naia asked him.
"Skeksis are our enemy," Maudra Yre's hard gaze laid upon their crumpled leathery skin. "We shall show no mercy to them, just as they have shown no mercy to us."
The Skeksis' armor had been removed and taken to be repurposed for the Gelfling. Looking at them now, they looked nothing like the conquerors that they had presented themselves to be. Their bodies lay contorted in the dirt, unmoving and feeble, they were shells of their former power.
Maudra Yre considered Gurjin's words," This is a message to all. Skeksis are not immortals as they claim to be. We can defeat them, but we must listen to what Mother Aughra said, we must fight as one."
The Gelfing around her nodded, agreeing with the wise words of Mother Aughra.
"As the Drenchen said, Skeksis are not of Thra. We will burn them and have their smoke be a signal to the Crystal Palace that their reign has come to an end."
Rian was slightly surprised by the harshness in Maudra Yre's tone.
"Burn them?," Gurjin repeated.
"Yes. We will burn them, but it will not be made a spectacle. It shall be done in the woods. We must be swift, there is still much to do to prepare the army," Maudre Yre then turned to Rian. "Today is the first training of new recruits," she began walking with Rian at her side. "I need you to start combat lessons."
"Me? Why me?," Rian questioned.
"You are the face of this rebellion, Rian," Maudra Yre told him. "You give hope to the Gelfling that have volunteered, they have all heard tales of you slaying the Skeksis with the dual glaive. And with Arathim returning to the Grotton caves, we must rely on ourselves now."
"Maudra Yre, without the crystal shard, the dual glaive is nothing but a sword."
"Yes," she agreed," But a sword that is a symbol now. A symbol of the freedom we can obtain if we defeat the Skeksis. You were a solider at the castle, you've seen the Skeksis up close and spent time with them. From what I was told by Maudra Fara, you were the first to see the Skeksis kill the Gelfling."
Rian bowed his head at the memory of Mira being strapped into that chair. The cries as she pleaded with them to let her go and they all laughed.
"Her name was Mira."
"Mira, she was a Vapran?"
"Yes and a guard of the castle too."
Maudra Yre guided Rian into Stone-in-the-Wood hall," You must miss her terribly."
"I do. She was so fearless and always made me laugh... so much has happened since the Skeksis murdered her, it feels so long ago. I just know she would have fought by our side if she could have."
"I'm sure she was brave, Rian, just as you must be now," Maudra Yre placed a hand on his shoulder. "A great burden rides on you, Rian. and as your Maudra, I will be here to help you. Please call on me if you need anything."
"Thank you, Maudra Yre," Rian nodded.
"Please, go to the west wood, there is where the Spirton camp is, they are the clan I believe will need most help in training."
"Not the Grotton?"
"Yes, the Grotton will need a lot of guidance, but they are still adjusting to living on the land instead of underneath it. Give them a few days until they can walk without stumbling, then I'll let them hold a sword," she gave a small smile.
"Yes, Maudra Yre," Rian left the hall and went to retrieve his sword before heading towards the west wood.
Rian came across the Spriton camp, they had set up tents in a circle to surround a communal fire. Maudra Yre had offered them residence in Stone-in-the-Wood, but Maudra Mera had politely declined. The Spritons were probably the clan most in tune with the earth, many of them being farmers for generations, so they chose to stay with the soil.
"Rian, good to see you," Kylan greeted him with a smile.
"Kylan, good to see you too."
"Have you heard any word about Deet," Kylan avoided eye contact at the mention of Rian's dear friend.
"How did you know?"
"We all know what she did to Skeklach, she's like a superhero or something. It's nothing like I'd ever seen."
"Yes," Rian agreed, thinking about when Deet shoot the power of the Darkening out of her hand and across the battlefield. "I haven't heard anything."
"I hope she's alright."
"So do I," Rian sighed.
The flashback of Deet was just as mortifying as it had been to remember Mira. He was sure that when Deet was facing off against the Emperor that the purple lightening was killing her. He didn't want to go through losing such a dear friend, not after already losing the two most important Gelfing in his life, he couldn't to lose anyone else. Seeing Deet like that reminded him so much of Mira, the purple glow and the screams. Rian winced at the comparison.
"Maudra Mera said you'd be by, you must be here for training?," Kylan shook Rian from his thoughts.
"Ahh, yes."
"Well, we Spriton do know a thing or two about battle," Kylan escorted Rian into the camp. "Everyone believes us to be just farmers, but we do have to protect our lands from animals nearby that steal the crops. More so, as of late due to the Darkening, the animals have gotten more vicious and we have less and less growing."
"Yes, I remember how you came to find me in that Podling village," Rian chuckled.
"I did not wish to fight you then, I only wanted to help Naia free her brother."
"Not to mention you were given free fighting lessons just the other day." Rian had taught Kylan how to yield the weapon efficiently with the impending battle against the Skeksis and he had done well to protect himself. "Now look at us, all fighting side by side."
Kylan smiled," Side by side."
Kylan helped gather the Spriton and Rian took them to the training grounds on the south end of the village. Maudra Yre had provided weapons for the Spirton to use, even though some preferred their own brought from home. Rian covered basic movements and how to hold the weapon properly, lucky for him the Spriton did have a good grip on the basics. It had been a full morning, leading into afternoon when Rian gave them a break.
"Going so well you have time to sit, eh Rian?," Naia approached him with a smirk.
"Things are going well," he replied.
Naia sat beside him," So we have a chance you think?"
"Of course. With the seven clans reunited we have an army that out numbers Skeksis near fifty to one."
"I do like those odds," Naia's eyes shifted to the Spritons. "Are you being hard on Kylan?"
"No, should I be?"
"No," she turned back to Rian. "I just know he has a soft heart."
Rian looked towards Kylan who was demonstrating a slashing move with his sword to a fellow Spriton.
"I worry for him... for us all," Naia added quickly. "I fear none of us are truly prepared to fight the Skeksis."
"Why do you say that?"
"Rian," she scoffed as if the answer was obvious," You saw their power. Whatever it is Deet did, she saved us... but who is there to save Deet?"
Rian took in a deep breath, he had tried not to think about Deet- where she was and what she was doing. He could only hope she was safe.
"We can't ask her to do what she did again," Naia continued. "We need a way to defend ourselves from that power."
"You're right," Rian nodded. "But what power can defeat the crystal?"
"Maybe the crystal itself," Kylan entered the conversation.
"Kylan," Naia was surprised by his sudden approach.
"It would make sense," Rian thought out loud. "Nothing is more powerful than the Crystal of truth."
"But we don't have the power of the crystal," Naia mentioned.
"No... but maybe if we repair the crystal before battling the Skeksis, it will stop their power, making them easier to defeat."
"Brea took the shard with her to Ha'rar, she went to see if there was any solution to help Deet."
"Then we go get it," Naia stood up.
"I can't go," Rian looked between them," Maudra Yre has asked me to train the recruits."
The group was quiet for a few seconds before Kylan spoke," Well, we could go," he glanced over to Naia.
"Oh, well, yes. Yes, we should go," Naia stammered at first then cleared her throat.
"Are we sure this a good idea? Sneaking into the Skeksis castle is the exact opposite of our strategy."
"Rian, this is important. Any advantage we can get over the Skeksis we need to take it," Naia was determined.
"I agree," Kylan nodded.
"Then you should go, but come back soon, who knows when we will be called into battle. Safe travels to Ha'rar. But come back once you have the crystal."
In the Northern Mountains- Ha'rar:
Brea had buried herself in the library for the past 2 days, desperately searching for any clues about the Sanctuary Tree. The librarian did all he could to aide her in the search for answers, but all that she could find was more questions.
How could the library not have what she needed? Why was there such little information on the Sanctuary Tree? Was there anything else she could do to learn about the tree itself?
Brea slammed the book in front of her closed and sighed. Deet could be anywhere now, she might even be dead. Brea shivered at the dreary thought of losing her dear friend. No, there had to be something hidden away in these room of ancient books.
"Princess," the librarian called for her.
Brea lifted her head with hope that he had finally found something that could be of use to her. She saw that he carried an old dark black book in his hand as he carefully made his way to her through the piles of books.
"What have you found," she asked him eagerly, hoping for good news.
"This book details the history of all flora in Skarith. I had to do some digging, it was buried underneath the studies of a rare blue sogflower I've been researching as of late as a favor to...," the librarian stopped himself. "It had been a favor of the late All-Maudra."
"A book about flora?," Brea had felt let down by the discovery. Yes, the Sanctuary Tree would be considered flora, but now seeing the book up close it felt like a shot in the dark. The book was old, undoubtedly, characterized by it's worn leather and thick pages. It smelled damp and felt light in Brea's hands, the more she examined it the less optimistic she was it would be to helpful. The librarian had seemed proud of himself for makes the discover so Brea smiled politely.
"Thank you."
"Of course, Princess," he bowed his head and retreated through the maze of books.
It's barely even 200 pages, Brea thought sinking into her chair. She skimmed the book for mention of the Sanctuary Tree but as she had feared, it was like a ghost of the past. She closed the book with a heavy sigh but it was then that she noticed the encryption on the back. Etched into the dark leather were two small circles connected at the top by a single line. Brea ran her hand over the worn out mark, what was this symbol?
Curiosity crept further into Brea as she pulled another book from her pile and flipped it over to discover the same thing. Two small circles connected by a line was there again, carved into the casing of the book. Brea checked all the books she had read, with only a few of them not bearing the mark.
"Librarian!," she called out for his aide.
Only a few moment later, she heart him scuttering towards her, cursing himself after a small tumble.
"Yes, Princess?"
"This marking, what does it mean?"
The librarian took the book from her, his eyes dawned in realization.
"Oh yes," he said softly.
"What?," Brea leaned forward. "What does that mean?"
"This is the emblem of the Skekok, the Scroll Keeper."
"The Skeksis?," Brea asked, but she already knew the answer. "How could this book be his?"
"As you may know, Princess, the Skeksis library is vast and ongoing to this day. Skekok is a scholar himself, but he is not one to do research so every few hundred trine he comes and takes books from the library of Ha'rar to add to the his own library."
"Yes, he spoke of the library at the palace. But how do the these books end up back here with this symbol?"
"Skekok and Skekli transcribe the books and keep the originals for themselves, giving us back the copies they've made. The symbol is Skekok's glasses, what he believes to be his defining feature... besides his hair."
"Who is Skekli?"
"He is the Satirist for the Skeksis."
"I don't think I've ever met him," Brea thought back to all of her encounters with the Skeksis.
"It would not surprise me," the librarian laid the book back on the table. "He has spent almost my whole lifetime away from the castle. I believe last I heard he was traveling on the Silver Sea with Skeksa."
That's another Skeksis Brea had never heard of before, just how many of them were out there?
"Wait wait," she shook her head, trying to keep her thoughts organized. "The Skeksis would take the book and keep the originals while writing up new editions?"
"Yes," the librarian sighed. "I never thought it would be for any other reason besides wanting the original copy for themselves."
"But by rewriting everything, they could have left out pieces!"
"Yes," the librarian nodded. "It seems to make sense why now you have yet to find the answers you're looking for... but you must understand, we never questioned the lords of the crystal. It was an honor for them to want to keep the books we had written."
Brea wasn't listening to him, she was thinking of the library at the castle.
"They must have done this to stop us from knowing about the crystal," Brea cut off the librarian. "The information I need must be in the castle!"
"It is possible that what your looking for could be there."
Brea eyes widened," Even when we were loyal to the Skeksis, I was denied access to the library. It must be because they have secrets hidden away!"
"Princess, now is not the time for a trip the Crystal palace. We are at war with Skeksis and from my many trines with them, I know them to be persistent and stubborn to their own ways."
"But I need to know how to save my friend."
The librarian sighed," I understand it is hard to lose those you care for, Princess. But it is much more than just one Gelfling now, it is about us all."
The Crystal Palace:
The Emperor's eyes dazzled at the sight of the magnificent Garthim. Skektek had come through in stride making such glorious beasts that would serve his every whim and be the most crucial tool in defeating the Gelfling.
"They're shells are hard, sire," Skektek was showing off his creation. "Made to withstand the silly tools of the Gelfing and they can travel as fast as landstrider even when carrying double it's own weight. Garthim do not require nourishment of any kind and are completely reliant on the commands of Skeksis."
"They're perfect."
"Thank you, Emperor," Skektek bowed.
"How should we test them out," the Chamberlain entered the scientist's laboratory, clearly he had been eavesdropping outside.
"There are only 10 of them in creation," Skektek scowled at Chamberlain.
"That should be enough for puny Gelfling," crowed Skeksil.
"Except for the one," Skektek turned from the Emperor. "I am unable to test the powers of the Garthim from that Gelfling girl."
The Emperor growled at the mention of the Gelfling who had stolen his power and used it against him.
"It will be no matter, she will be destroyed! Chamberlain, have they called for Skeksa, Skekli, and Skekung?"
"Yes, sire. They should arrive soon."
"Good, we will need their knowledge of the Gelfling. Skeksa has spent many trine among them, as had Skekli."
"Disgusting," Skektek shuddered at the idea.
"The Chamberlain is right, Scientist," The Emporer turned his attention back to Skektek.
"Sire?"
"We need to test out these soldiers."
"But, Emperor, they need time to-..."
"NO!," the Emperor swung his arm and knocked over a set of glass vials on the Skektek's work table. "The Gelfling believe we can die and we must prove them wrong! Prove to them how they are inferior to us! We are the rulers of the crystal!"
"Mhhhhm, yes," Skeksil agreed.
"Of course," Skektek bowed to the emperor.
"We send them out at dusk," The Emperor declared," Tonight we will welcome our fellow Skeksis and feast on sweet essence."
Skektek faltered before saying," We have already drained all Gelfling in cages, Skekna the slave master, says there are no more."
"No more Gelfling," Chamberlain gasped.
"Then we must make haste," The Emperor announced. "Tonight we will send the Garthim ."
"Yes, Gelfing will be very unsuspecting of our new army," Chamberlain hummed to appease the Emperor.
"Hardly an army at this point," Skektek muttered.
"But with beasts so strong, it should be enough for feeble Gelfling," Skeksil didn't let the mumbled comment go unnoticed.
"Yes, but the Garthim have not been tested against the power of the Gelfling girl," Sketek mentioned. "She may be a key to destroying all that I have worked for."
"Then she will be our primary target," the Emperor began to brainstorm how to find her. "She was last at Stonewood clan, but she could have left by now."
"With only 10 Garthim, sire, I can send them all to Stonewood but if she isn't there, we can try again."
"Foolish," the Emperor snarled. "We must find her first, she is the priority."
"Perhaps Scientist can make a creature to span the whole of Thra in search of the Gelfling girl."
"Yes," Skekso agreed with the Chamberlain. "We need a spy to find where she is hiding."
"Yes, Emperor, it will be done," Skektek bowed as the Emperor and Chamberlain took their leave from his lab, as soon as they left he rolled his eyes. "Skeksil thinks it's so easy to just make a new life."
Skektek tinkered around the lab as the animals in cages all called out to him, he ignored their cries and began to work on the newest creation. A creature that would be able to cross Thra quickly and report back just as fast was a daunting task. Skektek has already gained favor of the Emperor with the Garthim, but they had yet to be used in battle. Skektek was confident in his creations and knew they would serve Skeksis well, now he had to do the same thing all over again.
Skektek conjured up the sketch of a small flying creature, one that would be able to go across Thra and somehow show the Skeksis exactly what they had seen. This idea he struggled with and paced the space of his lab in search of answers. He walked over to where the Dark Crystal was hanging in it's shaft and saw his own reflection of the shining surface. It was then the thought dawned at him and he began to work frantically to pull his new masterpiece together.