The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy

By Matthew Ballotti

On a warm spring day, Tremone, Ellira and Ornso decided to set out on a camping trip. A little time away from the humdrum of their every day lives seemed like a good idea. When a storm chases them toward a cabin in the wilds, they find their lives changed forever.
The three companions did not realize they were answering a call sent through the lands. They did not know their feet were following the will of the colors. As they arrive at Asila's cabin, a strange spell overcomes them. They are about to learn a history long forgotten and discover that their destinies were tied together since long before they were born.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MWB Entertainment
• Release date: Apr 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476268910

Book preview

Chapter 1:

The Calling

Tremone stopped by a tree and caught his breath. The young, purple man could hear Ellira shouting at him, but he paid little heed. He focused on the top of the slope he was climbing, the last place he saw movement. He squinted, but nothing caught his eye. He shook his head now, unsure of himself. Again, Ellira's words floated to his ears.

Stay put! The yellow skinned young woman was shouting. Wait up. I can't move as fast as you.

Tremone looked behind himself. He watched as Ellira struggled to climb the steep rise he had so recently run up. He was breathing easier now, but he still felt a little winded. Ellira continued to scamper carefully, occasionally glancing up to locate him. Tremone folded his arms and leaned against the nepsa tree he had stopped under. Ellira eased her pace when she saw him assume that position. Tremone waited.

The warm spring sun began to move into early afternoon. Tremone inspected the foothill they were on more closely. Not far up the slope, he spotted a purple tree with yellow flowers, a strange sight in Badar. Ellira trotted up next to him.

What made you take off so suddenly? She asked, I thought I'd never catch you.

I thought I saw a watcher, Tremone answered.

A watcher? Ellira asked. Don't be silly. Those are children's myths. There's no such thing.

I tell you I saw one, Tremone argued. He was on top of that ridge, but he took off too fast. That's why I ran. I wanted to get a closer look.

You're imagining things, Ellira sighed heavily as she spoke, I don't know why I ever let you talk me into this.

There's a lot of strange, weird things in these mountains, Ellira, Tremone said in a spooky voice, A lot we don't know about. Where's Ornso?

I don't know, Ellira said as she looked down the slope. He was right behind me, but I don't think he ran when you and I did. You know him. A krildram wouldn't make him move any faster than he had to.

As Ellira spoke, a green figure slowly emerged over a small escarpment a few hundred feet below. Ornso, a young, green skinned man and Tremone's lifelong friend, lifted his face to the pair, puffed his pipe, and waved.

See what I mean? Ellira said.

Tremone nodded.

They watched as Ornso shifted the pack on his shoulders, put his head down, and proceeded to trudge toward them at an easy gait. Tremone shifted his own heavy pack and continued to lean against the nepsa. He reached down and touched the red dagger strapped to his thigh. It had given him a sense of purpose and belonging ever since his father had given it to him three years ago on his twentieth birthday. Now, its sheath roamed a bit and tightened around his leg, threatening to cut off his circulation. Tremone adjusted the sheath, then folded his arms and watched his green friend slump along.

Ellira sat at his feet and rested. She scanned the slope they found themselves upon. The rocks pronounced their blueness to the world. They seemed alive with the color. New spring shoots poked out of the rocky soil. The buds and flowers of the land further attested to the life of the blue. She spotted the purple tree Tremone had noticed earlier and gasped at the beauty of its yellow flowers.

Look! she exclaimed. A kissing tree.

Tremone spun his head and saw the tree Ellira pointed at.

I know, he said. I saw that before. Strange, isn't it? What did you call it?

A kissing tree, Ellira answered. My mother told me of them when I was little. I thought it was a fairy tale, really. But she insisted they did exist. She used to tell me about a couple that lived hundreds of years ago. Anyway, she was very powerful, a tarek, or something like that, and he was a lemtrek in the purple color guard. They had to separate because there was a war. She died in it, fighting a great evil, and he came back to find her dead and his land laid to waste. He died soon after. The kissing trees started growing all over The Havens to reaffirm their love. It's a sad story. Anyway, it's said that once two lovers kiss under such a tree, they're bonded forever.

Tremone nodded.

That's interesting, he said. I wonder what would happen if more than kissing went on under it.

Ellira looked up at him.

C'mon, Tremone, she said coyly, let's find out.

Ellira leapt to her feet and took Tremone's hand. She led him swiftly toward the kissing tree. Tremone did not fight as he was dragged along. The two were mesmerized when they reached the tree. Ellira reached out and touched its smooth bark with her fingertips. The living, purple wood was warm to the touch. She lifted her head and looked into its branches. The purple leaves surrounded the tiny yellow flowers like dark night surrounds the stars. Each flower was like a tiny jewel in the strength of the living purple. Ellira laughed. She couldn't help herself. She turned and looked into Tremone's eyes. Tremone stared back. The smell of the flowers evoked a mystical spell around them. Their faces drew closer together. They kissed. Their tongues entwined as they slid to the ground beneath the kissing tree.

Ornso looked up again. The tree where he had last seen his two friends stood a hundred yards up the slope he climbed, lonely. He shook his head and continued toward it. A strange power seemed to flow into his feet, to pulsate in the land around him. He couldn't recall ever feeling the blue so clearly. He somehow sensed that something was pulling toward.., somewhere. It was the same indefinable something that had sent its calling when he decided to join Tremone on this little excursion. He had felt then as he felt now; that this vacation, as Tremone called it, had a deeper purpose. The calling seemed to be louder in his mind. These mountains had power, there was no doubt of that, but he felt no hurry, no need to rush about like his friends were doing. Any calling or dire needs could wait for him. For now, he was going to relax and enjoy the warm spring afternoon. There was no need to be stressed. Any purpose would expose itself with time. He did not wish to stumble blindly into trouble. Ornso reached the nepsa.

He stopped, puffed his pipe, and glanced around. He saw the purple tree up the slope and noticed the two bodies under it, rapt in each other's pleasures. Ornso sighed. He removed his pack and sat. He watched the lovers for only a moment before he thought better of it and lifted his face to the sky. The sun shown warmly on his face. A gentle breeze pet his green hair and tingled his scalp. Ornso closed his eyes. He took a few more puffs of his krenmal weed before a strange fatigue settled on him. Ornso felt himself start to slip into pleasant, soft dreams.

~~~~

The warmth on Ornso's face faded as a shadow slid across it. The cloud blew swiftly across the sun and his face warmed again. Light penetrated the insides of his eyelids. He tightened them. Another cloud fled across the sun. Ornso's tiny eyelid muscles relaxed. The strobing effect of the clouds urged the green man to consciousness. He blinked away the dreams of sweet scents and friendly girls and shaded his eyes as another cloud raced over the sun. He sat up suddenly in an effort to break out of the sleepy trance he found himself in, realizing he had slept for over an hour.

Ornso blinked rapidly and squinted toward the purple tree where he had last seen his two friends. They laid under it in each other's arms. He thought he saw something near the crest of the hill they wore on. He rubbed his eyes and shaded them as he took a closer look. He saw it, on top of the hill, staring down toward his friends with its front eyes, a watcher. He reached for his pipe, clamped it between his teeth, slowly reached for and grabbed his pack, and darted toward the pair under the kissing tree. He watched the blue mountain giant watch him as he rushed toward his friends. The watcher suddenly turned and glided down the other side of the hill. Ornso watched until the tip of the giant's head was hidden behind the crest of the slope.

Hey! Ornso began to bellow. Hey, you guys. Wake up. C'mon, wake up!

The pair under the kissing tree continued to sleep as Ornso neared. He forced his feet to move faster, not knowing why he felt the need to do so. The clouds continued to whisk across the sun and caused the Badar countryside to alternate between bright sunlight and shadow. He stopped when he reached Tremone's feet and watched the slow breathing of the peacefully resting purple man. Ellira moaned and shifted slightly. Ornso shook his head and lifted his eyes to the last spot he had seen the watcher. An empty hole gaped in the air where it had stood.

Get up, Ornso gently kicked the bottom of Tremone's foot. C'mon, we slept too long.

Tremone moaned and shook his head. His eyes popped open. A cold wind gusted from the north. The clouds started to thicken. Tremone suddenly snapped his body into a sitting position.

What happened? he asked as he rubbed his eyes and looked at Ornso.

I don't know what happened between you two, Ornso alluded to Ellira. But we all fell asleep. It seems the warmth and magic of spring lulled us to do so, and now it's getting cold and we need to find shelter.

Oh, no, Tremone groaned as the memory of Ellira's soft nearness flitted across his mind. I fear Ellira was right and the kissing tree cast some kind of spell over me. I've wanted to get intimate with her, but not yet, not out here. Now, I fear I'll be stuck with her for life.

I can think of worse girls to be stuck with, Ornso commented. But we have more important things to worry about now.

Ellira continued to sleep through the men's conversation, but she suddenly heaved a breath and turned onto her side. Both Tremone and Ornso watched her attentively for a moment and waited for her to awaken. Tremone looked up at his green friend when she did not. The yellow woman's breathing deepened and relaxed.

Like what? Tremone whispered as if he didn't wish her to be disturbed.

Ornso knelt down and stared eye to eye with Tremone.

I saw a watcher watching you two while you were sleeping, he explained. He was right up there.

The green man pointed to the mountain giant's last position.

Tremone jerked his head around and was disappointed to see empty space where Ornso pointed.

I thought I saw one earlier today. I told Ellira, but she wouldn't believe me. Tremone straightened his head and looked into Ornso's eyes, Was he blue?

Ornso nodded.

I knew it. Tremone said, I knew these mountains had mystic beings in them. What did I tell you?

I believe you, now. Ornso said. Wake Ellira. Maybe we can spot him again.

Tremone immediately turned, put his hand on his lover's shoulder, and began to shake here.

Dearheart, he whispered in her ear. Sweetheart. Wake up.

The clouds had billowed and grown and now only let the sun shine through for brief moments as they fled southward. A cold wind blew steadily from the north. A gloomy atmosphere descended on Badar. Ellira gasped. She jerked herself into a sitting position and tried to fend off the trance she found herself in.

What happened? she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

We fell asleep, Tremone said. Ornso woke me.

A look of concern crossed Ellira's face, Tremone? You and I, did we?

Tremone nodded.

Yes. He said with his head bowed, I lost control, I'm afraid. I think it was the tree.

It's alright, Tremone. Ellira comforted, I lost control, too. It was nice. We should have lost control long ago.

Tremone continued to look at the ground while a strange depression set in. Ellira gazed into his profile. She reached out and took his hand. The young, purple skinned man looked into her face and smiled. She smiled back. Ornso exhaled, exasperated.

Alright, you two. He said, if you're finished goo-gooing over each other, let's get moving.

If you don't mind, Ellira said, this is a special moment for us.

Ornso exhaled his amusement and shook his head. Ahh, yes, the loss of virginity. So what. I went through that long ago. We have more important things to worry about.

Tremone began to feel the urgency Ornso was expressing. He could feel something inside tugging at him, prodding him to get up and move. Ellira continued to argue with Ornso.

We know about your women, Ornso, and your, your.., permissiveness. Tremone and I both decided long ago to wait until the time was right and we felt comfortable. At least we found real love, not.., perverted pleasure. She was saying.

Melshrom, Tremone seldom used that term of endearment unless he wanted Ellira to listen closely, Ornso is right. We do have more important matters to attend to. First off, it's getting cold and we need to find a place to stay tonight. Second, he saw a watcher. The same one I saw earlier.

Ellira exchanged looks with both men before she blurted out, Go on away! You two conspire to trick me into believing those old myths.

Ornso shook his head.

I know what I saw with my own eyes, he said.

Nobody knows what you see with your eyes, Ellira shot back, least of all you. That weed you smoke has melted your brain.

Ellira! Tremone exclaimed.

Ellira shot him an angry look.

Melshrom. He said more quietly. Why should we lie? What would we have to gain?

Ellira glanced back and forth between the two men and tried to pinpoint the reason for her discomfort and sudden anger.

You two try to tease me, to frighten me for your own amusement, she said. Tremone, you know I have no desire to see such creatures. You know how much that would scare me.

Ornso looked away and tried to maintain a serious face. Tremone sighed, shook his head, and decided not to try to figure Ellira out.

Look, he said. All that doesn't matter. The clouds gather. The wind grows cold. Forget about the watcher. We need to find shelter, or at least find a spot where we can set up camp before the storm starts.

Ellira looked up at the sky. The warmth of the sun had been taken away. The clouds rushed by in a mad dash to bring water to the south. A north wind blew and shivered skin and bone. The loveliness of the afternoon had disintegrated into an early spring nightmare. Ellira began to sense something pulling her into activity. She rose to her feet.

Alright, she said. Let's get going.

Both men exhaled a 'finally,' stood, strapped on their packs, and started to move toward the crest of the hill. Ellira clasped Tremone's hand and hung at his side. Ornso pushed ahead of the lovers and set a hurried pace. Ellira pulled herself next to Tremone and put her free hand on his shoulder.

I wish Ornso would slow down, she told him. I've never seen him so antsy before. It frightens me.

Tremone shrugged.

He knows when to hurry and when to relax, he explained. There's nothing frightening about that.

It's spooky when he isn't mellow, Ellira said.

Ornso stopped at the apex of the hill and scanned the countryside.

C'mon, Tremone said to his lover. We're almost there.

The pair pulled next to Ornso's side. The threesome stood and stared across a wide valley. Beautiful koas, mlews and creas densely populated the valley floor. Their thick growth hid well the secrets of the land underneath their widely spread branches. The land below glowed vibrantly with the power of the blue, brighter here than in any other part of Badar they had ever seen. The hillsides on the north were sparsely littered with nepsas. Tremone thought he saw movement on a northern slope, but he couldn't be sure. Two tiny figures, one violet, one red, moved into the thicker trees and disappeared. Ornso stared into the valley, awe-struck. Distant lightning flashed. Mount Alacot shot its pinnacle into the sky in the distance. Soft thunder rolled through the clouds.

Ellira saw the large blue figure shoot into the trees below. She snapped herself to attention. Lightning suddenly formed a jagged checkerboard in the sky. The gloom was momentarily dispersed as the clouds threatened a downpour. Ellira grasped Tremone's upper arm harder and pointed to where she had seen the blue movement.

I saw it, she exclaimed. I saw the blue watcher dart into those trees.

Ornso removed his pipe from his lips.

Let's go, he said.

He agilely leapt down the side of the hill and sprinted toward where Ellira pointed. Tremone was at his heels, but he slowed when he realized Ellira was falling behind.

The green man made it to the tree line quickly. He stopped and waited for his two friends before going into the thick woods. It didn't take long for them to catch him. Large drops of water began to hit their faces. Ornso pointed to a huge indentation in the ground and a freshly broken branch high in a koa.

He came through this way, he said before he darted into the forest.

Tremone and Ellira didn't hesitate to follow. A flash and a loud boom of thunder signaled the beginning of a torrential storm. The drum of rain rattled in the new leaves high above the threesome. Ornso continued tracking the trail of the mountain giant. The beating of the rain suddenly stopped. The wind blew hard and shook water onto the trio. The mountain giant's trail suddenly vanished. Ornso pulled up. He twisted and jerked his head about in a semi-panic. Lightning flashed.

Tremone and Ellira trotted up next to Ornso. An eerie silence encircled the threesome. Ornso continued to look about with awe and concern sketched on his features.

What's wrong, Ornso? Ellira asked.

I don't know, the green man said. I got a strange feeling. All this looks so familiar. I know I've been here before.

You've never been more than a few miles outside of Kay-Bractus, Tremone commented.

I know. That's what makes it so weird. I swear I've seen this place before, Ornso said with certainty.

Ellira embraced herself as she felt a shiver move through her chest.

Maybe someone just described this place to you, she suggested.

Ornso shook his head deliberately.

No. No one I know has ever come this way before, he said.

No one in Kay-Bractus has ever come this way, Tremone said. They all believe in the tales of evil spirits on Mount Alacot.

Tremone, Ellira whimpered as she snuggled up next to him, I'm frightened.

You're always frightened, Tremone retorted.

This time she has a right to be, Ornso said eerily. Something's going to happen. I can feel it.

A rattling suddenly echoed through the forest. The noise surrounded the trio and made it impossible to distinguish the direction from which it came. Tremone and Ornso both pulled out their daggers. They turned in circles and peered into the thick underbrush surrounding them and the blue leaves above them in an effort to determine what caused the noise. The forest showed them no clues. The gloom deepened. Lightning strobed the shadows.

Let's get out of here, Tremone let the paranoia of the others penetrate his being.

The two men suddenly couldn't determine the direction they had come from. The rattling din again engulfed the forest, accompanied by a bright flash and a loud boom. Ornso dashed in the direction he was facing. Tremone grabbed Ellira and hastened after him. The rattling grew louder.

Tremone's sight was reduced to a few feet. Ornso seemed to see better than his purple friend as he leapt through the underbrush. He stopped suddenly. His body became taut. His muscles flexed and his sinews tensed as he brought his dagger to bear in front of himself. Tremone stopped a few feet behind his green friend. A tree rumbled as it cracked and fell in front of Ornso. Two brilliant, fiery red eyes stared down from atop a monstrous, orange reptilian head only a little distance from the green man. Ornso gasped and stepped backward. A quick tongue flickered from the giant orange mouth. The creature reared to strike.

Ornso had been frozen by the spellbinding stare of the creature. Tremone leapt toward his green friend as the orange being coiled. The head shot forward. Tremone readied his red dagger for a strike. A blue flash sped by to his right. Suddenly, a giant blue hand stopped the monstrous head, only inches from Ornso. Tremone checked his motion with a snap. For a long second, the blue hand and the orange head struggled in an intense standstill. The head tried to surge forward and the hand tried to power it backward. Ornso, Tremone and Ellira remained frozen in terror, gawking at the spectacle. The orange tongue flickered toward Ornso. Instinctively, the green man slashed his dagger at the attacking organ and jumped back. The massive blue hand wrestled the orange being back. The trio of friends backed up slowly to get a better view of the two combatants. They watched the battle unfold, unable to believe their eyes as the two fantastic beings embraced in a life and death struggle.

The blue fingers of the mountain giant wrapped themselves around the immense, brawny neck of the slimetra beast and strained to cut off the creature's air. The muscular, tapering body of the orange beast rapidly encircled the blue watcher and strove to crush him. Both beings tensed and labored to out wrestle the other.

The slimetra's face turned and eyeballed the mountain giant's. The two colossi stared down one another as they grunted and exerted their deadly force on each other. The slimetra's mouth gaped wide. It gurgled deeply. The mountain giant's face contorted. His six eyes popped in their sockets. His stressed fingers tightened. The slimetra's short, stubby forelegs tried weakly to outmatch the giant's tightened arms. The slimetra beast's muscles tensed further in a last ditch effort to free itself. The giant's rib cage cracked audibly. The watcher gasped. Pain wracked his facial features, but he bore it and his fingers clutched even harder. The slimetra beast's neck broke. The air in its lungs escaped for the final time. Both titans collapsed. The slimetra beast convulsed and relaxed. The watcher focused his facial eyes on the threesome. He forced a smile to his lips.

The slimetra would have kept you from the calling. The blue watcher struggled to speak. His voice came out tainted with the blood and fluid seeping into his lungs. I am Grolt, sent to protect you against such happenings, to clear your way to the grey one. Go now. Proceed to where your senses lead you. I have done my part. I can die in peace.

The three colored personages watched in astonishment as the earth shifted and washed over the colossal beings. Within seconds, the two titanic creatures were gone. The earth settled and left no hint that they had ever been there. The threesome stared, unblinking, at the empty earth where, moments earlier, a great battle had taken place. Ornso removed his pipe and looked at it in disbelief. The gurgling of a close by stream broke the silence. Something pulled Tremone's longing toward the sound, but he continued to stare at the empty ground, unflinching.

Did you guys see what I just saw? Ornso asked to his pipe.

If you saw a blue watcher fighting some bizarre, giant orange creature, then I saw it too, Tremone said at the empty ground.

Ornso nodded his head and popped his pipe back into his mouth.

We should have never left Kay-Bractus, Ellira commented.

What was it the watcher said? Tremone's tone was uncertain. Something about the slimetra keeping us from the place of the calling. What was that about?

I don't know, Ornso confessed, but I've had some strange sensations ever since we came to these mountains. Maybe we've been lured here for some reason only Yom knows.

I knew I should have stayed in Kay-Bractus. Ellira again commented. I knew I shouldn't have come into the wilds.

Then why did you? Ornso snapped. No one forced you to come with us. You wanted to come. You wanted to get away from the boredom of that town just as much as Tremone or I.

Ornso! Tremone suddenly sounded cross. What's the matter with you! I've never seen you like this.

She wanted adventure just as much as us. Ornso retorted. And when it arrives, all she can do is whine. I came out here to get away from whining, to relax!

Ornso stopped himself suddenly. He snapped his mouth shut as if his words had surprised him as much as it did the others. A stiff wind shook the water off the leaves above and wet them.

I'm sorry, he said when the silence became too much. I don't know why I said that. I guess I'm just a little spooked by what happened, he confided.

Tremone and Ellira stared at their green friend for a long moment while he considered the ground. Lightning flashed. Harsh thunder rolled over their backs. Ellira shivered and embraced herself. She rubbed her upper arms.

We're all spooked, she said. This place is eerie.

Tremone looked around suddenly.

C'mon, he said as he started toward the sound of running water. We can't stay here. We must find shelter.

Ornso and Ellira followed Tremone silently. A sharp flash pained their eyes. The crashing boom that accompanied it almost knocked them off their feet. An instant later, the small group was soaked to the skin as the sky tried to wash them off the face of Elberia. Tremone doubled his speed as the rain assaulted them. Ornso and Ellira scampered to keep up with him.

The storm did not abate. The three friends struggled across a small, swelling brook and headed north without knowing why. Something seemed to pull them forward in the lashing rain. A cruel wind picked up to a gale and pelted water against them. They strove to keep moving against it. They didn't speak, and even if they had, the wind would have carried their voices away before any word reached any ear. The pounding rain was all that echoed in their skulls. Tremone thought he saw a tiny light flickering in the woods in the distance. He tried to blink the water from his eyes as he moved toward it.

The three stumbled through the storm, barely able to see what was in front of them. They sloshed through ankle deep mud. The light again sparkled in Tremone's vision for a brief moment. He continued to struggle toward it. Lightning continued to display itself brilliantly in the sky and all around. Thunder continued to oppress the trio's ears. The trees suddenly parted. The light held steady through the pouring rain, not too far in the distance. The threesome broke into a run. The light neared.

The glow formed itself into the shape of a window. The window looked out of a wooden cabin nestled against a hillside. Tremone, Ellira and Ornso quickly approached it. The rain let up slightly. Light spilled out onto the ground in front of the window in the cabin. The trio made it to the front door. An eaves protruded over them and shielded them from the rain. The structure exuded a feeling of hospitality. The three felt instantly welcomed. Tremone knocked.

Come in, come in. A woman's voice shouted from inside the shelter.

Tremone opened the door. The threesome spilled into the structure. Ornso closed the door and shut out the feral tempest. He looked up and stared at a middle-aged, grey skinned lady, standing not fifteen feet away. The others were also spellbound by her presence. Even though she was grey and beginning to show signs of age, she seemed beautiful to behold. Her eyes were chasms of wisdom, her posture the epitome of confidence. She put her fist up in front of her face and opened her hand. A marble glowed in the center of her palm. She looked into it. The threesome followed her gaze.

You see, the woman spoke to the orb, the children of the colors have all come. The last three have answered the calling.

* * * *

Chapter 2:

A Journey into the past

Well, don't just stand there gawking, the grey lady broke the spell she had cast on them. You're dripping all over the floor. Sit down by the fire. Dry yourselves. There's some friends of mine I'd like you to meet.

Tremone, Ornso and Ellira all shook themselves from their trances. Ornso and Ellira spotted a roaring fire in a hearth to their right and instantly headed for it. Tremone stood by the door for a few moments longer. He examined the inside of the cabin suspiciously.

Except for the fire and a candle burning on a table in front of the grey lady, the cabin was not illuminated. The structure was made of wood which reflected blue in the light. Shadows danced across the unadorned wall a few feet to Tremone's left, acting out strange, lifelike plays. Wisps of smoke hung and twisted in the surreal air. A sense of the bizarre radiated in the atmosphere. The pounding of the storm outside only added to the eeriness inside.

The shelter was small and simple. The ceiling was low, Tremone would almost be able to touch it with his outstretched hand. Besides the table, six chairs encircling the fireplace furnished the building. Tremone noticed that four of these were occupied; one by Ornso, one by Ellira, one by a young violet man and the last by a young red woman. All four sat silent, leaning toward the warmth, mesmerized by the colorful, gyrating flames. Tremone shivered. He brought his gaze slowly back to the grey woman and eyed her thoughtfully. She stared back intensely.

What have you done to them? Tremone asked.

Ah, Tremone, the grey lady said knowingly, I should have known you would not easily succumb to the spells I have floated in the air here. I have done nothing to them. They simply relax and let the air soothe them of their recent ordeals, as you should.

What ordeals? Tremone asked.

Why, the storm, the grey lady answered. The creatures that roam these mountains. The battles of life. Do you so easily forget, Tremone, what you so recently encountered?

Who are you? How do you know my name? Tremone continued his questioning of the grey lady.

Who I am is not important, yet, she did not hesitate to answer. I know you as I knew your ancestors. You have come from a long line of famous ancient warriors, Tremone. I have known you for a long time. Please, sit down. Dry yourself next to your friends. Let the fire wash your mind free from all worry. I will fix you something to eat, and then I will reveal all to you.

Tremone looked warily at the others sitting by the fire, then back to the grey lady. She stood rock solid in front of him and seemed to offer no threat. He exhaled hard and decided to sit by the hearth. The concern he felt for his spellbound friends left him no choice. He slowly sauntered to the fireplace and took a seat. The warm glow of the blaze began to penetrate his soaked clothing.

Tremone didn't hear the grey lady leave. He glanced over at the two strangers on his left. Their eyes were affixed to the fire. He looked over to his two friends. They were in the same state. He turned his head to again examine the cabin. There was no sign of the grey lady. Only the shadows cast by the dancing flames remained to watch over the five.

Ornso, Tremone whispered excitedly to his green friend, Ornso, c'mon. We must get out of this place.

Ornso didn't twitch. Tremone moved to the front of his green friend. He grabbed Ornso's shoulders and shook him. Ornso's face didn't acknowledge Tremone's presence. The purple man let go, astonished. The green man's vacant eyes continued to gaze blankly into the fire, his pipe continued to puff automatically. Tremone gave up on him and moved to his lover.

Ellira, he whispered loudly. Ellira, snap out of it. We must leave.

The yellow woman did not respond to Tremone's plea. He shook her as he had Ornso. Ellira made no movement. She stayed in the same catatonic state as the others. Tremone quickly saw that his efforts were useless. He laid his head on her lap.

Oh, melshrom, he moaned. How can I make you listen?

Tremone thought he might weep as he buried his face in Ellira's thigh. He suddenly felt her fingers running slowly through his hair. He looked up into her face. It was alive and aware. She smiled at him.

Don't worry, my love, she said. We are in a good place, a pleasant place. I don't know where or why, but I am unworried here. Just relax, Tremone, relax and watch the fire.

Ellira, Tremone expressed his surprise. Ellira, we must leave now, before the grey lady returns. We must get our of here.

But why? I have no fear, Ellira said. There is a dreadful storm outside, and many beings which would do us harm. No. Stay here with me. Revel in the warmth and peace of this place.

But the grey lady, she has cast an evil spell on you, Tremone insisted. She has evil plans for us.

Ellira laughed softly.

Asila means no harm, she explained. She is our benefactor. She only wishes for us to learn.

Asila? Tremone asked.

Yes, that is I, the grey lady's voice came from behind Tremone. He jerked his head spasmodically toward it. I have brought you all here to teach you. She stood in front of the fire holding a tray loaded with five soup bowls. Don't mistake my powers as evil, Tremone, because you don't understand them. I simply want you to feel comfortable. Eat. You are hungry.

Tremone continued to gape at the lady as the others animated themselves and each grabbed a bowl of soup. Tremone hesitated to do the same. Asila looked down at him with a sadness in her eyes. She offered the tray to him.

You must be hungry, she insisted. Eat. Why don't you trust me?

Why should I? Tremone said above the noise of the others as they started in on their soup.

Why shouldn't you? Asila retorted. I have done nothing to harm you.

You have taken my friends' minds, Tremone accused.

We still have our minds, Tremone, Ornso said. We have simply elected to not use them. Relax, old friend. Relax and let the feeling of wonder take over.

Eat. Asila said.

Tremone's hand slowly reached for the last bowl of soup. He took it carefully and returned to his chair. He watched the others eat for a moment. They all seemed to have come out of their trances, even the ones he didn't know. Tremone slowly tasted his soup. It was hot, thick and pleasant. He began to allow himself to enjoy it. The food seemed magical. It soothed his muscles and took the chill from his bones. Soon, it was gone. Tremone was surprised he had eaten it so fast. He leaned back and let himself relax. His mind remained alert, ready to pounce should something happen, but his body was calm. Asila smiled and collected the bowls. She disappeared for only a moment before she re-entered Tremone's sight.

Well, Asila began, as you all know, I am Asila, the seer. Since you don't know each other, I'll introduce you. Evbalc and Anetha, she motioned to the violet and red pair, these are Ellira, Ornso and Tremone.

After the five exchanged greetings, Asila continued, Evbalc and Anetha have come from the north, from a land called Lemfro. Lemfro was a name well known in Badar long ago. It is the name of the yellow color haven.

I have heard of it in our lore, Ellira said.

Of course you have, Asila said. What do you know about The Havens and their lore, Tremone? She suddenly addressed the purple man.

Tremone found that he had slipped into the same trance as his friends had. He looked down at his arm and knew he could move it if he wanted to. Suddenly, he jerked his hand and grasped the hilt of his dagger. He looked up at the grey woman. She didn't flinch. Her eyes held steady on him. The others, too, looked his way and waited to see if he would make another move. Tremone let his hand relax, satisfied that he still had control.

I know that the name Asila is mentioned in our history, Tremone said. She was also known as the seer. After the great war with the forces of Rolak, she was never heard from again. Are you saying you're the same Asila?

The grey lady nodded.

But how can that be? Tremone argued. That war took place hundreds of years ago.

How it is is not important, Asila said. If you just believe your eyes and accept that it is, that's all that matters. Go on. What else do you know?

I know that, according to legend, we defeated the forces of Rolak. But we were severely crippled as a result. I've been taught that at one time, travel was easy between all The Havens. Roads were built through all the lands and towns traded with each other along these. It is said that men rode on beasts called stilmars and traveled quickly. It is said that all this fell apart after the war because of the deaths of the tareks. Now we have only isolated cities hundreds of miles apart. Only the fastest runners in the land keep our cities in touch. We supposedly were a great empire that fell apart because of the taming of the colors.

Very good, Tremone, Asila complimented. Your family has kept you well educated. For the most part, your lore is true. There are many tales of bravery from that period, not the least of which is the tale of Niethon and his rainbow company which braved the Rolak Plains, defeated Xor in his own domain, and tamed the wild colors. I wish for you now to gaze into this cube.

Asila produced the promele stone, seemingly from thin air. The party gasped. Even Tremone was amazed. She set the cube down on the ledge in front of the fire. For the first time, Tremone noticed that the rocks of the fireplace ledge were each made of a different color. The other four leaned in to get a closer look. They seemed instantly spellbound. Tremone hesitated. A colorful fog swirled in the middle of the cube.

Come now, Tremone, Asila chimed. You have nothing to worry about. What Ellira said is true. I only wish to teach you. Gaze into the stone and look upon the history of The Havens, of your people. You should find this quite interesting.

Tremone swallowed hard and looked into the stone. The fog began to swirl faster. Tremone felt himself become hypnotized by the fog, being drawn into the stone by some unknown power. Still, he felt no malice toward him. He let himself go and let the visions come to him. The swirling colors stopped. The fog turned into a solid orange. As it cleared, he made out the landscape of Okabro. Though he had never been there, he knew that was where he was. He stood in a field in the southern most portion of that haven.

Seven hundred and fifty years ago, Asila's voice seemed to fill the countryside as it droned in Tremone's ears, the tareks of The Havens knew their lands would soon be assailed by a great, evil force. Seven dead color tareks had amassed mighty armies on the Rolak Plains. A gathering was called in Lemfro, where strange events were unfolding, and it was decided to send a small group of brave warriors to find the source of the dead color tareks' powers. Seven lemtreks, two captains of the color guard and one tarek participated in this daring mission. They eventually succeeded, but in the time it took to complete the quest, many changes took place in The Havens. You stand now in Okabro, the orange color haven, where the dead colors first invaded. This happened seven hundred and fifty years ago. If you look behind you, you can see the southern Rolak Plains. The invasion is about to begin.

Asila's voice faded. Tremone turned. He saw his friends next to him, but they appeared transparent and ghostlike. The two strangers were on his other side, also transparent. They smiled and nodded when he looked at them. He examined his hand and saw that he, too, had been reduced to a spectre. The sounds of chirping insects hummed through the air. Tremone looked up. To the south, he could see where Okabro ended and Rolak began. Across a river he didn't know the name of, the orange country stopped and the colors collided with each other in chaos. Out on the Rolak Plains, it seemed the colors were in pain. They swirled in such anarchy, it seemed as if the land was trying to tear itself apart. Tremone watched them with wonder and amazement.

The insects suddenly fell silent. A foreboding, frightening stillness fell over the land. Tremone strained his eyes toward the Rolak Plains. He saw the sun glint off the top of a huge dust cloud approaching Okabro. A din rolled through the air from Rolak. The sound of hundreds of thousands of feet approaching. The sound of hundreds of thousands of weapons clanking. The sounds of a great army crashing onto the shore of a strange land. The sounds of an approaching onslaught.

From the north, Tremone heard the stampeding of another army coming to meet the onslaught. It was a soft sound at first, but it soon turned into a thunderous racket. He spun and looked that way. Orange men and women, dressed in armor and riding great, hoofed beasts, stopped only a few hundred yards from them and waited. Mixed in with the orange warriors were also people of the red and green. These soldiers were heavily armed and grim in their purpose and demeanor. They were prepared for war, ready to take on the assault.

Tremone had never seen the beasts before, but he knew instantly what they were. Stilmars, the magnificent animals that served the ancient peoples of The Havens. Some of the loresayers had said that these animals could still be found in some of the wild areas of Elberia, but they were extinct in The Havens. Tremone looked at them in awe. The din to the south too soon forced him to look back that way.

He saw the evil forces approaching quickly. Garkes ran on all fours, their dual rods slung over their backs. These long and lanky, three eyed monsters with low foreheads and double thumbs were fearsome to behold. The ugliness of their faces matched the horror of their intentions. The beings exuded their thoughts of death and destruction, cruelty and mayhem. The force which drove them was unwavering in its purpose.

The army of warriors to the north charged. Tremone feared he and his companions would be crushed in the middle of the two mighty armies. He started to panic, but a sudden wave of serenity overcame his being. He felt himself start to float above the spectacle. He knew he could not be harmed by the scenes that happened so long ago. He looked to his sides and noticed the others had also lifted off the ground. Below him, the two armies clashed.

The Okabroans were a brave people and fought valiantly to save their homeland from the threat they faced, Asila's voice materialized inside Tremone's head, in his very thoughts. They had their friends, the Darmjeians and Kataroans, to help them, but they still could not stop such a powerful enemy.

Tremone looked down at the battle. He could now see that the Okabroans and their friends were hopelessly outnumbered. Orange and red garkes rushed around the stilmars and unmounted many warriors. Behind them, more garkes kept coming. Behind those, the slower, more brutal garbones lumbered toward the battle. The cavalry which fought this battle was backed up by only a few hundred foot soldiers. There seemed to be an endless supply of reinforcements for the monstrosities coming out of the plains. Soon, the first battle of the war ended. The Okabroans were routed. Only a handful of the orange warriors escaped to the north. Many thousands lay dead in the fields. The garkes and garbones began a grisly feast on those they had killed. Tremone turned his head in disgust.

The Hurcon Plains in southern Okabro was where the Okabroans suffered their first defeat, Asila's voice continued in Tremone's head. It was the only string which he felt kept him in touch with a different reality. But there would be more, creating even greater devastation. Behold Fayn Mert.

Tremone again looked down. From high above, he could see a large fortress surrounded by the evil creatures which he had seen earlier. The center of the structure was ablaze with a hot, uncontrollable fire. Smoke issued into the sky and blocked out the sun. The creatures viciously broke against the walls of the fayn time and time again, but the archers and warriors inside bravely fought them back. A pile of dead creatures heaped itself against the orange rock which the walls were made of. Above him, Tremone heard a terrible symphony of screeching, squawking and chattering. He looked up and eyed esconoes with their bizarre masters, the kaelpras, riding them. The kaelpras rained darts and terror onto the grounds of the fayn. Arrows littered the air, some finding their escono targets and some falling harmlessly back to earth.

A bright, orange stream of heat issued from somewhere inside the fayn walls. Tremone spotted the man wielding it, lonely on top of the outer wall, walking over a multitude of dead and dying warriors who had fallen on the ramparts. Kaelpra darts rained around him, bouncing off his bright orange helm and breastplate. He paid no heed to the missiles as he shot blast after blast of orange energy into the enemy throng. It seemed to Tremone that this man could single-handedly turn the tide of battle, but he could also see that the valiant warrior was becoming exhausted and couldn't last much longer.

The orange cavalry surged into the battle from the forests outside the fayn. They began to beat back the terrible menace surrounding it. The man wielding the orange fire was granted a respite as he watched his comrades from the parapets. He would only occasionally throw the orange energy into the fray now, in spots where it was needed most. The forces of the living orange were winning.

Suddenly, from the south, a darkness spread itself across Okabro. Fear filled the empty spaces of the air and engulfed the countryside. The orange color guard forces quivered. The terror penetrated Tremone's soul and even he shook as he turned to discover the source of the malice. He and his companions could see it flying toward the fayn, not fifty feet from them now. Tremone cringed with fright.

The dead orange tarek was horrifying to behold. His rotted, living form on top of his winged, corpselike stilmar, throbbed with power. An opaque orange energy fled from the gem on his hand with terrible purpose. The walls of the fayn began to crumble.

Kuristo, half brother to Filia who had left on the Rolak Plains expedition, was named the new lemtrek of the orange color guard in her absence, Asila's voice took the edge off the fear Tremone felt. He was given the orange lashilt to bear and given command of Fayn Mert, where Manfroklo felt the tide of war could be turned. Xzintron, the tarek of the dead orange, attacked sooner than expected. Kuristo fought courageously, but he was hopelessly outmatched, for Xlaemax and Xolmar showed up to help Xzintron.

Tremone watched the events unfold. Kuristo had held his ground well. A steady beam of orange, aimed at Xzintron, emitted from his sword. The tarek of the dead orange had thrown up a shield around himself which absorbed the orange energy. The two combatants strained and tensed. Tremone could see Kuristo's hand start to glow with heat. He noticed the pain on Kuristo's face. The men below also fought hard. They killed and died in the fields below the beams in the sky. Dead green and red joined the evil orange forces on the battlefield. Two figures, Xlaemax and Xolmar, rose from the throng.

In a sudden blast of dead green and red, Kuristo was shattered, his orange energy extinguished. The dead colors pounded and splintered the orange rock of the fayn. The orange color guard forces were thrown into chaos. Fear overwhelmed the men and their stilmars. Some fled from the battlefield. Some quaked and were killed where they stood. Still others gritted their teeth and fought on. These men were quickly surrounded and killed. The men in the fayn were cut off. For them there would be no escape. Tremone watched the massacre begin. Only a very few men left that battlefield alive. The forces of the dead colors were again victorious.

The evil ones had won a decisive victory, Asila's voice began anew as Tremone and his companions began to fly away from the battlefield and headed northeast. Manfroklo's lemtrek was dead and the orange lashilt destroyed. Fayn Mert was reduced to rubble. Xzintron planted his dead orange cancer in Okabro and it quickly started to spread. Tralru, the red tarek, poured his color guard forces into Okabro to try to turn the invaders before they reached Darmjei. Flarino, the green tarek, also sent warriors into the orange to help Manfroklo battle the threat, but it was too late. The forces of the dead orange quickly spearheaded to the north and cut off the western region of Okabro. Fayn Exlor fell easily under the power of the three dead tareks and not one of the thirty thousand color guards in the fayn lived to tell of the battle. Xzintron and the other tareks of the dead colors turned their attentions to the east and Kay-Benecus. They were met in the Catrova Forest by the largest fighting force ever assembled in Okabro.

Tremone's flight stopped over a large, dense forest. He heard the sounds of battle, the screaming and yelling and clinking of weapons, echo high into the sky to his ears. He could feel in the atmosphere the intensity of those fighting below. He felt the great malice to the west and the power of the living orange to the east. He could sense that the living orange was winning this battle. He could feel the confidence they fought with. It seemed to him that victory was near and soon the vile forces would be turned away in defeat.

Tremone and the others slowly floated over the embattled forest to the north. They passed through an illusion without noticing it. Tremone looked down and saw a mire below. Thousands of slimetra beasts, like he had seen earlier in the blue mountains, wallowed gloriously in the stench of the marsh. The wetlands below were bounded on four sides by the orange walls of the illusion which stretched high into the sky. Hundreds of the vile creatures of the dead orange were being corralled into the illusion to their deaths. Tremone smiled at the ingenuity and simplicity of this trap. Using evil creatures to the advantage of the living orange was, to him, ingenious.

Then he felt the malice again fill the air. He and the others spun to determine its source. A confused and bewildered Xzintron had flown into the illusion. The tarek of the dead orange looked around for a moment, then seemed to smile. He raised his hands and evoked some sort of spell from the sky. Solid orange lightning bolts emanated from his fingertips. They hit the walls of the illusion. The living orange blockade wavered, glowed brightly for an instant, then disintegrated to the ground. The forest surrounding the marsh could be seen. Xzintron flew proud and victorious high above the marsh. He sent his dead orange beams into it and whipped the slimetras into his servitude. A hush had fallen over the battlefield. The slimetra beasts began to move into Catrova. The forces of the living colors began to retreat in fear. Xzintron drove the slimetra beasts on. Tremone listened in horror to the screams, groans and death cries of the Okabroans and their allies far below.

The orange color guards had formed a strategy of trickery and deceit in an effort to herd the garkes and garbones into the marsh of the slimetra beasts, Asila's voice pulled Tremone's being out of the despair he felt for the events below. "But their strategy failed when Xzintron discovered Manfroklo's illusion. He loosed the evil, mighty slimetras on the forces of the color guards. Manfroklo's powers were not enough to battle the combined forces of three dead color tareks and the slimetra beasts. The forces of the color guards were split. The green color guards retreated back to their own land of Kataro, the red and orange forces headed toward Kay-Benecus.

The three tareks of the dead colors followed Manfroklo's hasty retreat. As they moved, they leveled and burned everything they came across. There was no town or hamlet, no city or farmhouse left standing as the forces of the dead colors moved through Okabro. Refugees fled wherever they could. Some made it to Predlo, others Kataro, but most headed for Kay-Benecus, Manfroklo's seat of power and his last stand.

Tremone felt himself start to move again. He looked down and saw a scorched land below. There was nothing left of the Catrova Forest, nothing left of the fields around it. In place of the vibrant, glowing orange that was Okabro, only lusterless orange dust remained. Xzintron had as much as killed the orange, and he now gained power from that act. His forces ruled the orange desert below. No human could be seen in it alive. Tremone lifted his eyes from the abominable sight. He saw Kay-Benecus rapidly approaching. It seemed an island of life surrounded by an ocean of dead orange. The walled mountain city was besieged by a multitude of evil creatures. Bright, living orange power came down upon the vile forces from high atop the city's citadel. The three corpselike tareks battled Manfroklo and the orange tarek was sorely drained of energy.

As Tremone glided over the battlefield, he saw the bodies of thousands of red color guards who had fought bravely outside the city walls. Many of the dead bodies had been partially eaten by Xzintron and Xlaemax's forces. There was no sign of Xolmar's green creatures, only the dead green tarek himself was at the battle.

Tremone watched the orange of Manfroklo weaken. The beams coming from the top of the citadel of Kay-Benecus faltered. The disgusting garkes and garbones breached the outer wall of the city and poured into it like skinches. Tremone watched the butchery take place. Most of the color guards had already died. Civilians were forced to defend themselves against the horde. Women, old men and children were massacred in the streets. Younger men and teens tried to defend them, but they were under trained and horribly outmatched. The bloodshed and carnage below sickened Tremone and his companions.

Tremone felt himself start to descend toward the citadel. He and his companions landed at Manfroklo's backside, not five feet from the orange tarek. They could see his muscles tense, his body strain to shoot every ion of orange energy he could at the tareks of the dead colors. Five high ranking officers laid dead at his feet. The slaughter below continued. Tremone circled around to get a look at Manfroklo's face. The orange tarek's eyes bulged. Orange lightning bolts flew from his fingertips as he drained the orange power off the land, into his feet and channeled it through his body. A gem on his breastplate drove a steady beam of pulsating energy toward the dead color tareks in the sky. A shield of orange energy, which at one time may have encompassed more, now held tight and close to his body and barely kept the dead color energy at bay. Tremone could feel the exhaustion in Manfroklo's being.

The transparent purple man should have gone unnoticed, one spectre among thousands of ghosts which swirled in the atmosphere on that day. Manfroklo's concentration was totally focused on the horrors above. Suddenly, he was rocked by a mighty blast from Xolmar. Dead green encircled his orange shield. Manfroklo's eyes glimpsed at Tremone. The orange tarek gasped in surprise, his face boiled over with fear. For a brief moment, the two men peered into each other, then the dead colors penetrated Manfroklo's form. He screamed in torment. The steady flow of power from his gem was extinguished. His shield caved in. Manfroklo gasped his last breath. His orange blinked out, forever.

The orange tarek crumpled on the roof of the citadel. The instant he died, the building began to crumble. Tremone and his companions remained floating high above as the building collapsed to dust below them. Manfroklo lay cold and motionless on top of the rubble. The living orange land beneath it surged upward, engulfed his body and dragged it down. Tremone watched as the orb on a ring on the tarek's left hand began to glow. The hand was taken under by the soil, but the gem remained, glowing proudly. A moment later, the living orange earth took that too. The glow of the orange land faded and the dead orange dust crept over it to carpet all of Okabro.

The dead color tareks dove at the few survivors. The dead orange dust immediately began to erode living orange rock. The landscape was too quickly engulfed and flattened. The massacre of the Okabroans continued until there were none left. The sadness Tremone felt in his heart was total.

Tremone looked at the ghostlike form of Ellira floating before him.

It wasn't his fault, he said. He had no control over the minds of those who served him.

What? Ellira asked.

Asila's voice spoke before Tremone could formulate an answer that would satisfy both Ellira's question and his own curiosity. The voice again filled his head and dominated his being. It lifted his spirit from the devastation below and carried it northward.

"And so Okabro fell to Xzintron, and the other havens shuddered with fear. Xlaemax and Xolmar took their campaign