Gates to Glory: Epic Fantasy Adventure Tale (Ashurran #1)

2.14. Of the Ancient Race

Having devastated Solkh, the mysterious enemy vanished into thin air. There were no more attacks. Ashurran and Matholwy with the remainder of their host retreated west, deeper into the kingdom of Falaris, and occupied the abandoned royal castle. The king of Falaris had deserted his kingdom in its hour of grave need and fled with his whole household. He took shelter with the queen of Aolaigho, as far away from the GreatForest as possible.

First thing Ashurran did was sending envoys into every castle and school notable for their libraries. They were to search the books and ask the scholars for any knowledge, however brief, about the GreatForest inhabitants. Yet nothing was found either in old chronicles, or great scholars and wizards' works, or famous travelers' diaries.

She summoned the boy who had survived the slaughter of Solkh. By that time he could already walk a little, but still suffered from his injuries. Few could look upon him without pity, for his face was forever disfigured with ugly burns. Otherwise he must have been a handsome youth.

Now Ashurran knew those demons a first hand, and he could add nothing new to his story. Yet he told her something interesting in the end,

"Old folk sometimes told us fairy-tales about those forest ghosts. They are called alves or elves. They are supposed to be beautiful beyond the measure of men, immortal and powerful like gods. They thread so lightly, not a single blade of grass is flattened under their feet. Their skin glows in the dark. Their eyes sparkle like stars in the sky. They can call a wild beast to them with a whistle. They can bewitch a mortal with a song. When someone hadn't returned from the forest, he was believed to be enslaved by the forest ghosts.

"It was said also, that a few years ago two of those ghosts were captured, a girl and a boy. I heard the girl had died quickly, but the boy lived. He had been taken across Solkh in a cage, naked, and people paid money to see him and throw filth at him. Father said he saw him and even took me along, but I was too little to remember. Rumor has it that enchanters keep company with those ghosts, use them to do their bidding, even lie with them!"

So Ashurran set off to visit Levorham, the enchantress of Kymbaeth. Levorham met her clad in dark clothes of mourning. She said, "The news of Solkh is indeed grievous. It pains me to hear that the rich and thriving land is no more, and its people have suffered unimaginably."

"Tell me about those forest ghosts," Ashurran asked.

"We call them the Ancient Race, for they had been living here long before the humans. They probably will keep living after the humans have become ancient history themselves. The entire Yunan was their land before people settled in here. There are still some remnants left: ruins of gigantic buildings, tombstones with mysterious inscriptions, old weapons and jewelry made by no human hand.

"Little by little the Ancients had moved to the GreatForest. They could have don so to avoid humans, or simply because its canopy of green foliage had beckoned to him more. They disappeared into the forest depths, and people didn't even know they existed. Anyone who had met them apparently had never heard from again, for I can't imagine anyone able to keep his silence about such a meeting.

Enchanters have always been interested in the Ancient Race. Some of them managed to learn their language by deciphering the remaining stone inscriptions and parchments. Many of them spoke about their desire to seek the Ancients within the GreatForest, but few are known to set off on such a journey. This is what remains of Arakhsaw's papers, and he was one of the most powerful wizards in Yunan."

She opened a book and read aloud,

The Ancients call themselves Greyna Thialle Alann, which means 'People of the Great Forest.' They are tall, slender, and slim of waist. Their limbs and digits are long and delicate. Their most remarkable features are ears with pointy tips and slight upturn of eyes and brows towards their temples. A human beholds them beautiful as a dream, although I am reluctant to say whether it is their real appearance or glamour. They possess immense knowledge of masonry, smithcraft and other sorts of craft. They are also extremely well-versed in magic, astronomy and other sciences, along with fine arts. Besides, they are composed and dispassionate, guided always by reason, not by heart. They are devoid of most human weaknesses. Had God ever have intended to create a perfect being instead of a mere human, it would be exactly like an Ancient. Some even call them Firstborns.

Levorham closed the book and added, "That's all. I also heard they are immortal."

"Does it mean they can't be killed?"

"They can, but with great difficulty."

"Their blood is as red as any man's."

"Indeed. Yet they are many times more agile than any human. They are more skillful warriors. Their wounds heal faster. They could suffer a loss of a limb and not die. All that makes them essentially invincible."

"Why on earth did those perfect immortal beings decide to attack humans?"

"I think it was not an attack, but a purge. They didn't intend to wage war on mankind. They got rid of those who had been bothering them with tree-cutting, hunting, clearing the woods for fields. It's not unlike burning down a hornet's nest or an anthill by a peasant."

Ashurran was so enraged at the idea, she paled visibly.

"You don't say! We are like ants to them, aren't we? So an army of ants could eat a dog alive! Let's show those Ancients that we bite! And what about your folk, the high and mighty sorcerers? Which side they will take when the war breaks out?"

"Everyone answers for themselves. I suspect most of them will say it's not their war."

"And what side will you take, Levorham the enchantress of Kymbaeth?"

"I care deeply for Kassandana with her beautiful domes and towers. I want not to see her burn, nor any other town of Yunan. I'll help you any way I can once you've decided to march against the Ancient Race. Yet little can I do in the GreatForest. It's their domain, the source of their magic, they control everything in there. In the GreatForest humans don't stand a chance."

"Well then, we will lure them out in the open and do battle."

"How?"

"In the exact same way they wanted to scare us. We will burn down their homes and kill everyone in sight. That would be a worthy revenge."

Levorham transported Ashurran back to the castle of Falaris and went to seek assistance of wizards of Aolaigho, Verlow, Arheeze and other lands. Yet in vain she implored them to render their help. None consented to take part in the war to come. They all excused themselves from the affairs of mere mortals, saying they were far above both humans and their enemies. They didn't care who won and who lost, even if the Ancients were to exterminate all of mankind. So Levorham arrived at the castle of Falaris empty-handed and bitter-hearted. She was the only one of the wizards and witches who sympathized with mankind.

Meanwhile the High King of Yunan had been gathering his great host, and Ashurran and Matholwy had not been idle also. They'd been trying to start wildfires, using every way possible. Yet it ended always the same: with the fire dying out all by itself, and with the rain of arrows from between the trees forcing the soldiers to retreat. The Ancients never showed themselves and never stepped out from the safety of the forest.

"We could try and send envoys for a peace talk," Matholwy said, although he didn't like the idea himself.

"They will be killed on the spot, that's all," Ashurran said. "Are you sure the Ancients know what a white flag means? I'm not. The human rules don't apply. I'm sure there were plenty of those in Solkh who put down their weapons and cried for mercy. Yet the attackers spared them not."

Levorham suggested writing a message. She knew the Elvish runes for simple words like 'peace' and 'friend.' They tied the scrolls with those runes to arrows and shoot them into the forest. There was no reaction from the elves.

"They hate us too much, or despise us too much to even speak with us. We can't negotiate with them," Ashurran concluded.

The war was imminent – that much had become clear.