Chapter 2

Trenton awoke face down coughing and inhaling dirt and dust.  The sent of smoke still very heavy in the air the ground cold against his face.  Trenton tried to push himself up.  His arms, shaking so much from exhaustion, would not support him and he fell again.  

“I’m just going to lie here and die. I do not want to get up.”

“Come on! Get up. We have to get going! Hurry, hurry!”

Trenton slowly turned his head so he could look forward.  There in front of him was a small blue blur.  Trenton heaved himself up again with all his might. Finally sitting up he wiped the dirt from his face and rubbed his eyes clear.  Focusing on the blue fuzz it became clear.  There on the ground was Sylph.

“How did you…? Where did you…? What? I think I hit my head a bit too hard when I fell. How long was I out?”

“I don’t know but it was long enough for most of the inn to be demolished and for them to start looking for your body.”

“You are not going to remember alot.” Sylph said taking flight and hovering in the air,  “Just trust me.  We need to get you and your brother out of here.”

Trenton looked and saw his Brother on the ground.  “Your out again?” Trenton stood and stumbled over to his brother.  Reaching down and picking him up, thoughts of the fire renewed some of his strength.

“You really have to stop doing this to me.  One of these days I’m just going to leave you where you fall.” Grunting Trenton picked him and the staff up and carried him on his shoulder.  Slowly Trenton stumbled onward away from the heat and smoke.  As he shuffled forward, slightly losing balance and falling into the wall, the smoke became thinner. Sylph in front flitting here and there casting just enough light around the tunnel to see, Trenton kept an eye on her erratic pattern.

“So where are we going and why are we in a hurry?”

“Hmm, so it seems that you can sense my emotions and my thoughts.  That’s pretty quick for a beginner.  I was expecting it to take a couple of weeks at least.  You know you do have natural talent...” Sylph was talking pretty quickly and Trenton, a surprise to himself, kept up with what she was saying.

“Wait, hold on.  First, I was wondering why I felt rushed. Second, who are you?”

“I didn’t think your memory would have been affected this much.  I guess we are far enough for the moment.  It won’t take them too long to find that door.  We can stop and take a break.”  Trenton put his brother down and checked him over as Sylph started to explain.

“This is going to take some getting used to so please just sit and listen to me and reach deep in and realize the truth….”

Sylph relayed the entire story starting from when Trenton entered her realm to the point of when she came out with him.

“So when I crossed over, so to speak, you came with me because we are connected?”

“That’s Correct!”

“And this place were at is some type of dream realm?”

“That’s Correct!”

“And you said that I mastered all the knowledge when I was there?”

“Not really.  You have gained the acknowledgement of the wind.  The glorious information that rides the sky, the knowledge that whispers names, the…”

“I get it, I get it.  So how come I don’t remember any of it?”

“That’s because you haven’t mastered all the knowledge.  Once you gather all the Mana together in the Shadow Realm, then and only then will you retain the knowledge.”

“Wha? Mana? What is that?”

“Mana is Magic.  It is the combination of the eight elements.”

“You mean four, Wind, Earth, Water and Fire.”

“No silly, eight.  Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, Dark, Space and Time.  Well there are loads more to tell you but we have to keep moving.  She tells me that they have found the entrance and are coming this way.”

“Who told you? The breeze?”

“Exactly! See you are getting it!” Sylph kissed his nose and started to fly off.

“Hey! I wasn’t…” Trenton started to say but she had already flown down the tunnel, “serious...”

Trenton knelt down and picked his brother up.  The rest did him a lot of good and most of his energy came back.  It was a lot easier to lift and carry his brother.  Trenton made better progress this time since he wasn’t stumbling against the walls.  “Sylph, how much further do we have to go? And where?”

“Just follow me, but hurry.  They’re gaining on us.”

“It would be a lot easier if he was walking and not knocked out.”

Sylph led him down the winding tunnels making lefts and rights.  Trenton tried to count how many but became lost in the numbers.  Occasionally Trenton looked behind him almost expecting the pursuers to be right behind him.  All Trenton could do was focus on the blue light produced by Sylphs’ wings.  A memory popped into his head as he walked.  This reminds me of a time Justine and I were walking through the woods and a wil-o-the-wisp attempted to lure us to the deeper part of the woods.  No one knew were they led since no one returned.  Legend says that if you ever escaped one your life would take a turn in the opposite direction.  A childhood friend of his had followed it once and never returned.  That memory alone taught him a lesson, and he would never follow one.  A sense of forewarning came over Trenton as he watched Sylph.  

‘Is she leading me someone where dangerous?  I don’t want my life to become worse than it already is.’

Suddenly they came to a brightly lit large round chamber.  Trenton looked around looking for the source of the light.  ‘There must have been a fire somewhere, there are burn marks all over the walls.’ Trenton thought as he laid Justine on the ground the staff beside him.  ‘Wait, these aren’t burn marks.  It’s some type of writing, but what language?’

‘It’s the ancient language long forgotten.’

Trenton jumped and looked at Sylph. “I heard you in my head.  You spoke to me!”

“I heard your thoughts too.  I apologize.”  Sylph lightly landed in the middle of the room looking down, “Mind Speaking is a gift of sprites.  Our thoughts are carried by wind and we can communicate to each other without speaking.  It happens so naturally we do it without realizing.  I’m really not here to hurt you.”

“I’m sorry too, Sylph, I just don’t know what’s happening anymore.  I’m so confused.” Trenton, ashamed, looked down too.  They stood like that for a couple minutes.  Slowly Trenton started to look up and saw Sylph doing the same.  When they were looking at each other a huge smile spread across their faces.


“So what is this place?’

“It’s the last resting place of the Ancient Legend.  The prophecy.”

“What prophecy? We never learned about this in school.” A groggy voice came from behind them.  Trenton spun around to see his brother leaning on his staff.

“Justine! You’re awake! Thank goodness I don’t have to carry you anymore.”

“Justine, are you Ok, are you hurt, does your head feel ok? No it doesn’t. Thank you, I’m fine.  A little sore but that’s all… Love you too Trent.”

“Sorry, a lot has happened since you were out.”

Sylph started to float again to the center of the room the reddish glow fading back to blue.  “I will begin.”

“Begin what?”

Sylph lifted her head and closed her eyes.  She spread her hands and an eerie bluish glow began beneath her.  As she chanted in a language the didn't understand, the glow began to grow bigger under her.  It started to radiate and form a sphere.  The chanting became more harsh and forceful. She screamed a word and suddenly the sphere enveloped her.  It started to pulsate.  Trenton and Justine stood there, mouths gaping.  “What’s going on?” Justine asked.

“Wait, just watch.  I can’t explain it but I know she’s ok.”

The Sphere started glowing white.  It started shrinking encompassing Sylph.  Justine quickly glanced at Trenton.  Trenton just stood there watching the whole thing.  When the sphere was just about to crush her it exploded in white light.  Trenton and Justine both shielded their eyes and looked away.  When the light was gone the returned their gaze and their mouths dropped.  Where Sylph was there was now a woman floating just off the ground with long flowing black hair and pale skin.  Her hands were on top of each other in front of her.  Her body was lost in the folds of a beautiful blue shimmering dress.  An Aura of white radiated from her, outlining her lowered head, soft billowing dress and long gossamer wings.

“Sylph?” Trenton asked.

The lady slowly looked up and opened her eyes.  They were the greenest green that Trenton had ever seen.  Gracefully she moved her hands, palms facing the ground, and she softly stepped on the ground.  She looked at Justine and then at Trenton and smiled a very sad smile with sad eyes yet remained beautiful.


“Beautiful.” Justine whispered.

When the lady spoke her voice sounded as if it were worlds away yet soft and comforting at the same time.  “Trenton. How long I have wanted to see you.”

Trenton tried to speak but she lifted her hand to stop him.

“We do not have much time. Sylph has called me here so you may know what it is you need to know. I will tell you of this place. This is the room of Telling.  Here the prophecy was written for you to see and memorize.  Here written in the archaic language that only you would come to understand.  It is said that no one alive today can read it nor decipher it, but you.  You must learn the language of the Old Ones and commit it to heart.  Here on these walls is the final prophecy. It tells of the menace that has come to this land and of The One who will turn it back.  That is all I know of it for even the wind has forgotten it.  Please Trenton you must learn it.  Dear one,” She smiled again “I wish we had more time, but this is not permanent and I must return.  Fear not though, for we will see each other again and then we can talk.  My Trenton, how I wish I could have watched you.”

As she stepped back she started to shrink and started growing blue again.  As Trenton watched her features fade back to Sylphs, he saw a single tear fall from her eye and land on the ground.  Finally lying on the ground, Sylph looked up at him.

“Did she come? Did she see you?” Sylph sounded excited yet exhausted at the same time.

“Yes, Sylph, I saw her.  Thank you, but who was she?”

“That I can not tell you, but you will find out.  I promise you that.”  Sylph sat up and looked around.  Suddenly she jerked her head toward the entrance.  “They found us.  They know where we are.” Sylph tried to stand but was too weak.  Trenton knelt down and gently picked her up and placed her on his shoulder.  “Justine, please come next to me and hold up your staff.”  Justine walked to her and held up his staff upright. “I don’t have enough energy within me but with this,we can do it.” She slowly climbed down Trenton’s arm and stood on top of the staff.  “Lift me higher please. Thank you”

Sylph extended her arms toward the entrance. “Water and Wind, linked hand in hand.  Combine now to mist and hide us from out adversaries. “

The staff started to glow dark blue and Sylph’s glow intensified.  Small light particles started to float up from the staff and collect in Sylphs hand.  From the tips of her outstretched hands mist started pouring out, filling the entirety of the room and out the opening.  The mist became so thick Trenton could barely see Justine or Sylph’s glow.  ‘Trenton, it’s me.’ Trenton looked toward the soft blue haze where Sylph was.

‘You’re in my thoughts again!’

‘Yes, I am.  But listen to me.  We cannot move for we will lose the mist that conceals us.  The pursuers are almost here.  They know where we are but will get confused with the fog.  You must take care of them.  It is a horrible thing to ask of you but we must prevail.’

‘I know. I will do what I can.’

Trenton walked, hands out, to find the entrance.  When he found it he put his back to the wall just to the right of the archway and pulled out his sword.  Only moments passed but to Trenton it felt like forever, finally he heard footsteps coming up the hall.  It only sounded like two of them. ‘Good, this shouldn’t too difficult.’  The first one stepped into the room. Trenton could barely see him but had to act quickly.  He raised his arm and slammed the hilt of the sword into the back of the followers’ head.  He listened as the unseen foe fell to the floor.

“Boric, you ok? Did you find him?” The second mans voice was gruff and worn.  ‘He might be a little harder to deal with.’ Trenton thought.

“This is Evil Mist.  It’s cursed I tell you.  Boric, where the devil did you go?”  His voice was now trembling.

‘Then again maybe not,’ Trenton smirked. ‘This will be too easy.’

Trenton heard the man walk in and yelp as he tripped over Boric’s unconscious body.  Trenton smacked him with the flat of his sword.  The man screamed as he jumped to his feet and started swinging where Trenton was.  Moving swiftly through around, Trenton ran behind him.  The man stopped swinging and was madly looking about.  “Ghosts, I knew there were ghosts here.  This ancient place is cursed!”  Trenton kept smacking and poking him as he ran around him.  Now the man started whimpering and huddled on the floor.  Sylph made a small giggle and his eyes grew huge.

“Leave this place.  Leave and never come back.”  Trenton said in the spookiest voice he could muster.  Trenton focused his thoughts and made his hands glow red and slowly walked toward the man reaching for him.  The guy jumped up screaming and ran right into the wall, knocking himself out.

“Slowly the mist faded as Sylph floated over to Trenton.  “That was hysterical.”

“Well… I didn’t… want to… hurt him.” Trenton said between laughing and gasps for air. “Only wanted… to scare them away.”

Trenton kept breathing deeply to calm himself down from laughing.  “Hey Justine, help me move these guys into the hall to get them out of the way.”

Justine just stood frozen staring at his staff.


“Justine, hello? You there?”

“That was like nothing I had ever done before.”  Justine stared at his staff barely blinking, “That was real magic, not that what they taught me was fake but this, this was from deep within, or from beyond, or far below.  I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Well whatever you just said, you lost me.”

“No Trent, I’m serious.  The magic was like a piece of me, an extension. Powerful and chaotic yet beautiful and emotional.”

“That would be the powers of water.  Like the Ocean tides never ending rolling up the shore only to fall back.  Its gentle music could rock you to sleep yet the power of the waves could drag you out to sea to your death.”  Sylph was floating around talking to Justine, his attention focused solely on her.  They stayed like this for a moment.

“I’m beginning to understand.” Justine whispered. “But I must think about it.”

“What?  Think about what?”  Trenton looked confused.

“You should be studying the walls and learning what you can.  Justine and I will see to the men.”

“Oh, ok.”  Trenton walked over to the wall and started looking at it.  He heard shuffling and dragging as he studied the wall.  Hours passed. Suddenly a scream came from the halls and Trenton could hear someone running.  Trenton jumped to his feet and looked around.  Justine and Sylph were giggling to each other.  “What happened?”

“Oh, to make sure the two guys didn’t come back we made them think that the ghosts messed with them.”

“And how did you do that?”

“We switched their clothes and wrote in the dirt!”  Justine suppressed a fit of laughter. “Oh it was great, but anyway… they’ve gone now, so you can get back to studying.”

Trenton turned around and stared at the wall.  The black smudges still looked like that, smudges.  He tried everything, looking at it with his head to the right, to the left, he even tried looking at it upside-down standing on his head but fell over and decided that it wasn’t a good idea and hurt too much. Finally he decided to stare at it and just watch it.  He focused on it so hard to burn the image of the wall to his brain that it hurt his eyes.

After hours of staring and thinking, Trenton got very tired.  His thoughts began to wander and many thoughts ran through his head. 'Who was that woman? Why do I have to learn it? I'm hungry...' He had spent the last half hour fighting his eyelids from closing.  Finally as they became so heavy and his eyes started to close the smudges started to move. ‘The wall is moving.’ Trenton thought.

“S’ moving!” Trenton snapped awake and looked about, breathing hard and heart beating loudly.  Trenton looked at the wall but it stayed as it was before.  “I don’t get it.  I’m sure it was moving, or I could have been dreaming.”

Trenton tried to study the wall again but the sleepiness took him over.  His eyes slowly slid closed but before they shut, the wall came alive again.  The smudges started creeping across the wall.  Trenton held his breath afraid to move lest he lose it again.  The smudges kept moving faster and faster almost like it was smoke on the wall.  Soon it started to move in a clockwise manner spinning faster and faster.  As it moved it formed a vortex in the middle, a black hole where Trenton could feel nothing, cold and void.  

Slowly a force pulled at him, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t move.  It pulled him up to his feet and then lifted him in the air like a limp puppet.  His arms and legs dangled underneath him, lifeless, though Trenton tried as hard as he could to move them.  Trenton looked back to the wall and watched the smoke spin again, his lips trembled as he tried to call out or make any type of noise.  He noticed as it spun it moved inward, like it was racing to the middle.  The fear grew in him as his heart pounded faster and harder.  As the smoked moved inward the force about Trenton pulled at everything.  Just as everything was condensed in the void the force shot Trenton arms out and stiffened his legs.  A bright light shot at Trenton aiming for his chest.  As it moved closer it pulled more and more at him.  Invisible bonds pulled his arms and legs, unseen talons clawed at his body.  Every part of him felt agony and pain.  Finally Trenton unconsciously focused all the pain, anguish and sorrow and screamed just before the light hit him.