Excerpt from Alexan’s Third Journal, Tour of the Shadowed Depths

I should not have been surprised I suppose. The Erlkin are a race that lives their lives drenched in shadow.

The more I deal with these goats, the more they remind me of dusk and the shadows cast by the setting sun. This is a time where the changing shadows can fool the eyes into seeing things that aren’t there, or things that seem wildly different from their true selves. And the Erlkin are intrinsically creatures of darkness. Worse is that the more Erlkin you put together, the more the lies, half-truths and hidden realities pile up. A person could argue that any society is like that given time, but it’s never hit me so hard as it has in literally every Erlkin community I’ve visited.

The Erlkin themselves seem happy enough with it, as if they’re hiding from the dark under a thick blanket. I wonder just how much it would take for them to throw off the covers?

Unnamed Tal

"It may be fortunate that you are Human," Elder Darisen spoke, looking to the center of the scrying globe, his expression softening.

Tal looked away from the ruined landscape, still trying to digest what the sentinel had told him.

The Elder waved a hand at the globe and the vision faded away like dissipating mist. Fragments of the enchantment glittering with colour as they disappeared.

"Indeed, the previous chosen have been either gnomish, or fellow Erlkin." Darisen turned away from the scrying ball. "Walk with me, Yekchetal."

"Please," Tal spoke out, "please call me Tal, if you would.”

That earned him several seconds of a deep appraising look from the Elder. It only took one of those seconds for Tal to be consumed with the urge to fidget.

"Very well, young Tal, please." Darisen indicated with lowered hand for Tal to walk beside him. He spoke again as Tal complied and caught up, "We will talk for just a little longer, then I will allow you to resume your recovery."

As they left the room, Tal picked up the conversation, "Elder, you called me lucky? For being Human?"

Lucky wasn't how he would describe being the only Human around with no prospects of that changing.

"Indeed! I have some hope for your chances with the seal," Darisen clasped his hands behind himself as he led Tal back out through the entry door. Tal started when he realized there was a guard standing stock still just within. He wouldn’t have seen the Erlkin in the shadow of the door. One quick glance later and Tal saw the companion guard on the opposite side.

Darisen paid it no mind. "The seal is one that makes use of dark mana, as is likely obvious, and there is a great deal of power involved in it."

"Why is that good for me?"

"Because young Tal, you may survive the process," Darisen chuckled. "As miserable as you must feel after having eaten such a dense blob of mana, you remain among the living."

Tal blanched, "touching the seal doesn’t feel like that does it?"

"Mmm, not quite, but close enough to be dangerous. The power drawn into the pedestal doesn’t pass directly through the chosen, it is just impossible to avoid it entirely. The problem thus far has been two-fold," Darisen turned as they arrived at the walkway surrounding the Tower. Occasionally the Elder Erlkin would look down to the pool at the bottom of the underglade.

"The problem is the amount of mana that collects in the lower levels of our Hollow Home. You have noticed the increase in monsters lately I must assume? Not to mention the smell of rot?"

Darisen casually glanced as Tal nodded in agreement.

"Well, the barrier that keeps us here isn't a dome, but a sphere that extends around the entirety of Linumbra’s Hollow Home. With no holes or weaknesses, it collects and holds mana that leaks from the seal. To restore that seal is to pull back the released mana."

Tal looked at the black marks on his palms. "So the reason it is dangerous is all the mana the chosen have to channel."

"Indeed. For a gnome, it is too much for their tiny body. They are ravaged with mana burn by the experience and die shortly after."

"And Erlkin can't handle it either?" Tal asked, a little confused.

"Indeed, but for us, the problem is our inborn seed." Darisen stopped and turned, looking down to one of the lower gardens. Tal could see an Erlkin woman working in the dirt plucking weeds. Middle-aged, with streaked black and white hair and tiny nubs for horns.

"The normal way of things is to take aether into our seed and pull out the mana we need. Taking in so much dark mana causes inborn seeds to sprout at an unnatural rate, eating the body from within. And at the end of it, even that seed is consumed. This has happened to every chosen Erlkin."

Darisen looked at Tal with serious eyes. "You were unhappy to have failed in developing an elemental seed, but the truth is you have received an unexpected windfall. You should be able to channel the mana through you without being consumed in the process."

“Not that I have much choice,” Tal replied, a hint of bitterness creeping in.

“Oh, you certainly do,” Elder Darisen replied lightly, “But it is hardly a kind one. Refuse to restore or release the seal and you simply prolong the gathering of mana. More monsters will awaken in the roots and the lives of those who live here will become more difficult.”

Tal didn’t know what to say to that. While the moment of silence stretched on he reached up to scratch at one of the scabs near his armpit. He could feel the damp spot on his shirt where the pure blood had continued to seep in. The thirst was starting to build up too.

“I’m to stay here for now?”

“Yes. The shadow will be looking for you, as it has all the previous chosen. We will endeavor to keep you safe from its corruptive influence. If it had it’s hooks in you, I simply don’t know what might have to be done," Elder Darisen turned his head to Tal and gave a friendly smile. "So let us avoid that. Additionally, it would be cruel of me to force you to the seal now. There is no specific day upon which you must see to it. We can afford to wait until you are healed."

"Oh, I see," Tal replied, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. He figured he was gonna be stuck here, and he was pretty sure Darisen had sprinkled a little threat into what he was saying. "Is there any way I can see my father? I don't know what happened to him after I was knocked out. And I don't know how Ouran or Nisk are faring."

"Of course. I shall send an invitation. I understand no one died after the arrival of the Wardens, although I hear one of your companions was mana burnt," the Elder looked at Tal with a sympathetic smile.

"For now, return and rest. Warden Seft will see to your safety and Meyla will be by soon to inspect your wounds."

Tal was happy when his visitor brought a fresh jug of water. He’d polished the one in his room off.

There had been a quick knock on the door, followed by the entrance of the one Tal assumed to be Meyla. She wasn’t quite what Tal had expected.

An Erlkin, but unlike any other he knew. She had the fine lines of age on her face and moved with the grace and care typical of the elderly, but she was pure white. Her outward spiralling horns, braided hair and the fur visible above her white hooves just below the hem of her long green dress, all pure white. Over the dress she wore a rough brown apron with a pair of large pockets on the front. A clean-looking rag hung partially from one of the pockets.

And when she turned to him, she had lovely green eyes not unlike his own light brown eyes. Every other Erlkin he knew had eyes of solid black.

“Greetings Young Tal,” she greeted him with a warm tone and a tilt of her head. She smiled as she looked at him, then continued to the small table to put the pitcher of water down.

Tal blushed. He’d been in the middle of pulling his shirt off when she’d stepped in. Her appearance was so unusual to him that he’d paused with his arms still in the sleeves. For a moment Tal debated pulling the shirt back on, but he was committed now. He quickly pulled the shirt the rest of the way off.

“You are Me- Lady Meyla?”

She giggled with a friendly tone. “Miss if fine, if you must,” she replied warmly, “But yes, I am Meyla, and I am here to tend to your injuries. It is well that you are prepared!”

His blush only deepened.

Tal was sitting on the bed as he’d been considering sleeping. Even now he had to practically stuff his left fist into his mouth to stifle a yawn.

Miss Meyla pulled the chair over to the bed, smoothed the backside of her dress with her hands and sat down. “Your arm if you would Tal.” He obliged by placing his closest hand, his left, into her waiting palms. His hand twitched as Tal unclenched his fist.

With her right hand holding his left, Meyla reached out with her own left hand and placed it on his chest. “Please relax, I am going to circulate aether.”

“Okay,” Tal replied. He took a deep breath and let the tension out of his shoulders. Soon after he could feel the cool rush or aether pushing itself about his body. It wasn’t as much as usual, restricted as his burnt channels were.

“May I ask a question?”

“Why so nervous, Tal?” Meyla asked him, if you are worried about me seeing your chest, I’ve seen you mostly, mostly, naked now. It was I who saw to your wounds while you were unconscious”

Tal coughed and she laughed again. She was teasing him!

At least she was nicer about it.

“It’s not that,” Tal hesitated about how to ask.

“Well then, it must be my lack of black then.” Having her seem through him so easily made Tal flinch, but she seemed unbothered, “It is perfectly understandable; it is very rare indeed to see a Greater Elemental without the appropriate seed.”

“You’re an Erlkin… Unsown?” Tal asked in disbelief.

“Indeed! It can happen, although it is terribly rare.” If Meyla was uncomfortable with the topic, she certainly didn’t act like it as she cheerfully continued on. “Yes, no inborn seed for channelling dark mana for me, my parents certainly got their stories crossed, hehee. But the part that matters held true; they hoped for a child that could care for others, and not having an aspected seed made it much simpler for me to do so.”

“I guess that makes sense. I remember Nolsa talking about it a bit.”

“The teacher of Lisnail, yes? I have encountered her, she is a good woman. Speaking of which, I have seen your friend Nisk! He is hurting, but he will survive,” Meyla looked him in the eyes and interrupted Tal as he opened his mouth, “Hush now, I have to concentrate.”

Word of Nisk amidst her friendly prattle floored Tal, earning all the silence from him that Meyla could have asked for. He could feel gentle ripples as Meyla concentrated on her work, but that barely registered as relief flooded his body.

“Yes, relax, just like that,” Meyla commented.

The experience was a bit odd for Tal. He’d become accustomed to just swirling his aether about to push it out his hands to feed a wand. He’d also spent quite a bit of time slowly pushing aether to someone to help them cast their own spells. This was different. He could feel the Aether bunch up in places, places that he hadn’t realized were hurting until his channels started filling. The feeling wasn’t unlike taking a deep breath and holding it, only to feel relief after finally letting all the extra air slowly leak out.

Tal blinked as Meyla put his left hand down, and picked up his right. He’d almost conked out! Her hands switched sides as she shifted position. With her right hand on his chest, Meyla went back to circulating aether through his channels.

Realizing he was falling asleep, and not wanting to go under quite yet, Tal spoke up, “How does it look?”

“Well, there is still a big worrying lump in your stomach, but it seems to be inert.”

“Inert? What does that mean?”

“Oh, it isn’t doing anything,” Meyla commented, her voice soft as she concentrated, “It’s not hurting you though, which is the important thing. I’ve seen the results of someone absorbing a big blob of mana before…” Meyla seemed to deflate a bit as she got lost in thought. Tal suspected she was remembering the previous chosen.

Meyla shook her head slightly as she realized she’d drifted off, “I’ve seen lots of mana burn and build up, but I’ve never seen a solid mass like this, so I’ve been watching it, but it hasn’t caused any serious burn. As for your channels, they are as burnt as expected. Fortunately for you, Nolsa’s channeling training has done you well! Your pure veins have begun the process of healing naturally, and your efforts in keeping your aether circulating have prevented nasty blockages.”

“So, it’s good? I’m doing okay?”

“Yes, it has been much easier to scrub away built up mana burn, and there is a better foundation for me to reinforce for your healing. It’s always a relief to work on the injured-yet-healthy.” She put Tal’s arm down and raised a finger up to the first of Tal’s wounds.

Tal flinched as Meyla poked a finger into one of the tender, seeping nodes. There was a momentary rush of cool aether, then she poked the next. She repeated this several times on his right side, then his left. When done she took the hand she’d placed on the center of his chest, pulled the clean cloth from her front pocket and wiped her hand.

“You are healing up well, showing the resilience of someone accustomed to channeling aether. While Unsown, your practice has made you as durable as the Seeded,” Meyla’s tone was more matter-of-fact and serious than her earlier teasing.

A barely-controlled yawn on Tal’s face put an understanding smile on hers.

“Warden Seft has seen to the contacting of your father, an invitation has been extended for him to visit tomorrow, or the next earliest convenience. A secondary message was sent to your teacher. As Grand Elder Darisen is having you sequestered here for your recovery, it would be unkind to leave you with nothing to occupy your mind.”

“That’s good to know.” Knowing he wouldn’t be so bored warred with the reluctance of having to work on Nolsa’s lessons, but Tal was grateful at the idea of seeing Easil.

Meyla stood and slid the chair back into position under the small table. She turned to face him with her enduring smile and warm eyes. “Whatever that old goat has planned for you, I won’t let him have you until you are in good shape again. Rest well young Tal.”

“Thank you Miss Meyla.”

Meyla dipped her head with closed eyes, then turned to depart. She closed the door behind her with a soft thud.

Tal shook his head to try and clear the cobwebs.

Sitting back on the bed with legs crossed and hands pressed to his stomach, he began channeling aether through himself, aiming for where he’d felt the lump under Meyla’s manipulations.

After a minute had passed, he tried again.

[You there?]

[Yes, I am here.]

Tal took a deep breath, glad to hear the voice respond. [Good, we need to talk.]

[I agree,] the sentinel replied. Its voice was weaker than before, but it was at least steady. [Where do you wish to begin?]

[Was everything Elder Darisen said a lie?]

[No, not everything. Much of it was the truth, with the odd half-truth sprinkled in. If it was nothing but a pack of lies, the deception would be much weaker.]

[Then why did you shout? Where are the lies?]

[His greatest falsehoods are two parts of the same whole.]

Tal waited for the shadow to continue. He could feel it gathering its strength to speak. And he could feel the slow trickling of drain of his aether feeding the lump. It was almost exactly like giving power to Easil or Nisk, except that it was making him a bit queasy.

[The great falsehood is in the scrying orb. While mana may seep in through the barrier, it is made so that nothing can escape, no matter the combination or sophistication of the spell or enchantment. There is no means by which the Elder could peek on the world outside.]

[But there is the image of the wasteland outside.] Tal stated.

[Indeed. What many forget is that Elder Darisen is a proper, and very powerful, Shadowmancer in his own right. Illusion is his talent, and having decades to craft an illusion makes it a simple matter that requires only his patience. Indeed, he isn’t going anywhere, what else is there to do? And consider, how different did that landscape look from the memory that I showed you?]

That stopped Tal for a long moment as he considered. The point rang true, the more he thought about the dream and the ‘scrying’ the more similar they were in his mind. The more the scenery of the illusion resembled the memory he'd been shown.

[And the second part?] Tal asked.

[The second part is masked by the first. The accumulation of mana comes from outside the barrier. It lets nothing out, but it can let minute amounts of mana in. He showed you a wasteland, but for those monsters to be born within the roots, requires the barrier to be taking in much greater amounts of mana. A wasteland does not hold or produce mana, but a teeming forest does.]

[Okay,] Tal replied, still not certain. [How am I supposed to prove that?]

[Ask one who is familiar with the history of Linumbra’s Embrace. Ask them the history of the monsters crawling up from the depths. If they really were created from mana leaking from the sealed stone, then why is that peaceful slumbering soul you saw today so much more likely to create monsters than the raging beast you saw in my memory.]

Tal remained silent, stewing in the mess of conflicting stories.

[In likely truth, Elder Darisen has used the passing of dark mana into the stone to sustain himself. If he can do this in a more controlled manner, I don’t see why he wouldn’t do as he’s told you and attempt controlled reinforcement of the stone. But there is still much reason to doubt.]

Tal wasn’t quite sure why that was as important as the voice seemed to think.

[I see you are confused, reasonable. But there is another thing, there is a third voice with whom you need to speak with.]

Tal guessed at who the sentinel was speaking of. [You mean Nolsa?]

[No, not her. She has played an important role in your life, but her influence is secondary here.]

[Then who?]

[It should be obvious. You are the chosen. But the chosen for what?]

[I’m chosen to be the Latch Key.] Tal replied, bitterness twisting his voice.

[Another half-truth. That’s not what you were chosen for.]

[Stop beating around the bush!]

[It’s you who has failed to see it. You will do what you were chosen for. You shall speak to she who has been sealed.]

End Chapter