Preface

The Council of the Ancients

                                Much of the fairy tales you heard as a child are based on truths.  Witches, Vampires, Werewolves, Gnomes, Trolls, Fairies, Elves and many more have some attachment to reality of their times.  Only they aren’t exactly like in the stories.  I hear you….sure….yeah right….crack pot!  It’s true though and it’s the Council of the Ancients that keep it all a secret.

All of these people…er…creatures live all around us.  Ever notice how your bus driver is such a grouchy pain in the butt in the morning, but seems to cheer up some on the ride home?  Well, it’s a well known fact that fairy’s are NOT morning people.  (You’d think they would quit getting morning jobs!) You remember your sixth grade computer teacher? Old Mrs. Killjoy?  Everyone swore she was a witch!  Guess what?  She is!  But don’t worry too much.  Witches are required to drink a special potion every day if working with humans.  It helps keep their craving for human children under control. That’s right….what a delicacy your little brother would be for her!  I am pretty sure we’ve only had ten or so cases of accidental “snacking” this year.

                Sure some humans already know all about these things, but most people just think they are crazy and ignore the warnings they give. It takes a lot of hard work to keep it quiet that the president is an elf, your neighbor is a gnome, and your dad’s boss is a werewolf! There is a group however whose job it is to maintain a perfect balance between the human world and the magic.  The Council of the Ancients must make sure that no one group becomes too powerful.  No group is allowed to show themselves to the humans for their true selves.  (Something for which the BigFoot Clan is constantly in trouble for!) Things run smoother when humans don’t really know what’s going on in the world around them. The Council has enough trouble policing the Magics and keeping people safe without an all out panic from the humans.

                The Council is a group of the smartest and most powerful magical creatures on earth.  They are committed to keeping the world a safe place for…..well everyone. The Council is made up of 12 creatures….er people…er beings. To be a Councilman you must be voted in by the Council.  Of course just like most authority figures not many people like or appreciate them. But the job has perks!  Once a Councilman always a Councilman!  Well, that is except for Damen Shinto who happens to be a vampire.  Not just any vampire, but the oldest “living” vampire in recorded history!  He has to be revoted in by the Council every 75 years to keep things fair. One of those things you remember from scary stories really is true….Vampires are immortal.

                Since no group has more power than the Council things have run very smoothly with very few hiccups.  The Ogre Rebellion of in 1906….yes well it was ended within a matter of hours. California was a wreck.  Bridges and buildings across the land were torn apart and ripped away as though they were nothing more than debris on a sidewalk to be swept around in the wind.   And the humans believed it had been a massive earthquake.  You see humans will believe in anything as long as they don’t have to believe in magic and the things their nightmares are made of.  Most of the time everyone in our world of magic gets along pretty well, but just like any other world there are those with evil in their hearts who want all the power for themselves and will do anything to get it. The Navaritis Elven Clan is just exactly one of those groups who didn’t and don’t like the way the world is set up.

The Navaritis Elves are the most magically powerful of all the Elves.  They’ve managed throughout time to steal and learn most all of the black magic in the world. The Navaritis train from childhood in the arts of combat. No Navaritis is ever without their weapon be it bow and arrows, swords, or magic. Their archers accurate and true can hit a moving target on the horizon while the fierce swordsmen have defeated enemies numbering 5 times their own.Their archers, accurate and true, can hit a moving target on the horizon while the brave swordsmen have defeated enemies numbering 5 times their own.Their archers, accurate and true, can hit a moving target on the horizon while the brave swordsmen have defeated enemies numbering 5 times their own They are all trained in magic, but there are those in their ranks that specialize in this talent or the dark arts. Supreme Wizard Elves they are called in their clan, though they truly aren’t wizards, they have been known to destroy entire covens of seasoned Wizards before. Their archers, accurate and true, can hit a moving target on the horizon while the brave swordsmen have defeated enemies numbering 5 times their ownThroughout time they have been destroyers.  The Navaritis wanted to rule the earth.  They have never cared about humans or anyone else’s rights.  They want to not only show themselves to the humans but rule over them as Masters and Gods. 

The very first Council of Ancients was formed by Petrus Mediocris.  All throughout history there has never been a more wise or powerful being than Petrus.  Petrus was not only more powerful magically than any other creature, but his skills as a warrior surpassed even the greatest Navaritis Elf Warrior of all time. Wizards bowed to his knowledge, Banshee’s steered clear of his wrath, witches wanted to date him, and even the Leprechauns swore he had more luck than they did! As Petrus traveled through the world he saw the death and destruction the Navaritis left in their wake. He was heartbroken at the tribes of people scattered throughout the land left hungry and homeless after raids of the Navaritis.  Witches hid their families in trees, and Banshee’s took to living in deep caves hidden from the world. He knew that there must be a better way for all beings to live in harmony amongst one another. Petrus picked 11 other friends, of all kinds of magical beings and creatures, who believed in a better world as he did, with equality for all the earth beings, and made them his Council of Ancients. The council was made more powerful by the help of Petrus’ powerful magic, a feat that none of the council understood but Petrus. All of the councilmen knew Petrus but none could tell you exactly what being he was, only that they had met no other with his powers. When asked straight out once by his best friend Mangus what exactly he was Petrus only replied “I am the one who wants everyone on earth to have a chance at freedom and happiness.”  The councilmen and women came together to make the laws of the world that they thought fit.

1.       No Magical being shall kill or harm another being or human. (Vampires are hence forth commanded to keep their feedings to the animal kingdom, and witches are no longer to partake in human consumption.)

2.       No Magical being shall enslave or imprison another being or human (save for the Council as punishment )

3.       No Magical being shall steal from another being or human.

4.       No Magical being shall show any human their magical identities.

5.       No magical being may use magic on a being or human to cause harm in any way.

 

 

And so the very first laws were written.  The council and their guards roamed through the world spreading the word of the law and setting up mini councils to help hold their laws for the people of the land.

The Navaritis were notorious, in the world before law, for being the most ruthless tyrants and killers of the world.  There were none that could defeat them on the field of battle.  No solider could best them. They were a people with no mercy, and they liked their life just the way it was.  They were thousands strong at a time when even the biggest clans only numbered in the hundreds. At the beginning of the laws the Navaritis swore they would kill Petrus before submitting to his new way of life. They didn’t want to stop waging war on innocent beings.  They preferred to take what they wanted rather than work for it themselves.  They had lived their lives making human slaves to serve them; killing wizards and witches for their magic, and abusing near all other magical beings for their own profits and gains. The Navaritis sent their strongest, fastest, most skilled warrior (Mairail) to kill Petrus. A book was later written by Petrus about the fight for the law and his battle with Mairail.

“We met at the Stone Circle on that mid afternoon in autumn. The large stones all in place towering around a cleared patch of beaten dirt were beautiful in their way. The sun was shining brilliantly across the gently rolling hills of green. You could smell the last of the flowers for the season floating through the air. Magical creatures and beings came from around the world to watch and see.  No one can resist watching a good fight I guess. I could hear my own heart thumping wildly in my ears. I was scared to death! There were a few who supported me in my quest to make the world a better place and came that day to support our cause. Then of course there was a large gathering of the Navaritis. Around 500 of their warriors dressed in leathers and all armed to the teeth with bows and swords.  Most of the crowd was there to see which way the wind blew for their futures.  There were those who would always be in favor of chaos and the elves who would rule the world once I was dead at Mairail’s hands.  Most of the common people, with no real powers of their own, prayed that day for my success in bringing about the way to a new life for them and their children. Thousands of them gathered in countryside that day a prayer on their lips, anticipation on their faces, and fear and hope mingled in their hearts.

 The rules of the Stone Circle where simple, once there was only two beings left inside the stones a magic barrier would encompass the entire circle letting no other enter. This was supposed to keep it a fair fight, but with magic what is really fair? The circle had its powers and wouldn’t allow any actual spell casting to be done within the circle. The elves didn’t like the idea of a fair fight, but seeing as how the whole world was watching there wasn’t too much they could do about it. Of course that didn’t mean that Mairail hadn’t brought magic in the circle with him. The Gods only knew what he could have with him!  It was what they would do to my friends and the people of the world if I lost that worried me the most though.

I’m not a small man by any means.  I stand a good 6ft tall and have the muscles of a seasoned warrior, lean and tight, or at least I had them at that point in my life. The brown leather boots I had been given by a cow herder for helping him find his lost head of cattle in the last great storm were laced tightly around my calves. They were the finest pair of boots I ever had. The only pair of pants I owned was of blue wool and made by a banshee woman who I still call my friend.  My then reddish brown hair was cut short and spiked around my head.  This Mairail, of the Navaritis Clan, was a giant for an elf who stood an entire head taller than me. He had the most gruesome face I’ve ever seen! Mairail looked like most of the elves with his ears that were pointed. His long blonde hair tied back with a rope of red, in a neat braid laying down his back. His eyebrows were so blonde you could barely see them, giving his face a ghostly appearance, except his eyes.  He had the darkest eyes I had ever seen.  They were nearly black as the nights sky. He had a long jagged scar that ran down the right side of his face from his ear to his mouth that was left from his own father “teaching” him to fight. Mairail stood in his dark leather pants made from the hide of a hydra that he killed with his bare hands, or so the story goes.  His chest of rippling muscles was as big as a barrel and bare except for the scars and black war paint that were drawn into symbols of magic. Never had I seen an elf with such muscle, his forearms were as big as my calves! In his left hand he held his sword I knew to be the Misery Blade. People of the world over knew of the sword and it’s bearer as the bringer of death to any who stood against him. The sword had a shinny golden handle of two serpents intertwined with their heads making the hand guard.  The blood red ruby eyes of the snake, that some said called his opponent’s soul to ready itself for death, sparkled in the sunlight of the afternoon.  The blade was twice as long as any mans arm and forged by dwarves with magic worked into the metal to keep it sharp as a razors edge forever. It was polished so brightly that it shone like a mirror in his large hands.  His dark eyes were slightly slanted; his lips were thin and twisted into an evil grin that did not make me feel any better.

I stood on the far side of the circle away from the group of elves with my council studying Mairail with covert glances. My white linen shirt fluttered about my body as a breeze blew through the crowd of beings and people gathered. My sleeves were rolled up and I had my large round iron shield strapped on my left arm ready, and a sword strapped to my hip. The sound of the crowd was loud murmur as everyone was discussing the battle to come.  As I took a moment to try and prepare myself mentally for whatever was to come my best friend Mangus came to my side.

“I can sense an odd magic on that elf Petrus.” Mangus whispered softly. Mangus was one of the most brilliant wizards I had ever known and I had come to respect his insight on magic. Mangus was a slight bit of a man to look at. He was as thin as man half starved and all the muscles and bones showed tightly on his short frame. He had a large belt wrapped around his waist that all sorts of odds and ends objects, to include his own trusty sword, hung from.  His shaggy brown hair fell about his shoulders and around his thin face but only to make him look more angelic than messy. People always underestimated Mangus due to his size and that was always their mistake. 

I took a step closer to Mangus putting our heads closer together so that none other could hear. “What do you think it is Mang?” I tried to ask with as strong a voice as I could muster through my fear praying that he couldn’t hear my heart as loudly as I could.

“I’m not sure Pet, but I’d feel better if you fought with this” Mangus said as he pulled out from behind him a small dagger.  The dagger truly didn’t look like anything special, but if it made Mang happy I’d take it.  Mangus held the dagger with its handle pointed at me in offering.  The only unique feature I could see was the crystal that was inlayed into the copper colored handle. It wasn’t a large dagger. The blade itself was only about 4 inches long. Though I wasn’t sure at the time what it could possibly do to help me fight this huge blood thirsty elf, I wasn’t about to turn it down either!

“Thanks Mang” I said as I took the dagger and slid it gently into my boot for a quick grab if I needed it. “Care to take this fight for me?” I said with a small laugh, pointing lightly in the direction of the crowd of the now shouting elves who were standing around Mairail. He looked up at me with his eyes that were so blue they always reminded me of the clearest oceans. “Uh no I think I’ll let the great and mighty warrior handle this himself” chuckled Mangus. His lips twisting into a half smile half smirk. He always had that quirky smile when he was making fun of me. I have never thought of myself as a great or mighty anything. I am merely a being who believes in right and wrong and am willing to stand up for what I believe in.

With my own smile fading from my lips, the moment I turned around I saw the elves having backed away from the stones to get a good spot to watch what they were sure was , to their own delight, my massacre.  Mairail was left standing on his own within the circle. The rest of the crowd took the elves departure as a cue to start moving back themselves to hopefully get a good view.  As my own friends and companions backed past the stones, leaving me to stand alone, I looked up to see the sparkles of a magical dome appear above my head and start to spread out and down around us.  It was beautiful in a haunting kind of way.  The knowledge that no one else could interfere, yet that neither of us could escape until the fight was over and over meant dead. When the translucent sparkle wall hit the ground to shut the “door”, you could hear and feel a thud of finality all around us, even the stones seemed to moan.  As I looked back into the circle Mairail had already begun advancing on me. 

I could hear the shouts from the group of the Navaritis. “We are the rulers of this world!  Petrus shall die today!!”  Anger rose in my stomach to squelch the fear I felt.  Who did these monsters think they were treating the earth and its people as their slaves!  I knew I fought for justice and peace! I squeezed my right hand to feel the handle of my sword, still in its place on my hip, warm beneath my skin. I held steady as Mairail continued to advance directly at me. I could see the hate in his eyes. I swiftly pulled my sword from my side. Then quick as a flash of lightening Mairail leapt at me swinging Misery’s Blade for my gut. Though I saw it coming, and jumped back as fast as I could, the tip of his blade still caught my shirt and sliced a hole straight across exposing my stomach.  The cheers from the Navaritis came as an uproar filling my ears. 

I can’t say for sure what made me more furious, the fact that Mairail was truly trying to kill me so that he could continue to dominate the world, or that he had just ruined one of my only two shirts! Rage filled my body and my sword became light in my hand as I began to swing furiously at Mairail backing him up as I went after him. No sound penetrated my ears but the swish of the air as I launched my own attach at Mairail. He dodged my sword at every swing and almost smiled at me as though he knew I couldn’t touch him.  As I pulled my sword back for another swing I saw his fist coming at me. Elves have a way of moving that almost seemed like the wind.   Elves are twice as fast as humans and still faster than most magical beings. The punch landed hard on my jaw throwing me sideways and off balance a strength that I knew must have been enhanced with magic.  Using my sword to the ground to hold myself upright I licked my lip tasting the blood that was filling my mouth. Mairail let out a boisterous laugh at the surprise on my face. He moved in and I quickly lifted my sword to try and catch him first.  As I swung my sword hard and fast it met the metal of Misery’s Blade.  Nearly face to face with our swords between us, my blade cracked then broke in two and fell to the ground.  Misery’s Blade had sliced straight through my sword like a knife would butter. The twinkle in Mairail’s haunting grey eyes told me that he was ready for his favorite part of the battle now, the killing.  I dropped the handle and held up my shield as he began to chop at me with his sword.  I could smell the foul scent of him as he came at me harder and harder backing me up.  Sweat was beading up on my forehead from the exertion of holding back the hammering blows from Mairail and I knew I could not do this for much longer. Once again I could hear the chants and whoops of delight from the rowdy Navaritis outside the circle. I took the moment of Mairails back swing with his sword and threw my shield arm forward busting him straight in the face. Mairail held his sword back and instead of bashing me again he kicked me hard in the gut I had left unprotected. I flew backwards landing hard against one of the stone pillars.  My head smacked so hard against the unforgiving stone that I was afraid I might pass out with the dizziness that fogged my mind. As I tried to jump back to my feet I felt the ribs, that I knew were cracked, voice their disapproval of getting back up. I pulled myself back up watching Mairail a few paces away wipe the blood from his face where his nose was surely broken. Looking down at his own blood covering his hand I saw a flash of anger spread across his face.  He lept towards me like a lion in the hunt, his sword held high to swing at me as he landed directly in front of me.  My shield held high I took the blow and another and another as he hammered at me. The large dents to my shield were adding up as he continued to assault me. My arm was aching from the weight of the shield and the constant blows it was taking. 

Suddenly I felt the blade in my boot heat up warming against my leg as though it were reminding me it was there. I knew I would only have one shot at grabbing it. As Mairail pulled back to swing Misery’s Blade for yet another blow I jumped sideways rolling head over feet across the ground. I heard his blade clank loudly on the stone pillar that had been at my back. While rolling across the ground I grabbed the copper and crystal handled blade from my boot.  I felt a tingling sensation in my palm as I gripped the handle tight in my hand. As I jumped to stand back up Mairail was there with Misery’s Blade swinging for my head, and a victorious smile spread widely across his face.  Instinctively I held up the small dagger to catch the blow that was coming directly down on top of me, knowing in my mind that such a small dagger would never hold to a blade that size. I was sure in that instant that everything I fought for, peace for all beings of this world would die with me right here.  My small dagger held high met Misery’s Blade inches above my head.  The crystal in the handle began to glow as the snakes of Mairails sword began to scream.  Every spectator seemed to hold their breath, as we were both frozen in our spots with the blades meeting high in the air. As fear spread over Mairails face astonishment covered mine.  Without a movement made there was a loud scream that seemed to come from the snakes of his sword, and the blade of his sword dissappeared. The snakes let out another blood curdling scream as their ruby eyes began to glow. He took two steps backwards as though he wasn’t sure what to do. A split second later I gathered my wits about me and I was about to leap forward with my dagger when I saw the snakes of his handle come alive in his hand and begin a slither up his arm.  I didn’t know what my dagger had done or what his sword handle was going to do, but I didn’t want to be that close to him when whatever it was happened. I backed away cautiously with my dagger still held protectively in front of me.  Mairail turned to look at the rest of the Navaritis who were slowly backing away from the Stone Circle whispering in hushed tones.  They seemed to know it was over and were willing to leave him there to die alone.  The snakes quickly made their way up Mairails arm and around his neck, twisting themselves together to strangle the large man.  His eyes went wide with the knowledge of his own death as he looked directly at me. He fell to his knees grasping at the snakes around his throat trying in vain to pry them off with his fingers. Mairail began to gasp and choke as the snakes tightened their grip around him. The snakes screamed again then sank their pointed fangs deep into his jugular vein to finish the job. Once ripping open his throat they released their grip to slither off his body and away. Blood now covering his painted chest, he collapsed face down to the ground. The blood pouring out of his body faster than the most trained healer could stop. His eyes were wide as he laid on the ground alone and dying. I went to his side and held his hand in mine. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes. I knew I had won, but even the death of one for the lives of millions weighed heavily in my heart.

 The wall fell down to allow the crowd to circle around us and I felt Mangus’ hand on my shoulder.  I looked to him and he whispered softly “he used a magic of pure evil and the dagger turned his magic against him.” When Mairail took his last breath the Navaritis had vanished and the rest of the spectators knew that law, peace, and freedom had come to their time.”

 

 

 

The Navaritis could no longer take what or who they wanted.  Magical beings would live in peace among the humans and each other. The laws had been set to protect everyone.  That’s been so long ago that now the knowledge of the magical beings in our world is nothing more than the old stories your grandparents tell you. Of course it’s still here and our laws are still being upheld by the Council of the Ancients.  As time has gone by more laws have been made so that the magical beings and humans could live more closely with one another without danger to either.  You see there are a lot more beings and humans now then there were once upon a time.

Petrus knew that he wouldn’t live forever to protect this new way of life, so he had to find a way to hide his ancient power to stay and work even after his death. He spent the rest of his life in what the magical world called seclusion, because he only associated with the humans who lived in the village where he retired. Petrus lived on a mountain top in a little house that was really no more than a one room shack.  It had a thatch roof and wooden walls that were faded with weather and time. On chilly days the town’s children would wander around watching the thin line of smoke lifting from the small pipe that stuck out of the thatch and recount to one another about “The Hermit Petrus”.  He was beloved and wondrous to those of the town.  During the great famine it was he who fed the entire town from his mysterious store of grain. No one knew quite where he got it as he had no fields to farm, but they were too hungry and grateful to question such generosity. He left the rest of his council to finish the laws and uphold them as needed.  He died many years later haven given all of his worldly possessions to the town of humans he had spent the last years of his life learning to love as his own family.  Each and every person in the town was given one object from his small home, until there was nothing left. They were bound to keep and protect it through the generations of their family.  He made the town folk promise that upon his death they would all depart the town and make their way to new places throughout the world. 

Petrus knew the Navaritis would rise again to search for a way to destroy his power, if they could ever find it.  Many wizards and witches place charms or spells on their possessions to remain in this world after their own deaths.  He was sure that the Navaritis would eventually find all of his possession so he would try his best to send them on a wild goose chase. They would be looking for what they would think was the one object to unlock the power that upheld the laws. He got a huge laugh out of the thought of someone protecting his underwear!  He set the spell over all of his things to be like an alarm clock.  The one special item would transport its owner to a time of protection and learning to become the Worlds Warrior.

 

Author's Note

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. Please feel free to be candid with your remarks...I can't grow if i'm not sure where to start!

Reviews

[scatterbrain]

I keep scrolling down, then up, then down. letting the words sink in and talk to me, and they say:

this is where I dump the information.

firstly, what a long, long preface. i'm not sure if people are attempting to read a story, or read a biography about this realm.

as a first line that "hooks the read", this is quite out-dated. I have a story for you... Sit back and relax while I take you to a far-away land... If you have a story for me, then tell the story :/ As interesting a person as you might be, I'm not so sure you'll be selling books on your popularity alone. Same applies for myself and every other writer...

starting a fictional story with non-fiction is suicide for the reader. hey, maybe some books have done it. i'm wrong, always and constantly. but the majority of books throws the reader into the story, sets off with a bang. this starts with a whimper, and becomes a long, drawn-out whine.

okay. enough bashing. your writing itself is spectacular. all of my suggestions are content-wise... I wonder if this might be of help :)

http://www.writerscafe.org/courses/scatterbrains%2C-unite!/600/%22he-discovered-that-in-his-bed-he-had-been-changed-into-a-monstrous-verminous-bug.%22/664/

hope i've helped! :) good luck!

[luciddreamer]

I personally think the idea of the story is fantastic, it was what kept me reading till the end. It was long and at times confusing which I totally understand for I am the same type of writer...although with not near as good ideas :) keep writing your good :)
Peace
Robin