Kevin stares at the hooded figure and then down at AJ again. Normally he wouldn’t have been worried about AJ if it was just a sword, but it was his sword, a sword binded with magic that was able to kill any being even one as strong as a vampire.
Kevin stares at the blue light as it grows in the creature’s hand and he watches unable to move as it bends over AJ and pushes his hand onto him. Kevin looks around franticly as the others start to ride up from the hill they stood on watching before. He turns his attention back to AJ as the blue light slowly fades to a black flame.
“For the love of God no!” AJ yells suddenly and sits straight up and stares down at the sword in his stomach, “You almost killed me,” he says looking at Kevin and pulling the sword from his stomach.
“You…you’re alive,” Kevin stares at AJ.
“Alive? No I was alive a long time ago, but not dead yes,” AJ says jumping to his feet and looking at the hooded creature, “Do you ever listen to me?” he asks turning to Kevin.
“What?” Kevin asks.
“I told you to stop.”
“I know, but…”
“But look,” AJ says turning around and punching the creature hard in the stomach.
Kevin eyes widen as the creature’s long black hood starts to fade along with its cloak and is replaced by a lanky figure dressed in brown slacks and a white shirt with a brown cloak over it.
“You could of just asked me to change,” he gets out still holding his stomach where AJ hit him.
“That is why I told you to stop,” AJ says pointing towards him, “I can sense auras better then you Kevin. He’s a shape shifter. I could sense it meanwhile you went riding off like a mad man.”
“What is it?” Nick asks riding up with the others, “Are you all ok?”
“Yeah,” AJ says as Kevin continues to stare as the small man gets up.
“Josh,” he says to them all.
“The shape shifter,” Nick says.
Josh nods.
“That’s everyone,” Nick says.
“What do we do now?” Brian asks.
“We go to Lothlorien,” Quest says, “A council must be held.”
“Lothlorien?” Nick says, “But that’s in the other realm.”
Quest nods, “I know how to get us there.”
“What realm?” Brian asks, “The one we went to already with you?” he asks Nick.
Nick shakes his head, “The Old World realm. The Asna, the place where everything is the same as it was in the old days before humans built on everything. Where we have been riding is what the whole world looks like there. This area is protected by magic to keep the inhabitants safe. Lothlorien is where the elves came from.”
Quest nods, “Shall we go then?”
Kevin nods getting up on his horse again and watches as Josh gets on his and AJ does the same, “Lead the way Quest,” he says as Quest heads to the front of the line, “Uh Josh?” he says as they start to walk along.
“JC.”
“Huh?”
“Call me JC.”
“Oh ok…um I really am sorry about that back there.”
“Think nothing of it,” JC says, “I knew it was a bad idea showing up clad as a Black Rider, but it was impossible to get through my land without being dressed like that. They’re all over now.”
“O mor henion I dhu’: Ely siriar, el sila. Ai! Airon Undomiel. Tiro! El eria e mor. I ‘lir en el luitha ‘uren. Ai! Aniron,” Quest starts to sing softly again.
Brian thought they had been riding for hours upon hours when they finally reached a large mountain and stopped at its base. They had ridden all through the night and now it was daylight again. AJ was wide-awake, but Brian figured that was because he was a vampire. All of the others even Kevin seemed tired, but the worst by far was Justin who was a sleep resting his head on Quest’s shoulder.
“All they do is eat sleep and reproduce,” AJ says to Brian as he jumps off his horse at the base.
Nick looks around, “What now?”
“We enter the city,” Quest says.
“But how?” Brian asks.
“Watch,” Quest says jumping off her horse and walking up to the side of the mountain, “A Olorin I yaresse. Mentaner I Numeherui. Tirien I Romenori. Maiaron I Oiosala. Manan elye etevanne. Norie I melanelye?” she sings to the rock in a haunting voice.
The others stare as the rock before them slowly starts to shift and fade away revealing a tunnel through the mountain. Quest stares at it until the tunnel is fully open then walks back over to her horse getting on again.
“Are we ready?” she asks looking back at the others as they nod, “Ok lets go then,” she says kicking her horse as she walks into the tunnel and the others follow.
“What was she saying?” Nick asks Lance and Lance stares at him.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of it before. It has something to do with a legend though and…” he stops short as a light from the end of the tunnel grows wider and wider.
“My God,” AJ says as they walk out of the tunnel and into a valley covered in rolling green hills with a large city built in the center made of what looked liked smoked glass, “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s elven,” Quest smiles back at him.
Brian stares at it as they get closer and closer.
As they get to the gate Quest stops and looks up as an elf looks over from a tower.
“Who wishes to enter?” he yells down.
“Quest Vacant,” she yells up.
“My lady how are you,” he yells down, “Your uncle will be very happy to see you so well,” he says as the gates open for them.
“Uncle?” AJ looks at Kevin.
Kevin shrugs, “I never knew,” he says as they make their way into the city.
Brian looks over a balcony down at the city below and smiles. This place was beautiful, more beautiful then anyone could ever imagine. They had dressed him in some plants, a shirt and a dark blue cloak. Kevin told him that he should dress according to elven custom, so he did and so did AJ much to AJ’s dislike. They each had been given their own room and offered a hot bath, new clothes and food.
“Brian,” Nick says sticking his head in the door.
“Yeah?” Brian says turning around from the balcony.
“The council is being held now. They want us all to attend.”
“Oh ok,” Brian says walking towards the door.
Once they walk down the hall they come to two large wooden doors and push them open walking inside. There were fifteen people sitting at the table and all of their heads turned toward them as they walked in. AJ, Kevin, Lance, Justin, Chris and Josh were sitting at the table and Nick quickly takes a seat next to AJ while Brian takes one next to him. Brian could see a man sitting at the end of the table who reminded him of an older looking Val Kilmer with glasses perched on his nose and dressed in a green elven robe.
“Where is my niece,” he says as the doors open once again and a small young woman walks in in a light blue dress with her hair pulled up and a jeweled necklace across her forehead.
“I’m sorry we’re late my lord,” a young man says walking in with her dressed in gray pants, a white shirt and a green cloak. He had large bright blue eyes that matched the shade of her dressed and wavy brown hair, “I was just showing her where Foxglove was.”
“Sit down Eris,” he says, “and Quest you too.”
Brian looks over and watches as Quest walks over and takes a seat next to the man he guessed was her uncle and the young man takes a seat next to Brian.
“The council will deal with the task at hand now,” the man says, “I’m Lord Westclox ruler of Lothlorien and head of Elven affairs. The men in front of you may look familiar to some of you. They like me are head of affairs in each of your races. The task we are here to deal with is the threat of the Solar Cycle Prophecy coming true.”
“It is coming true,” Kevin says, “Sir there is so much going on in the human realm. Memnoch was there when me and AJ were finding the ring bearer.”
“Memnoch is back?” he says, “This is very serious then.”
“If you don’t mind me asking what exactly are we debating?” AJ asks, “I know us vampires mostly keep out of any type these affairs and prophecies, but if it is prophecy there is no stopping it. Right? We can only follow what it gives us. I mean we didn’t even mean to find JC,” he says looking at JC as JC nods, “He just found us.”
“You are right of course,” Lord Westclox says, “There is no denying it now the time has come.”
“What exactly is going to happen?” Brian asks.
“We are not very sure of that fact,” a young man says with ghostly pale skin says and Nick recognizes him as the Elder of the Riders Octavious, “We only know what the prophecy tells us and that isn’t much. My kind have tried for centuries to figure it out exactly, but we are still uncertain. The resurfacing of Memnoch makes you wonder though. What could he want with the ring bearer?”
“A war,” Quest says.
Octavious’s bright blue eyes stare at her, “Of course. A war between heaven and hell.”
“That’s ridicules Octavious,” a man says at the end of the table with a long black cloak on much like Kevin’s and with the same emblem on it in a corner, “You know as well as me that we do not meddle in the affairs of heaven and hell. Those powers are far greater then us.”
“I understand that Louis, but still it is a possibility.” Brian stares at the two of them arguing. The older man was defiantly a Lore. Well the man who looked older. He looked to be about in his forties and the other looked like a man in his young twenties, but had pale skin, jet-black hair and bright blue eyes.
“Everything is a possibility at this time,” Lord Westclox says.
“Are all the immortals represented then?” a man asks who looked to be in his mid thirties and had skin almost as pale as Octavious, but he had one thing that signaled him out…fangs.
“Dornhower of course they are,” Lord Westclox says, “Almost all of them are represented here. This is our fellowship before us. Fate has chosen them all and hopefully they will serve us well.”
“When will they leave?” Dornhower, the vampire asks.
“Tomorrow,” Westclox says.
“But where will they go?” the only woman at the table besides Quest asks. She had wavy blond hair, pale skin and pointed ears, obviously a fairy, “They have no where to go.”
“They will know,” Octavious says.
“What do we do until tomorrow then?” Nick asks.
“You wait and rest,” Octavious says, “You will need all your strength.
“Wait where will we be?” JC asks, “The Tesa realm, this realm or the human realm?”
“We’re still not sure about that as I said before,” Octavious says, “The phrase heaven and hell can mean anywhere. The prophecy was made in this realm though, so I am suggesting you stay here until you feel you need to move on.”
“What if we need help?” Lance asks.
“The elven soldiers are always at your disposal.”
“I suggest you go get some rest now,” Westclox says to them all, “Questapatania that means you.”
“Yes uncle,” Quest says and stands up.
The young man next to Brian stands up as well and walks over to her taking her out of the room.
“When’s the wedding?” Octavious as Westclox.
“When she gets back,” Westclox says.
Octavious nods, “Eris is a good match for her.”
“I hope so,” Westclox says, “Her father isn’t here, so I did my best. She refused to let her step father pick.”
Octavious nods again then looks at Brian, “I suggest you get some sleep too.”
Brian stares at him then nods.
“C’mon,” Nick says standing up with the others and walking out of the room towards their rooms.
“Married?” AJ says, “She’s getting married?”
“That’s what people tend to do,” Kevin says. Justin lets out a low growl before going into his room.
Brian walks into his room and shuts the door behind himself. He walks over to his balcony again and looks outside. By now the sun had set and the darkness had spread over the land. There were candles burning in the small houses below and as he looked up he could see the sky with all the stars shining in it. No pollution, no cars, no litter, traffic nothing to take away from the natural beauty of the land.
Brian looks towards the right of his balcony at another small balcony one down from him. He could see Quest walk out and stare up at the stars. The familiar song of, “O mor henion I dhu’: Ely siriar, el sila. Ai! Airon Undomiel. Tiro! El eria e mor. I ‘lir en el luitha ‘uren. Ai! Aniron,” begins to float out again. Brian stares at her for a second and then begins singing softly to himself.
““From darkness I understand the night. Dreams flow, a star shines. Ah! I desire Evenstar. Look! A star rises out of the darkness. The song of the star enchants my heart. Ah! I desire…”
For once in his life he finally felt at home.
“They won’t all be coming back you know,” Octavious says appearing out the night next to Westclox.
“I know,” Westclox says, “but Quest will be one she’s a fighter.”
Octavious looks at the ground.
“You know something we don’t, don’t you?”
“No,” Octavious says, “Call it a feeling if you will, but I’m not sure this feels right. Something tells me something terrible is about to happen to them.”
“She will come back,” Westclox says, “Her father will watch over her.”
“A vampire, an elf, a dwarf, a Lore, a Rider, a shape shifter, a fairy and one human. The ring bearer was a man. I can’t believe that myself. So simple. So fragile. Yet so right.”
Brain stares up at the stars and then over at the balcony where Quest was standing. There was no one there though. An eerie voice fills his ears as it starts to sing softly.
“Mirthrandir, Mirthrandir, A Randir Vithren. U-reniathach I amar galen. I reniad lin ne mor, nuithannen. In gwidh ristennin, I fae narchannen. I lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen. Caled veleg, ethuiannen.”
Something was very very wrong.
