TBC: Chapter Thirty-Four

The melody of exotic birds filled the air early the next morning as Malik, Gyan, and Jarek walked the stone path back to the palace from their visitor chambers. Blossoms released from tree branches and glided with the breeze as chiming tree ornaments continued their song and dance throughout the city.

"It is hard to imagine any type of war could occur while being in the presence of this place," Jarek said as he gazed at the surroundings. "It is so peaceful and beautiful."

"It is said that the Inala, who show little emotion socially, express their truest emotion through the design of their outer world," Malik responded.

"Then they must feel amazing inside," said Gyan. "If the Mystic Woodlands are anything similar, it must have been difficult for you to leave your land, Sir Malik."

"It was indeed," said Malik quietly.

Ayuvana, who was now dressed in a light blue flowing gown and adorned with similar jewels as the day before, stood next to Nafín to greet the three at the entrance of the palace.

"Where will you go now?" Ayuvana asked.

"North," said Malik. "I wish to visit the ruins of Amedia, and then we will check with the Order for any updates."

"We will be in touch soon—of this I am certain, Mysteis," Ayuvana said gently. She turned to Jarek. "The touch of fire lingers in your shadow, warrior. Use your gift wisely."

Jarek raised his eyebrows. "I don't know what that means, milady, but thank you."

The corners of Ayuvana's mouth twitched. "You will soon enough." She turned to Gyan. "Your future is difficult to predict, Master Gyan. Some claim that this is a curse rather than a blessing, for one who is open to all desires can become lost unless strength of heart leads. And yet, I have seen your heart, which is full of love—the greatest strength of all."

Gyan blushed and looked away. "Thank you," he muttered.

Jarek snorted. He nudged Gyan with his elbow. "I have fire and you have love."

"Don't start," Gyan mumbled as he reddened more.

Ayuvana glanced at Malik. "You also have the greatest star wizard who has ever lived by your side, so my belief remains that you will not falter in your quest." She placed her hand vertically against her forehead as she had the day before. "You each have the blessings and support of the Inala."

"What did Lady Ayuvana mean when she said that Akila means to take revenge against you, Sir Malik?" Gyan asked as Malik steered the Xita-8 away from Lumania and toward the Mystic Woodlands.

"She meant that Akila is not interested in Mordán's desires and is only assisting him as a way to weaken the Order, so he doesn't interfere in her attempt to kill me."

"She wishes to kill you in revenge for killing her father?" Jarek asked.

"Yes," said Malik. "I suspect this is the reason she has hidden from me for all these years. She must have found out somehow that I was the one that killed him."

"She has no chance," Jarek said in certainty. "I mean—you might be crazy, but you're brilliantly powerful."

Malik chuckled. "I hope you are right, Master Jarek, on both counts."

"Where are we going specifically, Sir?" Gyan asked.

"At first we will visit what is left of Amedia—my city. I wish to do one last search for any documents Nemerus may have left behind," Malik answered. "Then we will fly to the Three Songs."

"The place where the Black Crystal River meets up with the Glen and Uthandrial Rivers?" Gyan asked.

"I have heard of that place," Jarek said. "It's in children's stories."

"That is the place," Malik stated. "The water there has a rejuvenating effect due to the heightened vibrations that surge through the surrounding air and land."

Gyan peered at Malik curiously. "Are you ill, Sir Malik?"

"I am merely in need of a boost of energy, Master Gyan, and the Three Songs is the perfect place to get some."

"The easiest path to Amedia is through Tinsea Glen," Malik said as he lowered the Xita-8a short time later. "I cannot land in Amedia because there are still enchantments that linger in the city and interfere with the ship's instruments. Fane would be displeased if his data-detecting creations were scrambled. You two take the lumrays north. I will teleport and begin my search."

"Who should we expect to meet along our path?" Gyan asked.

"No one," Malik answered.

"No one?" Jarek repeated in surprise. "I thought the Glisayas inhabited Tinsea?"

"Not since the war," Malik responded. "There have been none living in the glen since."

Jarek and Gyan, both frowning and quiet, guided the lumrays from the lower compartment of the ship.

"Reach for me telepathically when you arrive, and I will meet you at the city entrance on the south side," Malik said as Jarek and Gyan straddled their bikes.

The two nodded and shielded their eyes as Malik disappeared into starlight.

Jarek's and Gyan's moods remained somber as they traveled through Tinsea Glen. Although new trees and vines draped with yellow and white blossoms had spread throughout the glen since the war, the destruction of the former fairy realm was still apparent. Dead trees and rubble were all that remained throughout much of the land. Remnants of wooden homes lay scattered beneath overgrown vines and flowers.

As a child, Gyan had only heard tales of the fairy people and their way of life. It saddened him to think about the entire race being destroyed.

So, the elder masters were children when the Elsarian Wars occurred? Jarek asked Gyan as the two sped side by side on a wide path through the glen.

I think some were, but some were not yet born, Gyan replied. It's hard to tell the age of warriors since we generally live longer than other Elsarians.

Jarek nodded. So, the Pandians, Mysteis, and the Glisayas were all wiped out?

Yes, said Gyan. The Pandians were mostly destroyed by a plague that spread through the Coven Mountains. Adventus and his sister migrated to the Mystic Woodlands. Then, Adventus went to Solara after his sister died.

And, now the elder masters are concerned that a similar war will break out. Jarek's tone took on a strong note of conviction. But, not this time. If this is what Mordán is leading up too, then we have to make sure it never happens. He gave Gyan a fierce look. Okay, Gyan?

I'm in absolute agree—Gyan did a double take as he noticed Jarek's eyes. Colors of violet, blue, orange, and yellow were swirled along the red halo in Jarek's gaze in a continuous flowing pattern.

Gyan brought his lumray abruptly to a stop. "Jarek, are you okay? Your eyes…"

"What about them?" Jarek asked as he slowed to a stop. He blinked several times. "They don't hurt."

Gyan rolled his bike closer to Jarek. He leaned over so that he was just inches away from Jarek's face.

"Back off." Jarek teasingly pushed Gyan away. "I don't like you like that."

"Whatever," Gyan replied as he pushed Jarek's arms down and leaned back. "Your eyes went all weird, that's all. Now, they're the same stupid color again."

Jarek smiled and held up the back of his hand to Gyan's forehead. "You feelin' all right?"

Gyan knocked his hand away. He stared at Jarek, still unconvinced. "Might have been a reflection of light."

Jarek shook his head teasingly, and the two continued on the path.

Gyan reported their location to Malik after he and Jarek reached the southeastern edge of the Mystic Woodlands. Both slowed the lumrays to a stop again, taking in the majestic appearance of the forest.

The tallest trees Gyan had ever seen, except for the palace tree in Lumania, loomed before them—well over 400 feet high. The white trunks of the trees were laced with glowing blue streams of light that wound around the tree and stretched across the branches. The light outlined enormous green, silver, and orange tree leaves that swayed lazily in the breeze. The surrounding forest grounds were smothered in glowing blue, silver, and gold gems.

Jarek gave a small laugh of surprise. "Do you hear it, Gyan?"

"Yes," Gyan said. "Through the trees…"

"It is the melody of the trees," Malik said from behind the two. "They sing here, just as the birds do."

"Why haven't the Vaznaun tried to take these lands?" Gyan asked Malik. "I know the climate here is warmer than their preference, but if the lands have been uninhabited since the wars, you would think they would try and move from Kraundor to here rather than taking land from citizens in the outer regions of Androsa."

"The Vaznaun—in this place?" Jarek said. He shook his head as if Vaznaun living within the beauty of the woodlands was too contrasting to imagine. "No way."

"The spells of the lands drive away those living in lower vibrational states," Malik answered. "Besides, Mordán fears the Inala, although he would never admit it. He knows Lady Ayuvana would not allow the Vaznaun into Eltia. Until now, Mordán has respected the bounds and requests of each kingdom."

Gyan nodded. "This place is too beautiful anyway. It should be left as the haven it is."

Malik looked around at the large trees, a look of longing in his eyes. "It is even more beautiful at night. The gems that cover the forest glow even brighter than now when the moons of Elsaria peak." He gazed deeper into the forest, becoming lost in his thought.

Several minutes passed in silence.

"Sir?" Jarek finally asked.

Malik looked at the two blankly. "Ah yes, forgot about you two—back to the task at hand."

Jarek raised his eyebrows and Gyan smiled. This wasn't the first time Malik had spaced out in front of them.

Malik told the warriors of the places he wished them to search in Amedia and how to get there before disappearing again. Jarek and Gyan parked the lumrays and began to make their way through the ruins of the city.

The city seems like it would have been similar to Lumania, Jarek told Gyan as the two maneuvered through the building rubble. I wonder why the Inala don't clean it up.

Maybe the magic prevents any alteration, Gyan responded. Or maybe they wish others to stay away so the area remains untainted.

He approached the remnants of a large stone building. He bent over a stone block and wiped away layers of dirt to reveal a gold sign. Looks like this might have been some kind of library.

Jarek gazed at the demolished city. At least Mordán doesn't have an army as powerful as the star wizards were.

Yeah, but he has one on his side, said Gyan. And if he finds a way to use Akila's power to strengthen his army, he will be harder to defeat.

Right. Jarek nodded as he approached what was once a temple of marble and gray stone. What exactly is Malik looking for anyway?

Any buried documents that survived the fires, Gyan answered. Especially anything that looks like old spell books or scripts. I overheard him mention one book in particular to Priestess Ayuvana entitled, The Silent Scripts. It is supposed to contain secrets of dark magic that the Order knows nothing of.

Yeah, but that was long ago. We're not going to find it now.

Well, if Akila has been here recently, she may have left a clue. It will help if we invoke Relasu to see past the building structures.

Jarek nodded and the two used Relasu to search beneath the surrounding rubble for several hours before Malik appeared before them.

"Anything?" Malik asked.

Jarek and Gyan shook their heads.

"I didn't find anything either," Malik stated. "If Akila found anything, she has either destroyed it or hidden it someplace within the forest. It would take me days to search for magic within the forest and that is time I cannot spare."

"She wouldn't have it with her?" Gyan questioned.

Malik shook his head. "Ancient books regarding magic or the history of our people were bound to our lands through enchantment. Any attempted removal would have resulted in one's immediate death once they stepped outside the borders. Copying a book and taking it beyond the borders would produce the same results. The spell binds to the one who carries the object." He scanned the surrounding ruins again. "Even one as powerful as Nemerus would not be able to undo such a strong enchantment."

"This explains why Master Valora always had difficulty finding information on the Mysteis when she was younger," Gyan said.

Malik nodded.

"Maybe Nemerus wasn't the one to carry the books outside the borders," Gyan stated.

"You mean he may have sacrificed someone else's life to smuggle the book out by forcing or bribing them to carry it?" Jarek asked.

Gyan nodded.

"Hmmm," Malik voiced. "That is something to consider and certainly something Nemerus would do. However, the pages of the book would have still disintegrated instantly if one stepped beyond the woodlands."

"Is the enchantment that causes the person to die the same one that causes the book to disintegrate?" Gyan asked. "And, if so, is it possible for Nemerus to have countered the spell for the destruction of the book, but not the spell that caused the person carrying it to die?"

Malik remained quiet for several moments as he stared at the ground. "It was two different enchantments for each," he muttered under his breath. He began pacing and muttering as he normally did when he was in deep thought. "Now…to recall the spell…"

He's doing his crazy again, Jarek said to Gyan, who smiled in response.

"What did you say, Sir Malik?" Jarek said loudly with a smile.

Malik either ignored Jarek's question or failed to hear it as he continued to pace.

Just give him a few minutes, Gyan said.

Jarek sighed and dropped to sit on a stone remnant nearby.

"I have it," Malik said aloud minutes later, his finger pointed in the air. "To answer your question, Master Gyan, Nemerus could very well have cast a protective enchantment over a book before it burned completely, which means that Akila may have access to limited information in the scripts. However, we are still in danger of her having a portion. For a witch of her intellect and power, that will be all she needs to gather any missing pieces."

He gave a nod of satisfaction. "For now, we will go with that theory. Good work. Return to the ship. I will meet you there."

Gyan and Jarek nodded and departed on the lumrays back to the Xita-8 as Malik disappeared into starlight.