The Saving of Sobul - Chapter 1 - Part 4

In the Forest of Answers the air was chilled, sharp and biting.  From the white earth grew tall brittle trees covered by emerald moss.  Makaylah and Peigi held hands in the forest and waited, all the time looking around them.  It was over the spirit of Makaylah that the light came.  Finjela, the mythical daughter of Oisin rose from nothing. At first faceless, her long feathered wings spread out like a peacock consuming the light, whilst behind her, amber stones of richness glowed.

‘My dearest Makaylah’ she whispered from above,  ‘do you not know that he is here to take the light from you, that the snowdrops which protect you are his only means of bringing Sobul out of the darkness.’

‘I know Finjela, but what of my heart, it hurts so.  It aches as if he has already stolen my past and my future?’

‘If you go with him, like my father you will take earthly form, and the gods will no longer be able to save you.’

Colias and Indra having followed the amber glow of Finjela arrived as she issued her last warning.

    

‘Makaylah,’ called Colias, ‘if you come with me I will take care of you always.’

‘Brave Colias, do you want her to die for you? What price are you prepared to pay?’ roared Finjela.

    

‘I would die for her in an instant.’

Finjela spreads her wings out across the white earth and created a pool into the future.  In the glistening water, Colias and Makaylah were standing barefoot in the Forbidden Stream, the white snowdrops around Makaylah’s head rose and were absorbed into the golden ball of Indra.

    

‘What does this mean Finjela?’ pleaded the soft voice of Peigi.

    

‘It means this is their destiny, should they choose it.’

Just as Makaylah felt Colias in her heart, both knew right at that moment, that they had no other choice.

When they left the Forest of Answers, and arrived at the Forbidden Stream, they followed the vision, placing their bare feet in the water of dangers.  The white snowdrops rose into the golden ball just as they had seen in the pool that Finjela had created.  Colias knew he must stay and protect Makaylah.  It would be Indra now, filled with the light from the snowdrops that would return to save the Kingdom of Sobul.

As Colias and Makaylah kissed, the force of the centuries rose, emptying them of all godliness. Within moments they turned into their earthly forms, Makaylah the red deer, with one small snowdrop remaining on her forehead, and Colias transformed into the body of a Great Irish Elk, his antlers giving him the height of a grown man.

They watched Indra as he set off on his journey to Sobul, both of them knowing that the trusted guide, had a difficult path ahead. 

'Peigi, you must go with him to the edge of our world.'

'But what about you Makaylah, should I not stay here and ensure you do not come to any harm?'

'Colias is with me.  Go my dearest sister.  Indra has the snowdrops, part of me is with him and therefore, part of you.  There are dangers at the edge of our world that you can see him safely through.  After that, he must face his journey alone.'

To be continued in Chapter 2

The Saving of Sobul - Chapter 1 - Part 3

As Colias watched the deer move through the hazel forest, she seemed to travel with the instinct of centuries, and he sensed that this beautiful creature was somehow connected to his destiny.  It was only when Colias saw the Crystal Kingdom shining from the earth’s core, that he knew the imaginings of his dreams in Sobul were about to be realised.

The deer passed through the crystal wall of the kingdom, and was swiftly transformed into a goddess with wild red waist-long hair and white cotton skin draped by liquid gold.  Around her forehead remained the snowdrops, only dimmed now by her eyes of black lagoons.  Once inside the Crystal Kingdom, the earthly world was no longer part of her, and those outside, unable to enter, could only look on.  As Indra attempted to forge through the crystal wall, his failure to pass made him impatient, and with that, his butterfly wings began to fade. Colias was more resolute, the imaginings of his dreams was now happening, and the unfolding of events would be just a question of time.

* *

    

Makaylah's wild waist long hair moved as if floating on water when she turned to see Edana enter the crystals.  Edana, the goddess of fire, once through the crystal wall, transformed from a wild cat.  Her hair, black like the raven, was surrounded by a garland of large red roses around her forehead.  Her skin darker than Makaylah’s, wrapped in a dress of blood red, revealed womanly curves that held the power of all men’s passions. An ice fox was the next to arrive, and just like Makaylah, she turned into a creature so beautiful, that she had no need for any crown.  The iced-white of her fox coat, became silky straight hair of purple, her lips the same colour.  Kindall may not have had the purity of Makaylah, or the full bodied passion of Edana, but she was indeed a clever independent fox.

     ‘Ah, Kindall, you are just in time, Makaylah here thinks she might have seen him.’

     ‘Seen who?’

     ‘The warning of our forefathers, the creature she must never kiss.’  Edana let out an infectious laugh just as Peigi arrived.

     ‘Makaylah has seen him?’ the white dove becoming the last of the sisters to transform. 

     Makaylah looked at Peigi, the youngest of them all with the colour of the oceans in her eyes.  Peigi wings turned into a headdress of three circles in white weave, the centre piece laced in crystals, just like her dress.  

     ‘Heavens Makaylah, is this true?  You have finally met him?’ Peigi swooned.

     ‘Do you not get it Peigi, romance, not that I normally resist the absolute divine delight of it, is completely out of the question here.’

     ‘Edana, maybe the warning is wrong, this creature might be her true love.’

     But Peigi conceded defeat when Kindall spoke.

     ‘She cannot afford to take that chance?’

     Makaylah looked at her three sisters and remembered Colias as he stood in the meadow.  Each of them could see the vision in her eyes, and feel her deepest emotions, knowing that he was within her being, like the centre stones of the earth's core.

     It was Kindall that spoke next.

     ‘Makaylah you know if you kiss him, you will go to the Valley of Darkness?’

     ‘I know.  Everything from my creation to now confirms what you say, but even though I understand this, there is something drawing me to him.’

     ‘That’s the very reason why you should not be tempted.  You hardly think the gods would have sent a being of no attraction.’ Kindall looked to Edana to confirm.

     ‘Absolutely darling, the more passionate and tempting they seem, the more one should be wary.  Unless of course you like to live dangerously like me?’

     ‘I think Makaylah should go to the Forest of Answers,’ said Peigi.

     ‘Will you take me there sweet Peigi?’

     ‘Of course I will, but we must rest now, tomorrow before daylight we will go.  In your sleep, the gods might give you answers.’

    

Before the sun rose outside the Crystal Kingdom, Makaylah's sad eyes told Peigi nothing had changed.  Peigi transforming herself into her earthly dove-like form and waited while Makaylah reduced to the size of the most minuscule of fairies.  Climbing on her back, they both flew to the Forest of Answers,  unaware that in their wake, followed the daring Colias.

The conclusion of this chapter will be posted on Saturday 2nd April 2011

The Saving of Sobul -Chapter 1 - Part 2

Colias and Indra reached an opening surrounded by barren trees that stood so high they framed the sky like the eye of a cave.  As Indra rose, spreading his beam of light, the dead russet branches grew lush green leaves, followed by berries the colour of carmine and corolla petals of ghost wings.  The wings grew and grew surrounding Colias like an enormous world cloud.  He could see Indra above him as he allowed himself be seduced by the circle of dream. The music within it, one of beauty and sweetness, called the song thrushes from the forest.  The birds forming a carpet beneath Colias, brought him out of the darkness into a whitened blue sky.

He travelled north over a lush valley with steep drifts on either sides and woodlands of hazel bellowing down to an ancient stream.  Finally, the song thrushes led him to a meadow of ruby poppies and clusters of bright yellow monkey flowers, each stained with blood-drop emlets, as if the poppies were metamorphosing them into surrender.

Colias could see Indra ahead of him fighting the lips of the monkey flowers that sniped at his wings.  The circle of dream scattered as Colias regaining his earthly awareness, looked around him.  Then he saw her.  Beyond the sea of wild flowers, a magnificent red creature with tiny snowdrops above her eyes.  It had been a long time since Colias had seen a deer, and certainly never one of such beauty.  She was swift and nimble, with an air of unpredictability about her; her black diamond eyes staring across the meadow, as if sensing something different.

When she turned to retreat, the petals of the wild flowers closed behind her.  Colias wasted no time following, the speed of his movement gaining pace with his intake of breeze.  Indra freeing himself from the monkey flowers flew towards him as they both watched the graceful animal head for the stream.  Once there she slowed, carefully crossing on a path of stones, ensuring she did not touch the water.  On reaching the stream, Colias instincts told him to do the same, and once safely on the other side, himself and Indra entered the hazel forest.

Tale to be continued on later post......

The Saving of Sobul - Chapter 1 - Part 1

In the forests of Montpelier, a great warrior named Colias arrived from Sobul wearing his battleshield marked in the bloodline of Avengis.  The shield had magic powers and would help protect him against man, beast and the gods.  His companion for the journey was a papilio called Indra.  Indra was a magnificent butterfly-like creature with swallow tail wings that turned into a golden ball in flight.  He had been with Colias from the beginning of time, illuminating the worlds of darkness in Sobul with his hypnotic golden beam and was fated to be his trusted guide on this path of destiny.

When Colias entered the forest, the sounds reminded him of home, wind whispering through the leaves, distant streams, insects buzzing, creatures warning each other of intrusion.  Colias made little or no sound as he followed his faithful guide, the tree bodies creaking after him, oak eyes fixed on both of them as he set about his search for the light that would save his beloved homeland of Sobul.

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