The Stone of Lamfedios

The Stone of Lamfedios 3

-  3 -

 By midday the sun was high over head, the only shade was at the base of the cliff. Riders and their escorts had been arriving since early morning. The Council was convened in a large room high in the cliff above the dwelling apartments. Around a heavy, solid looking table, large carved chairs were set; of these, less than half were taken. Each of the female representatives wore the golden sash indicating their authority. In front of Charia was her staff, representing Wisdom. It was of rich brown wood, carved with plants and animals and inlaid with stones that seemed to shine like the very stars themselves. At the apex a large gem was set. Smaller stones were laid in an intricate pattern of five delicate rays radiating away from it; giving the impression of a glistening snow flake. Between each ray ancient runes had been inscribed.

 On hearing heavy footsteps the members looked towards the door. Tiarnis bowed, there was a murmur, not quite of disapproval but of concern. 'Greetings Councillors, I hope I have not kept you long.' He took his place at the circular table, then with a bitter tone added. 'I fear that our meeting is in vain. Much has gone unseen since we last talked together and struggled to reach a just decision. It is only now that we know the results of our indecisive action.' He bowed his head and, as if speaking to the table, added 'Such a depleted and burdened Council I never thought to witness.'

 'Tsssh. You cannot blame us Tiarnis, you gave us your best advice. Perhaps it was not enough. You too agreed with our decision, so you too are responsible,' said a tall, dusky Elder. Her brown eyes looked careworn, her black hair more dishevelled than he remembered of this once proud Councilor. Her green gown had been dusted but was still lightly stained with orange patches. Showing how she too, regardless of her vanity, had been reluctant to waste precious water on her own appearance despite the importance of this meeting.

 Tiarnis breathed deeply. With his eyes now accustomed to the sheltered gloom, he could see how sorry the noble group looked. Such pride now humbled, such beauty and grace which he had taken for granted now strained. But he could feel the resilience, the determination to reach out to protect the future for their people, for their descendants from whom they had borrowed the present. A lump came to his throat. 'My apologies once again, I do not mean to judge or apportion blame. I am guiltier than any of you. I failed to see the danger when we could have made a difference.'

 Charia noticed a young, petite, blonde Elder looking rather uncomfortable. 'Sgiax, this is your first Council meeting and we run on like a pack of Nashaye dogs, falling out amongst ourselves before we have followed our customary Ceremony, to ask Wisdom and Guidance to be in our midst today.'

 'My mother told me something of the Ceremonies and I was looking forward to my part in them. I can sense the urgency of this meeting and I feel it more intensely since her cruel death.' Sgiax burst into tears.

 Charia reached across the table and held her hand. 'The reason I called this meeting was to try and make sense of this evil that devastates our peoples. I know you have just lost your mother and we, a true friend, but we must not chase our dark shadows. I do not know how much you were told, but Tiarnis is partly right; in trying to keep the True Path we have allowed the balance of power to be upset. We can all bring tales of gloom and despair to the table, but this too is a trap. We must honour the Truth still to lead us. Perhaps a good place to start, if you all agree, would be to ask Tiarnis what he has been able to discover since we last saw him.'

 Tiarnis removed two amber coloured, crystalline wafers from around his neck and placed them carefully on the table in front of him. Satisfied, he looked up, addressing the assembly as if distracted from an absorbing task.

 'Dark times have an even darker root. As some of you may know, I suspected that Nembaw the fallen councilor had been the cause of the havoc in our land. Even from her distant exile, where we thought to have checked her evil actions, she has continued to weave her trickery and deception. What none of you were aware of and what I dared not suggest was the extent of her reach, nor the source of her influence.

 'As I arrived here a few days ago, Charia was witness to a manifestation of a primeval energy that had remained dormant, imprisoned for millennia. 'This force is the shadow to the one that brings life. It is the one that my Master and his Masters before him sought to keep bound by its own formless darkness.

 'It would seem that the destruction Nembaw has inflicted is a consequence of her desire to possess an ancient tool, with which she seeks to control this power.

 'Some of you may be aware that the Stone Mage's lore tells how Lamfedios, the first Stone Mage, made contact with the Stone Beings; how they set the True-Stone into his staff, and also how, on his death bed, he gave instructions to his favourite pupil to hide the Stone. He knew too well of the dark force and that mortal attempts to control such a destructive power, through this gift, would destroy everything that our people had worked for.

 'The Stone was not hidden in our world but was taken, by his disciple, to another place where it was concealed. Lamfedios also appointed a Keeper, whose destiny would be to return the Stone to its’ Founder.'

 His forehead wrinkled in grave concern as he added. 'Touching the dark power has brought the dark Councilor close.’

 He leaned forward peering at the stone wafers before him. 'It would seem that the Keeper is ready.'

 He held his hand above the two amber flakes.

 As the assembled council watched one of the shapes disappeared.