Theurgy: The Journey's Dawn (Book One)

Chapter 54 Bygones

      "You say that this army you faced was from Re'Este, correct young man?" he asked finally.

      Lyse nodded.

      He sighed, looking up at the sky with a bitterness that seemed far-reaching. "Re'Este was once a small conglomerate of three smaller Volkf . . . kingdoms-really small kingdoms. Among our people, we have what we call the Dretvar, who is one with the winter. They arrive once every solstice and blesses those of us who share their blood with power and long life."

      He looked down at Lyse, trying to gauge his response. Lyse has never heard of such a legend, nothing of the sort in fact. In fairness, until recently, the Frostlandian people have been an enigma, thought to be primitive people with a high affinity for magic, like Torlak. But only in the past hundred years have the clans been prompted to learn more about their culture and ways of life, to tear them down better. But these Dretvar, he has never heard of them before. They sound much like gods to him, but he knew this could not be the case. Maybe they come from the outer planes or dimensions; maybe they were elementals. Whatever the case, Lyse had a bad feeling when the Frostlander looked at him. The look, in fact, seemed accusatory. And if these Dretvar are somehow related to the Hyperborean, they must have a very, very sacred station in this culture.

      "What happened?" he asked. "I am unfamiliar with this."

        The Frostlander looked back to the sky. "They met in the center of Re'Este, the city of frozen groves. There, we who carry their blood met to receive our gifts. I remember it that day. The winds were not as blessed as before, and the sun more bearing upon that day. The leaders of Re'Este have grown far more reclusive from the others, and word had spread that they were planning on taking more land from smaller volkf. But then, they appeared. Always three before. Always three. But now, only two had come. And never before had they spoke. Never have they instructed us when we received gifts. But this day was different. They spoke within us, tells us that those who revel in the sun's rays have stolen from them one of their kind, and we must retrieve them. That they must covet what was lost and restore order. Their words, so brief and so confusing. But I knew that day that it would mark a new era for the Frostlands. Our people had been divided unlike ever before. Some interpreted their words to mean some group, some antithesis to our own people have stolen something from them, and we must find and destroy them to retrieve it. But others, those who had allegiance to Re'Este especially, proposed that this enemy was you. The warmbloods who inhabit the lands south of us."

   Lyse thought deeply, taking in all his words, what they mean, and why he speaks them. "This divide still exists."

       "We did not create this barrier for you," the Hyperborean said. "But to protect us from our own. Kingdoms like Re'Este have grown more common, while smaller Volkf have grown scarcer and increasingly harassed. They take our strongest men to wage war with you, take food. 
And sometimes, take life from those undevoted."

       "Why not ask them of their meaning then?" Lyse asked them. "The Dretvar, I mean. Why not ask for their true meaning."

      That bitterness in his eyes came back, and now Lyse understood what exactly it aimed at. "Because they have not returned in the last hundred years. My years tell this well. They gave the last of their power to a select few and then left us."

    "Why?" Lyse asked.

     "There is no use questioning," he said. "We have asked these questions for countless years. Those who wish for this crusade reconcile this with a further need to retrieve this relic, this relic merely being the entire world south. And then, they will return to grant us our elongated life and our power."