Some of them look to be in English, but I know they're not. It's that Alltongue language Tobias told me about. The "tongue of magic".
That sounds a little disgusting, to be honest.
"Ruminations on the Chaos Principle", by Ror Agastanja.
"The Death of a Venar", by Ge'le.
"A Brief History of the Northlands", by Minstrum Lenyer. By the looks of it, it's not all that brief at all.
"Lord of the Rings". In Arcadian? I guess classic fiction really does cross all borders.
"The Psychology of Stickmen", by G. Godager.
"Principles of Waging a Winning War Against Superior Forces", by General Hen Solber.
"Surviving the Border Mountains", by Tomi Strande.
It's Abnaxus.
It's a nicely crafted bench.
It would be rude to leave without saying anything to my host.
Be welcomed, stranger, to my abode.
Stranger? Don't you remember me? You invited me here!
Every moment, we meet, and every moment, we part. You are both stranger and friend, April-Ryan.
I'm sorry, but could you try to be a little less obtuse this time? I have a hard time understanding half of what you say.
I will beg for your forgiveness, April-Ryan. I had a hard time to make myself understood amongst other peoples.
I will pull myself into this moment, difficult as it may be, so that we can communicate and so that you may understand. It is important that you understand, April-Ryan. Very important.
Who are you?
I am Abnaxus of the Venar, ambassador to the Ayrede Council in Marcuria. My people live far from here, and they do rarely visit your kind, and so I am their sole link to humans and Dolmari.
I alone among the Venar am able to focus on a particular moment and thread in time, and so to speak with those who flow with time. Like you.
Why is that?
How do your people perceive time?
It is...hard...to explain. Any moment before this moment, and any moment after, is the same to me as this one. I have lived already, and I am yet to live. Do you understand me?
I think so. But how's that possible?
Everything is possible, April-Ryan. There is magic, and there is science, and between the two, everything is possible.
Can you see the future?
To me, every moment is the same, so there is no future. I can relate moments you have yet to see, and I can unravel possible threads. But remember, the future I see may not be the one into which you walk.
Moments and threads fluctuate, change. I can remember things that have never come to pass, and I have seen things that will never be.
So you can't tell the future?
I would see your possible futures, the likely threads among hundreds. If there was not a veil in time, I would.
What's this veil you keep talking about?
Somewhere -- ahead -- in our path, there is a dark veil through which I cannot pass, past which I cannot see. It is -- disconcerting to me, to be blocked from the moments of my life.
How did this veil come to be?
It was...no, will be...created in Chaos, by Chaos. To keep the future hidden. All threads converge on a single point here, beyond the veil, and this will happen only once. It is written.
Written? Where?
In the prophecies.
Tell me about the prophecies.
Words have been written by Seers who can discern from all possible threads the threads that are certain to be woven. These words are the prophecies.
And what do the prophecies say?
Prophecies speak of a time when the Balance will falter, weakened by the assault of Chaos and its servants. The moment the veil falls is the moment of uncertainty... The Balance may stand, the Balance may fall.
Thanks for your hospitality, Abnaxus.
Good bye. Blessings of the Balance to you, April-Ryan, and may your journey have been a long and fruitful one.
I cannot tell which it will be, and I cannot even see the possibilities, the threads extending from each fork.
But the prophecies also speak of a savior, as the prophecies usually do. One who will bring order to Chaos, only to release Chaos on the innocent. One who will restore the Balance, only to finally break it.
I'll talk to you later, Abnaxus.
Blessings of the Balance on your journey, April-Ryan.
I need some help in my quest.
Yes, you did.
I did? And what did you answer?
That I will help you as much as I can, but in the end--
I'm on my own. I've heard that one before.
About my quest...
Anything I can do to help, April-Ryan.
That doesn't sound like a savior.
The word, in my tongue, is Kan-ang-la. Literally translated it means "the small seed who grew to a tall tree".
Can I ask you a few questions?
Yes?
What do you know about dragons?
I do not know much about the Kin, but I do know a little. Perhaps it will help you, perhaps not.
The Draic Kin came to this world a very, very long time ago, before the dawn of man, before the Divide. The Venar had yet to learn to be outside time, and there were few other peoples on Earth.
The Kin played an important part in the Divide, in separating magic from science, and in the founding the Fathers, the Sentinel, to watch over the Balance.
It is said that, after the Divide, of the four Draic Kin that came to Earth, two went to Stark and two to Arcadia.
You don't know where I may find these Draic Kin?
No. The White of the Draic Kin -- the Mother -- has, according to legend, been sighted. The tale of the Silver Spear of Gorimon speaks of the Mother and her child.
The story is called "The Silver Spear of Gorimon"?
Yes. Unfortunately, I do not have this book myself, and I do not know of anyone who do.
What about the other dragon, the other Draic Kin?
Of the Draic Kin, I only know of the Mother, the White of the Kin. Although...
That's about it for now.
I am glad I could be of assistance, April-Ryan.
...I have heard tell of a god who fell from the sky into the ocean a great long time ago. But this may also be just a tale.
What else do you know about this "god" who fell from the sky?
Only what I have told you. Someone with greater knowledge of the ocean and the creatures that live beneath its surface may be able to tell you more.
Have you heard of a disc that works as a key to the Guardian's realm?
Yes, but very little. It has been spoken of in the Ayrede Council only recently, brought to attention by the Tyren ambassador. He wished to know where it is kept.
And what was the answer?
No one at the Council knows, or admitted to knowing, and the ambassador was asked to speak with the Sentinel, which he is unlikely to concede to.
The Tyren are allied with the Vanguard, and so are in political and ideological opposition with the Sentinel. I know Vestrum Tobias. He would not speak a word with the Tyren, nor the Vanguard...
Not unless it was to challenge their philosophies.
So you don't know where I can find the disc?
No. Ask Vestrum Tobias.
Do you know anything about a rift leading to the Guardian's realm?
I have heard speak of such a thing. I believe it was where the Tower was built, and the Divide created, when the Earth was one. It might still be open.
Any idea where it is?
I am afraid the Venar were never very involved in the affairs of the Sentinel, nor took any part in the Divide except to agree to the necessity of it. We had little choice but to concede.
We are a magical people. We need the Balance, because we would not, could not, survive without magic.
How would I go about fighting chaos?
You cannot fight Chaos. It is not so simple. To oppose Chaos one must return order to that which has been affected by Chaos, and thus reduce its powers.
But this is not something everyone can do. Only those ordained by the Balance can embark on such a dangerous task, and survive.
But that was a long time ago...twelve thousand of your years. I do not know what has become of them since.
Though I think this is but a tale, and far from the truth.
I'm glad to see you're okay, Abnaxus.
Should I not have been okay, April-Ryan?
I wasn't sure. Everybody else has left town.
Yes. Most everyone did. A war is coming.
Shouldn't you be leaving too, then?
I am. After I see you again.
You shouldn't be putting yourself in danger for my sake, Abnaxus.
Then for the sake of the Balance? You will find three stones, yes?
I did, yeah. Just missing one, now.
Here. This was the stone of the Venar, entrusted to me. I was to take this to Marcuria, and there hold embassy until the Kan-ang-la will come to take it from me.
You had this the whole time? Why didn't you tell me before?
To have been carrying this on your journey will be too risky, April-Ryan. You have it now. Four stones to make one. Now my task is done. And the veil is upon me.
There is only the...present? And the past, now. Only those two. Not the...future. The veil is upon us all, April-Ryan. I must leave for my people, to be with them in this time of darkness.
Thank you for your help, Abnaxus. I will miss you.
And I you, April-Ryan. May the Balance bless you. May the Balance bless and protect us all.
Could you tell me a little about yourself, Abnaxus?
Me? About myself? We, the Venar, are not good at speaking of ourselves. We always know who we are, and so we have no need to tell each other.
Well...are you married? Do you have any kids? Or perhaps your people don't marry?
Yes, we do marry. And we always know who we are to be with, because our future is also our past, and so we also know our children even though, according to your reckoning, they have yet to be born.
My wife was -- is -- will be -- the beautiful Abyanda. She lives by the Bay of Fire, in the east. She gave birth to our three female children, Abratha, Abelexe, Abpalmana.
How long has it been since you last saw them?
I see them now, April-Ryan. Do not forget I perceive time in a different manner from your kind. I have given them your regards.
Well, uh, say hi to them from me.
Why did you come here, to Marcuria?
I was chosen to be ambassador to Ayrede when I showed a talent for seeing the flow of time from one point to the next.
I was trained for a long time in locking myself into a single moment, to communicate and understand your world. My people do not normally involve themselves with others, but the veil has forced us to do so.
Why don't the Venar want to involve themselves with humans?
In the wrong hands, our knowledge is dangerous. To know of the possible, fluctuating futures -- this can be a weapon to some who flow with time. We cannot interfere with your time... We are not allowed.
Who says?
The Balance. The Guardian. The Guardian watches not only the Balance between worlds, but also the Balance within. Time is in Balance, and if this Balance is upset, the Guardian would know.
I thought the Guardian was gone?
So he is, and that makes it it even more crucial to my people that we preserve the Balance, and not upset it. Chaos is our enemy, April-Ryan, and we do our part to keep it at bay. As do you.
Are you planning on ever going back to your people?
When we pass through the veil to the other side, and time yet again opens up, I will return to my people. I look forward to that day.
I miss my people, and it is hard to speak with your kind. It makes me tired.
I know what you mean. I'm a stranger here too.
You will bring us through the veil, April-Ryan, and then we can both leave this place and go home.
Where is your home, Abnaxus?
Across the Border Mountains, and north, to where the forests are evergreen, and where, in winter, the land turns white.
Do you know Father Tobias?
Tobias is a faitful servant of the Balance, and he is a good man. He leads the Sentinel down a narrow path, but he never wavers. We are friends.
So I can trust him?
Trust is a concept which often puzzles me. Amongst my people, there is never distrust. We always know the truth. But amongst your people, amongst those who flow with time, trust is important, a fragile thing.
But yes, yes I do think Tobias is to be trusted, fully. I cannot see beyond the veil, but up to that point there is no thread in which he betrays your trust, April-Ryan.
Have you heard of a man named Cortez?
No, I have not, but that does not mean I do not know him. Names are often fleeting, April-Ryan.
He's my...well, some have called him my mentor, others a nutcase. I'm not sure which it is, but I'm leaning towards the former.
Your mentor? He is a Shifter as well?
No. I don't think so. He doesn't travel...Shift...between Stark and Arcadia.
I do not see him in my life, April-Ryan. I do not know him. Beyond the veil, perhaps, but not before.
Thanks, Abnaxus.
You are always welcome, April-Ryan.
