Prologue
Prologue
Along with Gabrithon, Elthinor, and Nolan, two new friends had joined me in my journey to find the five lost scrolls that hold the secrets of God, the Creator of everything, and his Son, Jesiah: a quiet and sometimes wise-beyond-his-years Dwarf named Valtrak and a jovial Satyr called Pinnathir. Two others had attempted to join us, both of them Satyrs. One was the younger Satyr princess Laetitia and the other was head of the Satyr guard, Terryn, who was Pinnathir’s father. Laetitia, not skilled or prepared enough to handle the hardships of our journey, was sent back to her hometown of Stonemere with Terryn.
In the Satyrs’ halls, where we spent the winter, the third scroll that had been retrieved from the Dwarven halls was read. The scroll revealed that though the Humans tried, they could not follow God’s Holy Laws. It ended with Jesiah’s birth in Fairwick.
When spring arrived, we traveled from Stonemere to Shadowlyn, bypassing the city to get to the other side of the mountain. Elthinor, Pinnathir, and Nolan climbed up to claim the fourth scroll, which revealed Jesiah’s miracles—miracles that solidified his divinity, especially in my eyes. We did not get to read the scroll as a group, though.
Nolan revealed his deception. He was my long lost twin brother who had been captured with my Elven father. He had been twisted by torture to follow the Dark Ones in their crusade to maintain their reign over the Human race and to, presumably, expand their reign to the other races as soon as possible. As for my father, Nolan had told me he did not know where he was or if he was even alive. I hope he is. I would like to meet him some day.
Elthinor, Gabrithon and Pinnathir were captured by Nolan and some of the Dark Ones’ minions: Aswangs, Vampires, and Naga. A short fall down the mountain had caused me great pain, injuring my back. Valtrak and I barely managed to escape from the creatures, saved only by the timely reappearance of my Kindle Wolf, Ember, who led Aloron, Elthinor’s grandfather, and a group of Elves to us just in time.
The run from the creatures had ruined my back, and I awoke from restless sleep in the house of Leah, Damian, and Jaiden Richards. They were kind Humans who lived in Greensage, and they and the entire town accepted the Elves—which was odd—after their initial fear passed. Jaiden showed an intense interest in the scrolls that almost surpassed Aloron’s, and he has been studying them obsessively for weeks. Of course, Aloron had read to us the fourth scroll, which we had gotten right before Nolan's betrayal revealing that Jesiah was blessed by God to do many miracles. His disciples even called him the Messiah.
My fast healing has me almost well, with just a little stiffness and a persistent dull ache in my back when I move too fast and too much. I had followed Aloron’s strict restrictions on everything I was allowed, or not allowed, to do. I did it because I want to save my friends. It is a burning desire that grows hotter every day. I fear they are suffering under Nolan’s care. He had shown a cruel side when he had revealed who he was working for, and worse, he had singled Elthinor out. I did not know why he did that, but it bothered me greatly. I missed the Elf fiercely, his companionship, his voice, his steady presence. But, I missed the others as well.
I was used to being surrounded by my friends, and without them, I felt alone. Valtrak was safe, and that comforted me, and Jaiden was quickly becoming a good friend. We had had some deep conversations about Jesiah. Jaiden was also interested in what I remembered about the dreams where I had talked with Jesiah. All in all, my time in Greensage was worthwhile, but I sometimes felt that I was overstaying my welcome. Maybe I just wanted to get my friends back from my traitorous brother. I was not really sure, but I knew my stay in Greensage would not last much longer.
