Keeper (continued)

Four

Nyma stared in awe at the creatures that now surrounded her. She had never ventured far out of the Fort, so this was all new to her.

The shadows were indeed the close cousin to the piksy specie. The main differences between the shadows and the piksies were that the shadows were larger and had no wings. However, what truly puzzled Nyma was how much more quiet the shadows were. She soon learned, though, that as the shadows were a more ancient species, and hadn't evolved since creation, they are born able only to hiss and to speak to each other telepathically. The only exceptions to these terms were the shadows acting as the royal guard to the Dark Queen.

As the shadows present moved around the hollow, Nyma grew colder and drowsier. Their presence and their energies overwhelmed her so. Rylma rushed to her side as Nyma collapsed, and ordered the shadows to back away, through hand gestures and telepathy. Nyma was fascinated by how well they obeyed.

The woscs, well, they were as different from the shadows as they could get. They were quite like the 'ducks' Nyma had heard of in nursery stories, they had hands and feet like humans', and their shape was a bit bizarre. It turned out that they lived on a lake at the southern part of the Land of Light, and they had no opinion on the possible outcome of the war. They just tended to themselves, but were glad to return the piksies' call.

Their tiny wings seemed as though they wouldn't be able to carry them. Nyma's thoughts were soon proven wrong, and she watched as the youngest woscs zipped through the air, at top speed, around and around the tree. Everyone was playing and chattering joyfully (except for the shadows, of course). Nyma was amused by their incredible amount of energy, despite the pressure that hung over their heads.

"Silence!" erupted Rylma, and that's what came.

~

to be continued...

Read the rest once I finish it on Blurb (unless I DO decide to post more parts here)

:)

Keeper (continued)

Three (cont.)

The following afternoon, on the day that would determine the fate of Somaile, every piksy in the hollow and Nyma gathered at the foot of the great tree. The queen, whose name turned out to be Rylma, entered the center of the ring of people, wearing a white dress, made of what appeared to be linen, with a deep green shawl. She raised her right hand, and the piksies fell silent and their wings grew dark. Once she was certain that no other sounds were echoing through the hollow, she spoke.
"Today," Rylma began in a great, booming voice, "We summon the flying creatures of this land. Birds, insects, the like... Even woscs and shadows."
The crowd gasped at the realization that there would be those dark shadows in their midst.
"Today," she began again, "We save Somaile!"
At this confident and encouraging declaration, the piksies, along with Nyma, gave a cheer. Then all the piksies sat on flower petals, fallen leaves, and even mushrooms, cross-legged, and began chanting. Nyma decided that she should join in, and sat in the bright green grass, closed her eyes, and attempted to chant words similar to those being said by everyone else.
"Hmmm.. nome veeehh. Hmmm.. no se me veeehh.." everyone cried, over and over again, louder and louder.
Rylma chanted a different grouping of words, at different tones, "Mo seee sheh mano fa rell... Mo seee sheh mano fa rell o..."
As the Grand Piksy continued to sing these prayers, a loud, thundering sound, something of a stampede, but more... flappy, Nyma thought, rumbled from the distance. It grew in volume, louder and LOUDER, until many creatures, riding on the air beneath their wings, found their way to the gathering of the piksies, and when they finally arrived at their doorstep, all fell silent.

Music

This is music.
Your words are music.
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Is music.
Your heart is music.
The sounds
The sights
The smells
Of everything
Is music because
Everything has a beat.

Keeper (continued)

Three

"Hush, my children," came the voice of the great light, "We have a visitor."
Nyma sat, breathless, upon the saddle as thousands of tiny lights circled around her. Their leader, as Nyma assumed, spoke again.
"So, what brings you here, daughter of Fyran?"
"Um.. I-I-I'm Nyma, and I came because my father is dead."
A ripple of high-pitched gasps of horror swept throughout the hollow. Nyma began again.
"And, um, as he is dead, um, I-I-I am now the Keeper of Somaile."
Another round of shocked responses erupted from the cloud of piksies.
"And what have you come to us for, Keeper?" replied the Grand Piksy.
"Grand Piksy, I seek your wisdom. Please provide me the answers to my questions. I am young. I don't know what to do. I need your help to save Somaile in the next two days!" Nyma exclaimed, not realizing how loud she had been.
"I see. All right. I agree to help you. the piksies' knowledge is at your hand."
"So do you have an idea of how to stop the Light Ones?" Nyma asked, full of excitement.
"Oh no, of course not. Not yet, anyways. Give us until noon and we may have some answers."
With that, every light in the hollow rushed into the hole in the tree and all was dark.

~

The sun rose higher into the sky, and Nyma woke to the songs of birds and the whistle of the wind. She waited for the sun to appear above her head. Time grew slower and slower, and the day grew hotter and hotter as the winds died down.

Finally, after what seemed like days of waiting, the piksies emerged from the knothole.

"We may have an answer, but it is very risky."

"Well, what is it?" Nyma eagerly awaited her solution.

"We will attempt to summon the many flying creatures of this land, so that they can hide the full moon from view on the night of the attack. It may weaken the Light Ones' powers."

"Of course!" Nyma exclaimed joyfully, "The full moon is their greatest source of power! If it is hidden, it will be as though it is the night of a new moon! Then, the Dark Ones will have the advantage over them, and Somaile will be peaceful once again!"

The other piksies chattered excitedly, but the Grand Piksy remained silent for a few moments. Then she spoke.

"Nyma, it is not as simple as it seems. The moon is much larger than even all of the fliers put together, and the creatures here cannot breathe in outer space."

"Oh. Right." Nyma was discouraged by this news.

"But," continued the queen, "There are enough to cover the island."

~

To be continued....

Keeper (continued)

Two

Nyma felt knowledge and powerful energies swarm through her. She began sobbing, for she knew what that meant. Her mother burst into the room.
"Nyma, what's wrong?" she cried.
"He's dead." Nyma exclaimed, choked with tears, "I'm the Keeper."
Her mother stared at her, both in astonishment and in grief.
"You felt it?" she asked, worried as ever.
"Yes," Nyma replied. She gulped. "And I know what happened. I had a vision. The orks, they tore off his limbs."
She resumed crying. She had always known that her father would die one day. She had imagined it. Though the thought made her sad, she learned to accept it. But not like this. Never like this.
"Nala, what am I to do?" Nyma couldn't bear the thought of saving Somaile in only two days.
"I wouldn't know," her mother replied, hoping that her daughter would understand. "But you will, when the time comes to act. Your heart will tell you."
"But what if I fail?" Nyma exclaimed.
"You won't. The universe would not let that happen," Nala told her.
"Well, will you help me then?" Nyma asked, hopeful.
"No, I am much too old. A woman of fifty-five cannot save the Dark Lands. But you , a strong, brave young woman, can."
They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Nyma embraced her mother, breaking into tears once again. She knew that she would have to journey away from home, and that she may never see Nala again.
"Nyma," Nala began, sniffling, "At dawn, you must travel to Piksy's Knothole. The piksies may have the answers to your questions."
Nyma nodded, squeezing her mother tighter.
"I'll miss you, mum."
"I'll miss you, too."

~

Nyma awoke from her nightmares and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was dawn, meaning she would have to leave now. She gathered her things in a large bag, all of the necessities: food, water, clothes, and a sleeping mat.

She was about to walk out the door when she turned around and went to her mother's bedroom. Nyma bent over the bed and kissed Nala's forehead, then rushed out the front door before she could start crying.

Nyma was attaching her bag to Capricorn's saddle when she saw some-thing move in the shadows. Deciding it was nothing, she hopped on the horse and began her journey, unaware of the eyes peering at her through the bushes.

The stars continued to shine as the edges of the sun began to creep over the horizon, and Nyma rode on. She had never been out at this time of day, and her heart warmed at the sounds echoing all around. Crickets chirped, birds sang, and the leaves of the bushes and trees rustled in the gentle breeze.

After some hours of moving due south and occasionally glancing east to look for any sign of the Hollow, Nyma saw lights in the distance. She began to move toward them, and as they drew nearer, she heard noises. They were almost like shrill laughter. The sounds rang in her ears, louder and louder, until Nyma came upon an immense tree with the lights buzzing all around.

She didn't even have to wonder. She had arrived at Piksy's Knothole. At the sight of her, the piksies froze and their lights went out. All was pitch-dark until a greater light emerged form the hole in the tree.

Cycles

A cycle 

Within a cycle

Happens

And happens again.

They and we change cycles

But they and we do not know

That everything is its own separate cycle

Which puzzles out one.

The cycle of the universe.

This cycle remains unchanged.

We may think we can change everything

But even we

Are part of the universe's cycle.

Unchanging,

Yet changing all the time.