CRYSTAL NIGHTS - pre-Valentine Special

Good morning

The real meaning of Valentine originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world. Valentine's Day. A Valentine's card, c. 1909. 

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,^[1] is celebrated annually on February 14.^[2] It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world. 

(Source: Wikipedia)

THE DAIGHACAER BOOK ONE CHAPTER 5 - THE WAIT

Good Monday morning

Daighacaer time again.

While I was rereading through the chapter before posting it here, I thought back to a few weeks ago when our family believed that two family members were missing. The anxiety, confusion about what to do or who to contact and the panic of not knowing what had become of them is echoed by the characters in this chapter. I can honestly relate to all the emotions they are experiencing.  

I enjoy rereading the individual chapters before I post them. It gives me an opportunity to do a further edit. I know that the whole story will probably need a final, thorough edit, but this gets the story to as good as I can get it initially.

 

THE DAIGHACAER BOOK ONE
THE POWER OF ONE
Chapter 5 - The Wait

 When Eryen did not return after more than seven hours from when he entered the Archaise, Jivdreg put aside his normal sloth and emphatically declared, “I’m going after him, Leb. This is ridiculous. He’s been closeted in there for hours and you know as well as I do that there’s neither food nor drink in there. Nothing. Not even water.”

Jivdreg’s pronouncement caught Malyran and Lebrowen off guard.

Jivdreg loved being with people, the more the merrier, and his optimism and delightful bubbly personality were irresistible. He was a weird and wonderful blend of carefree, light-hearted comic and wise, judicious philosopher. Always the optimist and always the first to look on the bright side of everything, Jivdreg was nevertheless solution-driven. It was simply that he seldom needed to switch his mind into resolution mode.

“I don’t think that you should Jiv, he said that he needed to be alone. We should respect that wish,” said Lebrowen.

Malyran and Lebrowen did not really spend enough time with Jivdreg to be prepared for his lightning forcefulness and direct initiative.

 “Oh, but I do! I most certainly do respect his every wish, Leb. However, think it through a little. He may not have been able to DO anything. He hasn’t been inside the Archaise for months if not years. I spend time there every week and each time I go through the detoxification, I feel like death itself. What if he’s been lying somewhere this whole time unable to move or even come back out again? Do you suggest that we just leave him in there to die and rot? No, my friend. I’m going after him.”

“Then we’ll both go. If he can’t walk, you’re not strong enough to carry him yourself” decided Lebrowen.

“Well thanks for that compliment, ‘My Friend’,” grinned Jivdreg, once again the comic. “Let’s go.”

“Excuse me! Where do you two think you’re going on your own?” asked Malyran.

The only time that Malyran had left the men was for half an hour after Eryen entered the Archaise. She was not sure whether Eryen thought to inform Jeala that he was going to be gone for most of the day. She needed to check on that.

When she rejoined Jivdreg and Lebrowen, she brought a welcome jug of juice with her. That was finished within the first hour. In their apprehension for Eryen, no one had left their self-imposed posts since that first hour and thirst was once again beginning to get them down.

“Malyran,” Lebrowen started guiltily. “I’m so very sorry, My Love.” He stretched to take her hand in his.

“My mind is sick with worry for Eryen but that was unfeeling of me. Even if I wanted to do this without you, I know how much Eryen means to you and to exclude you would be ridiculous in the extreme.”

“That’s alright, my dearest. I understand. However, and it’s very probable that I may think this through later and come to a different conclusion, but I accept your apology for now.”

Lebrowen gave her a smiling mock grimace as Jivdreg hooted with laughter. Lebrowen gave Malyran an exaggerated bow before telling Jivdreg to hurry up.

The banter between Malyran and Lebrowen was a relief.

The tension that held them all as tight as a drum for almost the whole morning was lessened a little and, smiling even in their concern, they made their way to the Archaise door.

The door would not open.

No matter what they tried.

The door just would not open.

Lebrowen stood on one side, with first Jivdreg and then Malyran on the other side. They changed places and moved positions to no avail.

The seal to the door was not going to open.

Concern transformed itself rapidly into real fear.

While Malyran went in search of Lorval, the Chief librarian, Jivdreg hurried to find someone to fetch his father, Jivdral, who might be able to assist them in their dilemma.

Lebrowen sped off to find Malmor, Principal Cleric and a close friend of them all.

No one wanted to leave their place at the door, but all knew that they would need some serious help to resolve the predicament in which they found themselves.

The King and Queene would certainly have to be told at some stage but, the friends decided, it was best not to worry their monarchs immediately. It would be better to rather first get the advice and expertise of those who would know what do to open the Archaise door.

An hour later and the now large group of people were no closer to opening the door.

All that Lorval, the librarian, could said was, “This is not supposed to happen. This cannot be happening. Why is this happening?”

Eventually Jivdreg’s limited patience ran out.

“If you have no solution, Lorval,” he said. “May I suggest that you retire to your rooms so that those of us who are actually trying to find a solution, may attempt to sort out our very real problem in peace?”

“There’s no need to be rude, young man,” said the senior man haughtily. “However, I will leave you now and try to discover by other means what the problem with the door is. Good Day!”

Lorval squared his shoulders and flounced away.

“Lorval was getting on my nerves too, but that was very rude, Jiv,” Malyran groaned aloud. “Rude, but effective.”

Malyran could not quite keep the laughter out of her voice and eyes although she did pull her mouth into a pout to prevent herself from smiling.

“Yes, indeed, Malyran, I agree with you – on all counts. That was not how you were brought up, Jivdreg. I do hope that you’re not in the habit of insulting our senior citizens?” said Rinaedra.

Jivdreg turned to greet his parents who were walking towards them. For all that his mother’s words sounded like a scolding, the smile which Rinaedra gave her son was of patient understanding.

“I’m really sorry, everyone. I know that I was rude, but Lorval was really only concentrating on the problem that we have and not on the solution. He was getting in the way and I couldn’t contain my irritation any longer.” Jivdreg raised his palms to his shoulders in a gesture of resignation.

Malmor, the Principal Cleric, who had arrived and was quietly standing on one side, appeared to be a little paler than Malyran remembered him to be. He did not seem to have noticed the interlude with Lorval. He seemed to be concentrating on something else entirely.

He was muttering something almost inaudible under his breath.

When he spoke into the disheartened silence which followed Jivdreg’s outburst, his words were quiet but distinct.

“The door has been sealed by The Lord Dayl and will not open to anyone at the moment. The Lord of Dayl is in consultation with Heir Prince Eryen.”

His face paled further and his features remained preoccupied.

He shook his head in disbelief.

“The Lord Dayl has said that The Lighte itself stands by as The Lord Dayl is in personal consultation with Eryen. That is unprecedented.”

Malmor was not sure whether he should carry on talking and for a long time he just stood looking at the door in bemusement.

No one said a word but they did not take their eyes off Malmor either.

Eventually he said, “The Lord Dayl has told me that the information which is being imparted to Eryen is of great consequence. It is, in effect, of a life or death nature and the Lord Dayl has decreed that all doors, including this outer door shall remain sealed until he himself releases them.”

The stunned expression on his face was echoed on the faces of everyone as they heard and digested the news.

Jivdreg unceremoniously sat down on the floor.

Lebrowen frowned in deep concentration and drew Malyran, who had gone very pale, closer to him, as if to protect her from he knew not what..

Jivdral and Rinaedra looked intently into each other’s faces, moved to clasp hands and then, as one, turned to look at Malmor once more.

Malmor continued, “The Lord Dayl has instructed me to inform you that we are all to leave the Archaise immediately.”

Frantic discussion erupted but everyone fell silent when Malmor held up his hand.

“We are to leave! All of us, and immediately! Lebrowen, Malyran and Jivdreg, you are to meet back here at the seventh hour of this evening. At that time, Eryen will return and you all need to be here to meet him. Lebrowen, you will need to assist in the opening of the sealed door. I know it is very unusual for someone coming out of the Archaise to need a counterpart to open the door, but then, this is no usual occurrence.”

 “True. We can’t argue that one, Malmor,” quipped Jivdreg. “But, that’s seven more hours. I hope that somehow the Lord Dayl manages to keep Eryen from dying of thirst, especially after what I know he must have gone through in the cleansing portals.”

Jivdreg smiled wryly at his weak attempt at levity.

He only stopped smiling when his mother kicked him soundly on the shin.

Lebrowen once again took the lead.

“Thank you so much, Malmor,” he said. “We were all getting a bit frantic. Lack of knowledge is more tortuous than just about anything, isn’t it?”

Lebrowen turned to Malyran and Jivdreg.

“Alright,” he said “We three will meet back here at a quarter to seven to assist Eryen in whatever he needs. Right now I, for one, would like to have something to eat and drink, and then I would like to try to rest for a while if I can. I am exhausted from doing nothing all day and very thirsty. We too have not had anything to eat or drink since early this morning if you care to remember?” He put his arm around Malyran and they started to move towards the door.

“Your jug and glasses, Malyran…” called Jivdreg. “Don’t worry, I’ll sort them out. Off you go and I’ll see you later.

“Thank you, Jiv,” said Malyran simply as she and Lebrowen continued walking. She was worried; deeply worried about what was happening today.

The group’s slow retreat from the Archaise, which included many backward glances, spoke volumes about the concern they all still felt about leaving their Heir Prince and friend sealed away in the Archaise.

Jivdral and Rinaedra made their way to apprise Eroyalen and Anoral of the situation.

The royals would need to be updated about the day’s events. Prior to joining the group at the Archaise earlier, they had briefed the royal couple on the little that they knew. They would now let their King and Queene know of the latest instructions from Malmor about what The Lord Dayl decreed.

Jivdreg went on his way to fulfil his offer to check in with Jeala and update her about what they now knew.

♦

At precisely seven o’clock, the Archaise’s vibrating chime sounded stridently through the passage.

Eryen’s three friends, who had all met up with one another long before they needed to, were on immediate alert. They jumped to their feet and almost fell over one another as they half-walked, half-ran the few intervening steps to the sealed door.

As they moved, Malyran bent and picked up the jugs of chilled fruit juice and water which she had brought with her because she instinctively felt that Eryen’s main need after fourteen hours in the Archaise would be for liquids.

Lebrowen moved to take his place on the side of the door ready to assist Eryen as he had been instructed by The Lord Dayl,. His heart was beating so loudly that he felt certain that it could be heard in the next room.

Jivdreg was shuffling from side to side and Malyran stood quite still holding the jugs in front of her like a shield.

The concern of the Heir Prince’s three friends was palpable.

As Lebrowen put his hand on the side panel of the door, the seal on the door released as smoothly as if it had never been sealed and Eryen strode out. The expression on his face was rapturous.

“My most treasured friends. How unbelievably happy I am to see you all. I seem to have had a bit of an adventure today,” he said, his features slipping into a self-deprecating grin.

Eryen did not look as if he had spent a full fourteen hours without food or drink. He was alert, his back was ramrod straight and there was a deep smouldering radiance about him.

Everyone started to speak at the same time, and to ask how he was.

At their voiced concerns for him, he nodded and led them to the divans and lowered himself into one. He gratefully accepted a glass of pomegranate juice. “I’m so glad that you’re all here,” he said. “There is so very much that I need to tell you.”

“Are you alright, Eryen?” Lebrowen felt rather than saw that what Eryen had experienced, although filling him with rapture, had also impacted deeply on his body, but more particularly on his mind.

“Thank you for your concern, Leb. I am a little weary, but nothing that a few hours of real sleep won’t sort out. Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about what has happened but for tonight we should all get some rest. I felt Jiv and Maly arrive early this morning to join you while I was still struggling with the first detoxification chamber. Have you been here the whole day?”

At Jivdreg’s automatic shake of his head, Eryen laughed. “Jiv, I know you well. In fact I know you better than you think I do. For a man who prefers to ‘lie down rather than to sit’, you get very bossy when urgent things need to be done. I’m willing to bet that you spent the day worrying, bossing and organising everyone in sight.”

Lebrowen’s smile and vigorous nodding punctuated Eryen’s observation. “Eryen’s got your full measure, my friend. That’s exactly what he was like, Eryen. He even emphatically told poor Lorval to go away and do something useful because he was becoming annoying.”

 “Jiv! You didn’t?”

“Yes, Eryen. He did,” said Malyran. “But in his defence it was necessary. It really was. Lorval was in such an agitated panic that his mind wasn’t functioning.”

“That doesn’t sound normal, Lorval is one of the most undemonstrative people I know,” said Eryen.

“I agree. I also thought so until this morning,” said Lebrowen. “However, as Maly defended Jiv, I must defend Lorval. He has never before been confronted by an Archaise door which absolutely would not open, no matter what any of us did. Moreover, you were inside. Still, he was driving us all to distraction with his pacing, sighing and loud proclamations about how what did happen should never have happened. He was making what we already knew was a difficult situation a whole lot worse.”

Malyran’s lips twitched ever so slightly. “Rinaedra did scold Jiv though, Eryen, so there’s no necessity for you to do so.”

“Me? Why in the world would I even think of ‘scolding’ Jiv as you put it, Maly? His manner with Lorval is unfortunate and he will definitely have to apologise to him tomorrow or sooner, I should imagine. However, I think that I understand his frustration and I’ve never found it necessary to interfere when Jiv moves to get things sorted out. That’s what I was saying earlier. He’s an organising genius when he puts his mind to it. Of course, he’s only a genius when he puts his mind to it.”

Jivdreg looked for all the realm as if he were pouting and he gave Eryen a look of utter dejection.

They all laughed at that and, with some of the pent up tension easing out of their bodies and minds, the friends began to relax a little.

“As I said,” continued Eryen, “I’ll tell you about what happened today when we meet again tomorrow. What I can tell you about my escapade is that I have been tasked with a huge responsibility. The Lord Dayl didn’t tell me what this responsibility is. All I know is that it is something vitally important to everyone. Important, not just for our Kingdom of Raeldysce but, apparently, life-threatening for the whole realm!”

“The whole realm? That’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?” Jivdreg shook his head at the thought. “I know The Lord Dayl sent word through Malmor that what you were busy with was a life and death situation. I just assumed that the situation was being played out in there,” said Jivdreg, pointing to the interior of the Archaise. “I thought it would be over when you came out.”

“That’s what I thought too, but apparently something is wrong and I have to sort it out. Don’t think you’re getting out of it though. There was a good reason why you all had to be here to meet me now. I don’t know where this is all going to lead us, but we have to all be together now so that I can officially inform you that you are all fundamentally essential to the success of my task, or quest, or duty – whatever you want to call it. From what I understand from The Lord Dayl, it’s us against them.”

“Who’s ‘Them’, Eryen?” asked Malyran.

“I don’t know entirely, although I do know that The Darke is somehow involved. It’s all part of what we have to find out, and what I have to deal with, I suppose,” said Eryen.

“The Darke? As in Caliginor, The Darkenighte?” asked Lebrowen.

“Possibly. Perhaps even higher up than him, to The Darke itself, Leb, although I really have no clear idea,” agreed Eryen.

“There is a whole barrel of trouble around at the moment,” he continued. “That unimaginable storm of this morning during my greeting of The Lady Dawne, is confirmation of that. From what I can gather, our particular involvement all comes down to principles and values and what we personally, as members together with everyone in the realm, have done with our lives up to now.”

“Oh great!” exclaimed Jivdreg. “Just what I need! What if our principles are so spineless and our values so indecisive that we haven’t done anything with our lives?”

Eryen looked at his friend for a long time before he answered. “The effort we have put into working has little to do with principles and values, Jiv. If it were merely our work or career that counted, I’m fairly certain that none of us would qualify to be here right now. Does that make sense?”

Lebrowen answered immediately. “That’s so true, Eryen. I’ve spent hours thinking about just that.”

“Really, Leb? The philosophy of which I’m speaking was instilled in my consciousness only recently,” said Eryen. “Very recently actually. As in when the Lord Dayl talked to me in the Archaise, for hours! It probably took him that long to get his directions through to my thick skull. If it all sounds overly philosophical, take comfort from the fact that it’s new to me too.”

Eryen chuckled and Jivdreg raised his eyes and eyebrows in mock horror. “Some comfort, Eryen. Thanks for that.”

Lebrowen too was deep in thought and Malyran’s face was puckered into a frown of concentration.

“Anyway,” said Eryen. “If the Lord Dayl believes something is that important that he himself has to commune directly with me, then I guess it would be safe to bet that, whatever it is, it must genuinely be the most important thing in the realm at the moment,”

The faces turned towards him still looked unconvinced.

Eryen could not blame them. It had taken him a good while before he had even begun to vaguely understand and accept the experience that he had gone through.

“If it’s something you have to do, Eryen, why do the three of us also have to be involved, and why us?” As usual Jivdreg cut to the heart of the matter.

“I didn’t ask, Jiv. It didn’t seem appropriate at the time,” said Eryen with a wry smile. “I was actually quite intimidated in there alone with the Lord Dayl.”

“I didn’t think anything was capable of intimidating you, Eryen,” said Malyran.

“This did. You have no idea, Maly, what it was like.” Eryen shivered as goose bumps appeared on his arms. “You really have no idea.”

He shook himself once more and continued. “Here are the Lord Dayl’s words exactly as he told them to me. After he had finished giving his instructions, he told me that I would be able to memorise his words. It was quite a process but it appears that I managed it.” He chuckled at the look on Jivdreg’s face. “Yes, Jiv, before you make some rude comment. I did memorise it word for word.”

Jivdreg threw up his hands in mock horror but said nothing.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” continued Eryen. “Here’s the part where The Lord Dayl started out saying that I am The Power of One. Yes, that Power of One from prophesy which we all know about. There’s more. You all need to be with me for that power to be in effect.”

Eryen did not miss the incredulous looks that passed among his friends at his mention of being The Power of One. He understood. He would have had the same reaction if he were presented with that information. He chose to ignore the looks and continued.

“I hope it helps to hear his words directly from him so to speak. The Lord Dayl’s speech is strange. It’s sort of archaic but not really. Any­way, it’s easily understandable. Here’s what he said:

‘Know too that there are others who will be the muscle and the vigour to thee as thou journeyest through the labyrinths which thou must needs traverse. Of these companions are three who knowest thee from before. These companions will begin at thy journey’s start with thee. Their lives art linked unto thy life for all time’.”

“Does that make understanding the whole thing any easier?” asked Eryen.

At the shake of Jivdreg’s head, everyone smiled. “Not much, Eryen, in all honesty. But, if I understand correctly, it seems more as if wherever you’re going on this ‘journey’, we are going too. Not that we are simply going to be with you as you start your quest or whatever it is but that we will be going with you,” said Jivdreg.

“I didn’t honestly think that explaining it would help, but I was hoping one of you would understand better than I do,” said Eryen.

“I agree with Jiv,” said Malyran. “Where you go, we will be going too, Eryen.”

“It certainly seems that way to me too,” nodded Lebrowen distractedly. His mind was definitely elsewhere.

“Thanks, Eryen,” said Jivdreg. “You’ve succeeded in doing something which hasn’t been done in years; you’ve confused me. Despite what you said about the language not being hard to understand, I do find The Lord Dayl’s language difficult. Oh well! Who am I to argue? You want me to be with you, you’ve got me with you wherever you go, for whatever that’s worth.”

Jivdreg was still looking quizzically at Eryen.

“What I can’t understand though is that our names aren’t men­tioned, Eryen,” he continued. “If we are to go where you go as it certainly looks that way, how do we know that these companions are actually us?”

“I’m not sure,” said Eryen. “But now that you mention it, for me, somehow your being here seems to be the proof we need that you are to be my companions.”

Lebrowen’s concentration returned to the present and he looked thoughtful for a moment before he said, “Malmor told us, Jiv. He specifically told us that only we three were permitted to be here when Eryen returned. That’s what I was thinking about just now. For me that’s the link. That’s the confirmation that it is indeed we who are Eryen’s companions in this. In fact, when you think about it, we’ve now had three sepa­rate incidences which, when put together, provide quite an indis­putable substantiation of the fact.”

“Where do you get ‘three’ from Leb?” asked Jivdreg. “I count only two.”

“Yldryf called to us, Jiv and we responded. I don’t know about you but I have never experienced such an urgent yldryf calling before,” said Lebrowen.

“And I felt your need, Leb and knew that I had to be with you,” said Malyran.

“I suppose I have to admit that you’re right. I’ve never before experienced any ‘yldryf calling’ at all, Leb,” shrugged Jivdreg. “In fact I quite vigorously fought against it until it almost pulled me off my feet. I actually ran. Can you imagine that?”

“You did? Really, Jiv? No! You probably only thought you were running while you were merely sauntering at a slightly increased pace.”

“Thank you for that, Lebrowen. I ran. I don’t normally break into a bath of perspiration from walking. I ran. Isn’t it strange that at one stage in my life I considered you to be a friend?”

Eryen broke in to the banter. “I’m sure Leb would say, ‘you’re most welcome’, Jiv, but we have a serious situation here.”

Malyran looked from Eryen to Lebrowen and nodded to Jivdreg. “I always like to have three different forms of proof for any­thing important which I do. You’re right, My Love. It looks as if we have the three.”

“Alright then,” said Jivdreg. “For better or for worse and all those things, I’m your man, Eryen. All that I can add is, ‘May The Lighte and our Deities help us’ in whatever it is we’re going into. I think we’re going to need their help. This is more than strange. It really is,”

Lebrowen and Malyran nodded in unison.

Lebrowen rose to his feet. “As usual, true words indeed, even within your wit, Jiv and, I agree. Shall we get some body rest even if we won’t be able to actually sleep? I know for certain that I won’t be able to sleep any­way.”

“Yes, let’s get some rest. I haven’t seen Ryall all day and that’s something that I’ve never done before. It feels really strange and it’s not something that I intend to get used to. He was asleep when I arose for this morning’s disastrous Greeting, so I hope I’ll be able to see him for a while before he goes to sleep.”

“What are you going to do about Ryallor, Eryen?” asked Malyran quietly.

“I’ve already decided on that, Maly. Wherever I go, Ryall will go with me. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone or even whether any of us will survive, although I’m hoping it doesn’t come down to that. However, my son comes first in my life always, and even though we will more than likely be travelling into certain danger, my son will travel with me.”

Malyran gave Eryen a satisfied and approving nod.

She and Lebrowen had been married for eight years and they still did not have any children. A sad longing overcame her every now and again when she thought about how much they both wanted children to complete their family circle.

Eryen looked a bit self-conscious as he said, “I know that we’re tired but, before we go, and since we’ve heard a lot about the Lord Dayl’s philosophy, may I give you a bit of my own personal philosophy? It doesn’t and yet at the same time it does, have quite a lot to do with everything that’s happened today. Good grief, I can’t believe it’s only been a little over fourteen hours since my whole world was turned upside down.”

“Not just your world, ours as well,” said Lebrowen. “And, of course, Eryen, I certainly would like to hear your values. We haven’t really discussed philosophics since we finished our studies have we? And that’s been way too long.”

“Yes, it has, Leb. Perhaps as we travel, we’ll have time to speak about our beliefs and ideals a bit more. It really has been a long time. My original theory was something which I either thought up on my own or some­how remembered from within The Knowledge of Ages, I’ll never know for sure but it sums up quite accurately where my life, and now all your lives too, will be taking us,” began Eryen.

He continued into the companionable silence, “As you have, Leb and Jiv, I’ve spent my whole life with the knowledge of yldryf within me but, even though I’m pure yldryf and one would think that it would occur naturally, the passion of yldryf is something which I have had to learn to embrace as my own.”

His friends nodded and smiled when Jivdreg said, “As with all of us who have been blessed, or cursed if you prefer, with yldryf blood.”

“True, Jiv. At first I didn’t understand what it meant to ‘embrace the passion of my heritage’. It’s taken me too long to begin to understand, but I can now say with complete honesty that I believe I do understand at last. It’s quite simple really.”

It was Jivdreg once again who broke the long silence which followed Eryen’s statement. “I wish I could get to the stage where I embraced the passion of yldryf, Eryen. Strangely, I was thinking about exactly that this morning and felt sure that if it were up to me, our yldryf heritage would simply die out. I just don’t have the passion.”

Jivdreg looked slightly shamefaced as he admitted his thoughts but then he shrugged. “There’s never any use in hiding from the truth.”

“That’s exactly it, Jiv, and don’t feel too badly about not having found the passion yet. I may have looked as if yldryf passion breathed within me. It didn’t, not for a very long time. As you say, ‘there never is any use in hiding from the truth’. I suppose if I had ever thought about it seriously, I’ve always unconsciously and sometimes even consciously followed the way of yldryf and of The Lighte. Not only because I’ve been taught to do so but also because I honestly believe The Lighte must lead to truth. That does not necessarily mean that I had absorbed yldryf into my heart. In fact, I didn’t for ages.”

Everyone was silent for a while, each of their unvoiced thoughts swirling within them.

Eventually Eryen went on, “It is only with one’s heart that one can ever accurately see what life’s essentials are. Because those essential truths lie deep within one’s character and they are an intrinsic, inevitable and an invisible aspect of our true selves.”

Eryen put out his hands, palms up as he declared:

“So the essence of what I believe is this. Because The Lighte is Truth, Truth must then, if it really is truth, lead to happiness. Yet, whether truth does or does not lead to happiness, I will always follow The Lighte and The Lighte’s truth, for that truth’s sake alone.”

“Whew! That’s very deep, Eryen, even for you. When did you figure all this out?” asked Jivdreg.

“I’m not exactly sure. It sort of crept up on me. I didn’t have an epiphany if that’s what you’re thinking, Jiv, I’ve been thinking about this and my life’s direction for ages. I suppose Lighte and Truth have me spellbound and I must, with a certainty born of the passion of my yldryf birthright, move to become one with it or, or I will die. Not a physical death I hope, but a spiritual death and, for me, that is far, far worse than any physical death could possibly be. This is the principle which is driving me and one which will drive this mission that we’ve had thrust upon us.”

The thoughtful nods of consensus told Eryen that his friends did indeed understand, not only the words of his own personal philosophy, but the import of the task which had been laid upon all of them.

They may not yet know the task, the adversary, the danger, or what the out­come eventually would be, but they did know the principles behind it.

“And that is simply going to have to be enough for all of us as we start out on this quest for the Lord Dayl and The Lighte. A quest for which none of us can possibly feel in the least way prepared,” thought Eryen.

“Goodnight, everyone. May The Lighte guide you in your sleep! Our future is a map drawn in the sand and just as transient. Per­haps one day, in some indeterminate way, we will understand what it’s all about.”

Wearily the little company walked away from the Archaise, all absorbed by and within their own deeply disquieting thoughts.

 

SUNDAY SPECIAL - TESTIMONY TIME

Good Sunday

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 - King James Version

6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

I was recently asked if I know or remember the times when God Almighty has his hand squarely on my life and when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

That got me to do some serious soul-searching.

 
To answer the second part first - although I've had God and Jesus as part of my life since before I was born, I was 'confirmed' into my church when I was 13. I remember that time as if it were yesterday. I spent the previous year in Confirmation Classes with about ten other children. We were all excited about the event where we could finally present ourselves to the congregation as 'Confirmed' followers of Jesus.

 
I remember going shopping with my mother for just the right material to make my confirmation dress. We chose a beautiful shiny white (naturally) embroidered organza for the dress and white satin for the full petticoat. The dress pattern that we chose was probably exactly this one and the white dress was the one that I made. I was so very proud that day to confirm that Jesus is My Lord and Saviour.

Of course as happens, life took place and our family moved from Johannesburg back down to Durban North where I joined and was active in a new church. I was always excited to move but, for a very shy child, it had its drawbacks. I found it difficult to make friends and still do. I always felt that I was on the periphery of our church activities even though I was so involved. 

 
My father was the Operations Manager of a large manufacturing firm and, because of his chemical engineering background, he often needed to trouble-shoot and he moved to branches where manufacturing issues appeared to be unsolveable. That meant that we rarely lived in one place for longer than four or five years, sometimes less. 

Just before I began my university years, my parents moved again. This time to Zambia. 

There I was, in a university residence with about a hundred other girls and on my own for the first time in my life. There was so much happening and so many different experiences that I admit to backsliding and questioning everything about my faith. I didn't even make any attempt to find a church and that was certainly a big reason for my lapse.

That episode lasted a few years but, as we're told in God's Word:

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

 

To be honest, even during those wild, undisciplined times, God's hand was on me. It's only now, looking back, that I realise how much.

I think that this is going to be longer than I thought it would. I'll continue very soon on another Sunday by going back to before I was even born.

SOUTH AFRICA'S FARMERS

Good morning

As we head into the weekend, I want to thank that class of people in South Africa who are constantly underestimated, undermined and attacked. The farmers.

In South Africa, farmers are constantly being brutally attacked and murdered as part of some sort of an insane ongoing vendetta. There are people in Parliament who spew "Kill the farmer, Kill the Boer" rhetoric with not even one word of censure. 'Boer' is Afrikaans for farmer but, in the context of South Africa, has come to mean a white person.

Murder statistics in South Africa are horrendous by any standard but white farmers, at a staggering 95 / 100,000 bear the greatest burden. In a country of a reported 62 to 63 million people, where, according to STATSSA, in 2022 7.3% of the population was classified as white, this statistic is even more disturbing. 

To add to that burden, South African President, Cyril Rhamaphosa in January 2025 signed into law that property (not only land) can be expropriated without compensation for any reason deemed by parliament to be in the public interest. This is a frightening culmination of a development which has been many years in the making. 

The sad truth is that, while many white people do not want to leave South Africa, the reality is that, as the country deteriorates into further crime-ridden chaos, in which more than 116 additional race-discriminatory laws (as at 2022) have been introduced, they may be forced to do so. 

The good news is that many major farming countries, among others, The Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, the USA and Russia are welcoming South African farmers. Now that the world spotlight is shining on South Africa's crime and discriminatory laws, South African farmers may find other safe countries where they are welcome.

https://x.com/i/status/1887696912591065162 This is a testimony from a South African who is a legal immigrant in America.

Anyway, enough of the doom and gloom and welcome to the weekend.

Rickety Farm Gate
(Source - GAI)

HE WHO KNOWS A GATE

He who knows a farm gate
Knows a gate

The rickety clanking
Impossible to move
Farm gate

Through acres of bushes
Brush and scrub
He passes on horseback
On foot
In a cart
To reach his destination

He knows the gate’s never ever left open
On pain of his and other death

The rickety clanking
Impossible to move
Farm gate

He is a farmer
One of a breed

He knows a farm gate
Knows the life and death need
To keep the damn thing closed

He who knows a farm gate
Knows a gate

The rickety clanking
Impossible to move
Farm gate

MAN PERFECT MAN

Good morning

Today is a bit of a reflection day. 

The world that we live in has become one of instant gratification, not only a me-first but a me-only maelstrom of chaos. No matter how calm and collected we may be, we only have to drive in traffic to experience this first hand. It's easy to get irritated by 'selfish idiots' on the road, even if we ourselves don't become one of them because of other road users. This is one minute symptom of a dysfunctional society. The impact goes much deeper than road-rage. 

Whatever the reasons are for this destructive attitude and lifestyle, it is simply not sustainable. Although I would love to have Michael Jackson's song 'Heal the World' work magic, it is only by God's grace and Our Lord Jesus' return that we may actually heal the world. Until then, the best that we can do is to do some personal reflection and have a little compassion. Hopefully this should be enough to temper our pride and egotism and allow for freedom for other people to also not be expected to be perfect. 

No one is perfect. Nor should we expect that anyone is. If we allow it, inner interrogation may identify for us all the flaws that we each have. I'm not saying that we are all bad and should constantly self-flagellate, nor that we should live our lives as martyrs on the altar of self-denegration. What we can do is each take responsibility for how we live our lives and have the grace to accept that no one is perfect.

Of course, I'm talking here about individual responsibility and not the hatred and chaos which permeates society today. That is a much bigger problem to solve.

As individuals, we need look no further than the lack of relationship cohesion between couples and how we are taught to live in the Bible. As only one example and, right in the very beginning of the first book, Genesis: 2-24, (New King James Version) we are given a blueprint to follow if we are to have a fulfilled and comfortable life.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh."

This is not the life we live today and is a lifestyle which has been perpetrated and perpetuated since the 1940s and 1950s. I'm not going to go into the reasons here because that's a whole different topic as is the destruction of the family. However, focusing on the basic relationship between men and women, it's not difficult to see that we have a problem. As an example, too many men are abdicating their power as husbands and fathers and looking for the next best thing while too many women see men as a pay cheque to cater for their every whim while not expecting to give anything in return. No wonder the world's in such a mess. 

If men can accept that women are not perfect and vice versa, but together a man and a woman can grow into a good relationship as God declared in The Beginning, we may be able to begin the process of healing our world. 

Here's today's tongue-in-cheek poem which is a salutary warning too. 

Waiting for her perfect man
(picture source Grok AI)

MAN PERFECT MAN

The lady sits and waits
She already knows the score
Any minute now she'll see
Her perfect man walk through the door

The lady sits and waits
A trifle sad it's true
Her perfect man's not yet arrived
She's turning somewhat blue

The lady sits and waits
She sits and she waits still
For that man to lift her spirit
The one who fits the bill

The lady sits and waits
So many years have passed
There is no man who's perfect
She understands at last

IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH

Welcome to a whimsical Wednesday morning

It's summertime here in South Africa but the North is still struggling with some winter woes so, here's a cheery pic of my winter fire and some of my pets. Of everything that I have loved about my home in South Africa and, there is so much to love, the open fireplace takes first prize. 

If it were possible to pick up the whole property and drop it on to a mountaintop in Portugal, I would be the happiest person alive. I know. It doesn't take much to please me. 

Anyway, with the house sold and transfer documentation with the conveyancers, I only have a short few months left to enjoy my home before we are winging our way to Portugal to start a brand new adventure. I'm praying that the house registration and our visa applications will both go smoothly. Holding on to God's promise of miracles here. 

Our pets are all up-to-date on whatever is necessary for them for their trip and their new adventure to learn Portuguese and to become cães e gatos (dogs and cats) will soon be a reality.

MULLED

Light rain falls
Chilling
Cold drops
Glisten
Under street lights
On cars
Illuminating sidewalks and houses
As I sit
Late into the night
(or early morning, depending on your view)
Enjoying my fire
In the winter cold
Mulling over
A glass of warmed wine
In my cozy
Safe
Living room
With the world's best cats and dogs
At my side

EXPECTING MIRACLES

Good morning

When I sat down to write today's post, it was going to be a short one because I have a busy day ahead of me. Well!?!?! There was no thought in my mind that this was going to go in the direction that it has. I think that I've mentioned previously that when the Holy Spirit guides and then pushes me in a direction, I listen and, this morning, I've given God the time that He required to get this post out.

Something which was laid on my heart to share this morning is to be kind to ourselves. No matter how we are feeling, we are to be kind to ourselves.

Matthew 19-26?

(New International Version) Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

There are times in life when we really feel battered and broken from everything that we experience. In the past week or so, I've had rather a few nights when I've tossed and turned the whole night. I've been so exhausted that I've had to have a nap during the day. This is so not good for me as I tend to have awful nightmares if I sleep during the day but my body demands rest.

Perhaps you are struggling and today's chat is meant to help you.

God our Father loves us dearly and wants only the best for us, even and particularly, when we can see no way out. 

Do you remember singing the Sunday School chorus about miracles that was so very uplifting? Here it is. It's such a sweet and easy song to remember. I tried to include an audio for you but it won't work. The chorus is available online if you want the tune. 

Expect a miracle everyday
Expect a miracle when you pray
If you expect it God will find a way
To perform a miracle for you each day

A few posts ago, in A New Day Dawning, I touched on how we have lost our inner-selves. The segment that I shared is part of a book on which I'm working. It's aim is to help people who are struggling emotionally or physically and are constantly being told that they need to pull themselves together or read motivational work but for whom, at the time, simply getting through an hour or day may be too much . 

When the task of lifting oneself off the bed seems overwhelming, the thought of 'reading a motivational book' is torture. In fact, simply taking a breath or opening one's eyes may be too much of an ask and, when achieved, is cause for celebration. 

Here's another short snippet from this work in progress. It's not in the beginning of the book because I've devoted that for individual wins, which may be hourly, daily, weekly or more. 


Life is a continual cycle of growth.

This, the here and now, is the life that has been given to us by God Our Father and, when we realise and embrace that fact, we will find that we have within us enormous power to develop the self we’ve always wanted.

“Our self-image, strongly held, essentially determines what we become.”

Maxwell Maltz

Possibly the first goal that we can and should set ourselves, is to link our self-image to how Our Father God sees us. God tells us constantly throughout the Bible that each one of us is loved, accepted, and valuable. We need constant reminders, don't we? 

Regardless of past or present struggles, God sees right into our hearts and loves us for who we really are! It is not easy but, if we can get ourselves to believe that God knows us and what we need best, how much simpler and more fulfilling may our lives be?

• If we feel that we have lost our sense of meaning and value in our existence;
• If we feel (or have ever felt) that it does not matter how hard we try, we just cannot seem to keep our life going in the direction that we want it to go or to become the person that we want to be;

Perhaps we need to reshape and reform ourselves. This is so much easier said than done. However, with God all things are possible.

• If we feel that our life has become a constant battle to remain standing instead of continually falling flat;

Perhaps we need to give ourself a chance to bring ourself up-right and to create for ourself a brand new Me.

• If we feel that we have allowed our life to become less than what we wanted or expected it to be;

We may need to re-establish our essence and rebuild our life from “adult hood” to “adulthood”.

Realigning our life is serious business, that's for certain. However, when the seriousness of life has knocked us down to a point where carrying on seems like too high a mountain to climb, we may not be willing to consider that our life itself is worth anything at all. There is and will be a time to be serious within ourself and, within the seriousness. If we can begin to embrace humour and lightness of being, that will be a big step towards helping us heal. Humour is a major ingredient of happiness and is an indicator that we are beginning our healing because it is rare for anyone to find humour while drowning in the depths of despair.

It's important that we be kind to ourselves but, within the kindness, we do need to embrace the responsibility of re-forming who we are.

There is an element of our dealing with our personal growth that brings the realm of the miraculous into reality. Don’t give up before the miracle happens – because happen it will!

“Never, never, never, never give up.”

Winston Churchill

Often, people who don't believe or feel that they are of any worth because they are different from those who are considered 'normal', can suffer agonies of self-doubt.

I have, eventually, learned that 'normal' is only a societal construct and has nothing to do with an individual's worth. In fact, I have never been accused of being 'normal' nor would I ever want to be. God made me as a wonderful and unique being. There is not one other person, among the billions who have been before or who will come after me that will be the same as me. You are blessed with exactly the same honour. That is a win to celebrate for sure.

Unique beauty

AGAINST THE CURRENT

 

In my life I will always flow

Against the current

Where dead fish do not go

Seeking aspects others do not see

Being the channel

Always just and true to me

 

I sense issues others may not see

In this life of mine

My worldview strengthens me

To be fiercely protective of me

As I swim boldly

To attain my chosen goals

In my life I will always flow

Against the current

Where dead fish do not go

 

THE DAIGHACAER BOOK ONE CHAPTER 4 - THE ARCHAISE

Good morning

Monday means more of The Daighacaer. 

The section on the detoxification process of being admitted to the Archaise may be a tough reminder for those who have had to endure severe, prolonged medication or detoxification. I watched my father suffer through chemotherapy nausea for the entire time that he was on it. It's not something that I ever want to experience.

For the rest of the chapter, Eryen is up close and personal with both The Darke and The Lighte.

Sunrise on a cloudy day

THE DAIGHACAER BOOK ONE
THE POWER OF ONE
Chapter 4 - The Archaise

The portal opened on to the first cleansing station.

Eryen consciously forced himself to overcome his anxiety, as his subconscious tried to force him to hold his breath to prevent jets of pure vapour surging into his unwelcoming lungs.

As the vapour sped through his bloodstream, Eryen’s body responded immediately to the detoxification and he felt nausea welling up from his solar plexus into his throat and mouth. His head began to throb and the pain behind his eyes became unbearable.

The entire cleansing experience was torturous, the like of which was more intense than anything he had ever experienced, even though he was expecting it. He suspected that, even after Jaela’s ministrations, his body was still contending with the contaminant from the attack. Eryen was now an infrequent visitor to the Archaise and always, previously, his trips were planned well in advance so that his body was ready for the process.

Those who entered the labyrinth daily eventually felt no side effects from the detoxification, but for others, like Eryen, who only entered occasionally, the purification process would always be stomach-churning at best. This time, Eryen knew that he would struggle even more than he generally did.

When he first entered into fulltime study, he was warned of how violently the purifications affected the body. He always, during that time, put himself through a strict detoxification regimen for a whole week before he felt that he was ready to undertake his maiden and every subsequent journey into the interior of the Archaise. He felt slight to no discomfort at all while going through the detoxification process.

He neither sympathised nor understood how his fellow scholars could have been reduced to such gibbering idiocy for the first few days of each new term.

“They know what to expect,” was always his first reaction to anyone who mentioned it.

The purifications that he was undergoing at this point in time were teaching the Heir Prince a salutary lesson in compassion.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the steaming torrent slowed and stopped. Walking with a feeble dullness, Eryen dejectedly moved mindlessly to the next portal. His body was already reacting to what it knew it was about to experience, not only once more but another three times.

He shuddered.

His head was bursting behind his eyes and he started to retch uncontrollably.

Only vaguely aware of what he was doing, Eryen found himself stumbling towards the extraction conduit, which had been provided years previously by thoughtful ancestors. He did not think that he would make it and, right then, he did not care whether he did or not. However, with one last frantic dive, he fell to the floor just in front of the conduit and successfully emptied his stomach … several times.

At that point, there was no doubt that, without his internal yldryf compulsion to continue, he would have turned back. His body told him he should, in fact it insisted. His mind agreed; yet his heart and spirit would not allow it.

After a desperate hour of cleansing, retching and recovering, Eryen slumped on to the floor of the concealed Inner Sanctum.

He was exhausted and dispirited.

He breathed deeply as he looked around despairingly at the bookcases embracing thousands upon thousands of manuscripts. He sighed in frustration at what lay ahead of him and promptly fell into a fitful sleep.

When he awoke he had no idea of the time, nor did he have any idea of how long he had been asleep. He was relieved to discover that his head no longer hurt and that, although he felt weak and a little hungry, the pain and nausea had left him and he was feeling surprisingly alert.

♦

As he rose, Eryen noticed two things.

The first was an unfamiliar bitter odour, which clung to the air around him and stayed with him even as he walked.

He smelled his arms and even lifted his shirt away from his body. The odour was definitely not emanating from him or his clothes and, bizarre as it seemed, there appeared to be an alert watchfulness about the odour.

“Similar to the awareness of that lightning,” he muttered. As the thought entered his head, he became instantly alert.

Once again, nothing appeared to be normal.

He feinted to the left and to the right and then walked quickly backwards and forwards. The odour moved with him.

“Not again! First the lightning and now this! Whatever this is, it’s alive, sentient and yet it’s wary of getting too close – strange. It is wide-awake, I think. It is also aware of every movement I make. I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all!”

Eryen frowned as he stood quite still and looked around the room as far as he could without moving his head.

The compulsion flared within him and he knew that whatever the odour was, it was definitely connected to the rejection to which he had been subjected by The Lady Dawne. He also knew with absolute certainty that his yldryf blood was holding off the odour is some strange way.

“Thank The Lighte for that,” he said out loud.

He thought that, perhaps if he mentioned The Lighte, whatever the odour was, it would back away. It did not. If anything, it became more aware.

The second thing that Eryen noticed was that a number of manuscripts from the enclave just ahead of him were lying on the floor in total disarray. They had been flung on to the floor between the time he had arrived, fallen asleep in the Archaise and when he awoke.

As he unconsciously knelt to pick up one of the scrolls. His head burst into searing pain and he sank unceremoniously to the floor. He moved his hand away from the scroll and the pain subsided. He tried once more to reach out for the scroll and once more the pain intensified until he grunted and nearly cried out in agony. The compulsion within him seemed to sag with the pain as well. He sat with his head in his hands for a long time recovering and wondering what he was going to do.

Just as surely as he knew that the odour was troubled by his yldryf blood, so too he knew that whatever this pain was and whatever caused it, it would have killed him if not for his blood.

Nothing made sense. Not earlier this morning, not now.

Eryen prostrated himself on the floor and with great sorrow, whispered, “I cannot do what it is that I believe you require of me, My Lord Dayl. I am here because of yldryf but I cannot continue.” He automatically lapsed instinctively into the formal language he always used when addressing his Deities.

“There is some Darke force here which overwhelms my very spirit, my very soul, My Lord Dayl. I am powerless to perform even the one simple task of taking a scroll.”

As if to demonstrate, Eryen tried to reach for a scroll once more, with the same agonising results.

“Remove your hand from me, Holy One, that I may wither into whatever oblivion you deem fit. I am not worthy.” Eryen choked out with a miserable groan.

As Eryen lay dejected on the floor with his eyes tightly shut, he felt a pair of strong hands raise him to his knees. The touch and strength of the hands was more than merely physical. They were imparting mental and spiritual strength as well.

The odour still hovered around him but the desperate sense of failure he had felt a moment before, was gone. The pain still nagged at his head, seemingly trying, but not quite succeeding, to overcome him.

Startled, he opened his eyes and instinctively swivelled his head. He saw no one. The odour and pain disappeared immediately as he opened his eyes.

Then, the warm, powerful voice he had known all his life, spoke into the silence.

“My Eryen, my child. Be ye neither sorrowful nor disconsolate at thy perceived failure. For surely, such failure is of thy understanding alone.”

Eryen jumped abruptly to his unsteady feet and looked around him quickly but could still see no one.

When the deep voice started speaking again, Eryen understood that the sound was audible only in his head and within his consciousness.

“My Lord Dayl?”

Eryen bowed low again and then fell once more to his knees.

“Rise, my son. Prostrate not thyself before me. What thou hath suffered this day was a sore endurance that was surely required of thee.”

Eryen stood uneasily and spoke aloud into the silence. In his weakened state, although he recognised that the voice was in his head, he could not quite answer the same way.

“I am unworthy of performing your bidding, Great Lord Dayl. My mind is weak and my body was not even able to sustain itself during the required cleansing to enter the Archaise.”

Once again, the voice interjected. “As intense as the purification regimen generally is, thou hath experienced it one hundredfold more than previously. Thy life was in balance and, in order to right the wrong done to thee, thy body needed to be cleansed of the very last mite of contaminant that was embedded in thee by The Darke’s lightning minion.”

The contaminant? Jeala told him that he was most likely infected with a contaminant when the lightning struck. The Lord Dayl now confirmed it. Was that it or was it the vile odour? Perhaps it was a combination of both.

“Thou art ever worthy, Eryen, my son. Thou hast within you The Power of One. It is for this reason that there is a great and mighty task which thou must needs perform. The Lighte and The Darke have ever been at enmity, yet the time of prophesy has arrived when The Darke wishes to exert domination over the whole of Faeré. It is because thou art recognised as being The Power of One, prophesied aeons previously, that The Darke hath attacked thee relentlessly. Thou art an intrinsic danger to The Darke’s plans. Hence the cleansing which thou hath endured was harsh and cruel indeed. It was a painful preparation for thee, my son, lest thy heart should fail in thy time of direst need.”

“The Power of One, My Lord Dayl?”

“All which is embodied in that power will become known to thee in its appointed time. Know only that there is a task which has been decreed by The Lighte to be thine at this time.

“Thy task is that which shall resolve forever a bitter conflict between The Darke with its sinister vice and The Lighte with its honourable virtue. It is a conflict which hath raged in the creations since time first existed.”

Eryen’s sad sigh seemed to emanate from the depths of his being. “I have no power, My Lord Dayl. Whatever thought of power I ever had, fled from me this day. I cannot be used as a vessel for The Lighte. You do not understand. This morning My Lady Dawne rejected my greeting and now this, where I cannot even protect myself against a contaminant. That is how worthless I have become.”

“No, Eryen, my son. It is thee who hath no understanding at this time. Thou didst in no way fail in thy devotions. The rejection was at my behest on instruction from The Lighte itself. My sister, The Lady Dawne, with whom I am twinned, didst draw thee to me in this chamber after the attack from The Darke, an attack which we foresaw.”

“The Lady Dawne’s rejection of thy supplication didst sorrow her deeply,” said the commanding voice of The Lord Dayl.

“As reparation for the anguish which thou didst endure, The Lady Dawne wishes me to present thee to her when thou hath chosen that wave upon which ye shall ride to the completion of thy task. At that time, shall ye receive thy just reward from The Lady Dawne.”

“Honourable Lord, I require no recompense. If it is your will that I undertake whatever you wish on your behalf, you know that I always have been and always will be willing to do your bidding. The honour alone shall be my reward.”

“Thou speakest truly what is in thy heart, my son. Even so, thy reward shall be for thee a complete and vital gratification.”

At Eryen’s sad shake of his head, The Lord Dayl’s voice grew louder and insistent. “Spurn not gifts bestowed by thy Deities.”

“I apologise, My Lord Dayl, most humbly. It is just that my life was pledged to you from the first moment that I had control of my own understanding and even before that by my parents on my behalf. I live to serve The Lighte through My Lady Dawne and you, My Lord Dayl, and only you.”

“That is one reason thou hath been chosen, Eryen. The other is as The Power of One. The fulfilment of prophesy from the beginning of Time and Times. Thy skilfulness and honesty as servitor hath resounded within the very halls of Tauan, The Most High and Universal Author. Nevertheless ye shall receive thy rewards. Speak no more of this.”

“Indeed, My Lord Dayl. I shall obey as you wish.”

“There is more. Thou doth enter perilous times. It is fitting that ye be granted safeguards. Thou hath already at this time, thrice been beset by The Darke. Know even so, that thy life hath been covered with shields against these Darke ones. Darke ones which do surely even now follow thee with a singular mind to do thee grievous harm.”

“Already, My Lord Dayl? I am not aware of any attack by Darke forces.” Eryen paused. “Unless the lightning this morning was indeed attacking me as I felt it was.”

“The lightning which thou didst believe was attacking thee was, in truth, attacking thee. We didst not consider the necessity to protect the area prior to The Lady Dawne’s rejection and The Darke didst enter with glee to attack thee. The Darke attempted to kill thee but didst fly in the face of the eternal law which was put in place by The Universal Author at the beginning of Time and Times.”

“Is that possible, My Lord Dayl?” asked Eryen.

“Yes, my son, it is indeed possible. The Universal Author laid down laws to keep the necessary balance for mortal life to continue. The Darke desires dominion over the whole Realm of Faeré and hath put no thought into the predestined destruction that will be caused by such dominion. The lightning and the tempest were the first of the new attacks against thee and, by extension, on the Kingdom of Raeldysce and the Realm of Faeré itself.”

Eryen was so engrossed in what The Lord Dayl was saying that he did not hear the fullness of what he was being told. This omission would return to haunt him as he travelled.

“The Darke saw that my sister meant to keep her face from thee and saw the opportunity to attack thee. When I understood its intention, I didst ensure that The Darke was aware that I was with thee and would not tolerate any interference, and thus it retreated. Yet, even as thou wert suffering from the great pain ye didst endure to rid thyself of the contaminant. A feat which thou didst partially achieve, and then as thou laboured to bring thyself into my presence, the same foul malevolence didst seek to overcome thee. Such malevolence didst reveal itself as a malignant and tainted odour.”

Eryen realised then that the disgusting odour no longer surrounded him and his breathing was not as laboured as previously.

“Aahhh! So that stench was trying something,” he said. “I felt its presence, Lord Dayl. Somehow I knew that it was a vile thing intent on harming me.”

“It didst indeed live, even though it didst live in only a form of life as darzim do, and it had as its only purpose to slay thee. Know ye now that this malevolence which didst beset thee hath been overcome and it shall no longer have power to cause thee or thy loved ones anguish or suffering. The malevolent odour was that of an odorous darzim. Thy yldryf blood didst protect thee in a manner and assisted as I thoroughly cleansed thee.”

The Lord Dayl paused and Eryen nodded. He had been correct about his yldryf blood protecting him and he thanked The Lighte again for that.

The Lord Dayl continued. “Yet the darzim would’st not have left thee and would’st always have been to thee a barb in thy flesh except that I didst unsummon it at its life force and hath sent its paltry energy back into the depths from whence it came. Shouldst any other such living malevolent odorous darzim come at thee as thou doest my bidding and even afterwards as ye live thy life thereafter, I have provided thee with the means to destroy such as this, completely even unto eternal division of its evil. Such means have I provided to thee.”

Eryen did not understand. What he was hearing was too far beyond his understanding and his comprehension; and his memories and his subconscious mind provided him with no help from The Knowledge of the Ages.

“As thou doth leave the sanctuary of The Realm of Faeré, which ye shall needs must do with some haste, my son, the vessel which I have provided to thee shall be located within that which is mist and watery spray by one who loves thee dearly. In a scroll within such vessel, is set out the direction to a living vessel which shall be secreted away yet near to the vessel which the one who loves thee shall find.”

Eryen was overwhelmed by what he was being told, not only of vessels being secreted away and protection from odorous darzim but, to him, the most shocking news of all.

“I am to leave the Realm of Faeré, My Lord Dayl? I understand about leaving the Kingdom of Raeldysce, but Faeré? Is that even possible?”

“Listen a little while yet, my son. As much as can be revealed to thee at this time, shall I reveal. If thou doth ever have a cause to be set upon by any such malevolence again, the vessel shall be the means to its destruction. Shouldst ye have a need to open the vessel, she shall of a surety devour the malevolent darzim and after it has been used for its purpose, she shall send its force back into the Underdarke in such manner that shall prevent it from leaving that profane plane for all of time and times.

“Be ye wary, however, my son. The one who loves thee shall not know the vessel and ye must needs guarantee that the one who loves thee doth not cause the vessel to be opened. For, shouldst the vessel be opened by other than thee, she will destroy herself together with the comprehension, if not the life itself, of the one who opens her.

“Be ye wary also, my son, of hasty actions. For, once released, the living vessel must needs feed. Shouldst the malevolent darzim not be prepared directly for its subjection, the living vessel shall, through its own natural necessity, feed on whatsoever available presence it finds in its stead.

“There shall be time and times to come for thee when ye shall have a need to destroy whatsoever Darke essence hath been summoned by the Summoner for The Darke, Caliginor, who calls himself The Darkenighte. Yet, such time is not now. There are nevertheless other onerous tasks which must be completed before thou doth come up against and deal in the appropriate manner with the Summoner. I adjure you to, at all times, be wary, my son. There is much Darkeness afoot in Faeré and beyond.”

Eryen may have been out of his depth in understanding what The Lord Dayl was said and requiring of him but one thing that kept coming to the fore of his mind was the attempts on his life.

“I understand, My Lord Dayl and will be very vigilant that everything is done as you have said it shall be done. You said there were three attempts, Lord...”

“There hath also been one other malicious wickedness which didst think to force thee to bend thy will to itself this day. It fled as I was dealing with the other darzim. For this wickedness also hath I provided thee with a resolution.

“Should this Darke wickedness strive to come against thee or thy loved ones once more, ye shall prevail with mine very own sword, the Sword of Dayl, which shall cut the wickedness off from itself. The wickedness doth also hail from the Underdarke and its minion in Faeré, the same Caliginor, The Darkenighte, who seeks thy demise.

“This wickedness was sent by the mortal darzim overseer, Caliginor, as an unknown companion to the odorous darzim in its quest to slay thee. This yet roams freely throughout Faeré seeking thee and thine to do the bidding of The Darke. Once the wicked companion to the odorous darzim hath been fittingly severed from itself, it shall no more have the power to be wicked and shall for all time bow itself only to do thy bidding. This shall be achieved by thee and one other who shall become known to you as thou travellest. Beware that thou doth not spurn this individual. To do so would’st be of the gravest of grave errors.

“As I reference The Sword of Dayl, it is bound to thee alone. He hath been charged by my hand to act as a protector to thee. Ye shall discover the Sword of Dayl within living rock which is both judgment and wisdom. Such judgment and wisdom liveth within the body of a four-footed and clawed creature unknown to thee upon which the stripes of uprightness rest. The creature is one and bound with a spherical Orb, which is both protector to and protected by the creature. The Sword and the Orb are as one and hath been assigned unto thee for the sum of thy lifetime and the lifetime of thy blood forever.”

“Only my blood, Lord Dayl, or the blood of all your children, the yldryf?”

“Thy uncontaminated blood of thine own yldryf and Raeldysce heritage shall be one with the Sword.”

“How is this possible, Lord Dayl? Except for me, only Lebrowen and Jivdreg’s fathers still have the full yldryf bloodline. Yet their lives have taken different routes these many, many years past. No pure yldryf has been or will ever be born from their lineage. It has long saddened me that I am the last unbroken bloodline of the yldryf. Even my son, Ryallor, has only half of his blood as yldryf.”

“Ye shall discover in time that ye doth err on this count my son. Yet, the Sword of Dayl hath not need of thy purely yldryf bloodline, my son. It hath need only of thee and thine own uncontaminated blood. Be aware, my son, that the time shall come when thou shalt take to thee thy true and life partner. Thy love and faith bond which thou doth take to thyself must needs be within and of thy pure and sanctified intent. If thou doth fail in this intent and doth take to thee one outside of thy true love and faith bond, the Sword shall surely fail thee and shalt become to thee an encumbrance until the end of thy days.”

Eryen opened his mouth to asked who and where his true love and life partner was to be found. He had once thought that he had already found his true life partner. He wanted to ask too where the other yldryf were but he could not speak. His voice was bound in a compulsion of silence.

The Lord Dayl answered Eryen’s unasked question. “It is not for thee to know at this time who and where thy love is to be found and where these others of thy blood are, just as it is not time for thee to know the destiny of thy pure and sanctified life and soul bonds.”

“No more of this at present. There is much for thee to do. Hearken well, my son Eryen Raeldysce, and open thy mind to receive my words.”

Eryen did not think to questioned any further. He mutely nodded his acknowledgement of the instruction and then did as he had so often been taught by his parents to do. He prepared himself to receive instruction.

He cleared his mind of all thought. He knew from experience that this would inevitably cause his mind to be in the best possible awareness to receive The Lord Dayl’s words in their purest and most accurate form.

“Ye must needs discover the resting place of the Sword of Dayl with utmost urgency, my son. For this wickedness has only been stilled for a time and shall come upon thee as thou doth continue with thy quest.”

“Be ye wary of using the Sword of Dayl for any purpose other than its intended afore ye hath prevailed against the malicious wickedness. Shouldst ye come against that which may only in appearance be the malicious wickedness which didst strike thee down even in my presence, the power of The Sword of Dayl shall be rendered futile and thy quest shall surely fail for lack of protection. Yet, the danger is greater even than that. Shouldst ye strike at a Darkeness which is not the selfsame malicious wickedness, The Darke which ye doth erroneously strike shall be forever thy mortal enemy. It shall follow thee and shall not rest itself until thy life hath been severed from itself and ye doth forever serve it, as it would’st of a surety for all time have served thee.”

Once again The Lord Dayl paused.

It was a long pause this time.

So long that Eryen wondered if The Lord Dayl was finished. He was not.

“Once thou hast performed the first purpose set upon the Sword of Dayl, the Sword shall be thy companion and protector for always. Hearken now to the particulars of thy undertaking. Ask not what the ending shall be for thee. Ye shall encounter and uncover these intentions as thou doth navigate thy course.”

“The quest for which thou hath been prepared lies on the crest of two waves. On the one wave exists hatred and chaos, the way of The Darke; on the other wave exists love and harmony, the way of The Lighte.”

“Be ye wary how thou doth choose, Eryen, my dearly beloved, for the wave which appears as the way is not the way.”

“The wave which appears as pain, chaos and destruction shall surely be thy guide to the true way.”

“Ye shall discover whether the wave thou hath elected, leads to hatred and chaos or love and harmony only as thy quest continues. Shouldst ye find thyself mistaken in thy travelling; there shalt be nothing that can be done to save thee from the fate which thou hath elected.”

Overwhelmed, Eryen could not keep quiet and asked quietly, “How will I know which course I must follow, My Lord Dayl?”

“Search thy inner spirit diligently at every turn, my son. I am not permitted to direct thy thoughts to that course which thou must needs follow. There are unseen and unknown dangers with which thou shall be beset. Only thy choosing shall cut off that Darkeness which shall threaten to overwhelm or destroy thee. I am, even as Thou art, subject to the will of The Lighte and, in the end, to Tauan, The Universal Author. Know now that I am with thee and will support thee where and as I am permitted. Know too that there are others who will be the muscle and the vigour to thee as ye journey through the labyrinths which thou must needs traverse. Some companions hath ye known from before. Some hath ye known for thy whole life. Some shall ye find as ye doth journey along thy chosen and necessary path. Of these companions are thy three closest companions whom thou knowest from thy early childhood. Their lives hath been linked unto thy life for all of time and times. Ye shall discover additional of thy companions within strange and unlikely quarters. As thou hath need, these identities shall thou uncover.”

There was another long pause.

Eryen shifted from foot to foot but did not lessen his concentration. If he had not previously understood, he was certainly learning now what an important, arduous and dangerous mission that he and various others were about to undertake.

“Those companions who shalt accompany thee at the beginning of thy journey shall present themselves to thee before ye set out. Be not astounded at the chosen ones, nor be fearful that those who present themselves are indeed chosen, for only those crucial to thy quest shall continue with thee in time and times. Dissemblers sent by The Darkenighte to beleaguer thee, if they shall join with thee, shall remain only for a fleeting moment and then shall they be cast by the wayside as chaff from wheat. Know this, my son. Thou wert chosen for thy task in love by Tauan many aeons hitherto and it is proclaimed that in love shalt thou serve in thy tasks as they must needs be done. That is all that thou art to know at this time. Take careful heed of my words, my son, for once thou hath chosen to turn from listening to them, they shall be erased from thy present mind and only that which thou hath absorbed into and within thy veiled mind shall endure as an assistance for thee in thy grave and perilous undertaking. As The Power of One, thou shalt redress the harms perpetrated by The Darke to prevent an inevitable evanescence of Faeré. Thou hast studied Droyalen’s translated texts and knowest this eventuality to be truth. Sleep in tranquillity for a passing while yet, my son, for I am with thee now and always and no harm shall overcome thee in my presence. On thy waking, my words shall even then ring with truth in thine ears and in thy mind for as long as thou are mindful to hearken to them.”

♦

When he awoke and, as he had been instructed, Eryen once again processed through his mind The Lord Dayl’s vital words of prophesy; he listened intently as The Lord Day’s instructions reverberated through his mind time and again regarding the quest which he was to undertake. He pondered that he possessed The Power of One of the antiquities and all that that would mean to him and his life.

Over and over he allowed the words to wash over his consciousness until, in the depth of his spirit, he felt that he perfectly understood each errand and each of the warnings The Lord Dayl had given him. He promised himself that he would revisit The Lord Dayl’s words and instructions often. There was so much that was unfamiliar to him. He did not want to miss one single nuance.

With a certainty born of a lifelong love and devotion to his deity, Eryen knew that he would follow that voice until the end of time and beyond, no matter where the path led.