“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.”**
Brain stares out over the edge of the balcony down at the city once more before leaving again. A day here was too short for his liking. He wanted to go out and explore the city. He wanted to find everything in it that made it special and treasure it for that moment. He wanted to know if all the elves were short like the ones he’d seen. He wanted to know their history, their culture anything that had to do with them.
What was he doing here? He was the younger of two children who grew up in Kentucky. He was nothing special. He wasn’t an amazing student or athlete in school and he had nothing to offer like the others did, but for some reason he was here and they needed him. So he was doing whatever they wanted now. God knew it was better then sitting in his little apartment at home in the city. Here he was special. He was honored…he was something he never was before.
AJ stares down at his hands and stretches them out before himself again. He looks up at the sun and squints. The sun seemed stronger here to him for some reason. He was surrounded by a garden that looked like every flower collecting freaks dream. Every flower or tree was in perfect condition and there were scattered chairs and tables here and there with a large fountain in the center.
He sighs and takes a sip of a drink he is holding in his right hand in a gold cup. It was a thick red liquid that he needed, blood. He didn’t need to feed that often in his old age maybe once or twice a month at the most. He just happened to like the taste of it as a drink though every once and a while. It wasn’t human blood though. The elves had given him a mixture of animal blood and a supplement to hold him over. How he was going to eat out in the middle of nowhere once they started on their journey was a mystery to him.
Why the prophecy had put a vampire in it was a questioned left unanswered to him. Vampires were loners and it had been a well-known fact ever since the first vampire, the Vagrant. Dornhower was merely a representative for the vampire community, one that AJ didn’t get along with much. Dornhower was the same age as AJ actually younger by a few months, but he felt like he could order everyone around. Sometimes AJ wished that their kind could go back to their old ways. The old ways where changing was still called the Dark Gift and that power came with territory, age and fighting.
Sometimes he just wished that he could be back in Rome back when the Roman Empire ruled the human world where he worked on the Roman roads and Aqueducts as a mortal man and as an immortal watched it both rise to supreme power and fall to the German commanders. And other times he just wished that he died when he should have.
AJ reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lighter and cigarette sitting down on the ground and lighting it, “Why then oh brawling love. Oh loving hate. Oh anything of nothing first create. Of heavy lightness, serious vanity, misshapen chaos of well seeming forms. On these sad hours seem long…”
Elves had their songs and vampires had their poems and music. Vampires were lovers of beauty in anything music, songs, poetry, paintings, art, nature anything could be beautiful. AJ chose his Shakespearian plays over everything though. Now he was just wondering if he knew enough quotes to get him through the troubles ahead…probably not.
“I don’t understand,” Kevin says to the figure across the table from him who was also dressed in a cloak like his.
“What don’t you understand?” the man asks.
“Why do we have to stay in this realm? The Asna is meant for elves and such not Lores and Riders.”
“Kevin the prophecy was made in this realm, so we are all betting it will take place here not the human realm.”
“Louis…”
“Kevin just listen to me I’m your father.”
Kevin stares at him and then sits back in his chair crossing his arms over his chest. He hated when Louis pulled that card out. He didn’t really see him as a father. He saw him more as an elder. After all Kevin had grown up in schools being taught and cared for by other people on his way to becoming a Lore. He had hardly ever seen his real father. He had never seen his mother. He preferred to keep to himself not even letting other Lores get close to him. His only real friend was probably AJ and AJ alone.
Lores were known for their powers, as they were the highest-ranking witches and only second in power to Riders. They were people who loved magic for what it was…a gift. A gift that only a few people were instilled with. He himself had studied his whole life about spells and other necessary subjects that he needed to know to become a Lore.
Not even AJ knew where Kevin was from and Kevin preferred to keep it that way. The truth was Kevin was thousands of years old born and raised in one of the cradles of civilization that had long ago been destroyed, ancient Greece. A city built long before AJ’s beloved Roman Empire in a time before even Christ walked the Earth. Lores were older then even one of the oldest civilizations known to man. There were battles never recorded or seen by humans that happened and world changing events that would never be known. Here though in the Asna he felt that he was finally back at home almost. The old style of regular homes, the simple clothing, a time when one family ruled over their land justly.
Kevin stares at his father from across the table and then stands up quickly.
“Goodbye Louis,” he says curtly turning on his heals and walking out of the room.
And with that Kevin walks out of the room and toward his new life in a world that he knew almost nothing about.
Nick looks up as the others come into the room from where he is sitting. And so the time had come when they would all have to set off. Nick could stare into all of their eyes and hear their whole life story if he wanted to, but the only thing that would do for himself would depress him. Kevin from ancient Greece the eldest of them all born around 1405 B.C in Crete, AJ born in the Roman Empire around 99 A.D, Josh from medieval France, Quest an elf princess known throughout all the realms, Justin a werewolf who seemed stubborn enough to stand up to anything, Chris a dwarf willing to die for the cause and Brian the Life Giver, the Chosen One, the thing that brought them all here. Then there was himself a young Rider who had only just become part of the regiment, but had somehow been chosen to lead them all.
“Are we ready?” Nick asks them all.
“Let’s go we’re wasting time,” Kevin says.
“Ok, Brian you ready?” Nick asks.
“As ready as I can be,” Brian says.
“Ok lets go,” Nick says.
And with that the real journey finally commenced as they all made their ways out to the stables each getting a horse of their own to ride even a very reluctant Justin. From there they made their way through the city and then finally out of the city gates into the open land. For miles there was nothing as far as the eye could see but rolling green hills, tress and mountains in the distance. Nick had no idea where he was leading them and what they were going to do. The only thing he based his direction on was the fact that he felt in his gut that it was the right way to go. After all his mother had always told him to listen to his gut instinct.
“Where are you from?” AJ asks Josh as they continue at a steady pace over the land.
“France,” Josh says.
“When? Like when were you born?”
“Under the rule of Louis XIV. He was five though, so I guess you can say France was under the rule of Cardinal Mazarin.”
AJ nods, “Fight in the French Revolution?”
Josh nods, “I think they wondered how I could get shot so many times and live though,” he smirks.
“You think that will help you now?”
“No,” Josh says, “That was a human war. This…I don’t know what this will be.”
“So you’re a shape shifter?”
Josh nods, “I hope that won’t be a problem with you.”
“I’ve had problems with them in the past you can say.”
“You lived during the war didn’t you?”
AJ nods, “They killed my wife,” he says curtly as Josh seems to cringe.
“I…I wasn’t alive you know.”
“I know,” AJ says, “and you saved my life, so I have nothing against you.”
Josh nods his head and looks down for a second.
“There was a war?” Justin says looking over at them.
AJ looks at him and then over at Josh, “You explain it to him,” he says before kicking his horse so he can catch up with Nick and Kevin in the front.
Justin looks at Josh.
Josh sighs, “There was a war between vampires and shape shifters in the 16th century. It was called Khazad War.”
“The blood war,” Quest says to their right as Josh nods.
“Blood war?” Brian says.
“The shape shifters never not along with vampires for some reason. They both hated each other. The shape shifters saw the vampires as murders and then they decided to take matters into their own hands. Thousands of vampires were killed by being tricked by shape shifters posing as vampires or friends. Then the vampires retaliated in the only known time that they actually united as one. Now as a result there are hardly any shape shifters left, a few thousand maybe.”
“Has it stopped?” Brian asks.
“Yes, but the hate is still there between many of the elders. I never saw a point to it.”
“Are there ever any points in war,” Quest says.
Brian stares at the horizon as the sun begins to set behind the mountains before him.
“We should stop soon,” Kevin says, “Get some rest.”
“The Trina forest is up ahead,” Quest says.
“We’ll sleep there then,” Kevin says.
Brian feels the familiar pull on his eyelids as they finally reach the forest and all dismount their horses. It amazed him that he was tired enough to sleep on the ground for once.
“Is anyone hungry?” Kevin asks taking out a bow and arrow from the pouch on his horse’s side.
“Save them,” Justin says walking into the woods.
“Where is he going?” AJ asks.
“To hunt,” Brian says staring into the darkness of the woods.
“Everyone get settled then,” Kevin says staring into the woods as well, “He’ll be back soon…hopefully.”
“Here we go again,” AJ says jumping up into a tree and perching on a limb looking down at them all.
“Mirthrandir, Mirthrandir, A Randir Vithren…” Brian says softly.
“What did you say?” Quest asks as her ears perk up.
“Mirthrandir, Mirthrandir, A Randir Vithren,” Brian says, “I…I don’t know how I know it, but I do. I heard it last night in a song. I thought it was you, but then I checked and you weren’t out on your balcony. What does it mean?”
“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,” she says softly to herself.
“What does it mean?” Brian asks.
“It’s the second part to an old legend,” she says softly, “The first part is the one I sang at the mountain to open the doors to this realm, ““A Olorin I yaresse. Mentaner I Numeherui. Tirien I Romenori. Maiaron I Oiosala. Manan elye etevanne. Norie I melanelye?” she says and pauses, “Olorin who once was. Sent by the Lords of the West. To guard the lands of the East. Wisest of all Mairar. What drove you to leave? That which you loved?”
“I don’t understand I’m sorry,” Brian says.
“It’s about my father,” she says locking eyes with him, “The second it’s about…”
There is a rustle in the woods as she stops and clamps down on the handle of her sword. Kevin and Nick stare, as Justin emerges covered in smudges of mud and dirt holding two rabbits by their ears.
“Here,” he says handing them to Kevin, “Cook them if you want.”
Brian stares up at Justin as he walks by him and wipes his mouth with his hand and then looking down at it.
It was covered in blood.
Nick walks over and drops a pile of sticks on the ground and the stares at it as it catches on fire quickly. Brian stares at the fire and then up at Nick who walks over to Kevin and starts talking to him taking one of the rabbits from him. He looks up in the tree where AJ is sitting watching everything the light from the flames from the fire dancing across his face making his eyes like up and shining off his fangs when he opened his mouth. Quest was sitting a few feet away from him now keeping her distance from Chris as he did the same to both her and Justin. By now Brian decided he might as well get comfortable like the others and walks up to the fire to keep warm sitting down next to Josh.
Justin was wiping his hands on the grass trying to get them clean as Brian watches him through the flames of the fire when his head suddenly turns to the right and he lets out a low growl. AJ jumps down from his perch landing without a sound and walking over to him staring where he is.
“Put out the fire,” AJ says as Josh holds up his hands and the fire goes out quickly not even leaving a trial of smoke.
“What is it,” Nick asks.
“Rider,” AJ says.
“Black Rider?” Kevin asks.
“Yeah,” AJ says then looks at Brian, “Get him outta here.”
Quest looks at them and stands up pulling out her sword, “Justin you know forests the best take Brian out of here.”
Justin jumps to his feet and looks at Brian, “C’mon.”
Brian looks from Justin to Nick.
“Go,” Nick says pulling out a sword.
“C’mon,” Justin says walking over and pulling Brian into the woods, “Stay close to me though don’t get lost.”
Kevin looks at Nick and then gets on his horse again taking out his sword, ‘how many are there AJ?”
“One,” AJ says.
“Just one?” Nick asks also getting on his horse.
“Positive,” AJ says.
“Lance can you lighten things up a little?” Nick asks looking at Lance.
“Yeah,” Lance says holding up a hand and creating a small ball of white light and then throwing it out over the land lighting up the ground.
“Jesus Christ,” Nick yells as a huge black figure on a dark horse makes their way towards them.
“Move! Move! Get out of here!” Kevin says.
Brian looks over his shoulder as Justin pushes him forward again deeper and deeper into the woods. They stop suddenly as a scream fills the air, a very high-pitched scream…Quest. Justin looks down and locks eyes with Brian as they stare in the direction they had come from. Justin shakes his head almost snapping himself to his senses and begins pushing Brian to keep going. Justin looks over his shoulder once and a while and his head snaps to his right again.
“Run!” Justin yells suddenly as Brian takes off into the darkness not even looking to see what he saw. “All of you go,” Kevin says to them all, “AJ. Nick stay with me.”
“Not a chance in hell,” Quest says.
“Fine stay then,” Kevin glares at her, “Chris, Lance go see if you can find Justin and Brian. NOW!”
Lance and Chris look at each other before heading into the woods in the same direction Justin and Brian went in.
“Don’t move,” Kevin says to the others as the figure gets closer and closer and he takes off towards it as it finally begins to close in on them clashing sword to sword with it.
Nick takes off next after Kevin going to help him.
AJ looks over at Quest suddenly; Don’t move, he tells her telepathically as a large black hooded figure creeps up behind her.
Quest stares at him with wide eyes and shakes her head no.
AJ nods and stares as the figure raises a large sword behind her back, Trust me, he says as he suddenly lets out a loud hiss and lunges at the figure knocking it over as Quest lets out a loud scream piercing the night air.
Brian continues running in the darkness jumping over fallen branches and raised roots. He could hear Justin close behind him and couldn’t shake the sudden feeling of dread racing through his body.
This couldn’t end this quickly.
** Found on the Lord on the Rings Soundtrack "Lothlorien"
