I remember it vividly, as if it were only yesterday. Reyanna and I were playing in the woods, no more than 6 human years old apiece. A picnic! Honey cakes, cinnamon flat breads, brandywine tea, we loved to picnic in the spring. We were just finishing our tea when I told Reyanna to hush down, I said "Listen, Rey, listen... shh now and listen... do you hear that?"
And we listened but heard nothing. "I don't hear anything, silly. You're playing games again." Reyanna said. "No! Listen..." I interrupted. "Do you hear the birds or the crickets or the other sounds Faydark makes?"
We listened but did not hear them, and we began to be afraid, very afraid. But before we could think about why we were afraid, the forest began to make terrible sounds like we had never heard before. Metallic sounds, banging sounds, and then screaming and shouting. The next thing I knew I was holding Reyanna, my arms wrapped so tightly around her she could hardly breathe. We were holding each other for dear life, shivering and jumping with each round of screams.
The sounds grew louder; more intense, but worse, they drew nearer and nearer to us. We could only sit there in fear. Mothers earth elemental, Lobantik she called this one, was pacing nervously in front of us. Suddenly, he sprang forward, waving his stubby arms in the air, pulsing green globes of magical force erupting from his fists.
But as Lobantik was flattening the second creature, we later learned to call them orcs - Crushbone orcs - the last one cried out in a high pitched squealing voice. By the time Lobantik had dropped the second orc and turned his attention, and fists, to the last one, others, larger, with swords and axes, came rushing from the forest. Reyanna and I could not move, frozen in fear. We sat and watched, each squeezing the breath out of the other slowly as we clung to each other desperately.
Lobantik was a powerful elemental. He was tossing orcs aside left and right, rooting this one here, flattening that one there. But there were so many, and they just kept coming. Soon there were three exceptionally large orcs all on top of Lobantik at once trying to hold him down. The other smaller orcs were hitting him with clubs and tree branches and rocks, anything they could get their grimy little hands on. Some of them turned and noticed Reyanna and I. They dropped their weapons and started rubbing their hands together and grinning, it was horrible. I still have nightmares; the disgusting looks in their eyes, the saliva dripping from their blue tongues and yellow teeth. They wanted to eat us, I was sure of it. And they would have, had the four humans not showed up at that time to save us.
Just as the orcs were coming up on my sister and I, four heavily armored men burst out of the wood. Without hesitation, like in one single movement, the men waded through the orcs turning and slashing and bashing and swinging. They moved like a single entity with a single mind. It was truly impressive, even though I am not much on swordplay. The orcs that were pinning Lobantik down jumped off of him in fear and backed up with the others.
One of the men put away his sword and strapped his shield to his back. I thought he was going to fight them hand to hand. I remember whispering to Reyanna "Brave human, stupid, but brave." But then he drew a huge sword from his back, taller than my sister and I combined. He whispered something and traced a strange symbol in the air with his finger. The sword then burst into flames, and he immediately threw himself into the crowd of orcs that gazed in awe, and fear, at the blade. The three others followed him, one at each side and another behind. All moving as one again. Orcs were falling and piling up. It looked like these men would waste them all without any trouble, until a strange cracking sound filled the air, and the lead human was engulfed in a red explosion of sorts. He couldn't move at all, as if stunned by the power he was enveloped in I mustered the strength to whisper in Reyanna's ear, and pointed.
Tier'Dal.
Sure enough, just out of sight to human eyes, a pack of Teir'Dal were weaving their hateful spells and hurling them at the men. The humans were regaining their wits about them, but by this time they were overpowered by the sheer numbers of orcs, and the barrage of magicks being cast upon them by the Teir'Dal. The flaming sword now lay on he ground, the three large orcs pounding on the human who once held it. Lobantik was trying desperately to keep them away from us, but again he was becoming overwhelmed as well. They just kept coming and coming, like there was no end.
Thank the gods for mothers.
There was a huge explosion in the middle of the Teir'Dal pack, followed by another, and another. Mother was unleashing the full fury of Felwithe upon them. It was the first and last time I ever witnessed mother like that. I had never actually seen the insides of a creature that had once been alive until then. She was literally turning these Teir'Dal inside out. The orcs turned their attention to my mother and the pieces of Teir'Dal that were still raining from the sky. That was all the time the humans needed. One human broke free and grabbed the flaming sword, and without breaking stride, threw the blade. It landed perfectly next to the other human. He grabbed it, and in one swing severed the orc on him, releasing his legs from the obligation of carrying the torso any longer. But there were still so many orcs. And one of the humans was dead; we could see his arms lying limp at his sides as two orcs were carrying him off into the woods. The remaining three men were back on their feet swinging and bashing, when the one with the flaming sword began shouting to the others. At once the two others rushed over to Lobantik, who was still struggling with five or six orcs, and began hacking away at those until Lobantik was free.
The human with the flaming sword broke off from the orcs and ran towards me and my sister, sweeping us up in his huge arms. While the other two men held off the orcs, the human put us on Lobantik's shoulders and spoke in a language I thought only my mother knew. The earth elemental seemed to understand and began heading towards Felwithe, Reyanna on one shoulder, I on the other. The human ran ahead of us, clearing a path through the orcs, and as we made it free of the orcs the human grabbed Lobantik by his arm,stopping him. He leaned forward and said to Reyanna, "Little girl, I am a paladin of the Hall of Truth... My name is Yitzhak Baalshemtov... I will likely die here in this forest today. But that is not relevant. You must someday find my family, and tell them that I love them, my wife... my son... now go child... and may Truth prevail."
He pushed Lobantik on, and ran back towards the battle. He was there just in time to catch one of the other paladins in his arms, dead. Yitzhak lay him down gently on the ground, and then buried himself deep in the orc ranks until I could no longer see him or his flaming sword.
We wondered about mother all the while we traveled back to Felwithe. She couldn't keep up such powerful magicks for long. Where was she? She must be waiting for us at Felwithe, at the gates, knowing that we would be along shortly. And there, as the trees parted, we could see the gates now; guards lined up before them.
We were on the path leading up to the gate, and were expecting at any moment to see mother run out and take us from Lobantik. But suddenly I was falling; Reyanna and I hit the ground hard. Well, Reyanna hit the ground hard; I landed on her, hitting her hard. Lobantik was gone! We looked around, but couldn't see him anywhere. He had simply vanished. Of course now, today, I know why he vanished. But at that moment, we were both just two lost little girls wondering when mother was going to come pick us up and take us back home.
She never did.
Father eventually put us in magic school where we were each tested. He felt that since mother was such a powerful mage, surely the two of us would be as well. Reyanna ended up in the wizard's guild; I in the tutelage of the enchanters. We practiced and we learned and we grew. It was obvious that Reyanna's fondness for the more explosive magicks was driven by her desire to blast away the Teir'Dal. While, I vowed never to be alone and overrun again. I studied hard to offer my assistance to all noble paladins, and any fighters of evil, that none should ever be outnumbered.
So, here I am today, a product of what my mother made me, in more ways than one. And every time I assist, my mother lives on. And the sacrifice that she and those paladins made for me and for Faydark lives on.
This is my story.
