Prologue
Prologue
She was, perhaps, the first in the long night sky to cast her great aura over all things and beings, to illuminate, inspire, and oversee all that transpires under her gentle rose glow. A moon’s power is to control tides, great waters and small, in every place and all things, in subtle ways but to great turns of fate.
A witness to the outcome of the heavens’ play can never rightly guess its source or reason, but call it fate, random or accuse another small thing of some relation, even if they are truly ancient, wise, or learned, for none are as ancient as Carina the ever-crescent. This night out of many, random or fate, Carina allowed an outcome, and its witness, but the eyes that witnessed gained no wisdom from it. This must have amused her, for the great moon seemed to glow brighter, her tone - more crimson than rose; for just a second, the slight celestial shift sent a gale and drove a wave more violent than its brothers forward to crash on the ragged cliff shoreline.
A sharp wind breaks against the somber ramparts overlooking the restless sea below a dead cliff drop. Day’s light was all but forgotten by the old stone of these walls and of the even older peak upon which it stands. Instead, the more welcome light of the moon braced the air and courtyard, open to the air and overlooking the waters that stretched far as can be seen. The light was not enough to expose the stone home or its inhabitants, but just enough to bring forth the dark, imposing shapes of the structure from out of the night. The reddish moon graced the stormy peak of Castle Dawn, and a figure came into light in the courtyard, looking inwards, facing away from the sea.
She cast off her lavish veil, this was the night she thought, it could be felt. Hands folded in front of her, “Let me hear the words come out of those worthless lips”, letting her line of thought trail off as she heard the anticipated footsteps and their owner step onto the cold stone at a pace.
“My queen, it has been found, it...”
“Good.” She cut off the adorned night with her sharp tone.
Her chin went up, and she adjusted her pose. One hand behind her back, the other extended slightly up and to her right to catch Carina’s light in her diamond ring adorning the little finger of her hand.
Good. This is my victory. Finally, she thought. “Go on..”.
“One of the miners collapsed the lower dig site, and there it was - below! Just as you said, it was in the old tongue, inscribed over a vault of stone.” The news-bearer was visibly excited, however, she was irritated, the search was very long and took many ‘volunteers’.
“Send for scribes, record it twice, do NOT translate it. Then, get both copies to me and seal the passageway”.
Oh, and our wise word scribblers won’t be leaving...
“Of course, will you not want to see it yourself? You put me to this tasteless job in the gutters, digging for years, do you not want to celebrate that it is found?” He said and came one step closer looking to match her eyes.
“Your tone ‘captain of the guard’, mind it and get to work. I have other appetites tonight and Carina’s light will soon spoil.” she replies, impatient.
“Yes.. my queen.” he fades into the darkness from whence he came.
As the two disappear back into the castle, another crescent rises to the heavens. He bathes the rocky sea wall with his bluish hues of night light that mix with hers, from the other end of the heavens; the magnificent fortification is finally revealed; lit in the pale light, yet it does not brighten. Castle Dawn stands as a piered and walled bulwark of the sea. It is black; blacker than the receding night’s dark itself; an odd glitter in its walls, where its stone was not soiled by beast or man filth.
