Pinnacle Of Veritas

Part one- Chapter One:

I was born in Ithoril, somewhere along the Igratora River, but I was raised in Adonis, in an orphanage nestled away deep in the southern forest called Densewood. This was for my own safety, or so I was told, but I didn't really understand at the time just what could possibly be so dangerous about the world outside of those high arching gates. That is until, I came of age and, as is the tradition of Morningwillow orphanage, was forced to leave, venture out into the rest of the world and discover where my fates had been cast. Myself and two others were ushered to the borders of the property by our lifelong teacher and mentor, Kotengu, who led us down the well trodden little dirt path that was the only way into and out of the orphanage, all the while trying his best to hide his sorrow at having to watch us go. It was a strange little path, very rarely did anything come or go from that path except for one thing, the headmaster who without fail would travel down the path on the dawn of every full moon accompanied by nothing but a pack horse, and return at dusk that night carrying whatever food and goods we needed to survive, with occasional gifts for the younger ones, and of course the other students, who would one day arrive, mostly infants but occasionally older, and after having seen a certain number of seasons, would be led down the road by Kotengu just as we were now, only to never return. None of the children, myself included, had any idea where he went or what he did there, although we all had our theories.

I remember once trying to find out where it led to myself, but since it was unlawful to leave the campus, I took it upon myself to find its end by sneaking out in the night and following it with the idea of being back before dawn's light, discovering that it merely empties out at the end of the forest, into a massive expanse of grass and summer flowers. Satisfied, I turned back to return to my bed, only to myself hopeless lost and confused and wandering in the forest all night until I was finally found the next morning nestled uncomfortably in the carcass of a rotted old oak which had fallen over sometime previous.

Seeing the path from above I now see my error was quite simply not having the right spell to diffuse the illusion which befalls unfortunate travelers entering the forest, confusing their direction until they get lost and find themselves led back out of the woods. A clever way of keeping out unwanted visitors and predators, only a well seasoned mage could unravel it's silkweave and find the children coddled within.

"There" I indicated, pointed down at the clearing which held the place of my childhood, and my winged pet responded with a trill and gracefully dived down out of the sky and landed gracefully in the middle of the courtyard right in front of a glistening crystal fountain which splashed cool water into an oversized bowl. I remembered it, although the way I recalled it was not quite so chipped and worn, with not nearly so many tangling vines wrapping themselves around it. But it still flowed water as clear as the sky, so I pulled my boots out of their stirrups and dismounted my pet, making sure to give it a loving scratch along it's feathery mane as I came around his horse sized body to take a sip of the water from the fountain. It was certainly refreshing after my long flight.

I suddenly heard little giggles and murmuring near me and realized that my appearance had caused a stir amongst the few children had just prior been playing in the courtyard, but when I looked up, there was nothing. Perhaps I had heard an echo, or perhaps some old spirit calling out to me. I knew that some time had passed, but I expected to see at least a few young beings, but there was nothing but wisps, which sung along in silence, perfectly in tune with the broken down buildings and cracked stone pathways. A single hospitable apple tree which had once cast shade upon the courtyard was now shriveled and barren, not a single leaf on any of its branches.

"Are you our lady of Light?"

My wings twitched unconsciously, appearing for a moment to catch the light and then disappearing, and I smiled, running a thumb absent-mindedly along the curvature of one of my horns. I slowly turned to see a hobbled figure in tattered robes slowly making his way out of the largest of the buildings, which was still small compared to the many temples and nobleman's lodgings I'd witnessed in my travels.

"Almost. I'm a Fae."

He looked at me with such mystery in his eyes that it practically swam there.

"This fountain is for Lumin. Only she can drink of it."

I slowly stood and scanned the face of the creature, looking for some sign of recognition.

"I'm sure she won't mind. I have favor."

I suddenly heard a name I hadn't heard in a long time and a familiar face greeting my sight, although it was much greyed by the ages. He stood with a hunch, leaning heavily on a cane, his thick broad frame not quite as strong as it once was. His thick brow weighed heavily on his old eyes, but still he smiled when he saw me, as best as he could smile having a beak.

"What a grandiose entrance. Do you plan to stay?"

I looked down at the old creature with pity. Too many years had past, I had missed too much. My loyal pet nudged his head up underneath my arm until my palm rested on his shoulder. It trilled lightly, pawing the ground with left front paw for a moment. I could tell that he liked this place, it radiated light, which this particular creature was acutely aware and appreciative of. I patted the creature, my companion, while I spoke to Kotengu, the wise old bird man I once called my teacher and mentor. After some discussion as to the matter at hand, he led me inside, and soon we were settled across from each other at a gorgeous wooden table carved from one of the many ancient oaks taken from the area. I found myself running the nail of my forefinger along the border of a sizeable knot in the wood's face as the old sage caught me up on everything that had happened here at Morningwillow while I'd been away. Much to my expectation, it hadn't been much to speak of. The ages came and went just the same as they had when I was a child, except now there was significantly less children coming in as there were going out. A sign of good times, Kotengu supposed. I withheld the truth for the time being.

At last, he finished his short tale, then placed his wrinkled elbows upon the table, interlocking his thick fingers before resting his hooked beak upon them. He gazed up at me with old grey eyes, both of which had clouded over with a bluish smoke and was now certainly blind.

"I presume you didn't come all this way to hear me ramble about nothing, did you, Herald?"

I straightened myself and once again ran my fingers around my left horn, meeting his gaze with bright orange eyes of my own.

"No, I suppose not. I was sent my our lady to ask you a question."

"Oh?"

He seemed intrigued, but also that he already knew of that which I wished to ask.

I slowly leaned forward, allowing my otherwise stern countenance to falter, showing concern that I knew the blind old bird could not see.

"What happened to our world?"

Slowly he reached over and pulled his cane off of where it rested against the table and placed it on top of the table. It was nothing spectacular at first glance, a straight round rod of wood embedded at one end with a two rows of small green stones and a slightly larger matching stone forming a smooth cap. It was nothing spectacular to speak of,little more than a walking stick, but when I reached out and held it in my own hands, it began to glow a faint color like that of a day lily. My eyes matched it's glow, and soon I was lost in that light.