Authors: P.G. Thomas
Alron spoke, “I does also like to add, it does be at this time when elf life does change. Midlanders—” he said the term as if it was foul, looking at Mirtza, “does move into forests. Few we were and forest does be huge. Share we does naught mind, I should say, naught mind at first. Each year, more and more does come. Each year we does move our camps back west or north. When we does travel to rich hunting grounds, we does find forest cut, trees gone. Midlanders had replaced forest great with field, where they does raise beast or plant. It does be a very sad time in elf history.”
As Alron went quiet, Bor started, “With questions many, answers few. To the north more sent, clans they did. As if by magic, each time more. More midlanders. More docks. More ships. To the north their settlement did sprawl. Each time, bigger than seen last. Years of ten, watching, questioning, none sure of what happen does. Push us you can, let you we will. Sea and shore, if you desire, have you can. Mountains, no, here line dwarf does draw. Wind a story it told, midlander mining, smelting ore. End this practice dwarf would. Above the ground, do as you wish. Below, dwarf property. Neither asked or granted permission was, but ore left mountains now, declaration of war it was. Winter arrived, troops assembled, retribution dwarf demanded.”
“Plan they thought, but not they did.” Bor looked down at the floor as he continued, “A battle brigade, north went, huge in numbers, numbers enough not. Honor and ore, fueled the march. Victory, follow them she did not. Dwarven pride fortified the charge. Pride, enough it was not. So many. Piece of sugar candy they were. An army of ants apart picked them. Made it back some did. But believe it, no dwarf could. A thousand left. One hundred returned. On the wind, nine hundred stories whispered. Year next again, watch they did. Ship after ship after ship. Docks loadstones, ships iron, attraction was great. Stop them, nothing could. Sea plague infected, ill winds shore did blow it. Clan chiefs, argue they did, agree none could. Battle. Negotiate. Truce, never spoken before. Dwarf pride boiled over, raised army, 3000 marched north. Wrongs done, dwarf right would make. One dwarf, return he did. Stories he told, many would listen, but once only they would. Trolls….”
Alron spoke up again: “Does tell them of trolls.”
“Trolls, the beast forgotten. Purpose, origin both unknown be. Cave deep, forest secluded, dwell in places many they do. Bear sized. Stupid. Temper and smell, foul both be. Teeth and claws, that story be different. Vicious beasts. Two legs upright walk they do, but unkempt and brutal also they be. Downwind, easy to find. Two battles you fight. Smell be first, beast be second. Once called sport, trolls slay dwarf numbering three thousand, no sense make this did. One dwarf, the story he told. Mad, all thought him. None would believe, until too late. One dwarf only, a nightmare he witnessed. To the mine depths he went. Hoped blackness deep would block visions seen. Troll hunting parties dwarf sent out. Return they did not. More go forth. Return none do. That which dwarf called sport, now called dwarf food. Fear, never known before, now embraced itself in hearts of dwarf.” Bor went quiet, his gaze still focused on the floor.
Aaro continued the story: “A squad, one hundred strong forth went. Dead of night, attacked they were. Bad eyesight, in daylight trolls should hunt. And alone, in groups not. Dwarf deep sleep, alarms disrupted, death greeted. Camp rushed by troll packs. Bigger. Stronger. Smarter. Return, ninety did not. Troll packs, night hunting, none could believe.”
Bor had regained his composure, “Change. Adapt. Words dwarf forged, not by troll. Training, new weapons, teams special, and plans create they did. Battle they want, battle they will have. Battle troops prepared, ventured forth, returned with victory. Dwarf. Battle. Difference there is none, victory only. Grown stronger trolls had. Skin thicker, smell gone, bigger. More defeat. Master Weapon Smiths of Eastern clans, to the forges they went. Brought forth were three. Axe, hammer, and spear. All named, all great. Oxwood handles, finest metals, dwarf forged. Victory waited. Victory, honor, both restored. Then that which was impossible, happened, troll with six legs, defeat again. That day, first spoken, ‘Trollmare.’ Sport to predator. Predator to horror. Horror to unbelievable.”
Fen joined in, to give his brother a breather, “North invaded by midlander, dwarf ore mined not by dwarf, dwarf hunted by troll. Things wrong many. Dwarf not enough. Clans of east, west they looked. Ironhouse greeted, welcomed. The road travelled here you took, dwarf built by it was.”
Alron spoke again, “When we does see dwarf many on road, we does investigate. We does give assistance and listen to their stories. When plains they does flee, does take refuge at Ironhouse, elf does go to investigate. Dwarf does think mad we does be, but knowledge we does need more. We does only send scouts two, elf being forest smart, does adapt better, does apply forest craft to mountain. From hidden positions, we does see trollmares that dwarf does talk about. The sight of them does cause our warrior bravest to cringe with fear. Naught any does we hath to fight, just watched, and as dwarf does say, their evolution does be both fast and brutal. We does watch town, ships. So many midlanders, the settlement does stretch for over one hundred miles, and we does naught understand why so many. Then two years past, scouts does report town does be empty. Few if any does be spotted. It does naught make sense.”
Gingaar then added, “Before elf does investigate, midlander rumour we does hear. Plans does be made to mystery unravel, when dwarf road does receive midlander travel heavy. West bound they does be, plague rumor behind them does follow. Approach us naught would they. Months later, elf does follow. Year last, midlander last does flee. West then south they does go.”
“I have just spent the last three months travelling from the south,” Mirtza said, “In that time, I have been to numerous settlements, villages, towns, and farms. Each one that I came across was deserted. It was not until I found our six new friends, that I had somebody to talk to, though I knew not what words to speak. All I found were posters like these.” He pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to Aaro, who then passed it around the room. “These places I found were odd. Some looked like the keepers had moved out, taking with them all of their possessions. Others would have bug-infested meals sitting on tables, as if the people simply disappeared. Barns and cellars all empty of harvested crops. Even hay, absent as well. At first, I was worried about the warnings, but over the next few months, though I never found a person to talk to, there was much more that I did not find. No fresh graves to suggest a deadly epidemic had been unleashed, no burnt out pyres of slaughtered livestock, to stop a spreading infection. No wandering person or animal mad with disease, yet both crops and people were missing.”
The gathered crowd was silent, as there was no more to this story. Bor glared at Alron as he stood up, “Stories, not should some be told. When dark dreams your sleep they invade, Alron be to blame.” With that, Bor left the room. There was no celebrating or laughter that night. Everybody was somber, not even able to finish their drinks, instead headed to their sleeping quarters.
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No one slept well that night, the story disturbed each in different ways. Lauren hugged her staff as she cried in bed, her pillow wet with tears, exhausted, sleep finally embraced her—though not the type of sleep she desired, as images of elves, dwarves, and midlanders fleeing opponents unknown fought against peaceful slumber. Over and over, she kept hearing, ‘we were waiting for you.’ Images of her parents opening the front door, ‘we were waiting for you,’ pushed the old dreams to the side, until both collided. Her parents pointing at the television as it showed outcasts marching down dusty roads, chased by blackness. Then, even stranger, her parents driving trucks filled with dwarves, elves, and midlanders to destinations unknown. It was early morning when she knocked her staff off the bed, the sound startling her awake and she walked to the shower, hoping that the cold water would chase away the images that refused to leave. Although it was early, she got dressed and headed downstairs; the thought of sleeping, having the dreams return, did not interest her. The kitchen was empty, and unsure of where to find anything, she instead went into the dining room, and saw the elfin Earth Mother with a pot of tea, but before she could back out of the door, the Earth Mother caught her gaze.
“Young Lauren, wilt thou sit with me?” There really was nowhere else to go, and strangely enough, she did have two teacups, “Dark dreams does thou hath this night?”
Lauren went over as the Earth Mother poured her a cup of tea, “I didn’t like last night’s story. What is happening here? Why were you waiting for us?”
“Simple questions thou does ask, or simple they does appear. What is happening here? Naught any does be sure. Dwarf first, then midlander, elf finally, their lands they does flee. Plague. Trollmares. North city unknown for so long, now gone. Mystery after mystery does come forth. In the shadows answer does be, but naught light canst we cast on them. Then mystery one more we does hath, six unknown I does meet. Mother said wait, welcome. But why, she does naught say. Answers we does need, thought those we does wait for, answers they does bring, naught more questions. Lauren, why Mother sought thou and thine friends, truly I does naught know. Her need must be great, so thou must be great. But why does this happen, many does wish to know that answer. In thine hands, thine staff, more power and knowledge thou does hold than all other Earth Mothers before. Thou may be great, but fear I does hath, not great enough. Else why does Mother grant thine staff, thine power?”
“So then what am I supposed to do?”
“Questions more, but answers naught does I hath. Mayhap Mother wilt provide answers yet. Mother Chosen thou does be. This night proclaim you Earth Daughter I shalt.”
“What does that mean?”
“When thine gift is recognized, order thou does join. Instruct, nurture and train Earth Mothers does. Earth Mothers does be full of knowledge, energy they does lack. Earth Daughters does be full of spirit, knowledge absent they does be. We does train those, so that they does carry on.”
“How do you become an Earth Mother?”
“One day, something does happen, then thou wilt know. Formal we does naught be, for Mother does guide us.”
“What about Gingaar. Is she an Earth Daughter?”
“Gingaar does show gift sign, though late in life. Taught and trained, but her gift does be shy. Too timid to come forth it does be.”
“So as an Earth Daughter, what do I do?”
“Mother I does pray, thine path she does reveal to thou.”
“Who is Mother?”
“The ground thou does walk on, trees and more. Everywhere does be Mother. Of this, I will teach thou.”
As they talked, they saw Gor enter the dining hall, carrying in a large steaming pot, but upon seeing Lauren and the Earth Mother sitting in the hall, he shortly brought out a fresh pot of tea with clean mugs. In a short period, the rest began to appear, and nobody was pleased to see that Gor had prepared ‘oatmeal’ for their breakfast, and their lack of restful sleep was obvious. Several attempted to approach the two, but the look on the Earth Mother’s face made them reconsider.
“So Earth Mother, in your world something is wrong. For reasons unknown, Mother brought my friends and me here to help, but nobody knows what is wrong or how to fix it? Would that be correct?”
The Earth Mother nodded her head, wished she could at least answer one question for a change.
Lauren stood up from the table, “I need to think about this.”
When Lauren left the dining hall, Alron joined the Earth Mother, “What does happen?”
“This night, Lauren I does proclaim Earth Daughter. Mother Chosen she does be.”
“Are thou sure? Odd she be, but Mother Chosen. How does thou know?”
“Thine staff she does carry. Gift from Mother, gift of three. Power, knowledge, strength.”
“Perchance luck it does be, deserve it she does naught?”
“Alron, search one thousand years, naught another like Lauren’s staff would thou find. If Mother does naught want Lauren to hath it, naught found it would she. Mother Chosen, naught doubt does there be. Young Lauren, questions only does she bring, answers naught. Alron, what next, I does naught know.”
“Mother. We does wait for Mother.”
Lauren fled the dining hall in a blind fury. As she marched up the stairs, she cursed heavily under her breath, and those that saw her, immediately got out of her way. She slammed her door shut, dropped the staff beside the door, and threw herself into the bed. It was probably a good thing that the walls were rock, and the door was thick. Some people think best quietly talking to themselves, but Lauren was not one of them. “You have problems, unknown problems. An entire freaking universe to select from and you pick me. Holy crap on a stick, are you freaking crazy! Mother—may I call you Mother? Or should I call you the old lady who has screwed up my life. No, I guess Mother works. So even if no life exists on any other planet, you found my world. And from seven freaking billion people, you said ‘we want Lauren?’ For somebody who can see so far, your vision is really crappy. Great problems, I must be great. Sons of a bitch. What the hell were you thinking? Seven freaking billion people to choose from and you chose me? Scientists, generals, professors. No, you say we will take the scared seventeen-year-old girl. Oh, and so she doesn’t get lonely, grab her five friends. Sure, we can help. Problems with pimples, boys don’t like you, your first dance. There, I can help. Plague? What the hell? I am freaking failing science and you have a problem with a plague. I haven’t accomplished anything in my life, and you bring me here to save your world. Save it from what? You don’t even know?”
Lauren struggled for hours, trying to understand why she was now in this strange land, with all of these unknown problems. It was around noon when she was disturbed by a knock at her door. John, not seeing her come down for lunch went looking for her. When she saw it was John, she pulled him into the room and slammed the door shut.