I wrote this over the last three days. It is possibly a short story. Or possibly the new Introduction to the Unnamed, my fantasy novel. Anyway, it’s a good way to give some history and backstory, I think. Expect this to be edited…….
Introduction
“Father,” said Savin, “is it true that not everyone had a knack before the Sacrifice?”
“Who told you that, child? The People have knacks. It’s what sets us apart from animals and the base creatures of the world. Run along now, Go play with your friends.”
Brulle looked to his wife, “did you hear that?”
“I did, and I told you she and her friends were at the age. Questions, so many questions! They need answers, Brulle. And it’s your job to give them.”
“I’m just not ready for her to grow up, that’s all.”
“You’d think a priest of the Harvest Lord would know that all things must grow.”
He didn’t have the heart to tell the woman he loved the whole truth. It was true, he didn’t want them to grow up too fast. But also, he’d had a premonition. Only four of the fifteen children would survive what was coming. The Harvest Lord and the World Spirit wanted something of these children. His child, and her friends. At least he hoped his child was among the four.
In attempt to stop time, stop what was coming, he had delayed their lessons, but no more. Brulle blinked, shook his head, and looked at the fifteen sets of eyes looking at him, waiting. Brulle smiled despite knowing what was about to happen. These children always made him smile.
The village had been years without children. Then, seven years ago, fifteen children were born within weeks of each other. Among them were his own daughter, as well as his sister’s son.
Suddenly, the Harvest Lord gave him the sight. Each of the fifteen children had a blue-green glow about them, that only he could see. But he didn’t need that help. His knack was knowing people.
Eleven of these children would lose interest in the story he was about to tell. Eleven of these children would have their fate sealed. Four. Only four would survive whatever it was that was coming. The smile disappeared when he noticed that, already, three of the children had lost interest!
He hadn’t even started, and three of the children’s fates were sealed. Knowing that the sooner he started, this sooner this would be over for him, he started their first lesson.
“Once, there was one moon.” Brulle almost lost his ability to continue, as the light faded from another child when it lost interest. “And it moved around the world slowly and evenly. Every month was the same length.”
“How can that be, teacher?”
“Patience, Lian. I’m getting there. As I said, once there was one moon and twelve months of equal length.” Brulle nearly cried, then, as his sister’s son lost interest, and the light faded from around him. “Then the Gods, the Fey Ladies and Lords, and the Demon Princes discovered Zuabrie. Ours is a world strong in magic, and control of Zaubrie would aid the winning side in their war for all the cosmos.”
Not surprisingly, they were all paying attention now. War stories tended to make that happen. “Not only was there one moon, but only one land in those days. A great war broke out which threatened to destroy us all. For in their bloodlust for each other, the People, animals, and the world itself were all dying. Then, the World Spirit sundered the land. Seventeen regions formed. Towering mountains, impossibly dangerous seas, even great rifts formed. And the regions were isolated, one from another.”
“Then did the world itself attack the armies, with fire and flood, pests and disease. Entire legions were consumed, entire nations altered. After three days, little of Zaubrie remained unchanged. And it seemed there was peace.” Brulle paused, but no new child had had its fate sealed, including his daughter.
“When at last it seemed the world had calmed, the People looked to the sky for the first time. Where there had been one moon, there were now three! The World Spirit had not only divided the armies one from another on the world, but also on the moon. Blue, green, and purple. The god moon, the fey moon, and the demon moon.” Brule was saddened to see two more children with their fate sealed.
“For nearly thirty years, the gate was closed from the cosmos to Zaubrie. The People hunted and fought demons. Side by side, in an uneasy alliance, the worshippers of gods and servants of fey fought with them. Aided by the hidden spirits of the land. The seasons and months changed, to match the waxing and waning of three moons.” Two more children lost interest as he described the common calendar, with its eleven months of varying lengths, and the many holidays between months.
That was nine. Nine children had been lost. Among the surviving was his only child, his daughter. And then Brulle prayed to his god that she not be one of the next two to lose interest. He continued on.
“Alas, peace was not to last. Deep within the region where demons still ruled, they had built a temple, an altar, a gate. Somehow, they had managed to bypass the moons, and open a gate on Zaubrie itself. Great evil came flowing through the gate. Like a tide that had no end, it began washing over the other regions.”
“But, in opening their own gate, the demons had allowed the gods and the fey to also open gates. Once again, the three factions warred across the lands. But this was worse than last time. For this time, each side had managed to send three avatars to our world. Three manifestations of gods, ladies and lords, and demon princes.”
“How can this be, the regions were cut off from each other, with impassable borders?”
“Excellent question, one whose answer is lost, along with much knowledge, with the Sacrifice.” Somehow, one child had not made the sign that all the People made when the Sacrifice was mentioned, and her soul was lost to what would come. Only one more to go. Again, he continued.
“The gods, the fey, and the demons fought across the lands. All seemed lost, when the last remaining demon prince, the warrior god, the elven goddess of magic, and the Unicorn met at the battle whose name we cannot recall.” One of the children became distracted by a bee, lost interest, and that was that. The four children who would survive were chosen. With a sigh of relief that his daughter was among the four, he finished the lesson.
“As I said, all seemed lost. Hordes of demons, greatly outnumbering the brave warriors on the side of Zaubrie, washed over them, and faced the three champions. What exactly happened next is lost to time, but we know the elven goddess of time sacrificed herself. The last demon prince died, and the hordes went back to the hell they had come from.” Brule paused, for he had one last piece to share in the lesson.
“The moons and the world became separated then. Time flows differently, unpredictably, between the moons and the land. Sometimes we are ahead of them, and sometimes they are ahead of us.” Suddenly, the priest noticed that a twelfth child lost interest. The Harvest Lord had told him four would be chosen. But now, only three were among the chosen.
He finished the lesson in confusion and doubt. The three he assumed were the chosen paid attention the whole time. Savin, his daughter. Enjam, the son of the farmers Anders and Olivia. Lian, the one that had interrupted him before, son of Warson and Lizabelle. But why three? Where was the fourth?