Magis: Feythors

Prologue: Valus

Tansy lightly vaulted over the fallen oak, before muttering a quick prayer to the tree's soul, wishing it into paradise. She continued running, she daren't look back, but she could hear it's calls, its baying calls of the hounds. Her boots didn't seem to adjust a leaf on the ground as she flew over the ground, she'd been running well over a kilometre now, but she was barely panting. She had to get to Thorsfell, where the druids were waiting for her and the herbs she had in her pack. Expensive, valuable and stolen, she leapt over a small stream, and slipped on the other side, she rolled in the leaf debris, the hounds were on her before she could rise her, their leader, a grey dog with ferocious teeth, and a black ear, his right eye was blinded, from a long scar that reached from the half-ripped ear to his muzzle. He bared his teeth and riseds. She braced herself for the end, hoping the Dryads would lead her to the next world safely, and wouldn't become a ghost, doomed to wander Caltaria forever. She shuddered at the thought, the second before the dog was to disembowel her, it yelped in pain, after a black spear-like projectile skewered it in the throat, the force had pushed it a metre to the left, where it lay, cold, and dead. The other hounds after seeing their pack leader killed instantly backed off momentarily, she was on her feet on an instant, dagger out, ready to fight, she snarled ferraly. The dogs whimpered. She grunted. Their courage broke and they shot off. She sheathed her dagger, despite the Hound trying to kill her, She prayed for its spirit to the Otherwhere, and yanked out the spear, she examined it, its elaborate lines and marks weren't going to increase it's performance, if anything it would have ruined it. She shrugged sticking it in her belt, she pulled her dagger and started running again, toward Thorsfell, she heard the chanting of the Druids, and the sound of the Swiftwater, a wild and feral river, in the clearing. She stopped, and walked to the Druids, Bowing her head momentarily. Their leader, Mathias, was clothed in robes woven of leaves, with elaborate carvings and runes of rowan around his neck, she noticed the throng of the talisman was weaved, from long grass blades.

"You have them I hope?" Mathias asked, she dutifully gave them to Mathias. He nodded approval,

"The offer's still open, I think your Father seems rather pleased with the Idea" Mathias said, creating idle chatter for the sake of it.

"Druid-craft?" She asked "Surely my father doesn't think I could do that?"

"You have an affinity to the forest, even as a hunter, many people in the village have an individual guardian, the entire forest seems to care for you" Mathias said, nott looking up.

"They didn't stop the hound that was about to kill me, nor did they stop me falling" Tansy retorted angrily, and muttered forgiveness unde rher breath, she should not have been so angry at the Elder druid.

"You doubt your own power, surely you've seen it Tansy?" Mathias asked, she reacted with surprise.

"You remember my name?"

"Why shouldn't I? the Mighty oak, and the Agile Birch showed me within a vision your talents, your affinity" Mathias replied, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head, she may as well try. "I'll do Druid-craft for a month, if I dislike it I'll stop, else consider me an apprentice"

"Very well" Mathias.

"Mathias?" she asked, wondering if she should refer to him as 'Master' he didn't seem to mind however.

"Yes Tansy?" Mathias asked.

"You know everything-"

"I would say I know much, even for me, learning is valuable" Mathias interupted.

"Do you know what this is?" Tansy asked, pulling out the spear and handing it to him. He examined it closely.

"I haven't seen one of these in a long time..." Mathias started, stroking the medium length, ash-grey hair, despite his colour, Mathias was only thirty-one.

"No, I suppose you won't have" Valus said, Materialising. Tansy shuddered feeling for the hilt of her dagger. Valus raised an Eyebrow.

"Who are you?" Mathias asked.

"Give me back my Shard, And I'll tell you" Valus said, holding his hand out. Mathias handed it over wearily. Valus shrugged, and dropped it, it seemed to dissappear into the smooth rock.

"Wierd" Tansy said.

"The Void's full of anomalies" Valus told her. In response, she cocked her head to one Side.

"The Void is a realm, unlike this one, A prison for the Elderich, who believed themselves masters of the world, sealing them away showed how weak they are, We tend to practise restraint after then. like this world is full of like, the Void is empty, a black space, like the Night sky without the moon or stars"

"How would you see?"

"You don't, I found you by using the same technique" Valus replied.

"How do you adults give me answers without telling me anything?" Tansy asked, then thinking of a better question "Who is 'We'?"

"You teach her the forest's empathy, but you do not warn her of the perils of the Elder ones, you feel it's influence don't you, pulling you, nidging you to destroy, not to replenish, that's why you need those herbs, isn't it. To purify yourself of the Anchient's influence" Valus said, digging into him.

"I was going to" Mathias protested, in reality he forgot, it had been so long since a child of the Elder ones had appeared to him.

"Don't lie Mathias forest-born" Valus said.

"How do you do that?"

"How do I do what Tansy?" He asked, grinning, feigning ingnorance. She raised an eyebrow.

"Very funny" Tansy said, eyebrow still raised.

"I like to think myself funny, yes" Valus said, Mathias sniggered quietly. Tansy sighed.