0 comments/ 4787 views/ 0 favorites Secrets of the Home Pt. 01 By: Ltirashin This is my first non-erotic submission. It is a short story I wrote for my daughter that takes place after a saga I hope to one day commit to paper (electronic or actual). I am also working on several other shorts featuring my other two daughters and son. (Hopefully, I'll have these done sometime this year.) Please enjoy the read and (please!!) vote and leave your comments, as they are both greatly appreciated. * Secrets of the Home The leaves crunched and rustled noisily as Aanemoshi, a white mare with ash-gray dapples, bore her rider along the leaf blanketed forest floor. The trees' former glory of rich emerald drapery was gone, leaving them naked and exposed. Patches of orange, brown, red, and yellow now littered the ground, creating a kind of natural, colorfully hued quilt. With each stirring of the wind, the pattern of Nature's blanket changed ever so slightly. Silently, the heavily cloaked rider guided her mount with only gentle nudges with her knees and light tugs on the reigns through the narrow spaces between the trees. A hawk's screech from high overhead brought the horse and rider to a halt as the latter lifted her eyes to the cloud-filled sky, revealing an elf of remarkable appearance and beauty. Ice blue eyes held the avian fixed in their gaze for a few moments as it soared higher into the chilly air. Though those light colored orbs were remarkable, they were not what truly separated this elf from the rest of the elves across Aldaria. As most of that fae race, she too possessed long, shining gold hair (though its current color was a lime green), a slender build, delicately pointed ears, and sun-bronzed skin. Unique to this elf, however, was her slightly round face, hinting that there was something other than elves in her ancestry. To the elves, Tyanne Uer was a bit of an oddity. She was only treated slightly different than others of her kind for almost no other reasons than curiosity and caution. Sometimes, she wondered just how they would react if they knew the truth: that she had only been an elf for a little over sixteen of her thirty-three years. At those moments when she was tempted to reveal what only she and a few others knew, Tyanne always opted to remain silent, knowing that no one else would understand. But complete acceptance by her fellow elves was outweighed by the respect she had earned, though even that was mostly because of the profession that had "chosen" her. Tyanne was a wizardess. Of course, there were also those who recognized her family name. Her father and his friends and their allies had been instrumental in organizing thousands of people of almost all of Aldaria's races into a defensive force whose sole purpose was to repel a malignant darkness that gained ground every day. Ultimately, it was the courageous sacrifice of one person that brought victory to the forces of Good and won the battle. The Great Battle. Tyanne shook her head in amazement. How could those three little words ever fully convey the magnitude of that conflict? Who could grasp the meaning of that struggle that had decided the fate of an unknowable number of worlds and almost countless lives? Even though she had been a first-hand witness to it, Tyanne had times where even she could scarcely get her mind around what they had accomplished. While it had been a bit more than a year since that day, the images were still just as vivid and fresh in her mind as if it had been but a day. Restless and sleepless nights still plagued her but not as often. Feeling the need to press on, Tyanne replaced her cowl and spurred Aanemoshi back into motion. Many things in her life were different now than they had been sixteen years ago; some of those things varied greatly, some just a little. The second greatest change had been when Tyanne and her family first realized that they were on a completely different world than that of her birth. That she was not alone in this new environment helped to act as a cushion and as reassurance. Tyanne felt a measure of triumph in being able to prosper despite overwhelming circumstance. While hopeful that she could have possibly made it on her own, she was none the less grateful for the presence of her father, step-mother, two sisters and brother. To Tyanne at least, it came as no surprise when she started to manifest an aptitude in studying magic and, not much later, being able to cast spells. During her first several months on Aldaria, most of Tyanne's free waking minutes was spent with her nose in one dusty old tome or another. She had gotten them from the well-stocked library of the tower she and her family had found and called home. The previous owner's skeletal remains had been found in one of the upstairs rooms, so none of them ever gave any thought to there being a dispute as to their claim to the squat little tower. It was that same tower that was her current destination. Tyanne was delighted when her father, the arch-wizard M'kallen Uer, told her she could claim the tower as hers for as long as she wanted. A short three days later, the young wizardess was saying her farewells to her family and friends as she set off for her "new" home. Despite everyone warning her about not traveling alone, Tyanne set out, regardless. But Tyanne knew she was most definitely not alone, in several respects. She had no doubt her father, step-mother, mother, sisters and various aunts and uncles, both non- and blood relatives, would be keeping a watchful eye on her journey, one way or another. Traveling with her was Tyanne's familiar, Tagnik'zuur; a two-foot long pearl-scaled fae dragon. Lastly, but far from least, there was the small golden crucifix she wore on a fine gold chain; a constant reminder that she would never be truly alone. Tyanne's faith had been tested over the years and she had seen all manner of things to make her both believe as well as doubt. But what she---and tens of thousands of others---witnessed in the final moments of the Great Battle had forever ended that dilemma. Tagnik'zuur, Tyanne mentally projected. Return to me. The wizardess did not need to see her small friend to know he was near by. Tyanne could feel and sense where he because the magical connection provided them with a rudimentary telepathic link. Tagnik'zuur always flew ahead of his mistress, under the concealment of his innate power to turn invisible, and report back anything that may be of interest or any potential threats. ****** Winging his way far above the trees, Tagnik'zuur was thoroughly enjoying his flight in the brisk autumnal air. While tiny comparison to his "distant cousins", the true dragons, Tagnik'zuur was every bit as proud a creature as they. As he saw it, a dragon, no matter how large or small, was exactly that: a dragon. He was right in the middle of completing three consecutive loops when he received the mental summons from his mistress. Involuntarily, Tagnik'zuur rolled his eyes and sighed. It never fails, he thought to himself. Just when I was beginning to have some fun. Oh, well. . . At the top of the second loop, he rolled right and went into a steep dive. Down and down he plunged, pulling out just above the upper branches of the forest, whose limbs almost seemed to be reaching up and trying to snatch him from the air. The diminutive dragon was flying along so fast that he shot right on past Tyanne. "Ooops!" he thought to himself with as a wry smile curled up the corner of his mouth. With a quick flip and a roll, Tagnik'zuur headed back to his mistress. As he approached from behind, he imagined himself much larger and fiercer, ready to attack an unsuspecting traveler who came unbidden into his territory. "You're mine!" he playfully growled in his mind as he neared his "intended victim". With a fluttering of his shiny white wings, Tagnik'zuur settled on Tyanne's shoulder. "So, elf," he mentally projected as he craned his sinewy neck around to look his mistress in the eye, "What is your business, here, in my domain? Hmmmm?" Tyanne looked at her companion for a second with a sidelong glance. "You know, you will never truly be a visage that inspires terror, Tag. You're just too cute for that." "Oooooo!" Tagnik'zuur bristled at the mention of the nickname Tyanne had, in his opinion, unceremoniously had bestowed upon him. "Tyanne, please. You know how I loathe being called 'Tag'. Why do you persist in calling me by that awful name?" It was Tyanne's turn to smile. "A couple of reasons," she replied. "One, it fits you very well and, two, you said I could if I wanted to---which I do---as long as it were me and only me addressing you by it." "Oh, yes," Tagnik'zuur projected, as if suddenly remembering. "Right." The pair rode along in silence for a while. While Tyanne concentrated on where they were heading, Tag kept a watchful eye on the forest around them. Slowly, the deciduous trees gave way to conifers and the terrain began to slope upward. As the pair continued their trek, Tyanne began recognizing her surroundings more and more. It had been several years since she had passed this same way but she still remembered it all: like the big hollow tree she and her siblings had made into their own tower; the cave where Chriane and Linrae had to spend an afternoon waiting out a terrible thunderstorm; even the sinkhole she herself had fallen into and had to be rescued from. Yeah, she remembered it all. Eventually, Tyanne and Tagnik'zuur reached the top of a high hill with a breathtaking view that stretched for miles in every direction. Several smaller prominences, profuse with an abundance of multi-hued trees, surrounded the principal like children gathered around their mother. The breeze gently stirring the leaves amid the forest found new strength and became unfettered atop the rounded, grass-capped peak. "Well," Tyanne said, looking at an obviously empty hilltop. "What do you think?" Tagnik'zuur looked where his mistress was looking then back at her. "What do I think about what?" he silently asked Tyanne. "Our new home, of course." The fae dragon regarded the emptiness for a long moment then offered his unbiased assessment. "Well, it most definitely has plenty of room, although it seems like it might be a bit too drafty during the winter, don't you think?" The corners of Tyanne's mouth turned up slightly. "For being able to see what others can't, you sure seem blind." Tag gave Tyanne a sour look. "And what's that supposed to mean?" "Take another look." Employing his innate ability of true sight (being able to see things as they truly were, including those not visible to the naked eye or things hidden by magic), Tagnik'zuur finally saw what his mistress was talking about. There, magically concealed from view, was a tower that stood almost as high as it was wide. At only three stories tall, not counting the crenelated top, it was far from being a sky-scraping monolith like Tyanne's father's. But Tagnik'zuur did have to admit that his mistress did seem to be rather proud of her new acquisition and that it seemed quite the proper place for a young wizardess who was just starting out on her own. "Okay," Tag began, "and just what are we supposed to do now?" "Simple," Tyanne said. In a clear voice, she spoke one word of magic. "Drraavcha!" For a long moment, nothing happened. Then before Tagnik'zuur was able to form a single thought in his mind, the tower materialized directly in front of them. "Very good!" he verbally applauded. "Nothing like hiding something where any- and everyone can, yet cannot, see it. I am indeed impressed." "On behalf of my father, thanks," Tyanne said with a smile. "I guess from your initial reaction that you hadn't noticed that there was grass growing where the tower is now." A look at her companion indicated that he was just now realizing that fact. "My dad describes it as phased invisibility, an idea he 'borrowed' from something he saw a long time ago on our home world. It's like placing the object in question a side-step from the reality we see. Things can pass through it and be none the wiser of its existence." "Kind of like not being able to see the forest due to the trees---with a magical twist." "Exactly." From their position in front of the tower, Tag could just see a somewhat dilapidated shed sagging heavily behind the keep, as if it were trying to hide from onlookers. Tyanne could see it too. She smiled as she slid from Aanemoshi's saddle and followed the curve of the wall around until she was standing in front of the ramshackle building's wooden double doors. They were still shut and leaning against each other. Taking hold of one of the handles, Tyanne gave it a sharp jerk and revealed another secret that had been hidden for almost a decade. Even in the gloom of the structure, the wizardess's eyes could easily pick out the details of a large object that occupied all but a portion of the interior. Reflected light dimly showed what appeared to be eyes as big as an open hand and an even larger opening between them, filled with long, slender teeth. Tagnik'zuur tried swallowing his heart back down into his chest as he fully expected the shadow-shrouded beast to suddenly lunge for them at any second. His surprise turned to terror as his mistress strode right up to it as if there were nothing to fear. When they were a few steps closer, the fae dragon's anxiety immediately turned to an equal amount of wonder and puzzlement. "What is that . . . thing?" For a second or two, Tyanne said nothing. She knew exactly what it was, actually and metaphorically. "A way from one world to another," she said quietly. Sensing Tagnik'zuur's bewilderment, she added, "It's a means of conveyance where I came from. Superior in quite a few ways than those found here, but inferior compared to magic." "I see . . ." was all Tagnik'zuur said as his eyes roved over the unknown object. The amount of dust that had accumulated on the conveyance over the years was so thick that only by looking at the region down by the wheels was the original gold color apparent. The object's 'carapace', for lack of a better word, was ringed with darkened windows. Through the front window, Tag could vaguely make out two seats in the front with two bench seats behind. "And what was this particular. .conveyance. .called?" Tagnik'zuur's words were still ringing in Tyanne's mind as she glanced down at the very front where an emblem used to be. Only a trace of the outline remained but it was still enough to bring a word to mind. A pang of nostalgia washed over her and she slightly shook her head, understanding the irony of the word. "'Quest'." she whispered so softly that Tag almost did not hear it. "It was called a 'Quest'." The fae dragon had been his mistress's familiar for five years and, in that time, had come to know her quite well. Tag had seen her grow from a wizardess just discovering the full extent of her abilities to one of moderate but impressive power. While he knew that she loved her life on Aldaria, but too did he understand how, at times, she also missed the world of her birth. But as quickly as the wind can change direction, so too did Tyanne's mood. "You know," she began with a look in her eye that Tag knew all too well. "I just bet that it wouldn't take much work to. . ." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "Yeah! That'd work! I know it would!" she exclaimed more to herself than to her companion. Although he could not, Tagnik'zuur could almost read his mistress's thoughts in some instances. "You've got to be kidding. Right?" "Oh, don't be such a party pooper, Tag," Tyanne said as she closed the shed door. "It'll be fun! You'll see!" "Yeah. . .I'm just sure it will be." ****** Tyanne placed her dirty plate, bowl, and flatware in the kitchen sink. It still surprised her how different, yet similar, Aldaria was to her birth world: Earth. Whether it was a chance happening or just the natural inventiveness inherent to all sentient lifeforms to seek comforts much like each other she was not sure. In either case, the tower's previous owner had installed indoor plumbing and hot and cold running water for not only the kitchen but the bathroom as well. It's amazing, she mused as she filled the sink to do what few dishes there were, "how magic and technology could accomplish the same kinds of things but by completely different means. Behind her, on the table, Tagnik'zuur was busy crunching noisily on a bone that, only a few hours before, had been part of a wild chicken. "Delicious! projected Tag as his tongue lapped at the few remaining streaks of juice left on his plate. "I'm glad you liked it," Tyanne replied with a smile as she scooped up his plate put it in the sink. "Fancy a bit of a tour of our new home?" "Do I have a choice?" Tag inquired. "No." "Then lead on." As Tyanne stooped to pick up her backpack, Tagnik'zuur hopped onto her shoulder. Turning right after exiting through the back door to the kitchen, the pair paused at the stairs leading up to the second floor and down to the cellar. "Up or down?" Tyanne asked. Tag regarded the lit passageway ascending and the unlit one descending. While not a dragon prone to giving into fear, Tagnik'zuur could hardly ignore the feeling that there was something about the darkness of those cellar steps that made his scales tingle in a manner that was most uncomfortable. He decided the cellar could wait at least until the next day when they would be well-rested and better prepared to deal with whatever was lurking down there. "Up," he told her. Tyanne knew almost every square inch of her home. Each step she took brought to mind either a memory or sensation of her youth that now seemed a lifetime ago. The three years she and her family had lived here had been a bit rough at times but Tyanne would never trade any of those moments for anything. She remembered chasing her two sisters and her brother up and down these very stairs numerous times when any one, or all of them, had annoyed her just too much---or snatched the book she was reading---and then run like the wind, with her right on their tail. Or simply because they were all feeling particularly rowdy on a rainy day and decided to go running for no other reason. Days that will never come again, Tyanne thought with a small pang of melancholy. The stairs led up to the living quarters hallway on the second floor though the steps also continued on up to the third floor where the library and wizard's workshop were located. Enchanted torches that blazed brightly while producing no heat or smoke lined both sides of the passage with one located on each side of the four doors along the hall. Even after so long an absence, Tyanne still knew which door led to which bedroom. The room directly on her right had been shared by her sisters Linrae and Chriane, Tyanne's was across the hall from them and her brother, Jhanewe, had occupied the one next to hers. The last room had been her father and step-mother's. When she and her family had first found the tower and made it their home, all four rooms had been filled almost floor to ceiling with all manner of things that the keep's original owner had packed away into storage. It had taken them a full week just to clear out and sort through the contents of the first room. Finding nothing of value, importance, or any true use, a huge bonfire was lit to consume the useless junk. By the end of the second week, the other three rooms had been likewise cleared out and their contents destroyed. Her father had been initially concerned about drawing unwanted attention but the tower turned out to be so far away from the nearest town or sign of habitation that no one ever noticed the nightly conflagration. Secrets of the Home Pt. 01 Which one to choose? Tyanne wondered as she started walking slowly down the hall. Which one? For his part, Tagnik'zuur was glad to be away from the cellar stairs but he was starting to get a bit bored with his mistress's silent tour. He tried feigning interest but even that got to be wearisome as well, so Tagnik'zuur focused his thoughts on his favorite activity above all: adventuring! He loved life on the road. He loved to travel, see new things and places, waking up each morning not knowing what the day would bring. He loved it all. But what truly brought a pleasantly warm itch to his scales was the rush he felt whenever he and his mistress were facing mortal danger together. There was no other feeling like it. Not even the euphoric lightheaded and sensations brought on when he and other fae dragons suckled the nectar from the bloom of the goldstar flower could compare. True, staring death in the face to feel that much more. . .alive. . .did have a very serious drawback: dying. The cost of losing a battle was high but the rush made it worth the risk, at least to Tagnik'zuur. He was right in the middle of remembering their run-in with the lizardlings of the Marsh of Daelareen when he realized his mistress was looking him in the eye with a rather impatient stare. The fae dragon just stared blankly back at her for a moment. "Well?!" Tyanne prompted her familiar. "Ummmmm. . .*ahem*. . .hmmmmm. . ." Tagnik'zuur projected, trying to stall for a moment so he could answer whatever question had just been put to him. A sidelong glance up the hallway out of the corner of his eye suddenly brought her query to mind. "The middle one on the right." Tyanne was about to say something about Tag's seemingly short attention span when it occurred to her what his reply had been. "What do you mean the middle one? Tag, there is no middle door on the right." "Yes, there is." Tagnik'zuur's small dragon lips curled up at the corners. "What were you saying earlier about how how even though I am, and I quote, 'able to see what others can't, you (I) sure are blind'? If you could see what I see, you would clearly see that there is a door between the other two on our right." Tyanne blinked at Tag then looked approximately where he was indicating and folded her arms across her chest, studying the wall from a distance. "Hmmm. . ." she hummed aloud as she stood there thinking. "A magically concealed door," Tyanne said softly to herself. "I wonder why none of us ever noticed it before. Or found it, for that matter, especially given a particular racial ability of mine and Linrae." Tyanne slipped her right hand into a hidden pocket of her soft leather vest and pulled out a large, well-worn key. Still eyeing the location, she raised the key, pointed it at the spot indicated by Tagnik'zuur and spoke a single word. "Sh'vhakuun." For a moment, the key in the young wizardess's hand glowed but, as the glow faded, the previously hidden door became visible and swung open silently. Light bright as sunshine cascaded from the still unseen room and into the dimly lit corridor. Tyanne absently slipped the key back into its pocket then produced a slim, black wand from up the sleeve of her light green chemise, all the while never taking her eyes away from the open portal before her. Cautiously, the wizardess ventured closer to the door, her wand at the ready and its command word on her tongue. Tagnik'zuur was crouched on Tyanne's shoulder, all set to pounce and attack anyone who got too close to the pair. "Ready?" Tyanne asked Tag as they paused just around the outer side of the door. "Ready," the diminutive dragon said as he faded from sight. Without knowing what lay waiting for them, Tyanne jumped directly in front of the open doorway, prepared to face who- or whatever was in the room. The shock of what she saw was immediately obvious with her next words. "OH, MY GOD!!" Tyanne yelled with delight before she could stop the impulse. Even Tagnik'zuur could not help but to be amazed by the sight. "Unbelievable!" he marveled as he allowed himself to become visible. The room beyond the door was enormous, far more than would be possible without the use of very powerful magicks. It was this sheer size that first struck Tyanne almost like a catapult stone and swept her breath away much like a gale would a piece of straw. The room's palatial architecture and aesthetics were equally astonishing, on the whole being at least three times the size of Tyanne's entire tower. A gigantic gilded, glass dome set in the middle of the ceiling displayed the slowly darkening of the sky above and around it was an elaborate series of bas-reliefs depicting myriad of creatures and covered every square inch of free space. The twelve windows, also gilded, around the room were equally amazing; each of them towered forty feet from a foot above the floor to a like span below the ceiling. The vista displayed in them was an ocean panorama, as if atop a small atoll far out at sea. As would be witnessed at such a location, the waves rolled and bobbed up and down and the clouds floated serenely by as avians flew here and there just beyond the golden portals. There was also a slight tang of salt in the air that accompanied the sounds of the surf breaking softly on an unseen shore and the cries of the circling gulls. Covering the floor, from one wall to the next, was a breathtaking, intricate mosaic depicting the entire surface of Aldaria. Made from carefully cut, highly polished marble, each nation was accounted for and labeled in embossed gold letters while different types and sizes of precious stones represented cities of note. (Tyanne noticed that, strangely enough, all of the names and borders were current with what she knew.) But, despite the opulence, what had truly captured Tyanne's attention from the very moment she realized what she was seeing were the room's contents: books! Shelf after shelf of books. Hundreds of books. Thousands of books! Every bit of available wall space was covered with shelves and, in turn, those shelves were filled with books, scrolls, and treatises of all types and sizes. Two balconies circled the room and each one was likewise filled to capacity. Four sets of glittering spiral stairs in the corners led up to the literary treasures. Even the middle of the vast chamber had not been left unused; four rectangular islands, standing as high as the upper most balcony, also bore many leather-bound collections of prose and text. Tyanne was speechless and tears of joy began running down her cheeks. Never, ever had she expected anything even remotely close to this truly amazing place anywhere across the face of Aldaria, let alone in her own tower. It was as if she had been granted her fondest wish. Without taking her eyes away from the door, Tyanne slipped her backpack from her shoulder and leaned it up against the wall opposite the magical portal before slowly moving to enter the extra-dimensional room. As she walked, Tyanne's wand was pointing more at the floor than directly in front of her. Her unrealized fear of the chamber suddenly vanishing gave her hands a slight tremble. But the room did not disappear. I bet Dad would have been just as excited as me if he'd have known about this place! the young wizardess thought as her gaze kept on sweeping the room. A thought struck her. Or had he known? But, then, that begs the question: why did he never say anything about it, and why did he not use it during the Great Battle? Tyanne was standing in the center of the library before she even realized it. Looking around at her new-found treasure, she noticed three other doors; one directly ahead of her and one to either side. While she knew she needed to check everywhere for possible or hidden dangers but she also longed to just linger and peruse a few of the numerous volumes in her new library. The very thought of the room and its contents now belonging to her made Tyanne feel giddy. But she knew from experience to temper delight and elation with caution. So, with a reluctant sigh, she finished crossing the great chamber to the first of the three other doors. As his mistress walked carefully toward the closed portal, Tagnik'zuur vanished from sight once again. If there was someone waiting for them behind this door, he was going to be ready for them. Tyanne brought up her wand as she reached for the handle, which was shaped like a lion roaring. Her thumb closed the gilded maw by depressing the upper half of the head. There was a soft *click* just before Tyanne felt the door loosen in its frame. With a quick jerk, she pulled the door open wide then froze where she stood, her wand aimed roughly chest-high. Nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but certainly not what Tyanne had been expecting. A storeroom. A half-full-of-everything-imaginable storeroom. It was a sight that was very familiar to the young wizardess and even made her groan softly. "If the other two rooms are like this one, I'm going to scream." "Ooooo!" Tagnik'zuur mentally piped-up, "Can I watch if you do?" Tyanne rolled her eyes at her familiar's chiding. "Shut up, Tag." "Shall we continue?" he asked with an impish smirk. The second door proved to be far more interesting and exciting. Tyanne's eyes went wide when she saw a wizard's workshop within, one that was almost as large as her father's. It was she who smiled broadly now as intriguing possibilities whirled around in her thoughts. "O, the fun I can have in here!" she said gleefully. When Tyanne got to the third door, she was not entirely sure of what to expect. Taking a, moment to think, a possibility finally came to mind as to the last room's function. And it was that thought that brought Tyanne's thoughts into clear and sharp focus on the here and now. With a quick look to her left shoulder to make sure Tag was ready, the Tyanne very cautiously took hold of the handle, tripped the latch as quietly as she could then yanked the door open wide. The room's interior was shrouded in a seemingly impenetrable darkness. It took Tyanne's elven sight a few long moments to adjust to the almost nonexistent light level within. The inevitable attack she expected never came. The few moments Tyanne stood frozen outside the door, her wand ready, stretched into a small measure of eternity. By the time she could see the shadowy shapes inside, her furiously beating heart had slowed only a little. She was relieved, yet puzzled, by what she saw in the final chamber: a demolished bed and side drawer table. To say that the bed was in ruins was to give it more praise than it deserved; the frame had been blasted into so many bits that is true size was impossible to determine and the mattress was little more than a pile of blackened dust. The table had fared a bit better but was just barely recognizable as such from its hollow, shattered frame. Whatever had happened in this room had been so devastating that even the walls charred black. Just as Tyanne was about to shut the door, she noticed something atop the ruin of the bed that looked too out of place to be ignored. At first, she was not sure if it was indeed what she thought it could be but soon realized it was as she bent to inspect it. A book. Even though it was slightly worn, in the middle of the devastation, its very presence commanded attention. Tyanne was suspicious of her new discovery but was not about to leave it be. As she bent and slowly reached for the volume, a chill ran down her spine and she felt as though she were being watched. Tyanne turned her head quickly back toward the middle of the library but saw no one there. Okaaay, she thought as she mentally steadied herself, that was weird. Must be a bad case of nerves . . . or excitement . . maybe both. But the sudden voice coming from her shoulder just about made Tyanne jump out of her skin. "And what did we just find?" asked Tagnik'zuur as he faded into view. "Don't do that!" Tyanne nearly shouted at Tag as she fumbled to with both her wand and the book to keep from dropping either on of them. "This place has already been enough of a surprise without you giving me a heart attack on top of it." "Sorry." Tyanne glanced around the room a final time before stepping out of it and closing the door. She selected a spot on the floor in the middle of the library where she could keep and eye on all three of the doors she had just investigated before turning her attention to the book. It looked about a century old but, judging from the well-preserved conditions of the numerous bodies of work contained on the shelves around her, outward appearances may not be reliable. The book's leather cover was cracked and dry from age and neglect and the visible edge of the pages had yellowed but was obviously no worse for wear. The titleless cover was of no help, of course, in discovering the book's contents but that did not surprise Tyanne. No sense in telling everyone what kind of book it is, she thought, without making them open it. Holding it out at arm's length and facing it away from her, Tyanne slowly spread the book's pages open. When there was no flash or explosion, she turned it around for closer examination. "It looks like a journal of some kind," Tagnik'zuur ventured. "Stop reading over my shoulder . . . from my shoulder, will ya?" "Well, it does." Tyanne did have to admit that the tome did appear to be a journal. Not being one to let things go uninvestigated, she proceeded to read. It read as if it had been written by a wizard, one by the name of Rixkar Moiro. The first entry in the volume seemed to follow one that had been committed to paper in a previous edition and was dated just over a century previous. 19 Lirpa, 989 T'R It seems rather appropriate that I am making this first entry in this volume, while sitting safely in the confines of a tower I happened across today. At first, I wasn't too sure how safe it would be to enter but the weather's sudden turn emboldened me to take my chances within. . . Tyanne paused in her reading and a puzzled look came over her face. "Hmmmm. . ." she mused, before returning to her perusal. "That sounds a lot like how we found the tower." After the first several entries concerned only rather mundane matters, Tyanne opted instead to skim though the pages until something interesting would catch her notice. It did not take long. 17 Tesprebem, 990 T'R Huzzah!! I can scarcely believe my luck! I have found----within the very walls of my keep----a treasure worth far more than all the gold and platinum in all the dragon hoards the world over! Something AMAZING!! A discovery that goes beyond words! Dare I write it down in these pages? YES!! Yes, I dare! In the hallway of the second floor, I found a magically concealed . . . . library!! O, the secrets I will find and the power I will gain!! A chill ran along Tyanne's spine. In a way, it felt as though Rixkar was describing her own feelings from just minutes before. Tyanne was intrigued almost beyond measure so she skimmed the pages even faster. . . .At times when I am in the library, I feel as though there are eyes watching me as I wander amid the shelves and read. . . . . .The feeling of not being alone has been steadily growing stronger these last few weeks. . . . . .I knew it! Last eve, I caught a glimpse of something in the corner of my eye but could not see it directly. Afterward, my guest (perhaps host?) felt as if it was being reclusive, as if hiding from me. . . . . .As softly as two lovers would whisper to each other, I heard her voice for the first time just hours ago. It was just a few words but they sounded as though spoken from great loneliness and an equal sadness. My heart felt as if it would break at any moment. A lump came to my throat and my eyes stung with tears. Words would not form in my throat. It was with both anguish and regret that I withdrew from the library and cried in my own room until sleep claimed me and calmed my soul. Never will I forget those words. "Bring me peace, please.". . . . . .She is the epitome of beauty. Her features seem to have been touched by the divine. It is with no small embarrassment I must admit that when she first revealed herself to me, this day, all I could do was stand there and gawk at her like some lovesick boy. . . . . .In all my years of magery, I have never experienced anything I would consider even close to what my lady was able to do. While I have had my fair share of lovers in my day, none of them had ever brought me the joy, the rapture, the----fulfillment----she has helped me know in a truly soulful embrace. . . . . .We ventured out of the library today for a short time and my lady was thrilled about the possibilities this could open for her. . . . . .I am troubled by her proposal. While what she wants to do is possible, the sacrifice required may be more than what I would consider appropriate despite what she and I would both gain. To sacrifice an innocent young life to restore another makes me wonder if it is truly worth it. . . . . .I am but a fool and a pawn. It has been months since I learned her name (and I will never speak or write that cursed name ever again) but only now do I truly know who she is. The decision I made several months ago appears to have been well founded, especially since. . .she. . .has demonstrated that she can tap into my thoughts while she inhabits me. She must be stopped but I doubt that my meager power will be sufficient to destroy her. But I have to try. There were no more entries. A worried and puzzle look came over Tyanne's face as her mind raced. Had Rixkar survived the confrontation to be able to retreat from the library but then expire on his own bed? Were the bones Tyanne and her family discovered those dozen years before indeed those of Rixkar Moiro----or someone else's? Perhaps Rixkar had survived then fled. But, then, what of the female presence? Had it (she) been vanquished? Or was she. .still. . .around. . . .somewhere? Tyanne had only been able to finish her last thought when something unseen slammed into her, knocking her over on her side and, to all appearances, out cold. As a result, Tag was sent sprawling but he was quick to recover and used his unique vision to try and find what had hit his mistress. His sinewy neck flashed around with whip-like speed, allowing him to cover what he could see of the library in a few seconds. As he continued to seek Tyanne's attacker, he tried his best to wake Tyanne. "Tyanne," he projected urgently as he shook her shoulder and continued his vigil. "Get up! Mistress!!" Tyanne could hear Tagnik'zuur's words but, as much as she wanted to respond to her companion's urging, she felt herself slipping farther and farther away from him, falling deeper and deeper into an abyss of absolute blackness. She felt her hands flailing about her as she tried desperately to find something---anything---to grab hold of to stop her descent. It seemed as though she would be falling forever. Tyanne came close to panic when she could feel her thoughts begin to slip away, threatening to leave her mind empty and devoid of essence. She was still fiercely clinging to existence when she sensed another presence trying to force its way in. Tyanne could tell that the other was extremely strong but the young wizardess fought back with all her heart and soul. Secrets of the Home Pt. 01 "You can't have it!" she screamed. "You can't. .have. . .IT!! IT'S. . .MINE!!!" "Yes. . . ." came a whispering but satisfied voice from the blackness. Tyanne continued falling. . . . . falling. . . . . falling. . . . . Tagnik'zuur jumped and looked sharply at his mistress when she suddenly sucked in a deep breath, arched her back, and opened her eyes. For a while, all Tag could do was watch as Tyanne took in huge gulps of air, as if she had not taken a breath in hours instead of the several seconds she had been unconscious. Even after her breathing was normal, all the small dragon could do was just look at her. It was only when she truned her head toward him that the fae dragon said anything. "Tyanne," he projected worriedly, "Are you well?" It took the young spellcaster's eyes a few moments to focus on her familiar and several more to understand his askance. A good question, she thought, A very good question, indeed. In truth, Tyanne was pondering that same thought. The assault to her very being was unlike anything she had experienced before. Something----someone----had been trying to push her mind aside and take control. "Yeah," Tyanne finally said as she propped herself up on an elbow. "I'm fine. Doing just. . . .peachy." "What happened?" asked a still very concerned Tagnik'zuur. Tyanne ignored her familiar's question and issued a challenge to the empty air of the library. "I know you're here!" she called out. "You may as well show yourself to us, especially after what you just tried to do to me!" Tagnik'zuur silently regarded his mistress. Her sudden outburst was something he had been dreading, leaving the soundness of her mind in serious doubt. Just as he was set to pose another query to Tyanne, a voice came from out of nowhere. "I tried nothing," a clearly female voice said with quiet innocence. "All I did was test your mind which, if I may say, is a promising one, indeed." "Why?" Tyanne demanded. Silence. Tag's eyes were wide with shock and amazement. From what he could read of Rixkar's journal, he had thought the wizard had either lost his mind or was extremely delusional. But the voice answering his mistress was no illusion or trick of his own mind. Tagnik'zuur sat in silence and listened to the exchange. "I'm waiting!" Tyanne prompted. The response she received was far more than what she had been expecting. A pale, translucent image of a woman materialized above the island of shelves nearest to Tyanne. The apparition was dressed in a beautiful emerald dress with a deep, plunging neckline which was accented alternately by tiny white flowers and pearls sewn around the opening and along the curves of the bodice. Her shoulder-length raven tresses rose and fell slowly as if they were floating in water and her milky-white skin glowed with a soft, otherworldly radiance. In all, she was quite a breathtaking ghost. Despite her anger, Tyanne still felt drawn to her in a way she could not put into words. But that feeling was dispelled when the phantasmal spellcaster opened her eyes. Cold, empty pools of liquid black looked back at Tyanne, who felt a second shiver run up her back. Her intense, heated anger had been tempered with fear. "Wh-who are you?" she asked almost under her breath. "My name is Ielenia," the ghost said in a calm, gentle voice as her stare continued to bore into Tyanne. "And I need your help so I might live again." Ielenia. The name struck a chord in Tyanne's mind. She almost dismissed the notion when the weight of Rixkar's journal brought the errant thought into complete focus. Ielenia's name was not only one from Rixkar's past, but one from history itself. A cold fear began to creep into the pit of the young sorceress' stomach. Tyanne forced her fear as deep down inside of her as she could as she finally got to her feet. "Help you?" she asked incredulously as she thrust Rixkar's journal toward Ielenia much as she would a sword. "Don't you mean let you use me?! The same way you used Rixkar? Don't treat me like a fool! I've read his journal and I know you have too especially since it was not only in your secret library but in your resting chamber!" "Rixkar was very special to me," Ielenia said, smiling as she spoke his name. "Even after he started suffering from delusions and severe bouts of paranoia, I still loved him. After almost a thousand years, I was once more feeling the stirrings of love in my heart. "You have no idea what it's like to be trapped like this!" Ielenia's words were coming out more and more like shouts and hatred beginning to creeping into her voice as she floated slowly around in a circle. "I died but am not dead! But my death was not natural nor was it due to ill-fated chance. My life was stolen from me bit by bit. An elven sorcerer named Va'alush, for whom my heart burned, was poisoning me a little at a time." By now Ielenia's eyes had turned into pits of black fire as she turned to face Tyanne again. "He used an enspelled toxin which could resist normal remedies. In my foolishness, I believed the symptoms of the poison to be possible signs of love. Love. Ha! The only love Va'alush had for me was what magic he was able to steal from me. During a lucid moment, I finally realized what the treacherous worm was doing and I slit his throat from ear to ear as he lay asleep in my bed. Unfortunately, the damage done was beyond repair." The terrible anger in Ielenia's eyes abated somewhat. "I was trying to find a reference to a spell, a potion, a poultice, or anything that could possibly spare my life when my end came. I never sought undeath but such was to be my fate. I was an accidental prisoner of my own unwitting creation. You see, this chamber exists apart from what we call the 'real world', in a dimension a step removed. When I died, my spirit was trapped, unable to find the peace for which I longed. For years unknown to me at the time, I existed here, among the accumulated works of myself and many wizards and scholars who came before me. I have read and re-read every volume within these walls in a new quest: to find a way to bring myself back to life!" "How did Rixkar fit into your plans?" Tyanne interjected. "Rixkar," Ielenia said with a bittersweet smile, "was the first one who ever found this place. . . .and me. It took me a while to come to trust him enough to confide anything to him and only a little longer to start to feel something for him. After a time, Rixkar could sense I was keeping something from him. He was right but it was not what he thought and feared it might be." "And what was it? What it really was and what he thought?" "I guess it's in the nature of all us learned spellcasters to be at least a little bit paranoid, especially given the amount of power we can wield with our spells. Unfortunately, Rixkar was no exception. He never accused me of anything outright but I could see it in the way he looked at me sometimes. I must admit that I too would wonder about him and his motives, on rare occasions but, given what had happened to me, I felt justified. If only we would have given each other our complete trust, we might still be together!" "Umm. . yeah," Tyanne agreed. "But you still haven't exactly answered my question." "My apologies," Ielenia said with a smile. "When the heart remembers, sometimes we forget." Ielenia paused a moment longer before continuing. "My plan had not changed from when I had died and Rixkar finding me. But I did not want to raise his hopes past the clouds only to dash them to pieces on the cold, hard earth. That was what I was keeping from Rixkar, that is what he sensed. My fear of breaking his heart---and the possibility of turning him away from me---stilled my tongue from assuaging his fears, reassuring him that I was being truthful with him other than that." Without warning, Ielenia tilted her head back and released a heart- wrenching howl of lament at the ceiling. Tyanne dropped Rixkar's journal and cupped her hands over her ears to block the terrible sound. "Why?!" Ielenia wailed at the ceiling, "Why did he have to attack me? I loved him! I l-o-v-e-d him!! I would have given him anything in my power to give him! Anything!!" The ghostly magestress lowered her head to her chest and let her arms fall to her sides. For a time, she just hung silently in the air before finally drifting down toward the floor until she was in front of Tyanne. When Ielenia snapped her head and gaze up at her visitor, Tyanne felt herself jump a little. "I extended and offer---and a challenge---to Rixkar," Ielenia said. "Now, I am making both to you, Tyanne Uer. Will you help a fellow wizardess, who met a foul and all too early death, return to the land of the living? If you do, I will give you the tower, my library and all of its contents. . . .but, even more importantly, you will have my unending gratitude for your invaluable assistance. So, what say you, sister of the Art?" Just as it had apparently been with her predecessor, Tyanne had likewise suddenly recalled seeing Ielenia's name mentioned in a second journal, also written by the ill-fated mage and in an ancient history treatise. Ielenia's name was one that was not spoken of kindly. Tyanne felt her knees getting slightly shaky and her stomach was still very uneasy. She suspected what Ielenia's machinations were and what her own "assistance" would entail. Tyanne wondered if Rixkar had been as nervous as she was just before he and Ielenia started throwing spells at each other. He probably was, she silently concluded. While she tried to appear to be giving careful consideration to Ielenia's offer, Tyanne was making preparations, instead. Without giving him even a glance, she silently ordered Tag to leave the room. She could feel his unprojected protests but banished them from her mind. As Tagnik'zuur disappeared behind his mistress, so too did he disappear from sight. A plan for dealing with Ielenia began to form in Tyanne's mind but the details---namely how she was going to survive the encounter---were not coming very quickly. She knew she would only get just one precious chance and that failure meant death. . . .or worse. Here goes! she thought as she turned to address Ielenia. "No doubt," Tyanne said as she whipped out her wand, took up a defensive stance and glared at Ielenia, "your 'unending gratitude' for my 'invaluable assistance' would be from me providing you with a new body. True to your word, I---you---would get both your tower and library, although I would never see either one, or anything, ever again." Ielenia's eyes widened with surprise. "My dear, why are you doing this? I mean you no harm whatsoever and my offer is indeed genuine." "You think you know it all, don't you?" Tyanne challenged the phantasmal wizardess. "That you had Rixkar all but wrapped around your little finger. Well, my dear, you certainly did not!" "Whatever do you mean?" Ielenia replied, her cool attitude almost palpable. "Rixkar was my love. What he did for me he did because of his love for me." "Including keeping a second journal that you knew nothing about? It seems that you seriously underestimated Rixkar's own abilities as a wizard. Or did you forget the amount of mental discipline it takes to master the basics? You may have been able to know most of what he knew and thought but you didn't know it all! That proof of that resides on a shelf on the third floor of this very tower, in Rixkar's own library! He was able to shield at least some of his mind from you. Either that or you were just too sloppy or lazy to make sure of your hold on him! "When my family and I first arrived here, both in Tau'onuva and at the tower, it was I who discovered Rixkar's library. And it was well stocked with all kinds of books. As would be expected, his spellbooks were present. . . .but so too was a collection of historical scrools and tomes. What free time I did have I spent reading those books to gain a better knowledge of the world we were in to better help us survive! It was in those books that I came across your name; a name I hadn't even thought about until just now: Ielenia Ownka. Ha! That's not even your real name. It's an anagram of what you consider to be your greatest achievement:I awoke Nailn!! In a way, I guess you could be proud of yourself. Ever since you re-christened yourself, the name Ielania has been regarded as cursed, even to this very day. There is hardly a person alive who hasn't heard at least one of your many names. Names like 'Nailn's Lover', 'The Bride of Nailn', 'Doombringer', 'Death's Herald', and 'Darkheart'. Of course, we cannot forget your true name: Fijeen Sennroj!" Ielenia's innocent smile never wavered for even a moment but her eyes began to blaze with such an intense hatred and coldness it made Tyanne take a cautionary step back. A few moments later, a very amused look crossed Ielenia's face. "So, they remember me, eh? Good! As so they should remember me for I am all those names you spoke! But you forgot to speak my favorite: The Hand of Fear! I was Lord Nailn's enforcer and extremely effective at it, too!" "If that were true, then why would have Nailn had you killed?" Tyanne asked, staying in her defensive stance. "You lie!!" Ielenia raged. "I was indispensable to Lord Nailn and his campaign to dominate all Aldaria! He would never have had me assassinated! Va'alush had acted on his own accord design, not on my lord's orders!" "Who the hell do you think Va'alush was? He may have been your lover but he was also another of Nailn's 'hands'. Apparently, your master must have thought you were getting your own ideas instead of being the contented lap dog he was accustomed to. I don't have the faintest clue as to what you did to piss him off but the fact of the matter is that you are dead!" "LIES! ALL LIIEESSS!!!" Ielenia punctuated her enraged proclamation by throwing a bolt of magical energy at the shelves next to Tyanne. The two-sided rack shook from the spell's blast, swaying dangerously for a few moments but not toppling. "No!" Tyanne yelled back, "Not lies, just the searing hot truth! Something you are not used to dealing with. According to an eyewitness account I read, after he learned you were dead, Nailn got himself another 'pet' wizardess to replace you! But don't feel too honored to have died in his service because Nailn, the Deathlord, would earn himself another nickname: Mageslayer! You see, he developed a terrible habit of using female spellcasters then disposing of them when they started to imagine themselves perhaps sharing Nailn's power. Looking back over Nailn's own lifetime, he sacrificed hundreds of followers at his merest whim. There was no one who ever meant anything to him. . . .least of all you!" "LIAR!!!!" Ielenia shrieked as she unleashed a second strike on the shelves, bringing them crashing down and sending Tyanne diving for cover. "Little wizardling, you will assist me in gaining a new body so I can finally leave this wretched chamber and aid Lord Nailn in the conquest of all Aldaria! Whether or not that body is yours is of no consequence to me but I will soon be free!" "Your precious Lord Nailn is gone!" Tyanne yelled out from behind a second set of shelves. "He and almost all of his minions and lackeys were utterly destroyed just this past year during the Great Battle! And, just like all of his victims, he groveled for his life too!" On that note, Tyanne chanced an attack with her wand but the bolts of arcane energy just passed through Ielenia. Dammit! Tyanne swore to herself as she watched her attack fail. Just how do you fight a ghost? "FOOL!!" Ielenia belittled her nemesis. "Do you truly think you can hurt me? I doubt very much you even know of a spell that can! And, if Lord Nailn is finally no more, then it saves me a step in my plan to rule first Aldaria then many other worlds to follow!" Ielenia paused her tirade to give Tyanne another example of her own ability with the Art by blasting a hole straight through the two stacks of books separating the dueling spellslingers and coming dangerously close to hitting Tyanne's left foot. "How did you like that, little elf?" "Pathetic!" proclaimed Tyanne's voice from a book floating just behind Ielenia. Ielenia whipped around ad fired off a volley before she even got a clear sight at what it was she was firing at. The enspelled volume exploded in a rain of singed and shredded paper. When Ielenia realized her folly, she quickly spun back around to find Tyanne and take even more of her rage out on the young wizardess. It was almost too late when Ielenia saw her intended target bolting for the library's still open door. "Oh, NO you don't, little one!" the spectral wizardess screamed as she went into a dive and headed after the fleeing elf. Tyanne knew she was taking a huge risk and her plan could mean her own end. Her distraction worked and was providing her with the few extra seconds she needed to put things into motion. When Tyanne heard Ielenia's scream, the hairs on the back of her neck rose and the fear she had quelled was almost fully on her. Whether or not Ielenia could leave her extra- dimensional tome tomb did matter to Tyanne, being able to reach her pack in the hallway was what mattered even more. While still at a dead run, Tyanne dropped down into a near perfect sliding stance on her right leg. Thanks to the combination of the highly polished floors of the library and the hallway and the soft fabric of her long, flowing, black skirt (which, for once, she was actually glad she was wearing) Tyanne slid out the magical portal, across the hall and bumped squarely into her rucksack. In a flash, she pulled open one of the side pouches and jammed her hand into it. Knowing her timing had to be perfect, Tyanne dared a quick look over her shoulder to see how close Ielenia was to the door. By now, Ielenia was livid with hatred. Although she had never crossed the threshold of her library without being inside of a host body, she was not going to let that stop her from extracting a terrible revenge on her tormentor. Oblivion, even possible non-existence, seemed preferable to spending a single day more in what she considered her "prison". Seeing Tyanne kneeling directly across from the door, Ielenia increased her speed and readied a killing spell. "Yes!" Ielenia laughingly screamed at Tyanne. "That's right elf! Pray to the gods for salvation! But it will do you little good because you face me: the Hand of Fear!" Tyanne silently clutched the folded-up circle of blackness, making sure to keep it from where Ielenia could see it. For a moment, Tyanne marveled at the extraordinarily soft texture and blacker than black coloration. If only, Tyanne thought as she looked at it for the last time, If only for a few more seconds. Then the moment was gone. A hard, steely glare flashed in the young elf's eyes. If she was fated to die this day, she decided, then a servant of evil would too. Tyanne's fear was instantly consumed by a terrible, seething anger bordering on hate. For only that moment did Tyanne let it guide her actions. "Hey, bitch! Catch!" Tyanne yelled as she spun on her left knee and threw the black ball with all her fury at the open door. Almost immediately, the wad of blackness opened up while still flying full speed toward its target.