Disclaimer: Anyone legally not allowed to view this story....Don't! It sucks I know but that's how the world is, sorry. Any references similar to any other story or person is entirely coincidental.
Authors Note: This is my first attempt at a story series, updates should be weekly. Please excuse any grammar mistakes. I love feedback, so e-mail me at Athos6182@aol.com, all comments welcome.
Entering Harmony Chapter Four By: Inanimate_Transformer
Anticipation...this is what filled both Ballard and Kaithan, as they sat eagerly, listening to Caanderal, while still anticipating his answers to even more questions.
Caanderal chuckled softly as both young men fired off question after question. Each answer, creating a tangent to many more questions. Hours had passed since his ship first landed, and he detailed the partial history of his planet.
Ballard was sitting in a depression on the front of a large boulder, Kaithan rested between his legs, while Caanderal lay on his jointed knees his long silver tail twitching here and there in the water, teasing the sapphire colored fish that resided there.
"No Kaithan, no one knows who created these pockets, or why. Nor do we know the probable millions of keys needed to open them all. What we have deduced so far, is that we can access them after their guardians, such as you, have first entered them, which is also a clue as to why each one we have discovered so far, looks different. You see, these dimensions exist in a blanket above the earth. They are not affected by gravity, so they do not rotate with the earth. Think of these pockets like a cocoon, while the living inside moves around as it changes, the cocoon does not shift or rotate with it, it stays stationary above your world. Whatever land is under the pocket dimension when it is activated, is the image harmony takes.
Harmony was created over the islands on the eastern shore of the large continent that you live on. (See footnote)." Caanderal laughed again as he saw the glazed looks the young men had acquired. "Do not worry, you will understand with time, but now there is still much to teach, especially if you are to start rescuing people like yourself." Both young men looked at each other with a start.
"What do you mean Caanderal, we barely made it out alive and we don't even know how we got here, now your talking about rescuing others?" Ballard said in an exacerbated rush "We can't even leave here, or if we can, we don't know how!" Caanderal hummed in sympathy and rolled over on his side, his voice a cross between a whiney and a rich baritone rumble. "All will be revealed soon, but first we must..." Caanderals' head jerked up. He looked as though he had been hit with a stone. Eyes went wide, and if possible his pale face turned an ash white. "I am sorry but I must go, I will return soon, you two explore the area." He rolled up on his legs, and galloped towards his sphere. "Wait!" Ballard shouted, Stopping just short of the entrance, Caanderal looked over his shoulder, "and if you need anything, just picture it in your mind, Harmony will always provide" with that said, Caanderal jumped into the ship orb which sealed, raised and was gone.
"But" Ballard asked, "What do we do now?" Kaithan placed his hands around Ballard and said "I don't know about you Baal, but I could really use a bed, and more sleep." Yawning he stretched out his muscles. They both tuned around and bumped into a very large wooden frame. A thick feather mattress, large pillows and a soft thick blanket, greeted their surprised eyes.
"Is this what Caanderal meant?" Ballard quipped, right before both, crawled onto the bed and fell into each others arms, half drowsy. Neither of them aware, of the soft melodic singing lulling them deeper into sleep.
Soaring
Caanderal's face was creased as he looked at the console. The turbulence outside the ship not even registering inside, as the bottom of the sphere surrounded Caanderals large horse body, leaving only his torso exposed, thereby reducing all shock. In front of him was a large console which surrounded his front in a semi-circle. The lights were dull silver, quickly flashing as Caanderals' hands flew over them.
"Where is she? Her signal seems to be shaded, DAMN!" He slams the controls in frustration, as his attempts at finding the signal fail. He leans back as tears fall from his face, "How can this be happening, why didn't She tell me. I could have watched over her, guarded her, and so something like this could never occur. Of all the places for Her to send... send Terra, what are the chances of them both being..." Caanderal could speak no more as he broke down, into sobs.
Di'Tharn
Empty
Razmus, felt empty as El'Beth held him, first Cassandra, now Kaithan and Ballard as well. "Why?" As they both sat on the bed, Razmus with his head on El'Beths shoulder, and her arm around his shoulder. It was only a month ago that his older brother Ruzmas had returned, after twelve long years of seeing the world. The celebration held that night almost rivaled that of the Solstice feast. Razmus had felt hope for the first time in a long while, as his brother came home and slightly filled the hole in his heart that had been widening with each day Cassandra had been gone. His tales of the vast cities of stone, and the Mordan Citadel far to the west, awed everyone at the table.
The only two not in attendances were Ballard and Kaithan, as both were caring for the newborn Azlara. Both kept a constant vigil ever since the night of her birth, when her mother passed from this world. Kaithan tried everything he could to stop the mothers' life from flowing out of her, but in the end, nothing was able to keep her. Azlara was never alone after that point; one of the young men was always with her, as well as the mothers who were breastfeeding their own babes. They all took turns feeding Azlara, until she finally accepted her first skin of Cows milk.
The strange thing Razmus noticed, was the tension that seemed to flow between both Kaithan and his uncle Ruz. Whenever the two were around each other, they kept glancing worriedly at each other. Kaithan never let Ruzmas around any of the children, and if he had one with him, he would stay far away. It finally came to a head about three days before the robed men came.
Elder Razmus came running as the shouts carried through the village. "Get OUT! How dare you speak to the young ones like that! Telling them those horrid tales, and using Azlara, to demonstrate where they CUT those poor villagers. Have you no conscience, have you no shame. You are no longer welcome here or in the children's area, you are Banished uncle." Kaithan stood cradling Azlara in his arms, his face beet red. Ballard was at his feet cradling the crying youngsters as best he could, trying to get them calmed down.
"I was just telling them of my journeys, and what I had seen. Why coddle them like that. If they are ever to leave this village, they should know that not everything is GOOD!" Ruzmas said, his voice growing with each word. "They will all see soon enough what happens to so called innocents when they do not do as they are told!" Ruzmas said loudly, but then looked shocked, and covered his mouth.
"What do you mean, `see soon enough' Brother?" Elder Razmus said as he entered the hut...
Ruzmas sputtered, "I mean they will see if they ever venture out of Di'Tharn." "Father, he is no longer welcome here, with us and the children please take uncle and ask Dame El'Beth to speak to him about his...actions" Kaithan said with steel in his voice. Ballard stood up and leaned into Kaithan's ear "Calm my love let us get the children's spirits up, before we send them home." He said, his hand rubbing Kai's back, to comfort him. Kaithan held Azlara close to him and led the children back to their play area, while Elder Razmus led his brother to the other side of the village.
Darkness
Caanderal sat in his ship, sobbing into his hands. Having landed on a tall green covered mountain trying to catch a better signal had proved totally useless. Not the slightest trace of Her could be found.
He pressed the button, and the ships cover slid back. His holding receded allowing him to freely move out of the ship. Kneeling down on the grassy mountain side he turned his head to the sky and let out a primal bellowing scream, causing silence all around him in its wake. The frustration caused his shoulders to slump as he bellowed once more.
"WHY, why didn't you tell me she was with them, we could have protected her. Please I can't find her; you know she does not have much time, what power is shielding her....Damn it ANSWER ME!!!" Caanderal screamed at the blue cloud-filled sky. He sank down once again and dug his hands into the fresh earth and gripped a handful in each. With a fit of rage he tore the chunk of grass and dirt out of the ground and threw it towards the sky, bellowing once more.
As the grass rained down on the mountain side below him, a faint rumbling could be heard. The volume cascaded. As Caanderal steadied him self, the clouds in the sky rushed together forming a large facial form, and long flowing cloud hair. The voice that came out shook him to his very soul.
"CALM YOURSELF CAANDERAL; I KNOW OF YOUR FRUSTRATION, THE FORCES THAT HAVE TAKEN HER HAVE AMASED MUCH POWER, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO BLOCK ME. I WILL SHOW YOU THE PATH, HURRY, THEY CANNOT FIND OUT WHO MY GRAND-DAUGHTER IS." The loud deep rumbling female voice shook the sky. As the last word died, a loud crack filled the air and a thin fissure began running off toward the east at an amazing speed. Caanderal galloped back to the ship and took off after the fissure immediately. As he looked at the rear view screen he could see the earth healing its fissure as he flew over it.
For three hours Caanderal's ship flew at top speed, as he readied his armor and weapons, along with a stasis outfit for her. This would keep her stable until he got her to her mother. The fissure stopped right before a sharp cliff, and Caanderal landed the ship softly fifty feet from the cliffs edge. He carefully stepped to the edge and saw before him a Single massive citadel, rising at least 300 feet into the air, made out of polished black obsidian; it rose like a gigantic stalagmite out of the earth. It was clear to Caanderal that this was not of the earth. Around the base was a moat of what looked to be lava, only there seemed to be large red creatures moving about in it.
Anyone staring at Caanderal would have stepped back in terror. A look of utter disgust and rage flooded him as he looked at the center of the Citadel. There, in a large alcove entrance, with red hot chains pulling at her limbs, hung Cassandra, completely nude, though not much skin was left. He flinched as another dripping lava rope slashed at her back, sizzling off another strip of skin.
Below, soldiers were stabbing large spiked staves into the lake, causing the creatures inside to lash out, hitting Cassandra over and over, causing her to flinch, as her mouth had been sewn shut. From what he could see, that was only the start of the atrocities done to her. Both breasts had been removed, and a long spiked pole seemed to have been thrust deep into her lower orifice. Her eyes, and ears had also been sewn shut, and her hair seemed to have been burned off.
He could look no more; time was growing short for Cassandra. Caanderal galloped back, 1000 feet from the edge of the cliff, closed his eyes, and chanted for a second. Small bumps began to form on his flanks, and as he broke into a gallop, sapphire light exploded from his sides, as two large Cerulean wings exploded from his sides. His speed increased as he galloped towards the cliff, and with a scream of rage and a thrust of downbeat wings, he propelled himself off the cliff in a direct line towards Cassandra's prone figure.
As he flew towards the mass of soldiers in front of the lake, one spotted him, and a wave of arrows soared toward our plunging hero.
"Blazing Ivory" Caanderal screamed as, hands clasped, as if preparing to dive, his body took on the shape of a spinning Ivory dagger. Long serrated Ivory arrows shot out of his spinning form, taking down not only the enemies arrows, but puncturing what looked to be a red shield coating the surface of the lake; as it penetrated, the red color bled out, leaving a brilliant sapphire surface...but only for a moment, as large sapphire creatures floated...dead to the surface, their bodies leaking out pools of blue fluid.
As Caanderal reached Cassandra he looked to the sky and called "Sol's Fury", reaching his open hand to the sky.
Thunder crackled around the battle cries, as a blazing white metal sword streaked from the sky into Caanderal's hand. Grasping the Hilt, energy flowed down his arm. As it reached his wings, the sapphire and ivory feathers melted around him, encasing him in brilliant cerulean shell armor. He leapt up and severed the fire searing chains holding Cassandra's legs, followed by the chains encasing her wrists.
As she fell, Caanderal threw a green woven cloth towards her falling body. It caught, and wrapped her inside, before melting beneath her flesh as Caanderal caught her gently in his arms. He landed at the summit of the alcove meters from the moat. He carefully cut the threads on her eyes, mouth and ears.
With a gasp Cassandra opened her stiff mouth and took in her first full breath in weeks. Her eyes opened, and her bloodstained green eyes flickered with moisture as she saw Cannderal.
"It's you...I knew you hadn't left. After you brought Ballard to us, you disappeared...but I knew you were still...ARRRGGGGHHHHHH!" Cassandra screeched as a black arrow pierced her side, at the same time as 20 more bounced off of Caanderal's armor.
"If we are to survive, hold onto my waist, I must fly." He quickly transferred her to his back, and ran at the soldiers coming at them, using the Sol blade, he cut them down with a vengeance, limbs flew all over, as the mass of troops was quickly dispatched. Caanderal spied on opening, and made a run for it. Galloping as fast as his legs could carry him, he raced towards the small drop off. Right as he extended his wings, a large yellow ogre type creature appeared in front of him. His skin was cracked, looking as if it had never seen moisture or water. Yellow fumes wafted out of every orifice as he roared at the oncoming centaur. In His hands was a blade dripping with what looked to be sulphur and blood. It burned the stone and ground it dribbled upon.
Caanderal ran, unhindered toward the foul beast, not flinching as it threw its sword at him, only faltering a bit as the blade cut into his side, barely missing his beating wings.
As the sword passed them, it halted mid air before coming back towards them, as it passed by a second time, it sliced into Cassandra's back, cutting through the protective covering Caanderal had placed on her.
Cassandra's scream filled the night. As Caanderal ran he felt a spark of heat behind him, as Cassandra collapsed on his back. He reached around and grabbed her, barely noticing as Cassandra's eyes lit with a brilliant burning green light. Her body shifted as the light filled her body and continued until it surrounded her and Caanderal. A large tornado came up and caught Caanderal's wings, lifting him up. Cassandra looked back at the monster and the citadel and screamed in a voice reminiscent of the voice that led Caanderal to her
"GA...I..... GAIA'S RETRIBUTION" and her right arm shot out as a thick green line flew from it to the monster. The light entered its chest and it took off roaring at the citadel, scratching at his chest. As it crashed into the citadels wall, it exploded in a brilliant green fury of thick vines and dark wood.
The remains of the monster squirmed towards the stone, before shooting more vines into the structure. Deep rumbles could be heard along with the screams of the soldiers and generals still inside.
Caanderal quickly got into the ship, placing Cassandra into the stasis sapphire fluid, before hitting a sequence on his controls. A brilliant Humming sound filled the chamber, and as the crescendo reached its climax Caanderal whispered "Harmony" before blinking from that point of existence.
Di'Tharn
It was midday, two days after the horrible event that had changed the village forever. Elder Razmus was wandering through the village aimlessly, looking at the others repairing the damage, trying to restore a sense of normality to their lives. Walking, he heard the raised voices of his brother Ruz and one other. Concerned, he walked up behind the area they were in.
"Quickly you must take this to Damsk; I don't know how much longer I can keep waylaying their suspicions. If that....thing finds out about me, our plans are done for. Get to the citadel and make sure that my brothers half-breed mate is DESTROYED" At those words, Razmus fell out from his hiding place. Next to Ruz was another of the robed men's soldiers holding in his hand a rolled sealed parchment? The soldier, spying Elder Razmus took off out of the village. Ruzmas could not believe what he had just heard nor could he recall the person he was staring at. Staring back at him was the man he called his brother, only, he never remembered his brother having smoking yellow eyes.
I hope you have enjoyed Chapter 4 of Entering Harmony. Thanks to "Silven fox" for some inspiration. Thanks to Gee-Kay for his wonderful help in editing this and future chapters. If you have any comments, questions or critiques feel free to e-mail me at Athos6182@aol.com .