Eternal Beasts

Chapter 8: Across the Plains

Morning dawned snowy and cold. Despite that, Jared forewent a fire. Some smoked meat to fill the hole in his belly then the book was going into a tanned leather satchel along with what supplies he had managed to gather this deep into the winter's icy tenure. Water skins he filled down by the river after breaking a hole in the ice. Then, with a final look at the hovel that had basically saved his life these last few months, he turned north.

- Okay, book, which way? -

- To the northeast, - the entity promptly replied. - Our goal is a small ancient shrine left over from the end of the last War of Balance. Many items central to our efforts to fulfill your destiny and restore strength to the Races of Light were hidden there before their bearers were found and executed. -

The entity paused for a moment as if considering its next words.

- We must recover those relics, Jared. If we fail, then ... - the book began to heavily point out.

- Ethaeron falls, - Jared interjected to say .- Yeah, I get it. They're important. - Gathering himself, he charged out of the wind-tattered and frozen marsh and set out to the northeast. With his makeshift snowshoes over the leather wrappings protecting his feet, he fairly flew across the top of the deep snow despite his size.

- We'll find them, book. Before the Harbingers do. And if we get there at the same time, I'll just have to kill them all! -

So began a journey that would take them across the heart of the great Caer Nerath plain, a winter-blasted wilderness that no longer was hospitable for nysim or tuatha, overrun in great part by Harbinger forces out of the far northeast territories of Synnland and the corrupt volcano of Tammon Gall, the fount of shadowfire that the Harbingers used as their capital. A journey that would take nearly two months to complete with Jared a-foot, even with his great speed and stamina.

Each day started the same with Jared waking up, breaking his fast with some dried meat and berries mixed together and a drink of water. Then, after erasing his fire, he was back on the trail, running as hard and fast as he could. And each day ended the same with the triple suns dipping below the horizon to return icy chill along with night to the land, forcing the big human to find shelter for the night. Where he would build a fire, have some more food and a drink before crawling into a snow cave or makeshift lean-to under the tanned deerskin he had for a blanket.

It was in between starting and stopping that the day got interesting. Because the entity inside Ethaeron's history book decided to use that time to continue Jared's mental training and education about the world he was fated to save. Lectures on the various laws and codices that ruled the Races of Light were broken up with lessons on swordsmanship, archery, warcraft, lorecraft, and magic.

The history of the Ages were related, one epoch at a time, until Jared had them memorized. And the history of each Race of Light, both surviving and extinct, were related until the big human thought he knew them each individually. And once the Prophets, their mission, and the Races of the Light were completely covered, the book turned to the Harbingers and the Races of the Darkness and began to explain them.

It was fascinating to learn about a whole new world from the ground up. But it paled in comparison to that day in the fourth week of their travel, that the book finally confirmed what the cholim sorcerer had called him in the hallway before they managed to escape.

- Yes, - the entity replied. - The cholim sorcerer was right to call you that, even though he sullied the title by speaking it with his filthy mouth. You are the Lord of Griffons! He was powerful, if he could sense your potential on Earth. I'm glad we didn't have to find out just how powerful. -