The Dark Crystal: A Memory of Wholeness

My Author Quest entry...


Rian

Thunder rumbled in the distance. From the hillside, Rian could see all of the valley below - to the East, the emerald treetops and bronze fields of his homeland sparkled in the dying light of the Rose Sun. To the West, the Crystal Palace, home of the Skeksis, jutting up from the land of Skarith. The landscape surrounding the castle was once rich and green, like his home. What lay before him now was barren, the stone palace erupting from the dust like a scar cutting up into the sky. High above, lightning flashed down, the silver arc illuminating the curved turrets of the castle, like cruel talons against the darkening horizon, then disappeared in smoke. 

Rian looked to the sky. A swath of coal black clouds was roiling out from the horizon, blanketing the land in darkness at a preternatural speed. Blotting out his home. The clouds continued their charge and his breath caught at the silent certainty with which they moved - formless and unstoppable, until the hillside too would soon be cloaked in darkness. 

The air was heavy and the colors of the scene before him dark and vivid as they often are before a powerful storm. But there was something not right about these clouds, something strange and ominous. It was no normal storm they brought, perhaps not a storm at all. It was something worse and Rian sensed but could not name it. A cold emptiness curled at the corners of his heart, its inky tendrils threatened to extinguish the light within as surely as the clouds above brought darkness to the land.

Strange, he noticed, nothing fell from the sky, but he could hear the soft tinkling of raindrops, like a distant memory, all around. Rian looked back once more to the castle and, as he turned, suddenly he found that he could see himself now, standing on the hill, overlooking the Crystal Palace. Not himself at all. A watcher.

The world was disappearing now. As the darkness closed in, a piercing scream, anguished and hateful, cried out, echoing from somewhere deep within the castle walls.

Then...
KAKOI...
The sound reverberated out from the castle, shaking the very foundation. Vibrations pulsed a shockwave across the landscape at a deafening frequency that seemed to bend and twist reality. Rian watched from above as the rings of white energy rippled out, laying low grass and limb in their wake...passing right through him.

Crack!

Rian woke to the crack of thunder. Rain was falling in a soft patter outside the window. The young Gelfling’s eyes flew open. By the Brothers- I'm late! If he had cried out in his sleep, the other Gelfling guards showed no sign - Nola and Tarin slumbered peacefully in their cots. Their long ears twitched abstractly in the secret living of their dreams. Quickly, Rian roused himself and dressed. In haste, he threw on his breeches. He still had the ones his mother sent with him and the feel of soft homespun made him long to return to bed. His boots had separated themselves during the night and he hunted about for the left until he found it beneath his dirty clothes’ pile. How did you get there? His shirt probably needed a good washing, but would do. Overtop he adjusted the hide tabard he wore when on duty. The sigil of the Palace, a circle inscribed with concentric triangles, was burned in decorative fashion on the front. My sword!  Though more for ceremony, the thin blade was required of all guards and he would be thoroughly chided by Emil at practice if he forgot it again.

Rian had only been a guard at the castle for four months, but he had already been reprimanded one too many times. Emil had told him as much after practice last week.

…

"I shouldn't be here." Rian breathed to himself. Carefully, quietly, he lifted up the latch in the floor, raising the door, just a bit, to peer inside. There, in the darkness below, something moved. There were Podlings down there! SkekTek was keeping these Podlings prisoner - but why? There were perhaps a dozen Podlings in the small chamber, just beyond his reach. They looked pale and wan and their clothes bedraggled. Poor things! But strange, thought Rian, they didn't notice me. Don’t they want to escape? He lifted the trapdoor just a bit higher, trying to get a better view. He tried to whisper to them…they didn’t hear. As the dim light from the laboratory shone in, the Podlings continued to shuffle about aimlessly, oblivious to his presence. Finally, one of them did look up - but at the sight Rian recoiled in horror, for his eyes met the fixed and milky stare of one in death. What had they done! These creatures were not Podlings, at least not anymore. Rian could see now that their skin was the color of ash. They shambled about with no will or thought of their own. How horrible, and how could they, the Skeksis, even do this. How was it possible? Rian could not bear to look into those empty eyes again. With trembling hands, he lowered shut the door and mourned their deathlike state.

But he did not have long. Only a moment had passed when the sound of shuffling outside the secret door reached Rian’s sharp ears. His breath caught short. Quickly, he threw himself around the corner of the twisted workshop. Pressed flat against the chamber wall, he could hear, and with any luck see, but remain hidden.  The Skeksis approached, clawed feet clicking. The voices were impossibly close. Then, the sound of stone on stone as the secret door slid open. Two Skeksis, apparently in some heated argument, swept in. One was obviously skekTek, his gravely mid-tones unmistakable. The other one, he assumed must be skekAyuk, the gourmand, for its boisterous lilt. Rian had never personally encountered the Gourmand, but had tasted his culinary creations in the mess hall and heard his chortles echo up from the kitchen on more than one occasion.

"When will I have my slaves?!" skekAyuk demanded.
"Soon. Soon," skekTek fawned. "Must be patient, must be secret or Gelfling will discover."
"They have discovered" intoned skekAyuk. Leathery skin rippled past his beak into a grimace.
"This one is not a problem." From behind the two, skekTek produced a female Gelfling. Rian recognized her as one of the castle guards, like himself. He had seen her at role call and practice - Jana was her name, a member of the Spriton clan. The Gelfling struggled in the Skeksis’ grasp. Spriton were well known as fierce warriors and Jana was no different, but SkekTek held her firmly. "Come here, Gelfling!"
"Fiends!" she shouted.
"What will we do - oh what will we do with her?" Ayuk chortled.
"Heh - we will drain her, of course."
"Oh, very well, very well, so you are able, then, to drain Gelfling?"
"Eh..." skekTek, hauled the Spriton female into a chair and strapped her in.
What are they doing? Are these two renegades? Cold sweat pouring, Rian’s mind raced.
SkekAyuk continued jibing "You promised skekSo you would tell us when all was ready. You must share with all of us! You must save the essence for the Emperor. That was his decree!"
"It is not ready!" skekTek admonished. “Must perfect the frequency for Gelfling. Requires more tests. This is only third Gelfling I try. Until then...we may sample the essence...for the good of the Emperor. We must test its purity."
"Oh..." The rotund raptor skekAyuk did not have to consider long. "Yes, I agree. Begin. Begin!"
"Yes. Yes.” SkekTek proceeded to a stone dias and paused. To his right, the mouth of a great hearth lay closed facing two prison chairs, one of which held the Gelfling, Jana.

 To skekTek’s left was a series of levers and pulleys. He placed a hand upon the chain and paused.  

"Let's see then, eh?" skekAyuk encouraged.

But SkekTek would explain before beginning: “to squeeze Podlings is easy, not so with Gelfling. Podlings are weak, simple, easy to capture, easy to find. Easier for them to disappear and no one asks questions. This one they will ask questions - we must give reasons."
"Let the Chamberlain do it” skekAyuk supplied. “He knows how to speak to them. They don't trust me anyway. Better I stay out of it."
"Agreed."
"And what of skekVar? Is he aligned with us, you think?"
SkekAyuk guffawed "Don't ask me politics - you know I only want for myself and I think he is the same. But he is strong. Stronger than me and stronger than you - better we align."
"Yes, I suppose...he would destroy us. We will align and skekSil, Chamberlain, will speak for us - weak and sniveling though he is. He may think we align with him, but share nothing!"
At this, skekTek launched into exposition "it is not enough that Skeksis exist - we must thrive, grow stronger! It is possible - we are intelligent. These creatures are simple, trusting, stupid – good only for slaves.”

“Or eating!” skekAyuk inserted.

“Those that are not - we drain, we kill."

“New slaves! SkekNa will be most pleased!” skekAyuk chortled with glee.
Rian's skin crawled at their giddiness over such a dark business.

A Good Harvest

Dawn was breaking as Rian came up over the ridge. The road beyond led down to his parent's village. Tired and hungry, the sight of the little town, untouched as the day he'd left, gave comfort to his heart. To the west, the wheat fields glistened with the prize of the coming harvest. The long stalks produced a rich brown grain that glinted bronze in the light of the dying sun like a shield over Thra. I know Father will be happy.

And with that thought and the wind bringing the familiar smells of home, Rian realized that it had been a long time since he had thought about his parents. With the excitement of his appointment to the castle and his move to the outpost in the new and unfamiliar Dark wood, so many new things coming into his life, it seemed like he had put his old life up upon a shelf. I haven't even written them, he thought in dismay, and now here I am coming with news that will change their lives forever.

The thoughts brought back, too, the memory of his mother's constant nagging to be mated. Their clan, the Woodland clan, like the other Gelfing clans, believed fundamentally that male and female were of the same being - split in twain at the dawn of time, waiting to be joined to their other half. It was thought that the female housed the soul, dream-knowledge, and the male the passion and "doing", the ability to make dreams real. In that way, a Gelfling pair were bound, or handfasted, one to ever uplift the other until their bodies returned to Thra and their energies released. And so it was in Gelfling society that females received, in addition to the traditional education with their male counterparts, continuing instruction in the ways of the clan, ritual, history and lore. By her maturity, each female was a seed-pod filled up with the record of that clan’s knowledge, so that wherever she may go, all that they were would be alive and shared. And so, too, a select few were groomed to be Matriarchs of their clans – ambassadors and living vessels of all the clan’s sacred history and secret knowledge. Perhaps someday, but Rian had no interest in such things at the moment.

“You slept last night in the muck of the Black River - with the peepers and screechrats? No wonder you had nightmares! “ his mother cried when Rian explained what happened.
"Perhaps you were in that riverbank all along - you said you fell and hit your head - and it was all a dream,” his father said. "When you feel better, why don't you write it down, hm? That would make a good story to scare the little ones," he winked.
"Here, let me look at your head." His mother bent him down to inspect the wound.
"Look I don't want to believe it either."
"You're hot to the touch!" She exclaimed.
"But I can't have dreamed all of it."
"Didn't you say you were having bad dreams lately?" his father drolled in a leading tone.
"I had one bad dream, father. It was nothing like this. You have to understand."
"I understand my boy's not been taking care of himself" his mother chided. "Now, you lay down in bed and I'll bring you some broth."
Rian tried to protest, but with the stress of the last few days, his injury and fatigue from travelling, he found his body unable to comply. Numbly, he allowed his mother to lead him away and soon she was tucking him under covers like a babe. It must have been the fear that kept me going he thought as his mother’s shadow leaned over him. Now safe and snugly horizontal, his body sank into the bed like a stone. Safe? He blinked and the room blurred into darkness.

…

Rian came up behind his father and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I want you to go away - to the sea - to Sifa lands. I want you to leave this place."
"Rian, your mother and I are as fasted to this land as we are to each other."
"It isn't safe" Rian argued.
His father chuckled and continued like he hadn't heard him. "Besides, there's a good harvest on the way - one of the best" pointing to the waves of bronze, bowing in the evening breeze.
His eyes locked for a brief moment with his son. "I can't let that go by."

…

The next morning Rian left. He bid his mother and father goodbye as if he'd never said or seen anything.  He left with no destination in mind, he just needed to get away. And as he wandered out onto the road, he became lost in thought. Why did his parents make it so hard? Talking to them was like talking to stones - there would be no moving them with words. And so he left, but he was not done.  He had only lost one day at home, but how much time did they have left?

A Tiny Scar

It all started with a little scar. Strange, that it was something so innocuous, but skekSo remembered it well. Six months ago, he had been sparring with skekVar, his general. There was nothing out of the ordinary: SkekVar being a loyal subject, probably the only one skekSo would trust, if Skeksis could trust, and the sparring matches were a regular occurrence. The General, a master with the sword, the Emperor prided himself on his own skill as well - they had arisen out of the mutual desire for public self gratification.

The match was nearly over: skekSo had given hit for hit with his larger, more seasoned, opponent. The two had exchanged the usual "friendly" jibes.
And then, it happened - SkekVar cut him. More of a nick really, just a slice across the left shoulder. The cause appeared completely by accident, even skekSo couldn't protest, but it was the pain of it that surprised the Emperor.
"Forgive me, my lord!" skekVar prostrated before him.
"Nothing!" skekSo cried to all present -  a little too sharply. "It's nothing...see, it heals already!" Indeed, the blood had already clotted and ceased to flow.
SkekZok the Ritual Master approached, head bowed, with a kerchief to wipe the blood, but the Emperor dismissed him with a waive.
 "Continue." he said to the General "Continue the match!"

SkekVar won, but that was not unusual, either. The general won nearly half of their matches and some that he lost were purely out of deference, skekSo knew that. He knew also that SkekVar had no interest in being Emperor, which was why it never bothered him. Though the General was easily more powerful, his nature was one of service. If only they were all like skekVar! The Emperor pined.

Once in the safety of his bedchamber, skekSo scrambled to the great mirror that hung beside his bed. It rested above a stone table littered with bottles of floral essences and decrees from skekOk he still hadn't bothered to review. Over the parchments and crystal vials he peered, touching a claw tenderly to the line along his shoulder. A scar! The wound should have healed completely by now. Skeksis always healed rapidly, their bodies strong. Skekso's mind tripped frightfully along the possibilities. Nothing was different this day from any other. He had heeded the Crystal's call as always, renewed his daily energy from its power. So why was it that this injury, this sliver, marred his beautiful body?

The Emperor pressed into the offending white line and winced. Pain, too! During the remainder of the match he had passed his grimaces off as hurt pride. Entirely believable to all that knew him. But this pain remained. So much so that he’d excused himself from dinner early - loudly blaming his retreat on skekAyuk's roast mounder leg. But really, there was nothing wrong with the meal. It was, in fact, quite delicious.

Oh! He moaned silently. Is it me alone? I must discover if the others are similarly affected.
If alone, his fall from power was imminent. Perhaps even his death. At any time, any number of his court plotted to overthrow his rule. By some ghastly means, no doubt!
"No! It shall not be!" he defied, launching a crystal bottle across the room. It smashed against the wall, releasing the scent of callablooms.
"Ah! My favorite" he lamented.
A knock came at the door.
"Enter!"
The door creaked ajar and skekSil's beaked head craned around.
"My lord excellence is alright?"
"Yes! I'm fine" the Emperor snapped. "Only...I do not like to lose." Perhaps, that explained it all.
"Of course," the Chamberlain smiled agreeably and bowed his head before retracting it,
"I leave you," and closed the door.
He knows! The Chamberlain and his intrigue. I must hide this - deficiency.
It was then, that he thought of skekEkt the Ornamentalist.
The Emperor found skekEkt's penchant for gathering baubles distasteful. Decorating himself with the textiles and trinkets of the native creatures: Rough, simple fabrics and ugly metalwork. Disgusting! But, perhaps, yes, perhaps something worthy of his eminence could be commissioned. Something to enhance his majesty while...masking his imperfections. It was a good plan.

I will rule this land and live forever. My will makes it so. Why else have I come to be if not to conquer and bend Thra to my will. I can conceive it, so it will be.
The mantra calmed the Emperor that night as he lay in bed, and many nights thereafter. Unable to sleep, he repeated it over and over to himself, beak moving silently, until he slipped into the dreamless dark.

......

SkekUng gripped the Podling in a vice of iron "Get back to the mines!"
"Gah! Fool creatures!" He spat.
"I need better minions skekTek. These...things are inadequate!"
SkekTek shook his head in dismay "Better slaves requires better stock. You know this as well as I. Unfortunately, it is the case that most life on this planet is of substandard intellect."
"Well, whatever you do, it's making them stupider - look!"
"Ha!" skekUng raised his hand high as though to strike the Podling nearest him.
"He doesn't even flinch! What service can I expect of a slave too dull to avoid a blow?"
With that, he pushed the Podling over. "Bah!"
"Agreed, of course...but bear in mind, skekUng, a clever slave can cause trouble. Consider that, at least, these are harmless." SkekTek spread his arms and surveyed the hall teeming with Podling activity.
"Harmless? Worthless! If you can't make better, I'll do it myself."
"You are welcome to try. My main purpose is not making slaves - it is the gathering of essence. As our Emperor commands. The slaves are merely...a fortuitous by-product of the process."
"SkekNa would take them, surely, and I would give them to skekAyuk, but he has enough slaves and, as we have found, " here skekTek grimaced "Podling tastes terrible."
"Ha! Yes, indeed. I will think on it" skekUng decided and left him.

Nimhe

"I am Nimhe, of the Spriton Clan."
"But you should know that - Woodland."

The Spriton Clan were naturally gifted athletes. Stronger and even more agile than their cousins, they excelled in combat, but were shunned for their aggressive and warlike nature. The Spriton made the Dark Wood their home and they considered all other Gelfling that entered it trespassers. Now a Spriton female stood before him, rigid and confident. Her long hair was braided and twisted up in hoops. Her eyes were a green-gold the color of sap and wild like the Dark Wood. Her face and limbs were daubed with mud to blend in with her surroundings. Typical to the Spriton, a small shield plate was fastened to her right arm. The Spriton were lithe warriors and preferred speed as their primary defense over bulky armaments. They also used the living vines of the forest - one held her shield in place, coiling round her arm and up to the nape of her neck.

Nimhe laughed. "You call yourself 'Woodland Clan', but you're as suited to these trees as Nebrie. Why don't you go back to your farms?" The Spriton continued her taunt, "watch your crops or tell stories to the wind like the Sifa?"
Nimhe swung down to stand beside him.  Face to face, the female was just an eye taller than him.
"Let us defend Gelfling."
It was then Rian looked down and realized the Spriton had a spear point against his chest in warning. He jumped back in surprise. "Hey! We're allies here."
"And who said that? This is our forest."
"So, tell me why you're here and maybe I'll let you leave."
"I was looking for something."
Her eyes narrowed "What?"
"Proof...evidence."
The female's brow furrowed "Proof of what...?"
Rian threw up his hands in defeat. "I hate this! You’d never believe me!”
"I hate Skeksis more," she conceded quietly.
"You do?!" Rian jumped at her, no longer afraid in his excitement "You know the truth!"
"I'd heard whispers." She stroked the living vine curling up her forearm "The forest warned me of deadly shadows…unseen danger."
"You're lucky to be alive."
"I was watching, hidden. I saw what they did here."
Rian grabbed her arm in excitement."There's more! I was at the castle - A Spriton guard discovered their plans."
Nimhe’s face flushed with pride. "Of course, and what did she do, this Spriton - did she send you here?"
Rian paused, half afraid of her reaction. He shook his head, face pale.
"The Skeksis...they found out, somehow...they killed her."
Nimhe face fell as if he’d struck her. "One of our own?"
"They will pay for this!" The Spriton blazed with anger.
"Hey! This is about more than one Gelfling - this is about all of us!"
"Skeksis are weak, we don’t need your help."
"Alone they are, yes, maybe, but they have allies, and more...I don't think they are as weak as they appear. Remember, they have been deceiving all of us. This weakness could be part of their game."
"You have some intelligence" she admitted.
"Why don't you go and warn your clan, then. Tell them to leave."
"I tried. They don't believe me."
“Haha!” Nimhe laughed so hard she fell to the ground, rolling, with spasms.

Aughra

"Gelfling are cursed!" they cried.
"What have we done to deserve this?" others wailed.
"No! No! Gelfling are loved. You are good!" Aughra assured. The crowd of villagers quieted, but for the first time since the dawn of Thra, they doubted. Each felt something new within their hearts, withering their joy, quelling their belief. It was fear.
Aughra smelled it and snorted "-Bah!"
"You - Gelfling, come with Aughra!" She jabbed a pudgy finger at Rian and scuttled off into her hut.
Once inside, Aughra rounded on him "Tell me. Tell me what you saw."
"I didn't know what to call it." Rian said meekly.
"Evil! That's what you call it. I should have seen it before."
Evil...The word was strange to him, but seemed to fit.
"There are others that know of this" she muttered to the wall.
Rian could not tell if it was a statement or a question, so he nodded.
"Another Gelfling...they killed her, Aughra." he said, remembering the horror. He stood up and began to pace.
"Show me" she demanded.
Rian stopped "What?"
Aughra grunted down into a cross legged position and beckoned to him.
"Show me what you saw, Gelfling - Dreamfast with me."
"For too long the Skeksis have remained hidden to me, beyond a wall of shadow. Ever since the Second Great Conjunction, they've blocked my eye. But I could feel the dark energy radiating from the castle. You have been there. I must see for myself."
"Very well" Rian acquiesced, but his body shivered, reluctant to relive the memories of that day.
He sat down upon the mat facing her and crossed his legs. Aughra lay her squat hands, palms up, upon her knees and Rian placed his on top.
Rian had only dreamfasted a few times in his life, and that was when he was younger - part of a larger ritual, sharing knowledge of his clan. Luckily, or unlucky, for him, Aughra was an expert. She entered his mind and quickly sifted her way to the precise place and time she wanted to see. Rian was a taken aback by the force of her will, jumping from one image to the next - The castle, the Crystal, skekTek's lab, the Podling slaves, and finally the twisted process inflicted upon the Gelfing guard, Jana. Her face gaunt in the purple light of the reflected Crystal. Rian could not help but cry out in his dream. The image of Jana would never leave him.
"Gah!" Aughra had broken the bond and Rian was jarred back into reality. He touched his forehead - he was sweating, or crying? How much time had passed?
"So, it is true" she said at last.
"Of late my dreams have been dark, dark and twisted. Nightmarish things, a corruption growing in my heart - the heart of Thra!" the wizened crone trembled and her eye rolled up as in a trance.
"Aughra...Are you alright?"
Aughra shuddered and moaned then sat straight at attention, suddenly herself again. She grunted dismissively, her good eye widened.
"They will kill all of you" she decreed.
Rian started up in shock. "That's impossible! We know now, we can fight back!"
"Humpf!" She continued, ignoring his last remark, she was rambling now "Folks will call it unnatural, but they don't know what they're talking about. There is no unnatural - there's harmony or discord, balance or imbalance. What skek-Tek does, he is able to do because of nature - he twists it to the darkness of his will. Just like all of them."
"You see, each of the Skeksis reflects a dark purpose and each would see it fulfilled. They are strong, intelligent, ruthless - Like nothing Gelfling's ever seen. They will bend and twist our world into darkness, chaos, suffering. Horrible." She turned away as she pronounced it.
"A dark purpose, indeed" he echoed.
Rian shuddered to the core at the thought that more would become victim to the living death he saw...or worse, that there could be even more horrible fates in store for all of Thra if skekTek and the others succeeded.
"Aughra," he said, determined "tell me how we can defeat them!"
"You can't."
The surety of her tone struck a chord. Frustrated and tired, for the first time anger flared like a fire inside Rian.

"If I can't, tell me who can! Or do you mean none of us can?" he shouted.
"It's already begun. Go home to your family, Gelfling. I am tired."
They don't believe me! But he only thought it.
"I can't help you. No one can help you. Better go back to your farm and enjoy life."

Again, he could not tell if it was exhaustion or despair that tinged her gravelly voice. He thought a bit of both.
"Now you're starting to sound like Nimhe."
"Huh?" She perked up "What's Nimhe?"
"A girl. A Gelfling girl."
"Good!" Aughra regained some spirit "You find love - go home, be happy. Gelfling should be happy."
She crumpled her face into what looked like a smile, patted him on the arm and led him out the door by the elbow."

Well...that was odd.

It was very late by now, and cold, but a small crowd of Gelfling villagers still waited.

They stood at the sight of Rian and Aughra exiting her hut.

Aughra raised her hands to the weary Gelflings, preparing for her proclamation.
"What the Gelfing saw...was true!"
A series of gasps and moans rippled through the tired group. Again, Aughra raised her hands for silence.
"You few here know - The Crystal of Truth has cracked! It's light defiled, it now pollutes our world."
Who? Who did this? They whispered.
"Skeksis..." she answered darkly, cursing their arrival "It was Skeksis that did this. They cracked the Crystal. Though they smile, there is darkness in their hearts. They fear gentle Gelfling - they fear their own end! You are all in danger. They have marked you for death."
Though not a Gelfling, Aughra was mother to them all. The ramifications of what Rian had shared today hit her hard.

A clamor arose from the villagers. Mothers and sisters clutched the little ones close, cooing softly the ancient tunes, and looked to Aughra for guidance.
Rian looked to her as well, but, surprisingly, Aughra stood dumb.
The silence grew...all eyes drilled into the old woman, she who had ushered them safely through the ages, but still she remained silent.
Rian could feel the crowd's fear swell to the tipping point.
She must speak now or there will be chaos! He thought.
Tears began to fall - Aughra's silence was like a seal of doom upon them all.
Then, quietly, without a word, the old woman turned and went back into her hut.
The door latch locked with a gentle click.
And with that 'click' the crowd exploded in panic.

A Memory of Wholeness

The Valley of the Stones.  Rian had never imagined he would get here.
He sat up...slowly.
His head pounded and burned like the three suns sat behind his eyes.
"Brothers! Uhnnn..."
"Rest..." Long fingers gently alighted on his shoulder - a cool and soothing energy ran down his spine. At the same time, another large hand cradled his head, while a third pulled a blanket up around him.
Who were these creatures? Are they the lost Masters, the Mystics of legend? Rian could barely see, his vision was dark and red and the bright light from beyond the entrance of the cave blinded him. Were these people helping him the fabled urRu?
"Please, tell me your names," Rian managed. His head swam as the hand poured him lightly back onto a pillow. Whoever they are, they must be big...such big, sure, hands.
"Rest, small one," a warm voice intoned "I am...urIm."
Rian's body melted into the receptive support of the healer's hands. UrIm's touch quenched the fire in his mind and, in that sparkling stillness, he slipped once more to oblivion.

Am I crazy? Maybe it was all a dream...

Rian opened his eyes. No - he was still in the cave, in the Valley of the Stones. The deeply timbered voice once again spoke beside him.
"The Crystal's song has changed."
"What?" The Gelfling sat up and turned to face his caretaker.
"Are you...yes, you're urlm. I remember now."
Urlm, one of the fabled Masters, or evil wizards, if you believed the Skeksis. They had been whispered of, though no living Gelfling had ever seen them. One the day of the Second Great Conjunction, when the great UrSkeks were divided, only four remembered in legend were there: Aughra, Raunip, her son, Kel and Gyr the Song-Teller. In Gyr’s words and song the memory of the urRu had lived, albeit squashed by Skeksis lies.
So, there were no "others", just one being with four great arms that moved in fluid concert.

“You hear the cry of the Crystal” the musical voice of the healer intoned “it affects us all, but only those in tune will know it."
"How can I make them see?"
"One cannot make others see anything."
"I know, I've been trying. You speak like Aughra."

"Do not think, Gelfling, that Aughra does not sorrow what is to come. She is but a Watcher. To ask her to change the future is akin to asking Thra to move from its course in the heavens. Do not despair, there are other ways to move." One great lower hand arched forward - index finger extended. “A true healer's work is to touch the hearts of others." The two upper arms raised and the two lower gestured out, holding the air. "Allow them to unfold. It is in this space, Rian, that healing begins."
"What space?" Rian wondered. "I'm not a healer, like you. I'm not a song-teller. I'm a farmer, turned fighter - not even a great warrior."
"There is much we could teach you if you stay."
Rian considered it for a moment, but he already knew his heart. In that moment, he felt he understood the words of the strange healer a bit better.
"No. I must be with my people. And I won't give up - even if no one ever believes me - I will do all that is in my power to save them."
"Would you come with me? Help me show them the truth."
"The clans would believe you. If they could only see…they want proof."
"Show me to them or show them a stone, it is the same” urIm placed a small round pebble in Rian’s hand. It was inscribed with markings that were foreign to him, but not unlike the ones on the Mystic’s face and coat. The healer continued, “beyond this valley, there is only danger for us. Here we must remain, until the time of wholeness." He cocked his head as if listening for a sound Rian could not hear, "when the wind calls us, we will go."
“Thank you, for healing me.”

“Consider first, where was your injury? Before you go, Rian, the Master would speak with you.
"Is he like you? Are there many of you here?"
UrIm nodded, "urSu, all of us, we came here together."

…

Resonant, gentle fingers strummed the bowl's edge. The Mystic craned his neck to the heavens, limbs creaking faintly like the branches of an old tree in the wind.

A pungent smell filled the air...of balanwood - of home.
"Do you dream, Rian?" His voice was soft on the desert wind.
"Lately, it's been only bad dreams."
"There is a prophecy in what you see. Aughra is not unique in her connection to Thra. You know more than you think, young Rian."
"What of you, urSu,” he asked “what do you dream of?
UrSu surveyed the valley. His liquid voice was like the running streams.
"...We dream of wholeness"
"Aughra sees much, but even she is blind to some knowledge."
"When I stand like this" the urRu raised a hind leg, "I know it here" and touched his heart.
"However...I cannot speak it. There are no words for knowing."
"Why did you come here? Why did you leave the castle? You could have fought the Skeksis. You could have shared the truth long ago."
"That power is not within our grasp."
"Doesn't truth have power?"
"The power of truth is not one of action. It is one of being."
"This is the essence at its core. We are incapable of such action. Only being."
"Two hands began to trace symbols in the dust. The fingers moved with the graceful familiarity of an oft repeated ritual."
"Here, we stay."
"This is writing," Rian stated "I know these symbols - the triangle and these circles, I see them everywhere here - on the stones and on your clothing.”

UrSu traced the symbols again, this time in the air. "They are in our dreams and in our waking minds. They are in our fingers and our bones and our blood."

“Yes, but what do they mean?"
The urRu swayed his long neck toward the Gelfling. The Mystic’s eyes were clouded.
"We do not know…"

Sand and Swamp

“Drenchen, Vika!”
“Vvvika!” The creature trilled.
“Kiva! Avoyay deera! Bahkira. oyay oyay!” it cried, clearly frustrated.
"Do you understand us? Are you a Gelfling, then?" Rian asked.
Though green, the creature blushed bright red.
"Of course I am! I’m Vika! Don't I look like you?"
"...Not much," Nimhe said flatly.
"...But I do see some resemblance,” Rian recovered, “so, you’re a Drenchen then? Sorry, we didn’t understand.”
"Ughh!" Vika cried.
Vika was unlike any Gelfling Rian had ever seen. In fact, she looked more like an overgrown peeper to him, than a Gelfling. Now that it was clear she was Drenchen, her Gelfling characteristics were clearer. Though her skin was slick and amphibious, she had long, pointed, Gelfling ears. Her legs and arms, though a bit bandy, were of normal length for an adolescent Gelfling child, and her feet and hands, though webbed, did have distinct, long fingers and toes. Her eyes were black and glossy, like a nebrie and her hair long and dark, like the darkened sky in his dreams. And, around her neck – a firca! "Vika, where did you get this? It's a firca, isn't it?” Rian asked, intrigued “Did a song-teller give it to you?"
"No!” Vika replied, indignant, “I made this. I want to be a song-teller" The Drenchen raised her arms in joy at the thought of her dream fulfilled, did a little twirl, and then blushed.
"And do you sing songs of the swamp?" Nimhe laughed.
"No." Vika looked up, eyes soft "I sing about the stars."

What are these” Rian asked pointing to the pink-orange lights scattered about the swamp. “The pava stones? They are little hearts of Thra” Vika said, lifting a small orb in her palm for him to see. “They’re alive! They grow here. It’s their heart that glows and it only glows when we sing. If the Drenchen ever stopped their song, the swamp would go dark.” She trilled and deep within the murky darkness of the swamp pava lamps glowed in response. Their pink-orange light illuminating a faint path through the bog. "Come! This way!" Vika called, and the spritely Gelfling hopped off toward her home. “Careful!” she warned “the swamp pools are much deeper than they appear.”
Rian advanced, but quickly found himself squishing along, slowed by deep pockets of mud.
Nimhe, though more nimble, was also slowed. She gave up quicker than Rian - taking to the trees and advancing her way along the low hanging branches.
"Hang on!" Rian flailed. "How do I get through this?"
Nimhe laughed without turning and Rian scowled at her back. He knew that his clan was not as well adapted to arboreal life, but refused to give her the satisfaction.
Luckily, Vika was already on her way back to retrieve him.
"What's the matter?" The Drenchen assessed him with a quizzical look.
"I can't...hop." He threw up his hands.
"Hmm...what's wrong with your feet?"
"They're not webbed, for one," he said, lifting a mud caked foot from the bog. It made a sucking sound as he pulled it out.
"Oh!" She poked a toe with one long webbed finger and looked around searchingly.
"What about the moss - here and here?" Her dark eyes dilated, clear lenses blinked.
"Follow me...just step where I step. There's moss here - good for your feet, right?" she smiled.
"Yes, thank you, that is better."

...

"Oh, Vika! Vvika, my darling, where have you been?!" The Drenchen matron trilled from above a steaming cookpot. Rian and Nimhe entered Vika's home behind her. The mud hut was small and the ceiling low, but it had a homey feel.
"I was out, mother" she chirped. Her mother looked up, eyes wide.
"And what are these - Gelfling?!"
"Yes, mother, other Gelfling" The daughter sang back.
"Hello" Rian said. From the way Nimhe and Vika's introduction had gone, he thought it best to speak for both of them.
"Visitors! We have visitors, Maruk! Bring the slugworm pie! I’ve got Swamproot puree and marsh greens for you."

Rian and Nimhe blanched in unison.
"Oh, don't worry dears: Whatever you've heard about Drenchen cooking - Mine is the best!" she chirped, “My husband, Maruk, trades for spices with the Sifa. My cooking is the best in all of Sog!" "You're the proudest woman in Sog, Vana," Maruk teased his wife as he entered the kitchen.
“Welcome, visitors!” the Drenchen patriarch ushered them to the table to sit with him – a chance to share his own pride. “Look around you, friends. I think you will find the feeling of the old ways remains in our village, does it not?” Rian nodded, there was something familiar about this place “Why?” Maruk prompted “because we Drenchen have the old songs and the new on our lips – we keep the ancient ways. Other clans may pride themselves on strength, beauty, or even technology, but" and here he swelled with pride "we Drenchen sit closest to the heart of Thra!"

...

The Gelfling simply looked at her and blinked. Shifting like the crystal sands, the Dousan’s black eyes glittered with flecks of gold. As the wind blew, it made a tinkling sound, like the ringing of a thousand tiny bells. So, Nimhe stood amazed at the shimmering expanse before her, each day the Dousan clan sets out to catch the winds of the Crystal Sea on ships just like this.
"Listen..." Kailif whispered from behind her..."when I close my eyes, I imagine that I am there - at the True Sea!"
"You mean the Silver Sea? How do you know what it’s like, if you have never been?" Nimhe wondered aloud.
She looked out at the vast crystal sands, glittering under the triple suns. A sea of dazzling beauty in its own right. Beside her now, Kailif stood entranced. His eyes shut and a faint smile played at the corner of his lips.
"Come, see with me!” and he grasped her hand “can you hear it?"
"No -Oh!"
The experience was exhilarating. Suddenly, her world began to rock and sway. The sound of bells transformed into the rhythmic lapping of waves and dusty desert winds replaced by salt air sprays.

At some point, though Nimhe did not wish it, their fingers broke away. The cool dream sprays gone, the world was once again unbearably hot and she found her head spinning, but Kailif’s hand was at her back to steady her in an instant.
"The heat is getting to you my friend." The Dousan smiled weakly behind his mask. His energy, too, had been sapped.
"Come...Shade...Drink."
Nimhe smiled and took his hand again.

....

 Tomek put his bowl and spoon aside as skekSil entered the workshop.
"Finish, eat, Gelfling."
"No, it's quite alright, I'm done." Tomek got up to greet him.
SkekSil nodded and sniffed the air. "What is this you have?"
"Pilnac stew. SkekAyuk made it for me - very kind of him - a recipe from home. I like the gourmand."
"We like you, Tomek."
"It is a great honor that we have brought you here."
"Yes...indeed" stuttered Tomek."A great honor, excellence."
"Hmmm, good manners! Intelligent!"
"In all honesty, Tomek, there are few, if any, among your kind who are a match for our intelligence - Not cruel - only the way of things. I know you understand. It is why we help Gelfling - share our knowledge." Skeksil beckoned the Gelfling to follow.
"Your inventions...First, let me begin here. Come, sit." Let us sit and talk. Hm?
"We have seen these inventions of yours, Tomek. They intrigue us."
Tomek blushed.
"They are creative. You see, while intelligent, Skeksis are not all-powerful. This creativity is something we lack. We admire it!"
"Work with us, Tomek. Build, invent. We will supply you with tools, power to give them life."
"Life?" The Gelfling was intrigued.
"Yes - The Crystal gives life!"
"Like it does to all of Thra. We know how to harness its power, give life to your creations - imagine it!"

Here, Tomek smiled. Though hard to believe, it was possible - the Skeksis were very advanced.
Which caused him to wonder aloud: "skekSil, how did you come to be so advanced?"
"Ah! A wise question. Here, I teach you...you learn more. Each of us has a specialty. It allows us to advance much quicker. Here, at the Palace, you will specialize, Tomek - in inventing. Your time is brief. No wasting precious time hunting for food, making shelter - everything is provided!"
"Isn't it selfish?"
"Selfish? No."
"Those with...less talent are glad to serve."
" 'Why' you would ask? Because your inventions help them all. Simple, see?"
"This is the next great wisdom we have been planning to share with Gelfling. Now, you, Tomek, know first!"
"This is wonderful. I can't wait to tell my clan."
"-No! Ah, that is, we planned carefully...to share with one clan at a time based on their readiness. We observe, evaluate. Sifa clan you know already have much technology. They will be the first, then others."
"Don't worry...all will know within the Trine."
"Anyway, this is not my specialty. Let us leave these matters to the experts, yes?"

"But think, think what you will invent and what the other Gelfling will say” skekSil cheered – “'Wondrous Tomek. Beloved of Skeksis. Beloved of Gelfling. Noble Gelfling teach Skeksis.’"
Tomek had no desire to be known, but he realized he knew very little of the Skeksis.

"Do you have any stories of your people, skekSil?"
"Stories? Hmmm...Skeksis have no stories of our kind. This is Gelfling thing."
But skekSil saw an opportunity.
"Tell me a story, Tomek." He moved in a friendly way. "This makes us close, no?"
"Tell me your story. I wish to know. The story of one who helps Skeksis is important. Tell me and I will be sure that skekOk, the Scrollkeeper, records it in our histories. These records endure forever."
"Gelfling have story of Skeksis, no?"
"Yes, our stories live in song - praising your wisdom and the gifts you have given us."
"Good! Now, please, share with me..."

He smiled and led Tomek away. SkekNa used this room in the afternoons for his “pain” experiments on the new slaves. Wouldn’t want Gelfling to see that!

The Gelfling Gathering

"Oh, how lovely!" The Vapra glowed in the moonlight. Just like a dream. Her skin and hair were milky white and sparkled like the stars. She walked with wings unfurled, gossamer cobwebs, gleaming behind her. She wore white robes lined with silver embroidery and intricate scrollwork in thread of gold. The light of Thra's moon cast her in an ethereal shroud.
"Oh, hello? Hello there!” Vika shot up out of the brush beside her “I could swim in your eyes - they're so dark and lovely. Excuse me. Are you a matriarch or queen, perhaps?"
The female paused and regarded her for a moment.
Vika wilted under her serene gaze "I'm sorry, oh, have you met a Drenchen before?...I'm Gelfling" she added helpfully, remembering her first encounter with Rian and Nimhe.
The Vapra reached out long searching fingers, touching Vika’s hair and face like a Podling child would caress a baby fizzgig.
"Very nice." The elder female decided with a smile. A true beaming smile. "Yes, I am Yalani - Moon mother of the Vapra. I am Matriarch of my clan."
"Do you go to the Gathering?" Vika switched suddenly to hushed tones, remembering the dangers about.
"Yes" Yalani whispered back.
"You shouldn't go alone."
"But you are young, you should not be alone, little one." Yalani gently chided.
"I am on a mission" said Vika proudly.
"And what is your name?"
"Vika."
"Well, Vika, we should make haste. This land is not safe." The Drenchen nodded and the odd pair moved off together, toward the moon - to Sifa land.
"Can you do magic?" Vika whispered.

....

"What are Gelfling doing in my workshop!" Raged skekUng
"Not are, is, one Gelfling" skekSil corrected.
"I barely suffer you in my workshop - now you bring a Gelfling!"
"You're lucky I was with skekOk. If I had slaves with me, I would have had to kill your little pet."
"Apologies." Better to err and apologize later.
"Save your simpering fool's mask for the lesser creatures. I know your tricks."
"What makes me more angry is that you didn't include me...which leads me to believe you plot against me." He rounded on skekSil.
"No, no, an honest mistake." The Chamberlain bowed.
"Honest, hm, there's a word for you."
"Gelfling believe I am honest."
"Yes, you've done your job - the easiest task of all us, I might add - to gain the trust of imbeciles. No Skeksis will ever trust your word."
"And...what if I plan for that?" skekSil snickered.
Smack!
"You - struck me! Did you see! Witness. I should challenge you."
"Go ahead, Chamberlain, we all know you would lose."
"Hm. Very well. I am patient. I will bide my time." Began to slink away.
"Time dictates that I grow stronger. I'll not forget this, either, Chamberlain."
SkekSil paused in the stone hallway, turning just enough to face skekUng "Hm. Now that you have completed your humiliation, I will share my plans. The Gelfling...is a gift - to you!"
SkekUng fumed, but stayed to hear him out.
"My spies discovered him. A genius of sorts among his people. He is an inventor - He will make the army you desire!"

“Hmm…” skekUng grumbled. As the others departed, he made his way down the hall, but around the corner he found skekSil waiting for him, grinning that ridiculous grin. But before SkekUng could speak, the Chamberlain grabbed his arm and spoke low and cool, so only they two could hear.

“You would do well to remember, skekUng, you have no title. We have a Hunter, a General, what need have we of you, hmm? I move the pieces to where they should be! I play an important part. This is not easy – requires vision.” He released skekUng’s arm and turned to leave him at last. “Something to think about, hmmm..?

The Song of Stars and Stone

"These tools are amazing!"
SkekUng stood in the doorway to his workshop. He cringed at the sight of his tools in the hands of a Gelfling.
"I wish we had more to go on, but I took your notes from the Emperor's vision and made some preliminary sketches - launchers and things like that. Mostly simple gears and pulleys. I can show you what I've been working on." The Gelfling continued while skekUng fumed, trying his best to appear unbothered.
Tomek noticed the strange silence and came up to him "Is anything the matter?"
Bah! How to extricate myself? SkekUng's mind raced for some "nice" words.
"...I will warn you now, Tomek. My nature is one where...Let us just say I am not as patient as skekSil. Do not take this as anger. It is not my intention to have you fear me. I am simply a warrior. I do not use pretty words." Tomek looked at him, not alarmed, but a bit confused. It appeared it would take more talk to placate the Gelfling. Perhaps a different topic.

"SkekSil brought you here because he thought you could assist me."
"In your task from the Emperor?"
"...Yes. He has foreseen threats to Thra. Ones even Skeksis alone cannot defeat."
The Gelfling's eyes grew wide.
"Do not fear. This is some time away. Perhaps trines. There is time for us to prepare. With your help, I believe we have a chance."
Tomek looked up at him, face sober.
"Thank you for trusting me with this. I hope it isn't speaking out of turn, but, when I spoke to skekSil... something wasn't quite right. It felt like he wasn't telling the whole truth. I'm glad you have the confidence in me to share this knowledge. I won't disappoint you."
SkekUng attempted to make a soft-stern voice. "Remember, Tomek, your people can never know - not even that you are here. There would be panic and chaos."
"I understand...and I accept this commission. I will stay here with you and do the best I can. For Thra."
"For Thra!" skekUng echoed. He found that he was even able to smile.
Tomek lit in excitement.
"Let me show you something!" The inventor led skekUng to the workshop table where a mess of papers, schematics and sketches lay. "The form came to me from a dream, or more a nightmare. But now that I know what we're facing, well, what better to fight this invasion?"
Tomek climbed up on the oversized chair and rifled through. "Not this...here!" He pulled out a hastily drawn image in charcoal. It was done in hard lines - as if he'd sketched it upon waking from his vision. A circular armor, with two great claws and glittering eyes.
"Where did you see this?!" skekUng roared.
"I told you" Tomek replied meekly "It was just a dream, a nightmare."
"Yes" skekUng calmed "You said that, I apologize for my outburst. It's just that this is..." Tomek's eyes searched his for approval. 
"…Impressive!" The Skeksis laughed and patted the trembling Gelfling on the back. "It is?" Tomek stammered.

"Yes! It is as though you've seen my own vision and laid it out precisely. I could not have grasped it on my own...but this is it!"
"Wonderful!" Tomek sighed with relief.
"Well done! You must build them right away!"
"Them?"
"Yes - a whole army! We will need them to defend us."
SkekUng gave him a hearty slap on the back and left him to the monumental task.


Haha! SkekUng chuckled to himself as he passed down the corridor. To coerce Gelfling was getting easier, yes, he was getting better at it. This Gelfling even trusted him now more than skekSil. SkekUng grinned. Ha! The Chamberlain had no talents. Although...he did think to use Gelfling. If the Chamberlain could see what he could not, then there was reason to fear him. "Gah! I still have to worry about him - the worm!" SkekUng stopped just outside his room, clawed hand paused in thought upon the iron handle: How was it that the Gelfling knew of Garthim – a creature from his world? A world he barely remembered? Disconcerting, but… a puzzle for another day, and with that he slammed his chamber door.

From the dark corners of the hall, skekSil's spies emerged. The crawlies marked all that transpired for their master.

......

Rian stood on the mountainside. Night was falling and the rich colors of the sky made him feel at ease at last. I can't live thinking every night will be my last, he had resolved this after the wall was complete. It felt like his mission was finally done - his body and mind at last allowed him some respite and in that time he had reflected on his journey. For Gelfling lives to be worth living, worth saving, they need to be more. We need to protect who we are. If we lose that, then the Skeksis have won. I can trust now that their time will end...some day, if not in my own time. I'll never be o.k. with that, but I think I'm beginning to accept it.
He sighed heavily, noticing for the first time in a long time his breath. Had I been breathing all this time? He thought with a wry smile, I'd forgot.

            He could still see them in his mind, his friends - they were friends, now, weren’t they? - that day on the sand, their silhouettes all cool tones and shadow against the backdrop of the sinking Rose sun. Their smiles and laughter as Kailif saw the ocean for the first time and Vika danced along the shore. Her little amphibious wings bouncing along behind her. There, by the clear cold water, in the dying light and the spray of the sea, her wet skin took on the iridescence of a rainbow. Rian smiled and he realized he was crying. He imagined Vika now, among the stars, glistening like the crystal sands. He imagined her...and that was what he imagined saving. She just wants to sing her song.

Rian looked to the stars and, for the first time, he heard the stones around him singing.  And he knew that their song was for all of them.