Dragons of the Dawn Bringer: The Goddess Prophecies Fantasy Series Book 5 Read online

  The air was cool and fresh, not musty or damp. In opposite corners, two small, pale blue crystals let off diffuse light.

  The doorway ahead filled with light and three beings stepped through into the room. They were tall and slender, dressed simply in flowing white cloth that shone. They appeared to be half made of light and half solid, and exuded that familiar feeling of ancient wisdom and deep serenity.

  ‘Guardians of the Portals,’ Issa breathed.

  As one, they smiled and nodded, although the shimmering light from their faces made it hard for her to determine their expressions. She looked closer at them, trying to see the outlines of their faces, their eyes, noses and cheeks but she couldn’t even tell if they were male or female. Their features were not solid either. Sometimes they were human and then they would melt into something more… Aralan. Their longer skulls and larger eyes were instantly recognisable.

  ‘Are you Aralans?’ asked Issa. The sudden thought excited her.

  ‘Once we were,’ the trio said in unison, their combined voices creating a rich and harmonious sound. ‘When we were forced to leave our physical forms during the destruction of Aralansia, our spirits chose to remain to guard the portals between Aralansia and other places rather than return to the light.’

  Issa was shocked. ‘You’ve chosen to remain here, after Aralansia was destroyed, to keep the gateways open? Why? How long have you been here?’

  ‘Without us, there would be no portals, no link between Aralansia and other worlds, and no ability to help those afflicted by the darkness of the black rift. Time has little meaning beyond the realms of matter when the spirit is no longer bound by the physical. But for us, in Maiorian years, we have been here, waiting for the time that is now, for many thousands of years.’

  They must have seen her frown for they added, ‘It is hard to imagine such things when your spirit is bound in a physical body and tied to the very construct of time itself. Your spirit understands these things deeply, but your mind cannot.

  ‘As spirit, we form the bridge across time and dimensions between Aralansia and Maioria—two light filled planets of similar encryption. We are, in essence, the portals themselves, the energy of transference between two points. We can see it is very hard for you to grasp this, but just as you know in the realm of the Flow, all things are energy; energy and intention.

  ‘Through us, the last living Aralans were able to make the passage to Maioria and escape the utter annihilation of our race. Some Aralan souls have guarded other portals to other places for trillions of years. Waiting for a time of their release.’

  Issa dropped her gaze and caught her breath, unable to comprehend such a number or that a civilisation far more advanced than her own could exist—and fall—so long ago.

  ‘But…it’s such a long time, to wait here in this…place. Don’t you long to return home?’ she whispered, blinking back unbidden tears. Had these beings really devoted their souls to protect the portals and help others? For so long they had remained here, waiting. The thought was humbling – she knew she could not have done it.

  ‘We yearn for the One Light with all of our being, it is what keeps us strong and devoted to our purpose. Our time here is coming to an end.’ Looks of adoration made their faces even brighter, touching Issa deeply.

  ‘What is the end?’ Issa barely dared to ask. If these beings had been waiting for her, waiting for the prophecies, she did not want to know about it.

  ‘Greater cycles move in the heavens than you bear witness to upon Maioria, though Maioria and her lifeforms are inextricably bound to them. Either the darkness will consume her or she will overcome it. The sickness has spread far and deep, it will not be easy to overthrow.

  ‘It will be done,’ said Issa between clenched teeth. ‘It must be done.’

  She tried to still the anger in her heart in the presence of these holy beings. It wasn’t easy when her planet was dying and her people murdered and enslaved. The desire to utterly destroy Baelthrom and annihilate the Dark Rift became almost overpowering, drowning out sense and reason.

  The guardians held the same smile on their serene, radiant faces. ‘There is always hope. Through the power of the One Source, the impossible is made possible.’

  Issa swallowed and changed the subject, hoping they couldn’t see the violent thoughts in her mind. ‘The standing stones at the entrance, they glowed blue.’ She motioned behind her.

  ‘The stones know you. They are from Aralansia’ said the guardians.

  One stepped forward and spoke separately from her kind, her voice deep, yet female-sounding. ‘They recognise those who carry the encryption of Aralansia in their souls. For the soul lives on and takes other material forms, but it remembers all that went before.’

  Issa found herself nodding slowly, it kind of made sense now; why the stones glowed when she touched them, why she recognised the language written on them, but Aralansia seemed so far away. She didn’t want to remember her life then, didn’t want to remember seeing her planet destroyed and her body dying—just as she didn’t want to witness Maioria’s destruction. Another life, another time. I can barely manage myself in this one life, let alone think of others.

  ‘What did Aralansia look like before it fell?’ Issa asked.

  Light spread from the guardians and a beautiful image engulfed her, replacing the room and the beings. Great trees, bigger than those on Maioria, towered above her. Birds of all sizes and colours flittered through the branches or glided high above. Some had heavy, long orange beaks, others were enormous and had luminous pink plumes on their heads. Bird-song filled the forest with life. Tall, golden-furred animals moved amongst bushes that were covered in red flowers, their big doe-like eyes watched her serenely and their long, tufted ears flicked back and forth.

  Everywhere her gaze fell, there were flowers in full bloom. Yellow bells the size of her fist dripped from the trees. Six-foot high orange lilies bowed in the breeze. Her bare feet stood upon soft grass and the air was warm. The sun was beginning to set across the forest; a sun that was larger and whiter than Maioria’s. As it set, it shaded the sky with a beautiful indigo hue.

  Extremely tall people appeared, walking in a graceful flowing motion. Their skin was golden or silver, their eyes large and slanted, and their long heads were hairless. Aralans. They exuded intelligence and power; she could almost see the magic moving around them without even entering the Flow.

  The world around her began to change fast, reminding her that she witnessed merely an image and she sadly wasn’t really in paradise. Hundreds of Aralans gathered in a small clearing facing the great forest. They began to chant the same phrase again and again, although it was more like singing as their voices rose and fell in harmony. Animals and birds gathered close to watch, ears and tails flicking back and forth, wings ruffling.

  Then the trees began to move. Their canopies swayed and their trunks shook. Issa’s jaw dropped as they lifted their great roots out of the earth and began to amble backwards, a whole section of forest moving away to create a bigger clearing. When they stopped they pushed their roots back into the earth. Issa was certain she could hear them sighing as they settled down.

  The scene moved fast again and she watched in awe as a grand city was built before her eyes, all to the sound of the beautiful singing of the Aralans. Great blocks of stone and crystal a hundred people could not lift, floated easily into the air without ropes or pulleys or hard labour of any kind. There was just the sound of singing. Now she focused on it, Issa could hear a low thrumming note played from an instrument she could not see.

  Issa watched spellbound as they created beautiful crystal and stone houses without chisels and hammers. Stunning turrets and spires, walls and gardens, pathways and courtyards appeared before her eyes. She remembered the Ancients had been able to create such dwellings out of rock and crystal, too. The city was the most beautiful she had ever seen, more beautiful even than the Elven city in the Land of Mists. Crystal houses glinted in the white sun a
nd birds circled the pointed roofs.

  Animals, some horse-like and others dog-like, walked the pristine streets placidly besides the tall beings. They wore no collars or halters and didn’t seem as pets or used for labour. The animals were simply companions, or passers-by, come to look at the latest great creation of the Aralans.

  Other, human-like beings began to visit the Aralans—from where they came, Issa did not know. They arrived in the small, raised stone and crystal enclaves clustered between the city and the forest. Light collected within each enclave and then a being would arrive, much like how a translocation spell operated, she assumed. Perhaps the enclaves operated like the amethyst circle on Myrn? The Aralans gathered around, excited to meet the strange visitors.

  The new arrivals were slender but shorter than the Aralans, their eyes were disturbingly all black, although their faces were pretty. They had smooth, pale-pink to white skin, and most were bald, though some had black hair tied back. Their movements were quick and agile to the point of edgy—the opposite of the calm and relaxed demeanour of the Aralans.

  Issa felt a sense of deep unease towards these new beings. Something about them was untrustworthy, their smiles didn’t reach their eyes and looked false. They did not look well and they acted nervously. An Aralan spoke with them at length. He was taller and broader than the others and she could feel power move around him. Could he be the one Freydel had shown her in the orb? Could he be Ayeth? She strained to see an amulet but could find none upon him, and as he wore pale clothes like the others, she couldn’t be sure.

  The scenes flowed on, but often she glimpsed the same tall Aralan communing with the black-eyed visitors. More arrived and, under their direction and agreement of the Aralans, the new beings began to erect other structures around the city; giant pyramids from vast blocks of crystal. The forest was pushed further and further back, though from their facial expressions, the Aralans appeared reluctant to do this. Dense energy exuded from the pyramids, not bad but potent and heavy. Issa felt tired just being within sight of them.

  A small, pretty, black-eyed female passed a gift to the tall Aralan. With a look of wonder, he lifted the shimmering, dark blue material and wrapped it around his shoulders. It conveyed the impression of liquid, the way it rippled and fell around him. Issa stepped back. He was familiar now.

  ‘Ayeth,’ she said.

  Issa stared into the face of the beautiful being with burnished gold skin and large, dark blue eyes that matched the colour of the robe he wore. His eyes drew her into them. They were vast and deep and she sensed he knew about a great many things she could barely dream of.

  He smiled at the female and Issa felt his compassion as a tangible thing.

  ‘Chosen by Zanufey,’ Issa said with a shiver.

  More visitors came and more crystal pyramids were built, pushing back the forest further and further until they stretched to the horizon. They were beautiful, expertly crafted with their shining white tips reaching up into the sky, but they were also dominating and stark and filled Issa with unease. They were powerful, yes, but either the power was unnatural, or the intention behind its use was impure, she couldn’t put her finger on which.

  ‘He became tainted with the darkness of the Yurgha by becoming one with them.’ The guardians’ voices echoed through the image.

  ‘When two beings share themselves, each take on a part of the other. He did nothing wrong, for sharing himself with the Yurgha was what he had planned. Such couplings are often how beings who are sick can become well again, by melding their energies with those who are healthy.

  ‘We understand now that the Yurgha pretended to want help when they really only wanted to take over Aralansia and subjugate the Aralans to their dominion—such was the completeness of their affliction. Though Ayeth had willingly taken their sickness into himself, he was not able to withstand it. In the end, our desire to help others caused our downfall. We were an advanced and noble race but utterly naive and innocent in the face of evil.’

  ‘How can we ever help others if this happens?’ Issa frowned. Should she not help anyone for fear of failing?

  The guardians spoke softly, without judgement. ‘By better knowing and understanding those whom you help, and by judging a being by its own values, not by your own. The One Source values all beings equally, but not all beings are the same.

  ‘In the worlds of matter, there are many things a being may choose to experience, of the darkness or of the light. All choices are honoured, but those who choose the light must remember that here, in this system, they also exist amongst those who choose the darkness.

  ‘Deception is a tactic used by beings of darkness. What we Aralans as a race needed to learn was that beings of the dark would deceive us.’

  ‘But I don’t understand why they did it. What did the Yurgha want? Why would they hurt those trying to help them?’ said Issa. It just didn’t make logical sense.

  ‘It is the light of the One Source that nourishes all things eternally. All beings who choose darkness cut themselves off from this light and desire dominion over all others. To survive they must feed off something else—the light of others.

  ‘Lona fed off the light of Ayeth, just as Baelthrom now feeds off the beings of Maioria. When that light is gone, the fallen must move on to find another food source or die themselves.

  ‘They can be seen as sick with a disease that makes them finite. A finite mind believes the cosmos is limited and scarce. Scarcity creates competition. Competition creates conflict. But the cosmos is not scarce, it is by nature infinitely abundant. But only an infinite, healthy mind that has remained attached to the light of Source can know this.

  ‘The Yurgha weren’t always sick, were they?’ asked Issa. As wonderful as the thought of the infinite was, she didn’t like the other implications of this conversation. It struck to the core of her deepest fears; that something could fall from the light by simply trying to help others.

  ‘No, the Yurgha were a pure and beautiful race. Advanced, like we, the Aralans, but in a different manner. It was the Rorsken and Anukon races who invaded their planet, bringing the sickness with them. Like a plague, it spreads through the cosmos consuming and destroying all.

  ‘The Yurgha were deliberately attacked because their planet Yurgharon was once a gateway to a higher dimension. The fallen ones were trying to break into the higher realms and consume the greater light, for it would sustain them for vast amounts of time. And so the darkness spreads,’ said the guardians opening their hands of light.

  Issa turned back to the image and stared at Ayeth standing before a crowd of Aralans. He became angry, lifting his hands high and raising his voice, gesticulating in fast, hard movements just like the Yurgha did. The compassion was gone from his eyes, and in its place she saw resentment and deep inner conflict.

  Lona was never far from his side standing still and emotionless, her face impassive and her dark eyes missing nothing. A chill crept down Issa’s back as she looked at the female.

  The image changed and she stood once more upon the crystal courtyard. Above her, the planets, great orbs of lights, were aligning once more. Awesome power burst from the pyramid tips and white beams of light surged towards the closest star, just as she had witnessed before.

  This time she looked to a part of the sky that was further away and noticed another beam of light coming out of the star to meet it. The beams of light exploded where they hit. Power flooded into the planet through the beam of light connecting it to the other star. The ground shook and rumbled, and though it was only an image she felt huge waves of energy rolling through her as before.

  Tears spilled down her cheeks and she closed her eyes. ‘I don’t want to see anymore,’ she whispered, and felt the image, and the energy, fade. She did not want to witness the beautiful Aralans screaming and running in terror. She did not want to see Aralansia destroyed again.

  ‘How many survived?’ she asked, wiping her eyes.

  ‘At most, a thousand,’ said the female g
uardian, her voice sounding lonely without the others. ‘Only those who suspected the peril Ayeth had placed them in and were closest to the portals got out. Ayeth never realised Lona had betrayed him and had taught him, unknowingly, how to use the pyramids so they would flood the life energy out of Aralansia.

  ‘When the alignments of the planets occurred, he activated the pyramids with his great knowledge. Yurgharon, in return, sucked the life force out of Aralansia, shutting down its crystal seed and ending the planet’s life.

  ‘Ayeth firmly believed his own people had tricked him and not Lona. In a desperate attempt to reach her he tried to go to Yurgharon but ended up shattering his quantum in the process.’

  Keeping her eyes closed, Issa imagined Ayeth desperately trying to leave the quaking planet via the stone enclaves.

  ‘When Aralansia pole-shifted, the sudden backflow of energy hit the sun, causing it to undergo immediate and devastating changes. Great solar forces ripped through the planets, destroying everything on Yurgharon as well. What had been a small rift in the cosmos first doubled, then tripled in size. It is what your species call the Dark Rift, and it attracts all the darkness in the cosmos to it, ever growing in size.’

  Behind closed lids, Issa could see the light of the image flaring. When she opened her eyes, the great black tear in the galaxy hung before her, beautiful stars glinting around the black nothingness. What was in the blackness? Things that should not be, things I don’t ever want to see. She swallowed.

  ‘The Aralans who escaped, where did they go?’ Issa asked.

  ‘It would not be helpful to you at this point to explain the immense technical details of the cosmos for it takes a young being a long time to understand its divine structure. But, simply, they went to several places and a hundred or so managed to make it, with our assistance, to your planet, Maioria.’

  Issa nodded and smiled. ‘I thought you might say that. Through the portals, which are you?’

  ‘Yes.’ The guardians smiled, speaking as one again. ‘Maioria’s guardians—whom you call Doon and Woetala—agreed to allow these orphaned Aralans onto her soil. But to survive the new, denser and more primitive planet, they had to adapt their forms. They understood that their race would die eventually so they secretively and selectively shared themselves, and thus their blood, with certain members of your races, most notably the elves, some humans and wykiry. Their hybrid descendants are the beings you call the Ancients.