Prohpesy

Prophecy

What a strange word, with so many meanings. So many definitions. So many interpretations. It seems to invoke a sense of power and mystery, of finality. A dangerous course to follow blindly, how many fools have jumped to a pointless death believing it unavoidable, when it was only their interpretation of the words. Kala for the Mayri, Dawndar for the sea folk, Shaishon for the desert dwellers, and Morrenor in the tongue of my own people, all invoking the same sense of power, the same untouchable magic. One should never avoid prophecy, others belief is often to firm, you would mearly fulfil it anyway. Nor should you underestimate it's power. However one should never EVER overestimate it, never place blind trust in it, for that is the path to true destruction, of your soul as well as your body.

Damarie, often referred to as Mai'tar, was a world of unparallel power. Magick was as common as water and more valuable than gold. The society was rigid and the rulers to outsiders cruel. great palaces rose into the sky and no army could match their might. So great was the power of their strongest mages that even the Gods felt threatened. Yet even they could not fight the power of nature, when their world turned against them the end was inevitable. It is still a puzzle why theirs was the world to be destroyed when there are many more evil, more against natures will. One theory is that the Gods had a hand in it, that they were so threatened by the power of the Mayrean Queen's power that they turned the very planet against her and her people. It is well known that the Gods had a hand in the end, when the mages turned the tide of the battle and began to defeat nature on at the end of the second day that they joined the battle to destroy the people, and even with their combined power it was not till the eve of the third day the end truly began. The world was finally destroyed just at dawn of the 4th day.

Or so it was always thought. I have come across proof of the contrary however. In the form of a broken medallion, and a tale told to me by a wondering traveller. Normally would put little stock in wanderers tales. Except that this one rings of truth, and several of the events I bore witness to myself. It has taken me many years to find the courage to write this tale, and even so It shall probably end up as ashes in my fire, but the truth must be known, and so I write, a tale of betrayal, love, magick, and truth. For Mai'tar was never truly destroyed. The waters of its rivers may be long turned to dust, and it's plains cracked, it's mountains shattered. Its very form wiped from existence. But it is not destroyed, for the halls of its palace are still walked. Its people live on in memory. Its magick never faded. For even before the world known as Damarie ceased to exist, the kingdom of Mai'tar had left it behind. It was always said that the magick of the people lay within the blood of the Queen, and their hopes in the blood of the King. The line of the Family T'erani Do'sern was never ended. The royal house, never died.

But the Gods were ignorant of this, and Damarie destroyed, they mearly returned to their slumber unaware of the threat. Only stirring when the power that could destroy them, began to awake.
*****
Once Upon A Time....

Twins,
Born on a world which no longer exists,
To a mother who was Queen,
of a people long dead,
Raised in a country that knew only vengeance,
They were separated by a cult seeking to holt an ancient Prophesy.
They only thing they have left of their past,
Is a broken medallion,
And a name half remembered.
Years later,
Living two different lives,
On two different worlds,
They strive to find each other.
Will they be friend or foe?
Will they meet in a Minstrel’s Tavern?
Or the bloody field of battle?
Only one thing is for certain,
The cult that separated them,
Had no idea of the forces,
They were playing with.
This is the story of what happens,
When Prophesy goes wrong.


Thunder rented the air, and the residue of magic crackled all around her, as she watched the small party flee towards the portal. As they past through the shimmering surface she turned her gaze back to the shattered world below her. Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks as she wept for what had been lost. At least the twins would be alright, she thought, casting her mind back to the party. Maya and Markus. Her beloved children at least would survive the destruction of their home. Looking out over the desolated plains she saw the purple skies tremble, and mountains fall. As she felt the very threads of her being become undone she wept uncaring, and as her home ceased to exist she whispered two words in a choked voice. “Forgive me,” for her last thoughts were of the pain her children would have to endure, and of the prophesy spoken at their birth, only the day before.

******
Spasms of pain flickered across her face as she lay there, the last of her loyal attendants still with her. Minutes later it was over, the children born. “congrats m’Lady, it’s twins, a boy and a girl.” Her guard stood over her, Talnus. He was common born, but that didn’t matter, not anymore, not at the end. Quietly she took her children.

“Maya,” she whispered tracing a symbol on her daughter’s forehead. “and Markus, after his father.” she repeated the gesture over her son. In the corner of the royal apartments a boy stood in silence, her other child, Orlus. Already seven winters he had his father’s trademark black hair.
******

Kel lunged forward as she felt her hair part under the force of a passing dagger. As she darted round her attacker she absently noted the clatter as it fell to the street far below. Slipping behind him she tore her blade across the guards throat, and stepped back safe in the knowledge that he would lie undiscovered until morning. Cursing the inconvenience, she was forced to duck as yet another dagger hurled over her head. After a moment of hesitation she hurled forward, taking her assailant with her, though not for long. Seconds later she flipped the guard over the edge and listened to the sounds of his fall as he joined his weapons, broken on the cobbles.

Softly the thief knelt down to check her satchel. Letting out a sigh at feeling the familiar bulk of her target she glanced out across the city, just to see the sun’s first rays touch the horizon. For a brief moment she wondered where her brother was. She hadn’t seen Kaillen in years, and missed his familiar presence. She would much rather be doing this job with him at her side.

“Kel,” a voice snapped. “stop dreaming, we haven’t got much time left. You have to get out of there now!” The seeker shook herself out of her revere and started moving, The voice of her soul-sister let her unerringly to her companions. But she didn’t have much time, she would have to be out of here by sunrise. Shoving the thoughts out of her head she started moving at a loping run. But the question remained at the back of her mind . “Where was her brother?” She could think on later though. Right now she had a job to complete.

****
Errands.

Kaillen swore silently as he pressed his sweating form against the cold stone wall. This was not what he'd expected. The thief turned and ran through the shadows, all the while cursing Dameon for the false information. In the Lady's name, what had that madman been thinking? Still, he silently added as he leaped from the window to land soundlessly on a neighbouring roof, it had been worth it. He visualized the small, blue ice diamond . Worth a Lower Magi's ransom in gold in it's own right, it was also lased with High Magick. He grinned as he dropped from the roof top onto the narrow slippery ledge commonly referred to as the High Road.

About ten minutes later he slid down a steep ramp to land in the backyard of a thief’s tavern known as The Magpie’s Roost. He entered the dimly lit smoky chamber through the backdoor and headed straight for one of the more rickety tables over which two people were bent in an intense dice game. Kaillen collapsed in an empty seat and glanced at the remaining one.

"Where's Dameon?"

"Oh, out and about. Why? Didn't your date go as planned?"

"Are you joking Tholen? She was as hot as ice."
"Ouch."

"I told you guys that that bribe money would be better spent on Things."

Both the red headed Daren assassin, and the dark haired Rayen looked at the tables remaining occupant. Darres, brother of Dameon, was a typical Soltres. Blonde, mad, completely obsessed with explosives, and what happens when you mixed them. The gang had had some pretty close calls due to Darres and his experiments.

"Hey, I never said last night was a complete failure, things just didn't go as planned, that's all...."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Darres snapped.
Forcing back a grin Kaillen placed the ice diamond on the table.

"Nice," Tholen whispered.

A hand settled on Kaillen's shoulder with a vice like grip.
"There you are my little Magpie, I've been looking for you." The words were whispered in an ice like tone which sent a shiver down the thief's back. He twisted round to find himself staring straight into the blood flecked eyes of Talen, one of the city's deadliest assassins.

"Why would you be looking for me?" He tried not to swallow.

"because I've got a task for you, that's why."

"And I should do it because???"

"because Kaillen, you still owe me for pulling your ass out of that fire on Terass street"
Kaillen grimaced, he'd thought as much.

"Fine, what do I do?"

“I need a message taken to a contact in Sahu, a Rayen will stand out a lot less than a Mayorn."

After a moment he sighed. "Done," the thief finally agreed, and lent forward to listen to the assassin's whispered instructions.

Later, when the sun was high in the sky, and most of the city’s primary population was asleep, the four companions lounged around in a fairly heated discussion about Kaillen’s new job in their rented room above the Roost.

“So now what? We’ve lost our thief and It’ll take a fair amount to get to White Sands. Ice Diamonds aren’t worth that much.”

Kaillen shook his head. “Tholen can cover for me, he’s at least as good at getting in and out of places he shouldn’t be as I am. To get to Sahu I’ll need a horse but other than that I can make my own way. And though I could steal one I’d rather not have an over zealous horse trader chasing me halfway across the Empire.”

Dameon snorted. “If they were an over zealous horse trader and didn’t want their horses stolen they should have known better than to come to Dormez. Besides, there’s still the matter of that ice diamond.”

“Dameon my dear friend, that is not ordinary ice diamond. Or is High Magick worthless?”

“What the…Kaillen you bastard,” Dameon whispered. “I could send you to Tehran and back a half dozen times and hardly scratch the surface of what I could get for this.”

“That,” the thief said softly, “was the idea.”