Part 23 (1/2)

'No need,' said Miranda as they began trudging up a long trail that circled around the stronghold and wended its way high into the mountains. 'I can catch up with Dasher in Roldem.'

They walked quickly up the pathway and Miranda realized after half an hour that she was with two exceptionally good hikers, a elf and a being with the powers of a Dragon Lord. In fact, Tomas despite his heavy armour, appeared to be lingering to allow Castdanur and Miranda to keep up with him. Feeling annoyed at her fatigue, Miranda employed a little magic to make herself light on her feet, a small spell of levitation so that it felt as if she were strolling along rather than trudging uphill.

For the better part of two hours they hiked an unremarkable trail until they came to a large meadow. Castdanur stopped and said, 'Here we enter the true realm of the Quor.'

Tomas said, 'I remember.' Miranda shot him a sidelong glance, and he went on, 'There are times when Ashen-Shugar's memories come to me unbidden; things that I did not know until something causes me to remember.' He stood silently for a long moment, fists on his hips, apparently taking in sensations, identifying feelings. At last he said, 'I remember...'

Ashen-Shugar sped across the skies, and to those who had been held in thrall, he declared, 'Do now as you will, for you are a free people!'

Those known as elves edhel edhel or 'the people' in their own language bowed their heads as one in respect to their former ruler. The others of the Dragon Host had risen against the new G.o.ds and as the Chaos Wars raged across the heavens, this one Valheru, the Ruler of the Eagles' Reaches, had taken their destiny and placed it in their own hands. or 'the people' in their own language bowed their heads as one in respect to their former ruler. The others of the Dragon Host had risen against the new G.o.ds and as the Chaos Wars raged across the heavens, this one Valheru, the Ruler of the Eagles' Reaches, had taken their destiny and placed it in their own hands.

Other races were also freed, and new races were arriving through great tears in the fabric of s.p.a.ce and time. 'A great struggle is approaching,' Ashen-Shugar shouted and by the magic of the Valheru, all those below heard his words. 'Take this world and make it your own!'

The people chose various different paths. Those who followed the light of reason, those given the guardians.h.i.+p of lore and wisdom the eldar eldar led their followers to a sylvan glade and began fas.h.i.+oning a wondrous home, becoming one with the woodlands that would one day be Elvandar. Those who followed and served were called the Elves of Light, the led their followers to a sylvan glade and began fas.h.i.+oning a wondrous home, becoming one with the woodlands that would one day be Elvandar. Those who followed and served were called the Elves of Light, the eledhel eledhel, and from their ranks rose wise rulers, the first kings and queens.

Others chose to emulate the thirst for power of the Dragon Host, those who wished to rise to the power of the Valheru. Those seekers of darkness were known as the Elves of Darkness, the moredhel moredhel.

Others were driven mad with fear, terrified of being left without their masters, like domesticated dogs turned loose in the wild, running in packs so fearsome that even the wolves grew to fear them. They were called the Mad Elves, or glamredhel glamredhel.

Others dispersed, travelling across land and sea, living with other races, humans and dwarves, some with goblins and trolls. They forgot their very nature and became as aliens. These were the Elves From Across the Sea, the ocedhel ocedhel.

And high in the Peaks of the Quor, Ashen-Shugar confronted the beings so profoundly ensconced in the heart of Midkemia that even the Valheru would not trouble them. For amongst these peaks, in an isolated enclave, lived a race which was connected to the very fabric of every life on this world. A harmless, gentle race which lived in a way unfathomable to even the most powerful of Valheru or the wisest of the eledhel. Their purpose was incomprehensible and their nature equally confounding, yet even the most violent of the Dragon Host could sense within themselves some profound meaning. It was not something that could be explained; it was something that could only be understood intuitively.

And there were guardians, sun-burned elves who hunted and lived below the Peaks of the Quor, whose only task was to keep this extraordinary place well and untroubled. The Valheru dubbed them 'Guardian Elves', or tirithedhel tirithedhel in their tongue. They called themselves the in their tongue. They called themselves the anoredhel anoredhel, or Elves of the Sun.

To them Ashen-Sugar said, 'You are now a free people, but you are held to your charge, for should any harm befall the Quor, so perishes the world.' And with that he flew away...

Tomas blinked. 'I remember.'

'Remember what?' asked Miranda.

He shook his head. 'Many things. We should continue.'

Castdanur indicated the direction he intended to lead them, then turned and walked away across the meadow. At the far edge he entered a narrow pathway. Tomas followed, with Miranda taking up the rear; but when she stepped onto the trail, she faltered then stopped. Everything had changed. The very nature of the air was different. Colours were more vivid, sounds had a new harmony to them, and tantalizing hints of exotic fragrances were carried on a breeze that caressed her cheek like a lover. Miranda found herself repressing a shudder of pleasure, for it was as if every good thing imaginable was happening at the same moment.

Miranda had travelled to many places, not as many as her husband, but still enough that she was not easily astonished, but this was a place to bring the most jaded traveller to his knees in wonder. She felt tears welling up at the sheer beauty of it all. She could not put a name to what she beheld, for to the casual observer nothing would look remarkable compared to the mountainside just a few paces below, yet there was something amazing here. She could see life! She could see energies that coursed through the very fabric of every living thing before her. The trees glowed with a soft illumination and each bird was a sparkling, darting presence above. The very insects flitting through the air were tiny gems of colour, green, blue, golden, moving here and there. A column of ants wending its way up the side of a tree to gather sap from a chip in the bark were a line of diamonds moving up, emeralds moving down.

'What is happening?' she asked softly.

'This is the Quor,' said Tomas. 'Come.'

She took a deep breath, gathered her wits, and followed as the old elf and human-turned-Dragon-Lord continued up the pathway. Tomas was like a mote of sun, blinding to look at if her eyes lingered too long upon him. There was a power in him Miranda could barely stand to behold, and Castdanur was like a warm old fire, the embers beginning to fade, but still giving warmth to any nearby.

As they approached a grove in a deep vale, Tomas said, 'The Quor appeared at the advent of the Chaos Wars, or rather Ashen-Shugar has no memory of their existence before then. The War was protracted... I no idea whether it lasted days, weeks, decades, or epochs. The very nature of existence changed; and by the time the Valheru became aware of the Quor, they realized instantly that there was something here not even they dared to question.

Miranda stopped at the edge of the grove.

Giant trees, alien and graceful, with leaves that sang in the breeze and soft hues that had no place on this world rose upward like dancers caught in an instant of time as they leapt into the air. Crystal shards floated amongst the branches, refracting light in a rainbow spectrum. The air bore hints of spices and floral notes, tantalizingly familiar suggestions of some alien aroma.

And everywhere there was music, odd harmonies played on strange and wonderful instruments, heartbreakingly beautiful, but so faint as to linger at the edge of perception, a suggestion of tone and resonance hidden behind the rustling of leaves, the splash of falling water, the soft tread of feet upon the soil.

'What is this place?' Miranda whispered, as if afraid that to speak loudly might break some incredible enchantment.

'The realm of the Quor,' answered Castdanur.

'Here resides one of the true wonders of our world,' said Tomas. He pointed up the hill and Miranda saw figures slowly approaching. They were green in colour, human in shape, but with elongated heads without hair, their jaws pointed. Their ears looked like ridged crescents and they walked in a loose jointed fas.h.i.+on on long, narrow feet. Each wore a tunic to the mid-thigh, fas.h.i.+oned from some brown material, caught in at the waist by a leather belt. On their feet were sandals woven from something that looked like reeds. They had black eyes and tiny noses, and their mouths seemed continually set in a round expression of surprise. Each carried a long pole of wood, either a staff, or a sharpened stake.

Behind them came illuminated beings.

Miranda could put not other words to them. They were pillars of crystal, or light, or energy, but somehow she recognized instantly they were intelligent beings. They were the source of those wonders around her, she felt sure for the hint of music in the air appeared to emanate from them, and the soft glow that surrounded them gave the distinctive colour to the area. She thought the strange and wonderful aromas in the air probably came from them as well.

Castdanur turned to Tomas. 'Dragon Rider, you must stay here. They cannot abide the touch of your cold metals. Lady, if you would come with me?'

She followed, still overcome with wonder.

When he reached the first of the green beings, Castdanur bowed his head for a moment in greeting and reverence. 'These are the Quor, Miranda.' To the first of the Quor he spoke in a language unlike anything she had encountered, very tonal, almost like singing.

The Quor replied in the same tongue, but his voice was the trilling sound of reed pipes. The Quor bowed its head slightly and Miranda was struck by the notion that it had very little mobility in its neck. Up close, the creature's skin resembled nothing so much as the skin of a green plant.

Then Castdanur indicated the pillars of light. 'And these are those the Quor serve, the Sven-ga'ri.'

Miranda could barely speak. There was such a feeling of beauty surrounding these beings of light. 'Castdanur,' Miranda said, finding herself whispering, 'what are the Sven-ga'ri?'

Castdanur said, 'I don't know, lady. They are something miraculous that has existed here since the time before memory.'

'I've never heard of either the Quor or the Sven-ga'ri, and I've lived on this world for a very long time,' she softly said. 'I was around when your father was a boy, and I have never seen their like.'

'Few have,' said Tomas from a short distance behind.

Suddenly she was certain of something. 'They are not of this world.'

'No,' said Tomas. 'But they are now a part of it.'

'How can that be?' said Miranda, hardly able to take her eyes from the beauty of the crystal beings. Each of them rose ten or twelve feet into the air, with their lower extremes floating a foot or so above the soil. They were tapered at both the top and bottom, and they had a large bulge in the middle. There was a considerable variation among them, some being taller, others rounder. But all of them had a ruff of crystal or light which extended completely around them. Lights circled around their heads in complex patterns, in different colours for each of them. Some had green and gold, others silver and blue, red and white, or other combinations. In all it was quite dazzling.

Tomas said, 'No one knows.' He took a deep breath, as if drinking in the intoxicating quality of the surroundings. 'If there is good in this world, Miranda, it is here. These beings are something unique, and I do not know how I know, but I can feel it in my bones that should anything evil befall them, the injury done to this world might be irreparable.'

'Can they understand me?'

Castdanur said, 'The Quor understand them, but they choose not to, or cannot, use human speech.' He pointed to the Sven-ga'ri. 'The Quor speak for them, and to them.'

Miranda nodded. To Tomas she said, 'So this is why you were so adamant about our meeting with the priests and other magicians, and so alarmed by the appearance of the Dread.'