Powers That Be, Mary Perkins [different e readers .txt] 📗

this night.

Tryfanll were creatures of the 'old' Tarven. Older than The Folk even, formed at the same time as the world. The same forces that had wrought Tarven also brought the Tryfanll into existence.

"Tryfanll" in Old Folk language meant Birthed Ones. As Tarven burst into life, life was emitted from her birth. The remnants became Tryfanll. They were beautiful and powerful because they had been created from Tarven's original birth. But because they were remnants of that power, Tryfanll had always been in the background of Tarven's existence. Always vigilant,it was believed that the Tryfanll had guarded and protected Tarven, but only from a distance. Tarven's life and continuing existence was also theirs.

Legends existed and were faithfully repeated among The Folk. And Wren, like all Folk, knew the stories. Yet like so many legends, the Tryfanll had become 'legendary' in the sense that everyone believed them and yet at the same time didn't think of them as a part of the Tarven they knew and loved.

All of this ran through my mind as I watched Qua'O Le float closer toward me. I found myself holding out my hand to her and as she came to rest on my palm, I experienced a benevolence and love unlike any other.

I tore my eyes away from the beautiful creature.

I looked at Willow and gasped out loud, "Mother?"

Willow smiled and said, "Wren...you,"

Before she could complete her sentence, the Tryfanll spoke.

 

Chapter Three

"We do not have time, we must move now!" Qua' O Le's  voice was tiny like herself, but her words were clearer than anything I'd ever heard.

"The Worven will be back, at least the two that escaped. However, we cannot trust that they will not return without more in their pack. Time is of the essence! You must follow me and do as I say, without question!"

Qua'O Le turned a dark red and the urgency with which she spoke was apparent to all of us.

I looked at my family. Willow knelt close to my side, worry in her eyes. Glyn and Mem stood guard around us, though most of their attention was focused on Qua', I knew that they would sense any danger immediately. In fact, they sensed it now, coming closer with every breath.

My father spoke to the Tryfanll, his voice a dark blue to my senses.

"Tell us, Ancient One. Tell me how to protect my family from these abominations!"

The deep purple of the winter forest closed in on us, and I felt fear again. More Worven and close by. My power told me we had very little time before we were attacked again.

Qua' turned an emerald green and rose from my hand. "Follow!" she commanded, "do not take your eyes from me!"

Up she went, into the trees and I struggled to my feet. A pain in my chest caused me to pause, but only for one second. We had no time to worry with injury. Mem took the lead, sword in hand, my mother quickly followed and I stepped into place behind her. My brother, Glyn, fell into line last.

Gripping my shield with all my strength, I glanced back at Glyn. His face was set in a determined scowl and he pointed his finger towards the green light that was our Tryfanll. His meaning was obvious. 'Don't look back, run!'

I took a deep breath of the cold air and settled into a jogging run. Snow began to fall thickly, darkening the eastern and western skies, where the suns were breaching the horizon. We were headed north, into the thickening storm. I feared that we would lose sight of Qua', but her light was bright in the treeline. And though she moved fast, we easily kept her in view. 

As we traveled, I thought about how things had changed in just a short time. Yesterday, my family and I had been traveling towards V'dun, our annual gathering place. The winter was strong and V'dun was the place we would shelter for the remaining months of the cold. It had become a tradition in our family to stay with the Plains Folk, my mother's people, during this time. V'dun was a beautiful village, set deep in rolling hills of plains. Though cold at this time of year, the lakes and streams were breathtaking, covered in ice and with snowdrifts that had formed into indescribable shapes and sizes. During our time there, we would celebrate the Festival of Returning. The Giving Moon would make it's appearance the last month that we were there and that was a special time because it signified another year that Mem and Willow had been together.

My feet kicked up snow in a cloud around me as I jogged on into the northern storm. My breath escaped in purple and lavendar clouds and my heart beat hard against my ribs. I was used to traveling hard like this. Mem insisted that we stayed in shape in case of any danger. A Folk family, traveling alone as we did, could at any time encounter attacks from winter starved animals. But Worven? Never had I thought that I would see one, much less fight to the death against three!

Even as I thought this, the unnerving calls of the pack echoed through the forest. They had been following us all along!

The skies were a bright purple when we finally stopped to rest. My chest ached horribly, but I refused to to relax. We were deep in the Northern Forest, Qua' had stopped and came again to rest in the crook of Willow's arm. I looked around for shelter, firewood, anything that would ease our discomfort at being caught out in the storm. We had left most of our traveling gear behind at our campsite.

Due North I could see nothing but more huge, purple trees. The suns reflected millions of points of scintillating lights from the snow covered branches. It was beautiful, but a beauty that I was used to and also a beauty I didn't reflect on at the moment. Shelter was a priority for my family and I.

To the West I could see hillsides covered with trees, purple and ochre in the suns' light. No shelter there. Or, at least, no shelter close enough for us to take advantage of.

We had come from the South, so I didn't even look in that direction.

That left the East, my Power's direction. Rising skyward, through the trees, I could see the dark, dark blue of a mountain range. The closest point probably a mile or so from where we stood, catching our breaths. 

As if reading my thoughts, the Tryfanll flew away from Willow's arm and into the direction of the range. She paused, as if waiting for us.

"This way!" I managed to say, "shelter...safety!"

I took the lead, and Mem dropped to the rear of our advance, allowing Willow to fall in behind me. Just a little further, I kept saying to myself. A little further, then rest.

 

 

Chapter Four

At the exact moment that the suns reached their epic height, and their halos began to shine down, my family and I reached the mountain range that had called me from the East.

The moutain's shadow loomed over us, it's rocky arms reached out to us and we sought it's shelter gratefully. The air was freezing cold and the snow was deep, but I quickly found a pass that led us into a rocky haven.

 

Deeper we went, following my Power and the Tryfanll's lead. She shone a beautiful emerald green before us.

The rocky path suddenly turned downward, and I checked our descent, but Willow and Mem and Glyn pressed me onward, so that I had no choice but to follow Qua'.

Though I knew that my Power had called me to this place, I was afraid.

Deeper, deeper we went and my skin crawled at the thought of the mountain covering us. As an East Power, I was averse to being away from the suns and the moons. It was against my nature to go below. I felt Willow and Glyn's shivers also. Mem, however, being a North Power and also a Mountain Folk, had no such fear and continued to push us forward.

Qua' O Le shone brighter and brighter before us. I was thankful for her light because I sensed that she would never lead us wrong.

And then our bright green Tryfanll dropped towards the ground and disappeared. Darkness fell around us and I felt my heart nearly stop. Willow and Glyn both gasped aloud.

  "Mother!", I cried out, "where are you?" Blackness filled my eyes like a blindness.

   "Here, little bird, we're all here behind you!"

Then a soft red gold light filled the cavern that we had been led into. Glyn had used his power to light a fire dart and it's glow shown around us. I turned and saw my family, Glyn in the background holding his dart above his head. Our mother and father stood between us, concern etched on their faces.

We were in a roughly circular area hollowed out in the mountain. About fifty feet in front of us, we could make out the back wall, rock was on both sides of us, also. The only way out was the way we had come in.

And then Mem chuckled aloud and I wondered if he'd lost his senses.

"Thank you, Ancient One!", he said, "thank you, for leading us here!"

Three of us watched as Mem knelt and wrote an ancient sign of gratitude in the dust of the cavern. He took a handful of the dust, stood, and blew a puff of the dirt in the direction of the Four Powers; North, South, East and finally West.

Willow moved and laying her hand on Mem's arm, spoke softly. "Mem-dur?"

"We are safe here." Mem answered, and his voice was deep blue to me as always.

"Look around us," he continued, "we have shelter from the Worven, we are hidden. There's wood for a fire...and, I know there is water, too. Everything we need, for a day."

I looked, just as he said, there were tree branches against the far wall. As we listened, we could all hear the sound of trickling water.

I turned and looked toward Mem. My gaze caught something over his shoulder and I froze.

  Our entrance was sealed! A solid rock wall, like