Gathan stepped back into the shadow. He heard Ismeth's voice and knew it was only seconds before he crossed to the other side of the temple and found him. Gathan calmed himself and took a deep breath, he thought back to how he felt before he found himself here. He concentrated on Kayvon and the chamber that he had been in. He heard Ismeth starting to move across the temple aisle. He relaxed and let his mind float, suddenly he felt himself dropping back down into the darkness.
***
Ismeth stepped into the alcove that he thought he had heard the sounds coming from. Allana was on his heels.
"Ismeth, show me the pendant." Allana gestured impatiently. Ismeth took the pendant out of his tunic and looked at it before he showed it to Allana. Where the spiral had been there was now an 8 pointed star etched into the pendant's face.
"It has changed, why?" Ismeth said looking at Allana intently.
"A Shadow traveler was here. The pendant will not only let you know when a child of the void is present before you but it will also tell you what gifts the child possesses. Who ever was here can travel in shadow." Allana sat down on the seating ledge.
"What is a shadow traveler?" Ismeth said sitting next to Allana.
"Shadow travelers can step into a shadow in one place and step out of a shadow in another place. It is the ability to travel instantly." Allana got up and began to pace.
"This changes things Ismeth. We must find this traveler before the threat becomes too large."
Allana pulled Ismeth up and walked towards the temple entrance.
***
"Kayvon, Where could he have gone?" Sarah said walking to the pool of shadow where Gathan had started.
"He's gone, but eeeek." Sarah screamed as a hand grabbed her from behind.
"I'm here." Gathan said stepping out of the shadow. He motioned Kayvon over. Kayvon hurried over to where he and Sarah were standing.
"Gathan, what happened? You stepped into the shadow but did not step out of the other one. When Sarah went to look we realized you had traveled."
"I did travel, but now is not the time to tell that story. We must go." Gathan started walking back towards the town center.
"Gathan, where are we going." Sarah said hurrying to catch up to him.
"Back home. Kayvon, you must not say that we were together today. If anyone asks, you were having tea with my mother as usual." Gathan whispered rapidly as he walked. When Kayvon went to protest, Gathan motioned him to silence.
"I will explain everything once we get back home. For now let's go through the west tunnels, they are all but deserted at this time of day." Gathan steered Kayvon to his left towards a dimly lit corridor of stone. As they approached the sound of their footsteps caused the glow worms in the ceiling to light up, giving them enough light to navigate. They walked purposely towards Gathan's home. While they walked Gathan thought about what he had heard. Who was Allana and what did she mean when she said that they would break the chains of the Dark Lady? How was this related to his vision in The Dreaming? All he knew was that he would have to leave soon or he would never get out. Ismeth would claim him for the Temple and there would be no escape.
Gathan kissed his mother when he entered. "Greetings momma, sit, we must talk quickly." Gathan said pulling his mother over to the seating ledge where Kayvon and Sarah had already seated themselves.
"Gathan, what is wrong." Aurora said wiping her hands on her smock.
"I shadowed traveled today."
"That is great! I knew that..." Gathan gestured his mother to silence.
"No momma, that is not important. What is important is that I didn't just jump from one shadow to another where Kayvon was training me. I jumped to a shadow in the temple. I guess it happened because I spend so much time there and I know every inch of that place."
"The Temple! You jumped that far on your first try?" Kayvon said looking at Gathan.
"Yes, Kayvon, but that is not the only thing. When I jumped into the temple I heard voices, at first I wasn't sure who was there. Then I recognized Ismeth's voice, he was talking to a woman who he called Allana. They were talking about children like me, shadow touched children. This Allana was telling Ismeth that he had to claim these children for the temple and teach them so that he could use them to remove the Dark Lady from her throne."
"It can not be. How would Ismeth accomplish this? The Council of Elders would never agree to the Temple taking children."
"I don't know how he will do it Kayvon, but I know it will come to pass. But that is not all, this Allana gave Ismeth a pendant which can detect shadow touched children, it even tells him what gifts they can use. When I traveled to the temple, Ismeth was learning to use the pendant and it showed him that a shadow traveler was present. Ismeth almost found me, it was only luck that I was able to travel back to Kayvon before I was discovered." Gathan started to pace.
"Ismeth will move soon, he has no choice, he has to control the Shadow touched so that they can not be used against him and that means me." As Gathan finished speaking he heard the temple bells begin to ring calling for everyone to gather in the temple courtyard.
***
Gathan, Aurora, Kayvon and Sarah stood at the back of the crowd in the temple courtyard. Ismeth stood at the doors of the temple with the Council of Elders arrayed at his back. Gathan looked for the woman he had heard speaking with Ismeth but he could see no one near Ismeth but the Council of Elders. Ismeth raised his hands and the crowd stilled.
"The Dreaming has ended and each of us has had time to meditate on the advices given by the Dark Lady for the coming year. It is time that I share with you what the Dark Lady commanded me in The Dreaming." Ismeth paused for a moment to make sure that he had captured the attention of everyone and then he began to lay the foundation of his plan.
"Here the words of the Queen of Night! Every child from the age of 7 to 18 will be brought to the temple to be tested. Since the time of traveling when the Dark Lady brought us here to the Shadowed Lands children have been born who were touched by Shadow. It is the Dark Lady's will that these children are found and taken into the service of the temple. They are to become her chosen servants. Every shadow touched child will be taken from their parents and given to the temple." Ismeth heard the murmurs from the crowd when he finished speaking.
"This is the will of the Queen of Night and the Elders, to disobey is to be disloyal to good of the People. Will you answer the Dark Lady's Call?" Slowly the people began to answer.
"Yes, Yes, Yes." The people began to chant as Ismeth stirred their fervor.
"To the glory of the Dark Lady! May the Darkness protect us!" Ismeth turned his back and walked back into the temple. The Council followed him.
Gathan whispered to Kayvon.
"I have to leave before the testing. If Ismeth finds me I will never leave the Shadowed Lands and I will never fulfill the tasks the Dark Lady has set for me!" Kayvon put his hand on Gathan's shoulder and guided him out of the temple courtyard with Sarah and Aurora following.
***
Ismeth stepped back into the temple and turned to the Elders.
"The Dark Lady has shown me that there are dark days ahead. We must find and train the Shadow touched. They will be the salvation of the People and the chosen servants of the Dark. Will you support me." As Ismeth said this, he looked at each Elder for their agreement.
"The council will support the call of the Dark Lady." Neylan the leader of the council said placing his hand on Ismeth's arm.
"Thank you Neylan, we need to move quickly if we are to prepare the people for what is to come."
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Night's Prophet
幻想Gathan had lived in the Shadowed Land all his life, but he longed to see the places and things that his grandfather had told him about in the stories. The tall trees and the green seas of grass on the plains, the purple blue skies and the far off m...
