The Edge

Chapter Three

There was a void; there was nothing but a deep spectrum of black. Nothing, yet everything. I felt weightless, floating, and peaceful. The world was perfect and so was I. A deep wrenching pain came from my lower abdomen; it hurt so bad, yet was so vague. I cannot really explain, the pain was their frying my nerves causing immeasurable pain yet I was still peaceful listening to a low thrum that was never there. The thrum changed and it became a voice in a language that was guttural yet smooth and eerily familiar. It came to my ears like the thrum, like the wind and whispered in my ear, a voice of deep foreboding: 

***

It began with nothing more than the quest for superiority. Those of the Outer Edge thought their society was the best and as such should dominate all others. They left in groups. Those from summer, those from Winter, from Spring and from Autumn. They left in different groups but returned as one. They claimed that the places they had been to, the places that the barbarians called The Edge, was one devoid of magic.

They-We called them liars. We claimed that the land was too lush, that without magick the ground would be barren. They showed us their bodies, bodies that had been sleek and beautiful, bodies that were beautiful in its magick filled perfection, drained. They told us of the others, their brothers and sisters that gave them all they had, so that they, they four one of each nation could return. Return to tell of the land that sucks all the magick out the air and gives nothing of the earth. The lush land of no magick.

Explorers went, explorers gone, once known. Never to return. Until one boy, one loved prince of Spring. He wandered into places where one doesn’t return from and yet he came back, stronger than before and irrevocably changed. His abilities the same, but his mind altered. He went to the land of Rocks and Minerals and returned a man of The Edge. He spoke a language no sidhe or elfin had ever known.

 They told the tale, they told his tale. And with that all the princes and the princesses left their lands for The Edge.  Many died, only those of the blood remained, one of Summer’s lad survived in the Land of Fire, one of Winter’s to the land of Water, Autumn’s girl to the Land of Clouds and Air. They took the Edge for themselves and they ruled.

 Those of the Edge loved them and those of the Outer Edge, our land. We, we prospered. They became one with their domains and their rules brought order. But after the Queens of Summer and Spring and the Kings of Winter and Autumn died, the princes and princess moved to take their place.

There was chaos.

Others moved to fill the void, but they were not the blood and like many others the land took their lives and with every death the Outer Edge grew desolate. The Kings and Queen of the Land grew weaker and weaker and madder and madder until on the brink of death, on the precipice of insanity, a lad of the blood was born. He brought back life to the Kings and Queen and joy to the Outer Edge as love and life took bloom in the magick. But his blood, his unknown blood was tainted and the life in the Edge was only bearable. Another child was soon born and she too was of the blood, she too was tainted.

They ascended the throne of the Edge and domains of G’Naft and A’laft were born. They and their children and their children’s children ruled as monarch. No one knew of their tainted blood and for times, centuries of time they thought it nothing.

 Until the seer, Sere made her voice known as blind eyes saw everything. She spoke the truth, truth that had been buried, truth now unearthed.

‘Land of three, The Edge, the Seasons (outer edge) and a place unknown. A rift between the three lies in The Edge. Of our ancestors. That uses much magick, it lives in what they, the strange beings call, Reality. Much is to be learned from Reality, it has mages without magick and rocks without souls. This reality is at the centre of the Edge. The portal to the Reality is only through the summoners.’

When she, Sere was only in her tenth year, in her fourth year of sight she gave a prophecy.

It is through, the one,

The three.

Of them, rulers two

Summoner One

One of Power,

Two of None

Three together

Born as one

Two as whole

The third of another

Power eclipsed to rule the aft

Find them in the centre,

In the year of the Eye

One, Two, Third.

At the end of that prophecy, her eyes grew dim and her sight left.

She died three days later.

The Kings and Queen, all of the blood, of the land, of the Edge wrote it down and made it known. And every twenty years in the time of the Dragons Eye, the Land was searched.

Hoping for the new rulers to make themselves known, the Kings of untainted blood have long since died and their children’s, children’s children now rule. The prophecy is all but forgotten, the only ones that still know are the people of the Edge. It is they who yearn, who hope for their rulers. It is they who suffer.

The prophecy is close to be fulfilled, my dear. Arise and bring your arms for you will fulfil your destiny.

***

When I got up my head was throbbing and I was sure I was in a psyche ward. Not only did I hallucinate, but I walked in my sleep and now I’m positive about the schizophrenia. Freaky!

Now how am I going to tell my mother?

I looked around and saw that I was still on the roof, my roof.

Maybe the whole window thing was a dream; maybe I’m not crazy after all. I looked over to the neighbours at the window and even from the distance that I could tell that it looked way more expensive than they could ever dream of affording. I sighed and made my way down the stairs.

I was crazy, even certifiable and I had to tell my folks.

The girls met me on the way down the stairs. They were both still half asleep and fighting for the bathroom. I don’t really think they noticed me as Lya threatened to rip out all of Aya’s hair if she dared to enter to bathroom before her. And Aya responded to that on the lines of scratching out her eyes. They weren’t shouting or even speaking loudly. They were simply making statements in tired, lazy tones. I simply walked passed them both.

After I did the jig in the bathroom, I went to our room, passing two bleary-eyed sisters with murderous expressions. This time however they were directed at me. At our room I put on clothes, taking great care to choose my favourite clothes. I left the room in my black sweater, my grey blouse, my black jeans and my converse with the purple stars. I went to the kitchen.

I collapsed on the stairs. I remained consciousness only long enough to hear both my sisters scream.