Lightning

[Continuing the theme of my Epic Fantasy, ‘The Daighacaer’ ("Day-gar-care"); Extract from Book I, Escape from Mount Vilipend]

The intensity of a lightning strike and the sharp brightness it exudes can burn one’s eyes if the strike is near enough.  We all know this and take care when lightning is about.  What would you think though, if the lightning which struck was black? 

Black lightning is one of the anomalies I’ve included in my story which, after all, is set in Faeré so anything is possible.  The Lighte and The Darke are opposing Deities in Faeré.  The Darke is intent on destroying The Lighte, while The Lighte’s mission is to save Faeré from evanescence.  Both Deities use lightning as weapons.  In the previous post on Karma, I made mention of the White Lightning of The Lighte, this segment expands on that a little and introduces the Black Lightning of The Darke.

Just prior to this segment, Caliginor who was still drugged from his recent feed, had killed and eaten his Head Scout because he hadn’t answered Caliginor’s questions satisfactorily.  This segment reflects on the reason the Head Scout had been so terrified that he’d not been able to get his words out quickly enough.

“It was then that the Head Scout saw it.

A single blinding white flash blazed purposefully across the black, storm-turbulent skies. 

Source: Nasa

The incident took a merest instant before the flash disappeared as quickly as it had manifested itself.  A bright white flash, although an unknown anomaly within this darkest of all dark places, was not of significant concern.  However, as a second flash appeared and then a third, all of Caliginor’s grolls and minions who happened to be outside Mount Vilipend, panicked and scrambled for cover, any cover, as long as they felt they were hidden from the incomprehensible spectacle which they were witnessing above them in the skies surrounding Mount Vilipend.  It was a battle such as they had never seen before and it terrified them. 

A battle it was indeed; a strange, mysterious, fear-striking, panic-instilling battle. 

The severe and continuous storm which spun in perpetual motion around Vilipend grew in intensity until, as the Head Scout was to witness, that first white flash appeared. 

Caliginor’s permanent protective storm comprised sentient elements whose sole duty it was to guard Caliginor and Mount Vilipend.  These elements were concentrated, to a large degree, within the Black Lightning of The Darke and, to a lesser degree, in the enormous black container clouds of frozen rain and black snow.

The scout didn’t wait to witness what was most unquestionably a terrifying, yet at the same time, a strangely impressive spectacle.  He didn’t see the Black Lightning of The Darke pirouette and twine itself around the body of the intruder with a grace which was quite out of place in the violent storm-filled surroundings.  He didn’t see one sinuous streak of White Lightning of The Lighte extract itself elegantly yet forcefully from its captor. 

The scout also didn’t wait to watch the battle, which raged between black and white; dark and light; The Darke and The Lighte.  He knew only that he needed to warn his Darkenighte of the danger because, for some reason he couldn’t quite fathom, The Darkenighte had not yet risen to quell the intrusion.

It was this battle that the scout was trying so desperately to convey to Caliginor. 

So it was that Caliginor, Darkenighte of The Nighte, Overseer of the mortal Realm of Faeré for The Darke itself, remained oblivious to the build-up of The Lighte within his Realm.”