The Task (prologue/chapter 1)

A pale form hung motionless over the moonlit pool. There was a warm and fragrant breeze, and a chorus of tree frogs serenaded the full moon.

The Elven woman was deep in a trance, hovering inches above the glassy surface of the pool and concentrating on nothing but keeping her toes from touching the water. She was completely nude, dark hair cascading down her shoulders and back in a waterfall of ebony.

Around the pool, several graceful forms perched on boulders and logs, watching and waiting. Several minutes passed, unchanging, and then a silvery fish flew out of the water and landed back with a small splash. The figures surrounding the pool shifted almost imperceptibly, waiting for what was to come if all went well.

Just as the last ripples faded from the surface of the pool, another fish jumped. Then another, and another, and soon the surface of the pool churned with silvery fish. The frogs all began croaking in unison, forming a deafening chorus. Birds resting in the trees and reeds surrounding the pool took wing, and the night sky was filled with the rustle of wings and twitters of song.

A cool breeze began whistling through the reeds, and a storm cloud coalesced over the clearing. Rain began to patter onto the ground, and a lone bolt of lightning struck the pool, forming a brief electrical cage around the Elf.

Then, it was over. The cumulonimbus cloud dissipated just as quickly as it had formed, and the animals all settles down to finish the night in peaceful slumber. The pool became calm and glassy once more, and the breeze died down to its original warm and fragrant state. A single tree frog croaked and then fell silent.

Slowly, the woman descended into the water, and was soon immersed to her chin. Her violet eyes snapped open, and she gasped at the shock of her body entering the chilled water. She deftly propelled herself toward the shore, where the shadowy figures waited for her. She stepped out of the water and two figures draped a thick verdant cloak around her shoulders. One of the figures stepped forward and removed its hood, revealing an aged but beautiful face. Her grey eyes were bright and alert, and her stern mouth formed a smile as she looked over the younger woman. When she spoke, her rich voice was filled with both music and power.

“Idriell Nightlance, you have passed the test.” The younger woman’s tired eyes lit up, and she let out a whoop of excitement.
“Yaaah! Yes! At last, I am a true Druidess!” At this, another figure stepped from the shadows.
“Do not become complacent in your abilities, Idriell, now that you have passed the test,” warned the figure as it removed its hood. It was a tall and imposing male with a deeply lined and very stern face. “A true Servant of Nature never stops working and learning. If she does, her abilities will wane, and Nature will grow intolerant of her.”
“Oh, Thornbark,” sighed the older woman, “just be happy for the girl. She has proven herself to be a dedicated and industrious Elf many times over. You know as well as I do that she will not let us down. Will you, Idriell?”
“No, Mistress Lunelle. I shall uphold the honour of Nature as I have always done.”
“Good girl. I must say, it brings great joy to my heart to see another Nightlance join the ranks of the Servants of Nature. Your grandmother was a great Druidess. I hope you, too, are destined for great things.”

“She will be,” spoke a voice from the darkness.

The still silent group of hooded elves drew back, and the three who had been talking stood in the center of the ring formed by the other elves.

A silvery, luminescent figure strode through the forest, approaching the clearing.

“Anarin,” whispered someone, sounding deeply shocked.

The silvery figure was a woman, but more than just a woman. She was devastatingly beautiful and emanated a pearlescent glow. Her silver-white hair streamed out around and behind her though the breeze had nearly died, and her azure eyes gleamed with a terrible and beautiful power. She might have been twenty, and she might have been ageless, born before the Servants of Nature were even a whisper in the wind. She strode with a grace unknown to mortal beings, and as she approached the Elven circle, every one of them dropped to their knees in an unwitting and spectacular display of awe and reverence.

The silvery woman looked over the group of Elven kneeling before her, and smiled gently.

“Rise, my brothers and sisters of Nature. It is a great honor to be here before you tonight, speaking to the newest Servant of Nature. Idriell Nightlance, come here.”

The young Elf did as she was asked, and stood in front of the silvery woman, though not meeting her eyes as if afraid of what she would see.

“Do not be afraid, Idriell. You know who I am?”
“Yes, Mistress. You are Anarin the Moon Goddess. Though I have never seen you assume physical form, I know this must be so. Who else should you be but Her?”

“You are a wise young woman. But I have not come to bestow compliments on you nor your kin all night. There has been a dark cloud overshadowing the North Star, as I am certain the Elders have noticed for some time. They do not know what it has meant, nor have I for some time. But the Moon and the Stars have spoken to me of the power surrounding the appearance of this foreboding cloud. There is a vast and terrible darkness which has been awakened.”

“Mistress Anarin, what does this mean?” gasped Lunelle, the elder druidess. Anarin looked at her gravely, and her eyes were suddenly ancient and filled with the cares of thousands and thousands of people oblivious to the darkness that was to befall them.

“Mistress Lunelle, I am afraid that there must be a war. A war between good and evil, as has been fought so many times over the millennia. But this war shall be a devastating occurrence, and it may signify the end of all races if nobody will stand up and fight. This is a terrible evil, and it has not visited these stars for thousands of years. But it has felt a power it wishes to control, and it will stop at nothing to find it. Every few thousand years, an Elf is born with a special power, an unbelievably powerful force capable of immense good or immense evil. The Evil infiltrating our stars wants to use this power for its own benefit. We call the Evil the Nothgarrin. Elders know this name.” The two older Elves looked at each other in horror, and Lunelle leaned against the nearest tree, stunned.

Idriell listened to this information with growing dread. She had a dark feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she suddenly had to know the truth.

“Mistress Anarin, it wants me, does it not?” Lunelle burst into tears, and the elderly Thornbark looked as if he was going to be violently ill.

“Idriell, you truly are a wise young woman. Yes, it wants you. Your powers, though still mostly dormant but still powerful by the standards of the Servants of Nature, will soon become capable of incredible feats, nothing like any of these elder Elves has ever seen. Nothgarrin wants to capture you and make you its Dark Mistress, the Omen of Death. You will be seen in the dreams of the doomed should you fall to the Evil. This is why I have come, to warn you.”

“Thank you, Mistress Anarin. How must we keep this…my…power from falling to the Nothgarrin? Is there any way to resist it once it sets its mind to capturing me?”

“Yes, Idriell. This is an ageless entity, cunning and ruthless, but it can be kept at bay by those who truly wish to stave it off.”

“I understand, and I shall indeed help to fight it off.” The young woman took on a defiant air. Then, she faltered. “You…do not wish me to do this alone, do you? I have not yet learned enough to face even the elder Servants of this forest. Never could I face the kind of Evil you speak of and hope to vanquish it.”

“You will not be alone, young Elf. There will be others who will aid you in your quest, be assured. You will find lifelong friends at every bend in the path. I can give some aid, but no more than the rules of the universe will allow. The Elders will aid you, not just the Elven, but Elders of all races. None wish to see our beautiful world ruined by Evil, but very few are truly equipped to handle the stresses that you and your companions will face.” At this, Lunelle’s face hardened.

“Mistress Anarin, I shall gladly offer my aid to this cause. Idriell is a powerful Druidess, but her abilities have not yet come into full bloom. Tonight was a marvelous demonstration of what she has so far mastered, but there is much she still must learn. I will train her in all the ways of the Master Arts before she is to set out on her quest, if you so desire.” Anarin smiled warmly at the fiery demeanor of the Druidess.

“Lunelle, your offer is both kind and bold. But Idriell must forge her own path, beginning tonight. She may learn from any number of teachers along the way, but she can no longer benefit solely from the training of the Servants of Nature. There are other Magics in the world, each with benefits and drawbacks. Idriell must learn how to control each of these disciplines with the slightest twitch of a finger. She must be able to combine the Magics to counter their weaknesses and amplify their beneficial effects. Nature magic is powerful, yes, but other Magics can defeat it if used properly. The Nothgarrin will know how to use each and every flaw in Idriell’s power to its advantage.

“Idriell, it has fallen upon you to learn these Magics, and with them, save our beautiful world. If you fail, all will be lost.”

Idriell’s already pale skin faded to a sickly alabaster, and her legs seemed to collapse out from under her. She hit the ground before the others could catch her, but she was not unconscious, merely staggering under the weight of the world, which had just been placed on her shoulders.

“Do not despair, young one. It seems now that you’ve been asked to bear the unbearable burden, but know that I would not ask this of you did I not believe you were capable of handling it.”

“How long will I have to prepare, Mistress?”

“You must meet a small band of Humans at the fork in the river three days from now. It is a day and a half’s walk, if all goes well.”

“I’ve got one day to prepare? That’s all? Why did you not tell me of this sooner?”

“You were not ready. Tonight marked a turning point in your life, and it proved your worth as a Druidess. Had you not passed this test tonight, the burden would have fallen upon someone else. You were the first choice for this mission, and it would have changed the odds of success had you not been chosen tonight. But you have been chosen, and let us not think of what could have been. What matters now is what will be.

“Enough has been said here, and I shall not take any more of your time. There is much to prepare for, and standing here conversing all night will not hasten anything but our demise. I bid you farewell, Elvenkind. Idriell, if you wish to converse with me, simply find the moon and pray. I will hear you.”

And with that, the Mistress of the Moon shone brightly as her fortress, and disappeared.

The weight of the entire world rested on the shoulders of one young Elven woman. As Idriell rose from the ground, a solemn resolve seemed to overtake her, and the colour crept back into her cheeks. She squared her shoulders, and spoke.

“I will not fail.”