The night air blew the leaves gently around his head. A dreamed slipped from his mind and something began to take shape around him. And then he remembered; everything passed through his mind in one painful recollection.
Something howled outside the window. He jumped out of bed and raced across the hall outside his room and looked out the big window at the end of it. A restlessness stirred within the forest beyond, that he couldn’t understand, but it took on a terrifying and evil sound, like the breathing of a great beast. He began to call for someone, one of the guards perhaps that could sound the alarm. But nothing came out of his mouth and he stood there still as a rock. Then out of the silence burst an overwhelming and impregnable force, unveiling a brutal attack. The castle became alive as guards and soldiers raced to the defense of their country. But alas, it was too late and death was inevitable. Rainion raced back to his room and bundled his belongings together. Rain started beating down on the hard castle roof. He was a guard of the royal family along with many others. He tried to make a decision, would he stay and guard the king and his family? Or would he leave and run like a coward? He heard footsteps in the hall and loud screaming and wailing. Something triggered in his mind and he turned and ran out into the courtyard. Chaos ruled to castle now and no one noticed him running. He felt like a coward but something kept him from turning back. He looked back over his shoulder at the mass of blood-thirsty creatures, sent from Tarole himself. While on their way to the Southern Falls, Tarole had planned a deadly attack on the city of Stonelake, one that would wipe them out of history forever. Rainion did not want to become that nameless person. Then a blow shattered his mind and he lay still and silent…
He slowly sat up and flinched as his arm was torn in several places. Silence ruled except for the occasional stir of the other captives. None of their captures seemed to be present but he could feel their presence. It felt heavy around him and the trees blew sadly as if remembering the great curse that now lay upon these captives. Everything was very green in contrast to the brown dirt that covered the ground. There were many people lying around but something seemed strange with them. They lay so still that he couldn’t even tell they were breathing. In fact, were they breathing? And then with a sickening realization he knew that Tarole had put his spell on them and never again would they be the same. He scanned the ground and saw two figures crouching on the ground. He made his way slowly towards them. One was a young woman, and the other was her mother. Somehow they had escaped from being made into blood thirsty people. The woman saw him approaching and called out quietly. “My mother is dying! Please help me to wrap her wound.” Rainion looked to where he thought he could hear their captures talking or grunting. No one seemed to notice so he continued to come closer. It was so dark that he couldn’t make out their faces or anything about them really. But after a few moments of working stealthily he managed to wrap her arm up tightly.
“She has lost too much blood already,” he whispered.
“Well, as least we tried,” she said mournfully. The trees echoed in a cacophony of sadness and grief swaying their branches in the bare light. The girl bent down over her mother’s face and whispered, “Quel esta.” She began to weep quietly and pulled a dirty blanket over the face of the dead. Rainion saw an opportunity for escape after he perceived that no one was watching. He began to stand up slowly.
“Where are you going?” the woman asked. His heart began pounding in his head. He would not leave someone behind again. It was his duty to bring this maiden with him and save her from the torture that surely would be hers.
“I’m escaping. Will you come with me?” he held out his hand and firmly grasped hers. They heard faint voices growing louder, now was their chance. They began running wildly through the woods, not quite knowing where they were going. They ran through streams and over hills, they ran with the wind in their palms, never resting. They were restless and wild beings as if they had never known captivity. Nothing could hold them back now. On the third evening of their escape they sat around a small campfire and told of their life before Tarole devastated their city. It came finally to Rainion’s turn to tell how he got here, a story that bore grief and reluctance. It was inevitable that she would leave after telling her what a coward he was. But after all, his whole life had been spent saying goodbye to those he loved most. He sat and told her everything that happened the night of his capture.
“So that is my story,” he ended sadly. She slowly stood up and stared through the forest. She was silent. Rainion walked over to her. The darkness covered them like a veil and yet he could sense that she was suffering somewhere inside. He put his arm around her back and they just stood quietly thinking.
“I don’t know really anything about you nor how you came to be in Stonelake, and these past few days have been a blur to me, but I do know that you saved my life. You might have been a coward to leave, but you are my hero.” She turned and laid down on the ground and was instantly asleep. Rainion had always dreamed of being a hero or soldier just like his father before he died in the war. And nineteen years hadn’t changed anything. But it seemed like when he left Stonelake he had left his future behind; he had given up his right to live. And yet somehow he met someone who thought the very opposite, who thought that he was actually and hero. What more could he ask for?
That’s when he woke up. They had been traveling by day trying to reach the Southern Falls before Winter set in and destroyed any hope of survival. He turned over and watched Meltoriel as she slept, like an angel in dreams. He heard something moving in the woods behind him and reached quickly for his bow and arrows.
“Meltoriel!” he whispered loudly. She woke up instantly and crawled over to where he was kneeling.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure but we shouldn’t risk anything. Climb a tree!” he quickly put the fire out and climbed a tree close to their camp. They waited silently for their unseen enemy to come near. A cold breeze blew in the tree tops and a frightening and mysterious stillness enveloped them. Then they heard footfalls in the distance. But they were unusual footsteps and sounded rather light. Rainion watched as the mysterious people inquisitively explored their camp, uncovering the fire pit and noting the footprints in the dirt. He cringed thinking of the thing that would definitely give them away. They talked among themselves in the clearing beneath the escaped fugitives.
“I see them!” one of them shouted.
“Men! He has found the captives we have been searching for!” the apparent leader shouted. A general uprising followed as they were ushered out of the tree and were searched for weapons.
“Your majesty the King of the Southern Falls has beckoned his most faithful hunters to find any captives or people left from the terrible conflict in Stonelake. You, I assume, are returning captives from that skirmish?”
Rainion thought the group a most comical and fascinating band. Their hair was a dark brown and shoulder length and each one had an assembly of weapons and a beautiful cape that flowed off their broad shoulders. He breathed a sigh of relief and reached for Meltoriel who stood close beside him.
“Well, in that case, I suppose we should be heading back soon before they catch us again. Why does he care about us? I mean Stonelake, that is.”
“Our King has issued a royal declaration bringing forth the armies of Yameaus to fight against the growing evil,” he answered.
“Oh, and our ravaged village is going to help him? That’s all he wants from us?” Rainion’s voice carried a somewhat hurt and offended touch.
“He just thought that perhaps it would be better to band together before further damage is done,” the man replied.
“A very wise answer, you fool! That you would assume such authority as to bid us come to your kingdom instead of my own or that of my fathers is beyond all reasoning.” Rainion didn’t know what he meant by what he just said, but feelings welled up inside of him and a growing feeling of cowardness filled him.
“Alright, we will tell him that you wish not to enter his abode for protection during such a turbulent time.” And the band of weary soldiers walked off into the night, leaving the two fugitives alone and defenseless.
“Please, just don’t say anything!” Rainion said, turning to Meltoriel. She looked at the ground and said nothing. “I know what you’re thinking. I just let our last hope of protection walk away.”
“It was what you thought best. When you asked me to to come with you I knew nothing about you, but I decided to come anyway. We will get through this somehow.” She answered gently.
“But you shouldn’t be here, alone and in danger!” Rainion persisted. He struggled within himself until it seemed hopeless.
“Well, we should start on our own to reach the Southern Falls before Winter Solstice.” she said.
And so the days raced by and each one carried them closer to their destination. They made weapons out of the tree branches and the dirt became their only bed. On the fourth day of Yenearsira they arrived at the Southern Falls. The town was quiet and still and the fortress stood tall in the midst of it.
“I told you we would make it,” she said looking at the stoic citadel. He smiled down at her.
As they entered the gates one of the guards took them to the King himself. Except he wasn’t the king Rainion remembered, it was the prince.
“Why must we come here? We are merely travelers from Stonelake,” Rainion reasoned.
“It is a rule to have to king make question you,” the guard answered. They entered the castle and were immediately shown into a room with a long table. At the end of it was the king. He was a rather young man and full of pity for his nation.
“Alright, you may go back,” he said to the guard.
“Yes your majesty.”
“Well, I see you have come,” he said to them.
“How do you know about us?” Rainion asked.
“I sent men to find any survivors from the battle,” he answered. “They came back and told me about you, but we didn’t think you would come. However, I see that you have made a very wise decision. But now, onto some questions. I must know about you to be able to assign you to the right place or station. Tell me about yourself.”
“Well, I am nineteen, son of a wealthy man who died during the battle of the Ages and my mother passed from mere age and grief. I am a human from the East and I’m also a trained warrior, good with the bow and arrow,” he finished.
Something seemed vaguely familiar about him. His voice perhaps? Or his appearance? ” He asked.
“I’m seventeen, descended from the Ithil’quessir, a respected rank among Yameaus. Both my parents have died now and I have no trained skill to offer. I do have power to deal spells to those whom I choose, though I have not used those powers for sometime.”
Calmar leaned back in his chair thoughtfully and looked at them both carefully.
“Rainion, you will fight along side the bravest men we have, and if death claim you, you will be honored for generations to come. Meltoriel, you shall be guardian of the royal treasury, a place worthy of such a woman. Guards!” he called, “assign these two to their places.”
So it was that Rainion and Meltoriel arrived in the Southern Falls and life began once again.
The Spell of the Winterwolf 