Chapter 1
“Absolutely
not! I will not stand for it!”
The squat beings hallow voice echoed through the dark cave and out into the deceitfully beautiful woods of Vanaheim. Instantly, a cacophony of noise broke out amongst the deformed creatures: wails and screeches of anger joined by shrieks of jubilance. A figure with the face and body of a human slammed his strong arms onto the stony table, effectively silencing everyone. He looked up and met the protestor’s eye and boomed out the final verdict.
“We have allied ourselves with Calder and that is it! We have the chance to take back what is rightfully ours! The Successor has not come into power yet, or even been identified for that matter!”
The harsh proclamation blasted out of the ragged cave, and once again disappeared into the depths of the deceptively enchanting forest. However, a semi-corporal form caught wind of it and eagerly traced down its source. It smoothly flitted over giant roots and gaping cracks until it arrived at the cave and melted into the jagged walls. It watched the pandemonium ensue and bided its time.
The man with the burly arms pushed away from the table and began circling his subjects. With every step his grotesque shadow magnified, yet none of his subjects seemed frightened. Instead, they were contemplative. One, who was particularly bold, grasped its hand and latched onto it. Astonishingly, the being reciprocated the gesture and pulled the creature out of its chair. Said creature bore a striking resemblance to the leader: tall, lean, and strong.
The heavily muscled man put an arm around the creature’s shoulders and made for the head of the table. Both walked in tandem and oozed power out of their pores. Said man gestured to the one beside him. “My offspring agrees with me! Both your king and prince have come to an agreement for the first time in centuries! Why fight against one another, especially when we have the chance to take back what is ours?”
At this, the princeling furthered those passionate words with his silver tongue: “We have put aside our feud for you, the people! Can you not perceive the wisdom of our actions? By allying ourselves with Calder we are essentially rearing an invincible force. A force which we are a part of and can definitely control!”
The mass of creatures at initially mumbled and discussed the merit of their monarchs’ words. Yet, slowly but surely, the uncertainty evolved from a weak murmur to stern nods, and then unanimous acceptance. The leaders broke into identical grins of satisfaction. Both waved their hands towards the mouth of the cave, officially ending the rendezvous. The leaders waited until every creature exited before strolling out themselves and sealing the cave.
All was still within the cave, except for the semi-corporal being. The figure slid from the walls and revealed its solid shape: very tall, lithe and male. The man walked over to the center of the table, bit his thumb and squeezed until blood dipped onto the center. The table’s surface rippled and lightened to show a crystal clear image of a teenage girl: petite and slim, with lightly bronze skin, dark almond eyes and sharp features. The most striking feature was her long, jet black hair. The man sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose while muttering “great, a modern day teenager is the chosen”, under his breath.
His lament was interrupted by a fantastically musical laugh. The man swiveled around and spotted the faint figure of a woman. Even as a shadow, the deity looked ethereal as ever. Smiling, she shook her head at the man. “My dear Keith, do away with your pessimism. You have finally located the carrier of the spark, rejoice!”
Keith ignored the goddess and shook his head again. “No, I will not Nyx. Children of the recent millennium know nothing of true reality. She will be very difficult. That is, if she even accepts her role.”
Nyx studied the man’s profile and wondered if he would ever be able to move on from his rage and truly fulfill his duty as the Watcher. Sighing, she decided to at least try to ease the uphill battle. “Very well, the chosen’s name is Onida Red Bird. I beseech you, please approach her in an environment which she is familiar with, especially when you proceed with the revelation. So much hangs in the balance. You just witnessed that.”
With that, the goddess of the night vanished leaving Keith to his sullen thoughts and valid fears. But, the valid question still loomed over him: how to approach and interact with the girl?
