Winter's End

The long winter raged on for the fourth straight generation. A deep blanket of snow covered the entire Glaveen Valley. The sun was nothing more than a hazy ball through the heavy gray clouds that hung low over once verdant fields. Most of the Dwarfs and Gnomes had long retreated to their caves in the Degin Mountains, the Elves to their forests in Leeweald, and the Halflings to the hills and dales of Thoroughgood. With few exceptions, only Humans remained in the plains. Such it has been since the death of Ruefate. Upon his defeat in the barren Plains of Wozen, the Elven mage used his dying breath to cast a spell on all of Glaveen – The valley would see neither sky nor sand until the waking of dawn.

When dawn came the following morning, however, the sky was thick with foreboding clouds from horizon to horizon. Although it was high summer, the wind which blew from any direction carried a deep winter chill. From that day forward the sun was not seen. Within a week, the rivers, lakes, and seaports froze, and snow covered every inch of ground. Once the valley ran out of stores, provisions were imported from across the Madralk Desert at great expense.

Ruefate's cryptic words made no sense to the adventurers who destroyed him. The king's own spellcasters could not divine their intent. But a young elf, Corius, was determined to unravel the mysterious spell.

For well over a score of years, Corius traveled the width and breadth of Glaveen Valley, and pored over every manuscript he could find on Glaveen and magic.

He sat in the Library of Lisstater, in the capital city of Bar'aroon, studying scrolls and books. The elf had been there twice before. The Library of Lisstater was the oldest and most extensive in Glaveen. He had hoped that he would find some small clue that he might have missed before. Corius exhausted all that he could find in the Elven homeland of Leeweald. Dwarven stories and songs revealed little. Corius scoured the writings until exhaustion overtook him. When he awoke, he resumed his painstaking search.

With a heavy sigh, Corius returned the scroll he'd been reading to the case. As he was putting it back in its place on the shelf, a glint of light in the dark recesses of the cubby caught his eye. The elf had checked every book in the library, but had somehow missed this one. He reached back and took hold of the heavy leather bound volume.

"Where have you been hiding?" He asked the book as he tumbled it in his hands. The leather looked nearly new. The buckle of true gold was locked, but had no keyhole. A large candle with a dancing flame was engraved on the front cover. It was surrounded by flowers inside of a circle of dust. The cardinal points were marked with symbols: To the north was a long fang, to the east a scorpion’s tail, to the south a pine cone, and to the west a seashell.

Corius set the book on the table. He placed his hand over the tome and cast a spell of revealing. It glowed blue. "No wonder you're in such good condition; you were sealed well." He then cast a spell of unlocking. The clasp sprung open with a click. Corius sat down to examine its pages.

The history was complete, but Corius discovered a name he’d not heard before. The author was Selee, from the north-east corner of the valley, who once defeated an eternal winter. Corius secreted the book in his pack and left for Burthenma'ar, a journey of two weeks. If fortune favored him, he might find the next piece of the puzzle that he endeavored so long and hard to assemble.

Corius met few along the way, and talked to even fewer. He ate winterberries and what game he could hunt with his bow; rations when all else failed. When he came to the summit of a low series of hills he could just see the outline of buildings. Smoke from hearth fires rose from chimneys. Corius trudged on with renewed strength.

Arrows danced in his quiver as Corius stomped the snow from his fur-lined boots. He opened the front door of the Sunrise Tavern and entered a small common room with a large fire at one end. There were two people in a room capable of accommodating about twenty comfortably. One was the tavern keep behind the bar. The other was a man slumped over a table near the fireplace. "Welcome to Burthenma'ar, friend. What brings you so far?" The tavern keep greeted him.

"First some tea, please, if you will." Corius asked, shaking the chill from his bones.

"Name's Belech." The keeper answered with a smile. He crushed some dried leaves into a cup, and then filled it with water from a pot hanging on a swivel over the fire. "Please, sit down. You must be tired after so long a journey."

Corius shrugged off his overly stuffed pack and sat down. He gladly accepted the drink and warmed his hands with the cup while the tea steeped. "Well met, Belech. I am Corius of Leeweald." He carefully sipped from the cup. As the warmth spread through his aching body, relief settled in.

"Ah! I knew you were from distant regions. What brings you to our little corner of the valley?" He asked again.

Corius learned that the direct approach was the best. Either someone could help him, or they could not. He ceased to care what anyone thought of him. "I am looking for Selee."

"Selee?" Belech's surprise was evident. "Now there's a name I've not heard for many years."

"Then you know of him?"

"I've not heard that name but in bards’ tales. Why are you looking for him?” Belech didn't sound suspicious, only curious.

"I found an obscure reference to a never-ending winter long ago. It said that after nearly a century of snow, a time of spring and renewal came that lasted for scores of decades. I hope that he will be able to help free us from this bondage of ice."

“How will you find Selee?”

Corius took the book out of his pack and opened it. “I came across a map in this book. Selee is a druid of no small means. He keeps a place near the other side of the Limbrun Forest, at the base of Hamarath Peak, along the bank of the Fallmore River.”

“That'd be north of here about a half-day's journey. The river runs out of the forest just west of here. Some have gone, but never came back. Some say the place is haunted. One went up and came back white as the snow." Belech laughed.

"May I bed down here for the night?" What little light the sun provided had extinguished, and the wind blew harder and colder in the dark of night.

"Any place that suits you. Would you care for a warm meal? I've got rabbit stew and a small loaf of bread."

Corius reached into his purse. Belech held out a hand. "I'll not accept your coin, good Corius. A cup of tea, a bit of food, and a warm pallet are not enough for one as bold as you. If you can do this thing, all of Glaveen shall be in your debt."

No matter how much Corius insisted, Belech refused. He ate what Belech set before him. It wasn't much, but it was more than he'd had since he left Bar'aroon. The traveler set his bedroll out before the hearth and enjoyed the warmth of the fire.

He set out early in the morning, determined to reach his destination before noon. Belech was true to his word. Corius found the frozen river that made a wide gap in the trees as it came out of the forest. He followed the Fallmore River north. In spite of the wind driven ice that reddened his cheeks, Corius pushed himself onward through the knee-deep snow.

After the better part of half of the day, Corius spotted a mud hut covered with dead vines. No smoke rose from the chimney. No light shined from windows where broken shutters hung crooked on twisted hinges. Corius carefully walked around the hut, staying hidden within the trees, watching for any sign of movement. When he was satisfied that there was no one about, he advanced towards the structure from the back. He was no more than a few paces away, he was suddenly bowled over by a blinding flash of white and gray fur. A massive paw pushed his head under the snow, and the animal launched himself into the air. By the time Corius got back to his feet, the huge wolf was staring at him. Its ears were straight, his teeth were bared, and his hackles were up. The animal growled menacingly, but Corius could sense intelligence in its eyes. The wolf slowly circled him. Corius turned to keep facing it.

The elf held his hands open in front of him and reached out towards the wolf with his thoughts. Its ears twitched when it sensed the presence of another mind. Corius opened himself to the animal. After a time, the wolf's demeanor changed from one of confrontation to a state of guarded curiousity. Corius sat down and the wolf cautiously approached him. It sat on its haunches with its tail wrapped around its feet. Corius extended his hand, which the wolf sniffed and huffed.He waited until the wolf was convinced that he meant no harm.

Sitting still provided no warmth, but he concentrated on making peace with the powerful animal. The wolf relaxed and curled itself in the snow with its tail over his nose against the harsh wind; never taking its eyes off of the stranger. Corius began to mindspeak with the wolf.

I am Corius.

Why are you here?

To put an end to this curse of winter.

How will you do that?

Selee knows how. I need to talk to him.

Selee is not here. There was sadness in his heart.

Where is he?

Taken by the fire.

Corius turned and looked at the hut. The thatch roof was covered with snow, but showed no signs of burning.

What are you called?

I am Swarden, guardian of this place. Selee was my companion. Many have come looking for something, but you are different. You do not smell like man.

Will you show me what happened to Selee?

The wolf was indeed intelligent, and very well aged. A druidic spell.

The elf sensed both trepidation and sadness from Swarden. Corius conveyed the sense of urgency he felt to the wolf, and he relented. Swarden recalled the night when Selee suddenly fell to the floor. He began to convulse and gurgle, and his eyes rolled back in his head. A white hot flame erupted from Selee's belly and slowly consumed the druid. Swarden howled for his companion's pain, but could not get near him because of the intense heat. Although Selee was reduced to a pile of ashes; the victim of an evil spell. Nothing else in the hut was touched by the fire. The wolf had no sense of time, but Corius could deduce from his memory that it had happened just a few months before the cold and clouds began to settle in.

Corius stood and walked to the hut. Swarden followed him, but stopped at the door. It was a simple structure with one room, a hearth for a cooking fire, a sleeping pallet raised up from the floor, and a few wooden utensils. A bow and quiver were hung near the door, and a staff leaned against a wall. The pile of ashes that was Selee was in the middle of the floor. A dusting of snow covered everything in the room, except the ashes. The wolf put his head on his paws, his nose just at the threshold of the door. He whined softly.

After a thorough search, Corius finally found a loose brick in the back of the fireplace. The grating sound of stone on stone echoed as he pulled the piece out. Behind where the stone had been was a scroll case. He examined the runes carved into the hard leather. They were in an ancient Elven language that only the oldest would recognize. But Corius had studied the dialect during his travels, as he had old Dwarven and Human letters. He cast a spell of revealing and found the case was protected by spells of warding.

He deciphered the glyphs and determined them to be a counter-spell to the wards of protection. Disarming the spells wouldn't be as easy as speaking the magic words. Corius ran his fingers slowly over each rune, carefully studying every nuance of its power. There was a proper order in which they must be spoken. One word out of place or mispronounced would likely prove fatal. When Corius determined that he'd done his best to sort out the order, he spoke every word aloud as he glided his fingers over each symbol. A roaring thunder began to vibrate the walls of the hut. Swarden retreated to a tree, but kept watch on the rattling structure. The rank odor of dying flesh filled Corius's nostrils, threatening to choke his words. He knew he must maintain his concentration to finish the spell safely.

When at length he had spoken the last word of the spell, the thunder and stench abated. The scroll case disappeared and Corius found he was holding a small scroll, a tiger fang, a scorpion tail, a seashell, and a pine cone. There was also a leather pouch, which contained a small amount of gold dust. Corius examined the cover of the cover of the book he had taken from the Library of Lisstater, then read the scroll.

He had everything, but it didn't look like there was enough gold dust to create a circle six feet in diameter. The elf looked through the belongings he had accumulated in his travels and found a small pouch that contained a bit of gold dust. Combined with what Selee had, there might be enough.

He left the hut and went to the south side, protected from the wind. First he laid out the circle, then placed the items at the precise compass points. He set the candle in the middle of the circle and lit the wick. Corius didn't know what would happen, only that the ritual should summon the dawn. He stood at the northern point and opened the tiny scroll. He began to recite the incantation it contained.

A blinding light arose from the snow in a swirling column of forked lightning. The gold began to shine brightly as it was taken up in the tornadic flashes. The roar was as wooden ships crashing on the rocks in a gale. Then the glow slowly sank into the ground and all became still. The snow where he had placed the items was bare and smooth. No footprints remained as evidence of his passing.

Corius looked over towards Swarden, who keened from where he was crouched behind a fallen tree. Movement in front of him caught his eye. When he his attention to the circle, he could see green shoots breaking through the crusty snow. A lush garden of flowers erupted so thick he couldn't see so much as a sliver of white between the leaves and blooms. Vines wove in and out of each other and began to take the vague form of a person. As the foliage thickened, the shape became more defined into that of a woman. Her skin began to show color, and long red hair splayed out behind her head. She was draped in a thin translucent veil.

Corius reached down to touch her face to see if she was real, but stayed his hand when she suddenly inhaled deeply. She turned her head to face him and held out her hand. He helped her to her feet. She wasn't shy about her exposed body, nor did the cold seem to bother her. She was perfectly formed, with smooth, unblemished skin, strong features, and ice blue eyes.

"So long have I slumbered." She looked up into his eyes and took a step closer to him. She put her hand behind his head and drew Corius down to kiss him. Corius backed away. "What are you afraid of?" She smiled sweetly.

"Where did you come from?"

She looked genuinely puzzled. "I cannot say, but I'm here now, that's all that really matters."

She was inviting, and Corius was mesmerized by her beauty. He shook his head to clear his mind. "Who are you?"

"Why, I’m Dawn, of course," As if it should have been obvious, "you summoned me, now I am yours. Few there are who have your courage; many have died in the attempt." She reached up again to kiss him. This time Corius did not resist.

When she stepped back, Corius noticed that the ground around them was free of snow. Grass and flowers began to grow and bloom. The effect of her presence quickly spread out from her. The forest came alive with birds, animals, fish, and creeping things. The clouds dissipated and the bright sun warmed Glaveen Valley once again.

“Mine?”

“Until you die. Then I will return from whence I slumbered until another wakes me. “

Swarden walked up beside them and muzzled her hand. Dawn scratched him behind the ears. Swarden rolled over and she knelt to scratch his belly. He squirmed like a puppy in delight. Corius could sense his pleasure and smiled.

When Corius began to speak, Dawn rose and stood before him. She placed one finger on his lips and smiled. “I will answer all your questions . . . tomorrow.”

Dawn took him by the hand and led him into the uncorrupted vine covered hut.

(Picture Prompt #2 - 3000 Words)