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The sun sank slowly behind the hill, shafts of light piercing through between the trees growing along the ridgeline and casting shadows well down the slope and into the meadow beyond. There were noises floating on the breeze…
She was able to identify Ardra talking with her son; Schmitty was preparing to leave for the Deamon Ruins; Crystal sat not far away from her on a picnic blanket surrounded by dandelions writing some notes.
Spotting an apple tree she walked up to it, sat down underneath and began to observe her friends more closely. Crystal appeared to be so busy writing her notes that she didn’t seem to notice her dark robed friend while playing with a wisp of her wonderful, long green hair. Niamh also wondered why Schmitty didn’t walk up to her to kiss her cheek as usual. They all seemed so busy but at the same time so happy and serene and she wished she could be a part of it. Oh, she wanted it desperately but something was holding her back.
Behind a grassy mound she spotted the dandy archer preparing his bow and arrows for the next fight. He tested the tension of his bow, counted the arrows and checked their tips. His eyes seemed to concentrate only onto his hunting tools but he was never too busy to ensure his feathered hat was sitting properly on his head and the cloak waving neatly down his shoulders.
“I wonder why they’re all ignoring me, what is wrong? What did I do?” she asked herself in a whispering voice but obviously it wasn’t as silent as she thought. Suddenly everyone turned to her, eyed her angrily and started to walk up to the apple tree. Bull took out a war axe he recently made and held it in his right hand. His muscles were so strong from all the crafting he did. His mother Ardra summoned her spirit wolves, but these were not like usual; there was a shadow behind her. These wolves, and there were ten of them, much bigger than normal, with blood red fur and even on their teeth were blood and flesh leftovers visible. Ardra’s voice was furious as she continued to intone the magic words to summon more and more wolves for her army. Crystal was waving her arms around in a fury. She had anger and rage in her eyes such that Niamh had never seen before. The priestess raised her arms and started to throw fire bolts at Niamh and the apple tree above her. The innevitable result came to be: the old and noble apple tree began to burn. Branches were falling towards Niamh, Peregrine shot his arrows directly at her chest and Schmitty started to pour bright green liquid onto his fork.
“I failed, I disappointed you all and that is the punishment I deserved…” she whispered as she felt the end was near. She looked down at her chest and all the arrows. Further down the wolves were pulling at her robe, growling and snarling. Tears dropped down her cheek. All she wished for now was Mother Gaia finally releasing her from the pain… not the physical but the knowledge that her closest friends were rightfully turning against her.
One slim branch twisted down and touched Niamh’s shoulder and as she turned around she looked straight into a man’s lifeless eyes. “Wake up Niamh, wake up.” he was whispering into her ear and patted her shoulder “You need to wake up, you had a nightmare.” Niamh blinked twice, looked around and noticed they were alone in this dark and cold cave. She sat up straight, still shaking and jittering and wondered who this man was, as she had never before seen him here in the underworld.
The man with the empty face seemed to know what was wandering through her mind and sat down next to her. His inane and breathless voice started to fill the corner. “Niamh, I know why you are here. The balance of death is out of kilter and I was waiting for you to come and help me restore it. I’m the keeper of daemons and the dead, but I’m unable to bring the balance back as it has become too difficult a task. Yet you seem to be scared.” Niamh looked at the ground. “Don’t be; You are strong, intelligent and very dilligent and your Goddess sent you because you’re the only one who can save our continuity on both sides – the living and the dead.”
She shook her head slowly and was about to speak as he continued. He seemed so strong though his body was only a fragile frame for his soul. “All you have to do is to find this chest. It will cost you a lot of effort but you have to hurry or you’ll end up like me. All these creatures, the lost souls, the daemons and the dead, they all draw your energy and you may feel only hunger and tiredness yet, but in the twinkling of an eye death will be closer than you would wish. Hurry Niamh, find the answer in your heart and go your path.”
